Transcript
Speaker: Happened like even like we and me and Paul right like you guys see it as like oh manny and Paul they're always together like you know a little duo they always skate together they've been friends for so long but like if you peel the layers back when I was 15 16 years old or 16 years old I was watching Paul on my twin size bed with like NBA sheets we had all the teams on it mom got me one of those And I was watching Paul on TV at do tour. Don't do you know, he do nolly 360 over the over the couch like nolly 360 kickflip, not no, he's not a trip. Yeah. And I was a little kid going like, man, one day like I want to be like him. Like he looks at me as color, you know, like he's Latino, like, wow. life
Speaker: You know, and then fast forward and, you know, we're your best of friends. Yeah. I mean, well, one, yeah, that. But then also you are somebody else's. Yeah, you know i like see what I see it from my eyes, right? Like I will always see things from my eyes and I will always i will always revert back to that to that kid trying to make it and have a dream.
Speaker: What's good, everyone? Welcome back to My First Kicks, the podcast where I use sneakers as a through line to get to know the guests in front of me. This week, I'm joined by the legend, Manny Santiago, man. What's good? What's good? Yo, man. Yo. What's good? We got to say shout out to homie. Yeah. Shout out to homie.
Speaker: Shout out to all the homies out there, but there's one specific homie who's named homie who is the biggest homie of homies. Yeah. He connected us at, well, we'll say ThriftCon. Yeah, ThriftCon. By way of Complex. Shout out to them. And I mean, because I didn't tell you this because I saved it for this, but I started following you last year was supposed to have P-Rod on. Ooh. That's my guy. Yeah. And we were talking to Spanish Mike about it. Yeah. And he and I was with Paco. Shout out Paco. Yeah. Paco. Watch this episode too. Yeah. But he he was like, oh, yo, P-Rod's with Manny right now. Let me call him. And so he calls he calls Spanish Mike. And I'm just seeing you in the background. Oh, yeah. We were just going crazy. What up? Yeah. Yeah, man. I mean, yeah, the universe brought this to happen. That's the way it works, too. And it's like I was about to ruin the story before we went live. It's like, you know, like going to events like ComplexCon and any type of event like that.
Speaker: I feel like if you don't maximize ah connecting with other creators, not just content or anything, just creators and and like-minded people, I feel like those places, don't they won't do you a service, you know and And don't go in there going like, oh I'm going to meet all these people. But like the those who gravitate towards your energy will say hello. Yeah. You know, i think the the the one thing I'm learning because i've been going to a lot of events is is just like the being inviting. Right. Whereas like. You're not looking for something specifically, but just a conversation. that yeah It can go wherever it can go. Yeah, just ah make yourself approachable. you know you saw We saw a lot of people there that like you know nowadays, you know influencers and people of the internet and whatever, and it's like,
Speaker: I heard other people going like, oh, so-and-so was there. But like, I'm like, bro, they're just human, dog. Just say what up. Like, depending how they're feeling, that's how they're gonna respond. But like, for me, ah when people come up to me at at the events and ComplexCon, they're like, Manny, what the? Can I get a photo? I'm like, of course. I take the phone. I take the photo from them. i Have a good day.
Speaker: And at the end of the it's like, bro, without without the viewers, you know, I wouldn't be able to do what I've been doing for the last 26 years and continue to do, you Crazy. Crazy legacy, man. I mean, like, Even just like trying to watch some stuff. Because I like going into this kind of blind. and people end up being like. Which is good though. Yeah, yeah. Because there's no bias. Right, exactly. right And then you get to. You.
Speaker: As the host gets to find out more about me by being in like. getting like getting caught off guard. yeah exactly And then being like, wait, I thought it was just this story. No, no, no, let me back it up. And then you go into the layers of like how things happen. Like even like we me and Paul, right? Like you guys see it as like, oh, Manny and Paul, they're always together. Like, you know, a little duo, they always skate together. They've been friends for so long. But like, if you peel the layers back, When I was 15, 16 years old or 16 years old, I was watching Paul on my twin size bed with like NBA sheets. we We had all the teams on it. My mom got me one of those. And I was watching Paul on TV at Dude Tour. Dude, you know, he do Nolly 360 flip over the over the couch, like Nolly 360 kickflip, not Nolly 360, not trade flip. Yeah. And I was a little kid going like, man, one day, like, I want to be like him. Like, he looks at me. He's color, you know, like he's Latino. Like, wow. Like, you know, and then fast forward and, you know, we're best of friends. and yeah I mean, well, one, yeah, that. But then also you are ah somebody else's. Yeah, you know, you know, I see it from my eyes, right? Like, I will always see things from my eyes and I will always, I will always revert back to that.
Speaker: to that kid trying to make it and have a dream. you know For the longest time on on my MySpace and on my Facebook and then on Instagram, it all said like just a kid with a missing tooth and a dream. And like although like in my 30s and now 40 now, for i'll be I just turned 41. Don't even know my age. 21, man. 21 forever. I still consider myself a kid. you know right and And now looking back, it's like, wow, this is crazy. like I always see stuff through my eyes and I often forget who I've become and how people perceive me sometimes. you know like i'm just like I'll pull up and be like, what's up? People like what are you doing here? And I'm like, same thing you're doing. Skating. mean, yeah, because it's it's funny because that was my reaction when Paco showed. He was just like, yeah, let me just FaceTime Mike real quick. And then I see you in the back. He's like, yo, we skating. I'm like, is that fucking Manny? Like, yeah. That's just how we are, bro. I mean, it's... I don't... When it comes to, like, skate culture or, like, just skating in general, it's like you... Once you...
Speaker: For me, it's like there's Jordans, there's like, you know, like you get the, you for me, it's always been skating where it's just like you have, there's so many people that have reached pro and done so many amazing things that they're just, you know, you're one of them too. Yeah. It's yeah it's crazy what a piece of wood with four wheels can get you. Yeah. You know, especially when there's people out there that have paved the way for you to have a dream. So grateful to all those out.
Speaker: Which is funny, talking about that. I was with Jamie Foy for the King of the Road. I mean, ah was with Jamie Foy with the Skate of the Year trip in Puerto Rico. Yeah. And we were having a conversation. And randomly, we were like, yo, like, you know, we were with Jocelyn and Shex and everybody. But he was like you want it? Like, think about this.
Speaker: We have yet to have our... OGs of skating like as ah as a class yeah pass. Yeah. We haven't reached that era where we can go, oh, remember in, you know, it's not going to happen until like the 40s, 50s, you know what I'm saying? Like 2040, not 1990. So it's crazy that we're in that first. I'm even trying to think. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: Think about it. in the You know, we're talking Alba, Cox, and a couple of guys before them. Yeah, like Paul Peralta, that whole squad, Christian DeSoy, Steve Kapp, all them. They're still so skating. Ripping. Yeah.
Speaker: So we have yet to have our like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's and like that. Yeah. Jumping in real quick to remind y'all to like, subscribe, and or leave a comment on the YouTube video that you're watching right now. And if you're listening to this on Apple or Spotify, hit that five stars. Five stars. It helps the podcast. And leave a review if you're listening to this on Apple. And if you're on Spotify, leave a comment. And then, of course, i have a Patreon. Patreon.com slash My First Kicks.
Speaker: I only have one tier, $5 tier on there. You get extra content. You get the episode a day early and you get to join the community, but you get to also help out the podcast directly.
Speaker: But for now, let's jump back into the episode. Which is like... You just blew my mind, bro. Like, yeah, I'm really thinking... like I think I felt what Jamie told me. I was like... yeah Especially because it's like... You're talking about an extreme sport, right? Yes. And yes, there are people have passed away. Yes. You know, legends, absolutely. Yeah, sadly, from other things. Yeah, exactly. But it's never been on some like, I have to retire...
