Still Standing, Still Smiling: How John Kriesel Lives with Purpose and Joy After a Near-Death Experience in Iraq

Speaker 1

00:00

 This episode is sponsored by the Integrity income fund, which is managed by yours truly and my team at Labrador lending, the Integrity income fund is for accredited investors. It aims to pay an eight percent preferred return and an 8.5% preferred return for early investors. It aims to pay out monthly distributions. There's a 25 thousand dollar minimum and only a one-year lockup. If you are an accredited investor and you're looking to get away from Wall Street, looking to beat inflation and looking for an asset class that is backed by hard physical real estate then look no further than Integrity income fund, check it out at Labrador Lending.com. In this episode, I got the chance to speak with John kriesel. Who is a motivational speaker, a radio personality and author, and a military veteran. And turns out that John and I actually were in Iraq for some of the same time in 2006 and unfortunately for John, he ended up losing both of his legs. In an IED explosion, and he also lost two very close friends in that fateful incident. So needless to say, John had real adversity, oh you know, overcoming the going through his recovery, and then he ended up actually going through a divorce after that and but man, his perspective is phenomenal. He's a really funny guy. Cracks a lot of jokes you're going to love this. One, he's doing great and, you know, it's just, it was refreshing to hear his take on life, and we really connected I think on this one, we have got the military thing in common, and then we talked a lot about a little bit about fantasy football and just life in general. So his the lessons in this, this one are phenomenal. John's a great guy, you can tell And, so I know you're going to enjoy this episode. Thanks.

Speaker 2

02:18

 Inspiring stories of real people. Overcoming incredible odds to live life to the fullest. We are all guaranteed to face. Hardships, how will we handle the adversity? Join us to be moved by every day, people who have turned poverty and prosperity, and weakness into wealth Be Inspired as these relatable Heroes. Get vulnerable and former counterintelligence investigator Jamie Bateman puts his interviewing skills to Test. Restore your faith in humanity as you experience. True Cinderella stories of average people turning surreal struggle and deep.

Speaker 1

02:52

 Despair into booming, businesses and financial.

Speaker 2

02:55

 Fortune. Take ownership of the life. You are destined to live and turn your adversity into abundance.

Speaker 1

03:07

 Welcome everybody, to another episode of the form adversity, to abundance podcast. I am your host Jamie Bateman. And today I am joined by a special guest Jon kriesel. John how are you doing today? Fantastic, I were, you awesome. Yeah, Cinema juggling different things from the business point of view. Let us few different fires to put out. But you know, things are going. Well, I am in. I am in Maryland, it's a little bit cooler than it has been For most of the summer. So not a lot to complain about. How are you.

Speaker 2

03:41

 Doing? Very good. You have one in the Twin Cities Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota, I live just south of.

Speaker 1

03:47

 St. Paul. And I was.

Speaker 2

03:49

 Beautiful despite what people think? They think it's winter here. Year-round the summer spring summer, fall or great. It's a nice about 70 degrees right now. It's going to get up to like 82. So, perfect time of year.

Speaker 1

04:02

 Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, I mean, Marilyn, we get all four seasons but honestly, spring and fall seemed to go by pretty quick. As far as the weather gets, humid, real fast, John, I am really excited that we were able to link up. Know, we were going back and forth, trying to schedule something. I have been, you know, borderline harassing you to get you on the show, and I am really excited to for the listeners to hear your story because I know, it's a powerful one, and we will get into your backstory in a minute here. But for the listeners, who are you today and what do you have going on today in the present time?

Speaker 2

04:42

 Currently, I am a full-time job is I am a director of a veteran service office here in Minnesota help veterans, get VA benefits survivors, get VA benefits access to all of the things that they have learned through their military service, and then my other full-time job is, I am a motivational speaker. I speak throughout the United States. States sharing my story about overcoming adversity, overcoming a Bomb Blast injury where I lost both of my legs and Iraq in 2006. And then I am also on the Power Trip Morning Show here in the Twin Cities broadcast, actually through the Upper Midwest on Cafe n. So yeah, staying very busy but that is the way I like it.

Speaker 1

05:27

 Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2

05:28

 I am married and I have a three-year-old daughter so it's half of all of those.

Speaker 1

05:34

 Things. That's your third full-time job, right? Yeah, yeah. I get it. I have got married and I have two kids. So it's an old. My kids are 12, my son's almost 13, and my daughter is 15. So, yeah. It's if we're a little bit further down the road, I guess. But, you know, I can tell you what's worked and what hasn't worked and, you know, but I don't think there's really a Playbook. You know, it's both of our kids are very different. So, you know, what works with one, doesn't necessarily work with the other, but.

Speaker 2

06:16

 That would make it way too.

Speaker 1

06:17

 Easy. Exactly. Then what do you know what we had to talk about if it was that easy, but, yeah, kids, definitely keep you busy, but, you know, and I know family is very important to me, for sure. And I am sure it is to you as well, but Obviously that we can save the family discussion for another episode. But let us get into your backstory and you can pick it up wherever you'd like, you know whether that's 2006 or before that. And then we will kind of walk through up and to the present day and pull out some lessons that were, you know, that you have learned in that. There are listeners can apply. That's the point of the show. So, yeah. Where would you like to start?

