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EP179: Brunson & Cameron Smith - A Real Life Study Of The Father Son Relationship
62 Plays4 days ago
“Often people that really know what's going on are the ones that say, ‘Who knows?’ Something my dad's not saying is that, he's had he's had 15 kids.”
In this episode of the Sovereign Man Podcast, we dive into a powerful father and son relationship with Cameron and Brunson Smith. Cameron drops some dad-level wisdom, reflecting on his own fatherhood journey and why showing up, dishing out life advice, and sticking to timeless principles is the ultimate dad trifecta. Meanwhile, Brunson takes us behind the scenes of growing up as one of 15 siblings (yes, 15!)—explaining why his dad deserves a medal. Together, they prove that masculinity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s an art form in action.
Guest Bios:
- Cameron Smith: A father of 15 and a man of wisdom, Cameron embodies dedication, resilience, and a passion for teaching life’s lessons through actions and analogies.
- Brunson Smith: The second oldest of 15 siblings, Brunson brings perspective on navigating life as part of a large family and shares insights from his father’s influence and his own journey.
Books and Links Mentioned:
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey:
https://www.amazon.ca/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Anniversary/dp/B086D4R6ZD
2. The Book of Mormon:
https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Mormon-Another-Testament-Christ/dp/038551316X
3. Loving What Is by Byron Katie:
https://www.amazon.ca/Loving-What-Four-Questions-Change/dp/1400045371
4. The Last Law of Attraction Book You’ll Ever Need by Andrew Kap:
https://www.amazon.ca/Last-Law-Attraction-Book-Youll/dp/1948336082
5. The 3% Man by Corey Wayne:
https://www.amazon.ca/How-Be-3-Man-Winning/dp/0692552669
6. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein:
https://www.amazon.ca/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0441790348
7. The Great Patriot Buycott Book by Wayne Allyn Root and Nicky Billou:
https://www.amazon.ca/Great-Patriot-Buycott-Book-Companies/dp/195210699X
You’re invited to come to a Sovereign Circle meeting to experience it for yourself. To learn more, go to https://www.sovereignman.ca/. While you’re there, check out the Battle Ready program and check out the store for Sovereign Man t-shirts, hats, and books.
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Transcript
Crisis of Masculinity
00:00:00
Speaker
I was telling my dad this earlier, we have a population crisis. And a large part of it, I think, is because men are demonized so heavily, and fatherhood is treated as a joke in most society. You look you you watch any random movie, he's the guy with the the white socks and sandals who's only good at barbecuing. That's his only contribution to the world. Father was ah was an absolute mentor to me, a leader in everything he did. He was actually a captain in the army. and I was always grateful to have a good father in my life and my greatest aspiration was to be a good father myself.
Introduction to Sovereign Man Podcast
00:00:33
Speaker
You're a man living in the modern world in a time when men and manhood are not what they once were. You live life on your own terms. You're self-sufficient. You think for yourself and you march to the beat of your own drum. When life knocks you down, you get back up because in your gut, you know that's what men do. You're a badass and a warrior. And on the days when you forget, we are here to remind you who you really are.
00:01:03
Speaker
Welcome to Sovereign Man podcast, where we aim to make men masculine again. I'm your man, Nicky Baloo, and we have two very special guests here today, a father and a son, Cameron and Brunson Smith. Welcome, man. Thank you. Glad to be here. Great to see you again, Nicky. Good to see you too.
Father-Son Interview Purpose
00:01:28
Speaker
So I decided to bring you two men on this show because Brunson and I had an interview on another show where he waxed poetic about what an incredible father he has and how much he'd learned from his father about how to be a man, how to be effective in business. And I just thought to myself, it'd be really cool to interview a father and a son on this show and have them share
00:01:57
Speaker
the dynamics of their relationship with us in real time. So Cameron, why don't we start with you? Why don't you tell us your story and how you came into the fatherhood journey and how you've chosen to be as a father with Brunson and with your other kids.
Cameron's Fatherhood Journey
00:02:15
Speaker
Yeah, so I guess I'd just go back to my own father. I was blessed with an amazing father. I'm i'm the youngest of a large family.
00:02:25
Speaker
I'm six boys and four girls. I'm the youngest. Yeah, 10 total, six boys and four girls. so um yeah and My father was ah was an absolute mentor to me. He was a yeah a leader in everything he did. He was actually a captain in the army and in World War II.
00:02:48
Speaker
I'm quite a bit younger than than he he was and just always admired him. and And I was always grateful to have a good father in my life. And and so my greatest aspiration was to be a good father myself.