Speaker: Yeah, or just like, I've reached 85 and I'm just, you know, got my board in my pillow and I'm gone. Roddy Mullin did a TED Talk with a skateboard and still went to go skate after. That's what I'm saying. This is crazy, bro. So we haven't even reached that pinnacle of where skateboarding is like where it's been, where it's blossoming. It's like, when is it peak? It's not peaking. No, yeah. it's skating. It still keeps going. Yeah, skaters are getting better. I mean, we're in the Olympics now. Yeah, yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's just, wow, you know? Crazy. But you're here to answer the question that I ask everybody each week. yeah And that question is, what's your first kicks with that first pair of sneakers you absolutely needed to have?
Speaker: Which one, which were they? Or which ones, like meaning like the ones I skated or just in general? In general, like whatever is the best sneaker story. Oh, for sure. No, for sure. As a kid, yeah yeah as a kid, Jordans. Jordans. I'm Puerto Rican. yeah You know what saying? Like Jordans, gang. 100%. Which Jordans? What's crazy, and this is sad, but obviously relatable story. Like, I grew, you know, my parents, i was born Puerto Rico.
Speaker: My parents brought me to the U.S. around five years old. Yeah. Moved to Massachusetts, low mass and like, you know, poverty, you know, food stamps when they were actually food stamps, like little packet, ripped rhythm them. Yeah. um No EBT card, all flashy plastic. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: and I'm not looking down upon you guys. no I think it's cool. i think it's yeah yeah um But I grew up with nothing. And so like for me to even reach a place where I can even fathom the idea of asking my mom. Not wanting, asking my mom. yeah like The nerve to buy me some Jordans it was not nothing that could would ever happen. Because you know we would always just be scraping by and just... You know, there'd be the white rice and ketchup nights. There'd be the white rice with fried egg nights. There'd be the... Both are good. Yeah, yeah. There'd be the... ra Yeah, no, they're fire. Yeah. They'd be the ramen nights. um
Speaker: So it wasn't until like, right before i started skating, maybe like, maybe I want to say 14. And this goes this goes to show... ah how where at where we were at that time. So the one time I even had had enough money to get Jordans, I didn't realize it, but I got Team Jordans.
Speaker: You know, so I never even got to... just like You just wanted to see... just wanted the logo. yeah yeah but I wanted the logo. I wanted to be like mine. I wanted to feel that. yeah You know? ah So I would say it was just have any pairs of Jordans and I was able to do that. Like buy them, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker: And... I'm putting Team Jordan right at the bottom. Team Jordan. of v the eie That I can remember. the the way no no i no no, no, no. I'm going down memory lane. all alright I'm going to show you and you're going to know why I got this color. Okay. um ah And it was, so meaning I got the first time I was able to go to like an actual shoe store yeah and can be like, I want those. Because they're fire, black, this blue, white sole. But when I was a kid, I had the, don't want to say, I just want to show you.
Speaker: Because I feel like these went around for a little bit. And at the time, people didn't want them um because of the color. And I feel like now, people really mess with them. okay So I got these at Marshalls.
Speaker: Oh yeah, nines. At marshalls Marshalls. At Marshalls? At Marshalls. That's a come up, man. Yeah. Now it was a come up. Back then, because they were the brown, brown with the black. So those specifically. That colorway. Oh yeah, yes. Yeah, so I remember there was a story going around that because that shoe wasn't selling well, that the people at Foot Locker would paint it black and that's how they would sell Yeah, they would go to Marshalls because nobody was buying them. So the only reason I had a pair was, think it was sixth grade. And I got those and I was like, hi, but I was like, damn, I got them Marshalls. So I was like, damn, I shop at Marshalls. They as well shop with Payless at the time. Now Marshalls is a hit. Now Marshalls is a hit. The Marshalls, you get some fines. Yeah, that's what saying. But Black Olive Nines. Yes. And then after that, I got some Team Jordan. And those I was proud of. Because like, in Marshalls, you don't get a box. No. Yeah, you just get the shoe, and then that's it. Yeah, with the Marshalls tag. Or even just, no, that's the Outlets. The Outlets, they ripped the top of the box. But that one, yeah, no box. No box. No box. So finally, when I got the box with the logo, with the paper, with the, it was some Team Jordans. I got clowned on, that's cool. I was going to ask you what happened when you went to school with them. Yeah. At the time, were like, I'm like, I got my Jordan. And then people were like, bro, this is Team Jordan. I'm like, they're fly. I don't care what you talk about. Because I was like, man, finally got a pair. Yo, I mean, look, you stand on your One thing that definitely skating does is definitely making sure that you stand on your own, too. Yeah. What you got to say, bro? I don't care what you wearing, some hand forces or something whatever your mom got you. Yeah. I know you got bread, bro. You got a haircut every week. Yeah, for real. I know where you come, bro. You ready the project? Did that, like, growing up like that, did it create this tougher skin for you? Especially Boston? I mean, I hear the stories about Boston, so it's just like, or specifically. Lowell, especially Lowell. Yeah, it's a big Puerto Rican community. Yeah, I feel like not having a lot as a kid.
Speaker: But having like the amount of love from my mom not only gave me tough skin, it gave me empathy, but it also made me like um kind of like respect everything I've ever worked for.
Speaker: And I've carried that my whole life. Like even sometimes I'll skateboards way too long or I'll skate shoes way too long or like, you know, have my own pro shoe. I have a boxes of shoes and I still in my girl's apartment. I have like three pairs that I've skated last time I was here, but I saved them. Yeah. So sometimes I'm just like, I get caught up in that, like, you know, like I'm somewhere else in life now. yeah I can give things away. yeah Yeah. And I do, I give a lot away, but like, I still have that and just kind of like,
Speaker: Yeah, just appreciating everything I've ever bought because I'm like first generation in my family um to like ah succeed at this level. Oh, yeah. Yeah, like no one in my family, you know, i have an uncle who does really well. He has his own business in Guavate, which is dope, and like a lot of reggaeton artists go there to eat and see stuff. And my uncle, he's dope. He's like, Once I got to know him personally and like hang out with him, like as ah as a figure to look up to, he definitely was one. Is one currently still. you know
Speaker: I'm about to go there. Yeah, yeah know and the food's good. and that hold that It's a good vibe. Man, I love me some Puerto Rican food, man. But like I never, we never had somebody like in my family like chase a dream, ah unfathomable dream. Yeah. And like succeed. And then like, you know, to be able to do that and and get to where I'm at and continue to go and go to the Olympics and represent my country and like, be this pro skater and be in video games and have pro this and pro that and travel the world and be doing this still to today it's like I'm very protective over it so being raised like that I think is what allowed me to be able to maintain it yeah you know I think it's hard to get it but then it's harder to maintain it right exactly right so you can easily just burn up and just That's it. It's over. Yeah, we have a lot of peers in skating that made it at a certain level. And then once they got there, they just didn't know how to maintain focus and maintain themselves financially enough to like overcome certain situations. So I was able to like just read the room and be like, no, I can't.
Speaker: Especially like, I mean, my mom's so proud and I make her proud that don't want her let her down. Even though don't think I can, right at this point, but like, I always want her to like, anytime she's sad or anytime she thinks of me, she's just like, that's my boy. Yeah, super proud of you. I mean, I'm the same way. I'm trying to do that with myself and my mom too, you know? So that when she called back home, well, hyper-resilient, so she'll call, talk to everybody on the WhatsApp, you know it is. Yeah, I'm fast at. To the bend to the bone. To the move to bone. I mean, I was going to I know, a tiny bit. Oh, because I love Brazil. Shout out the Brazilians. Shout out Brazil. Brazil skaters. They're my peoples. I get mad love in Brazil. Oh, yeah? Yeah. Next time, we out next time. I'm down. I'm going to pull it up with you, girl. I love the Brazilians, man. Brazilian skaters. That one dude, what's the skinny dude that's like super skinny?