Speaker 2

06:57

 Your? Well, I joined the Minnesota National Guard on my 17th birthday. I remember seeing the go. All four on TV. When I was around 10 years old and watching that, that was the first televised war in my lifetime, and I was enthralled, I couldn't believe, just it was such a crazy situation and seeing, you know, we play war in the neighborhood as kids and all of that, and build forts, all that stuff, and then watching it on TV, for real, it impacted me. And I remember thinking that I wanted to do that as a career. So I joined the minute, I could that was my 17th birthday. And it was the best decision I ever made because I was a goofball growing up. I didn't have a heck of a lot of Parental Guidance of the military, really took place of that. Taught me the lessons. I needed to be a pretty responsible adult. And then I join in my idea was that I wanted to do National Guard to see if I liked it because then you could always Go to active duty. But if you go active duty and don't like it, you have to wait till your contracts up to go. National Guard or Reserve, so I joined the guard not long after getting out of infantry School, 9/11 happened, and then we really wasn't a question of if we're going to get deployed anymore, we knew that we would, so I did a tour in Kosovo in 2004. Got back from that immediately. There is an opportunity to go to Iraq. So those of us who went to Kosovo, we had to sign a waiver to go because we hadn't been home long enough for it to be involuntarily activated and those were some of my best buddies. So there's no way we were not going to go together, so we all signed that waiver and yeah, and then went to Iraq. We touch down in Iraq. In it was April of 2006. We were stationed at Camp Fallujah to Marine Corps Base. I got it. So it was that was I mean you were there at the same time? Yeah exactly.

Speaker 1

08:53

 I was going to say so similar, you know, and I will try to make you know, not make the episode about me but I can relate to a lot of this. I was older, you know, I am older than you. But, so I was in a similar thing where I was toying with the active duty reserves, actually Army Reserves and Actually went through Federal OCS. And so, I went through, you know, active duty officer candidate school, and then had opted prior to that, to stay in the reserves to go to the reserves were out and kind of gives you more options, like you said, and then, but I ended up doing about four years of active duty time in when I was in the reserves. So I was in Iraq. I didn't necessarily, you know, volunteer. I did I guess when I joined the military right but I didn't quite as actively want to get deployed. To be honest with you. I was recently married and actually ended up missing my first three, our first three wedding anniversaries due to the military. So I wasn't that wasn't, you know, the plan, but when you're in the military you don't have as much control over your certain things, but I was in Iraq to answer your question from I guess. A July 2005 to, to live 2006. So a we left right? When it was getting a lot of worse and.

Speaker 2

10:27

 We're going to be killed in Iraq.

Speaker 1

10:29

 So I was stationed. So we were supposed to be out west, we're close to where you were and I will have any actually and familiar. And, so I was on a military transition team, that team. And so we were working directly with your Rocky Army and in Kuwait, prior to going into Iraq, you know, our team leader, got sick, you know, and so he actually had to go home and long story short, the ended up switching us with another team. So I ended up being deployed closer to the Iranian border where it was much quieter. And I did spend about six weeks in Baghdad when it was kind of crazy with the FPS and all that stuff but anyway Was supposed to be on a team. Well, our team was supposed to be closer to where sounds like you were and that team that we switched with had it. Had it a lot worse than we did frankly. So look, I had my own, I would my own room, you know, for the most part with air conditioning and my own bathroom and I mean, it was like, there's nothing to complain about. So, you know, I can't honestly the Joint itself was way better than our mobilization at a 40 Indiantown Gap but that's a whole different story and, you know, maybe I could share my story another day, but yeah. So it sounds like we were in country. First, you know, I guess some of the few months at least at the same time. So, yeah, tell us more about what 2006.

