Own Your Space: Identity, Presence, and Becoming Who You Already Are

0:00 It's so you got your head's on a swivel. I got hit by a car already. I've been twice. I've been hit by a car since I've lived out here. It's crazy. Wow, you're skateboarding. Yeah, I was skating and then all of a sudden, I just boom. I'm like, what was that? And then I look in the car. It's funny. It's so funny, but not, it's not. It is. I laugh it because I'm okay, but like in a movie, it's hilarious. I got hit by I'm like, oh, and I'm like looking the car took off and I'm like all right, like excuse me. You know. DJ.

0:57 Hello, Welcome to Quick Before You Forget. Hi. Hi, I am so happy you're here. As a reminder Quick Before You Forget as a personal development podcast about building who You're building your unreal life from the ground up, using music, mindset, and movement to remember who you are while you're becoming who you want to be. And DJ is just that in real time. DJ is the kind of artist that whose presence lingers long after the scene cuts to Black Missouri. Born with an outsider's edge, DJ brings blue collar grit grounded physicality and quiet volatility to every role, whether in Star People or Disney Plus's Knockoff.

1:39 His performances deal lived in shaped by martial arts, discipline and a life spent moving between worlds. But what truly defines DJ is his commitment to vulnerability, which I believe is a leadership superpower. His self created photobook Anti Fashionism reflects the same belief system as his acting style over trends, truth over polish, presence over performance. A former pe teacher for students on the autism spectrum, a Type one diabetic of twenty seven years, and someone who deeply loves the ritual of going to the movies, DJ approaches art and life with intention. His goal is simple and rare, to be the rosst performer he can be, and to help keep cinema alive by telling stories that matter. DJ, Welcome to Quick before you forget. I'm so happy you're here.

2:30 Yeah, me too. Hey how you doing? Hey? I have great? Thank you for being here. I want you to start by walking us through your life. Like walk us through, take us back to your childhood and think about a memory that comes to mind that shaped who you've become today. Oh wow, it all started on a cold winter and now how did you talk it? It was actually I was born in January, so a birthday just passed. January eighth, Happy birthday so much. Yeah, birthday with Elvis and David Bowie. So I thought, you know, I just that's a great, great little trio we got going. Wow, something that shaped my life. I mean, I feel like every single day does something to me that like rejects that way. But like I remember growing up in my grandma's house with my grandpa, my mom, my three cousins, my aunt, Like we all grew up in this small home and floorcent and I just remember noise, you know, like I just remembered the chaos. But it wasn't like we were yelling at each other. It was I mean, we're Sicilian and we yell at everybody, but like we weren't mad at each other, you know, it was just energy. So I think like that shaped kind of how I am. You know, when you want something, we're talking that level ten and it's just like I enjoy that. You know, hey, good morning, how are you? And I'm like I feel like my family should have worked Dutch bros. You know, like there

4:02 is this heightened energy that they have. But that shaped and like went through my entire life. You know, my family has always been the loudest cheerleaders. They've been the loudest uh anything, supporters, everything. They're just there and they're loud. But like, I just remember that. I remember my mom sitting with me and always like any goal I had, she was a cheerleader about it. She said, one thing, make sure you can have enough money for your insulin, and then whatever you do, do it, you know. But yeah, my grandpa he's the quiet one. He's like there's all these Sicilian women in the house and then it's just my grandpa, you know. And then and so like I remember going outside to the garage with him. He'd smoke a cigarette. We'd sit and we'd talk and sometimes we won't even talk. It would just be silence and we would just be working on stuff. So I really loved and enjoyed that like back and forth of grandma, mom and everybody, cousins, sister, everybody just loud. And then going to the garage with my grandpa quiet, you know, calm, and then like calculated almost you know, we would be measuring up what we're going to do. For the day. So, yeah, it comes from the voice. So my biggest memory is the voice, like people talking. And yeah, so that's a memory, like I will never forget. I'll never forget that about my family.

5:27 What I hear there is balance. You have the noise and you had the grounding. And it makes me wonder. I gather what you've carried with you from the noise. You've carried that energy, You've carried that heightened sense of everything. But I'm curious because of that, how you find what you learned. What was the most valuable lesson you learned from your grandpa to help keep that noise within reason? Yeah, I think from my grandpa. My biggest thing that I learned from him was ask more questions than you talk like then you speak like say less, speak less, you know. And when I was young, I all right, whatever, Grandpa boom, and I just go about my day, you know.

6:15 And then like the older I got, I I still call him on the phone and I'm like, YadA, YadA, YadA, I got this audition or I got this thing coming up, and he's like, well what about this? And he's not in the industry like that, but like he's been alive for eighty years, so you know, he's seen a thing or two and so I'm always like yeah, and so it's really I'm very comfortable sitting in where I'm at and owning my space and then just asking what I need to ask, you know. So the biggest thing I learned from him in that was own your space. Wherever you walk, that's yours, and not to be like rude about it. It's just like, hey, I'm comfortable and where I'm at and where I stand. And I did martial arts my entire life, so it was a big martial art then, but like I took that outside of martial arts and just took it to life of like, yeah, I know who I am, I know where I come from.

7:11 So this space right here is mine and no matter what anybody does, they can't change that. So I took that away from from my grandpa, good old Tom. We love your grandpa, that's right, you do. So when you came on, we talked about how you have this contagious hypeie energy and I am obsessed with it. It's all over your social media. I love following your Instagram and seeing your story unfolding in real time and as that's happening, you also need to find ways like you did with your grandpa, which is interesting because you've been doing it your whole life then, where you have all this noise and all this energy and you need to find ways to be grounded. So when you came in, you told me you were listening to a song that grounds you, and I think we could all use that kind of recommendation right now, So tell us tell us more about that sound, that song that grounds you.

8:06 It is Kings and Leon back down South. And the reason for me why I love it, it's just this little twangy guitar. I mean, Kings Leon is a pretty big band, but like that song is very it reminds me of like the bonfires with my buddies out in the field. We're not from the South, but like missouris, it ain't. It's the middle of America, right, and so it's kind of like we go with bonfire parties, you know, back when I was younger and just open fields and driving trucks in the back roads. Like it brings me back to the time I was sitting around the bonfire with my buddies and having a beer or something and just wow, like we never thought we would get out of this, Like this is our life, this is what we do. These are our friends, these are our people.