Speaker: I was just talking about him recently with- Not Luan, because he's not that skinny. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. Not He's the older- Is he skinny, skinny, tall dude? No, he has like ah he has like dreads. Currently now? Yeah, he's like an older dude, and he's like super clean.
Speaker: i mean there's a I mean, there's a million Brazilian skaters that are clean, bro. I know. Rodrigo TX1, top yeah five, top five, top five, top five. obviously see if i could fight i get I'm going to have to show you this. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, because he always comes up. um But he's like, he's... Adamo Jr.? No. Because he had the long, long day switch back to Wilshire. Shut up.
Speaker: Oh. He like, his moves are not, like, he'll he'll he skates street, But it's all like added like no complies, no bonelesses. Show me later. Yeah, I'm going to show you later. But I think it's just like, yeah, Brazil skaters, man. Skateboarding over there is insane. How did skateboarding find you? Because, you know, like.
Speaker: yeah Yeah, yeah, true, true, true. Yeah, yeah So I grew up in Lowell Mass. We have a very, very high population of Puerto Ricans. Black and Asian. Yeah. So I used to go to Boys and Girls Club when I was a kid.
Speaker: and ah And, you know, just like many stories out there, ah this girl broke my heart. who was like one of our best. It was like we were a group of friends. Yeah. And ah we dated. And it was like my first, like, you know, puppy love, love my life, the whole situation. She broke my heart.
Speaker: And then so I, you know, one day I was walking from the Boys and Girls Club to my friend Jesus' house. And I saw... You know, I've walked by this park a million times. Like it's literally, I've walked, but it's right next to where it's going to And I never like really realized skating. Like people would skate, but I never realized. And I look over and these guys, you know, it's a bunch of, it first off, it's a bunch of Asian kids. Right. And so I look over and i'm like, what the hell? And like, kind of like they're Cambodian. So they're like dark skinned. I'm like, what the heck is going on over there? And they're having the best time, bro. They're like laughing and then I skate it I'm just like, stop. So I walk over to the fence.
Speaker: And I'm like, just like in a movie where I'm holding on to the fence and I'm watching through the fence and having best time. And eventually I get the courage, you know, ah to like, you know, ask them, yo, what's up guys? are like And they all stopped almost like a record.
Speaker: They looked at me and I'm like, yo, what's up? um Because there was a lot of beef between like Puerto Rican, and Asian, you know. yeah So they just looked at me and I was like, yo, can I try it? Can I try the board? They're like, yeah, of course. They kicked it over. They started laughing.
Speaker: And I'm just like, in my head, I'm like, first off, are they laughing? Second off, damn, they let me try. So I step on the board and I go to push for all these shit. They start laughing, but they help me up. oh Yeah, yeah. And they're like, oh, they put your feet like this and da-da-da-da.
Speaker: So, you know, after like 25 minutes or whatever, I'm like, oh, thanks, guys. Boosh, dip, walk in. And then, like, I start thinking about, you know, the girl and my friends. And I'm like, man, this sucks. and I'm like, sad again. So I realized for that like 25 minutes, yeah i was so present right and happy that I was like, I want to feel that again. So then I reached out to one of my friends ah who skated in school. And I'm like, yo, you got an extra setup. I was friends with everybody. And I took up welding. So I became friends with a lot of the like,
Speaker: a lot of the white boys in school yeah because we're in welding together. It wasn't many Spanish people in the welding class. They were on auto body, which I was supposed to take. But then I fell in love with welding. So then all of a sudden, I go i have my Puerto Rican black friends making fun because I'm saying what's up to the white boys. I have the white boys confused because hanging out with them at lunch. yeah It was a whole spectrum. I was like the... you You were definitely in between. You were just like, yo, you would play hopscotch on that one. like, they cool. Yo, he's cool. Like, it's cool. Everyone's Everybody's cool. yeah You were the mayor, bro. You were the mayor of the school, I mean, well, one, you know, picking up Weldon...
Speaker: fire. Yeah, so much fun. yeah Because I thought I was going to be taking auto by it. Because that's what Puerto Ricans do. We fix cars. yeah And that my whole all my friends that went to school were taking that. But I took all these other classes as like, a let me learn a couple things and then go right back to, going to pick this class. But then the machine shop took my attention. I was like, well, you can make stuff out of metal. with it with you know ah And then when I went into welding, I'm like, well, you can morph metal. You can bend metal. You can make flat bars for the skate park.
Speaker: oh and I was like wait a second so I found a little welding took welding and then that's how i found it it was just like those guys and then you know just like a lot of success people say the one girl that broke my heart kept me away from the place that would have took all my attention because I love that place yeah If you don't have nowhere to go in the world and you're like in ah in an area where you're like you often are walking around or you're getting into trouble, find a youth center. yeah Find a boys and girls club. Find places like that because I promise you they will save your life. Yeah, I mean, shout out to Boys and Girls Club. You know, like, we definitely, we need those yeah to stay continuously open and yeah to not, you know, let people and let kids fall down the wrong path. Because it's like, those are so important. Those are so important to to give these kids a second chance, a second home, a second place to to not just, like, rely on the streets. 100%. It was my second home. yeah
Speaker: I was from school because my mom worked a lot. My dad worked a lot. And i went from I went from school, like dropped my bag off and I'll walk straight to the Boys and Girls Club and I'll be there till like 9.30 at night. Wow. We're talking from like 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Yeah. Like i would I would get home at 9.30. Like my mom was like half asleep, food on the stove. But since she knew I was a good kid and I never got in trouble and I didn't drink or smoke. She always trusted me You know, I was always, i would tell I'd be home at 9.30. I'd be home at 9.30. I'd tell her I'm home at 7.00. I'm home at 7.04.
Speaker: You know, but I'm home. Yeah. So it's like- um I love that, man. yeah that That trust, man. Yeah. Well, the thing is like, yeah if you give your parents trust, and this is advice to all you kids out there that are watching this, if you give your parents the trust that you're going to be okay, you can do a lot of stuff as a young adult, like as a kid, but you have to gain their trust and you can't disrespect them.
Speaker: Right. And, you know, like, you know, life is curious. You want to try certain things. You want to do certain stuff. But, like, within the realm of not disappointing your parents, because, like, ultimately, like, you might think, like, oh, my parents are heckling me, but they're probably worried sick at home. Or they're like, life's already stressful enough and we don't even see it. Yeah, exactly. You know, as ah as a father of a 14-year-old, like,
Speaker: I'm still a kid figuring it out. And I thought my parents were superheroes. They weren't. My mom was definitely a superhero, but meaning like she was still trying to figure it out. I mean, yeah. I mean, kids is usually kids is raising kids at at a certain point, you know, until you're both trying to teach each other things. I mean, my mom taught me a ton and, you know, she had me when she was older. So it was just like a totally different dynamic. But it's like, you know, I have so many friends that are just like, oh, yeah, my mom's like, you know,
Speaker: 20 years older than me I'm like that's not a lot that's not a lot of years at all yeah that's like guess wild I'm right now talking about starting a family with my partner and we're you know I'm 41 yeah she'll be 39 it's like imagine that yeah my yeah or you know by time they're 20 we'll be like vacation and chill all the time like yeah yeah y'all good yeah go get a job yeah yeah That's my money. Go get a job. That's why I retire. You see that? I was skating. came from nothing. Donate it. What is it? So, I mean, we're talking about your parents and like explaining skateboarding to them.