00:03:09
Speaker
That's good. So at what age did you become a father for the first time? I became a- And how did you go about
00:03:19
Speaker
Yeah, so I married when I was just almost 24. And and we didn't we didn't wait. We went right after it and started our family. And so I was a father at 24. And just loved the experience from the very beginning. It was a great opportunity for me. I saw it as a complete blessing to be a father.
00:03:49
Speaker
So how did you go about um navigating the journey of fatherhood? And how has it been in terms of your relationship with Brunson? You know, I took it as it came, quite honestly.
00:04:09
Speaker
Because I had an amazing experience with a ah loving father and mother in my home, I had a good pattern to follow. And that's how I i began, was was emulating them the best I knew how. and And had a lot of support from my from my from my parents. and And when we got into it, I had, because of my age and and the,
00:04:40
Speaker
My dad was 50 years older than I and so all of my brothers and sisters had already started their families or most of them had and so I had an opportunity as a young man to be an uncle and spent a lot of time with my mouth my yeah my ah brothers and sisters children and so it came quite naturally to
Learning Fatherhood
00:05:06
Speaker
me. I was i was ah I was kind of mentored in it my whole life to where when when I had the opportunity to be a father myself, it seemed very natural for me.
00:05:22
Speaker
So you had good examples from your own father and from your brothers, your older brothers, on what fatherhood was like. They modeled it for you. So you basically kind of did a bit of monkey see, monkey do. You saw what you what they did. And that's that's the way you went forward. That's right. That's right. Yeah, I had many good good examples around me and and just was so close to all of them that that it just felt like the next logical step in my life was to become a father when i after I was married. So Brunson, what was it like to be fathered by this man? It was a blessing. um There's a couple pieces here that my dad's
00:06:11
Speaker
My dad's pretty modest and even getting him to come on the show was a a bit of an effort. That's not something he wanted to do or felt comfortable doing. My dad, my whole life has always said, I just thought, who knows? And it's funny because I actually believe that an expert, someone that really is good at something will offer me the first one and say, I don't really know. Who knows anymore?
00:06:31
Speaker
People that are, you know, always young parents, I've always noticed I've got, a lot of my friends are married and they're always chock full of parenting advice because they have a two year old son, right? And it's like, okay, like, you know, always when they're younger and the less experienced, the more advice they have. And then often people that really know what's going on are the ones that say, who knows? We tried the best we can. um Something my dad's not saying is that he's had, he's had 15 kids. So whoa I am, I am number two of 15 children. So that's from my mom and dad. They both together had 15 children.
00:07:01
Speaker
um I'm the second oldest. Good for you. That's a blessing among blessings, man. You are rich beyond you are rich. beyond rich that you know Tucker Carlson says that children are the greatest a wealth a man can have, and I agree with him 100%. Yes, and I do too. Something that's a certainty from my perspective.
00:07:22
Speaker
Sorry, we have it we have a we'd have just a touch of lag here, so sorry if I'm talking over anybody, but something that's a a definite for me is that um I don't think my dad will ever die lonely, right? um I saw the way that my grandpa, his father died, and it it literally, and I'm not joking, Nicky, when I tell you this, it was a revolving door of, I mean, maybe you can correct me, dad, but 50 people constantly in and out of that house. His last two weeks on his deathbed, everyone just,
00:07:51
Speaker
sobbing and like, and mourning him and remembering stories and asking for last minute advice. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Right. And, and, uh, how many, how many grandkids, the grandpa have dad? Oh, now you're testing me. I think 46, I believe. That's incredible. I could, I could be mistaken, but right in that area. Yeah. Yeah.
Brunson's Reflections on Cameron
00:08:14
Speaker
So I mean, going back to your original question, though, I just thought I needed to kind of lay some of that groundwork because my dad won't say it about himself, but um
00:08:22
Speaker
My dad has been an incredibly present father, from my perspective. I mean, just the the one person that always was in my corner, the one person I go to about anything, I've always had a ah source of, I mean, it was like having ah a therapist 24-7. So that office that you can see in the background, and that's ah that's practically a temple from my perspective. Because i've been I've spent many a Sunday afternoon crying my eyes out, or pouring my heart out, or sharing my deepest fears, or pains, or whatever, and having a father that just listened to me.
00:08:51
Speaker
And um my dad is someone who's very modest and you'll never get, I'm sorry, I'm a little emotional, but my dad will never say, but um he he has a gift for making very important principles stick. And he goes off on his little rants, which can last for hours, but we love him. And he'll share an analogy and then another analogy and until the until until it sinks in, right? And something that's really important. And he'll go as many times as he has to go until like that lesson sinks in.
