As veterans, we all have difficult objectives to overcome. Ronnie Abbott has faced many challenges, even some recently that have put him to the test. Rebuilding connections and a solid support structure helped him have the mindset to not only overcome but to achieve during tough times!

Interview

Transcript from Episode 5 with Ronnie Abbott:

Keith McKeever 0:05

Welcome to the battle buddy podcast with Keith McKeever. Welcome back to another episode of the battle buddy podcast. I have another great guest here today. I'll go ahead and let him introduce yourself. What's your, what's your name and where you're from? What was your What was your story growing up there running?

Ronnie Abbott 0:26

Wait, how's it going? My name is Ronnie Abbott. I'm a military veteran of eight years. And I got out in 2015. I've been transitioning since. And now it's 2021. And I have my own business. My own e commerce. I'm working for myself. I'm connected.

Keith McKeever 0:46

Awesome. So where were you grew up? Where was home and stuff like that for it?

Ronnie Abbott 0:51

So I grew up in the small town of those points, Texas. It's like, kind of south of Dallas. in the country. It's

Keith McKeever 0:57

a small town. Yeah, yeah. And just out of curiosity, you have any family members? Why Why join the military?

Ronnie Abbott 1:08

I was infantry in 11. Bravo in the military. Because when I joined, I wanted to do something I couldn't do on the outside world. Like, you can't guns and blow stuff up in the outside world? Well, legally,

Keith McKeever 1:22

legally, in most cases.

Ronnie Abbott 1:24

Yeah. Yeah. No. So I joined on that aspect, just the adventure of it. Yeah.

Keith McKeever 1:31

Absolutely. Well, no doubt about it, I don't care what branch what career field you get, you get a heck of an adventure out of out of joining. So eventually, though, we all come to a fork in the road, no matter how it happens. We come to a fork in the road when it comes to our military career ending, and you got to fly in one way or another. You end up getting out. So how was that transition process? Like, you know, from the beginning to the end? What was your mindset throughout it? I know, it's a little different for everybody. But it's something we all struggle with a one way, one way or another way that your job or certain things up already move all those kind of things. So what did you experience?

Ronnie Abbott 2:12

Yeah, Keith, for me, I experienced a lot of things, a lot of different adventures that I didn't necessarily sign up for after the military, but I just kind of life happened, you know, there was a big transition moving from military to civilian life. And, you know, I was, I kind of didn't really take that as seriously as I should have. And so I did experience a few difficulties in life, but obstacles that out overcame obstacles that continue to overcome and just the relationships I'm creating, and the growth because of that is just huge.

Keith McKeever 2:54

Awesome. Yeah, cool. Growth is huge, and mindsets, mindsets key for and that's really what I mean, this whole episode is about is about mindset, because we talked the other day. And my takeaway from that my initial thoughts were, like I said, just a couple minutes ago, there's a fork in the road. I think, inevitably, every human walks this earth throughout their life is gonna, they're gonna have a handful of forks in the road, you know, 510, whatever it is, where they got to make a decision, one way or another, and things are gonna go in a good direction or bad direction. Sometimes those things are kind of made up for us. So you experienced something in this last year. That was a heck of a hurdle that I've never heard of anybody having to go through you were accused of something that you didn't do. So what what exactly happened to you, but almost a year ago,

Ronnie Abbott 3:46

almost a year ago, I was falsely accused of sexual assault in the first degree in the state of Wyoming. It was a loaded mess. And I had to go through that I had my constitutional right to a speedy trial violated. You know, I had every I lost everything that I had going for me, I lost my vehicle, I lost. I was enrolled in college, I lost everything. And it was pretty, it was pretty wild. It was yes, Keith it was.