Speaker: Like, how did that go across? It didn't make sense to... My dad didn't really understand, but at that time, think because I was going to the Boys and Girls Club, it's because my relationship with my dad was falling apart. It was like, it wasn't really present.
Speaker: And only when he was, like, drunk or smoked when he was high. and Then he would like give me a hug here and there and tell me how much he loved me. But when he was like sober, it was like a lot of friction. Yeah. So I think that's why i ended up going to the Boys and Girls Club for so long because we stopped doing stuff. and And then so when I started skating, my mom was just like,
Speaker: She was, i don't even know. She was just cool from jump, but she didn't understand it either. She was just like, oh, you're just, it was like, oh, you're just having fun with your friends. Like, and you're happy. That's all that matters to me. Yeah.
Speaker: You know? And my dad didn't really ever comment on it. But recently I was with my friend Jose, who works over at Complex, and then is who's a really good skater. I grew skating with him. Yeah. um We were talking about that story and he he brought to light, which I know the story, but I forgot it, that it even existed. Before I met Jose, but I already had made a name for myself in mass. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: uh he was skating at my dad's job outside okay and my dad came out and was like like yo and jose got scared like yo like what the hell he's like no no no no he's like it's cool he's like he's like my son skates like he's really good his name is manny santiago he's like your son's manny santiago that's crazy like he was like so my and oftentimes my dad really bragged about me but he never showed me that love yeah It's tough, man. So for my, i don't honor I don't know how my dad felt. I just know my mom has been my number, my biggest fan, my number one fan since this started. Jumping in once again to remind y'all that I got merch. I got shirts. I have shirts.
Speaker: You'll see it in the bottom left. I always get, I always get it wrong. It's probably bottom left, but you'll see a visual in the bottom here. My First Kicks t-shirts. They're $40. And if you are out of New York City, they are $40 plus shipping. We can talk about it in the DMs. Hit me up info at myfirstkicks.com or shoot me a DM on any page and ask me to cop a shirt.
Speaker: Like I said, $40. It's got a front hit, got a back hit. Rep the podcast. It helps the podcast. And you also help me get rid of this box of t-shirts that I have in my my house that is just sitting there. I i need to get rid of them.
Speaker: Please help your boy out. But for now, let's jump back into the episode. Let's i mean Like my number one Yeah. gotta love that, bro. You gotta love that. i mean, well, you love that. I mean, you gotta love your mom for that. Like, you know, the, she left Puerto Rico to pursue her dreams. Yeah.
Speaker: Gave you a chance for you to pursue yours. So it's to see you actually going after yours instead of you being like, just to take whatever job working for at McDonald's for the rest of my life and become manager." You were like, no, I'm going to do my thing. Yeah, she because she knew how serious I was about it. At one point, you know once I graduated, I had ah a job, 40 hours a week, had a girlfriend at the time. I was still skating as much as I could um when I wasn't at work with my friend David Chinsky and a bunch of our friends in Lowell. And then during my break at work, I would skate. So I would just like, we had like a 30 minute break. So I would just literally swallow the the sandwich. And would skate flat outside. And then the old guys would eat their lunch while watching me skate over the sewer or the sewer cap. So I'd just be doing tricks over the sewer cap during break while they were eating their food and getting food from the lunch truck yeah every day. And they to them, it was like funny. It was like, they're like, they don't know he's about to go pro. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They were just like, what? You over here being like, yeah. Skater ass welder dude laughing at me, but like but enjoying it. They were really nice. Low Arn and Steel, shout out to them. Yo, shout out them. I mean, that's fire, bro. So then, you you talking about that, which i didn't even know that, but like that transition to be like, yo, going to take this. Yeah, so then the transition was like, you know, i was I was, time was going on. I was 19. I still, you know, and I'm locked down now because have a job and I have ah a girlfriend. I'm just like right out out of school.
Speaker: And at one point I was just like, I found myself hanging out with my partner a lot, especially during the winter, but I couldn't, all I could do is think about skating. And I felt bad, you know, I couldn't give her that attention that she needed. Yeah. And then so, um, sadly we had to split up. I broke her heart. I feel so bad. It's like,
Speaker: If there's any regrets it's like that I have, which is not not that many in my in my life, is like I wish I would have handled that situation with a lot more kindness. Even though i was I wasn't like a jerk, but I definitely should have been a little bit more empathetic about how it went down. i mean it's tough like yeah yeah i definitely had a yeah but it's also just like i think when you're pursuing and people don't know this until you're at that crossroad of there's going to be a lot of sacrifices yes when you pursue something that you love and that sacrifice can become in several different things like it could be a person that you love deeply it could be you know money it could be yeah you know all these things play a factor for you to get to the point that where you want to be because you either have to – it's all time. The only thing you can't sacrifice is time because you have to put in the time yeah in order to get there. 100%. Yeah. No, i definitely – I sacrificed it all and, like, broke up with her. I quit my job and I was, like, staying at my boy Dave's house and we were skating and traveling and then I was just, like, going after it.
Speaker: No matter how impossible, a certain a certain chapter – I couldn't like get certain past a certain chapter in my journey. yeah I just wouldn't give up. I wouldn't give up, and I would just skate. and I've had a lot of people along the way help me and let me stay with them. In Florida, I used to stay with Brad Cromer and David Hamsick and the Skateafel crew, Bagel. and Then when I was in Cali, I would stay at... my the homie at the time Bobby's house and then you know we would sleep in the car like we've done it all I've done it all and I used to like I tell that's just for skating like eight AMs and like just skate yeah just skating and figuring it out and like I couldn't even afford a lu I didn't even think about having a luggage bag I would stuff my clothes in a
Speaker: a 10 a 10 like a 10 board box and I would just like put my clothes really neatly with like a board or two and I would just have like shirts pants socks boxes and then I would always like fold it so it wouldn't open uh-huh um and that's how I would travel from house to house holy smokes man Yeah, like a lot of people that have been there, like, no, like, and then like Skid Street and filming and trying to get clips, different filmers and people like, you know, companies not believing you, which is part of it. It's okay. Yeah. now You just got to keep going. what what What was that about? Like, how did you get to the point that you were like, I'm never going to give up on this? I just love, I think the thing is I just love skating so much that I skated every day, like even like every day. And I didn't, that was my dream. Yeah.
Speaker: And I knew because I would win stuff. Right. So I would win best trick contest. I would skate the demos and like people would start to recognize me and like people in the industry and stuff.
Speaker: And I just, I just knew I'm like, if I just eventually something has to give me. You know? That's faith. that You had faith in yourself. Yeah, 100%. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, blindly. Blindly, for sure. Like, an absurd amount of faith. Only because I put the work in, though. Like, because I knew, like, all right, if there's this rail, I'm going to go off. If there's a stairs, I'll do some stuff. You know, like, I knew what I was capable of. Yeah.
Speaker: And I was willing to to do whatever. And I sacrificed so much, so why wouldn't I see it through? Right, yeah. You know, like... And eventually, you know, people see you for that and they see what you bring to the table and they, you know, they take a chance with you. Yeah. And then they give you that opportunity. I think like, yeah, I mean, that's it's tough, especially when you're a creator. i mean, we're talking about being a creator where it's like you you really... You really have to push past what you what other people would say consider as a no of like, no, this is this is the this is blank and blank telling me i shouldn't be doing this. And I think, you know, you pushing forward and forward and forward is like it's like an amazing skill not many people have. Yeah, I just think, I think it just goes back to my upbringing, no? Like watching my mom and dad work so hard, having to leave my island, having to leave my culture. Even though my household didn't change, like there was flags everywhere, salsa merengue, you know, I grew up, you know, like I tell people sometimes, and it's pretty true, going and seeing, but like that's like a lot of us that leave the island, like our house inside is like,
Speaker: so Puerto Rican that it's like more Puerto Rican than the houses when you go there yeah because you're you're trying to fit a whole island in ah in a two-bedroom apartment. uhhuh You know? yeah So there's flags in every room. There's like paintings in every room. There's the silverware that what holds the silverware, the fridge magnets. Even the silverware got flags. everything. It's Puerto Rico everywhere. Yeah, like the weekends is a big party at your crib. So...