00:09:21
Speaker
And so for me, I just had a father that every Sunday, I mean, most of my entire life, especially in my teenage years, I got pulled into that office for at least 20, 30 minutes and we would just talk. And, um, whatever came up and it, it was, it was completely defining for my entire life. Everything that's happened in my life, I can trace back most of it to being able to tell my dad anything and get very sound advice from someone who.
00:09:47
Speaker
Not only was raised by a good man himself, but also had a lot of life experience. So anyways, that's that's my perspective. Well, Cameron, I see that you've got books and bookcases behind you, and so do I. This is my actual office. This is in a virtual um background.
00:10:07
Speaker
So um books seem to be important to you. Talk a bit about that.
00:10:15
Speaker
Well, I love to learn. I wouldn't say that it's my my first gift to be able to absorb information, but I've always been really drawn towards principles of success, of greatness. I'm i'm um inspired by the great people in history and what they were able to accomplish and and the potential of the human being. And and I've always been striving for um more understanding for myself, primarily so that I can be a better leader. That's one of my greatest goals is to be a good father. And, you know, and Brunson's very kind in what he says, but i but i've I've had, you know, it's been a life that I haven't. How do I say it?
00:11:14
Speaker
ah that I've wondered if I was up to the task um most of the time. and And so just did my best with the understanding that I had and and the things that I've listened to or read um always are motivated by a desire to be become better myself ah so that I can be a better father.
00:11:46
Speaker
ah That's fabulous. So tell me a little bit about the um the books and the great men of history that have inspired you.
Impact of Stephen Covey
00:12:00
Speaker
with So probably the the the greatest is scripture. That's the most
00:12:12
Speaker
what I would consider the greatest books in history were are scriptures and um and the principles that are taught and the understandings and and the display of human nature and and the the way to to kind of see everything play out of what happens when people act a certain way before God and when they act another way before God and and those kind of patternings have been just really
00:12:41
Speaker
you know I would say that's the keystone of of everything that that I believe and and understand. And then there's other books that that have just been, I've been inspired by you know books of Stephen Covey and and and many other many other people like that had the pleasure of knowing him personally and so that one was one that was very
00:13:11
Speaker
He was one that I was particularly inspired by. You knew Stephen Covey? I did, yes, yeah. Yeah, he was a family fan. What was he like, man? He was someone who I saw practice what he preached. and And that was always so inspiring to me because he would he he was he had an ability to just be so incredibly present with you that you felt like you were the most important person in the world when when he would talk to you. And so um that that's he's probably one of, you know outside of my father, one of the most inspiring people that that I know.
00:13:55
Speaker
You know, um his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, is one of the seminal books in the personal development space of all time. um It was the biggest selling personal development book of i the 90s.
00:14:15
Speaker
I got to tell you, uh, he was one of the people I followed early on in my, in my life and in my career. So to meet someone who knew him personally is a cool thing. It's a very, very important to his sister was a secretary. So, well, both his sisters were his personal secretary. So if you ever read seven habits, you'll see his sister's names are in, are in the, are in that book because he would dictate, if I understand correctly, the story, I mean, he would dictate to Heather and Shirley.
00:14:40
Speaker
And they would write down. So they effectively wrote the seven habits as he would dictate it to them. And so it's that's cool, man. I think that's certainly it's funny. it's It's quoted often in the Smith family that all the lessons, all that's habit three and that's habit four. And and I think it was a big part of our family culture, actually. Wow. So you're a seven habits family.
00:15:01
Speaker
Yeah, I would say the most. and it was it was it was ah it was almost It was almost doctrine in the family was to try to incorporate some of those lessons. And I think that i think all of us, for whatever reason, at gravit we we all gravitated toward it. I've always felt a really deep kinship with that book because not only did it feel familiar, but I felt like it was modeled well in our family. um you know we're We're as flawed as anybody. but I think everyone strived to seek first to understand, everyone strived to sharpen the saw, everyone strived to do these, you know, other habits. And so it was, yeah, it was a very, it was very impactful, I think, in all of our, in all of our development. So um Cameron, what are you reading right now? Well, right now I am actually reading a ah book by
00:15:51
Speaker
Byron Katie, which I'm finding very interesting. I'm just barely getting started into it. um and And she's had an amazing life experience, according to my understanding, and and just getting started into that. It's, Loving What Is is the name of the of the book that i've I've just started recently. So I'm not into it far enough to sound educated about it, but i but I've i' enjoyed what I've heard so far, or what I've read so far.
00:16:21
Speaker
ah One of my mentors is a big Byron and Katie fan. I bought a book. I've never read it. It's OK. I buy books faster than I can read them and I read 100 books a year. So that just tells you something about my relationship with books. I'm a bookaholic.