8:52 And I was okay with that. I really loved all of my friends and the people I was around in my life. And when I think of about that song, it takes me back to the Harrison's bonfire, sitting right there in the field and I'm like, talk to my buddy Luke and sitting on the back of his truck, think about where we're gonna go to eat afterwards, like should we go to Jack and a Boxer, ihap or waffle house? Like we're thinking about things that are very present, you know, And that song puts me back into a present state. I don't even think it has to do with the words. It's just like the flow of the song and they're talking about coming back home, back to the South, but for me, it's like back to Missouri.

9:34 So yeah, that song puts me like I can go to sleep. I can literally It's not a slow song like that, but for me or what it does to my body, I'm like, oh, dude, I could go take a nap. You know. That's so great. I love that and we need that we need some level of grounding and presence, especially when we have this higher energy. So I appreciate that, and especially when we've got all the chaos us right like the world is a little bit chaotic right now, to say the least. And I wondered what you You know, we've talked about like the great advice from your grandpa and how to ground yourself through some music. But if you had like a megaphone to talk in the present moment right now to as many people as we're listening about how to stay grounded and present in what feels very chaotic of a world right now, how would you what would you say? What would your one message be to the world right now amidst everything chaotic going on?

10:32 Oh man, I mean keep it as very simple as possible. I would be very like still, and I have my megaphone, and then I would look, I give this gaze and look at it every se if I can see everybody, you know, make eye contact, and then I would say, you are loved, very calmly, very nice, look at the next person you were loved too, and go through each person and just like and just go through and just tell people that they are loved that they are cared for, that someone sees them or something sees them.

11:13 Yeah, that's beautiful and honestly so needed in this world. So you've had a lot of fun, You've done a lot of fun things in your life, and I'm wondering what lessons have you learned? Like what would you tell twenty two year old DJ if you. Could, I would say, hey, man, we'll be all right, Like you'll be good, chill chill out, like you're good. I honestly, I didn't think that I was gonna live to be past twenty seven. A lot of the great artists that I look up to where I loved, and they all passed away before thirty. And so it's like my vision of like who's my person like to look up to When I was younger, especially when I was twenty two, I was like, yeah, dude, Jim Morrison, Kurt Jimmy, what's up? Like all these people and then like he's glad you or what up? And all these people that I looked up to as artists ended up, you know, passing away, and I think it was so for me.

12:16 I kind of took that on. I was like, well, I guess I'm not for me to be great, I can't be here. And I literally would say, like in my twenty two year old mind, somewhere I crossed that wire of to be great, you can't. You won't be able to see it. I won't be able to see the greatness that I will be able to do. And so I kind of just like took that on. I was like, oh, I'm diabetic, you know, I probably won't live to be that long anyways. I was very negative in that, but I wasn't like depressed or sad. I was just like, all right, let me have a lot of energy and time now then so people can well remember me. Like that was my biggest thing. I wanted people to remember me, and I didn't want to be forgotten.

13:00 That probably comes from some old childhood wounds about my dad, like some daddy issues, you know, Like that's definitely where that's coming from. Do we dig into that or do we can't? We always can't, Like I mean, I am an artist. I have dug through it and probably will continue to dig through that for the rest of my life. But like I'm at peace with it now, you know what I'm saying. It's a little bit different, doesn't hit me as the same when I was twenty two. Everything was twenty two is fast, Let's do it now, Let's get it there. It's you're gonna be next to Denzel right now? Why am I not next to him? Like? Why am I not on this film? Like that was my mindset, and like why do I have my band front and center stage? Like you know? And then like so I would tell myself, Yo, you're good. Be with the people that you love, keep creating, keep being creative, have a good group of people who will check you when you go off. And I, I mean, I've had the same friends since I was in fourth grade. They're all back in Missouri that I got the same people. They know me, they know when I'm lying, they know when I'm on a podcast talk and that talk, and they'll call me and be like, Djay, what are you That never happened? Bro?

14:11 And I'm like, dang, you're right a little over zealous here, you know. And so I have to keep those people around me. And my wife is like the number one person for that. She's like hmm okay, and then she I go, yeah, kind of loed a little bit, didn't I? And she was like it worked and it was like, you know, it was like instead of thirty guys there, it was like fifty thirty, you know, eighty. I always make something up like that. I'm a storyteller, so you know, write the story in real time for real. Literally, yeah, literally. So you talked about feeling like you wanted to be somewhere where you weren't. You talked about how you wished that you could be next to Denzel right away and all of the things. So my question is, how did you how did you do decided to keep going then?

15:01 Like what kept you motivated when you felt like you weren't where you were supposed to be? Yeah, just do something more creative, you know, Like if I'm so focused on let's say that we'll go back to the Denzel thing. When I was twenty two. I didn't start acting until I was twenty four, so I came in late, like I didn't. I was a sports guy. I thought I was going to go professional MMA like I fought for since I was fifteen years old, Like literally, I was cage fighting and doing all that stuff. And so when I was twenty two, we'll go into the acting realm. When I hit like twenty three, twenty four. That's when I started acting, when all that kind of came about, of like oh man, I need to be here or I need to be there. It was a good solid two days where I would be like trying to push my way in somewhere, and then when I would get overwhelmed and all that noise would come, it's like I need to go for a walk. I need to go for to go literally go smell the roses.

16:00 Like that is a real thing for me. I go walk down the street, I see what flowers I can find, and I go smell them. And you know, like I put my headphones on and I go for a walk. Mine's nature. So the answer is nature. Nature will always put me back into this quiet into I was sitting next to this guy the other day at an art shop and he's some artist and he's talking. He's like sixty something years old and we're just having a chat and he's like, I wait for the next download, and I go, what is that the next download? He goes from the source and I go okay, okay, and he goes, you got to put the phone up. You got to put all these things up. He sells a flip phone like and I go can you text on that thing?

