Chris Agron

Full transcript: Chris Agron on London Real

1:05 This is London Real, I am Brian Rose. My guest today is Chris Agron, recent graduate of our Broadcast Yourself accelerator. Welcome. I feel welcome, thank you so much for the opportunity. And I just take the chance real quick, I wanted to do this publicly, yes, I didn’t say it before, but just to really, really thank you for your courage and being vulnerable and making the IRONMIND series, because I know that that makes a huge difference in a lot of people.

1:41 And like, I think addiction is a lot more common than people want to admit. Yeah, cool man, thank you for appreciating, saying that, and I think it’s a lot more common and it affects so many people, so it was hard to do, but I’m so glad I came out and talked about it, you know. So let’s talk about you. Who are you, where are you from, what do you do? Okay, so my name is Chris, like you said. I’m from Puerto Rico.

2:08 But I’m actually an army brat, so I actually grew up in California as well, and, you know, as most army brats, moved around. What do I do? I really just want to say that I’m just myself, agree myself, but how that plays out is, even in high school, from high school I got hired to work at a church to like lead youth ministry, like right out of high school, and it was more learning. It was like probably the most formative and learning experience of my life.

2:41 Because I’m sure you can relate to this, of like, because of what you do, because the impact that you’re having, when you start to like take ownership of your actions, but then furthermore you try to serve others and take responsibility for others and try to like have others better themselves as well, like it almost in a sense helps you grow more and grow more disciplined. And for me, since it’s like something related and it’s absolutely with my faith, it just made me grow closer to the Lord.

3:15 Okay, and why start broadcasting yourself now? What was the urge to just go ahead and get out and start your own podcast? I’m so grateful. Yet can I just tell you, like, I’ve wanted to do this for a very, like, for a long time, like probably since I started serving. I was like, this doesn’t scale. Like you can only serve as many people as you can serve, you know. Like I didn’t want to be the limiting factor.

3:40 But I just got out of the military, and after I got out of the military, you know, it’s like that in-between time, I got hired super quick to serve youth again at a church, but I just had that like nagging thought of like, this doesn’t scale, like you could do more. Like I can only serve the people that I can serve, you know. I can only introduce people, expose people to like God’s love if I’m there, you know.

4:05 And so I really felt like broadcasting was the way to go. It’s like the way to go. And so I finally was able to, because I really was not able to, I was in the military. Yeah. And why London Real? Because you’re the man. How’d you know about us?

4:29 Well, as, you know, this is super random, but it was actually because of that movie you did with Ido Portal. Okay. I was really, I was into Ido probably before most people knew about him. I was like a super diehard, like when he dropped his first YouTube videos, all over them, because I used to do capoeira, and you know that’s his background too. Yeah. And he is not doing capoeira, he’s doing something way more beautiful, like way more, completely more graceful, and so I was like really enticed by that.

5:00 And then your movie blew my mind, and then kind of getting to see you and your journey was really interesting, in that, you know, you’re willing to be vulnerable, you’re working super hard, you’re putting out this content, you’re trying to make a difference, and I feel like that’s super relatable and just kind of like built that trust.

5:21 Okay, so you pull the trigger, I drop you into this big Facebook group, you know, 150 people around the world, you got a lot of calls, I’m asking you to put video up, account of the dark. What are those first two weeks like for you? Oh, awesome. It, in a, got like stressful in a really positive way. Like I needed that. I was so excited for, I was like, that was like a big factor in me trusting you, is that there is a black and white accountability document, well, it’s green, I read that, shows whether or not you’re gonna cross this finish line.

5:56 And so I really was enticed by that accountability, by that like we’re-not-gonna-let-you-fail type of mentality. Like if you fail, ’cause you want to. And yeah, like it was really like, you stress, not bad stress, and I thought of it as very positive. It’s very good. What did you struggle with on the course? What was hard?

6:20 Okay, I got to tell you this story, this really happened on the last week. Don’t know what, I had three cancels. Like I scheduled five different people and three of them cancelled on the last week, and it was like, actually wasn’t able to post up. So I think real random, that, I feel like the randomness of life, like, you know, the curveballs. I don’t know how to describe that any other way, just resistance, like it’s weird, ambiguous form. Yeah, yeah. So that was tough.

6:56 Okay, yeah. And what’s the name of your podcast and what’s it all about, and what was your big highlight? What was the big moment where you’re like, wow, this is incredible? So the podcast is called Catholic Real. And actually the big moment, I feel like you’re referring to, like everyone, I feel like everyone across the board has had a moment where they’re like, wow, just truly in awe of like the beauty that they’re making, what they’re creating.

7:25 And I think that’s universal for all your students, just bottom line, because when you’re broadcasting you’re doing something so intimate, and to share that vulnerability, that message, it is really beautiful. But a nice, I shared this with the group, there was one guest that I wanted on the show and he was like a rapper, and I was like, I need to get him on, this guy’s way too cool.

7:56 And so I didn’t know how to like entice him to get in it, and I made a rap song with like a blank that had no lyrics in it and put it on his Facebook wall, like fill in the blank. And like, just all that peer pressure right there. Just like, wow. Yeah, yeah. I also do it like, all his friends and family and fans are like, well, what are you gonna do about it? Like he called you out. And like, I knew him a little bit before, but not that well, and just made that connection.