Keith McKeever 4:16

And that was you told me some of the specific seminar and how much you can you can really say but it sounds like it was just a an absolute crazy mess. You You had no idea who this person was and the police were asking you questions about it. You're like, I don't know, at all. who this person is. You know, it's just it seemed like they were just trying to just get somebody so what was it what was going on with all that? Like, how did your mindset change? Do all that because I know your minds be the roller coaster of emotions that you must have had had been insane. From anger to confusion to you know,

Ronnie Abbott 4:52

oh, percent. I was scared. 100% Keith, I felt like I was going. I was in another war like Just like I was overseas in the military, like I was in another situation, I was sitting there facing something I didn't do. I was telling them over and over, I didn't do it, there was no DNA evidence, it was a load of crap. They were sitting on this evidence, they extended it because of COVID. I mean, I was granted the ringer. But I've been through that in the military. So I could really could relate. But I didn't have nobody but three people in my life, that my key people in my life that helped me get through that. And one of them is a veteran friend, a close friend of mine, Katie Walters, she helped me get through it. Big time.

Keith McKeever 5:39

Good, good. Is it gonna have support structure? Without a huge kind of flopping around in no man's land? So it's gonna be a support structure?

Ronnie Abbott 5:51

Yeah. And that's what the military teaches a support structure. You need that? And so ever so long that I went with reality. And where did I end up in life, I ended up in and out of jails, I ended up in situations like that I made poor decisions, because I didn't have a support system established. I didn't, I didn't have those people, I felt like it was me against the world. Because after getting out of the military, they're getting a little better about it now, but for the most part, you're not walking out the door with all the tools you need to be successful. When you're getting out of the military for whatever the case may be. I mean, you're just not, it's just not happy.

Keith McKeever 6:31

Yeah, they want to claim that did a couple years of training classes, taps whatever it's called, I don't know if it's if it's different, different branches. But the claim is that it it, it works, it's gonna completely prepare you for the civilian world. Now I went through it about nine years ago, I can tell you the whole transition out of the military, almost everything they talked about was get on LinkedIn, keep your Facebook profile, you know, as clean as possible, get a professional headshot, and be very careful with your resume. That's it. That's all the preparation in civilian world that I can recall them ever teaching me. What they don't teach you is the cost of

Ronnie Abbott 7:11

your link, create your LinkedIn profile. You had to create that,

Keith McKeever 7:16

yes, that's exactly what I did. But that's it. They don't talk about entrepreneurship, they will talk about buildings, they don't talk about the VA loan or finance or personal finance a budget. We all know a lot people to serve. They really had no personal budget, they had no clue. I mean, you got the money they got they spent it they got more money the next month. It's really world it's not necessarily like that you've got ups and downs now you got to pay for insurance, you know, homeowners and vehicle and shit well, you you probably have those anyway, rental insurance when you're in but you gotta pay for medical insurance and stuff like that. Life insurance policies now that you got to get it, you know, prepare you for any of that they don't prepare you for the real cost, all those different things. So it's a it's a mess. You know, they're they're trying, I guess I'll say that. But there's, there's gaps there that need to be filled in. So in support,

Ronnie Abbott 8:10

there is definitely Keith there's a bunch of gaps. And it's getting filled by what you're doing right now, by what me and you are doing right now sharing our story, and helping each other creating this avenue of approach that can reach people where it hasn't been reached before. I mean, people are familiar with podcasts. But people Are they familiar with podcasts for veterans, like Facebook groups for veterans? They're just not they just don't know. Because I mean, we're getting out. There's so much fitness. And there's so much that hits us. We just don't know. And we just kind of get tunnel vision.

Keith McKeever 8:48

Yeah, some information overload because you're kind of in a bubble. You're protected by the military, in some ways of that bubble. Especially for people overseas. I think it's probably even worse. If you've been overseas, and you're not in American society. And then you got to come back and transition. But it's a tough way.

