ADAM COLEMAN | Don't Fear the Mob: Navigating Faith and Influence

Will Spencer: 00:00:40

Hello, my name is Will Spencer, and welcome to the Will Spencer Podcast.

Will Spencer: 00:00:43

This is a weekly show featuring in depth conversations with authors, leaders and influencers who help us understand our changing world.

Will Spencer: 00:00:51

New episodes release every Friday.

Will Spencer: 00:00:54

My guest this week is Adam Coleman, founder of Wrong Speak publishing, contributor to the New York Post, Newsweek, and Daily Mail, and the author of From Black Victim to Black Identifying the ideologies, behavioral patterns, and cultural norms that encourage a victimhood complex.

Will Spencer: 00:01:12

Having a social media platform carries real responsibility.

Will Spencer: 00:01:16

Sure, there's always the temptation to post hot takes, crying videos, or pure clickbait.

Will Spencer: 00:01:22

And if you think engagement is a drug, influence is something else entirely.

Will Spencer: 00:01:26

But behind every social media post, or human beings, lots of them, yes, there are bots, federal agents, and trolls who want you gone.

Will Spencer: 00:01:35

But mixed in are actual people made in God's image, who we can edify, inspire, and even lead to Christ.

Will Spencer: 00:01:42

This January, I wrote a tweet about India that got 23 million views.

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about the laundry gets around: 1500

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or: 6000

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Something viral might reach tens or even hundreds of thousands.

Will Spencer: 00:01:59

But 23 million?

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That's the entire population of Florida, which means my tweet went truly global.

Will Spencer: 00:02:06

That tweet, by God's grace, doubled my Twitter followers overnight to 28,000.

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Combined with Instagram and YouTube, it's given me a mega microphone and a significant status.

Will Spencer: 00:02:18

I've been soul searching about this power to reach millions with something I wrote at a burger shop.

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Now I've concluded that a platform is God's gift.

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No one can force a viral tweet.

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It's God's sovereignty.

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Working through the algorithm, he chooses what spreads and who sees it, including you.

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Right now.

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Maybe that's too granular, but I see no other way to view it, especially when believing that work is worship, which I do.

Will Spencer: 00:02:45

In other words, I see your attention as a gift that I'm called to steward.

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You could be doing literally anything else right now, so thank you very much for being here.

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The question then becomes, what am I going to do with that attention?

Will Spencer: 00:03:00

In a way that glorifies God, the temptation of social media is to glorify ourselves, our opinions, our wit, our bodies, our wealth, and more.

Will Spencer: 00:03:09

But a post Millennial mindset calls us to build Christ's kingdom online as much as anywhere, starting with how and why we speak through these digital microphones.

Will Spencer: 00:03:19

It's a bit like the question, if I pull the sword from the stone, will I become a tyrant?

Will Spencer: 00:03:25

Social media instead asks, with this platform, will I speak the truth in love.

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Which brings me back to my guest, Adam Coleman.

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Despite Wrong Speak's name, he's not trying to be provocative.

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He's thoughtful, wanting to humanize social media and extend more grace.

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He encourages men taking responsibility for what we post.

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Now, some might say this approach will fail when it's easier to attack those we disagree with, but Adam's massive Twitter following suggests otherwise.

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Through Wrong Speak publishing, Adam is meeting a crucial need.

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He demonstrates that speaking the truth in love can still have an impact when it's seasoned with salt, so to speak.

Will Spencer: 00:04:04

It's like a combination of the earthly and the divine, which I think is a model that will edify, inspire, and perhaps even sanctify us.

Will Spencer: 00:04:13

If you enjoy this podcast, thank you.

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You can become a paid subscriber@willspencerpod.substack.com for ad free interviews and other perks or click Buy Me a Coffee in the show Notes.

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But most importantly, please support our advertisers.

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Your purchases will help build multigenerational wealth in the Christian community as we work to rebuild a Christian foundation for the West.

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One quick note before we begin.

Will Spencer: 00:04:46

There were some recording errors that my platform couldn't repair.

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While they're mostly minor, some listeners might notice them.

Will Spencer: 00:04:54

I considered re recording, but there are some powerful moments here that really show who Adam is.

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Moments I didn't think we could recapture.

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Lightning in a bottle, you might say.

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So I chose to keep this conversation intact, trusting that the truth will shine through.

Will Spencer: 00:05:09

Let me know if you think this was the right call at infoon of men.com and please welcome this week's guest on the podcast, the founder of Wrong Speak Publishing and the author of From Black Victim to Black Victor Adam Coleman.

Will Spencer: 00:05:27

Adam, thanks so much for joining me on the podcast today.

Adam Coleman: 00:05:30

My pleasure.

Adam Coleman: 00:05:30

Thanks for inviting me on.

Will Spencer: 00:05:33

We followed each other on Twitter for a while and I think last week we connected over some political stuff and I just reached out on a lark to see if you wanted to come on and have a chat and this week turned out to be the good one.

Will Spencer: 00:05:43

So I'm really looking forward to this conversation.

Will Spencer: 00:05:45

I've gone through a lot of your writing and your tweets and I think we have a lot of great stuff to talk about.

Adam Coleman: 00:05:52

Yeah, I'm looking forward to.

Adam Coleman: 00:05:53

Actually, I'm glad that you did reach out.

Will Spencer: 00:05:56

So I think the first question that I wanted to start with is I actually have a lot of questions about your book because we're in this hypercharged political environment where we have, on one side, we have victim ideologies in all of its various forms.