Speaker 2

12:10

 We were in charge of force protection, which initially they have just had us in town. Around Camp Fallujah and then the Marine colonel in charge of force protection. Kind of looked at it. I think in the end it all ended up being a plan. They can't just toss you out there and have you just figure things out? You have to ease into it. So they had a stupid trolls little ways out and further out, and further out till we were all the way down to the Euphrates River into an area that really hadn't seen American Military since the initial Invasion. So that's where the Insurgent activity was at its greatest. And they wanted us to basically push The insurgents further than a seven eight mile radius away from Camp Fallujah. So they couldn't be bombarding the base with mortars and Rockets because they're 19 thousand Marines and sailors on base. We're pretty much the only army unit on base. There was a ml L, RS unit, and then laundry unit. Those were the only other Army that we would see. So they had us do that. Because there would be days or walking the chow hall the PX and there're mortars Landing right in base, injuring or killing. People just going about their day, so it became our job to stop that and these, these insurgents were no joke. The unit we replace it briefly gone down there. They suffered casualties and said now we're good. We're not going down there, and we really didn't have that option, so we took it to him. There was a change in leadership in our company. They really posture the unit to be really ready to be more of an offensive, have an offensive Mission rather than sitting back, kind of waiting to get hit. Kind of situation with seemed more dangerous but in the end I think ended up being a better move and more safe because it accomplished the mission because they knew than that we were serious, and so we really kind of battled them throughout the summer. And the fall of 2006, when things really kind of turned where our danger was, it was almost every evening, a patrol from our company would hit an IED, where these two pump houses we had a guard, we're critical because that's what brought water from the Euphrates River. And pumped it to Camp Fallujah to supply the base with water and allow the locals to grow crops because it went through irrigation canals. So I didn't really picture it to be like that. Before I went in my mind it was going to be just a big desert, right? Right. Yeah. It was beautiful. It looked like the central plains but with palm trees and then the fall of 2006, by that time, we were one of only three squads that had been lucky enough to not hit an improvised explosive device and it all changed on December 2nd. 2006, we went down to check out some suspicious activity. We're station at the pump house for that for we were going to do a mission overnight. We did we watched a spot, nothing really happened. So we have to go back to Pump House Flanders and then our Lieutenant spotted some stuff going on. He wanted us to check it out. So we went down with the Bradley Fighting Vehicle ahead of us. We're in an up-armored Humvee, checked it out. And when were down there, And I ended up being nothing, but then we found out that one of the Raven drones above spotted somebody digging in the road about two miles from us. And obviously, we knew that they weren't planting flowers and the road that we aren't going in, check it out. And then, on the way there, I remember calling in the checkpoints because I was sitting in the right front passenger seat, we're going to checkpoint, 3 4 as I called in checkpoint 3, we had around this 90-degree turn to the South for this last stretch of road. And as we rounded that I heard this metallic, Clink. It was loud, whooshing sound and then I woke up on the ground. I hadn't yet opened my eyes at her rocks Falling Rocks, hitting the ground, rock city, metal sounding like a big, hail storm, or a couple of my buddies yelling. So I knew what had happened. I knew that we had hit an IED, but I didn't really feel any pain at that point. So that's when I looked down to assess my situation, by this point before the deployment, I decided I wanted to be a firefighter for the St. Paul Fire Department. Medic firefighter. So I had to go through EMT training is all the stuff that I learned in EMT training that I have never really expected to have to use on myself. You know, I saw my arm was broken, then I looked down and saw that my left leg above the knee was connected. Maybe by piece of skin, but my pant leg was basically holding it together. My femur was sticking out right leg below the knee looked like I stuck it in a wood chipper and was bleeding profusely. So I was pretty sure at that moment, that's where my life was going to end.

Speaker 1

16:46

 Wow. That mean it's just there's yeah like on some level I can relate but it's just crazy. I mean as you know, there're no worries. It's the.

Speaker 2

16:56

 Stuff over there. That I mean, there was a big sign when we left Camp Fallujah that said, is today your day. I mean, it's that Stark reality, you have to be aware of that. Yeah. Because if you get complacent, you know, completely kills. And so something is the thing that you hope never happens, but your acutely aware that it can happen. And when it did I even though, As gory as it was to look down. For some strange reason I really wasn't surprised. I just maybe it's my life, my whole life. Being a Minnesota Vikings fan. Just always. Yeah.

Speaker 1

17:30

 Yeah, yeah. That's yeah. That's, that's funny. Well, kind of its it is and it isn't.

Speaker 2

17:39

 That's the thing. That's how I got through this whole thing is. Yeah, laughter substitute because they're Point, all you can do is laugh, right? That's where why. I am in the position I am today. I think.

Speaker 1

17:48

 Well I mean if you're open to you know jokes then you know why I was getting why it got worse and second half of 2006. Why is that? Because I left you know I clearly that's why but.

Speaker 2

18:03

 Likable left.

Speaker 1

18:04

 Exactly. Yeah. Completely kidding. But you know I don't mean to make light of what happened to you. That's not the point at all. But yeah, we did have a Not, not quite as bad, but we had a somewhat similar incident where it's, you know, we were actually doing more Force protection. It was one of these, like, kind of extra duties, you know, extra tab, extra missions and who can who's got Humvees that can take this unarmed Caravan of, or I was like nine buses of unarmed Iraqi soldiers who had just graduated basic training meaning, you know, no experience and so what Yeah, long story short, the one of the buses breaks down blah. We there was a fake ID you now and then the real one went off and so that was pretty interesting but thankfully no one was, was really injured. We were able to tell one of the vehicles back to Camp Victory is where it was but, so I can relate, you know, having been there. And I understand mortar rounds going off and IEDs going on. Often. But I just, you know, I, you know, I can't imagine just what else was going through your mind at that point.