Ronnie Abbott 9:06

I'd say that. And if you were on like, like I was on my third and final on listen. So it was either get in for however long, or make it a career or get out of the military. And so if you're someone who's invested half a decade or more into the military service, and you get out and a good buddy of mine. I just talked to him last night we stay in touch, but he was at about 1618 years. And then he became ineligible three and LIS due to his disability from being blown up. Back in the day RPG is just the VA would like they would not even put him into like any type of drill. They moved him and would not like work with him. And so there's a lot of things that go on in that transition. You're right, Keith. And so, I mean, we don't know everybody's story. We don't know what's going on. And so it's just becoming more familiar about what's going on hearing people's story, hearing them share, letting them know. So I mean, they can move forward from there.

Keith McKeever 10:12

Thankfully, we have a platform for that now with the podcasts and Facebook groups, social media, clubs, groups, wherever we want to call it. I feel sorry for the older generations that didn't really have that. It'd be they had American Legion, VFW organizations like that, kind of a more of a social setting more than a more than educational setting, we have an opportunity to tell our stories and educate let people know what you've been through what I've been through what other guests have been through. But you didn't come out the other side, there's a way there's a path, somebody has already done that. And so you just got to help you even find that person that has done it. It shows the way and be that a cliche, I notice a battle buddy. But that's one of the reason that I need to battle the podcast about a buddy podcast because I want to let people know that they're not alone, somebody else has walked in your shoes. And maybe it's me, maybe somebody else. If you got to find that person, hopefully I can, I can find a resource or eventually find a resource to help somebody knows no shoes. So that networking is huge. And they just work meeting each other and expanding our networks. And who knows where we're that might lead to be able to help somebody someday. So some get back to the whole, the whole falsely accused of sitting in jail. In the mindset, you know, what was? What was that emotional rollercoaster, like when you found out that you were getting out?

Ronnie Abbott 11:39

Oh, see, I didn't know I was getting out. That's the thing. I went all the way to a trial to a jury trial. I had a public defender. And I just put my faith in society. I put my faith in Paul jurors, hearing COVID. And I mean it it took it would they took it that far. Which is ridiculous. Which is so ridiculous.

Keith McKeever 12:06

But it didn't take too long to make a decision did it?

Ronnie Abbott 12:10

Oh, it took about I'd say maybe 10 minutes to deliberate come back with a decision.

Keith McKeever 12:16

So what was what was that? Like when they read it out? You know, not guilty and you realize it's done. It's over? Now I can go up on my path in life and go do something.

Ronnie Abbott 12:30

I cried man.

Keith McKeever 12:35

And man, a huge, huge weight lifted off your shoulders. Wow. Wow, how long after that? Did they actually let you go?

Ronnie Abbott 12:46

Maybe three hours. I mean, I had to go back do the paperwork, get my stuff, little stuff I did have I mean that. So they got me out very, rather quickly after

Keith McKeever 12:58

that's good to know. Especially during COVID, where they stretch it out in the first place and major way and go through all that. So

Ronnie Abbott 13:05

at that at that point key. I mean, I I knew I didn't do it. I told them I didn't do it. I had nothing to worry about. And so I was already invested in it anyway. I mean, until they've already violated my constitutional rights, which hurt. I'm like I was a veteran who fought for my country fought for my rights. I would like my constitutional rights upheld. And the judge goes, Yes, they'll be upheld, but they are going to be violated by five days. And that's okay. Because your trial is going to be on it. So yes, we are going to violate your rights. But if only

Keith McKeever 13:41

you have rights, we're gonna give you your rights, but we're gonna violate them.

Ronnie Abbott 13:45

Yeah. Oh, a bunch of crap.

Keith McKeever 13:52

I guess the only thing I can say on that.

Ronnie Abbott 13:54

Is you okay. I didn't dwell on it. I didn't dwell on it. Yes, it was horrible. Yes, it was shitty. Yes, it was a deployment. But I didn't dwell on it. I hit the ground running when I got out. And that was the first weekend in November. And so I was homeless living on the streets before living out of a tent. And now I have my own place in Everett, Washington. 1600 bucks a month, I'll be within that amount of time I have my own e commerce business. I have multiple revenues income, I'm enrolled to be a full time student back with SNHU going to start in March. I just got so many things going to me and the relationships I created are even more phenomenal than that. So I mean, I didn't dwell on it. And so you can't dwell on it. I mean, the thing is to know for shit to hopefully change, excuse my language, not for it to change. People have to know what the hell is going on. And the reason people don't know what the hell is going on, is because nobody opens their mouth. Oh, it happens to me and I'm just going to lay in the fucking ground cry rollover and except no, not me, hell no, I'm ready to eat, I want to you have to be a wolf man, you have to be a freaking wolf you have to, because life is going to beat the shit out of you. And you have to eat that shit and give it right back. I mean, my honest opinion?