Will Spencer: 00:06:11

On one side of the political equation, it feels like, and on the other side of the political equation, we have personal empowerment, self development, self determination.

Will Spencer: 00:06:20

And it seems like these attitudes have super crystallized on both the left and the right.

Will Spencer: 00:06:24

And into that you have this book that's speaking right into an experience of the black community that I think a lot of people need to hear.

Will Spencer: 00:06:31

So I wonder if we can just start by talking about what inspired the book and kind of what's in it and also the success you've had with it.

Adam Coleman: 00:06:39

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 00:06:40

So what inspired it, I guess, is the events of George Floyd.

Adam Coleman: 00:06:45

Not necessarily his death, but the reaction to his death and the narratives that kind of spring from it.

Adam Coleman: 00:06:52

And it was one of the first times where I felt like I wasn't allowed to express myself.

Adam Coleman: 00:06:58

Rather than me choosing not to express myself, the book became a.

Adam Coleman: 00:07:06

What's the best word I'm looking for?

Adam Coleman: 00:07:08

I guess it became a byproduct of finally finding my voice.

Adam Coleman: 00:07:14

I initially went on to different free speech forums to first find out if I'm crazy.

Adam Coleman: 00:07:19

Like, am I the only one who sees, like, this is bullshit?

Adam Coleman: 00:07:24

Am I the only one that's trying to make sense of this?

Adam Coleman: 00:07:27

And I was able to articulate it well.

Adam Coleman: 00:07:29

And I got encouragement from people to write more often because of it.

Adam Coleman: 00:07:34

And I remember having an idea of writing book as like a legacy thing for my son, but I didn't know what to write about.

Adam Coleman: 00:07:42

And so I was like, I think this is it.

Adam Coleman: 00:07:44

You know, a matter of fact, one of the people who's encouraging me was a pastor.

Adam Coleman: 00:07:49

I believe he was out in Illinois.

Adam Coleman: 00:07:52

He was very supportive of my writings and he encouraged me too.

Adam Coleman: 00:07:58

And though people understand at the time, I wouldn't necessarily have.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:03

I was just coming out of being agnostic and willing to acknowledge that God exists.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:08

But I wasn't.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:09

I wasn't a Christian at that point.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:11

So having, and this is a reoccurring theme since then, having Christians reach out to me in a heartfelt way was extremely beneficial throughout this particular journey.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:22

But just as a side note, but that's kind of what started the journey to writing a book.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:29

It took me about nine months, start to finish.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:34

I self published it.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:35

I had zero expectations.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:38

My background's in id.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:39

I was an IT manager for small business.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:42

My career was going fine.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:45

I wasn't trying to switch careers or do anything like that.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:47

I just wanted to write a book.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:50

And I would have been happy if, you know, 20 people outside of my friends and family bought it and liked it.

Adam Coleman: 00:08:57

And, you know, the 20 people have turned into thousands since and, you know, turned into writing opportunities from major publications.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:09

Actually, just before we came on here, I just got the final edit for my latest piece for the Europe Post.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:18

You know, and writing for them for the past two years has been, like, an unsuspected blessing.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:27

One of the funny things, while I was writing the book, I had a friend that I was talking to on Facebook, and she was like, you should.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:34

You should write an article for the New York Post.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:36

And I was like, it would never have me.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:39

You know, it's just like.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:42

And.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:42

And what's hilarious about connecting with New York Post, I was even trying to.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:46

It was kind of accident.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:48

I had an article that was rejected somewhere else, and I was like, maybe the New York Post have me.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:53

And I just name dropped somebody.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:54

And that's how it all began.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:56

So, yeah.

Adam Coleman: 00:09:59

So to kind of answer your question, that's how I initially started.

Adam Coleman: 00:10:04

Expectations were extremely low, and they're still low, which is why I'm always happy, because I expect nothing from this.

Adam Coleman: 00:10:12

st number of years now, since: 2020

Will Spencer: 00:10:26

space that you were in during: 2020

Will Spencer: 00:10:32

I was in a similar space.

Will Spencer: 00:10:33

I wasn't a Christian yet, but the events around George Floyd kind of played into that.

Will Spencer: 00:10:38

The process of writing the book, like, what you felt you were crazy about, but then also kind of the process of going from like an IT manager at a small company to a public figure.

Will Spencer: 00:10:47

Like, that wasn't something that you were seeking.

Will Spencer: 00:10:49

And I imagine maybe I'll ask about that first.

Will Spencer: 00:10:51

It wasn't something that maybe came naturally to you, or was it?

Adam Coleman: 00:10:56

You know, it's very interesting because while writing the book, obviously, like, the pandemic is going on.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:06

I'm watching the news, and everything's crazy.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:08

Yeah, people are being canceled and all this other stuff.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:10

I didn't tell anybody that I was writing my book, except for a handful of people.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:16

I didn't even tell my mother.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:17

I didn't tell my sister.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:18

I didn't tell any of my family.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:21

My wife knew, a couple of my friends knew.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:24

And I would send them bits and pieces of chapters.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:28

I was Writing as I was writing it, see what they thought.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:32

But after that, I didn't tell anybody.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:33

I didn't tell my job.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:34

I didn't tell anyone.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:35

And throughout that time, I was mentally prepared.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:39

And I also let my.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:42

She's my wife now, but she's my girlfriend at the time.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:45

I let her know that there's possibility I could lose my job because of this.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:51

You know, there may be people who are going to be really pissed off with me who want to leave me.