Speaker 2

19:24

 It was weird because everything slowed down and it was like my life, really flash before my eyes. And I heard one of my friends next to me fighting for his life and I knew, I had to keep my heart rate down. I had to stay calm, so I didn't look over there because if I saw that it wouldn't keep me calm. Not to mention that in the Outside chance that I did survive. I didn't want that visual to be burned into my mind. Sure. The sound, the sound will never go away. Karen him fighting for his life. And so they moved me from that spot because they had to try and get the vehicle off of them because it was on its side. It was facing the wrong way. Finding when I saw the vehicle look nothing, like a Humvee at this point, their doors were a hundred yards away. It was a 200 pound bomb that we hit. They took two propane tanks, cut the bottoms off. Out pack pro hunter pounds of homemade explosives in each one and that's what detonated. So the guys in the hump, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle ahead of us came rushing back. They did a fantastic job that combat Lifesaver training really kicked in, and I am glad that they paid attention in that class, and they, you know, they got the tourniquets on, they got me stabilized but going to my mind, really, it was I thought it was going to be the end. I try to stay positive. The moment that I really kind of my mindset change to that. I have to make it, I can survive was when I grabbed my buddy by the arm, one of the guys helping me how Adam gal and I looked at him and I said tell my family, I love them, and he told me shut up. You're going to tell them yourself. And then I started thinking okay I can survive I have to and are still wasn't fully optimistic. I was going to make it. But here I mean I would lose so much blood. I looked like I will and that helicopter got in there. They got me on there, and I was out for eight days, but I am glad that I was awake for the whole thing and I remember processing, the fact like I was thinking about playing Little League Baseball as a kid, I was thinking about all these things like my life was kind of flashing before my eyes and I always thought, you know I didn't see a white light or anything because I would have followed it but you see all the stuff in the movies and wonder how real it is. And it's I am sure It's different for everyone else but I definitely thought about my childhood and I thought about my parents and all that and.

Speaker 1

21:49

 So this was like that same like within an hour or like the over the next eight days or it was a buddy many.

Speaker 2

21:54

 Minutes from Bomb Blast to helicopter arriving and it got it felt like 20 years really honestly and not because it felt like it was taking forever for the helicopter but just fair all of the thoughts that go through your mind. You think of everything. There was really never a fear of dying. I didn't want to die. Yeah. The human body really? I mean, it's remarkable. It just makes you calm, you know, we're there. Yeah I was severely injured. I didn't feel a heck of a lot of pain until they when they moved me from next to the Humvee to a safe spot. My pelvis had been broken too. So that hurt they flipped my legs upon my chest and then move me. And I felt the pain in my pelvis but all of the things that went through my head really, yes, I wanted to. Survive, I wasn't optimistic, I was going to, but I was, I was very calm, and I am glad I remember all of that because as long as I live every morning I wake up and hop into the shower literally. Yeah. And then put my pants on my legs and put my legs on. It's a reminder of that day and then thinking about, and I am fortunate to not have PTSD. Besides my first marriage in the Vikings really teaching you how to confront it head-on. And I don't think I would have been as optimistic, as I am. Now, if I hadn't remembered the feeling of saying I am going to die. I mean really seeing a puddle of your blood in the sand and going 25 years old. This is it, I am going for sure going to die and then now every day I wake up is a gift and so it really puts everything in perspective for me, and I am, so I am obviously, I am not glad that we had to go through that, but I am thankful for the lessons that I.

Speaker 1

23:43

 Learned. Yeah, absolutely nuts. Everything you just said is, you know, has been a theme kind of throughout the, the shows we have the episodes we have had so far as you know, and again we try to avoid. I try to avoid comparing, you know, who had it the worse or, you know, it's like but kind of hard to imagine someone having it worse than what you went through. But regardless, when someone goes through adversity, even if it's you No, quote-unquote less or different, it seems that you know looking to others like you talked about with your buddies and your family. You know, not just focusing on yourself, really is able to kind of pull people through these hard times and then just looking back, I mean, most, yeah, I haven't had a guest. Say, I am really thankful I really want this to happen again, right? You know whether it was a, you know, a divorce or Is whatever. I mean, just Financial bankruptcy. I really want to have gone through bankruptcy again, so I can learn some good lessons. Like that's no one says that, but it really does put things in perspective and, and helps you appreciate, you know, life at this point. So, and honestly it's for me, it's like, it's really refreshing just to, you know, just I mean again, I am not happy, you had to go through this but just I love this show because it just It does remind me, and hopefully the listeners that, you know what likely, what you're complaining about today, myself included, it's really not really, not that difficult I mean, but or if it is, you know, we have lessons that we can take away from this. So, walk us through, you know, obviously there's so much we could unpack here, right? But walk us through kind of if you would over the next 15 years and, you know, kind of Catch us up through today if you.

Speaker 2

25:46

 Would. Yeah, so I woke up at Walter Reed, eight days after the blast and seeing my situation as badly as I wanted it to be a dream and clearly wasn't, I saw my legs had been amputated arms were in cast remembering thinking. Okay, I was very, especially initially. I was very happy that I was alive, and I was like, you know what, whatever else is going to happen. I am alive and that's I am thankful for that. But you know as reality set in you know I learned two of my best friends who died in that blast that was awful and it really taught me that at that moment I realized that's when I think looking back on it. That's when I started my living my life because I realized it would be crappy me to sit there and feel sorry for myself when I got a second chance at life, that two of my best friends did not get and it forced me really to appreciate the life. I have regardless of how it was Is a lot of unknown at that point because my pelvis and been broken so bad, they didn't know if I would be able to wear a prosthesis. So seeing that and then the real, the more, the reality setting in of going, I am not gonna be able to do this anymore or this anymore, this anymore. And that's not how I am wired. So, after a little bit, you know, after a few minutes of it, I started just thinking, you know, as the shock was kind of wearing off thinking, but I can do this and that list was So much greater than the listen. I think that I cannot do, you know, I might have to be able sauce rate of about stuff. So here, when I thought that my life kind of ended the a little did I know, it was just beginning and so that was kind of the start of my growth, and I was at Walter Reed for nine months. I walked out of thereafter nine months, they said it was gonna be like two years, and I was like no way. So I got back to Minnesota medically. Retired from the Army started working as a civilian contractor for the National Guard at marketing. And that, that really started giving me this purpose, because I in my first marriage, my marriage at that time, it ended up being an open marriage, but nobody told me about it. I was in the situation where really, I was being told by this person that how much I really couldn't do that. I really needed to depend on everybody and once I got that job working for the guard, it was a place that I needed to be, you know? Because I was basically I was raising two. Stepsons and getting them to school and all that, and it was awesome, the awesome kids. I will always love them and then I got this top. So it was more about that. But then when I got the job, yeah, I started feeling like I had a more of a purpose, purpose player to be. I was contributing to a greater cause helping spread awareness about the Minnesota National Guard. Yeah, more people could join and have an awesome career and learn the things that you and I both learned through military service. Yeah. And then through that, I started really Getting my confidence. I decided then to run for the Minnesota House of Representatives. I knocked on. Thousands of doors were out of prosthetic. Leg.

