351 Jeremy Slate - From Ancient Rome to Free Speech: A Guide to Authentic Podcasting

Harry Duran

0:00 - 0:04

So, Jeremy Slate, host of the Jeremy Ryan Slate show, thank you so much for joining me on podcast junkies.

Jeremy Slate

0:05 - 0:12

Hey, Harry, thanks for having me, man. I've been following your content for a long time, and we ran into each other a couple years ago. I can't remember which event it was, but great to be here, man.

Harry Duran

0:13 - 0:18

Yeah. We've got complimentary wooden wall backgrounds as well, which I love.

Jeremy Slate

0:18 - 0:26

I feel like yours is probably real, though. Yours is probably an actual wall. Like, this is real, but it's like. It's like a faux wall that I hammered Barnwood to.

Harry Duran

0:26 - 0:30

That's good. At least it's real wood as opposed to just like a wallpaper.

Jeremy Slate

0:30 - 0:31

No, exactly.

Harry Duran

0:32 - 0:38

So obviously, digging through some of the stuff that was in your bio, my top of mind question is, how are the chickens doing?

Jeremy Slate

0:39 - 1:29

So I need to get some more because we're down to, I think, 17 and chickens, like, I'm gonna get really chicken on you. Like, chickens, like, their first three years of life. Well, first four years of life, because their first year, they don't lay, but their first three laying years are like their real productive years, and they'll live, like five to six years, and maybe the last year or two, they don't lay anything. So I'm kind of in that phase where some of my older chickens are stopping to lay, but they still eat every day, so I need to get some, like, more like, younger chickens that are, you know, helping to kind of keep things going. And it's been really hot here recently, too. So it's been like it was 97 yesterday, which isn't typical for, like, this part of Jersey. And because of that, they don't lay as many eggs when it's really hot. But I was getting eight to ten eggs every morning. I think I'm getting maybe three to five on a good day right now.

Harry Duran

1:30 - 2:08

So we have five. We just got five about. I'm in Minnesota, so we've got. This is kind of new for me. So I grew up closer to New Jersey than Minnesota. I grew up in Yonkers, just north of, like, New York City. And I've lived in New York City, lived in the boxes, and I've lived in LA. So I've always envisioned myself as a. A city guy. And then, you know, through the relationship I'm in, I just found myself in Minnesota. Now we're on about an acre of land. There's a marsh that. That's next to our property that's not going to get developed. We see Deer go by, turkeys come on the property all the time. So it's really like a mindset shift. I'm curious for you. Has this lifestyle always kind of been part of your plan, or is that something you sort of graduated into yourself?

Jeremy Slate

2:08 - 3:08

So I'm in northwest New Jersey, which, like, if people don't know New Jersey, like, we're the part of the state that doesn't belong here. I'm, like, really close. Like, everybody listens to country music. We all have horses. Like, we think we're, like, in the midwest or something like that. And, like, where I. It's funny. Cause when I first got out of college, and this is like, you know, 15 years ago now, when I first got out of school, I moved, like, a county further south where it was like, a little bit more city, but not quite. And I'm right back in the county I grew up in about, you know, 20 minutes from where I grew up. Got a lot more land than I used to have, but. And I worked on a farm as a kid, you know, every weekend. My dad was a good friend with a farmer that had the nickname. This is going to sound weird. He had the nickname Bikini Joe because he used to always, like, be selling things at his fruit stand just wearing, like. Like, a european bathing suit, like the. Just the bikini underpants. And we used to work on bikini Joe's farm every single weekend. You know, picking beans, you know, doing hay, all that kind of fun stuff.

Harry Duran

3:08 - 3:21

That's amazing because most people, like, I think people that don't know the state, to your point, they think jersey. They think sopranos, right? They think, like, just right next to New York City. So it's kind of like, hey, yo, you know, the Jersey shore vibe and stuff like that. So I'm sure there's a lot of explaining.

Jeremy Slate

3:21 - 3:55

Yeah, everybody thinks we're like, how you doing? How you doing? And it's like, you know where I live, man, they only live out here if, like, they're trying to get away from the mafia. Like, there's definitely some of those. Trust me. I knew some in school where it's like, you know, your family is so mobbed up. I actually have a really good friend that actually has a podcast, and I swear the guy's mobbed up. But you get people usually up here that are kind of trying to, like, get away from it. There's one local town, Sparta, which has become kind of like, Bergen county is like, the right outside of the city area, so it's become like the Bergen county of my county. And they're kind of like, it's where all the, you know, how you doing? How you doings are kind of like living in our area.

Harry Duran

3:55 - 4:00

I'm sure they have interesting stories to tell, and they probably do need some places to hide out or if they gotta go into witness protection program.

Jeremy Slate

4:00 - 4:24

Well, you can always tell, too. Cause they have, like, funny businesses. Like, one guy had a tow truck company that I never saw tow anything, or another one was this. There's a local family that has garbage trucks. Like, it's so. It's like, you know what I mean? Like, so it's like, though, we're out in the country and it's very rural, and, like, I live on five acres here and horse farm across the street. Like, this is kind of where those guys go to get away from, you know, people that may be a threat to their lives.

Harry Duran

4:25 - 5:12

Do you think a lot about the. How that growing up on the farm helps you? Because I've been realizing that more because obviously, there's a lot of upkeep with this house. We planted a garden as well. So you're putting up the deer netting. We're trying to figure out all the things that need to happen. Like I said, we've got the chickens now, but it's an interesting thing because there's always something to do. And I recently, for my second show, I host a show called the Vertical Farming podcast. And one of the CEO's there was talking about how he grew up on a farm, and he was talking about how I asked him how he hires people, and he said, if they worked on a farm, I almost immediately will hire them right away. Because it's like, when you're on a farm, you got to work and you. And there's no excuses. You got to get up early, and you can't. You can't not do the work because it has to get done. So was that what life was like for you growing up?