Adam Coleman: 00:11:56

Friends, family, I don't know.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:00

But I was so comfortable with myself that I was okay with that.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:03

I felt the need.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:04

This is what I'm supposed to be doing.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:07

It's okay if I do this, because if I don't do it, I feel like I'll be letting myself down in many ways letting my son down.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:15

So as far as preparing myself to be a public figure, I was comfortable because I had settled with the idea of receiving public scrutiny months prior to even publishing the book, and even personal scrutiny.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:32

I was prepared for that.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:33

And I was okay with that by the time the book was published.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:36

So when I get people who come after me, usually it's not even for the book.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:41

It's some weirdos online.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:44

But when I get racial hatred, when I get, you know, calling and stuff like that, I am so comfortable with myself and what I say in my decisions.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:54

Not that I'm always right, but I'm saying it for particular reason.

Adam Coleman: 00:12:58

I could be wrong, but I'm so comfortable with myself that these things don't bother me whatsoever.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:06

And for people to understand my background, where I.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:09

Where I've come from and all the things that I've overcome personally, like losing my job wouldn't be the first time I lost my job.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:18

And I'm still here and I'm okay.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:21

Losing some friends wouldn't be the first time I lost some friends.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:24

It's okay.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:24

I'm still here.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:26

Your mean words on the Internet for stranger that I don't know, you know, it's like that.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:31

These things don't bother me whatsoever.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:33

So I don't fear the mob.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:36

I don't fear being canceled or anything like that.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:39

And even more so that now that I'm a Christian, I am.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:43

I'm especially fearless because I know Jesus Christ is bomb side.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:51

And even looking back, I know he's always been there.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:53

So, yeah, I wasn't prepared necessarily to be a public figure because I didn't.

Adam Coleman: 00:13:59

I didn't think I would find anywhere close to the success that I've been.

Adam Coleman: 00:14:05

I've Been blessed to have, but I wasn't afraid of it either.

Will Spencer: 00:14:11

Well, praise God.

Will Spencer: 00:14:12

I can relate to some of that.

Will Spencer: 00:14:14

I came out of the new age and sort of the spiritual communities, and I had a feeling that speaking up on behalf of Christ would be costly.

Will Spencer: 00:14:21

But I knew who I was.

Will Spencer: 00:14:22

I knew what I had been through.

Will Spencer: 00:14:24

I knew what I had to say.

Will Spencer: 00:14:25

And when you have that unshakable inner core of self knowledge, like real self knowledge, acknowledges the good and the bad and the past and all these things, it's much easier to speak up on behalf of these things because, as you said, you know, the mean words on the Internet, they don't really land.

Will Spencer: 00:14:41

And that's the real virtue of integrity, right?

Adam Coleman: 00:14:44

Yeah, exactly.

Adam Coleman: 00:14:46

When you're.

Adam Coleman: 00:14:47

When you're secure with yourself, like all these things, like, I've become very, very aware of people who are insecure because I've been insecure.

Adam Coleman: 00:14:59

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:00

And we're insecure.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:01

The outside world bothers you, right?

Adam Coleman: 00:15:04

The outside world can sway your emotions easily.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:10

How you gain value is off of something that you bought, off of what someone says to you.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:16

You know, it's.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:17

Everything is external.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:19

If women validate you, you know, everything is external.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:23

And so when you're comfortable with yourself and you're confident, which.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:27

Which I am, you know, which took me decades to even come to this point, like, those things don't bother me.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:35

You know, those things bother me.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:36

Like, I am not.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:37

I'm not desperate for this.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:38

I'm not desperate for that.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:40

Even when I was dating my wife, I wasn't desperate that she wouldn't leave.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:45

I wasn't.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:46

I wasn't feeling that particular way.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:49

I was confident.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:50

And I was saying I was doing things like saying I was actually vetting my wife.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:57

And we've talked about this, so this is not new to her.

Adam Coleman: 00:15:59

But I asked her particular questions because I wanted to know.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:03

Because I want to marry her, but I wanted to know for sure that this is what she wants, because this is what I want.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:08

So we need to be on the same page.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:11

But I had never done it before because I was always insecure.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:14

I was.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:14

Well, whatever she wants, I don't want her to leave.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:16

Right.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:17

Everything is in reaction to that.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:19

So I just say all that to say that I'm completely comfortable with myself.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:24

I'm comfortable with what I put out there.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:28

And I kind of welcome the people who criticize me because often the criticisms are unfounded criticisms.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:37

They're not legitimate.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:38

They're not pointing out where I actually was wrong.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:41

And they make sense.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:42

Oh, okay, yeah, I was wrong here.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:44

They're usually just attacks, and I call it the attacking the Avatar.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:51

Right.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:52

They're not attacking you.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:53

They're attacking what you represent.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:56

And so I don't.

Adam Coleman: 00:16:57

I especially then, I don't take a personal.

Adam Coleman: 00:17:00

You know, you always know when they're taking the Avatar, when they attack something that you never said, you never claimed.

Adam Coleman: 00:17:06

You know, things like that.

Adam Coleman: 00:17:08

It's like, oh, okay, I see what's happening here.

Adam Coleman: 00:17:10

So, yeah.

Will Spencer: 00:17:14

One of the things that I read on one of your Twitter threads was that you actually, you hadn't seen your father since you were 16, or maybe he had passed away when you were 16.

Will Spencer: 00:17:24

And so that's a pretty remarkable accomplishment to be able to find that inner self, knowing that confidence, and growing up fatherless and then to have your father pass away.

