The Crackin' Backs Podcast
We are two sport chiropractors, seeking knowledge from some of the best resources in the world of health. From our perspective, health is more than just “crackin Backs” but a deep dive into philosophies on physical, mental and nutritional well-being. Join us as we talk to some of the greatest minds and discover some of the greatest gems that you can use to maintain a higher level of health.
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The Crackin' Backs Podcast
Turning pain into purpose- Garrett L. George
What if your greatest struggles weren’t meant to break you, but to build you?
In this powerful and soul-stirring episode of the Crackin Backs Podcast, we sit down with Garrett George, a man who has turned his darkest moments into a mission of purpose, healing, and transformation. From battling personal demons to guiding others out of their own shadows, Garrett’s story is more than just inspirational—it’s a blueprint for resilience.
Pain as a Catalyst for Change
Pain is something we all experience, but few know how to use it as fuel for something greater. Was there a moment when Garrett realized that pain wasn’t just suffering, but an opportunity? How did this revelation shape the way he helps others today?
Finding Purpose in the Mess
Purpose isn’t a straight road—it’s filled with detours, uncertainty, and doubt. How does Garrett navigate those moments when clarity fades and the mission feels uncertain? What lessons has he learned from those he’s helped along the way?
Balancing Empathy & Strength
Helping others navigate pain requires both compassion and resilience. How does Garrett stay grounded while guiding individuals who feel lost? What practices keep him from burning out in his mission to change lives?
Breaking Free & Building a Legacy
Escaping pain often leads people to destructive paths—but Garrett took another route. How did he resist the urge to numb his pain through substances and instead transform it into action? And in a world full of skepticism, how does he remain authentic in his mission to help?
One Person CAN Make a Difference
We often underestimate the power of a single individual. How does Garrett believe one person can impact a world full of suffering? And more importantly, how can YOU begin making a difference today?
This is more than just a conversation—it’s a wake-up call. If you’ve ever faced pain, questioned your purpose, or wondered how to turn struggle into strength, this episode is for you. Listen now and be inspired to take action.
Connect with Garrett George:
Website: G2 Impact Website
We are two sports chiropractors, seeking knowledge from some of the best resources in the world of health. From our perspective, health is more than just “Crackin Backs” but a deep dive into physical, mental, and nutritional well-being philosophies.
Join us as we talk to some of the greatest minds and discover some of the most incredible gems you can use to maintain a higher level of health. Crackin Backs Podcast
What if your deepest pain wasn't meant to break you but shape you? What if the suffering you've endured wasn't quite the end but the beginning? Today we sit down with a man who has walked through the fire, Garrett George, from battling demons that could have consumed him to transforming struggle into strength. Garrett has turned pain into purpose. How do you find meaning in this mess? How do you break free from the cycle of escape and lean into something greater? This isn't just a conversation, it's a wake up call. Stay with us. This one you just don't want to miss it can change your life.
Dr. Terry Weyman:All right, everybody. Well, welcome back, my dear friend. Gary George, we've been hearing we've been hearing your name a lot because you sent us some of our, I always say some of my favorite guests, but only because they rare. They raised the hair on my partner's arms. He's always either crying or getting goosebumps from all the people you sent us. So I just have to say it's nice to get the man behind the scenes on in front of the scene for a change, because I know you like to live behind the scenes, but it's nice to get you in front of our camera again, but it's very we're very blessed to have you back, my friend, you're just one of my favorite people on the plant. So thank you for having us back.
Garrett George:Thank you guys for having me back. Um, let's I do want to ask you now, who else has been on the show? How many have we put on the show, on old Matt and Tyson and Jeremy? Who else? Mantle? Yeah,
Dr. Terry Weyman:I think quite a few. What
Dr. Spencer Baron:was the guy in the wheelchair? What's Tyson
Garrett George:deeper? Or was that Tyson
Dr. Terry Weyman:deeper? Map, yeah, Blanchard, yeah, and Mason, and lately, Matthew and yeah, yeah. We always joke in the show. If you've heard some of them, I'll get a text from Garrett that says you need to meet this guy. And that's all I get. And when we first knew each other, I'd be like, Oh my I don't do cold calls. I'd call you all frustrated, and you'd be like, just, just trust me. Well now I don't even blink anymore. Now I go, Okay, it's good.
Garrett George:He said that last week with Vince ruins, right, right, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was another way. It was just like, oh, here we go again. Have we got Tyson deeper on yet? Oh, yeah, yeah, he's
Dr. Terry Weyman:fantastic. I've lost count, man, I've lost count. I know so we but it's all right. But the reason we're having on today, you're going in a new mission and and it's kind and you're gonna be starting your whole, your own podcast, your new website, but the whole thing is, you're going after a theme, turning pain into purpose, and that's such a powerful and profound process. And what was it, you know, what was kind of since the last time we talked, we got some of your background, but what's kind of the process of you deciding this is direction you want to go? There's a ton of people suffering, especially the last three years with with social media and internet and life and and first responders. What actually is driving realization that we need to turn this pain into purpose and and do more with it. Well,
Garrett George:I would first of all say that I've had to do that myself, and this is how I find purpose. This is where I found my purpose. And we're it's like Sam said, you know we're talking about and this is all pretty fresh. I realistically, I'm glad it took this long to get on the podcast again with you guys. And realistically, I'm not, I'm not set and ready, but I'm open to talking about it with you guys today. But serving the unserved. There's people out there that we run into. I know we have opportunities every day to make a difference in somebody's life and and I'm just taking advantage of those. And I don't hesitate if I feel my heart's moved to make a difference in somebody's life. I'm going to do it. I've got the we have the network to be able to do that. So after 11 years of coordinating outdoor adventures and reunions and experiences mean i I've worked with two other organizations very closely, Trinity oaks and legacy Farmstead, but I realistically, I got outside of their missions. My heart was moved and and I've just decided that I have to start my own, with a team of my own. If my heart's moved in a certain direction to do something for somebody, I'm going to do it, and I I need the support of the team that surround me. And so that's why I'm starting G to impact.