16:41 And you were just going back and forth. So it's like even within that I'm waiting for the next download means I need to put my technology away and I need to have a conversation with somebody I never talked to before. I think a lot of us, I can't speak for everybody, but like a lot of us miss that. We go to the coffee shop, we go to whatever, get in, we're in and out, we're in a rush, but like to sit down. Then I'm gonna type today and I'm typing, and then it's like I'm gonna put my computer away and I'm gonna talk to the person next to me. That is how I keep pushing to the next thing when I'm like I should be here, No, I should be here where I'm sitting talking to this person next to me. And that man like taught me something about wait for the next download, and I was like yeah, yeah. So like throughout the week I started going through it and I was like, yeah, I like that, I'm gonna wait for the next download. And it would just come to me like hey, stop worrying about Denzil and then go this way, go this way, go your downloads over here, Go sit next to burke Go, you know, go sit next to this guy. And I'm like, dang, that's that's cool, because yeah, I don't know what I don't know.

17:48 You know, and everybody else seems to know the things that we're missing. Absolutely, do you remember us that you know? Like, honestly, I feel like everybody I meet in the wild, especially when you're deciding to be present and put your phone away, especially in lines. It happens a lot to me when you're waiting in line because everybody's on that. Like, you know, you look at a theme park line or a line to go into a big conference or whatever, and everybody's on their phones, and I put my phone away. And I have met and made friends with some of the most interesting people just waiting in lines, because we're all waiting, usually waiting in line for something we're super excited and super passionate about. So you get to talking about that, and all of a sudden you have a new soul sister or a new friend, and it's amazing. So you have your download friend, and I was but I'm wondering, because you do seem like the kind of person then that is that does this in the wild regularly, where you make the friends wherever you go. And I'm wondering, other than mister download, if there's another story like that that stands out to you of somebody interesting that you met, that you weren't expecting to have a conversation like that with.

18:53 Because it sounds like this is a regular occurrence for you, and I want people to really like lean in and hear what you're saying, which is, we need to we need to remember that we have the gift of connection to so many people around us, and a lot of times we're missing it, and we're missing these opportunities. So talk me through another another situation with other than mister Yah. So I was sitting here. It was actually when I first came out to La I booked this film, and I'm working in the hills somewhere, you know, and we have to park a couple of streets over and I parked on this like near this retaining wall, this beautiful home, and I see this woman like fixing something, you know, I don't know, the retaining wall fell and I'm like, hey, hey, do you need a hand And she was like, oh my god, that'd be amazing, Like yeah, YEAHA, and I said, I'm actually filming right down there, so once I have my lunch break, I can come back up. And then she goes, oh my god, perfect, and she gives me your number and uh, she's probably sixties, you know, and she's like, I don't know how to fix no retaining wall, and she's like, I gotta call my guy. And so I had a solid two hour break, so I walked back up and I start fixing that and we're just chatting and she's like, yeah, my dad like build all these homes in this neighborhood. I go, what, like and yo, and then she goes, yeah, Robert Patrick lives next door, and I go oh, and She's like, come on over

20:23 for like coffee, and I'm like yeah. As we're sitting there like having coffee, Robert Patrick's there, and I was like we started talking about motorcycles because I had a Harley and he owns one of the Harley dealerships over here, and so like small moment, Meryl Streeps lives right over there, and I'm like, wow, just being present and fixing a retaining wall, like you know, like I would just put up a couple of things. But it was it was the moment of I can take a break from whatever I'm thinking or doing and see somebody else's need, like I think for me, that was the that's the learning.

21:04 I can go through so many stories of my life fe I'm driving somewhere, Oh, hey, this guy looks like he needs a hand. I have hands at work, I got feet at work, I got you know, and I have the time, you know, And so it's like I stopped, I helped, and it's not about like, oh I want to help you. It's hey, dude, you need a hand because it looks like you're about to drop this, you know. Because it's how I feel about, like, oh, man, if my grandpa was doing I always look at everybody is like if I knew them, Oh that's like my grandpa. Oh that's like my grandma. That's like my mom, that's like my sister. So it's like I try to do that the best. So that story with the woman her name's Linda, with Linda up in the hills, like oh, she gave me recommendations to all these coffee shops when cause I was my first time out in LA and I just started going there. I'm sitting there like going to these places, seeing people I'm having good conversations about with like writing scripts or like getting on set from one recommendation from one time I stopped and helped somebody.

22:06 So it's like adding to my life. You know. I didn't expect anything from helping this lady. It was just helping and so. But it was the moment of having a coffee sitting there with her and then Robert Patrick. I was like, Yo, this is like literally how LA works. That's how my brain thought. I was like, oh, this is it. Just think connect. You know, that is unreal. Honestly, you know, I was gonna I was gonna ask you about an unreal moment that you had, and that that sounds pretty pretty spot on. I wouldn't even call that unreal, but. Like, tell me something, then tell me something unreal. Let's go unreal. Story. Yes, I had. I had thirty dollars to my name. I lived in Missouri. I took a train from Missouri to New York. After I bought my ticket, I had thirty dollars.

22:57 Let's be let's be okay, So we're left with thirty dollars after we bought the ticket. Yes, and I was going to Denzel Washington had an acting school in New York, and my buddy Eric was like there studying for months and then I could drop into a class. I pretty much get to. The train. Ride took thirty three hours. It was ridiculous, and I finally make it too. It broke down halfway through and I'm like, dude, I need to be in this class, and like I'm looking at my fake watch. I was like in like twelve hours, you know, and there were like four hours out and I'm like, oh gosh, I'm not gonna make it. And I had never been to New York, so this is like my and I finally Anyways, we finally get it, or were halfway there in the conduct not the conductor, but one of the what do you call those guys, I don't know, like like a flight attendant, but a train attendant right right. So he's like he sees that I'm kind of antsy, and he's like, he, are you good. I was like, hey man, I am not.