Keith McKeever 15:16

Well, I think most people will hopefully take the experience and realize how, how quickly things can change. You know, and you could just wrong place wrong time and be accused of something that you had nothing to do with. And your whole life could just flip upside down. It's just like, you know, somebody died. And then how fragile life is. Once you see that and you understand that your whole mindset, we look at everything completely changes, you realize that you only got limited time, it's time to grow, strive to be better start to build something, rather than just let it go. Because you could have easily gone the other way. In any morning issues could easily on LOA found themselves, it's it's bad situations, or even trying to make a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Very easily could could go on that way for law people. So good thing for you had a support structure and strength to persevere. And you can look back now and see where I've come from, you know, where I was and where I'm at now. So congratulations, and all the hard work you put in?

Ronnie Abbott 16:26

Well, thank you very much, Keith. And like, I didn't have all that before, which is funny. I didn't have all that before. Like I gave up on everybody, I showed everybody else. But during that time was like a kind of awakening, like he said not. And what I'm doing now is I'm happy. I've created a legacy. And I'm growing every day. And I'm working out every day. And I have money in the bank. I mean, it's just awesome. Everything is grown off of that. Because every day I just hit the ground running, take the day, whatever the day comes, network, I get to know people like minded people. And I network, and I just grow. And I come across toxic people, but I had to cut those people on my life. Like just cut the people out of my life. And it's funny, because once you start cutting toxic people out of your life, or the toxic thing out of your life, something new and something better even comes along, like relationships form. They ideas get created. I mean things happen. And when things start happening, it's amazing. I mean, you're gaining some relationships that too, that you may have lost due to just you being out there thinking you're alone. I mean, you have to have that awakening, you have to be ready to to do the change, it just isn't going to happen. I mean, because you can't, you can't expect somebody to automatically change. It's on them. It's within the person. Like I had to go through multiple failed relationships, failed marriage, I had to be in foreclosure. I had to be homeless. I had to live out of a tent. I had to do that I had to be, you know, I had to do that for me to wake the hell up. Because I'm a hard headed southern Texas. Man who freakin was raised like hard headed as hell. Because I mean, I don't know, that's just what the nature is not everybody's that way. So it's not necessarily going to be this. But having the resources in the networking and getting to know people and what's out there before you get out or even actually get out. I mean, because there's opportunities for everyone. There's opportunities for your family. I mean, you ain't been you have not been forgotten. The almost at eight, because that's in the dictionary. And

Keith McKeever 18:43

I'm sure it is. Right next to y'all, right. Yeah, yeah. Y'all go, Yeah, that's a jeez, I'm sure that isn't Texas dictionary. But yeah, sometimes you got to get out of your own head, you got to not be so hard headed about things. You have to look at things from a different angle. I was kind of chuckling there for a second because I'm kind of the same way. I'm very hard to person that sometimes I have to realize that how stubborn I am maybe getting in my way of growth. And I need to take a step back or do something different, whatever the case may be, but you got to you got to do that. But what really helps with that sometimes is a support structure, somebody else who can honestly with you in the eyes, it's a snap out of it. Get yourself in gear, grab yourself by the boots and go do what you need to do. So we mentioned like relationships, what kind of relationships have you been able to like foster or repair throughout this whole process? Because it seems like that was probably most your support structure from when you're right. Yeah, well,