Dr. Terry Weyman:You know, was there a specific moment or experience in your life where you realize that pain could be more than just suffering,
Garrett George:but it could be that pain. Pain could be more than just suffering. Help me understand so,
Dr. Terry Weyman:you know, turning pain into purpose, where you're turning pain into something other than just suffering. What was your talk about some of that? Well,
Garrett George:that's easy. I mean, you look at the recipients, if anybody's seen anything that I've got to be a part of with the organizations that we work with, these individuals deserve what they what they experience. And you know, you see guys that like you'll see on my on my page, we've got a triple amputee veteran that's branding a steer with his only arm. And I just believe that there's a lot of people that hesitate to get them involved or even know how to speak or communicate with people like that. It's almost as if they're an alien. And I've never said that before, but they just don't know how to act. And, man, I treat everybody just like like you and I, and we take Michael Jernigan for for example. He's a we may have talked about him last, last time, but I'm going to say 2002 he's a marine that took shrapnel in his right eye exit his left and completely blind since 2004 and I saw him in an event and Reveley peak ranch up in Burnet, Texas, with TIG, if you remember TIG from Benghazi, he was on the security team that was detailed, team that was told to Stand down whenever they went into, say, Ambassador Chris Stevens, he had an event here in Texas, and I saw Michael Jernigan with his hand on someone's shoulder following them around. And I'm, I'm just intrigued with who this guy is. And the opportunity really didn't present itself there to talk to him, but his wife came up to the bar and we had a drink and just talking a little bit about them and where they're from. And I simply asked her, I said, does he have does he actually enjoy hunting or fishing at all? And she looked at me, and she said, Michael loves to hunt. He just didn't ever get any opportunities. And that's where it starts, man, you just build it out from there. And we put together a hunt where a blind Marine is on a rifle, and we've got an ice scope hooked to the to the scope, and we've got a, actually, it's a singer songwriter that helped guide him in on that animal, up, down, slow, left, small, right. Four hours, he took an animal 150 yards. No way that's those are the examples, because there is they still find their purpose, and they really show me what resilience is.
Dr. Terry Weyman:You know, you said something that kind of remind me of, I guess, we just recently had Tom Mayer, a doctor, and he says that, you know, there's some people wired when chaos or trauma happens. Some people run toward it, some people run away from it. And you just said that when you see somebody that most people will turn a blind eye, somebody sitting on a corner, or somebody that is amputee, and they and they don't know how to handle so they go the other way. You tend to go to that the purpose has always seemed like this ideal state that we're striving for, yet it's messy and non linear. How do you approach these moments when something feels unclear but the purpose seems to shift inside you? For those people that run away but feel guilty about that, what's some simple tips that that to turn to help these people? Because I You're right. You know we need all they want is to be to be seen as normal.
Garrett George:Yeah. Don't hesitate. Don't hesitate. There's times we've seen you. We've all had these moments where we see somebody and we think, man, I can help them right now. And then you move on. I'll give you an example, and stop me if I've told you something that we may have discussed before, but there's a guy named Donald. Now I'm, this is six years ago, nearly six years ago. I'm driving down the road. I'm headed to a meeting at work. And for anybody that doesn't know, I'm in the store and drainage business, I sell storm drainage and have for 17 years, and I was, I was late for a meeting, and I was heading to work, and I see this tall black man that's with this brand new white t shirt. You could tell it just been unfolding. He's walking, and he's walking with purpose and and he's sweating, and I'm and he's walking in the same direction that I'm going down this frontage road. And I pulled in, I thought, you know, I want to give this guy a ride, but I don't have time. So I pulled into the Bill Miller barbecue down the road, got me a breakfast taco and sat down, and I just, just said a quick prayer before my meal, and and I see that man come in the door, and he's out of breath, short of breath, and he said to the manager, he said, I'm here, ma'am. And she looked at him and she said, Where's your white collared shirt? And I could tell his demeanor just shifted from all of that walking wherever, how far he walked from to shift to now I've got to walk wherever to get a shirt. And I just grabbed my breakfast, wrapped it up, and I grabbed him, and I said, Hey, Bob, I'm Garrett. Shook his hand, and he said, I'm Donald. I said, let's go. So come with me. We jump. He jumped in the truck, and I said, Listen, Donald. I said, I just got a minute. I'm going to run you around to this Walmart that's just around the overpass here. I said, but you may have. To get back on your own. And in a two minute drive, I figured out that this guy has been two and a half hours south from Waco, Texas, here in Austin for three months, and was looking for for work, and him and his wife, and he found a, you know, a little lunch spot, breakfast block and and I and I asked him, I said, Well, man, is this what you want to do? And he said, Man, I don't I really. I'm a cook. I love cooking. I said, Okay. I said, Well, are you open to anything else until that time comes? And he was like, I appreciate any opportunity. We switched numbers, I dropped him off, and I went back and saw him three days later at that restaurant, and we got him in for an interview, and he's been with us for five years now, and he just got offers a position as a warehouse manager in another state, and turned it down because he doesn't want
Unknown:to leave. Don't hesitate, Garrett, how in the world do you channel the empathy and resilience? I mean, you know that stuff shakes me up. I mean, as much as as much as Dr Terry and I, we live our life helping people. This is a different level, man, or this is just a different How do you process this. Did
Garrett George:we talk about the prophetic word that was spoke over me in 2002
Unknown:I don't care, say it again, man, talk about it again.