Speaker 1

28:52

 Had know what made you get into, not made you? But what was the impetus for her politics?

Speaker 2

28:58

 They asked me very nicely and I try to be a very accommodating personal. It's something I always had a passion for, I was interested in and I thought I would be good at it. And so, I thought why not give it a chance and that was, I decided to run in 2010, so I mean it really I got home from Walter Reed at it was like August of 2007. So I hadn't been home long. It was like two and a half years by the time I decided to run and I thought that was a really a good way to prove things to myself that I can do this and that I have things to offer. Sure. And that was kind of the theme is it was like kind of those doubt that was being cast on me that you're not. Not for me. That I really had to get to a point on my own that I believed in myself. That I realized I had things to offer and what I won that election and really nobody thought I won by four hundred fifty-two votes. It was a tight one. I served one term did some awesome things and then decided I wasn't going to run for re-election, and so I left on my own terms, got the job I have now started the speaking and then really, at that point, that's when I decided to say goodbye to the ex-wife and if I hadn't been through the Bomb Blast, With the divorce, probably would have been the worst thing that ever happened. And that's something I think that's an adversity. A lot of people can relate to.

Speaker 1

30:20

 Sure. Absolutely. Not like 40 to.

Speaker 2

30:22

 50 percent of the population gets a divorce right now. I had to prove to myself that I was worth it and really you have to kind of be selfish at some point about taking care of yourself. You know what they say when you're when there's a chemical weapon? Yeah, you have to put the mask on yourself before heading home others put there, just right. How does The analogy for life? And I really I got to that point in 2015 2016 that I finally said you know what, I need to take care of myself. I am better than having to put up with this nonsense and decided to say, see you later and then you know, the speaking career really started taking off at that point and really it was then that I mean since then I have never been happier. I mean I have an awesome wife now I have a three-year-old daughter. Daughter and even like it's and I joke about it and the previous marriage and stuff I wouldn't be in the position I am in without that. Sure. So that's the thing too. Are we can always look back and go? I wish I didn't hit that bomb. I wish I hadn't got married the first time. I wished it but all of those with the right attitude, all of those adversities we face shape boss, make us stronger. And now if I would been a bitter sad person, I wouldn't have met my current wife because during The Wanted, Any part of that. And so you have to let good things happen to you, you know, with your, with your.

Speaker 1

31:49

 Attitude? Yeah, that's really good. It's so, are you in now today? Are you in any physical pain from the?

Speaker 2

31:58

 Incident? I get sore, I get sore. I don't I am very lucky that. It will but I am 40 years old. Now. I have been on his prosthetic legs for 16 years. And that's our body isn't designed to really be on those, but it's not a terrible thing. I am not on any You know, narcotics to treat it or anything. Yeah. Mental health wise. I am good.

Speaker 1

32:21

 So the narcotics that you're on or just for the Vikings.

Speaker 2

32:23

 That's right. Yeah, of course.

Speaker 1

32:27

 There you go. Nice. Yeah, the main fantasy guy that I follow is a lifelong Vikings fan and yeah, John Hanson he complains about it quite a bit but.

Speaker 2

32:41

 We're an is a sad. You know, eventually they will win the Super Bowl. I don't know when it will be maybe in my daughter's lifetime, I don't know, but it's my favorite thing to do that. Sundays are my day that I don't book? Any speeches? I don't do anything. My wife, my wife likes football as well. If you know like Sunday, I don't do anything. If it's warm, I will golf in the morning, get home in time to watch Sunday Ticket, watch, all the games, and the Vikings, and just, that's my day to shut my mind off in focus. Based on this distraction from Life. Yeah, absolutely. It's one of my.

Speaker 1

33:17

 Favorite things in the world. Yeah, it's awesome. I love it. Yeah. Football season is almost here.

Speaker 2

33:23

 So, don't want summer to end, but when it does, that's the consolation that. Okay. Well, football is here now.

Speaker 1

33:29

 So we something to look forward to. Yeah, I am gonna fire off a few questions for you. Let it rip. What do people misunderstand about you today?