23:56 This is not a you guys thing. I'm just I need to be somewhere quick. He was like, well, you took the train so that the scartest bed, and I was like, dude, I got like thirty bucks and he was like okay, and he goes, where are you going? I tell him and he's like, oh, ladies and gentlemen, we have an actor on board. I go no, he did not. There's like eight people on this train, like you know. So it's like I'm like this, you know, I put the hat down. I'm like, you know, one of those And so we ended up. He was still cool. He was like, my son is right outside of by the Hudson and we can stop there. I can call him and he can drive you into the city. And I was like, whoa, that's cool. But the train got up and move in and we got there in time and shook hands and I did the most New York thing ever. I went to the Grand Central, you know, the station, and I jumped over the thing you're supposed to pay for the you don't talk about like I've seen that in every single movie in my entire life.

24:51 So I was like, I have to do it. I got one backpack. I threw it over. My life is a movie, right now, Let's go. And I look back and I go sweet, and I just kept going. I was like, wow, I don't condone that for anybody, But that was hilarious. It was like my first time in New York and so I was like, I need to do this, and so I did it, and then I walk to I don't know, some spot and then we get to Harlem and then I mean, what was unreal was we did the whole class did that. I got fifteen dollars to my name. I take a train to Buffalo. I don't know why. I don't know why I took it to Buffalo. I just did it. And I was like, can this get me somewhere? And they're yeah, Buffalo is like perfect, go to Buffalo. I'm sitting at Niagara Falls and I'm like, how am I going to get back home? How on earth am I going to get back to Missouri. I'm in Buffalo, New York looking at the Niagara Falls, and all of a sudden, I'm just like looking over and I see my two best friends from Missouri. Oh, they just got engaged. They literally went to Niagara Falls got engaged. I had no idea, and I go, damn, hey, okay, it's so loud. There've never been it's so and I'm like, I hear I just run over there, and I think I interrupted, you know, their engagement. But like my friends I've known since freshman year of high school. And I was like, oh my god.

26:16 And they were like, well, all excited and they're like, what are you doing here? I said, I'm bumming it, you know. And then then they go, sweet, I go, can I ride back home with you? Please? And they're like yeah, And so we stop off in Boston, stay the night in Boston, and then we made it all the way back to Missouri. That was a story, Like that was a time of my life where I had no idea what was going to happen. My friends show up my like right there. My mom had no money, my dad had no money, you know, like my family can say hell, we'll pay for your plane ticket. It's like I got myself into this, you know, and God needs to unreel me out please. Right And he did and he did.

26:58 That's so cool that I trust and love and it made it even better. So that's my New York experience. That is the coolest story. Thank you for sharing that. My goodness. I'm like, I said, it's like a movie scene and I need to know what happened. You had thirty dollars and then you had fifteen dollars. What did we spend the fifteen dollars on food? New York sliced pizza, coffee, coffee, and your was expensive. I did not. I went to that like the hole in the wall spot and it was like five bucks, and I was like, bro, this is Can I get a smaller cup like a pup cup please? And you know something like that. Just give me the web cream, Yeah, somethin please.

27:40 Just the beans, you know, I'll just eat I'll eat the beans. You know. Are you on time for the class? Oh? The class was beautiful. Yeah. I that was like an awakening moment for me because I'm half Sicilian and half black, right, and so I grew up with just my Sicilian side and then being in New York and it was like an African drummer came and she was playing and the teacher was like talking about how music and acting are like hand in hand, and for me, I really only wanted to be an actor so I could be in a rock band. That was it. That was literally it. I was like nobody in Missouri wanted to be in a rock band with me, not with me, Like no, everybody was about hip hop or like different genres and that's just the people I was around. And so it was very hard to get like a jam band going like hey you play drums, guitar, you know, I sang, And it was so hard. But like once music and acting came together for me, it clicked. I was like, this scene is this song. So every like character I have he listens to this, this moment is this song, this time is you know what I'm saying.

28:53 And I can like literally listen to it, put myself in it and then to go. And so for me, when the drummer came, it was just all soul. It was like I feel my soul is like shaking and awake, and it's like ah, you know. And and they were like act, just go, just be real, and it was all about being raw, being vulnerable. And then like for me, it was like this awakening of mixing of my black side and then my white side, and it just I kind of all, I don't know, just dance you know together, and I go, Okay, I think I know who I'm becoming, you know, like this is kind of who I am.

29:38 I've always been grounded with music, and then now it's with my voice and my body and movement and like all these things. I go, wow, I'm like an instrument. And so that's when I started learning more about myself. I was probably like twenty three twenty four at that time, and I was just like learning so much about myself and like what I was scared of of myself? You know, like I never felt like, oh I was black enough or I was white enough. I was like never really there, you know. It was just kind of like okay, yeah, DJ School, Yeah, yeah, it's like his white side. And I was like what I was, like, that sounds crazy, bro, Like what does that mean? You know? And so yeah, like I was always battling with identity, you know, and and self.

30:23 So and music helps you find that. Music not even helps me find it. It helps me say. It helps me not even like look at it as a problem or like a question mark. It's just like who I am? You like this song? Like if you go through my Spotify, oh man, I mean I'm talking George Jones, Waylon Jennings all the way to Kendrick and Jid and like everybody in between. And so yeah, like my mom was a she beat boxed and like was all about hip hop, you know, and I was like, I'm alright with that. Like when I was a kid, I loved it. I was like the beats are hey, we're in the car jamming. And then like the older I got, the more like I'm like listening to the Johnny Cash and she's like what is this? Like why we don't listen to Johnny Cash in our house? And I was like I do it like awakened my soul because the lyrics of what he said is how I felt, And that's how I resonated with music so much. It was lyrics not I mean, obviously the music in itself percussion was beautiful. But when I was like, my stepdad used to teach me the drums and he was like, you're not a drummer. I was like, I was so upset.

31:36 I was crushed. I mean I was probably like six years old. I was so crushed. He bought me this awesome pearl drum set and I'm like, hey, I'm going in and he's like trying to teach me. He's trying to teach me to the band Bush. Like there was this song like hey, I love that band. I love that band, and so he's trying to teach me this song and he realized. He goes, you're going to the singer's cadence, and he goes, you're not a drummer, You're a singer. And I was like, I don't know about that. And like the more and more I played the drums, the worst I got. Like I was like, yeah, he's right, this isn't it for your boy? Like this is And so it was before the time with the headphones on and the quiet drums. It was loud and we were in an apartment and so I ended up just singing lyrics.