Speaker: you sleeping on a yeah You sleeping on two chairs? yeah Because they still want to party? You know, and it's just like, I think just going through all that made me so resilient. And i I'm just like a very like stubborn person when it comes to things things I love. Like, I'm very stubborn in the idea of it's like,
Speaker: I want to accomplish it. Yeah. You know, like, yeah and everything thus far that I've put um like that mindset to within the realm of skating ah and anything else, it's happened. Yeah. So I just think you got to have enough belief and surround yourself or out around like-minded people and just try to like, you know, shed the people that are holding you down, you know? Yeah, which is the toughest part. yeah like um Not everyone is meant to come with you. Yeah, that's the I had had that realization like a couple weeks ago because it's like I really had to like bit like bite into it. Because you you know you'll you'll go through life and you'll you'll realize like, oh, you know, maybe they'll come. You'll be like, oh, maybe they'll come back around whatever. You just let it rock, right? Mm-hmm.
Speaker: But yeah, there are people that will disappear on you after like, and not even like, like disappear on you on some type of like, we just never talk. It will just be like, ah you, I thought you believed in me. And now all of a sudden and it's just like, why why, are you asking me so many questions? yeah You know? And it's just like, yeah, you gotta, not everybody can go. It's tough. It's like oftentimes I tell a lot of my friends when they're going through hard times where I feel like they're not making the best decisions for themselves. Not not that I'm someone to tell you what to do, but at least like ah my career is a proof, right? That like i at least know something.
Speaker: Yeah. did something right. You did. I mean, you did lot things, right? So it's like i tell them, I'm like, you got to look at your basket. Over time, it gets full and you have to weave it back and forth and shake it. And you got to let those things fall out. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And then those things, if if if they're right and then and they're nurtured, that seed will grow its own tree and then it's going to have its own basket. Right, yeah. And then eventually you both... But like, at the end of the day, like...
Speaker: One thing I really learned, and I do, I mess with Matthew McConaughey so heavy. So I'm a big Matthew McConaughey. All right, all right. All right, all right. Right? Interstellar is one of my favorite movies. Yeah, yeah. But I often listen to a lot of his YouTube channel because he does little, like, story. Once a week, I put, like, a little story up. Yeah.
Speaker: But, like like, negative self-talk. ah Negative people. Mm-hmm. And anyone that is maliciously going out of the way their way to attack you, yeah you have to remove all of those things. yeah ah Recently, i was talking to someone. They were like, oh, yeah, you know, my back. And I got to go the doctors. And I got to, you know, like, I hope everything's okay. They were like, oh, you know, something's wrong. And I'm like, well, I hope nothing's wrong. yeah And they're like, no, but they told me. I'm like.
Speaker: But I hope that when you go back, nothing's wrong. Like, let's look at it. yeah Like, what if everything's okay? Right. Yeah. Like, you got to, like, think as unrealistic as you can. You you know, like will Will Smith, you know? Yeah. The quickest way to mediocrity is thinking yeah realistic. Right, yeah. You got to think, like,
Speaker: Like you're gonna That's how the life cancer happens Like not just body But life cancer So you start going like I can't yeah I won't yeah I don't have it You know Even i hope yeah When you're for sure Like if I'm gonna If I'm gonna go get a clip And I'm gonna go skate this spot Right And say oh I hope I get it Right Then I'm doing myself and I'm doing myself a disservice You're halfway out youre halfway out I go yo we're gonna meet up at this spot At this time And I'm gonna do this trick Right yeah And recently, I was skating the other day, and we're we were right about to go to a spot.
Speaker: And my friend Marcia was like, I'm like, yeah, we're go go to spot, and I'm going to try this trick. And he's like, ooh, be careful. And I got so mad at him. yeah I said, be careful of what?
Speaker: And he's like, I'm like, of what? I'm like, you don't think I am capable? Like, why are you? I said, don't push insecurities this way. I'm like, you know what? Matter of fact, go that way. Yeah. I was like joking with him. I was like go that way. Go on the other side of the park. I don't even want to look at you right now. You're upsetting me. If something that we both, because he's the same, he's very strong-minded and he's very like focused. If there's something that we know is that we don't think doubt. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker: don't have room for doubt. Yeah. You just. Hey, man. Yeah, yeah. Go over there with that. Yeah. So we just got to practice that. Yeah. I think I'm always a big preacher of PMA, positive mental attitude. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And I think that, you know, I mean, look, there are moments. Shout out, Toby. Yeah. Shout out.
Speaker: Yeah, because CM Punk, that's the only reason know that. But yeah, you got it from that. You got it from Toby. But I think like the only way, like, I mean, look, I have moments where I do have negative self-talk. Yeah, we're human. Yeah. We're allowed to do that. But it's like, I like proving myself wrong. Yeah.
Speaker: And that's where the positivity comes from. Like, I am optimistic of my ability, but yes, I do have self-doubt yeah and it's all, I mean, I'm working through it. Did you ever think about it this way?
Speaker: That every time that does happen, it's just the silver lining in in that is that you have a ah a positive mechanism that tests you from time to time so that when you do overcome that one fear,
Speaker: It's just reminding you of how how positive everything is. Because if you often just don't question, you need yin yang. Yeah. You need love, hate. Yeah. You need pain, happiness. Yeah. So oftentimes, no matter how headstrong you are, those doubts that creep in, those intrusive thoughts are just like your alarm, like an alert for you to pass so that you can charge your positivity.
Speaker: I never thought about that. I might have to sit with that one. yeah that's That's a good that's good... Right? The other day I was skating, that same day that Marcial put that stupid comment out there. ah yeah Oftentimes when I'm skating, ah you know, you're like, you know how good you are. You know how consistent you are at certain stuff. And i did a couple tricks that are really good. Like...
Speaker: Really, really good. And i did them. One was first try. The other one was like a couple tries. And Marcia was like, oh, hey why didn't you film it? like we We should film that. And I'm like, no, it's fine. That was for me. yeah That was for me. yeah As I was walking back, I'm like, I wonder if if I was filming it, would I hit that red light that this thing that happens to skaters as soon as you record it? Like they start saying it. I'm like, would I have overcame it fast or would I have gotten frustrated?
Speaker: And I think I wouldn't have, right? But like, it's also that you test yourself so you overcome so that you always know you're gonna do great. And then I took that same energy and I kept skating, I got, you know, I got the clip that I wanted and whatever. I didn't end up trying the trick that I got into it with him because I was like, he already, he already like kind of juju-ed it. And then by the time I wanted to try, my legs were shot anyway because i was trying to film this one clip. Uh-huh. Um, but I, I think that's what it is. Yeah. Because when you don't think you do, which is I did those two tricks. And then if I started to think would have that caught, would that have caused a ripple effect where I had to overcome.
Speaker: So either way i was going to do it. It's just the perspective of how you look at it. Right. your Jedi mind trick. My bad. I'm just like, I went like. I'm already here like, yeah. and then And then it was like, all right. But then what about this way? And then now you're like, I'm on. um You got me like three thoughts a ahead, row I did Inception, my bad.