00:16:37
Speaker
um
00:16:39
Speaker
So Brunson, um what are you reading these days? I'm a big re-reader, honestly, I. um I think the books that I tend to reread the most are, um and this is this is connected to me and my father's faith, the Book of Mormon. We're LDS Mormon or whichever you want to call it. That one comes up quite a bit. um I read that one just kind of sporadically through. um I'm rereading Seven Habits. I'm reading a lot of books on marketing right now. So the YouTube formula is one I'm reading right now that's really quite interesting. So I'm kind of really big on that.
00:17:17
Speaker
um I, funny enough, I read a lot of fantasy too. So I love, if you've ever read, ever read Brandon Sanderson.
Brunson on Brandon Sanderson
00:17:24
Speaker
No, I don't know. I don't know his work. I'm i'm a little more old school Robert Highline. It's more my speed. Well, and I've, I've actually enjoyed a lot of these cause I read a lot of self-help books and I like them. I like some of these other books and there's, there's, there's a mix, right? Some of them are just complete fluff. And the ones that I've really enjoyed, um, Brandon Sanderson is just a phenomenal author for me, but.
00:17:45
Speaker
I, I've referenced him constantly. Oh, it's like in the book when he does this and it it it parallels a unique situation that you wouldn't have a normal life, but he can, he can paint it in ah and a fantasy scenario to show a very important life lesson or a very significant idea. And so he'll, and he does it purposely. So in his books, he, he showcases almost every mental illness. Like one of his main protagonists is an actual hard addict, um alcoholic.
00:18:11
Speaker
And you see, you can see, I mean, it's not showing some fluffy like, Oh, he beat alcoholism and it was over. He relapses over and over and over again, but keeps on crawling back out of the hole. Right. And so I love, I love his books for that reason. Cause they really show a lot of human nature, but it puts it in a giant fan, you know, this fantasy scenario. So it's kind of fun to read because of the adventure of it, but his characters are are actually based a lot on people who've really struggle. So I think he must have people in his life who are addicts and people who are schizophrenic and people who have, you know,
00:18:38
Speaker
multiple personality disorder. and Like all of those things are in his books and they're scattered all throughout and you see a lot of sickness, but how they handle it is really cool. So anyways, I, I've loved reading those books too. Brandon Sanderson. Okay. I'll check it out. I'm really big into, uh, Robert Heinlein's books. Uh, what did he write? I don't, I don't really know those. Well, he, he's, he, he died in 1988. So it's before your time to be sure, but, uh, his most ah famous books are Starship troopers.
00:19:06
Speaker
that became a famous movie. um He also wrote a book called The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. ah He wrote Have Gun Will Travel. ah And he also wrote a Stranger in a Strange Land. um And the term grok, which um is used by Elon Musk as the name for his a AI a system on X, is something that ah Robert Heinlein came up with and used for the first time in his book, Stranger in a Strange Land. Stranger in a Strange Land is- I found such a weird word. I was like, who came up with Grock? So that's from that book then. Yeah. Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov are considered to be the two greatest science fiction fantasy writers of all time. I've heard of Isaac Asimov. I haven't heard of the other guy, so you'll have to look up his stuff.
00:20:00
Speaker
That's really cool. Oh, buddy, go check out go check out the Starship Troopers movie too, man. It's fun. i think Cameron, you know you know Robert Heinlein. I don't, other than just what you said. I i recognize the Starship Trooper name, but i I don't think I've read those, no? All right, all right. Well, if you're not into science fiction or fantasy, maybe it's not for you, but ah his books are spectacular, like absolutely spectacular. That's awesome.
00:20:30
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. i'm ah I'm reading a few books myself right now. um I'm reading the last law of attraction book you'll ever need. I'm reading the Bible, but I've been reading the Bible for the last three years. And I'm reading a book called The Three Percent Man by Corey Wayne. ah And um I just um picked up a ah detective story written in the 60s by ah an author named John McDonald. It's based on a character he created called Travis McGee. So um those are fun books for me. I love to read. I love to learn. I love reading fiction. I think fiction ennobles the soul. ah But it's ah it's a cool thing to see a father and a son on a podcast together, and they're both readers. ah it It really is a cool thing.
00:21:23
Speaker
um Well, my dad my dad will underplay this, but I've never seen a guy that listens to more audiobooks, so. he's He's got an expensive lot of a library. I mean, he's got i got a library library. Way more of a listener than a reader. i i I would like to read more than I do, but I i end up listening an awful lot as well. Well, you know he's on a good book when all of a sudden he holds an impromptu family council.