Will Spencer: 00:17:35

This is.

Will Spencer: 00:17:36

This is brilliant because I look to talk to men who have been through this journey.

Will Spencer: 00:17:40

It's.

Will Spencer: 00:17:40

It's one that I think many other men, many, many other men need to go on.

Will Spencer: 00:17:44

So maybe can you talk a little bit about how you develop that confidence, going from essentially a fatherless situation to finding yourself in this place?

Will Spencer: 00:17:51

Because more men need to figure out how to get themselves to where you are.

Adam Coleman: 00:17:57

Like I said, it took decades.

Adam Coleman: 00:17:59

I spent the vast majority of my life feeling unsure about myself, questioning myself, insecure, not trusting myself.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:09

You know, I've told people, you know, I turned 40 August 1st.

Will Spencer: 00:18:14

Happy birthday.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:15

Thank you.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:18

I told someone I probably didn't become a man until I was about 34.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:26

Right.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:27

And people are like, what do you mean by that?

Adam Coleman: 00:18:29

But like, where I felt.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:31

I started feeling.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:31

Sure.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:32

In myself, like, what I was doing, you know, so as far as that.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:39

That particular journey, there were.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:42

There were big pivotal points.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:44

Two of those points was therapy.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:48

I.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:50

I was suffering from panic attacks at one point at a job that I was.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:55

That I had at a telecommunications company.

Adam Coleman: 00:18:57

And I went on leave because, you know, my job was to help me, you know, to alter my role, you know, to kind of alleviate the stress that I was feeling.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:10

And then one day I was at home, and I knew I needed to leave to do something like an errand.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:17

And I felt scared to leave my house.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:19

And it was the first time I ever felt scared.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:21

Not lazy, but just, like, scared.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:24

And I said, oh, no, that's not good.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:29

And so I immediately looked for a therapist.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:33

And I went to that therapist for a number of months.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:40

But my first sessions, I think for the first month, I went three times a week, if I remember correctly.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:49

Wow.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:49

Because every time I Went because I thought I was going there because of my job.

Adam Coleman: 00:19:55

But every time I went, I was going way back in my past for things that were unresolved.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:00

And I was.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:02

I think I cried in every session for three weeks straight, like, yeah.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:06

And the person that was my therapist at the time, she was very motherly.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:13

And I felt comfortable doing that in front of her.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:17

But I needed to go through that.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:19

I needed to resolve these things, needed to not have extreme anger or resentment or anything towards my father.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:29

You know, I had some issues with my mother as well, and I had to learn to kind of deal with some of these things as well.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:36

So, you know, therapy was a really big step.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:40

Another big thing for me was I had.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:46

I mean, there's just so much, so many things, because it took such a long time.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:51

But one of the big, pivotal things was actually I had social anxiety.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:55

But I didn't realize I had social anxiety.

Adam Coleman: 00:20:58

It just felt like it was part of me.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:01

Like, it, you know, oh, I'm just like this, you know, so you don't even question it.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:06

And it wasn't until after a bad breakup, I had moved back home.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:11

And I was like, you know what?

Adam Coleman: 00:21:14

Let me try to rediscover myself, because I felt lost in that relationship.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:18

You know, it's one of those relationships where you did everything she wanted to do.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:21

You were around her family, everything surrounding her life, and then all that's taken away.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:27

You don't know who you are.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:28

Like, what do I even like doing?

Adam Coleman: 00:21:31

So to kind of like, rediscover myself and my interests and things like that.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:36

I was curious about learning German, so I started learning German.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:39

And then I always wanted to go to Europe, so I planned a trip to go to Europe.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:46

And I was like, I'm going.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:48

And you know, the kind of the cliff version after.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:52

I wasn't supposed to go alone.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:53

I was supposed to go with someone.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:55

They weren't able to go, but I still had bought my ticket on.

Adam Coleman: 00:21:58

I was like, I'm still going, but bouncing around Europe by myself where everything is different.

Adam Coleman: 00:22:06

I've never been to anywhere.

Adam Coleman: 00:22:08

At these places I know anyone.

Adam Coleman: 00:22:10

And accomplishing all that.

Adam Coleman: 00:22:12

And when I came back home, I felt at peace because what I didn't realize, it was kind of like throw me in the deep end.

Adam Coleman: 00:22:22

And I learned how to swim in that particular way.

Adam Coleman: 00:22:25

And I wasn't afraid of water.

Adam Coleman: 00:22:28

And so after experiencing that, I was kind of like, I'm not scared, and I want to go through that feeling of discovering new things.

Adam Coleman: 00:22:38

And so I just kept traveling I kept traveling, and then I'd go to new places, and then I would meet people and I became friends with people, and then I would go back to the same places.

Adam Coleman: 00:22:49

So, like, I've been to Berlin six, seven times, made friends with some people there, to Barcelona three or four times.

Adam Coleman: 00:22:59

I can't remember now.

Adam Coleman: 00:23:00

That's how many times I've been.

Adam Coleman: 00:23:00

I just lose track, you know, I've been to a bunch of different places on repeat because I met people.

Adam Coleman: 00:23:06

And then I've had a couple of fortunate situations where some of those people actually came to the United States and I hosted them at my home, you know, so, like, I've made really good connections with people, and that's when I really started understanding one not to be scared of the world, and teaching my son not to be scared of the world and learning that there's more to this than just myself, because it's about the.

Adam Coleman: 00:23:34

It's about the connections.

Adam Coleman: 00:23:35

It's about the human connections.