Speaker 2

33:40

 I think just looking at me they assume that I probably you know, that I have a bundle of PTSD or that I probably liked it. People will see situation, they probably feel sorry for me right which I always even in my speech I say I am happier now than I have ever been in my entire life. And that's yeah and that is a big part of the reason for that is that I appreciate life because of what happened to me. And yeah, I would think that's probably the biggest thing that they may understand me.

Speaker 1

34:06

 Yeah, we had names AJ Osborne on the show. You, you know, went through paralysis from actually was a bunch of vaccines, nothing to do with covid but and was in a wheelchair and you know, very difficult time. And he said, he's in still, he will forever be in physical pain. But he's never had more joy or you know, he's never been happier because of kind of what you're saying because of the just appreciation for Waking up every day and, you know, being able to serve a purpose, a greater purpose and that kind of thing. What would you say is one of your biggest failures or you? No regrets or you know something that you would change that you had control over? I guess.

Speaker 2

34:56

 That's tough because I don't I am not wired that way to really look back and regret. Yep. I try to learn from something and move out because I know I can't change it because of course. So if I could And change us driving down that road. If we had her taken, if we had driven one inch further to the right. Yeah. Or maybe four inches further to the right? Yeah, that wouldn't happen but I know that's out of my control. So I care, I don't know. I don't really have any regrets. We all make mistakes. We all make poor decisions, but if we learn from them, we can try to not repeat them and overall, it shapes who we.

Speaker 1

35:33

 Are here now. I couldn't agree more. It's like, you do need to Like you said, reflect and learn and it's not like, you never think about what happened or you don't process the reality of what's going on. You do need to do that and you do need to focus on yourself and your situation but for how long, you know, at some points Move on. And you know what can you do about it and move forward? So if you could have coffee with any historical figure, they could still be alive today. Who would you choose?

Speaker 2

36:09

 I think John F Kennedy or Ronald Reagan. So I had to pick two because it's just this. The that time frame that JFK was President just a wild time in our history, and Ronald Reagan. Just seems like a cool dude. And that was A wild time in our history to and yeah, just he just seemed cool. I mean he was assassinated, then comes back and I don't know if you have seen the video clip where he's out of speech and a balloon popped.

Speaker 1

36:39

 Okay, now he.

Speaker 2

36:39

 Says missed me that was like this reaction and everyone's minds and that shows like that, that says a lot about a man's character is that he went through that. You can still joke about it, that's really, that's kind of how I try to be. So those two, those two, I think, you know, the other one. George w-- Bush. I always thought was awesome. He actually got to meet him three times at Walter Reed. He pinned on my purple heart so that one I got to check that box. I have pictures with them and stuff like that, so I don't consider him a historical figure. Yes, you still rough but I think in order JFK then Ronald. I.

Speaker 1

37:16

 Love it. That's awesome. If you were given ten million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with it? I would.

Speaker 2

37:23

 Invest. I would invest good amount of.

Speaker 1

37:26

 It. But would you invest in?

Speaker 2

37:29

 I would put it in some diverse mutual funds and a lot of it Ralph, I would pay off the house. I would still keep working because I enjoy what I do and I don't like to sit around. Yeah. And then I would make sure my daughter's college is.

Speaker 1

37:46

 Paid for I love it. Yeah, if I don't look forward to retirement myself, I mean maybe slowing down a little bit, some point but, you know, I don't want to sit around either.

Speaker 2

38:00

 My father-in-law's, one of my favorite people on the planet, he's seven years old. He seems like he's in his upper 50s or low. 60s has been retired for probably close to 10 years. He's super busy is always golfing doing this traveling, do it. Like and yes, he gets younger as the days go by. It seems like. And that's, that's how it's supposed to be. That's how I Envision retired on it, whenever that day.

Speaker 1

38:23

 Comes absolutely. It's awesome. Now I know you did write a book but if you had to write another book this year, what would it be?

Speaker 2

38:32

 About? I think like I have toyed with the idea of maybe like an Either a kids book kind of describing. What happened? And just kind of the overcoming adversity thing. Yeah. And that's something I still might do. But the other thing would be, I think I would just, I would talk about politics and not Democrat, Republican, whatever. But I didn't know a thing when I went in and I think that's why it worked out and why I did well, is because I kind of went in doing my own thing, I didn't have allegiance to, you know, I had, you have to, sadly have to pick a party, right? But I did my own thing, I didn't tell the party line, just that how it works, and it's such an interesting thing. We're from the outside. A lot of times people are like, oh, it's nonsense. Nothing ever gets done, right? Or some of the times stuff not getting done. Is actually, Stuff is actually good. Yeah, so that part of it, just the inner workings of a state legislature. I think would be kind of cool. And what I was in, we had a state shutdown, 5.2 billion dollar budget deficit for the state and the Vikings were probably going to leave if we didn't get a new stadium. And so we do right, budget deficits all. I was part of the team that got the Vikings, legislation, moving forward, and then. Yeah. So that just that session. Would end up being a decent book. I think.

Speaker 1

39:57

 Yeah, I meant imagine there's a lot of good content from that period. So the because they had the, the roof collapse, right?

Speaker 2

40:06

 That help, that was the end of 2010. Okay. And then we got the bill passed to get the stadium in May of 2012. So that when I don't know if it had happened without that roof collapsing because that was kind of the we had a massive.