00:21:50
Speaker
It's a, it's a Tuesday night at 6 PM. And all of a sudden he's like, all right, everyone circle up. And next thing you know, we're so up laura i love it we're talking about gut flora health for four hours. So oh my god that's awesome. it It is, it is a, it is a, it is a tremendous variety, but it's kind of funny because my dad will read a book. And then, and this, again, this goes back to what the way my dad's brain works. I think is that, um, he reads a book and it sits there and it just stews, right?
00:22:15
Speaker
And then he'll find a way to explain it in a very simple way, at least from my perspective, right? It's, there's always a good analogy. You know, it's kind of like when you're climbing a mountain and that, you know, that's always that right. And so, um, yeah, whenever my dad gets on it, whenever there's a good buck, you, you will know about it. Cause somehow we're, we're all making dinner and then my dad will, he'll be, he'll be sharing those ideas. And that's just a very big part of our, our, our, uh, family dinner culture was.
00:22:38
Speaker
dad's read a good book and we're going to hear about all the ideas and sometimes
00:22:52
Speaker
um what's the biggest mistake you've made as a father?
Cameron's Personal Growth Challenge
00:22:58
Speaker
That's a great question. I think I think
00:23:03
Speaker
The biggest mistake i I have made and make um is not listening enough. I i i yeah understand the concepts of seek first to understand and everything like that, but as a father, you feel this pressure to always teach.
00:23:31
Speaker
and um And I think, you know, Brunson could probably understand this as well as anyone. A lot of times I teach more than I listen. and And so that's something that's an ongoing battle for me that i that i'm so I'm still working on is is being more of a listener and understanding from their perspective more than projecting my perspective on them of of what I think is the right way or or the right path.
00:24:02
Speaker
um I found that by doing that, it's it's less effective than just listening to them and talking with them. Cool. Bronson, what's the biggest mistake you've made as a son?
00:24:18
Speaker
Don't want to listen chronologically or alphabetically? Nope, just the biggest one.
00:24:25
Speaker
um
00:24:29
Speaker
you know I don't know if I could pinbo pinpoint one thing in particular that stands out, but certainly a few things come to mind. I'd say i'd say one thing that comes to mind is that um every time that I've been so convinced that I had it right, my dad's a pretty wise guy. And I think we are we have very different personalities. Me and my dad see the world very differently in a lot of ways, so but I think that I tend to be a bit more of an arrogant person.
00:24:58
Speaker
Right. And so my dad will have a lot of wisdom to share and my cup is too full. And I have, i yeah I could give you a long list of times how to come back full circle. You know what, dad? Like that was, that was right all along. Five years ago, he told me this, I had to go get touch the so 15 times realized that was hot. After all, sure enough, had I just been a little more humble to listen, a little more humble to just tune in. I think I could have avoided a lot of pain. Um, I would say that's probably, probably the biggest one that comes to my mind. Um,
00:25:28
Speaker
I don't know. I mean, I'm sure my dad would maybe could point to other ones, but from my perspective, yeah. Well, you know, Mark Twain said once that he was absolutely astonished by how much smarter his dad got from the time he was 18 to the time he was 25. He was absolutely astonished.
00:25:52
Speaker
um So, you know, the arrogance of youth is ah and not unique to you, Brunson. I'll tell you that right now. I had it every sunset. Every sunset, that's for darn sure. Well, something changes for sure. And, you you know, you talk about 25 and, you know, now we have pretty good data on that. That's when the frontal lobe kind of fully settles in.
00:26:14
Speaker
And it's true. I mean, I remember as an 18 year old, I didn't, I just didn't really believe I would actually get old. Like, can like intellectually, I'm like, sure. Yeah, I'll get old. But I didn't, in my, in my emotions, I didn't believe that. So I behaved in a way that was like, I have no consequences. I'm invincible. I remember when I was 18, I told everyone I'll be a billionaire by the time I was 28 or something like that. I'm like, Oh yeah, for sure. Like it's a certainty. Right. And it was, there was no question in my mind that that was going to happen.
00:26:39
Speaker
And I chose a lot of crazy different paths. And again, it's just so like such high certainty. And then something does shift around 25 and I'm only 28 now. So I'm still very young, but it was a, it was a radical shift. I'm like, Oh no, I, my joints will give out on me. Like playing these sports may not be good long-term for me. Whereas a kid, it's like, nah, somehow it'll work itself out. And you kind of believe that, that bravado of youth, right? And um yeah, there's something different. And that's kind of where, you know, we talk about,
00:27:06
Speaker
not listening to my my father, like that's that's a big part of it, right? Was when you're young and your brain hasn't developed yet, I think that what they say actually develops in the frontal lobe, a very specific symptom is that your ability to perceive long-term consequence does not exist until you're 25. You can intellectualize it, you can somewhat understand it, but it doesn't emotionally sink in until 25. Yes, you will get old. Yes, you rack up credit card debt, it'll come back to buy you. There's certain things that just don't exist in your brain as an actual reality until you're 25. So I think that's actually kind of a funny little piece that,
00:27:35
Speaker
um Yeah, something does, something does change in a big way. People get a lot smarter and you're like, Oh, I'm right. That's a bit some wisdom there. So yeah, that's, that's very good. That's very perceptive. Um, I did not realize that. And thank you for, uh, teaching me that. I'm just writing that down because I think it's noteworthy.