Adam Coleman: 00:23:37

You know, I had a travel blog for a short period of time, and the subtitle was It's About Human Connection.

Adam Coleman: 00:23:44

And I really started to understand that.

Adam Coleman: 00:23:47

And for me, traveling wasn't a superficial thing where I come back to people, all the places that I went and take Instagram photos, but I went back to places because I really like these people.

Adam Coleman: 00:23:57

I wanted to learn more about the people.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:00

I had deep conversations with individuals that I met one time and never saw again.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:06

You know, it's so many profound experiences, so many stories just from traveling by myself that, you know, I.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:15

I'm so grateful that I was able to experience.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:18

And now I get to share that with my wife, who never traveled before me, and the way.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:23

Especially in the way that I travel, and she's got me, my friends, and then obviously doing stuff like this.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:29

I've met an Italian friend that I met from Twitter after doing all this, and we went to Milan and they showed us around.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:37

And then my wife had to go to Milan for work, and they met up, and I'm not even there.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:42

And so we have these Italian friends who are like, yes, please come show you around.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:46

You know, it's.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:47

It's the beauty of humanity.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:50

And I feel like sometimes we don't cherish that, but there's so many good people who are out there.

Adam Coleman: 00:24:57

There's so many deep connections that we can develop, and it's enriching to the soul.

Will Spencer: 00:25:04

Amen.

Will Spencer: 00:25:04

Well, this, I think my listeners will probably understand that in some ways, it feels like a little bit like looking into a mirror, slightly Because a lot of this is my story as well.

Will Spencer: 00:25:14

Spent a couple of years in therapy, crying every week, grieving essentially, over which I think is a very natural thing to do for both men and women to grieve.

Will Spencer: 00:25:23

But we have so few places to do it.

Will Spencer: 00:25:25

There's a great book by Robert Bly called Iron John, which sort of started the men's movement way back in the 80s, and he talks about grief as a doorway to men's deep feeling.

Will Spencer: 00:25:36

And men need space to grieve over our losses.

Will Spencer: 00:25:39

We take losses or we grow up in an environment where we lose and we have to.

Will Spencer: 00:25:42

We get a chance to grieve that.

Will Spencer: 00:25:43

But there are no spaces for men to do that.

Will Spencer: 00:25:45

So the conversation around men's vulnerability involves showing more emotion, et cetera.

Will Spencer: 00:25:50

Yes, but really that needs to be expressed in the form of grief, privately private grieving.

Will Spencer: 00:25:56

And that opens up so much inner freedom for men to feel.

Will Spencer: 00:25:59

And then I can also relate very much to travel because that was my story as well.

Will Spencer: 00:26:04

Going and testing myself against the world.

Will Spencer: 00:26:06

Less so with the deep connections and more climbing mountains and sailing oceans.

Will Spencer: 00:26:10

But I recommend travel to men if they can take the opportunity to go and find out who they are with really no constraints.

Will Spencer: 00:26:17

It's a great.

Will Spencer: 00:26:18

It can be a great teacher if you approach it the right way respectfully, not for self aggrandizement, which of course I'm sure you know, is a great deal of travelers out there.

Will Spencer: 00:26:27

So what an incredible story that.

Will Spencer: 00:26:30

That you got to do those things.

Will Spencer: 00:26:32

And I guess regarding the human connections in your travel blog, you know, one of the things that I noticed was that, like, there aren't a lot of African Americans traveling.

Will Spencer: 00:26:44

Like, I was on the road for a while.

Will Spencer: 00:26:46

So what was that like for you, going out there into the world?

Will Spencer: 00:26:49

Because one of the things I found is there's such intense curiosity about Americans in so many places.

Will Spencer: 00:26:54

Did you find that as well with your experience coming from America?

Adam Coleman: 00:26:59

So it's very interesting because I never felt different when I would travel other than they saw me as an American.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:11

Like, they didn't.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:14

Race was never really a thing that kind of came up or anything like that.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:18

As soon as they found that I was American, you know, they lit up.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:22

And I think sometimes we take granted, like, a lot of people like Americans just by default because they like American music or movies or whatever.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:30

And so I literally had.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:32

I went.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:33

I went to a spa in Turkey and before lady started massaging, she was like, where are you from?

Adam Coleman: 00:27:39

I said, america.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:39

She's like, I love America.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:41

She was, big hug.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:42

I was like, okay.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:43

You know, I couldn't imagine in the United States someone saying anywhere outside of the United States and, like, I love that place.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:51

Giving them a big hug, you know?

Adam Coleman: 00:27:53

But.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:58

But as far as how I.

Adam Coleman: 00:27:59

How I felt, honestly, it's the most American I've ever felt.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:04

Traveling abroad, you really see.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:07

Love it.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:10

There are so many things that are cultural that is uniquely American, and our sensibility is uniquely American that we don't realize because we never leave that environment.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:22

But once you leave that environment, you're like, people move differently here.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:27

People dress differently here.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:30

You know, how they approach things is different here now.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:33

So it's very.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:35

It's very interesting.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:37

And sometimes, even if you try really hard not to be a fish out of water, you kind of are a fish out of water.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:42

Like, you just stick out in certain places especially.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:47

But, yeah, I mean, I definitely feel very American.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:52

You know, when you go to certain places, they might expect you to be rich because you're American.

Will Spencer: 00:28:58

Yep.