32:23 I had all these trophies in my room when I was a kid, and I would put them like in front of me, and I had like one soccer trophy, like the dude was doing a huge bicycle kick and there was a soccer ball and I used to use that as the microphone, and so I would put it in front of me and I would like be singing system of the Down and I was I don't know. I was like ten years old, and my mom's like, now I look back, I go, God, that's probably why I got so many issues with government, and like I'm listening to this, I'm listening to this band, and my mom has no idea what's going on in the song. But I was like, singing these lyrics, but I felt. What I felt from that was it was a compassion. I was like, Wow, these people are really hurting and they're singing something that's important and it resonated with my soul.

33:06 And then therefore, years later acting does the same thing. It's like, Wow, this guy in this scene is going through X, Y, and Z and this is his interpretation of the world. I can be that because I've felt that, and so yeah, it all kind of just Jim, like you know, went together. Well, you talked about movement too. We've been talking a lot about music and you mentioned you actually said the word movement when you were looking to ground yourself. You get outside and you you go and smell the roses, which I love because I love fresh flowers. They bring me the most sincere form of joy, second to music. But the movement part of that. You know what, what in you You had a very active childhood with the with the MMA and that kind of stuff. How do you stay active now and what role does movement play in how you're how you're developing who you're becoming.

34:04 Yeah, I skateboard a BMX. Uh skateboarding? Oh yeah, skating and BMX. I've been doing that since I was a kid. Like, how fun is that? Yeah, it's it's out in La. It's not because I got it's crazy. It's super fun, but like it's so you have your heads on a swool. Why I got hit by a car already? I've been twice. I've been hit by a car since I've lived out here. It's crazy. Wow, you're skateboarding. Yeah. I was skating and then all of a sudden, I just boom. I'm like, what was that? And then I look in the it's funny. It's so funny, but it's not. It's not. It is I laughing because I'm okay, but like in a movie, it's hilarious. I got hit by I'm like oh, and I'm like looking the car took off and I'm like all right, like excuse me.

34:51 You know. It's so it's like that's how I still do. I still skateboard. I still be a mex I and what it. It's not like, Okay, it's time to go skateboard. It's like, man, I'm antsy, there's nothing going on. It's like I'm gonna go skate It's a great day out. See if I can hit this heel flip or something like, I'm gonna I go do something different, you know, I put down what I was doing and then go do something different. And honestly, when I skateboard or I bike, I literally feel like I'm back in Missouri, like I feel like a kid. I feel like I'm thirteen years old again, just kind of like going around. And when I shaved my face, there was just I brought my skateboard up to down the street. I went to the bar and I was like, hey, can I get like a you know, a butler whatever beer? And then I was like, can I see your ID? And I was He's like, who comes in here with a skateboard? And I was like, oh yeah, I forgot like grown men don't kind of skateboard around here a lot. I like it.

35:51 I don't know. And he was like, what are you thirteen? And I was like I was like, no, dude, and uh so like little things like that, I forget. Oh people don't really go and do what they used to do when they were kids. Like for me, it's the same Like I got to play hockey the other day. I played hockey growing up, and so I did it on set I was playing ice hockey, you know, I thought like little things like that. I was like, wow, I got paid to play hockey, and I love hockey. I spent most of my time outside playing hockey, and so yeah, I tried to do whatever I can to get back to that, you know, little kid DJ of not caring, not worrying about tomorrow. What's that gonna do?

36:36 What about this? Oh? I can't get my pants dirty? Like no, I think every single pair of jeans I have have a hole in them, Like not because I bought them that way, because it's something I did, and they just got bigger. And I was like I missed that. There was a good salad three years when I was like really trying to act, you know, really go for it that I got a different wardrobe. I made sure my stuff was all pressed and clean, and I was like, bro, that's not me. I was stressing. I was like, I can't get my shoes dirty. I go, I've had the same pair of Doc Martins for ten years. It's like, yeah, I get those things dirty. You know that's what they're finding, right, Yeah, yeah, you know, and I yeah, the closer I got, or the further away I got from that kid version of myself, the worst and more chaotic my life got because I thought I had to be something different, and then my acting got worse. I was trying to put on like I was trying to act for real. And then once I kind of too left that and went back to me.

37:36 Oh man, everything got smoother, everything got sweeter, everything was more fun. I could play. That's how when I go to work, I play. I go play, and so it's like it got back to that. So, yeah, what a cool thing to think about when you go back to yourself and find your Honestly, it bases a little bit in self love, even when you when you think about how you love on that younger version of you that may or may not have understood why you even needed to do that. Later, it's so cool to think about how you came home. You come home to yourself to find peace but also just to have fun and and and I think we we could all do that better. I don't know how, you know, I'm trying to formulate in my head kind of a question around that, because I just I wonder how people can adopt that mindset better about just finding joy in the simple like, honestly, the simplest things that you used to find joy, and we we get so jaded over life.

38:42 You know, life happens, and and things make us, they make us grow up and stop dreaming and stop playing with skateboards because that's what kids do. Well, yes, and how do we? How do we? How do we? I mean honestly that that's I guess that's the question, Like, how how would you? Because it's sounds it sounds great in theory, and I think there's a level of just adulting that that kills anybody's desire or ability to be a kid in their in their life. So how would how would you coach somebody through that? Like how what would you say to someone that is struggling with how to find themselves again or how to how to embrace that inner child or even just give that inner child a hug? How would you? How would you talk them through that?

39:26 Yeah, honestly, I would do. The biggest thing for me was not everything needs to be monetized, that is what that is. The clicker for me was, oh, I gotta I gotta somehow turn this into something that someone may or may not see for X y Z that there was like eight steps I just talked about and I was like, I was not good at school, you know, so all these things that I was like, I was adding more to my plate when I wasn't even hungry. I was like, no, I I'll just take the chicken nuggets, you know, like how just eat these chicken nuggets right here?