Speaker 1

40:22

 Snowstorm. Yeah, I remember. Yeah. The video was Crazy. I mean, I feel like that was man, I am getting old but just watching that, it's because then they played the whole season without any home games.

Speaker 2

40:33

 Right? No. That was the, they didn't end of the 2010 season, which is located, been a disaster. So, then, that game against the Giants, got moved to a played in, Detroit, on got it. I think it was on, like, Tuesday or Wednesday got general admission so that everyone there just got to run in and just go grab seats and it was weird beard season, that was Brett. Ours. And then they came back and played in the outdoor stadium, for the Gophers, but the field was frozen, Brett Favre, got knocked unconscious because the because it was like being playing on asphalt. So yeah, just good old.

Speaker 1

41:09

 Bikes. Yeah, if you had to try a different occupation, what would you try?

Speaker 2

41:16

 Who may be an attorney? Okay, maybe I would like to say that. I love it strategy. Yeah, interesting.

Speaker 1

41:23

 Yeah. Nice. I like it. Do you listen to any podcasts or that you could recommend to our audience?

Speaker 2

41:32

 Main mainly? I listened to if I listen to K fa, n morning Tina that's the channel I am on ya and I listened to some of the podcast surrounding that otherwise I am listening to Fantasy Football, podcast sport, exiting podcasts. I will do. There was one that's like things that you should know that I found interesting. Yeah, I will occasionally, just whatever is recommended I will go. That looks interesting, if I am on a road trip to a speaking engagement. Be like that sounds interesting. I will give it a try but nothing really sticks because I am hooked on KFA and.

Speaker 1

42:08

 Understood. What's your, yeah, talk about your radio show. A little bit. Yes.

Speaker 2

42:12

  so I appear on the Power Trip Morning Show, which is it's on 532, 9:00 AM Central Time Podcast available on all the platforms or you can listen live on, I heart. Radio the app. It's a sport where it's the Sports, Talk station locally and it's throughout the Upper Midwest. But we talked about a lot of goofy stuff. It's a Morning Show and that's what I love about it is. It's a distraction from life will give you the sports scores will tell you some of the important news stories. But then we're going to tell random stories about a man in Florida. Did this or this random thing happened? And yeah, it's just goofy, and we're all friends and so it just works. So I am one of these contributors to the shoulders, the three guys that are on every day, and they just do a great job. It's the number one rated Morning Show in the Twin Cities currently and has been for a few years. So just I have been on it for 15 years and I just every day I am thankful that I get to be a part of that, just zaniness.

Speaker 1

43:15

 That's so cool. Yeah. Even like the fantasy football stuff. I will listen to it Sleek. It is educational. But yeah, it's entertaining. You know and That's why I keep coming back.

Speaker 2

43:27

 when I was younger. I could be. You could say New Orleans Saints and I could tell you the starting quarterback starting running back, starting wide receiver, and I can probably do that now, but right in the offseason is and now having a toddler. I am chasing around is like right? Hold on, he's on what team he got trato? That's right. All right. Yes, Tyreke Hill was traded to Miami, this happened. All that, you know. He's.

Speaker 1

43:54

 Got a, he's got a better quarterback now, right? Or something like that.

Speaker 2

43:57

 Yeah, he did say that.

Speaker 1

43:59

 I think that was, I think that was him trying to get listeners for his own podcast or some problem.

Speaker 2

44:06

 So, now, I cram like an exam. You know. I have got, I have got seven fantasy football leagues. I am in the drafts are coming up soon. You know, I am like, cramming collecting all this information. Yeah. Yeah. At least I have ever been prepared in my.

Speaker 1

44:19

 Life. But yeah, I feel the same way. We're doing an auction draft and are mainly. We have never done an auction. And I am like, what asked.

Speaker 2

44:26

 It is the Basque. You will never have to go back.

Speaker 1

44:29

 We will have to talk offline, but, so I guess kind of circling back to some of the lessons you have learned and, you know, for our listeners who either are going through a hard time right now or are going to go through a hard time, which is all of us. Everybody. And again, I just to reiterate, I have said this on other episodes, but we don't act like oh, you know, John went through. City in 2006. And then it now he's in abundance, it's that would be ridiculous. But what, you know whether it's mindset or actions you can take, or what would you say to the listeners far as maybe the couple of the top things to consider when going through a hard time and how to get through that around that over that and to get to quote, unquote, abundance.

Speaker 2

45:22

 Just know that it will End that adversity will end and so you keep a positive attitude as much as you possibly can. No one's going to be like, wow, this adversity is so much fun and so glad we're great, but you have a positive attitude, the ability to laugh at yourself, will get you through a lot of things. Then I get through that adversity, even at the felt like it would never end, it will end. You can look back and grow him and don't. And that's where I what I don't want is people to look at me and go Well, at least I have both legs. It could be worse. Now to, to each person the adversity, they're going through is the that's the most important adversity in the world, because it affects them and bring you can't control the things that happen to you. But you can always control how you respond and I always try and look at it, as if my daughter is watching, how would I want her? How, what example of what I want to set, as to how to get through this? You know, that's the, you know, one of my, one of my biggest things is integrity and integrity, you know, in the military, it was one of the few values that. Yeah, it behaves as if someone's always watching, you sure. All right, and it's that it shouldn't be phrased that way, but that's kind of the thing. It's like, yeah, do the right thing even when nobody's watching right? Adversity is kind of the same way. It's like if someone was next to you and you want to set the example for him little Chloe, if she's next to me. Yeah, I want to look at her and say no this is, this is tough sweetheart, but this is how we're going. Get through it, watch this great. That's kind of how I look at it and then in the end you get through it. And you go. Okay. I learned something from it. I am stronger because of it and I think that's the key.