Brunson's Learning Passion
00:28:00
Speaker
Okay. Um,
00:28:04
Speaker
Cameron, what's ah what's the thing about your son that you admire the most? Oh, I just love that he he has ah such a mind and such a passion for learning. um He's been just amazing at at his desire for just improving himself, learning more, becoming better.
00:28:32
Speaker
um he's He's constantly striving for for better in his life. and you know Whether it be health or fitness or intellect, um I just really admire how how passionate he is about about improving what he's been given. Cool. Bronson, what do you admire the most about your father? My dad is a very loyal person.
00:29:01
Speaker
um there There are a lot of things I could say, but I would say that for me, and this is because i'm you know from my selfish perspective, my dad has been through hell and back with me. um and and People listen to my podcast, I hint at certain things, but i've had some like I've had some pivotal moments in my life. I shared with a friend recently that um I was trying to rethink, you know again, this I have to find my own path, rethink my whole life, and and um everyone's different. and I don't judge anyone that chooses a different path,
00:29:31
Speaker
I called my dad and and i I was just not an easy son. I was a really, I was kind of a pain in the butt for a long time. I was a very difficult person to be around. And um and my dad just stuck with me and he just kept fighting with me through this whole thing. And this has happened my whole life. This is 20 years of me being, and and i've got I've got certain gifts, right? But I've got a lot of major weaknesses and one of them is that I'm just kind of a free spirit and I'm just a a little bit, followup times I feel like a butterfly in a hurricane and my dad is with me He's been with me every step of the way. He just does not abandon me even when I'm just flying off the rails. So there was a moment where I think he gave me a piece of advice that it had been very easy for a father to be like, hey, listen, you know what? You won't listen to me. You're being obstinate. Go do your own thing and then come back when you're ready to actually learn. And that didn't happen. And I'm really grateful because at that time I had some critical decisions to make about
00:30:22
Speaker
substances right like I was at that age where all my friends are partying and doing and doing all these drugs and and you know and alcohol and and for for my background we don't we don't drink in our family. And for me, I'm kind of rethinking these things. And i'm again, I'm not judging anyone that does, or everyone's path is different. But i've I've seen a lot of those friends that I i spent time with burn their lives to the ground chasing something, you know chasing a drug or whatever. And I'm really grateful I had a father during that time who's like, hey, just whatever you want to do is fine. But do me a favor and just keep those things out of your life, just for others for a little bit. And he said, well you just will you do that for me? Sure. And I look back, I'm like, holy smokes.
00:30:59
Speaker
I have a bunch of friends that were my age in my same demographic. A lot of them really struggle, severe addictions. And there's me with with none of those things. And I'm just like, man, what a cool blessing it was that I had a father that was patient enough with me through all of my crazy and to give me the right advice at just the right time. And that's one that I just couldn't have. I could not have foreseen.
00:31:20
Speaker
at that age, how destructive those things could have been in my life. yeah And I'm grateful to have that influence. And yeah, some of those loyal enough to put up with my crap while I sort of that stuff out. All right. Great. That's fantastic. Okay, Cameron.
00:31:35
Speaker
um
00:31:38
Speaker
What's one thing you want to tell Brunson that he's currently not seeing that you really want him to see?
00:31:50
Speaker
It's one thing he he needs to improve. If he sees it, it'll be a game changer for him. Well, that's a great question. But the thing that comes to mind ah just right off the top is that is that he is awesome, and I am proud of him. And you know i think I think he maybe has gone through life thinking, am I enough?
00:32:19
Speaker
Am I enough to to meet up to your expectations? Have I have i been enough or or i I can't be enough? And I just want him to know that he is enough. He's all he needs to be. And um and that um and that I'm still by him all the way and I admire him more than he knows.
00:32:46
Speaker
All right, great.
Advice on Finding the Right Partner
00:32:47
Speaker
Now, give me a harder one. that was too That was nice, but it was soft. Give me something real. Give me something real. Oh, boy. some Something that but I wish he knew. Yeah, a hard truth. Hard truth.