Jeremy Slate

5:12 - 6:20

e in now, it's a built in the: 1930

Harry Duran

6:21 - 6:29

And would you say that was all self taught? Was that your dad or just bikini Joe or just, like, kind of being surrounded by people who just kind of got the work done?

Jeremy Slate

6:29 - 7:13

Bikini Joe didn't teach me anything. He just yelled at me all the time. Like, I can. Apparently, even if I did it right, I never did it right. So, like, he didn't teach me anything. My dad, when I was, like, 13 or 14, just started golfing all the time. So, like, I didn't really, like, yeah, I learned some stuff from him, like, how to change brakes and stuff, but a lot of things that I've learned how to do, it's just because, like, all right, this needs to get done. It's either hard to get done or kind of expensive to get done. Let's figure it out. So, like, I've learned how to do a lot of things, and then also through high school and college and grad school, I actually work for a house painter. And if you work for an old school house painter, there's a lot more things you do that aren't painting right. Like, you do a lot of stuff, like, use some basic carpentry, like. So I've had to learn to do a lot of things just because it's been expected, you know?

Harry Duran

7:14 - 7:43

I guess when you see the trajectory of your career, then now comes as no surprise because you have this mentality or this mindset that getting stuff done, and you got to figure it out on your own. So rewinding the clock back a little bit, your first thought out of school was you mentioned in your bio that you went to become a high school teacher. That didn't last long, so talk a little bit about that experience. I'm curious about your mindset at the time. When you decided to go into it. What was the reason and what was pulling you? Did you feel like that might have been like a calling at the time?

Jeremy Slate

-: 11:43

So the high school teacher definitely wasn't a plan. That wasn't where I wanted to end up. So I have my. So my undergrad degree. I was a double major in catholic theology and Judaism. And then two things that, like, why would he do that? I went to catholic school, so it's kind of like, just really easy to just keep doing catholic school things in undergrad, in grad school, I actually took a look at, like, what do I really want to do? So I did the logical thing that everyone would do in grad school, and I got a master's degree in the roman empire, which wasn't really valuable until about the last nine months or so, but when people started thinking about it all the time, so when I got out, I had applied to one PhD program. I didn't get into that program because my goal was to teach at college level. And when that didn't happen, you know, like, when you've gone to catholic school, you know, a lot of catholic school people, and you don't need any sort of, like, teaching credentials or anything to do that. So they just put you in a room with an obnoxious number of kids, like, usually 40 to 50 kids, because we don't have enough teachers in catholic school. And they say, good luck. So you have no formal training, and you just got to hope that you survive. And it was rough, man. I will say, because I turned 37, like, not long ago, so you can imagine how long young. I looked at 24, man. Like, it was. I was. I had my coworkers giving me detention if they didn't know who I was. And I'm like, no, like, I work with you. You can't do that. So it was. I got chewed up and spit out very, very quickly. And in 2013, my mom ended up actually having a really, really bad stroke. And she's still very disabled to this day. You know, she's lost her language skills. She doesn't get around as well as she used to. She hasn't worked since 2012. And it made me look at a lot of what I was doing, and I'm like, do I want to be doing this the rest of my life? Because I'm miserable and you know, this is kind of early days of YouTube. So kids were, like, trying to figure out, like, how do we piss him off, get a video of him and put it on the Internet. Like, that was, like, kind of my early experience teaching is they just were, frankly trying to see if they get me pissed off and put me on a YouTube video. And so my every day was just very, very jacked up, I guess, as one way of putting it. So from there, I actually ended up quitting my job on a whim, and I didn't know what I wanted to do. So what I actually ended up doing was I did network marketing first, was good at it, but I kind of didn't like the idea of, like, feeling like I was frequently selling my soul to get people to join my thing. And from there, I did life insurance for a bit, which I was really good at, but I didn't enjoy those conversations of death. And the final thing I kind of ended up in was I had taught myself how to build websites from watching YouTube videos. And I was working at a friends marketing agency, and I've been a podcast super fan, Harry, since I can't even tell you, like, how long. Like, I'm talking, like, Adam Curry's daily source code old. Like, I've listened to podcasts for, like, a long time. And I was kind of like, well, I guess I could give that a shot and see what happens. And my first show was called rock your life, and I used to play drums, so, like, that's kind of where the idea comes from. And I didn't do any research to see if anybody, like, had the name, so they already had the name. And so I had, like, a cease and desist, so I had to drop the y and the o, and it became rock your life. So it just looked like I couldn't spell. And it was the worst podcast any human being has ever created. It was terrible. It was me talking at my MacBook with no microphone. I had no format. It just was not very good. So I did that for about six months and then ended up quitting it, and that was the end of it. And then in the middle of 2015, I was like, you know, like, is it me or is it the opportunity? And I realized it was kind of me and not the opportunity. So I took a whole bunch of different podcast courses, you know, almost too many, which will get you from, you know, actually starting right, because you're never ready. And I launched my show in November of 2015, and in 2015, there were 250,000 podcasts out there. So it was much easier to get found. And we had, like, 10,000 listeners our first month for a brand new audio show, which was kind of wild. Out of the gate.