Ronnie Abbott 19:55

you know, I really didn't have like any friends. I was talking to everybody in the military. We all went our way. And so I really didn't have that many people I have my, my younger sister who she's not teen now she's a son, country artist, I had her, but I just gave her recently. Like, these are everybody that not neglected. And so again, my sister, my ex fiance I was engaged to back in 2014. We just started kind of talking, just knowing. And it's been amazing. It's been cool. I didn't expect that to happen. My relationship with my mother, I mean, that's there. I mean, it's really cool my relationship with friends, I grew up with my relationship with people that I was in my military unit with when I first deployed direct my relationship with the people I deployed to Afghanistan, my relationship that was in my military service, my relationship with people I've encountered in my life. I mean, I thought I was the lone, I thought nobody gave a crap, you know, that wasn't the case. I just shut everybody out. And so when I shut everybody out, the way it works for me, is, when it's all about me, it's about nobody else, and therefore probably hurting everybody in those acts, and so I stopped doing that I started myself is about other people today, myself, I'm not, I'm a selfless person, as much as possible. I mean, I have to be, I have to be humble, I have to be grateful because I've been there. And so without this support system, you see where I was now look, with a support system where I'm at now. And this amount of time, like it's crazy. Ridiculous.

Keith McKeever 21:50

Absolutely. That's a definitely helps explain you how you got where you're at, you know, because it's hard to climb by yourself. You think about digging a hole trying to climb out by yourself. Like, it's almost impossible. You need somebody to throw your rope or give you a hand and help you get out of it. So, but I'm curious, what was the point where you kind of stopped being in your own in your own way, with those relationships, it started accepting people support or love or, you know, started rebuilding those connections. And like, switch, you know,

Ronnie Abbott 22:26

yeah, I'd say that was in ours. When I was down in Texas, I was living this was the end of 2019. The end of 2019. I was I was in a relationship I fostered and it was just horrible. I was smoking weed doing drugs. And the woman I was with, she was okay with that. And I wasn't okay with that. I wasn't okay. Everything I didn't have nothing. And then finally, I'm like, What the heck am I doing? What am I doing? And so I was like, I got to get out of here around all this toxic this toxic, toxic environment. I have to get out of this situation. I reached out that a good friend of mine when I was living at a homeless shelter. I met him he was in Golden Colorado. He managed a snarks sandwich shop, which by the way, if you ever are in Golden, Colorado and Colorado, you have to trust NARS. It's awesome food,

Keith McKeever 23:27

but snarks. Yeah, interesting name.

Ronnie Abbott 23:32

Yeah, but, but he said, you can come up, I got a job. You can start you know, we got a place you know, it's good. And so I was just had faith, man. I was like, Alright, let's go. And so I got up there was working, and then trying to find a place in Golden Colorado was very expensive. And I was like, man, it's too high. And then I had reached out and I found my friend Katie. Katie Walters. She was with me in Afghanistan. But she she reached out she said, Hey, I'm in Casper wall or Glen rock, Wyoming. Like it's just up the road, like four hours lunch, come here. It's cheaper, you know, get enrolled in college, you know, we just caught up started talking about why. And so I was like, Yeah, that sounds good. But it's like I eventually want to make it up to Washington State. Because Washington state is where a lot of things are done throughout the my child support with my kids and stuff. My ex wife. So I want you to be up here to hit it head on. Plus, I like Washington. I love Washington. I loved it when I was in here and my first duty station I mean, love.

Keith McKeever 24:39

So your first duty station up there was at Fort Lewis? Yeah, it was the

Ronnie Abbott 24:43

first 23rd infantry the tomahawk.

Keith McKeever 24:47

Yeah, we talked about it all day, but I've been up to Fort Lewis, pre deployment training for going to camp Buka back in 2007. And may it was cold. That's just it was wet, rainy snow. We had no cold weather gear that kept us knows what were two barracks are not those were still there. But they were terrible. There was like no insulation in the walls was miserable.

Ronnie Abbott 25:10

I'm just gonna throw out there that they probably still have it just probably try to give it I'm just I know how the military works we save money and

Keith McKeever 25:20

you know there's a darn good chance.