Garrett George:We'll just pretend. I mean, I know there's probably hundreds or 1000s of people out there that may be hearing this story for the first time. But you know, after the loss of my buddy, Chad, which will be 30 years on april 23 when he took his wife's life and his own. I was in an extreme amount of pain. And as you all know, I got strung out on cocaine and meth for a long time. And I got raided by the task force in 2002 in Amarillo, Texas. And I went to a I went to a a church service. I was just in dire need of help, and even spiritual help, heart help, and I'm going to church by myself. And then they told, they told the congregation that if anybody was interested in the prophetic service on Wednesday night, that they should come back to Trinity fellowship. And I came back by myself. And I remember walking in and seeing this mega church with looking down the halls and people, there's two people praying for each individual or each couple together. And then I opened up the doors to the sanctuary, and they were peppered throughout, praying for them in there. And they are all holding these like Radio Shack cassette recorders back in the day, you know? And so I just backed back out, and I got in a line that was in a hallway, and I didn't know who I was talking to. I've never seen before. I've never seen them since. But when I finally got up, they just shook my hand and they said, Come on in here. We're going to we're going to pray for you, and we're going to record this, and we're going to send this to you. And ended up being a about a 12 minute cassette recording that I took out of there, and I never listened to it, and I don't remember what they said to me, but that was an oh five or so. I gave it a shot at selling real estate at Coldwell Banker, and really had to fight for my real estate license due to the trouble that I thankfully received that but real estate wasn't for me. I'm I'm more of a relationship guy than a task guy, and I figured that out within about two years. But I and so I took this job down here selling storm drainage, and to come back to that prophetic service, I I found Trinity oaks, which was the nonprofit that I really started serving with in 2013 after meeting Tyson Deaver on the airplane, and we that story can be found elsewhere. I won't kill a whole bunch of time with it, but when you meet a wheelchair basketball team of 13 dudes, and you figure out they're going to Vegas just to bring the championship back to Texas, and they tell you that, and you end up becoming buddies with one of them and still one of my best friends. Today, I got involved with a nonprofit to raise the money for for an all terrain wheelchair for a boy with cerebral palsy, and found a nonprofit. And I want to say it was about three years into that nonprofit that I had my divorce, and I was moving in 2017 and I found that cassette, and for the last three years, I had been coordinating all of the dream trips for any children or adults that had a last and final wish to Hunter fish in the outdoors with Trinity oaks. And we were doing eight to 12 a year on average. And I found that cassette tape, and I burned it onto a CD, and I listened to it for the first time, you know, 1012, years later. And what they spoke over me was this lady said, Garrett. She said, I see you. I believe the Lord would tell me that, that I see you as if you're in an intensive care, she said, but it's an intensive care for wounded hearts, and I see you bandaging the hearts of wounded men and boys. And they prayed for me at the end. And one of the other things that was said was the the gentleman that. Spoke to me, he said, I believe that the Lord would tell me that the pain that you're going to come into contact was going to be so great in others that you won't be able to bear it. And he said, God would tell me today that he took all of that on the cross and that you are to hand over all that pain to him and be a burden bearer for him. So this is truly a calling in my life, and that's that's how I would answer. How do I process or this, or why do I do this,
Dr. Spencer Baron:with all the people that you have worked with, children, the adults, is there anybody in particular other than the guy in the best the basketball player in the wheelchair? Is there anybody else in particular that you've learned something from a significant lesson. I mean, listen that the last several people that you referred to our show have been I, whenever my patients come in complaining about something, go you need to listen to this show. You're you will be much happier with your life. You know anybody in particular come to mind for you?
Garrett George:Yeah, Sam javera, he's he's actually on my board. He's a a Purple Heart veteran. He was Army Chief, Chief Warrant Officer, and was blown up a suicide bombing in Bagram, lost five guys. There were three out of his unit and two civilian. Contractors. He took shrapnel and and was flown to Germany, and then now lives in Kempner, Texas with his wife and two kids. And was, of course, 100% medically retired from the military after that. But wanted to, wanted to go. He actually got to go back at some point and kind of finish out and then, and then retired. But it's, it's guys like that, Scott Casey's, and he's another one that's on my board that was in the military. He wasn't in combat, but he handled some really, really tough, tough stuff that I will let him tell that story. But it's guys like that, that that have been through a different type of war. And I've got my own wars, you've got yours. And somehow the war that I fought has become relatable to the war that the terminally ill are battling, our our veterans are battling, and our White Star families, you know, white stars the families of the military members that have committed suicide. And those are the people that I gravitate towards. And they're everywhere. Garrett,
Unknown:so we call, I think we refer to those wars as demons. You know, you carry demons inside sometimes, yeah,
Garrett George:and I don't claim that. I don't claim demons, just specifically because I but go ahead. Go ahead. Yeah,
Unknown:no, no, no, that's fine. I'm glad you clarify that, because I'd rather call it a war than a demon. When you get confronted with somebody that has such a compelling history of of of trauma, and, you know, their own personal wars. What? How do you respond in a way that makes you feel better?
Garrett George:Let them talk. Listen Shut up. Hear them.
Unknown:Yeah, feel them. I think that needs to be a lesson for everyone. Just listen. Be a good listener. You know, don't
Garrett George:wait to stop talking to tell your relatable story. Just listen and ask more questions. Dig deeper. Nobody's I won't say nobody, but we're not getting that genuine. I want to know more, and I really want to know more. Yep, you guys get that. That's why we're doing this, right? Yeah, yeah,
Unknown:yeah, that's exactly right. It's funny, because a lot of people like talking about themselves and don't care about listening to what you have to say when you're the one in in need. Yeah, I see that we can
Garrett George:all be guilty of that. I've done that, but, yeah, I
Dr. Terry Weyman:was just gonna say we're all we're all guilted out there. Sometimes I just go, shut up. Terry,
Garrett George:I say that too. Shut up. Terry, we love you. Terry,
Dr. Terry Weyman:I wouldn't take that from anybody that didn't love me.
Unknown:Yeah. Let me ask you, you know, I know you're pretty real about your history, if you don't mind, because I know there's people out there that experience various levels of abuse, you know, escaping pain through, you know, medication, or any of the abuses, gambling, drinking, you know, spousal abuse, whatever it might be. You know, how do you, how do you personally, have you been successful in processing those? Those enticing moments of,
Garrett George:you know, going slowly, yeah, yeah. I processed them very, very slowly. And it's been a very it's been gradual, man, this has not been a perfect ride. I The longest I've ever been clean is a year, year and a half ever. And I think we're looking at just over a year and a half right now, and it was a year before that. It's I'm just real honest about acknowledging when I fail and dusting myself off and trying to forgive myself. It's one thing when everybody else is sick of you doing but when you're sick of letting yourself down, knowing you're letting other people down, and knowing that we can be the tip of the spear in this space. This is a this is the new dope for me, if you will. And it's great, yeah, have
Dr. Terry Weyman:you? Have you ever found that, you know when you're weak, have you turned to the people you've helped, and if they is it like, do you look at this journey as a complete circle where not only you're helping others, but they're helping you as the same? Yeah,
Garrett George:yeah. I was on a tour bus probably in the last three months with some artists, and somebody pulled out some cocaine. It's the first time I'd laid my eyes on it, and in a year, at least a year, and they asked me if I wanted some, and I looked at it, I said, man. I said, I don't think you're going to have enough for me. And I walked off the bus.