Harry Duran

-: 11:46

Yeah. And so, you know, that experience that.

Jeremy Slate

-: 11:48

Was super long winded. I apologize.

Harry Duran

-: 11:57

Well, I think when you think about it, you know, sometimes when people ask you, like, how you got to, where you got to, you're like, well, how much time you got? Because it's like, no, that's quite off.

Jeremy Slate

-: 11:59

You want the long version or the short version?

Harry Duran

-: 12:08

And prior to starting your podcast, had you ever been, like, in front of a camera or have you done anything performative and besides maybe playing the drums?

Jeremy Slate

-: 12:46

Yes. So I guess so. This is kind of funny. And my three year old actually really reminds me of myself, which kind of terrifies me for later in life. But I like to hear my voice over a microphone as a kid, and I was one of those kids that, like, he's still talking. Get him offstage now. And I lost that as, like, a high schooler, an adult, because I guess I felt like I was, like, too cool for that or whatever. And I developed kind of a bit of an aversion to it. But if I look as a kid, I was literally the one, like, get him off of stage. He won't shut up. He's going to say something that's going to get us in trouble. You know what I mean? It's like, I'm supposed to sing Jesus loves the little children, but I won't shut up. The song's been over, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah.

Harry Duran

-: 12:59

And so when you pivoted and you started the second show, what was the goal there? Did you want to connect with other people who were doing really good things, or did you just want to get the reps in and just figure it out? Figure it out as you go along?

Jeremy Slate

-: 13:31

I didn't really have a plan, honestly. I was reading a lot of personal development books at the time, and I'm like, you know, wouldn't it be cool to just selfishly learn from some of those people whose books I'm reading? Like, there wasn't even, like, I'm going to have a big thing and we're gonna sell this and do that. Like, my first six months doing it, I, like, heavily resisted making money. I was like, no, it's an art form. I can't do that. Like, I can't pollute it with advertisements. What is this? So, like, I didn't really have a plan. It was more or less like, I really wanna learn from people that, unless I had a platform, I didn't feel like would give me the time of day.

Harry Duran

-: 13:35

And how did you go about preparing for those episodes or preparing for those.

Jeremy Slate

-: 14:15

Conversations much differently than I do now? Because the thing I do now is, number one, I've really worked on my skills as an interviewer, and I think that's really important. So you learn how to ask better questions, how to be better in the conversation, and you come up with, like, three or five things you want to talk about, and it's very, very loose. In the beginning, it was kind of like 35 questions, and it's like, I don't know if you've seen those, like, old, like, law and order shows. They put the light on the person's face, and they, like, interrogate them. That's how I felt like my early podcasts were, and I just felt really bad for the person. There were enough people nice enough out there to say, hey, that was great, man, to kind of check it out. But I can't listen to my earlier stuff, Harry. They're really rough.

Harry Duran

-: 14:30

Yeah. But if you look back, you can kind of see the progression of how you changed over the years and how you've grown as a host. How would you say your style has changed from those early days, those interviews you were having, the types of conversations, or maybe how deep or not deep you were getting with your guests?

Jeremy Slate

-: 15:48

Well, my content's changed a little bit. I talk a lot more about, like, politics and culture and family and stuff like that now just because I guess that's where I'm at in life. And at that point in time, I was just trying to figure out, like, how do I make it? How do I do something right? And, like, I was just trying to figure out how to kind of make a break. And I feel like that's one part of it, but I think the other part about it is just really trying to learn skills as an interviewer. And what I mean by that is, like, how do you ask a good question? How do you ask a good follow up? How do you get somebody to answer a question they don't want to answer in a way that makes them feel comfortable? Because that can really be hard. Right. You know, you can ask somebody a question, and they answer a different question you didn't ask, and you have to figure out, well, how do I bring them back to that question? And oftentimes, it could be just as simple as asking the question again, or they could avoid it again or figuring out a different way to ask that question. So you get the results you want. So it's things like that. It's also realizing that. And I think this is where a lot of people struggle, is realizing the first question you ask isn't the important one. It's the ones that you come up with on the spot from the data you were just given. Right. That's where you, like, really have the goal. And I think a lot of in the beginning, the thing I was uncomfortable with was dead air, right? Like, oh, my gosh, how am I going to fill 20 minutes? And now I'll do interviews that are like an hour and 15 minutes where it's like, oh, shoot, we ran out of time, man. I'm sorry. And it's just very different in how you have a conversation.

Harry Duran

-: 16:44

You know, it's an interesting skill. And I've just been like, you know, following the people who do it really, really well for many, many years and just admire when they can hold a conversation. Or, you know, you hear a Joe Rogan conversation for 3 hours and you're like, whoa. Like, you know, it was interesting the whole time. And it obviously depends on the guest. Cause they're not always that interesting. But I do feel like it is a skill. It's being curious and it's pulling the threads, I think is sort of what you're alluding to. Like, you'll hear something. And I'm always conscious that there's a third person in the room, which is the listener, and they're listening to us and watching us and listening to us have this conversation. So even though it's you and I connecting on this conversation, I feel like. Like we're in a bar, they pulled up a stool and they're like, we're listening to you. And so I'm always conscious of that because without them, we don't have a show. Because if no one's listening. So I'm really always aware of that. Who has been a influence for you or people that you admire in this space that do it really well?