Ronnie Abbott 25:23

Yeah, there's a stark Village. Okay, like we have a stack of tires as a village. So of course yeah, yeah,

Keith McKeever 25:31

there's good chance that if he just happens to have grandchildren end up in the military and they get up there, they'll probably still be standing at that point, too. Oh, yeah. Flying flying tanks at that point in time, but.

Ronnie Abbott 25:46

But anyway, yeah, it was just getting back up here and doing that.

Keith McKeever 25:51

Awesome. You've definitely come along ways your story. I mean, I was just amazed after talking to you today, and hearing the different things that was going on. So what's, uh, you know, this was the next step for you, you know, you're not gonna business now. You're probably in a mindset of looking forward. I think. When you're not in a growth pattern, you're not looking at the next step. And you're just growing exponentially, you know, personally, professionally. So what's that next step for you? What's that look like?

Ronnie Abbott 26:24

The next step is just continuing what I'm doing, keep investing in myself, maintaining my routine, like staying engaged, keep sharing myself, keep getting to know people keep mending some of those relationships, getting to know what's going on with my fellow vet, my fellow brothers, and then just, you know, putting in the work, I mean, you have to put in the work 100%, that's a common denominator across the, across the board key. I mean, you have to put in the work. So, yeah, I'm going to be a full time student, I'm going to have my stay at home business, my E commerce, I'm going to continue to build that. And I'm also going to be working out personal training, I'm going to be going to school, I mean, I'm going to be eating healthy, I have a meal plan. And then, you know, I'm also going to see some of these wonderful sites appear and watch. So, I mean,

Keith McKeever 27:19

I'm going to be doing mine as well.

Ronnie Abbott 27:22

I mean, I love working from home. I mean, it's awesome. I being your own boss is even better. So I mean, great.

Keith McKeever 27:29

It is, it has somebody breathing down your neck, he's gonna take care of your customers. And that's it. You don't have to worry about a boss man with TPS reports or, or whatever. But they pay a little homage to office space back in the day. So you know, your business, your E commerce, you go ahead and tell us what your business is, and what would you do.

Ronnie Abbott 27:51

I am an executive Q scientist. I have a full spectrum e commerce, full spectrum hemp products and all natural organic products. I was talking to Keith yesterday, oh, man, we talked for like three hours. The product quite a while. I mean, they're, they're awesome. And the fact that that the level of distribution on the product is huge. I mean, we're in 21 countries, which is I was sitting there and I was watching a brain to Steve is a good friend of mine, my mentor business colleague with Q sciences. He was down in Mexico because we just saw in Mexico on and he's got the resort going and it was his birthday. And, man, I am just ecstatic about the opportunity. I was talking to people in England. So I would eventually England, I'm going to get my passport and travel again, like what I did in the military, and it's going to happen this year is huge. I mean, not just this month, like I'm only in the first quarter, like for kicking it kicking my ass into gear. I'm in the first quarter, I had to, you know, it took that five years out of the military to get to where I'm going but he doesn't have to take that to everybody. So I provide the opportunity for people to have their own ecommerce and sell parts myself. But it's bigger than that because the relationships that are formed are just amazing. Like I mean, Mark Wilson, two time former Super Bowl champion of Oakland Raiders all started Q sciences in 2012. So it has even been the United States a decade. My best friend Brian Stevens he used to play in the NFL it's awesome it's relationships that like I said I didn't have before but reconnect to give realizing you know, hey, or talk to my good friend Brandon Stevens. Hey, what's going on? I know you're you got something going on? Yes, I want to be a part of and that's another common denominator for me hard work and Q sciences. is all I do now. And I'm happier than I've ever been. The products are Amazing. I mean, they're Chai sees all organic energy, there's stuff for pet, they have Full Spectrum Health. There's doctors that research scientists, all this study all these PDF behind it, it's good from the young to the old, there's kids podcast, for their vitamins, they get their chewables, they're just drinks. I mean, the products are amazing. And I'm just glad to be part of the opportunity to have that right now during COVID-19 that have that secondary income, to have that knowledge of this investment. I mean, for under $200, I had my own e commerce, I had that secondary income. With that, now that I'm a full time student on other side, now I had that extra income, you know, like, it's just looking at these opportunities, investing, networking, and growing, and not being closed off. Because once I closed myself off, that's when I feel like the bad shit really happens, Keith.