40:08 And when you look at kids. One, I worked at a school, so I got to see children be children and how much fun they were having and how much like joy it was, and like a simple game of like four square, And I said I would like I taught for five years, so I got to see a lot of that, right, And so I'm sitting here thinking like I would coach somebody through it. It's like, well, when you pick your kid up or someone you're your brother whatever from school, look how happy they or look how like their life is full? Hey, what are we doing next? And so I put myself in the same position, but with God being that father figure or that brother right and saying DJ, how was school today? How was work today? How was your you know? And I'm like this, it sucked. I was bored. I was this and then and like how would my mom. She would go outside and play out, don't come back in until the street lights come on. Like go outside, go hang out with James, go hang out with Daniel, go hang out with your friends.

41:13 Like go. And so it's like I look at God telling me the same thing. And then in the scripture where it says Jesus talks about living life to the fullest, Okay, what does that mean? Not partying, not going out and getting drunk. Not that like what made me fool as a child? Play movement right, Like my boy Joe Murtha and I would go for hours in the creek. I mean we would just walk, see how far we could walk, and we look back, We're like, bro, it's dark. It is like it took us an hour to get here. Shoot, and then we had to go all the way back and his mom's sitting outside like this, where were you? And I was like, oh, mud all over our face, and I'm like she's like, get in the shower, go you know, Like it was very simple and obviously like adults aren't going around and walking through creeks and stuff.

42:05 But it's like what that did was go be adventurous. If someone's like it, will say nowadays, like older like adults go for drive. Just don't put a destination, just go listen to your song, you know, jam out and be okay with not doing something. I think that was the biggest learning point for me, was like could I actually just sit and like read? Could I just not do anything? Yeah? And it's quiet and it's peaceful, and I can like hear myself think. And my wife's so funny. She's like, can we turn the TV on? Or so I need some noise, I need something in the background.

42:46 And I was like, hmm, okay, go ahead. And I was like a lot of people can't sit with themselves. And I've gone through a lot of therapy. I've gone through a lot of like you know, groups, you know, And I was like, majority of the time it is because people can't really listen to their own body. Like your body will tell you what is something's going on, and it's not like one plus one equals too. It's like my heart's racing, or my stomach's and notts, or my skin's doing something funky, and I'm like, oh, something's not right. Am I lying to my and like acting in itself. My coach Dustin back in Arizona huge. He's like a not just a coach, he's like my mentoring's a good buddy of mine. We ride Harley's together and stuff.

43:29 So he actually says like people who are actors or people who watch actors and watch TV are watching something that they wish they could be or do, like, oh, I wish my life looked like that, or I wish this that and the other. So for us, we have to sincerely be that thing. Right. So for me, it's like I experience those things. I have a lot of experiences in my life. So therefore when I speak to people, they're like, yo, dude, you're contagious. Are your high? I'm like, it's it's just life, you know. It's like my life is full of just energy, you know. And so but I was able to sit there and quiet and stillness and then just like wrestle with those thoughts and wrestle with those like, oh, I should be here by now.

44:18 You know, I'm thirty, Now I should be I should have been an Oscar winner already, like all those kind of things, right, And it's like yeah, and I take it further, Yeah I should what happened or why? And I don't criticize myself. I legit asked the question like why do I think that? And then I stop and I don't lie to myself, and I go because I've seen it on social media. I see my friend did it, or my friend got that role, or or I look at Denzel's past and I'm like he was twenty five when he made this movie. I've missed my chance. And it's like, what, that's crazy. And so I always sit in those dark moments with myself. One. I know I'm not alone those dark moments, So that's like number one.

45:02 So it's like I know I can go there. I know I can wrestle with my own thoughts. And I'm gonna be honest, those thoughts aren't even my thoughts. I don't know where those came from. Those are just implanted in me somewhere by watching something or whatever. But it's like I can wrestle with those because I know, like, yeah, that's not true. Get out, get out my house, Like that's how I how I talk to it. I'm like, get out, you're not not there, and so like to coach somebody through like going back to that, it's like one being okay with sitting in silence and wrestling with thoughts. If you can't like really like sit and you need to do something journal it, Like I literally have a JOURNALI it's as lies, and I will write all the lies that I'm hearing or I'm telling myself, and then I go to the next page, I go truths. What are the truths in my life? What is true? Right?

45:50 And I'll even ask the question what is truth? What is that you know? And then I will wrestle with that and I just go and I go and I go, and then it kind of clears. It clears things for me, and it makes it less scary or less messy, you know. The lies and the truths. Yeah, that's a that's a powerful journal prompt right there to think through those and you start, you start, you said, with the lies before you write the truths. And isn't that interesting? And what I mean You've probably learned so much that way, truly about yourself, and it applies to so much of what you do. So that's just I'm just I'm processing that because that is a very interesting way to think and pivot your own mindset in real time and talk yourself through the darkness in real time, which is something we could all use right now. So you've mentioned you'r Harley more than once, and I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, so I am Harleigh Harley Bill. So my friends on the internet on the TikTok had asked a question earlier about out two things. Actually was kind of a two point question.

47:03 The first one was given that you love Harley's we were wondering if you've been to the Milwaukee area. And the second part of that question is she actually found something out about you that I didn't know, which is that you have a goal and maybe this is what you can tell me if it's accurate, but you have a goal to visit all of the states, spent two nights in every state. And I want to hear about that. I want to hear about that that idea, and about the Harleys, and about like if you're I mean, and you need to come Milwaukee if you haven't already. I will. So it's funny my cousin used to I don't know if you watch baseball or anything, but my cousin used to be the pitcher for the Brewers. Yeah, Devin Williams. So it's like she was always like, Devin, I gotta come out, and then he went to New York and now he's I was like, oh, well, so I will come out to Milwaukee.

47:47 I have not, Yes, let's go. I have not, but I will, especially because when we go back to Missouri and then my wife's from Michigan, so it's like we're all right in that area. So I definitely have to come swing by and I'll come out. I got the Harley's and so yeah. The goal actually came from when I was like twenty one, twenty two ish, that kind of age range. I said, I want to spend one year in every single state. That's what I told myself. And then I started doing math and I go, dang, I'm gonna be old. And I was like, I was like, no, it's a great idea in theory.