Unknown:And that's great.
Garrett George:It's not for me. Yeah, I don't say no for me. I say no because of the responsibility that I have. I could never say no for me, never found the strength. So I find it in this. I find the strength to look for tomorrow and and think about what tomorrow is going to be like after I stay up all night doing cocaine and I just got no room in my life anymore. There's too many opportunities out there to get higher than that, doing this, serving these folks.
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Dr. Terry Weyman:You'll taste the difference.
Unknown:I've often said that people are motivated by two things, away from pain or towards pleasure. When you're confronted with a situation like that, what's the first thing you think of? How is
Garrett George:this going to impact the next few days? What am I going to miss out on? Pain,
Unknown:the pain of what you would experience. Okay, good Yes, sir, that's great, man. Good answer. Because yeah, some people would end up thinking, You know what, I'm having too good a time being clean and experiencing life. Or, you know, for what it's worth, I'm just going to stay that way, whereas some people think of the consequences of practicing a behavior that never served them in the past, so thanks for sharing that. Yeah. Okay, so in an era where you know many are skeptical due to like insincerity, and you know when they demonstrate genuine care and authenticity to those. How does that? How does that help you? You know when, when they, when they, when they express themselves to you, how do you feel about that? When they're when, when you've been there for them?
Garrett George:That's a really, good question. I don't know that I've been asked that, how do I take it when they express their thanks? Yep, I've never thought about that, but I guess I would say that I'm thanking them. I just want to say thank you back, because all of this gives me so much perspective, and I it's like I say to anybody and everybody is this is as good for me as it is them. So we're all getting and I won't do anything that's not good for everybody. I don't want anybody, whether it's a ranch owner or a venue or an or a. A band or an artist, I don't want them to go out of their way, and I never asked them to go out of their way for someone if it's not going to be good for them, because I know that they're going to get fed through this as well fed here.
Unknown:Yeah, I've often thought, you know, to answer that question that, I mean, I also curious even how Dr Terry is, you know, we've been doing this, you know, helping people for a long time at obviously, at a different level and a different perspective. And it always struck me that, and when someone could look across, you know, the room or tell me that they're out of pain, you know, and that we figured it out how to assist them. That's everything, man, that is, to me, that is the greatest good, you know. How do you? Terry, what do you? You know, I never asked you that.
Dr. Terry Weyman:I always feel like sometimes people, when they get up and they give you a hug. I'm like, that's that hug is worth more than the paycheck there that I get. Yeah, I wish I could pay my rent with hugs, because it would, yeah, I would do it for free.
Garrett George:Yeah, yeah. That's how much I love this. 10 years of that, 11 years of that, for free, yeah, and I love it. It's an investment to me. Yeah, and their lives and mine.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Hey, Gary, I did have a thought coming to my head, because you'll see somebody walking down the street and they'll just toss some trash out, and they have the attitude, ah, somebody will pick that up. You know, it's, it's something that in the city's job, or somebody will leave their table a mess, and they, ah, that's the Where's job, or that's the bus boys job. It's always somebody else's job to pick up the trash, right? And yet, we'll see a human being sitting there, and they'll walk by them, and I'm guilty of this too, and they're like, oh, that's somebody else will take care of that person. Somebody else will help that person, that that or that, that human and, and I don't know if it's a mental thing, that they're they think they're beneath them, that there's something disconnected, or we don't want to face that pain. We don't want to face that how? And I know how is the right word, but how, like you said, just talk to him. But a lot of people struggle with talking to somebody that requires empathy or difficulty or whatever, and they just view them as a piece of trash. And that's not right, you know? And and then you get the, and I'm sorry rambling, but then you get the person that, oh, they're just, you know, that guy in the corner is just it. That's his job. He's making a ton of money by putting their work for help. And you offer work and they turn it down, or you offer food, oh, I don't like that food. So then you get this disconnected people taking advantage of the system, right? And so how do you find that person, and how do you make that take that first step,
Garrett George:when I wrote the letter that I had to write in the last letters podcast with Jeremy Locke. One of, one of the things that stood out. Well, first of all, some, let's go back to the somebody else will take care of them. I've always said, I don't remember where I've heard it, but the question is, is, what's the quickest way to starve a dog? And it's tell three people to feed it, because everybody else thinks somebody else is going to do it. The dog starves. So if you think about that and and know that you're you're the one that's supposed to be feeding, and I think you'll look at things a few a little bit different. And I go back to 2000 Well, I guess it was 1997 when I'm sitting in an airport in Nashville, Tennessee, after WBO heavyweight championship of the world, Tommy Morrison and I parted ways over cocaine, and I didn't have any money, didn't have a phone. He was my ticket to Nashville to the Tommy Morrison knockout aids celebrity golf tournament, July 13 of 1997 I mean, I'm out there with one of the biggest names in the world, and drugs ruined it, and I had to sit in airport for, I want to say, 36 hours with no food, and somebody noticed me that worked at the airport, and he simply said, Can I help you? And I answered him, I said, Man, I said, to be honest with you, I said, I my flight doesn't leave till tomorrow, and I don't have any money, and I'm pretty hungry. And he said, I'll be back in 15 minutes. And he came back in 15 minutes, and he picked up my one of my bags, and he said, Follow me. And I picked up my other and he we jumped in his Ford truck, and he took me to Sonic, and he fed me, and he he listened to me, and he heard my story. And when we got back to the airport, as he pulled out that bag that he picked up, he also handed me a $20 bill. I folded up 20, and I didn't want to take it. And I said, Man, I'd like to get your address so I can get this back to you. And he said, I don't want it back. I want you to pass. It on, so pass it on, and that's what I'm doing over and over again. I'm
Unknown:glad I'm holding it together here. All right, picture your life five years from now, and you're doing the same thing. You're helping more people than ever before. You're, you're you're clean, you're energized, and then you're just like a vacuum, you know, bringing in, you know, you know, all this great energy. What legacy do you hope to leave behind for those that come after