Keith McKeever 31:00

Yeah, that that can definitely happen. And it's probably a perfect model for you to go to school to be able to kind of work that school, you know, what you're at your own pace, or your schedule works, you know, because there's, there's demands of both, right? I mean, there's networking and sales and stuff like that your business, but in school, there's papers, reports and all that fun stuff that comes with it. So, you know, not everybody has an opportunity to go day go to school. But, you know, some people go to school, they got to physically in the classroom, stuff like that. So, you know, if you have that flexibility of not having to juggle both at the same time and choose like, my you wouldn't work, I'm not gonna go to school today, where you can do both just, you know, putting hours putting the work. So it's a good thing and got for those that are happy to be on and watching this on when it's on YouTube. Got the link right up there, so you can go check out his product. So there's a wide range we're looking at the other day. I was even surprised see pets on there, and pants and the Children's vitamins and all that stuff. So it looks like there's pretty much something for everybody, no matter what you need. So good thing to go check out there. So is he you know, any other parts of your story that we haven't hit on running?

Ronnie Abbott 32:18

Well, there's, there's a lot. I mean, there's a lot. I mean, it's not just one podcast, we can actually cover in somebody's entire story. I feel like I mean, covering topics is one thing, but getting to know this, the story, the real person. That's another. I mean, I plan on starting my own podcast soon, too. I mean, I've just have to get things in play. I'm looking at the end of February. So you know, it's coming up and gives me time to prepare. But y'all, I just want to continue to share my story, I share my story on my YouTube, my Facebook on my tic tock on my Instagram on my LinkedIn. Like I said, if you if you add me on there, if you want to DM me If you got questions, but definitely grow it on all these platforms is big right now. I feel like, you know, especially if you, you're into being social. I mean, do you like talking to people?

Keith McKeever 33:15

Especially people or are stuck at home? You know, being social is even more important?

Ronnie Abbott 33:21

Yeah. And so, I mean, it's something big, and we definitely found out how big it was this past year. I mean, but and they don't understand us veterans, a lot of people that are veterans. We have been through that separation from having this the luxuries that this you know, we've had the sacrifice. And so society got pulled as a whole society get humbled as a whole and they're like, oh, no, we can't freakin do it alone. We need to talk to somebody instantly created all these great social platforms for people to connect on. You just have to start connecting to people. That's it. You have to tune into that podcast, you have to join that group. You have to, you know, start your own podcast, Tik Tok, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, facebook business. I mean, and then they just started a couple more, you know, YouTube, Bell, buddy podcast, you know, do you gotta tune in and share your story?