Jeremy Slate

-: 18:29

So let me just. I just want to say one more thing about the last part, and then I will totally answer that because I will say, too, the thing I've. And I don't know if you found this, Harry. Like, I've also feel like I've gotten so comfortable with certain things that I've also developed bad habits, if that makes sense. Meaning, like, I've gotten, like, in the beginning, I wasn't comfortable with interrupting, and now I feel like at times, you know, not often, I get this feedback from my audience that I do interrupt too much because it's a balance, right? Like if somebody's, you ask somebody a question and it's a 20 minutes monologue. Well, at some point I want to say something, right? Like it's, it can be hard. And so you have to kind of find that balance. And that's been something that I'm always working on. I'm mindful of, like, okay, well, am I letting this person fully get out of thought or whatever it might be? And some points, you know, people might not be happy with it, but you do have to, you do have to interject at some points, right? Like you have to at certain points, or it could just become a monologue. And if that's what you want, like, there's audible for that, right? You know, it's, so I think there is an interesting balance there and realizing that you have to work on that. And I guess when you look at influences, one that's a really big influence on me, and I actually got a chance to go on his show not long ago, which is really cool for me, is Cal Fussman. Cal Fussman is an excellent interviewer. He's interviewed people like Muhammad Ali, Larry King, Tom Cruise. Like, he's really had some, like, really cool interviews. Oprah asks some really great questions. I'm trying to think of who else asks really good questions. I've watched a lot of Larry King to see, like, how, like, you know what I mean? Like, I, and I've also looked at a lot of, like, old school radio people. Like, there's, John Batchelor was one of my favorite radio people here in the New York guy. So you're a New York guy. You probably know him on ABC radio at night, a little bit more out there. But also I've checked out some art bell. Art Bell is always fun, too, on coast to coast. And Paul Harvey always did a great job, too. And he's not really an interviewer, but he's very good for narrative. So I think there's a lot of different things that I've looked at other people to kind of learn from.

Harry Duran

-: 18:44

So we're going to go back a bit so we can get to present with the content of your current show. I'm curious about your mindset of where you are in life when you think about selecting roman empire as something to study in college.

Jeremy Slate

-: 20:26

So I had the coolest professor in undergrad, and he actually looked like Neil Patrick Harris and sounded like him. He was funny, engaging, one of the most interesting professors I've ever had. And I actually just started working on a book with him about the Roman Empire recently, and I haven't seen him in a couple years, even though we've been talking, and we jumped on zoom, like, oh, my gosh, look at the Unabomber. This big beard now, so he doesn't look like, you know, Neil Patrick Harris anymore. But it was one of the most engaging classes I ever had in undergrad, and it was about greek civilization, and I became so intrigued with Alexander the Great. And if you see my office, Harriet, this is the studio space. But if you see my office, I have a bust of Alexander the great at my desk. I have swords in my office. I look insane. I have 50 books on Alexander the Great, and I had read. So I've read so many different things, and I would read every obscure article I could get my hands on. And I read this one article that after the battle of Actium, which is the last battle in the roman civil war, it's what makes the republic into an empire. Augustus, who's at that point in time, he's Octavian after defeating Mark Antony, goes and prays before the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great. And Alexander the great died in 323. This is 31. So he's dead for, like, 290 years at this point. And I'm like, that's really weird. Why is that guy doing that? So I ended up kind of going down, like. Like, I don't know about you. In the early days of Wikipedia, I was, like, a rabbit hole person where I kept clicking on articles and reading the next one. So I was a rabbit hole researcher when it came to Augustus and Alexander the Great, and it just sent me on this, like, really deep hole in the roman empire. And before I realized that, like, that's what I ended up getting my master's degree in, which is this, like, rabbit hole of roman religion and ruler worship.

Harry Duran

-: 20:40

What is it that most people don't understand about Alexander the great that would be applicable for them in their present day life? Without using up the rest of this interview?

Jeremy Slate

-: 21:33

Oh, that's tough, man. Because he's got a really interesting kind of power dynamic in his life. He starts out as this philosopher king, which I think is very interesting. He wants to bring literacy, unite the world. But then there's also this kind of egomaniacal side to him that he just wants to kill everybody. And I think it's an interesting balance of kind of checking your own ego and realizing when it's the right time to do something, when it's the wrong time to do something. And if you're doing something just about you and not about the group you're trying to do it for. And then also as well, towards the end, he starts killing his closest confidants that had been with him since childhood because he starts, they start saying, like, you know, what are you doing? We need to go home to Macedon. This is getting a little crazy. Why are we still going? And it's also realizing, putting, creating space for the right voices in your life that are actually there to help you. Right. Because there are voices that'll be there to tear you down. But it's knowing the difference between those two and also making space for them.

Harry Duran

-: 21:35

It's interesting.

Jeremy Slate

-: 21:38

I don't know if you expected that answer, by the way, look on your face.

Harry Duran

-: 22:09

No, no. Because it's leading me to think about where we are in current day events. And I know that's, you know, you recently just posted a clip about, you know, a woman talking about where what's happening, and then the agencies in the government and they're not doing the job they're supposed to. When was the pivot point for you? Cause I know that you started to shift your content to speak about this, and it feels very relevant because all you have to do is like, watch. I didn't even watch the debate. Cause I just, I can't. I understand that can't be the two best candidates we have in this country.

Jeremy Slate

-: 22:14

For Zachary, you know, and that sad man. Cause I don't wanna, like, sound ages, but, like, why is everybody almost 80 years old?