Adam Coleman: 00:28:59

Other places, they're curious with you.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:02

You know, when I was in Germany, it was so hard speaking German people, because they always wanted to speak English to me.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:07

They could tell from my accent while speaking German that I'm American, so.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:12

Or if they see me struggle, they automatically switch to English and just, you know, don't let me suffer through it.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:18

So there's.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:18

This is so much that I learned about how people see America.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:27

What do they think?

Adam Coleman: 00:29:29

You know, I had this one taxi driver.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:31

He's.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:32

Where are you from?

Adam Coleman: 00:29:33

And I said, america.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:34

He's like, donald Trump is the worst president.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:36

I was like, what the fuck?

Adam Coleman: 00:29:38

Like, he just went off, and I was just like, all right.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:42

And I started laughing, like, we don't.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:46

It's so funny because we're so.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:48

We're so insulated here.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:49

We know nothing about the outside world, theoretically speaking.

Adam Coleman: 00:29:53

Like, for many of us, we don't even know where certain countries are nevertheless, their political system, but everyone is focused on our politics.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:01

And everywhere I went, I would try to have political conversations with people.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:05

Like, good, faithful conversations, or if they were curious about American culture, what's like.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:11

And I'll give them my honest perspective about what I felt about this and what I felt about that.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:16

And it was very refreshing.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:19

It was very refreshing to have these particular experiences and then to learn from them.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:24

You know, I remember having tapas with this woman from Australia.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:28

We talked about politics for, like, two hours, about American politics, Australian politics, and differences between the two, and how much more fascinating for us it is.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:39

I mean, Much more fascinating our political system is compared to theirs and things like that.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:44

So it's just, it was very eye opening.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:47

But to kind of answer your question, I've never felt more American until I leave United States.

Adam Coleman: 00:30:55

Like, it's very obvious that I'm an American.

Will Spencer: 00:31:00

So that's.

Will Spencer: 00:31:01

So does that mean, just to make sure I'm clear on the answer, does that mean that you don't feel like an American here, but you feel like an American there?

Will Spencer: 00:31:06

Or like you're suddenly aware from the rest of the world's perspective, we're all just Americans and they don't really distinguish between different types.

Will Spencer: 00:31:14

Okay, beautiful.

Will Spencer: 00:31:15

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 00:31:15

Well, to kind of add to that, in the United States, especially these days with the race rhetoric and stuff like that, you are pushed to see yourself as a hyphenated American.

Adam Coleman: 00:31:30

But when I leave the country, no one says, oh, you're a black American or you're an African American or you're some sort of hyphen.

Adam Coleman: 00:31:38

No, you're an American.

Will Spencer: 00:31:39

Yeah, that's true.

Adam Coleman: 00:31:40

Like that, that's it.

Adam Coleman: 00:31:41

That's how they see it.

Adam Coleman: 00:31:42

And they feel that it's bizarre to see yourself otherwise.

Adam Coleman: 00:31:46

Like, no, you're, you're clearly American.

Adam Coleman: 00:31:49

And so that's why I, for a bit after, after going back and forth between Europe and United States, I felt kind of upset that I'm not seen as purely American.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:03

I'm, I'm a.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:04

I have a hyphen next to my status when I'm here, you know, and that kind of, that actually kind of bothered me for a bit.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:13

But now it's.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:14

It.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:15

That's what it is.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:16

But I, I do enjoy being seen.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:19

And actually there is a level of status, you understand this.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:22

There's a level of status being an American just by default.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:25

And I kind of enjoyed that status of just being an American.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:29

Not.

Adam Coleman: 00:32:29

There's no hyphen or anything like that.

Will Spencer: 00:32:34

That is a special feel.

Will Spencer: 00:32:35

That is a special feeling.

Will Spencer: 00:32:36

So.

Will Spencer: 00:32:37

So when you come back to the United States, do you feel like that you have to put on the hyphen?

Will Spencer: 00:32:41

That's, that's the expectation of you, or do you feel like that's just a cultural thing that's in the water?

Will Spencer: 00:32:47

Because my identity hierarchy is probably similar to yours.

Will Spencer: 00:32:50

Like, I'm a Christian, I'm a man, I'm an American, and then I'm literally everything else.

Will Spencer: 00:32:55

Right.

Will Spencer: 00:32:56

And so it sounds the same for you, but sometimes people want to force the others identity hierarchies to be somewhat different from that.

Will Spencer: 00:33:02

Like, no, no, I'm this first.

Will Spencer: 00:33:03

So do you feel like people force that on you and you just want to be like, I'm just an American?

Adam Coleman: 00:33:08

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:09

Especially when I was growing up.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:12

Not even, you know, when I was a kid.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:14

Obviously, I'm not thinking about patriotism, but I always just saw, like, I.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:18

Myself, like, I'm.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:20

I'm just me.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:21

I'm not trying to be the stereotype.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:23

I'm not trying to be this.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:24

Like, I'm just trying to feel comfortable.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:26

And especially when you.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:27

You spend so long feeling uncomfortably like you're always searching to be comfortable.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:32

But, man, if I found something I like, I just like it, you know, if.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:38

You know, how I speak was put under question.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:40

The music I listened to was put under question.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:43

How I dress is put under question.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:45

You know, all these different things.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:47

You know, when I remember when I was in high school, people sometimes say to me, oh, they were calling white Adam.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:57

Right?

Adam Coleman: 00:33:58

It's that kind of.