Speaker: um i was like I'm like, you've got a point. And then it's like, yeah. But then I'll think about that point and then think about that point bigger. And I'm like, all right. The perspective is to always think positive. So if you always come back around and look at it as a test, even though maybe it was the hardship was hard. You pass the test. So the next time it happens, you know, you're going to pass. So even though those intrusive thoughts hit, you're like, I already won the game. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker: I get, I get, you're making me think about it, like, correctly, and I do have to, like, really sit with it, because then it's also just, like, kind of the idea of, like, maybe my brain's giving me, like, like, a foreshadowing of, like, you already got this, you know? so You know, you're you're you're already thinking about about it like it's already done or doing the thing that you're supposed to be doing correctly and in a positive light. But then you're just kind of like battling yourself to have to see if you see if you really about that life. But you know you really about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. it's a test. Yeah, exactly. I do want to know, yeah yeah because I'm going to have to segue this into the process of of your own signature shoe. Right? Because now were we're talking about that. you're thinking about... watch. Watch. I'm going to loop this around. Go ahead and I'll go... out Yeah.
Speaker: But you're talking about, you know, the process the process of like, yo, I'm going to... you know, do my thing. I'm a, I'm a, I'm a make sure that I'm creating something that I'm proud of. yeah Right. and In terms of just like clips or, you know, going through life. um And now you've got, you've been working on the shoot for three years. yeah i mean, this is what you're, I watched the video of you breaking the shoe down yeah also, but we you also were telling me and homie about it at ComplexCon. And I mean, I love the story. It's literally like, well, somebody asked me recently on Twitter, like, what's my favorite model ah that of this year? And I said yours. Oh, thank you. Because I just loved it. When you showed it to me, and I was like- Yeah, it's fly. I'm like, yo, this is fire. Wait till you put your foot in it. Yeah, I can't wait. can't wait. My favorite comment is people like, I'm not going to say it because, you know, I want you to experience it. I want to put that preconceived idea in your brain. But like, there's a thing that happens when you put your foot in the shoe that you go, oh, oh. All right. So so who approached who? Okay, so.
Speaker: We'll break it down ah in many, in many layers. So first off, by the time this is all happening, um thirty I'm going on Oh, no, I'm going on 38. Okay. And I'm still, you know, at the time I was getting Nikes for a very long time. Before that, I was ah New Balance. Before that, I was on Eyepath.
Speaker: ah Before that, I had my own pro shoe on Action, which is a paying homage to Jordan 11 low-top skate shoe. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah. It's called the Miho. ahhu um And so, for a very long time, I just was just like so focused on my career and stuff. So, I was making moves to be able to put myself in a situation where I can take care of myself, my family. and do that. So oftentimes when you do that in skateboarding and in and you don't play by by the rules of the people that are curating what is skating, they don't like that. So they keep you kind of on like on the outside. Oh really? Yeah, yeah. Because they curate it. But skating is counterculture. I know. I know. Trust me. I know. i but I'm about to put you on game. yeah and
Speaker: so But whatever. I was doing my thing. I show love to everybody. I show up and i give you my all and whatever. So At this point I'm just getting Nike for a long time ah from them and you know I'm so grateful because you know I got to skate a lot of shoes that I love like the P-Rod 7s, the NYCHA 2s, you know the Bruins. yeah and the In the ah This Is 40 clip, yeah there's a lot of you I was like damn skated those, you got this it was like the Spiridon, NYCHA 2s, Poet Blazers, poet blazer the poet ah Bruins yeah with the green swoosh all the way down to the sole.
Speaker: And at that point, I had filmed that part like six, seven months. That was during right after COVID. Well, during COVID, but as that was opening up. Yeah. And there was an image that went out ah on Instagram, this new brand that launched. It was called Rad. And there was image. It was like a cargo pant, like an olive green cargo pant. Yeah. With the shoe. But the way it was like positioned and like the photo, Spanish Mike had forwarded it to me. And he said, hey, is this you?
Speaker: And in my brain I'm like, bro, don't move without telling you anything. So for one, no. I don't even know think that. But then I see why. He's like, bro, this looks like your leg. It looks like your leg and it looks like it was you. But it's just weird because when I looked at him, like, he's right. Yeah. He's right. It looks like it would be leg. He's like, maybe I did take a picture. Yeah. Did they photoshop it? No, they didn't. And then I was like, no, no, but the shoes are cool. Like there were the V1s. They're like a training shoe.
Speaker: And he's like, I'm going to reach out to them. yeah And I was like, for sure. Like, you know, they look rad. No pun intended. Like, whatever. And then so he. Rad, rad is. Well, first, rad is a workout workout.
Speaker: it So Rad started ah in the CrossFit space. Yes, Rad is a CrossFit. yeah It's like the quote unquote Jordan of CrossFit. It's like a cool, multicolored, ah quick drops, quick strikes yeah shoe company that just took the the the that floor by storm because the owner Ben competed in the CrossFit Games.
Speaker: And he often complained about how the shoes were uncomfortable and they just, they were tacky looking. And he comes from like Beth and Nape Europe oh yeah sales team. Like, so he has, he's just cultured. That's fire. oh He's cultured. No wonder I like those. Yeah. He's cultured, man. It's cultured. Yeah. And so when he created the shoe, he knew what he was doing. Um,
Speaker: so then Mike hit him up they had a conversation with ah Ryan who's ah one of the owners as well I believe ah with Ben um and they they pretty much started the company together him and Ryan boom yeah so then now Mike is talking to Ryan And then Mike said, yo, I have this guy. name is Mary Santiago. Whoop-de-whoop. Yada-yada. They're like, yeah, we're we're we're interested in the skate space, but we don't we don't really know yet, but we're really interested. And Spanish is like, well, so you know I have the guy. right yeah like i have your guy and ryan's like yeah yeah you know no i said i have your this is the guy this is the guy so he talked talked to ben boom um they set up a meeting we had a meeting facetime uh i told him my story told him what i'm about told him you know who i am um obviously they did the research uh and then they told me about their company how they started it and how they funded it and And the whole thing and during COVID and when you shouldn't have started a business. No, facts. And did. and yeah he He's like me. he Once he wants something, he just goes away until it happens. yeah So he's the I started to really connect with his mindset.
Speaker: And then we went back and forth and then we created a contract and then that was that. And then I was the crossover skater that was going to be part of the global brand. yeah um And then I was going to help curate the skate part of it. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And then that that just was slowly happening. But the brand just started growing so fast. Right, yeah. Started picking up like crazy. Right, so like so fast. Yeah, yeah. They're five years. I'm there for i'm there for three three and some change.
Speaker: And they're going to be, I think it's January, it's five years. And so... It was like trying to curate the skate while the brand was growing. It was the coolest, most interesting journey, Because I get pulled in, I see samples of like all the new workouts of runners, you ah track shoes, yeah this, that, the V2. I'm just like, yo, this is like insane. They have offices in Portland. So I'm going, I visit my son and I go to the offices. That's awesome. Yeah. And then it was like, you know, we had my meeting for the shoe and some apparel stuff.
Speaker: And i knew what I wanted, just like how Ben knew what he wanted. So I went in there and I just said, I want this, this, I want this look like this. I want to feel like this. Most important is durability because I want kids to get a bang for their buck. u Second is like comfortability. I want it to be super comfortable. And I'm not worried about The fly aspect because you guys got that down to a T. So I'm like, everything's going to be good. And then ah between myself and Quinn Fernandez, who is the head designer of the shoe with me, we just he would he would he mocked up like 30 shoes, i kind of like based off shoes I liked. And then I picked one and then we just altered it until it was what I wanted. And then we talked materials, we talked spacing, we talked stitching, we colors, we talked hardness of gum, like the pla the the the clip. We talked about it all. so um
Speaker: Which in hindsight, it's funny that Quinn and designed my one of my best friends, Dave Baczynski's pro shoe at DBS. Oh, wow. And then he's designing mine. Yeah. Which is like, if that's not like a- That's circle. Yeah, if that's not a sign, I don't know what is. Yeah. So ah between that and then ah Ben always has the last say in everything. So then Ben came in, he's like, okay, i like this, I like that, da-da-da-da-da.