Harry Duran

-: 23:18

It's so bad that I was like, this is depressing. And I was just like, this is like. But I can see when you study ancient civilizations, I mean, I love ancient civilizations. Like, going back, like, even back to Egypt and in pre and how some of these lasted hundreds and thousands of years, these dynasties. But also, when you look at the roman empire and you look at empires and you look at how long they last, and you start to look at how long the United States has been around, it's like it's showing its age, and you can see all these institutions crumbling, and it feels like an emperor has no clothes moment where people, like, they're not seeing what's happening, and there's a select few people that are and are talking about it. And I'm gravitating towards those conversations. And thank God for podcasting, because that's where a lot of them are happening. And you're hearing these three hour conversations and they're like, why is no one else talking about this stuff? So when was the, like, the sort of pivot point for you where you're doing the regular podcast, you're talking to, like, luminaries, CEO's, maybe celebrities, folks on the show, and you're realizing, like, I think I need to start shifting my content.

Jeremy Slate

-: 23:35

Well, I guess when you look. So I've always been kind of privately very political, and, you know, like, I don't even know how to describe my political leanings. Like, you know, the republican party doesn't want me. The Democratic Party doesn't want me. I'm kind of not really a libertarian, but I'm kind of like, you know what I mean? Like, it's like I'm an issue.

Harry Duran

-: 23:36

You're an independent thinker.

Jeremy Slate

-: 24:48

Yeah, I'm an issue per issue person. Right. Like, I look at that and I'm like, oh, I agree with that. You know, I don't agree with that. I do agree with that. And I guess if you had to put me somewhere, somewhere between a libertarian and a conservative, but not really a Republican. And so I've, you know, I've campaigned for Ron Paul when I was in college and all kinds of stuff like that. So I'm just more of, I'm more of a genuinely a freedom person. That's just what I'm looking at. Like, more freedom for you, more freedom for me. And the thing that really bugged me is a lot of just how things went through the pandemic. Like, that was really difficult for me because I felt like it was on both sides of the fence. It was poor management. Like, what are we doing here? But then also, like, I feel like the difficulty as well is there was just such an encroachment on, like, civil rights and freedom. Like, that was really difficult for me. Like, I could understand, like, some of the indoor masking, though I didn't agree with it, but, like, to tell me I'm outside, there's no, like, there's no dome on this thing other than the atmosphere, and I have to wear a mask. Like, that's crazy, man. Like, so, like, I just saw logic go out the window in a lot of ways. And I'm like, is talking to another best selling author really going to do anything about this? And the thing that upset me about it, too, Harry, is I feel like, are you aware of something called a Overton window?

Harry Duran

-: 24:50

I've heard of it, yeah.

Jeremy Slate

-: 25:33

So it's a concept of where you show people to extremes and they're still really extreme by themselves, but people pick something in the middle which, if looked at by itself is still really extreme, but because you're shown too extremes, you're still picking something that's really bad for you, like, a two party system. And what I saw is there was just a lot of extreme voices out there on both sides. And I'm like, can we just talk like, regular people about this stuff and, like, not get people all jacked up? And I just wanted to have, like, real conversations about, like, what's happening out there in the world? How do you take care of your family? Like, how do you get through a time like this so that you have a business in a year from now? And it just, for me, that's what it was. It was just. I was looking at kind of just the craziness, and I just didn't want to have those conversations. I wanted to have ones that I felt like actually were mattered.

Harry Duran

-: 25:44

And how has that changed your view? Or has it really reinforced some of the things that you already believed and didn't talk about and privately were in your heart?

Jeremy Slate

-: 26:31

It's kind of just let me more fully be myself, if that makes sense. And it's interesting because I think there's people that their goal is to offend other people. And me, that's not really me, but I feel like I can say what needs to be said in a way that people can either have it or not have it, if that makes sense. And it's also changed our company vision a lot more, too. Like, our company has become more about, like, you know, having those three hour conversations and having free speech and the ability to facilitate these conversations. So hopefully we get to a better solution. And I think that was the scariest thing for me, kind of living through all that was being told, no, the decision is made. You can't talk about it. You can't discuss it. Like, that's kind of scary to me. I want to have a better conversation, and I want to see how we get to a better answer here. And that's really what I'm trying to do.

Harry Duran

-: 27:28

If you had any advice for someone who was in your shoes at that point, who feels strongly, or maybe not so strongly, but is feeling this. Something bubbling up inside of them that they need to get out, like, this voice that is their true voice, not the voice they present, because when you look on Facebook, when you look on Instagram, they're just showing the best versions of themselves. And I think one of the best things that I've done recently is be conscious of what's happening in this group I'm in. It's called they call the Internet, like the shimmer. And it's related to that movie annihilation where there's this, like, entity that's, like, coming and, you know, messing with our minds. So it's happening on a daily basis. And the thing is, most people are not aware that it's happening, that it's affecting them. So they're mindlessly scrolling and they don't realize. I think on average, most people check their phone about 100 times through the day, and most people would be surprised by that. But just if you're doing it unconsciously, you know, one of the things that I have now on my phone is as soon as you open it, it says intention and duration.

Jeremy Slate

-: 27:29

Oh, wow.

Harry Duran

-: 28:01

So literally, like, when I look at it, what's my intention to go in here? And how long am I going to go in there? Because I'm conscious and I've been down rabbit holes. So this is happening and it's affecting every single person on this planet right now. And so people are waking up. So kind of circling back to the question, like, what guidance would you give for people who might be scared or don't know what to do in terms of the next step and are at that point when you have to realize, you know, I can't keep talking about this. I need to talk about this because this is what's in my heart.