Adam Coleman: 00:33:59

Also, I'm not even black anymore.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:01

I'm just.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:02

I'm just black.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:03

I'm just white now, you know, because I don't fill in the stereotype of what they're comfortable with.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:09

And that was the thing.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:10

It's always about someone else's comfort.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:12

It's never in consideration to how I feel.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:15

But you're talking about me, and so it's kind of like shaming me for feeling comfortable doing certain things in it and expressing myself in a particular way or listening to a particular music or following this particular sport or dating this particular person.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:31

You know, I've dated.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:33

My wife is black, but my son is biracial.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:38

I wasn't trying to have a biracial child.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:41

I wasn't saying I only like this.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:43

You know, I wasn't doing.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:45

I just liked her.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:46

She.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:47

You know, we liked each other.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:48

That was it.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:49

We were two human beings, man and woman, and we liked each other.

Adam Coleman: 00:34:52

And sometimes you get accused because you don't fit into the stereotype that you must be rejecting this.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:00

You must be.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:01

You don't want to be black.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:03

You don't want to be.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:03

This.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:04

You don't want to do.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:05

It's like, no, I.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:06

I'm just going towards what I'm comfortable with.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:08

I'm comfortable with all different types of things.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:11

And I think there are so many people who are pigeonholed into feeling like they must appease to this racial order, racial expectation, that even.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:23

Even the people who are trying to appease it have no idea where the.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:27

Where the guidelines are.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:28

Like, you know, I remember my wife was on this Facebook Group.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:33

And it was.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:34

I think it was primarily black women.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:36

And they were asking.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:37

I can't remember the activity, but they asked the question.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:40

And these are adults.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:42

Just keep that in mind.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:43

These are adults and they ask the question, do black people do this?

Adam Coleman: 00:35:46

Now, they were asking the question because they liked it.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:50

And I just thought, that is so strange.

Adam Coleman: 00:35:53

It is so strange that a grown person who likes doing something is asking, do black people do this?

Adam Coleman: 00:35:59

So if everybody said no, would you stop doing the thing that you actually like or interested in?

Will Spencer: 00:36:05

Like, that is the intention.

Will Spencer: 00:36:07

I got it.

Adam Coleman: 00:36:08

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 00:36:08

That.

Adam Coleman: 00:36:08

It's so.

Adam Coleman: 00:36:09

It's so bizarre.

Adam Coleman: 00:36:11

But it's like.

Adam Coleman: 00:36:12

It's like this air of expectation because I happen to have darker skin than you.

Adam Coleman: 00:36:19

It's such a weird, weird phenomenon that exists here that thankfully doesn't exist elsewhere.

Adam Coleman: 00:36:28

Not in the same way, at least, I should say.

Will Spencer: 00:36:32

So I can relate to this as well in my own way because I grew up Jewish.

Will Spencer: 00:36:36

And so, you know, when I decided that I didn't want to adhere to any of the Jewish cultural stereotypes and became a Christian, no longer Jewish, I mean, we could talk about that.

Will Spencer: 00:36:44

But it's like, okay, I'm leaving this behind.

Will Spencer: 00:36:46

But the expectations are still tugging at me.

Will Spencer: 00:36:48

No, I'm not interested.

Will Spencer: 00:36:49

Like, I'm doing this other thing.

Will Spencer: 00:36:51

But then out there in the world, it's like, no, you're Jewish.

Will Spencer: 00:36:53

You're supposed to be like this.

Will Spencer: 00:36:54

Like, no, I'm nothing like that.

Will Spencer: 00:36:56

Right.

Will Spencer: 00:36:56

And so, like, it's this strange position where it's like, the people for where we come from have expectations of us.

Will Spencer: 00:37:03

The people where we're going to, let's say, have expectations.

Will Spencer: 00:37:05

Like, no, I'm none of those things.

Will Spencer: 00:37:07

Can you please just relate to me like, the person to person?

Will Spencer: 00:37:10

It's a.

Will Spencer: 00:37:11

I'm grateful to hear you.

Will Spencer: 00:37:12

To hear you say that, because I can relate to in that moment, like, why are you asking me this question?

Will Spencer: 00:37:16

Meaning the woman on the Facebook page, like, you know, black people like this.

Will Spencer: 00:37:20

Like, well, what difference does it make?

Adam Coleman: 00:37:22

Who cares?

Adam Coleman: 00:37:23

Who cares?

Adam Coleman: 00:37:25

And that's.

Adam Coleman: 00:37:27

See, for me, I've always just been.

Adam Coleman: 00:37:29

I like people.

Adam Coleman: 00:37:31

You know, I understand people and don't care if you're white, black, Hispanic, Asian.

Adam Coleman: 00:37:38

I don't care if you're young or old.

Adam Coleman: 00:37:40

I care about what's your heart.

Adam Coleman: 00:37:41

Like, are you a good person?

Adam Coleman: 00:37:42

There's so many people that I've met who do not look like me, who are coming from different places, but I understand them.

Adam Coleman: 00:37:50

If I tell a quick story, please.

Adam Coleman: 00:37:54

The first time I was.

Adam Coleman: 00:37:55

I Went to Istanbul.

Adam Coleman: 00:37:57

I went on this boat ride.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:00

I forgot the name of the main river that goes through Istanbul.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:04

I'll probably butcher it if I try to say it, but I went on this boat ride, and there was a family from Uzbekistan that was there, and they were.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:14

I could tell they were friendly, and they kind of came up to.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:19

It was me.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:19

And one of the first kind of came up to us, and we interacted with each other, but they couldn't speak English.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:26

Like, there was one of them that spoke very, very broken English.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:31

Like, she just knew a couple words here and there.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:34

Couldn't reform a full conversation.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:37

So we were pulling out Google Translate.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:40

But there was a very human moment, when I think about it, we.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:46

We were able to communicate.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:47

Hey, after the boat ride, let's have lunch together.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:50

And they were like, okay.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:51

So they understood what we were trying to do.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:54

We left the boat, and it was a little bit windy.