Garrett George:you? When I think of legacies, I think of families, and, you know, I don't have any kids here. I don't have anybody with me. I'm and I've been single for a while, but I really I think that's just the way it's supposed to be. But when I think about legacy, I think more about kids. But I guess the legacy that I would want to leave is to when you can, where you can, and all I got to do is walk out that front door and something's going to happen today. I walk out with anticipation. I'll give you an example. I went to a church service. This is so wild man, and y'all are the first ones here in this story. Understand that 2005 that prophetic word was spoke over me, and I haven't had one spoke over me ever before, and hadn't had one since, until two months ago. And I, I went into, I go by myself, to the small, little church. There was only probably 30 people, and the pastor was gone. There was three ladies and one man at the front, and they said, today we're going to do it. We're just going to speak prophetic word over some of you. And I was in the very back by myself, and they're 30 minutes into it. And whenever this is the anticipation I'm talking about. When they said that at the first of that, I flipped my phone over, and I hit record on my audio in anticipation that there was a word coming from me. And the guy said, sir, for you in the back 30 minutes into this. And he said a few words, and it really kind of opened up the gate. It didn't really make a lot of sense to me, but he said, I believe God would tell you that anything that's marked off the list, he likes your checklist, but anything that's already done remove it. And this other lady said, I see you as Thor. I've never seen the movie Thor, so I don't know what that means, but she said, you've got your hammer. And she said, nobody can pick it up at you. And another lady said, What's your name? And I said, my name is Garrett. And she got pretty emotional, and she said it, and she said, Garrett. She said, My name is Erica. And she said, I see the word protector over your head. And they more or less told me. She said, God would have me tell you that you have everything you need to do what you're supposed to do now go and do it. And I was already told that 2005 that Jimmy Witcher, the pastor that spoke that over me, told me the exact same thing. He said, I feel like you think something missing, and God would say you're complete right now. And I've just now figured out 20 years ago from 20 years later, that I'm complete right now, even with what I still struggle with, I'm still complete right now in him. That's awesome.
Dr. Terry Weyman:That is sensational. Yeah, Hey, bud, you know, we had a we had a guest that made a living, and she said that one person can make a difference, and it's Aaron Brockovich and and they made a movie about, you know, she stood up and said, the water is not right. And one person made a difference, you know. And a lot of people think that they can't make a difference, and yet you're making a difference, especially when faced with sociological and widespread challenges. How do you believe that one person can make a difference?
Garrett George:Well, they said, I've heard it said that if you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a tent with a mosquito naked. We can all make a difference, no matter how small we are, where we are. You can do it right down the road at the Texaco. Just lock eyes with somebody and ask them how they're really doing. Is that a Texas? Is that a is that a Texas saying? Is that one of those things like, you know, Justin Wren, one legged ass kicker? You do that? Yeah, I'm as busy as a one armed paper hanger. Yeah, that'll work too. Yeah, I went to school in Houston. Man, I learned so I love that. I love those sayings. I don't know where they come up with them, because they're profound, yeah?
Dr. Terry Weyman:Well, I we don't have a lot of mosquitoes here in Southern California, so yeah, I think I'd be good. Yeah. I sleep in naked, yeah, in a tent out here,
Garrett George:one mosquito. Yep, one mosquito is all you need. Oh, my God, that's great. Dave, all right, so
Unknown:here's, there's a challenging curiosity that I have for you, and that is when you're with some of the struggles you know, and maintaining your your your character, of being empowered you know, and you're confronted with situations like you when you told us earlier, but you know the band member with the cocaine thing. And how do you, you know, walked away from that? What kind of advice would you give to individuals? Because obviously, you've had these conversations before, but you know, how do you determine whether you're going to say something about your personal life versus holding back and not saying but using a different inspiration, like, what is your what is your approach, and how would you tell others?
Garrett George:And the direct question is, what would I How would I tell them? What?
Dr. Spencer Baron:Well, yeah, what would you tell somebody? Or, better yet, let me ask you this If, when do you decide to tell about your history to someone who's in need, versus just using a different approach? You know, in other words, we like to lead by example, but not everybody handles it that way. Well, how would you I'm
Garrett George:pretty careful about sharing much or any of my story, because then it becomes about me, and that's what I'm trying to stay away from realistically. And I'll do it. I'll do it in time, like most of the veterans or the any of the terminal families that we ever took whenever I was with Trinity oaks, they didn't know my story. They didn't need to know my story and didn't need to know it. There's there's guys that do, and there's times that do. And I think, I think God lets you know when, when you're supposed to, to do your best to relate. But when this all come you guys have heard more my story than the people that I know and and serve. I don't really talk about it a whole bunch, but that's why we're doing so much good stuff that I don't have time to talk about that unless it's really needed. So I that's why I like to kick off this podcast that I'm going to be starting, so that we can I mean, I've got 35 people that are they're ready to sit down with me, and I've sat down with three so far, and 45 on the list, and Matt Matera, when I think my story's tough, it's like I've said, and you could we could all stand In a circle with a big Santa bag with all of our stuff, our crappy stuff, in it, and throw it in the middle. Have we talked about this? You heave all of that, all of us heave all of our stuff into the middle of a circle. And if you saw just a touch of what spills out of some of those bags, I think we'd go pick our bag up and walk away, keep our problems. And that's the perspective I get out of this nice
Dr. Terry Weyman:when, when you run into somebody with the same we all have triggers, right? We all have triggers that will set us off and will make us go into our dark places. When you run into somebody with the same triggers as you, how do you put a wall on yours to help them, or how to use them? And how do you handle your triggers when you're with people of of like
Garrett George:person? You mean, example? Terry,
Dr. Terry Weyman:alright, we all have, sometimes when we have somebody, they don't want to talk to us, but because they don't think we're authentic, or they don't think that we have experience into what they're going through. And in reality, maybe we do. And so how do you show them a little bit of your authenticity, so they they open up because they go, Oh, he really doesn't understand. Or can they just read that from you? Or if, like the bus, a trigger may be a line of cocaine. And how do you go, all right, I this is a trigger for me to go down to my dark place. I gotta walk away. But how do you balance that, absorbing their triggers to help them without going down the path yourself?
Garrett George:I just know how selfish it is. I know how selfish it would be for me, and I will not be able to help them if I can't help myself, I don't know.