8:20 And then that was already like an amazing experience, like, wow, we created something awesome just before we even made the podcast. And then the actual episode was like, it was really cool, really, really deep and personal, and like it was like that aha moment of like, wow, this is, it’s like rejuvenating to do something like this. Nice.

8:46 What are your classmates like? How is it that you’re interacting with all these people you never met? They’re around the world, and what’s it like to meet them in London? It’s really surprising. The camaraderie is really intimate, like more intimate than I expected, quite frankly. It almost feels like family that you haven’t seen in a while, and then you’re like rekindling the friendships with, like, you know, oh, this is my distant cousin, I haven’t seen him in years. This kind of the vibe.

9:24 Because it’s so not just like-minded, but they were with you every step of the way, struggling with you through the course, ’cause it’s not an easy course, and so there’s that camaraderie of like, we all made it. I can’t really describe it, but it’s very intimate.

9:39 What are you doing with this podcast in the next 12 months? What’s it gonna look like, what kind of guests, you know, is there a business with it, what’s happening? Okay, so right now, I wanted to, for the first season, I was kind of just taking it a little slow, in that I wanted to just point out, because can I just address the elephant in the room, like, that Catholicism has a really, really, really bad reputation, at least in California, of like, if you’re Catholic.

10:22 You’re like pretentious, judgmental and just weird, and like you are following blind faith and you don’t question it and you just go for it. Which, quite frankly, I don’t think anyone does that. I think that’s really bad if you do. And so this first season was literally just me gathering a bunch of cool, normal young people who believe their faith.

10:45 And it wasn’t like they blindly believe that, it’s like, hey, we questioned it. I probably question my faith more than most atheists, like, a lot. But we still have that faith and we still love God and we still love Jesus. And so that was season one. So I think with season two I’m gonna start stepping into like more controversial topics, and I’m really excited for that because sometimes, well, always, the difficult conversations are the most important ones.

11:18 Yeah, and I think if I want to do anything about that stigma of like pretentious, judgemental, whatever, we have to address, you know, the underlying assumptions that lead people to believe that. And so that’s what I’m looking forward to doing in the second season. But as for a business behind it, there’s a couple.

11:41 I have like huge aspirations. I kind of, I feel like you get what you’re looking for. You can always find what you’re looking for, and you achieve what you set, your goals, you know, you achieve your goals, so you should set high goals. So like I have these crazy aspirations of like having like a missionary camp some day, and like running them, and having a solid media, Catholic media, that also has missionaries. Because a lot of times, like, missionaries and people who practice their faith very intensely, they are living the message. So if you could capture that and share it, that is the best outreach that there is.

12:21 And I feel like that, I don’t know why it’s not being done already, quite frankly. So I started the business side of it, and it’s going to start with digital products, and then I’m gonna try to get a little bit more complicated with a couple JVs with some friends that have like missions movements and such. Nice, I like it.

12:39 How has Chris changed? If I went out in the street and bumped into that guy who didn’t take this course, how are you different than him? What’s he like? I don’t know, to see if a podcast, know why I share something.

12:58 Yeah, yeah, because, yeah, I think that’s the main thing, is that guy will still be trying to make a podcast. Because it’s not that I didn’t want this already, it’s that I didn’t have the framework. I didn’t have the motivation, I didn’t have the peer group, I didn’t have all of those measures that you intelligently set in place to push through resistance.

13:23 Because there’s, I noticed, I saw the method of the madness really quickly. Like I’ve been in the military, I kind of know how training works and how you can use peer pressure positively and how you can have like incentives and also like kind of like a slap on the wrist if you don’t make the goal or cross the finish line. And I was really impressed by how well it was designed to create success.

13:49 Like I, from the bottom of my heart, believe that if you don’t have a podcast after the course, it’s because you didn’t want it. Look, you didn’t, there’s more than enough support. Yeah.

14:06 If someone’s watching us who’s thinking about taking the course but not sure? My thing is like, at the end of the day, you can do it yourself, probably not as fast though, and not to the same quality, and not have a community that’s gonna like help you, and not have people who are a million miles ahead of you that can see from an eagle’s-eye perspective all the obstacles that you’re gonna face and help you overcome before they’re even a thing.

14:38 I mean, it’s a no-brainer, really. Like it really is, and I’m not just saying that because I’m in this chair. Like I really think that, like you said, that person on the street would still be trying to make a podcast and create media. Like it made a huge difference, in that I had this dream for a long time, I had this ambition, and I hadn’t been able to execute, and now I am. So it’s very impactful.

15:09 Because I love the fact that you’re tackling religion on your show, and ever since we did our first call, you’re on Team Rose, and I was like, yes, I like the fact you’re going for this. You’ve got a young audience, you might be going for a Hispanic angle, you know, that I love, you know. And I think you’re putting a new face, new media, you know, on an old religion. I think it’s great, and I like the fact you’re going for it. So, you know, it’s been amazing having you on the course. You’re always super positive, your military background I think helps a lot.

15:35 And look, you’re now part of the family, la familia, and now we’re going on to build the business. And again, we’ll start with digital products and we’ll go to the rest of the stuff. And I just like what you’re doing here, and I like the fact that you’re not, you know, like you said, the elephant in the room, you know, you’re not apologizing, you’re saying let’s talk about this and let’s make it real. So really looking forward to working with you next 12 months. We’ll be watching you, got the accountability and the Biz Acc, so let’s do some big things, shall we? I’m excited. All right, Chris, thanks man. Thank you.