Jeremy Slate

-: 29:40

I think there's two things to it, and I think the first one is kind of the vanity part of it. Like, if you're one of those people that logs into Libsyn three times an hour and sees, like, what your stats were from the hour before, like, it's going to hurt immediately. Like, I think you know what I mean? Like, and I think that's the first thing you have to be okay with is you're going to have a percentage of your audience that likes it and a percentage of your audience that sends you emails saying very terrible things to you like they did to me. So. And I think that's the important thing to understand, is you have to be okay with a percentage of your audience is going to leave you. And that's just how it is. We lost about 55% of our audience in 2020. Now, here's the beautiful part about it, though, is we're bigger than we were before 2020. And, like, I'm actually, like, out there doing things. Like, I'm going to four different cities next week to do podcast related things, and I wasn't doing that as often as I am now. Like, it's created amazing opportunities for me. So you have to initially be okay with, you're going to take a hit. You're going to take a hit of some sort. And I think the other thing that you have to do is realize, like, who you're communicating and how you're communicating to them. You know what I mean? I think that's important, too. If you're just adding to the noise and you're just kind of jacking people up, then it might not be worth it. Like, how are you making people more able, more capable and shifting them from effect to cause. But I think there's people that. They're all about the numbers. If those numbers go down, there's going to be a problem, and they'll say whatever they need to say because they need to keep those numbers up. If that's you, then you're not going to do well with the shift, because what's going to happen, you're going to go right back to whatever you thought worked before. But here's the problem. If you've already made a shift, you can't go back to that now because people don't respect you anymore. I think that's what you really have to consider.

Harry Duran

-: 29:43

Do you think about your legacy a lot?

Jeremy Slate

-: 30:11

I don't. Am I gonna have a legacy? You know what I mean? Like. Like, sure, I've done some podcasts and done some media and stuff, but is anybody gonna know who I am in a hundred years? I don't really know, man. Like, the thing I do think about is, am I leaving this world a better place for my kids? Right? And I think that's the biggest thing, is I have three little girls. We actually just had our third just a month ago, actually. So the thing I'm considering is, like, am I making this place better for them? Am I leaving it better for them? And can they respect their dad for what he does? And I think that's a really important.

Harry Duran

-: 31:24

Part, and I think that's more common now because I heard someone explain it, like, when your child is the same age that you are now, and they look back at what their father or mother created, is that something they would be proud of? And I think it's something to think about. Whether it's defined as legacy or just this idea that we now have these time capsules, these podcast episodes that we're leaving behind. And, you know, how do we want to be known? We don't. We'll never know, obviously, because we're dead in God. But it's interesting because it's helpful to think about how do we make the world a better place. And what is our purpose here? I think about, you know, it's described sometimes as Dharma, your mission, your life's purpose. But, like, you know, I'm of the belief personally that we all have a purpose here, and it is to share our journey, the good, the bad, the highs, the lows. And you never know, like, who it's going to help. And I feel like it's like we're on a ladder and you're learning from people, like, one rung ahead of you. And what you're teaching and showing is helping the people who are just, like, maybe one or two rungs below you. And so when you think about that in terms of content, how does that inspire you in terms of your show, your business, and who you start to look out there to have on your show? Like, what types of conversations do you want to have?

Jeremy Slate

-: 32:42

Well, it also asks, it gets back to one of the questions that I ask everybody at the end of interview, and it's like, okay, so what can people actually do about their situation? Because I feel like, okay, if you're going to talk about difficult subjects, if you're going to talk about things that are a little bit scary, if you're just going to get on there and jack people up for 40 minutes, then are you actually making the world a better place now? And so, you know, the thing I find is, like, I'm talking to, like, generals and colonels and, like, retired military and stuff like that. Nobody's ever asked them. That is what I'm finding. Like, nobody's ever asked them what can be done about it. And it's really awesome to see that somebody's face change when you ask them what can be done about it. Because, like, that's pro survival, man. It helps people survive better. And I think when it comes down to it, that's what I'm looking at is if what I'm doing is just adding to the noise and just creating more misery, then I don't need to be doing it. But how can I take what I'm doing and, you know, make people feel more causative coming out of it? I think that's a really big part of it. So that has to do with how I construct the conversations I'm having. It has to do with, you know, the guests I'm having on. Like, there's some people out there that are, you know, I guess in circles you would consider me to be in that I would never have on my show because I think they're just out there to scare people. And I don't think that's okay. And I just. I want to make people more capable and I want to help them, you know, to actually handle their life and their situation.

Harry Duran

-: 32:53

So what has the feedback been as you've changed the format and you've grown a different type of audience and, you know, how do you measure that? How do you look at that and how does that get back to you?

Jeremy Slate

-: 34:29

Well, one thing I would say is I get a lot more inbound communication than I used to, whether it's emails or social media messages or things like that. I'm also finding, as weird as it is, this is going to sound like a weird one, but a lot of people I went to high school with that didn't care when I started a podcast are now, like, super fans of what I do because they're finding it helpful and applicable to their own life and they personally know me. So I think that's been really cool that I actually feel like I have more of a support circle than I ever had before. And then also, we've done a lot more on YouTube. I think right now, if you're not doing anything on YouTube or on rumble, like, you're really losing out on that opportunity. It's definitely harder to have those conversations on YouTube. So that's why you have rumble out there, so you can be a little bit safer. But I think it's much, much, much easier to get found than an audio only podcast. So we've started focusing on building that, and I have a bigger video following I've ever had before, so I'm checking things like that, but also opportunities. I'm actually appearing on podcasts as a guest now that were shows that I listened to. That's kind of the wild part. So, like, to me, like, I'm actually seeing the success I feel like I wanted to see ten years ago, but I wasn't aligned to see that. And I guess by all intents and means, if you looked at it, you know, five years ago, we were successful, but, like, I wasn't really, like, living in my own truth and really, like, doing what I want to do. Like. Like, dude, I love flying all over the country and doing three hour conversations about the roman empire. It's been incredible. Like, like, I. This is what I do in my private life, and my wife tells me to shut up. You know what I mean? This is what I love to do and it's what I love and what I enjoy and what I feel like helps people has really matched up with my career now which is not what I had before.