Dr. Terry Weyman:I hope that answers your question. No, it does. And, and, you know, it's like, and I'm already getting just sometimes the way you look at somebody can show the authenticity that you truly understand. I don't think people. To really give them that time to look at them or look look at them as a person. And I think sometimes just a look, they understand that, you know, I think sometimes we use whether they say we have two ears and two eyes and one mouth. I think sometimes just listen and give them the look like you really care, versus just telling them that you care, is that, yeah
Garrett George:and touch them. Touch them. Touch them with your hand. Man, I put my hands on people. I'll pray for people. If I feel like I'm led to pray for them, I'll pray for them right there. It doesn't happen all the time, but if I feel like there's nothing I can do, I'm at least going to pray over you, but I will not break eye contact with you. And that's number one, I'm looking deep into your eyes. You know, where I'm with you? Yeah,
Unknown:so you got a guy, let me I'm going to word this a little different than Dr Terry, because now I'm curious. Well, first, let me ask you, have you ever experienced someone that you know is shutting down and you're trying to help, but they can't talk to you. They don't want to talk to you. Have you experienced that? Absolutely okay. How do you break through to those individuals?
Garrett George:I would say you
Unknown:stare at them in the eye and put your hand on it. I love those strategies. What else
Garrett George:do? Uh, man, really feel when it's not the right time. Never push. Never feel if not it's if it's not the right time, we can feel that. Least I can. But always follow up. Always follow up. That time will present itself. It may not they may not be ready today, but if you show consistent care and interest, the time will come.
Unknown:So what does that look like? You call them frequently, you get in front of them frequently, and knock at their front door frequently. What is it? What's it look like all of that? Show
Garrett George:up. Man, show up. Yeah? I Yeah. I really done the math on but in my business, and with what I do, I'm placing between 50 and 70 calls a day. But, I mean, that's up till 11 at night, and I'm, I'm literally just checking in with people and ideas are coming as I'm doing this, and how you what I can what we can do together. Even if you're somebody that needs something, you also need to serve as well. You may not know it, but I can come up an idea where you go on with me, and let's go serve somebody. And then that brings you into this and and you're, you're an equal. You get to serve too, and it serves you. It serves him.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Or, hey, when you have somebody that and through their own pain and maybe not being malicious, but wrongs you or says something that upsets you or or, but how do you forgive them? To give them that other chance to to see if that was in their core, or just coming from a place of pain,
Garrett George:you froze up on me. What was the question? Sorry. Sorry. So
Dr. Terry Weyman:if somebody wrongs you and somebody really pisses you off by something, they say, how? How do you not only forgive them, but try and justify that maybe they were just in a bad place themselves, and they would, and I was just that the dummy that they hit.
Garrett George:And that's easy, man, yeah, that's easy. I, if there's one thing I'm guilty of, it's a bad temper and and I'm I my voice goes up even when I'm passionate about something, my good voice goes up and it, it can when I'm angry too. What was the question,
Dr. Terry Weyman:how do you forgive and give them a second chance if they run you?
Garrett George:Well, first of all, I also I know that there's seasons, there's there's there's seasons of people that I thought would that I'd be working alongside and serving alongside for the rest of my life. Both the organizations that I were with was with, and some I may have wronged them in ways, and I may have felt that they wronged me in ways, but it's like Renee Brown says that, man, I don't have time. I don't want to kick anybody when they're down. I've been I've put it on people that same way. Maybe offended them function. Offended a lot of people, but I either step over them or go around them. But I'm not going to kick anybody when they're down, and I'm usually over it in a day anyway. So I may blow up for 10 minutes, but I'm good in 20, and I can forgive anybody for anything. And I've got to do that in some extreme ways. You know, I was, I just turned 50, and I was told by a carpenter teacher that I'd be dead by the time I was 23 in Pasco, Oklahoma, if he had to do it himself. And when I turned 46 that was double what he said he'd do to me. And every day that I live because I lived with the fear that that dude was going to take my life for years, and I. Recently found out he passed away about a year ago, and wow, and I forgive him too.
Unknown:How do you with the people that you work with? And I would imagine you know that they're in a phase where they're angry before they go into acceptance. Have they ever lashed out at you or been been in a in a mood or an attitude that you might take their anger personally.
Garrett George:I can't say that. I can think of any, anybody that, oh, yeah, I can, yeah. I won't go into too much detail on it, but it was pretty recent. Actually. It was, it was within the last year, and it was something that was said in front of a group of men. And it was a, it was a guy that I really, really, he's, he's a, he's of higher status, and he was hard to catch anyway and communicate with. And I, I couldn't be too hard on him whenever he got to the event, but when I said something, he he lashed out at me, you know, pretty heavy, and so much so that I nearly said, why don't, why don't you just pack your stuff and get your ass out of here? Is what I wanted to do, but I had to walk away and go outside. And I'm glad I did, because whatever he was dealing with could have been the same way I lash out, and I'm glad I did, because the next day, he texted me on my way home, and he said, Yo bro, I love you. And I said, I love you too, man. He said, I got one question for you. And I said, shoot. And he said, Have you forgiven yourself yet? And I didn't know quite what he meant, but I think he meant overall, with the anger that I have inside, that I'm still dealing with, that he was seeing something in me that maybe I was also seeing in him, but it's really the start of why I got therapy. And he sent me a book called The Body Keeps the Score. You've probably heard of it. And I read that book and and then I called my buddy, Joe Fairchild. I said, Man, I think I'm ready to get some therapy. And he said, Well, I got somebody for you, and I've been seeing a therapist for a year now, and it's because I didn't lose my temper on the guy that lost his temper on me. Nice.
Unknown:Okay, let me get let me, let me, let me, like, peel the skin of the onion back. I gotta get to the core of something here, because that's a great, great ass story, man, let me ask you that moment that you felt that trigger that you probably wanted to off and punch the motherfucker right in the face, what did you say to yourself to get you to walk away?