Speaker: You know, it's his brand and i i you know I respect what he wants to do because what he's saying is what I like. So I'm like, yeah, OK, cool. Signed everything off. Boom, got the sample. We only went through one real iteration of a sample. So we've made one sample.
Speaker: We adjusted it. And then that was the shoe. Yeah. Damn, man. You know, yeah how long how long did you skate it? I skated the shoe for about close to a, ah before it came out. Yeah.
Speaker: Uh, like you put it through the the ringer. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 100%. skated it for like, I want to say a little over a year, you know? Uh, and yeah, the I have yet to go through a pair. Yeah. I was going to say, yeah, it held up like crazy. Yeah. Yeah. I have only one friend. Only one friend.
Speaker: But it's because of the way he skates and how often he does the same trick. I've only seen one person like actually skate through the first layer. Okay.
Speaker: But like it's only because of the specific way he's skating. It's not how most people skate. Yeah. Like he's like he's literally probably doing like I don't know, a thousand kickflips a day. Jeez. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then in like a two week time. Yeah, it's done. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, you're just hitting that same area. Yeah, so he's the only one and we're talking like colossal. No one else has said anything. They fit a little snug, but that was on purpose because we want the shoe to feel secure and they do loosen up a tiny bit. So I like my shoes super snug. So if you don't like your your shoes too snug, then you just half a size up. But we say that on the website. Okay. Yeah. And then, yeah, so then we did the shoe. Yeah. And then not we built a team and now we're out and ah it's been one of the one of the best launches the company as a whole has had from the beginning. And now we're, what are we, September?
Speaker: We're only in October. Yeah, we're in October. We're about to be in November. the shoe hasn't even been out for two months and I already have, I'll have By the end of this month, I have eight colorways. Jeez. I mean, speaking of colorway, you brought a new colorway. Yeah, so the other day I posted, I did a complex Q&A thing. And I had like, it's called the slime. It's like a fluorescent yellow, fluorescent green, soft, soft green. With like a highlighted green bottom, but you see the red and black. And then what I have here, this drops, I think December December 1st. Okay. So one is for November 1st. The next one is December 1st. That'll be 10 colorways by the time. Jeez, man. You cooking. So yeah, yeah, yeah. We got We got it. We got it. We got it. So this one more
Speaker: subtle. can hold that. These are tough. what Oh, i love the purple. This is grape. Yeah. So like they this color is going to be called the zebra. The zebra. Yeah. The black and white with the soft, you know, the gray everywhere. And then you get like this cool like when you like. Nah. Yeah.
Speaker: and You get that and it's beautiful. That is fire, man. Yeah. You went crazy with these. yeah i really love these. Like this is to me, like when I think skate shoe, this is what what I'm seeing. Right. It's just like perfect.
Speaker: Well, what we were able to accomplish that I like is that it's like it's techie enough to be for skate, but it's also sleek enough that is for like everyday wear with a lot of outfits. Yeah. I'm like, look, this is a Jordan five bottom.
Speaker: When I look at it, I'm I'm like, I didn't even think about that. To be honest, I didn't even think about that. Yo, bro, come on, man. This is fire. You definitely, yeah, you went, the the the way you, I can't wait to try this one. It's structured. Feel that. like Yeah. Feel like,
Speaker: This is crazy, man. how' does it How does it feel to have your own shoe? ah like I know, you but this is different. like i you know you say You did your own signature model, this different. I had a signature model in the past, but not like this. no This is how it should be. yeah yeah like What we're doing at Raddus is how it should be. you know like and his Bro, beautiful.
Speaker: like it's it's Every day I'm so grateful. I see my friends skating in them. I see people everywhere all over the world posting them, watching the clips they sent me. and It's like... you know, not, not, not every skater, actually not many skaters, not actually 0.007 something will ever have a shoe. Right. So to be someone to have it and to have rad trust in me that much that they're going to give me a shoe, uh, means that I've done all the right things throughout my career. Yeah.
Speaker: So that all those intrusive negative thoughts the last, you know, 10 years of like that I always had to go now, it's going to happen. You just got to keep working now that those tests of keep going.
Speaker: This is the silver lining. Yeah. I was for this. Look, I i i want to see these in the Olympics. You know what saying? We got to 100%. 28, man. That's what we're working for right now. You know, I got to get back to LA and start training cause i go to Tokyo. Yeah. Which I'll be skating these in Tokyo. um But yeah, bro, it's... It's crazy, man. I can't even... I can't believe I'm about to sit in front... Well, I'm sitting in front of an Olympian. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. One time. Yeah, we already did that. Yeah, yeah. Trying to two-time, gang. Yeah, exactly. yeah i'm Trying to go two-time. So we're towards the end of the podcast, but I have one last question that deals with a little visualization. Yeah. um I want you think back to...
Speaker: Let's do the Team Jordans. All right? So you're young Manny. He's about to get them t Team Jordans, right? Now you're old Manny behind you. Well, current Manny behind young Manny. And as he's about to open that box, what would you tell him as he opens that box?
Speaker: I would tell him to just never change. Never change for anyone and and follow your heart. Because that's, you yeah you're often going to be the best version of yourself if you don't change for others and you ultimately follow what you want to do with your life.
Speaker: And along the road, it will be hard along the road. It'll be a lot of lone nights along the road. It's going, you'll question if it's the right decision.
Speaker: But ultimately, when you look back, you realize that every decision you've ever made led you to the person that you will love that you became. I love who I am. Yeah. And I love where I'm at. Yeah. And I continue to blossom. And there's so many more chapters in my life. So I would just tell him, follow your heart and don't change for nobody. Yeah.
Speaker: That's beautiful, man. A lot of people listening, they're probably crying right now. I'm lucky I just started crying damn I thought like bro don't cry Don't cry tomorrow Don't cry mean man look you you make first of all you gotta say you made you are making your parents proud you're making your country proud right like you my best you know currently Puerto Rico is going through tough times and I definitely want to call that out yeah um you know Bad Bunny is trying to do as much as he can yeah one person yeah um a lot of people in Puerto Rico going through not having power, having water. Like, it's like, you know, the way that the U.S. government has been treating Puerto Rico like it's not part of the U.S. is insane. And I think, you know, you can only do as much as you can. And so we can only bring awareness. And, you know, I'm excited to see what you do in the Olympics. I'm excited to see, you know, what you do with these as well. And yeah, man. 30 more colors by the end of 2020. That's what we doing. Get your cash right. Get your cash right. Was retail on this? 110. 110, yeah. And that was another thing. Affordable, bro. I wanted tell that's another thing.
Speaker: This shoe, for how it's built and the technology and everything, like this shoe should this shoe should be like 130. Yeah, yeah. And like ah one of the things that I spoke with the owner is like I know that I'm willing to take a hit on the shoe if people could afford it. And skaters are not going to want to pay that right now until they understand what the value of the shoe is. And ah he had to go back and talk to like the masses at the brand. Oh, yeah. And he just came back and he's like, 110 it is?
Speaker: Fire. So like, Rad is for the skate community. Yeah. The owner cares a lot about everything he's invested in. And as a collective... we all want to rally against destruction, which is what the company stands for. That's sick, man. That's the common goal right there, bro. This is kismet, man. Yeah, you know. meant to be, man. And I hope in the future to do collaborative stuff with the shoe with other people, like designers and stuff. I want to get into that, you know? I mean, look. Hit up Manny. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? He answers DMs. Yeah. This is how we got here. If we did a Tiffany Manny one, we'll go crazy. Yo. Nick loves to shoot. Nick loves to shoot. He has three pairs. But imagine we did a Tiffany color. Yo, bro. Oh, man. I need that.