Keith McKeever 34:23

Absolutely. And because it's important for everybody's mental health to just kind of plug in somehow. Here's somebody else's voice, like don't be stuck at home. But you did on something that but I'm gonna say really hits home with me. You kind of compare this to a deployment. That's how exactly I looked at this when COVID hit last year. My initial thoughts were, you know, just like everybody else. Yeah, I don't want this. This sounds terrible. You know, a lot of information we know about Coronavirus at the time, but I just looked at it like Okay, so what are some groceries or Once your toilet paper, hope they have some, and I'll just stay home with my family. And we'll just ride this thing out. And it just kind of extended and extended and got to a certain point where I was like, Well, this is just kind of like a deployment. I mean, I leave the house every now and then don't get me wrong, but I worked from home before I work from home now, my kids are at home. But I just look at it like that, like, it's gonna end, eventually we'll end the vaccines will hopefully we're will return to life more like normal. You just got to embrace the suck just like a deployment, seeing the same people over and over again, the lack of, you know, I look at it, like lack of freedoms, everybody has their own different thing. And I don't wanna bash anybody but is some people I've seen go on big vacations and trips and stuff like that during Coronavirus, and that's their decision, that's fine. I don't I, we haven't really gone anywhere. And that's by choice, we just don't want anybody to get infected, you know, what's kind of playing our part. And that's how I look at the whole thing, oh, eventually, it'll open up, we'll take a family vacation and go have some fun and go hang out on a beach or something or do a router to do but it'd be over eventually, just like a deployment, you know, eventually, that six months or that year, 18 months, wherever it's gonna be over, it'll be fine. Just move on. Does doesn't help the fact that it's boring. Sometimes you get sick and tired of being in same house, the same people. You got to get creative to do things, you know, find family time, and then find other quiet time alone, where you know, you're not being bothered, but we have to figure that path out. So fully, fully wrap up, I've got three questions for you. And I told him to you before we started, and these are always interesting questions I asked every bit and I think it's the responses are pretty, pretty interesting. Sometimes I can guess where somebody is gonna go, and I'm completely wrong. So first question is, what advice do you have for somebody who's looking to transition out of the military today? I would say,

Ronnie Abbott 37:00

look to get connected, connected, if you're not connected, if you don't have any connection groups, colleagues, start to connect with whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you happy, start connecting with groups, whatever it is just start connecting network.

Keith McKeever 37:21

There's a lot of them out there yet. Entrepreneurs, clubs, interests, hobbies, all kinds of things I would agree with that totally get find find some way to get connected, we each have our own different thing. But that's a good one. Now how to offer somebody who is let's say, 1819 20 years old, and they're thinking about a career in the military, what advice would you have for them before they sign up?

Ronnie Abbott 37:46

Just, I mean, enjoy it. I mean, but be aware that the roads eventually going to end, you're going to have to take, I mean, you're not in there, your life is going to extend further than the military, it's going to progress, there's a lot of things they're going to happen after the military. So enjoy it, live it, do something you can't do, do whatever you love, do it for the school, do it for the money, do it for your family, do it for you Do it for your country. But at the same time, be aware that, you know, there are opportunities to for after your time in the military there you can be very set up financially because you have invested at the before and two opportunities. So Gary Vaynerchuk is someone made the key into on that, but just look at the investment possibilities in your life, after the military before you join in.

Keith McKeever 38:41

That was a good one investing in, you know, the Thrift Savings Plan, invest in your education. If you do 20 years and you join it, you know, 18 to 20 years and get out of 38 to 40 years old. And you've got another 25 years of your life for a whole nother career, whatever you want to do. But if you invested right you've got the money set aside you got everything rolling it's it's it's halfway there. So and the last question I got for you then any veteran social groups or organizations or anything like that, that you want to give a shout out to that's either been helpful for you, or helpful, you know, to a battle buddy of yours or something.

Ronnie Abbott 39:21

Yeah, of course, I'd like to say a cue life movement, Q sciences. Gary Vaynerchuk, Gary Vee. I listened to that's pretty worship tribe, on Facebook groups. You know, just mission. There's like mission 88 or 81 up here. And that's VFW. I mean, the everybody that's, you know, that been there's four to me. I mean, that's a big one. stay in tune into a lot of those groups. Those groups are so supportive for me. I mean, that's why they're in my system. And so just being constantly involved You know, daily routine? Yeah.

Keith McKeever 40:04

Awesome. Well, we do I will throw that. The website back up there. Once again, it's https colon backslash backslash shop.my Q sciences.com Q, added a BB ott 0308 backslash home. And now again to his Q sciences page where you can check out all the awesome stuff from vitamins, supplements, strengths, all those different things on there for you. So, once again, Ronnie, it was a pleasure having you and hope to talk to you again some time so

Ronnie Abbott 40:38

30 Pleasure being here. Thank you

Transcribed by https://otter.ai