Garrett George:Do not say a word and don't leave quickly. Just sit here in this in this group, and then walk away. And it was one of the hardest things I've done in a very long time. Yeah, I mean, it took me nine months to put this event together, and and, and I get told that the first night into it, it was tough, but it was good. Oh, my God, that's great, man. All right. And I still have a massive amount of respect for this dude. That's
Dr. Spencer Baron:so cool. All
Dr. Terry Weyman:right, I want to switch gears a little bit. Samson, I want to talk about this podcast you're doing. I want, you know, I want people to hear about because if people, if you don't turn into this guy's podcast, you know, you got it. Because I want to just talk about this journey, talk to us about this podcast. How can they find it? Who are the 35 people lined up? And what are you going to be talking
Garrett George:about? Alright, I talked to Sam about this last night. I was like, Man, I don't know whether to say the name or not. I'm going to tell you why, but I'm going to be very open with you guys today. So when I think, you know, we'll just go back and I'll be brief, but in 2002 when 12 task force members kicked in my door in Amarillo, Texas, on memory lane, uh, 630 in the morning, what they walked into was a a meth house. And I had been at that rock bottom moment where I was out of drugs a week or two before and and I was looking at my third rehab and there was this bottle of blue spray paint that was sitting on the floor. And you gotta understand, I mean, my carpet had burn marks all over it from glass pipes that were dropped and broke and torches and, I mean, it looked like a pawn shop in there. And I had, I was looking at that spray paint and thinking, I'm killing myself thinking that this life, that this is living. And I, for some reason, I grabbed that spray paint, and I spray painted on my wall, dying to live. And when I walked in the door, after three days, I got out of jail, and I pushed my door open that was already shattered from the battering ram. I pushed my door open, and I see rubber gloves laying on. Over my home, and everything upside down, vents pulled out of the ceilings, sockets pulled out of the walls. I mean, they searched every inch of that house, and I realized, you know, they just saw that what's on that wall dying to live and and as over this 20 something years of me becoming to get getting better, I look at that phrase much differently, and I think about how I dying to live, to me now means dying to my own selfish desire so that I can have life, and it means the exact opposite of what I meant then. I was killing myself thinking I was living. And so there's a podcast out there called Dying to live. And it's it's out of a church in on the other side of the world. But I don't know that they're really active, but I have said to myself for 20 years, if I ever write a book or I ever do something, I'm going to call it dying to live. And so it's going to be called the dying to live podcast, and we'll be releasing the first one on april 23 and it's going to be very fitting. That's going to be 30 years since Chad, Sweden, my best buddy, took his life and took his wife's life. And we're going to have Matt Matera on there. So and you know, Matt's lost five members to family members, to suicide and self harm, and we're going to kick it off with him, and then we'll have Kimberly Howard from Utah. She lost her five year old in a boating accident 10 years ago. She flew in from Utah. I interviewed her, and I did one that I won't be able to release, and I'll tell you without saying names, it was a buddy of mine that I've known for years and has been at a sober living facility overseeing it for a year and a half clean. And he came down here to do this podcast and told me, Garrett, he said, Man, I don't get a lot of time alone with what I'm doing these days. And and he's on fire for Jesus. I mean fire for the Lord. And I wouldn't say that I'm on fire. I just, I gotta give glory the credit where it's due. And he came down and took a four hour trip, and he called me on the way and said, man. I said, I don't get a lot of time alone, so I'm going to do this podcast. I'm going to start heading back. And I said, Okay. I said, but whatever you decide. And he said, I'm going to stop in this town and just relax by this lake. And I was watching the interview the next night. That was on a Saturday. He left, and then I I did Kimberly's podcast and got her the airport the next day, and then I'm looking over my buddy's podcast that Sunday night, and it hit me, I haven't heard from him, and I called him at nine o'clock. He didn't answer. I called him at 9am the next morning, and he answered, and he said, I've avoided everybody's calls but yours. And he had ended up getting high in Waco, Texas, and it turned into a really unfortunate situation, and a guy that had been to 30 rehabs 30 and 15 years in and out of prison, and now I won't be able to release that one, but he'll be back.
Unknown:Wow. Thanks for sharing hell of a story. Thank you. I almost find it uncomfortable to switch gears into our favorite part of the but we got our rapid fire questions. I'm going to change the gosh damn mood now. Ready? All right, you already had me in tears a few times already, but I cover up well, that's why I wear my glasses anyway. All right, rapid fire question, care. We got five of them. It caught. It's going to cause you to think quick on your feet, man. But sometimes you get hung up on conversation with because your answers are so prolific. So all right, you ready for number one? Yes, sir. All right, buddy, if your life had a theme song to it, right now, what would it be? And why? Van
Garrett George:Halen? Right now. Right now, that song, and you say, why number one? I mean, you spoke it right there. You said, right now? What would it be right now? So meant to be, that's what when, when I went to that celebrity golf tournament with Tommy Morrison, you know this, 47 three and 139, knockouts, five, he was three fights away from fighting Mike Tyson for the heavyweight championship of the world, starting rocky five. Did it all? Yeah. And when I went to that Tommy Morrison knocked out a celebrity golf tournament on that video, he kicked me from underneath the table in this VIP room, and his family was there. We all arrived by limo, you know, and I'd gotten their food for them, and by the time I'd gotten everybody else's food, the lights were dimming in this there was probably 150 people in this VIP room, and the TVs came on, and he kicked. Me, he goes watch this. And I hadn't seen the video, but it was that song and that piano playing right now by Van Halen and him jogging up the hill and training. And they showed every one of his knockouts, all of his 39 knockouts, a three to five second clip. That song, and that went straight into the the dance by Garth Brooks and Tommy, standing at a podium in Tulsa, Oklahoma, announced to the world that he was HIV positive. He never boxed again, and he said, I also asked that any kids that ever saw me as a role model no longer see me as a role model, but see me as someone who had the opportunity to be a role model and blew it. And that song has stuck out my mind ever since, and it's one of those that just let's do it right now. Whoa,
Unknown:I will be listening to that song after we're off the air. You're gonna love it. I will too. How about hey,
Dr. Terry Weyman:listen that song a completely different way now. Yeah, thank you for that.
Unknown:Thank you. The song on that on that same album, I received two speeding tickets too because I was driving. So I won't forget that album anytime. And the second speaker, whatever, I still got a high from from going 70 miles an hour and a 35 anyway, so um,
Garrett George:and I'll say this mark my words. There will be a put together video with content and experiences and photos to that song down the road with something I'll do, and I'll make sure you get it. Oh, I
Unknown:love you. Love that. Thank you. That was good question number two, what's one piece of of terrible advice you've heard all the time that just drives you crazy?