Harry Duran

-: 34:48

So when you have these conversations with people about the roman empire, and obviously you're noticing that a lot more people are interested in this topic. Now, what is it that people are so either concerned about or have been awakened to when it comes to this and how it relates to our current situation?

Jeremy Slate

-: 35:31

Well, it's the same mistakes, and I think that's what it comes down to, because history doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme in a lot of ways. And if you look at it, I guess we'll just back it up a little bit. To say, when people hear Rome, they just think roman empire. And you have to realize that Rome has, like, a thousand year history. It's a kingdom first, and then it's a republic, which our republic is mainly based off of, and then it becomes an empire. And the thing that I think is kind of scary is we're displaying some aspects of what it looks like when a republic fell, but we're also displaying some aspects of what it looks like when an empire fell. So it's kind of like a. Like, this will date me a super swarm, sandy, of the Roman Empire, you know, for us here that are in the east coast.

Harry Duran

-: 35:32

I was there.

Jeremy Slate

-: 36:33

Yeah, I didn't have power for three weeks, man. But, like, it's kind of. It's a combination of two things. And I think the thing that's scary about that, Harry, is that's not just like, hey, we changed from one time to the next. It's civilization shifting. And I think that's what people get really concerned about. But I think the important thing to realize about it is we're nowhere near as far down the road as they were. There's a lot that can be done about it. But the problem is the same problem they had. We talked about the debate earlier. We don't have the most qualified people on either side in a very good place. And it seems like once they get into Washington, DC, they just start voting for things, for themselves. And I think that's what destroys things, is the people that are supposed to be there fixing it, because we elect them to do that aren't doing it. They're just kind of, like, pushing it further in the can. So I think what it comes down to is what it's always come down to, and that's taking care of your family, taking care of your local community, and getting involved in your church and things like that. And I think, like, it's important to know of these different things historically so that you can recognize them. But I think also so that you can prepare and take care of your family.

Harry Duran

-: 36:36

Do you feel hopeful about where we're headed?

Jeremy Slate

-: 37:11

I do, actually. And the reason is because of conversations like this, because when you look at the roman empire, there was no Internet. If you wanted to get a message across from one part of Europe to the other, it might take weeks or months. So the ability that we have to be connected is like no other time in history. So I think the fact that we can talk about these things and discuss them and try to get to better solutions, I do think this is the time that an empire doesn't fall. Maybe it transforms in some ways. It transforms into something that's better for mankind and humanity. But I think we can stave off an empire falling at this point.

Harry Duran

-: 37:32

I think it's a function of having the conversations, because every single person that hears this, that this is new news to them. I think there's first probably a scary moment where just bury your head in the sand and just like, I can't do this anymore, and this is not something that I want to do, versus, like, an opportunity to say, like, a wake up call and saying, like, maybe this is something I need to pay attention to.

Jeremy Slate

-: 38:08

Yeah, no, I would agree with you 100%. And I think that's the conversation I'm trying to have because. And I think also, as well, like, there's also the fun things about it, too. Like, people don't realize, like, certain small things that you do in your life have to do with the roman empire. Like, the word inauguration, augury is actually something they used to do. It was called bird signs. So they look at the birds and they say, can we do it today? Yeah, we can do it today. So inauguration, or when somebody actually takes office, comes from looking at the bird signs and seeing if it's a good idea. Like, so there's a lot of these things that we do also, that I think it's also just kind of interesting to realize, like, why do we still do that or still call it that? And a lot of it comes from the roman empire.

Harry Duran

-: 38:19

Very fascinating. I want to leave a little bit of time for you to talk about the work you're doing at the agency, because I think it sounded like that's also shifted in terms of what your mission was there and related to what's happening with the podcast now.

Jeremy Slate

-: 38:41

It shifted a lot because I think the problem is, like, number one, there's a lot of people out there booking podcasts. You know this as much as I do, since you probably get pitched, like, there's no tomorrow. Hopefully they call you the right first name, because I don't always get that. They usually they'll call me my middle name or had somebody call me Mike before somebody was like, hey, Michael O'Neill, I'd love to be on the Solopreneur hour. I'm like, it's a great show. And, no, I am not Michael O'Neill.

Harry Duran

-: 38:42

Shout out to Michael.

Jeremy Slate

-: 39:27

Yeah, like, you know what I mean? I feel like people just don't take the care and time into that. So, like, for us, our mission has become a lot bigger than just that. So we're really looking at, like, what are the conversations that need to be had so that we can actually get to a better place? So we're supporting a lot of people that have these big ideas, you know, and want to actually shift the culture and create a better situation. And some of those people have been told on other platforms that you don't get to have a platform. So that's what we've been doing is really working with people that we believe are the movers and shakers to, like, facilitate this free speech platform. Because I think right now that's what we have with podcasting. It is a free speech platform, but I think a lot of other people don't quite grasp that at all. Right. Like, and I think that's what this really is. This is a free speech platform to actually facilitate a better future.