Speaker: I need that. I mean, you could do it. Yeah, that's my fault. I could just text it, but saying, like, I want... Staple, you get a staple one. all of I want it Yeah, everybody. You get a Mr. Stache. I want it all, gang. i might i my I might have to help you. Yeah. I got you. ah But, yeah, he also, quick note, you know, ah what's fire? Because he talked about this when you stopped me, and homie, your logo. Yes, that's one thing I one thing i was, like, persistent on yeah is I wanted an icon logo because I feel like...
Speaker: people who get a signature shoe deserve the list. Yes. Not just your name on a shoe, but you should have something that for people to identify with with you. Like a basketball player. Yeah. Like Kyrie got his. He was my example way with his ounce of shoe. like I said, look, see what they did right here? I want to do, and I sent them a bunch of like KDs and a bunch of, and I said, I want like an M logo that's going to represent me. And they're like, you know, they're like, what represents you? And I said, well, for first and foremost, Puerto Rico. Yeah. ah I'm really really in tune and love like our native Taino culture. So I wanted to have like some type of Taino, like a feather or something. I wanted to represent like um my son, like my you know like whatever. And they were like, all right. So they came back and they they did this logo and the end the and and it's broken down how they did it. And it was like, the the wave they're like waves and claws for this dragon story I tell.
Speaker: and then there are also ways because my son is ocean and then not only is it an m but then it's also a s yeah and then like if you go this way it's the five stripes from the puerto rican yeah man this is fire like that like the logo has so much you know stands it stands for everything that i am which is hard working persistent and uh empathetic you know like beautiful man love beautiful let everybody know where to find you ah You can everywhere Manny Santiago Manny's World on YouTube And then just Rad Global Rad ah Skateboarding And yeah Follow the journey Because it's very Very very far from over Yeah Look you do You're definitely going to be back too Yeah yeah yeah i do We got when we do We got to do another one We got to do another you know where find me Who is Hassan on social media Just follow the podcast On My First Kicks Pod Hit me up
Speaker: Info at MyFirstKicks.com. Would love to read ah My First Kick story to my guest. Also, I got shirts. I got merch. Hit me up. Buy the merch. Buy the merch. Also, if you've never had a ah skate shoe, this could be your first skate kicks. Yes. how I did that? Yes, I see you. I'm kicking to myself and do the outro. Peace. I hope you enjoyed this week's episode with Manny Santiago. Man, this week, as you can tell, doing this, this is the first time I ever recorded the the the the outro in the studio, but I'm waiting for my guest for this week's episode, and i might as well just get this in here. Did some really cool stuff today with a a partnership, something. I don't know. I can't talk about it. But... But but ah we ended up in the studio and before the episode, so got some time. um Wanted to do outro, but this week's episode with Manny Santiago was really dope. um
Speaker: Kind of like a full circle moment of seeing him in the back of a FaceTime when Paco called Spanish Mike and how that led to basically this episode. And I think what's really dope about what he was representing and is does represent each and every day when he goes skate is just himself and his confidence and the ability to not take, you know, no as an answer or to to move negativity out of his mind um in order to make sure that he's positively being of service or helping people or even just getting the clips that he wants to get when he's skating. I think he's
Speaker: an amazing skater. He's super duper dope. and And once I got the chance to talk to him about his process and how he got to where he is and how that led to his signature shoes, skating the Olympics and, and dropping, getting the chance to drop his own shoe with rad. It's been like Super eye opening for me ever since that episode and my continuously just trying to, you know, we're going to the road to 300 like this is crazy. We were we're on the pathway um and ah my approach to just trying to make sure that episode 300 is going to be this.
Speaker: iss gonna I think is going to make the biggest statement that I can make. um Guest book. Like, I can't wait to to to chat. And i think it's like once I i come into the I'm coming to the realization of how how much I believed in myself and it and believe in myself making things come true. Like I spent a lot of time pushing my aspirations or inspirations and down ah just into.
Speaker: just for the chance to just always have safety or a safe net or just being afraid of trying to to get somewhere um because i was more worried about the uncertainty of not and not being able to provide or have a roof over my head or, ah you know, I think the biggest thing that always scared me was like, what if it fails? And so a lot of this conversation really woke that up inside of me about about just really betting on myself. And like, even when I think about the earlier days of this podcast and how I preached betting on myself and how I preached trying to make sure that like I'm doing this for the right
Speaker: causes or whatever I believe is, you know, what we need and are missing within this community. I've always, always felt like I needed to do more. I needed to to push forward more or I needed to put myself more into this. And so hearing how Manny was just so gung ho about skating, like he had a job and still skated at lunch, like He had a job and was like, you know what? Now I'm make sure I'm a GoPro. Like he's now one of the biggest skaters that, especially out of Puerto Rico, like he's been able to become such a huge impact and him, you know, sitting with me and giving me the the time of day was legendary. And I thought that like, once I,
Speaker: I became somebody that believed in myself. And then that was something more eyeopening for me as well. And I do implore people. I mean, if you, if you listen to last week's outro,
Speaker: I implore people to definitely find themselves. Right. And I've always struggled with that. And i guess this is continuation from last week, but like I always struggled with that and how that affected my mentality of like, oh, maybe I should be this career professional or maybe I should be this. And so.
Speaker: Ever since like, I don't know, episode 250 or something like that, I've been really trying to buy into this, the identity of me as a podcaster first.
Speaker: And how do I portray that? and be confident in that. And, and I, I, I have to give credit to everybody that listens to this and, and hits me up and messages me and, and talks to me, um, about my process or what am I doing and how I'm confident, or even just wanting to be on an episode or to tell me how they loved the episode. Like, A lot of that helps me realign myself into what I feel is me be confidently a podcaster or me being confident in you know presenting myself as the host of this podcast. and so just been a lot of soul searching into this journey to episode 300. And i you know, one thing that's always true when it comes to these episodes, when it comes to this podcast is that, you know, it doesn't matter if it's me taking something away from this or you taking something away from this, from these conversations. I know somebody's learning. I know somebody is, you know, looking at hearing about a different perspective that pushes them forward. I know i know something that i know it's something that once the
Speaker: the dust settles across whatever journey that you're trying to pursue, that you will come across the other side, a better person or closer to whatever goal you have set up. And, and I hope, you know, one of these conversations, one of these many 300 conversations has helped you get to that, to that goal.
Speaker: So, but, you know That's my my end ramble for now. i appreciate y'all for tapping into this week's podcast, but let's do the Patreon shoutouts. And you too can be shouted out at the end of a Patreon episode by signing up for patreon.com slash myfirstkicks. So let's do it. We got Adam Neustadar. We got Ross Adams. We got Jordan Kaiser. We got Samir Grandpierre. We got Plox. We've got Brett. We've got ah Derek Hawkins. We have...
Speaker: um of Creative Mind Studios, I think it was. um We have Jeb. Shout out Jeb. newer Newer Patreon patron. um We have... I'm blanking again. Here we go. it happens again. i was going to look it up. My bad. But...
Speaker: Uh, appreciate y'all for, sign up for the Patreon, patreon.com slash my first kicks. You get a shout out, you get extra content. I got more content coming up. Don't forget to, to subscribe to the sub stack. I got sub stack. Who is Haas. Substack.com. If you want to read some of my writings, um,
Speaker: that is coming got a new one coming about black forward forum that i i still need to put that out um on top of that don't forget cop a shirt don't forget about that um and write into me i would love to read more my first kick stories so hit me up info at myfirstkicks.com and of course we got a just Just hit your boy up. But appreciate y'all for tapping in.
Speaker: As you know, what we say each week, don't forget to wear your kick.