Garrett George:Terrible advice all the time.
Dr. Terry Weyman:What's something that you hear people say stuff given advice, but you're like, This is just terrible that drives you crazy? I
Unknown:you have
Garrett George:an example?
Unknown:Yeah, I imagine that people go when they're right in the middle of telling you their story. You go, Oh, I totally know what you're I know what you're going through. My suggestion is to, you know, or whatever, that that follow up suggestion would be that you go, I think,
Garrett George:Oh, well, one of the things that I hate would say hate. But I yeah, I hate hearing it is when somebody's lost someone, and someone says, Oh, they're in a better place. Now, that's not what anybody wants to hear. Maybe some, but very few.
Unknown:There you go. Right on, right on. There we go. Question number three, Garrett, if you had 24 hours to help a total stranger turn their pain into purpose? No Limits. Bro, no limits, no rule. What would you do first?
Garrett George:Realistically, I would, I would grab them, and we would run serve someone else together.
Dr. Spencer Baron:What a cool idea. For
Garrett George:instance, I got a buddy named BJ. BJ was going through a tough time combat vet. He had lost his son while he was in combat, flew home, buried him, went to back to combat. And I'm guessing five years ago, he was having a rough enough time that he was talking about it too much like vocalizing it too much I felt like and staying in it. And he told me the buddy of ours was was going to go grab him and they were going to go to top golf. And for some reason I was just like, you know, I'm an hour from this guy, but I called him back, and I was like, now scratch Top Golf, I'm coming to get you. And he said, Okay, so I drove to New Braunfels, and I picked him up, and he said, Where are we going? I said, we're going downtown San Antonio. And we went downtown San Antonio at 1112, one, and he said, What are we doing? I said, we're going to find somebody that needs us. And we just cruised the streets. He was like, What about that guy? What about that guy? And they were in groups. I said, let's find an individual that way. They don't all just run up to us. Let's find an individual and get to know their story. We finally found a guy that was sitting in a chair with a blanket over his legs, and he was just sitting there looking at the road and watching cars go. By name is Kenny. We stopped and he said, Hey, man. DJ said, you need anything? You hungry? The guy was like, Yeah, I'm hungry. Long story short, the guy, he jumped in the seat, DJ, jumped in the back. We put him in the front, introduced ourselves, and we went for a ride. It's like, tell me what you need right now. He said, Man, I need a six pack of beer. And I was like, tell you what we're gonna do. We're gonna go get you that six pack of beer, just because we want to hear your story and spend some time with you and but we're also gonna get you some other things we need. We went to one. Walmart. We got him socks too. Rush got, you know, deodorants, all that stuff. And we just heard his story. And he was an officer. He was an officer in the military that gave it all up for heroin, and we prayed for, you know, we spent an hour and a half with him and heard his story and prayed for him, and left, and BJ was shaking his head all the way home. So just like those bags I told you about earlier, like I can keep my problem, I take them to serve with me.
Dr. Spencer Baron:What a brilliant wave.
Dr. Terry Weyman:I have to interject. Have you? Have you talked to Kenny since
Garrett George:never saw him again, sir? Wow, he didn't have a phone. Never saw him again.
Unknown:Oh, I Oh. Question number four, if your younger self met you today, what would surprise him the most about who you are today? I
Garrett George:I say everything. I'm not putting myself first anymore. And I there's, there's this feeling inside of me that I take better care of others than I do myself, but in a whole different way. Think you'd be surprised by everything, but he'd be really grateful, and he'd be really thankful, and he'd be it'd be tough to not be emotional for him.
Unknown:Us. Question number five, you ready? Gary, last one, all right, if you could have an completely unfiltered, no judgment, conversation with anyone in history, anyone who would it be, and what would you ask them?
Garrett George:Well, first, it'd be Jesus and not just asking. How could you forgive me and why me?
Unknown:This is supposed to be uplifting, and I'm ready to choke up, right? Every answer has got such a great, great part of it. Well, Garrett, thank you so much. Man, thank you. Thank you. No, really appreciate all that you've shared from the heart, from your soul. Man, that was
Garrett George:guys, I'm not I'm no pastor, I'm no I'm a Terry. You know me, I got a lot of flaws, but I've, I've, I've got to give the credit where the credits do, and I it's very uncomfortable. I don't do flattery. I don't want to hear a bunch of great stuff about what all I we're doing this together, but I'm only doing this because of the gift that he put my heart and the calling you put on my
Dr. Terry Weyman:life. Well, it's, very obvious and and you always say when you just said, when you want to help somebody, you grab them and serve somebody else. So just let us just understand that we're going to, when your time is right for this podcast, we're going to grab you and we're going to we're going to share it with other people. So thank you. We can hopefully help somebody else hear your stories. And we talked on the phone the other day. It's It's amazing. This podcast has connected this huge spire web of just great individuals, and hopefully the bees keep getting bigger and bigger and help the Kennedys of the world. So thank you. Well,
Garrett George:you're welcome, and I'll be sending some more your way now that we've done something fresh again, I promise you that you just tell me when you're ready. You got too many. Let me know now. Well,
Dr. Terry Weyman:I mean, I'll just say one thing, it's going to come up to if Spencer is ready, because he takes a couple of weeks to recover from these so we have to be sure he's ready. But I will always take your guests buddy, and you know that. And so thank you for your message and all your authenticity as always. So love you. You know that, guys,
Garrett George:I love you guys now, thank you for what you're doing. Thank you for for speaking in the lives and hearing stories.
Dr. Terry Weyman:Well, it's not going to end and and we will have you on again, because, yeah, I just love you. So all right, brother, you have a blessed day. Go outside and do what you do, because I know you're gonna make somebody happy today, so they will. David, thank you.
Garrett George:Thank you guys. All right, yes sir,
Dr. Spencer Baron:thank you for listening to today's episode of The cracking backs. Pop. Podcast, we hope you enjoyed it. Make sure you follow us on Instagram at crackin backs podcast. Catch new episodes every Monday. See you next time you.