00:33:03
Speaker
um
00:33:10
Speaker
Boy, I don't know if I can pull up anything right off the top of my mind, but um ah you know i think I think he's been you know cautious about the idea of marriage and so forth and and wondering if that's ah if that's a tough ah tough nut to crack to find the right person to share share his life with. and and I just believe that it's more about being the right person than finding the right person.
00:33:48
Speaker
and oh And I think and i i that's that's what i what I would say this time. So said maybe a little more directly, get off your keister and find a good woman and get married already. There you go.
00:34:04
Speaker
the The reason Nicky's having trouble pulling up a lot of stuff is I think he usually tells me this. i mean My dad's a lot of things, but um he will speak what's on his mind. It's not the first time I've heard this. but All right. Same question for you for your dad. What's one thing you want to give to him that he's not seeing that could make his life better?
00:34:28
Speaker
You know, this is an interesting question because i you you would hope that you wouldn't have to say it in this, you know, you'd hope you've already said it. And I think that I've i've i've hopefully communicated that this to my dad anyways. but um and And I hope that, you know, any other fathers that are listening, I think I don't know what it's like to be a dad, but I know what it's like to be a son right now. And i'm I'm in the heat of that, right? And I'm sure that my life has taught me that as things move on, you forget what it's like to be young again.
00:34:54
Speaker
I forget how my younger siblings feel often, right? I have a very large family, so I've got ah my youngest sister is six, I believe, or five. Five, yeah. That's how many kids are in this family. Yeah, that she's five, right? I don't even know the ages anymore, but um huge job so I get to see a pretty wide range, and I'm close to these people, right? So I i realize they forget. um And so this is this is pulled from a loaded perspective, but i think that I think that everyone forgets, all fathers forget. I think my dad does this as well. like His kids just worship the ground that he walks on. And I think that we don't show that because there's there's a need for sons to want to feel like they carve their own path. i read my We read in my grandpa's journal recently, um my dad's father, he said the same thing. He said, you know, it was really tough. I i feel like I lived in in David's shadow. So my grandpa, Alden,
00:35:40
Speaker
felt like he lived in his father's shadow. And all he wanted to do was to be his own man. I think that I have a really cool heritage. I mean, and I i could tell you stories, but these were good men. And you've shared Nicky about your father. I mean, it's a similar thing. I have generations of good, good men. I mean, I'm sure they're flawed, but holy smokes, they're good people. And I think that if I were to say something, it's that i think I think that i i I do a lot of things to prove my independence, but at the end of the day, I just want to be like my dad. I think i think most sons feel that way, so they have good fathers. That's awesome. And what's the hard truth you want to tell your dad?
00:36:19
Speaker
I think that my dad's, it's the same thing. It's kind of, you know, he's enough, right? I feel like this I think this is not unique. I think this is not unique to all fathers. I think, I think all fathers think, man, was I a good enough dad? Absolutely. Absolutely. And still is. And my dad absolutely still is a good enough dad. And like, I think there's the assumption that maybe because, um, I do, I do all the crazy things that I do and I'm, I'm always flying from one country to the next that I don't,
00:36:48
Speaker
I don't see the value, but I think I really do. and I think a lot of fathers forget that they are just absolutely just loved by their kids and really respected. So yeah, that would be kind of the hard truth. And it's, you know, that might seem like not as pointed as maybe what you're, what you're maybe at pointing toward. But I think that is the one that comes to my mind. The strongest is absolutely is is enough of a father. So Amen.
00:37:13
Speaker
Men, this was a unique conversation. I don't believe there's a lot of podcasters that have done something like this. It's a bit of living history as it were. And I thank you both for coming here and opening your hearts out to me and to those who listen. God bless you both for being willing to do that. Thank you. It was it was a nice opportunity. Nice to visit with you and and thank you for your time.
00:37:45
Speaker
It was an absolute pleasure. Brunson, man, this was good. Glad you made it happen. Yes, sir. Well, interviewing two people is tough. My hat goes off to you. There's a lot to balance there. So I think you did a phenomenal job of that. so I appreciate it. I do. And to I'd like to see more podcasters bring fathers and sons on their shows and have these types of conversations because I think All sons can benefit from listening to fathers and sons interact. I think all fathers, hack man all fathers can benefit from it too. Yes, it is. It's ah it's a big thing that everyone's, I i mean mean, I'll share another thought here really quickly.
Media's Portrayal of Fatherhood
00:38:32
Speaker
But we've got a, we've got a crisis in our nation. Uh, I was telling my dad this earlier. We have a population crisis and a large part of it, I think is because men are demonized so heavily and fatherhood is treated as a joke in most society. You look, you, you watch any random movie. He's the guy with the the white socks and sandals who's only good at barbecuing. That's his only contribution of the world.