Speaker 1

46:59

 Takeaway. Yeah, it's not going to last forever and you're stronger from for having gone through it. Yeah, I couldn't agree more on the Integrity, just a Shameless plug. I have got to mortgage note funds that I run and one is one, we're raising capital for right now from investors. And again, this isn't what the f. Pisode is about, but they are called the Integrity mortgage note fund, and the Integrity income fund. And honestly, it's because, you know, and I am not the number one example. I am not saying I am perfect, but Integrity is very important to me as well, just doing what you say you're going to do and certainly things happen, and you can't always follow through and what you thought you could. But just do what you say you're going to do, I mean, that puts you in the top 10% right there, but Now, that's really, really good. Yeah, so as we wrap up here, tell us a little bit more about your, where do you do your speaking engagements? What tell us about.

Speaker 2

48:02

 That throughout the United States primarily Upper Midwest? Because that's here where you know, the radio show is broadcast and that's where people are aware of me and what I do. But it's now grown into something that, you know, word of mouth is an amazing thing. So, I mean, I have had speeches in Maui, Palm Springs recently, Charlotte North Carolina. I have got Austin Texas coming, so I will a lot of them just all throughout and so when people are interested and want to hear my story and I make sure I inject humor throughout it that at the very beginning that was more for me but it does also make the audience relaxed. And it likes your shop. What is the very heavy story at times? So this way they can walk away in and inspired really and feeling uplifted, but they can go. My website, John kriesel.com. I am also on Twitter, Instagram, those are my two primary ones, but Facebook and all that stuff. So I am easy to track down. But yeah, I am very thankful. I still there's not a day that I get up on stage and don't go, wow, I get to do this. I am the luckiest person in the world, and so I am a very lucky guy. I can't believe how my life worked out. So it feels like a dream at times, especially looking back on that day, that I will always Is look back on. Laying there and thinking my life is going to end. And it truly is, or you.

Speaker 1

49:26

 Are Yeah, that's awesome. And for those listening, crystals K, RI e, SE L like diesel, John diesel kriesel. So, you got any good jokes for us before we sign off here.

Speaker 2

49:48

 Oh, not what I could share on this contest?

Speaker 1

49:54

 Yeah, we had. I do try to generally keep it clean, episode 1. Was not clean.

Speaker 2

50:03

 It was the first one to some people are like, wow, this podcast is going to be great.

Speaker 1

50:07

 Exactly, Mark Owens. He's amazing story just, you know, crazy story, but great guy. And but once we once he opened the floodgates on the f-bombs, it was you know, all bets were off. But I try to keep it, so we don't have to put their the E label on it but yeah. So John I really do. Ooh, thank you so much for your time and do your I mean you have got you know, the radio show, you have got your other full-time job and you have got your family speaking engagements, you know, Golf. And then the most important thing is studying up for your fantasy football draft here coming.

Speaker 2

50:46

 Up.

Speaker 1

50:49

 So any parting thoughts for our listeners as we sign off here? No. Just.

Speaker 2

50:54

 Thanks for having me on and remember yeah things that things. That happen to us, we can't control, but you always can control how you respond. So do that positive attitude since humor, one of the biggest pieces of advice, I give people's on those tough days which we all have taken a Post-It note, right? Three to five things in your life that you're truly thankful for things that put a smile on your face, put that on your bathroom mirror. That's the first thing you see. When you wake up and start your next day and I tell you what, a positive thought the morning sets the tone for your entire day, better than a cup of coffee. All right, life is good.

Speaker 1

51:27

 I love that answer. Really tactical. And how hard is that to actually do? Not that part, right? I mean, it's like just do.

Speaker 2

51:34

 It.

Speaker 1

51:36

 That's, that's awesome. That's a really good piece of advice. Well, I have got a coffee joke, real fast. This was my mom. My dad, my dad joke calendar today. Since you mentioned coffee, coffee has a hard time in this household. It gets mugged every morning. So, anyway.

Speaker 2

51:55

 On that note.

Speaker 1

51:57

 We better hit, we better. The recording John. Thanks a lot. Really appreciate it. This has been fantastic. We're I know I got a lot of value out of this and also thank you for your service and yours. Absolutely. So to the listeners out there, thank you for spending your most valuable resource with us. And that's your time. Thanks, everyone. Take care.

Speaker 2

52:19

 Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the form adversity to abundance podcast. If you're enjoying the show, please feel free to rate, subscribe and leave a review where Whatever you listen to your podcasts. That helps others find the show, and we greatly appreciate it. Thanks again for listening, and we will catch you in the next episode.