48:30 So two days I spent it. The two days I spent like a weekend. Like I went from my year to two days. It went from a year to a month, and then it trickled down to two weeks, and then it went to two days. I go, I could do to like a weekend. I'll even cut it the three. I can do a Friday, Saturday and Sunday in every single state I've been to like I've done that already, like fourteen states, and so yeah, like that's just still the goal, Like it's still I want to go to every cause I wanted to work. I wanted The reason I said a year was because I wanted to work in every single state.

49:13 I wanted to get off of work, go to the local dive bar and see what the you know, like the people are like like that's how it was in Missouri. I learned a lot about people going too, like the small hardware store talking to the guy or the small diner and like the townspeople, right and just like what is this place really? Like you know, California is so great? Yeah yeah, yeah, but it's like do you even know like the small little, you know, taco shop down the street, Like those guys are so cool and they have like the coolest stories and their la originals not transplants, right, Like that's what I wanted to do. Like I wanted to go and feel and live and experience Milwaukee, right like I wanted to go. New Orleans is like one of my favorite cities. Walking down the street and then some lady just waving me and my buddy's over. She was cooking crawfish on like a big pot on her front porch, and she goes, you guys want to like join.

50:17 I mean she had the rocking chairs. We're sitting there drinking lemonade. Yo. We say hey, hey, what's going on, guys, and we're hanging out. And I thought, this is to me, that was life. That's life is experiencing new people, having people come over, sit on your porch, drinking lemonade, you know, some type of seafood broil, and here goes, here's where people will always shift. Yeah, we should make a show about it. We should do this. And I go, you donet took it out. You done took the magic. It took the life out of it. Once you start trying to monetize something. It took the experience out. My buddies and I didn't care about any of that. We were just chilling, like God, I'm thirsty, and God, thank you for this, you know. And to me, that's what I want to do through each state. I want to like go find like that's why I love the South so much, because it's very Yeah, yeah, yoh, come on, that's kind of what it is. And the same thing happened in Texas.

51:14 When I went to Austin, it was the same thing. Guy comes over, he's sitting there cleaning his shotgun. There's a big old, you know, bush beer right there, and he's like, man, let me tell you about this boot. And he's talking about his boots. And I was like, I love boots. I love boots. Let's talk about it, you know. And to me, that's that are those are experiences of life that you can't I mean, yeah, you can pay for it, but like you can't. Really, that's not on like a on a trip Advisor. That's that's not on a sheet, you know. It's you go experience and. Through the people, Yeah, through the people that live there. And that's the coolest part of everything you're saying is that it's it's all based in people and relationships, and a red thread in your whole life story is the stories and storytelling. It's really cool, honestly. And I want to know how far along on the fifty States journey are you? How many states do you have left?

52:14 I'm on I'm only on thirteen. Okay, all right, we got we got some progress. Wait, I get a lot of like, oh, I'm going to go here and then I get a call, hey we're shooting this for a week, or Hey we're gonna go do this, and I'm like it almost kids me. It's like I need to make money, and I'm like I need to work, and I'm like, can we figure out a way that we can shoot in Arkansas? I haven't been there yet, you know. And I have a lot of places to go, and it's a lot a lot of it's the East. I need to go, like Maine. I everywhere up East besides New York, Boston or Massachusetts.

52:58 And then those are my two East places. And I went to the Carolinas and so but all that up and there I need to to go. And then like the Pacific, like the Pacific, like Alaska and Seattle or I've been Seattle, not like Oregon. I haven't been to Oregon. There's still one Blockbuster left in Oregon. That's all. I'll talk about that for a second. It's in Ben Oregon. For everybody's listening, Ben Oregon still has one Blockbuster left. It's crazy. They're probably gonna close after I say this, but uh, you know, it's so I want to go to the Blockbuster. Like that's I love Blockbuster yes, So, yeah, I've been to a lot of places in the South and Georgia, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, obviously New Orleans or Louisiana. Yeah, I've been a lot over there. Obviously out here on this side. I lived in Arizona for a few years, Utah. Yeah, like I've been all where we are in this on this coast side, I've been everywhere over here, MISSI middle of the map I've been to. So I'm pushing. I got a lot. I thought I had a lot, and then I look at I'm like, gosh, so many's there's so many into Hawaii is like a country away, and I'm like geeesh, man. But I'm here in California, so it's not too far right. So in the Korea, I did that whole thing. I went over to Korea and shot at Disney Show, even though that's not in the States, but hey, I got to spend some time there.

54:29 That's really cool. Speaking of that, speaking of of what you're shooting, I want to talk through we have a little little bit of time left. I wanted to make sure that you had a chance to talk through some of your current work and just talk through where people can find you, how people can support you, and where people can learn more about everything that's going on in your world. Yeah, for sure. The main thing is obviously my instagram is Peeper Acting. That's p I E p e R. And then acting, and then my website same thing people act, and that's kind of like your updated version, like everything that's happening live in real time is kind of ig or my website. And then obviously you can go on just google dj Peeper, and then there's all my stuff and shows. I actually New York Times just put Star People on the top five must watch sci fis so that was pretty dope.

55:28 Amazing. Yeah, yeah, it's really cool. So that's cool. You can watch it on Amazon, and I'm sure it's other places, but I know for sure it's on Amazon. So that and then right now the Disney Show is kind of like on a pause because something happened with the main actor all kinds. I'm sure you could google that and all that will come up, So that puts our work on pause for a little bit. So but when I right now, what I'm pushing is that book, like and that's not even like I'm trying to sell it, it's just like, you're gonna love this. I am a creative hustle. Like it's literally what I do. I I dress up as an Amazon guy. I call myself Jimmy, and I'm like, I dress up as Jimmy. And I have this book, which is the Anti Fashionism Book. It's a huge red book when in the A and the anti has like the anarchy symbol and it's all about like not, hey, you gotta wear this, you gotta wear that, you gotta wear this to look cool, you gotta do this. Like trends go up and down, they're in and they're out, and I get it's business, but it's like for me, it's I've had the same clothes in same style forever. Obviously, if I like something, I change it. I'm like, oh that's cool. I like it. But I wake up, I'm like, what do I feel like today? What do I feel like?