00:38:50
Speaker
And that's that's how fathers are betrayed in our media, and it's not as strong people. They're betrayed as the goofy... As dolts, as dupuses, as idiots. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. that's all that's That's what we're fed constantly. We're fed that is just, yeah, that's a dad.
00:39:03
Speaker
Yeah, your dad jokes, and you know, and it's, dad jokes are great, but like, that's that's not what, you know, that's not how I see, and I'm grateful, like I said, I have this legacy, and that's I see strong men who have who kind of face the storm, and that to me is a father, not the guy who's just, can crack a witty joke every now and again, and you know, is good is good on good in front of the grill, right? So it's, I totally agree, I think that that's a huge thing that's missing in our society, and I think it's it's having actual repercussions that are so serious that I listen to these people that are experts that talk about this, that we are in 100 years, if we don't correct, we won't have a population. Our population decline is so radical. We're going to see serious population collapse. And I think a lot of it comes down to fatherhood. I really believe that. I believe there's a serious dynamic problem with fathers. And they're not respected. And these as as a result, their sons are raised as effectively weak men. And they don't go out there and you know and create families themselves that are strong. And so harkening back on my own, call back, then you go find a wife. but
00:40:02
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. I was about to say, go do your job. um exactly Go do your job. Go get a wife. And to ah I'm an agreement with you. That's what's happening in the world right now. But also, additionally, ah there's hope.
Trump and Masculinity
00:40:23
Speaker
I mean, in America, President Trump was reelected.
00:40:28
Speaker
ah And that really sends a strong message to those of us that believe in the importance of men, manhood, and masculinity, that plenty of people share our views, and there's going to be somebody in the White House at the highest levels who absolutely embodies that. ah He's a flawed man, as you say, ah but he's a good man. And I believe God Almighty spared him um when an assassin tried to take his life And I believe that since he was spared by God, he's been tasked with a big mission. And that mission is to remake the country and to help bring respect back to men and manhood. I really believe that with all my heart. Amen. Didn't he write a forward to your book? Is that right?
00:41:25
Speaker
He did not write a forward to it, but he endorsed it. He endorsed one of the books I've written, which is called The Great Patriot Bicot Book, which is a list of America's most patriotic companies. And that is his endorsement on Truth Social. It's not because of me. It's because of my co-author Wayne Allen Root. He doesn't know me from Adam, but he knows Wayne quite well. And I'm going to actually put it in my um I'm going to put it in my LinkedIn bio and in my other bios um that
00:41:58
Speaker
I'm a, you know, best-selling author, and my work has been endorsed by President Donald J. Trump. I gotta say, I think that's gonna be good for my brand. Yeah, that will be. so Well, i don't I don't know how many Kamala supporters would love... the Sorry, i'm I'm getting super political, and I hope... not like all good I don't know how many Kamala supporters would love this whole episode. I'm gonna go out in a limb and just say it might be a little more few than... Well, listen... my good so good You might have an audience right there.
00:42:24
Speaker
good marketing and good messaging repels as well as it attracts. And it's important to repel the wrong people and attract the right people. So I'm good with it. I'm all good with that. I'm all good with that.
00:42:39
Speaker
Well, and and there's there's a there's a thing with with a lot of men where it's a suffer in silence, right? that's ah That's something of a masculine instinct, right? It's like, no, you keep your suffering to yourself. You don't sit there and blab about it, which is why I think a lot of this stuff has happened, like you've been talking about. I really do believe that. It's because good men are like, you know, no, i I'm the punching bag of society, but that's okay. You know what I mean? I'm not here to go be a victim, i'm not here to go and toot my own horn and say how bad my life is.
00:43:05
Speaker
A lot of men just take it. And that's a masculine thing. And that's why I was like, oh, well, men aren't suffering because they don't say anything. Like, well, that's it. Most men don't. Right. So. Well, there's a lot of truth to what you're saying. And, um, there's a lot of truth to what I said about President Trump and a renewal or and a revival of the American masculine spirit.
00:43:27
Speaker
And I do this podcast to uplift men, manhood, and masculinity. You know, you you heard what I said, ah my catchphrase, Welcome to the Sovereign Man podcast, where we aim to make men masculine again. And that's what we're aiming to do. And if I may say so, I think we're doing a good job. So
Call to Action for Uplifting Men
00:43:47
Speaker
let's keep it up. as ah Let's keep it up and let's keep having these types of conversations. And I, once again, thank you both for coming. God bless you and God bless America and God bless all men.
00:44:10
Speaker
Thank you for listening to The Sovereign Man podcast. If you're ready to take charge of your life and become the man you've always wanted to be, we invite you to join the movement at sovereignman dot.ca.