Harry Duran

-: 39:50

That sounds fascinating. It sounds like getting all these, like, minds together and getting them to know each other, because sometimes it's hard to find the people who are doing these shows and are having these conversations. And I think I, by virtue of the connections you're having either by people on your show or shows you've been on, you're not creating this, like, network of like minded people or just independent thinkers, you know, that may not all agree on the same things, but at least they're willing to have the conversations.

Jeremy Slate

-: 40:22

We also turned down more business than we ever had before. And it's because of, like, there's a lot of people, like, don't you know who I am? And I should be on blah blah blah, blah show. It's like, well, then why haven't you done that already? Like, you know what I mean? Like, like, we want to be with people that are givers and people that want to make an impact. So I find that a lot of people, four years ago, we might have worked with them because we wanted the money. We dont do that anymore. And its interesting because its changed the business totally. Were bigger than weve ever been before. Were doing more than weve ever done before and were just on purpose. And that goes back to what you were saying earlier about really operating on your purpose.

Harry Duran

-: 40:34

Trey, thats nice. When you think about twelve months from now were having the same conversation and you look back at the progress of your show and or the agency, what would that look like for you to feel happy with the progress?

Jeremy Slate

-: 41:24

That's really interesting because I'm really happy where we're at as the agency right now. Like, you know, I'd like to see us 30% bigger. I think that'd be cool because I think we can help more people make bigger impact. Yeah, but also, like, I think, and this is just kind of more of a personal thing because as of, like, as I've gotten more notoriety, I find that business has gotten more notoriety just because people recognize me. I want my Roman Empire book that I've been working on to be out there and be, you know, having me have conversations on bigger platforms. Like, I think that would be really cool. Like, we've had some big ones and it's been great, but I'd like to start making even more of an impact with that because I think it brings us, like, classical education used to be a part of everyday life, and in the last hundred years, as we went past the industrial revolution and everything else, we've dropped that. And I think that needs to come back into the world. And that's a big part of why I'm doing what I'm doing is because I just want people to remember this information that used to be yours.

Harry Duran

-: 41:59

I feel like we could definitely make this a three hour show and then maybe that's something. I love that because, I mean, it's so interesting because I think I'm a thinking about that as well with this show and whether I start another show because there's so many things that I want to talk about, both from a spiritual perspective but also kind of this idea of sovereignty and just like having agency over your own life, that these are really important conversations. But I appreciate you sparking that in the listeners today because I think it's something that needs to continue to happen. So just a couple of questions as we wrap up that I always ask. The first one is, what is something you've changed your mind about recently?

Jeremy Slate

-: 42:18

Something I've changed my mind about recently? That's really hard, man. Like, there's, you know what I mean? Like, I feel like if you're growing, you're constantly changing your mind, but not in a way that you're, like, swinging with the wind. That I only wanted two kids, and now I have three, so I don't have a choice. You know what I mean? Like, I think that definitely changed my mind on that. And I. My three little girls are amazing. That's been really cool.

Harry Duran

-: 42:19

That's a good one.

Jeremy Slate

-: 42:27

I don't know. I don't know. Like, I'm constantly, like, analyzing things, so I'm sure if I, like, really looked at it, there's something deeper there, but I don't know if, top of hand.

Harry Duran

-: 42:29

What is the most misunderstood thing about you?

Jeremy Slate

-: 43:06

It depends what era of my life. You look at me and. You know what I mean? Like, it's because in grad school, I was one of the most inquisitive kids in my class, but I was a competitive powerlifter, so I was in the front of the class, like, and people didn't expect me to, like, ask the questions I asked. So I think. I think that's it. I think people think that I'm actually just, like, a social media bro, and I'm actually not, you know, I'm very much, like, a fitness guy. I'm, you know, I'm a dad, like, and you know what I mean? Like, I'm not really the social media bro type. I'm kind of that friend you want to have if the world ever ends, you know what I mean?

Harry Duran

-: 43:18

Well, it's been fascinating to kind of chart how your life has evolved and the influences you had when you were younger. Bikini Joe. Shout out to bikini Joe. And just all these things that have happened.

Jeremy Slate

-: 43:23

He passed a number of years ago, so Ripley Beset, so.

Harry Duran

-: 44:10

But it's fascinating, because when you think about the arts in your life and you know what are important? That conversation you had with that professor who helped change you and help you, mold you and figure out, like, some of the important things you need to be thinking about, and who knew how relevant that would be when you're thinking about where the world is today? So I really appreciate you coming on and sharing your independent voice and reminding the listener and the viewer that it's important to have an opinion about things and not be shy about sharing them, because we need more voices like yours. We need more conversations like this. So I'm going to definitely encourage everyone to listen to your show and to watch your show, because I think we need to figure out. It's like an all hands on deck moment, and I really, really appreciate that we're having these conversations, and I'm excited to have more of these as the time goes on. So thanks again for coming on and sharing your inspiring story.

Jeremy Slate

-: 44:12

Hey, absolutely, man. Thank you so much for having me.

Harry Duran

-: 44:16

So for folks who want to connect and learn more, where's the best place to send them?

Jeremy Slate

-: 44:30

So if they want to head over to commandyourempire.com dot, I put together a really great resource for them, for people that want to get their voice out there, want to use this online world more and want to do it in the right way. So commandyourempire.com, and they'll find a really great resource over there to help them do that.

Harry Duran

-: 44:35

Okay. And we'll make sure all those links are in the show notes as well. Thanks a lot for your time, Jeremy. I really enjoyed this conversation.

Jeremy Slate

-: 44:36

Absolutely. Thanks for having me. Mandev.