56:45 Where am I going? Okay? Cool? And my wife's so well, she's like going through She'll look at trends. She's like this is in fall. This is nice, and she's like, I really inspired by this, and she like it's super creative for it. And so she gets to put pieces together and I'm like, see, that's not fashion to me. That style. You're like, I like this with this and this and this versus this magazine said you can't wear denim no more. I'm like, are they going to buy my new wardrobe? I'm sorry, is the fashion industry buying my clothes? I didn't know that? And so like, I think I really just don't like people telling me what to do. And I think I having a problem with an authority. We could dig into that. Remember that was the daddy issues.

57:27 We didn't get daddy issues. It is, I'm telling you it is. It's like, if you're not in my life here it is ready. If you're not in my life, my dad, why are you telling me what to do? That's kind of what it is. You're not seeing my day to day. How can you tell me to spend one hundred and fifty dollars on a T shirt when I have three hundred in my bank account. It's like, but people do it because they want to stay up with the trends, keeping up with the Jones is. And I was like, that's not me. My mom and I were broke poor, so we didn't have we didn't know who the Jones were. And so it's like, you know, and so we just kind of rocked what we did and it gave us this confidence of like owning what we got. And so the Anti Fashion Book is all about that. It's like photos and then I have like sections where I like leave prompts. There's a section I'm like staring in the mirror and the next page is like a prompt that says how many masks have you worn in your life? And it like lets you sit and think. And so what I do is I have this book and I'll dress up as Jimmy and I go all to these agencies and managers and then they let me in because they think I'm an Amazon guy.

58:38 And I'm like, hey, I got this package for Austin at Buckwall Talent and they're like, oh yeah, I just leave right here. I'm like, cool, I need a signature. I want to see this man. I want to see who this person is. And they're like oh yeah, yeahh and they signed and I'm like cool, I'll stare a little bit, so like you recognize that when you open this book it's gonna be me. I'm like cool, thanks man, And then like I go, I've done it to probably I'm gonna name them all buck Wall, c AA W and me all Stone Talent Love Agency. I've gone everywhere here in California and I just drop it off. And then is it working. I have one person, one person hit me back and they were like, wow, that was it. Now. I was like, that's it? Wow? Did you like it? Did you not? Like?

59:26 I mean, I've dropped them off to two other artists just like not to like hit me back, and none of it is a I always leave it and I write in the journals personally or in the books personally, and I'm like, hey, I love the work you're doing. I love like this, this and this. I always put something personal because it's like I'm not just throwing out of this wide net to anybody who wants to work with me. It's more of like, no, I I am searching for you. I look through your list, I look through your people. I've seen the movies you've cat or you've done, or the agent. You know what. I'm saying things like that, and then I write a personal note about it. I'm like, yo, I really enjoyed this film. I love this client of yours because of what they Da da da da and I make it very personal and then I just drop it off. I don't ask for something in return, like hey, sign me. It's just like I want to let you know that I am an F five tornado coming through your town. And if you don't sign me, now that's on you. Like like that.

1:00:21 Like the person who didn't sign Leo when he was a kid, they're probably like, oh my gosh, what did I do? Like and that's pretty much what this book is. There's only fifty of them. I only made fifty, so it's like and I write the number like, hey, seven of fifty, so and I even put even if you don't use it, just use it as a coffee table book. So when someone comes into your office, it's like, Yo, it's kind of cool. What is this? It's bright red, so it like stands out. So yeah, like that's kind of what it's used for. Or I give it as a gift like hey, thank you for let me come film with you. Hey here you go something like that, or yeah, I just I have a couple more on making for different projects, and then I just I'm creative.

1:01:05 It's how I stay busy, Like that's how I stay focused on like, oh my gosh, I'm not working with Denzel right now. It's I go and make something else, you know, and I totally forget about it, and. So well, I think it's what what I what I'm extracting from that story, which is amazing and super like. I don't even have the words. It's creative and abundant honestly because you're giving something from your heart and it's clever and it's different. Because I was just in a webinar yesterday with Maha Abu Elenin, who wrote the book Seven Rules of Self Reliance, and one of her things that we were talking through in that's that webinar was how do you stand out? Like how do you? How do you make noise in a noisy world? Like how do you? How do you get that visibility? And this idea of yours is so clever and such a good example of that. So I guess shout out Maha, but also just say, you know, it's really cool to see when people get creative and kind of scrappy but also do it in such an abundant and generous way to give away your art and your craft like that is just I just had to acknowledge and say that because this whole podcast is based in gratitude, This whole podcast is based in My first group of guests, including yourself, have had such a profound impact on my life without even most of them probably even knowing it. So DJ, you have been a transition figure for me in the support,

1:02:36 in the belief, and in near investment of time and energy and telling your story here today. I'm honestly, so so freaking grateful that you agreed to come on, and that you shared, and that you poured so generously into me and to the listeners and the viewers. I am, I am, I'm speechless, honestly, and I'm so grateful for your time, and I wish you all the best. And I think I think we're going to have to do this again. On episode one hundred. I'll come back. Agreed, Agreed, let's do. I'll hold you to that. So you so much. Have a good day and we'll talk soon. Peace. Peace.

1:03:17 If you're seeing this, you're my friend. Thank you for being here. I really appreciate that you took time out of your day to spend with well O me. I would love to hear from you. I actually don't. This part is uncomfortable for me. Just just talking like this is uncomfortable for me somehow more so than this, but that's I've practiced that I have the TikTok and I do the things, and this is harder. So please talk to me, find me on social tell me what you thought, tell me what you think, tell me what questions you have or what guests you want to see. I want this to feel like you're part of this, because you are. You mean something to me and I'm so grateful. So if you would be so kind as to go in and give me a review and some stars and just let me know what you're thinking, I would really appreciate it.

1:04:07 And I'd love to see you back here any time, to help you remember who you are while you build who you're med siccret quick before you forget