Adam Coleman: 00:38:57

And I could see the mother because it was.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:00

It was a mother, two daughters who were like, probably like early 20s.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:08

They look like twins.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:09

And then there was another daughter who's a little older, maybe in her late 20s, early 30s.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:14

And then one of the daughters had a baby, a baby boy who's probably, like, I say baby, but very young, like a toddler.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:22

And we're all.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:23

They're all walking as a family.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:25

And I see the mother kind of like going like this, holding herself.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:30

And I took off my jacket and I put it on her shoulder.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:35

And I don't speak Uzbek.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:37

She doesn't speak English.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:38

But I could see as a human being, I could tell she's cold.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:41

And I'm showing her a nice gesture by putting this on her so she's not as cold.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:45

And I'll sacrifice my warmth for her to feel warm for a minute as we walked to this restaurant.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:51

And, you know, stuff like that where I was like, I'm not trying to appease someone.

Adam Coleman: 00:39:58

I'm not trying to, you know, did I give her my coat in the blackest way possible?

Adam Coleman: 00:40:04

You know, I'm just.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:06

She's just a human being, and it's in who is cold.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:10

And I'm willing to sacrifice my warmth so she can feel warm.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:15

You know, it's that.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:16

It's that type of stuff where I think we.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:19

We often lose track of that.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:20

Like, especially dealing with politics, we lose.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:22

We lose track of humanity.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:24

Like, people just become like names.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:26

They're no longer people with feelings and emotions.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:28

They just want names.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:30

And so because they're a name, you can just slice part the name you can.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:33

You can defame the name.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:35

You can call whatever you want.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:37

You can make memes of the name.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:39

They're not really people that feel anything.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:40

And you know what?

Adam Coleman: 00:40:41

They should expect to feel this.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:44

Right.

Adam Coleman: 00:40:45

It's that kind of dehumanization that exists that I don't like about my particular space, but obviously it's always existed.

Will Spencer: 00:40:59

I think that's why I was wondering about the transition from being sort of an IT manager at a small company to being a public figure is once you start doing that, you cross over into the realm of actually having your name torn apart in public.

Will Spencer: 00:41:13

And it's.

Will Spencer: 00:41:13

It's quite a lot to endure.

Will Spencer: 00:41:15

Like, it's.

Will Spencer: 00:41:15

It's part of the job, you know, and any other.

Will Spencer: 00:41:18

Every job has its downsides.

Will Spencer: 00:41:19

And being a public figure, talking about politics or race or all these different things and whatever the subject is of the day, like, you're going to get torn apart because that's the arena.

Will Spencer: 00:41:28

And so it can be difficult going.

Will Spencer: 00:41:30

Being the kind of man going from private, you know, private citizen to public figure, and being subject to all the pressures and all the vitriol that comes with being a public figure kind of overnight.

Will Spencer: 00:41:42

And so that's why I asked about the strength, where the strength had come from to be able to endure that.

Will Spencer: 00:41:48

And I hear that.

Will Spencer: 00:41:49

I hear a lot of my own story reflect on it, as I said, with grieving through therapy and then testing oneself by a travel.

Will Spencer: 00:41:55

And I can relate very much to the way that that actually prepares you for the arena.

Will Spencer: 00:42:00

Even though, like, you weren't setting out to get into the arena, neither was I.

Will Spencer: 00:42:04

Like, I didn't have it on my mind like, that I'd be a podcaster.

Will Spencer: 00:42:06

Like, what?

Will Spencer: 00:42:08

So I honor you for your story.

Will Spencer: 00:42:10

I mean, it's incredible that you can bring that.

Will Spencer: 00:42:12

That presence and that sense of, I guess, adventure and experimentation, because especially with our hypercharged, you know, divided America, we as Americans have trouble seeing ourselves.

Will Spencer: 00:42:24

And by popping out to these other countries and seeing how they see us and almost forgetting ourselves in a way, when I've come back to America, it gave me a whole different perspective on my own country to be able to say, hey, here are some things I've learned that maybe can help heal the situation.

Will Spencer: 00:42:41

Maybe you can relate to that.

Adam Coleman: 00:42:44

Yeah, absolutely.

Adam Coleman: 00:42:49

I think one of.

Adam Coleman: 00:42:50

Because I remember you had traveled to India number of times, correct?

Will Spencer: 00:42:55

Okay, one time for a long time.

Adam Coleman: 00:42:58

Run time for a long time.

Adam Coleman: 00:42:59

That's right.

Adam Coleman: 00:43:00

So I would imagine.

Adam Coleman: 00:43:02

I've never been to India, but I would imagine going to A place like that and coming back home makes you more grateful of the things that you have because you're seeing people who have, who don't have, like, it's just basic necessities.

Adam Coleman: 00:43:18

Excuse me.

Adam Coleman: 00:43:20

I've been to Jamaica, but we didn't stay at a resort, so I got to see real Jamaica.

Adam Coleman: 00:43:29

Granted, we didn't go to Kingston, which is very dangerous, especially for someone who's not from there.

Adam Coleman: 00:43:35

We went to Montego Bay and I got to see what it's like for people, for children to beg.

Adam Coleman: 00:43:44

I got to see a little bit of desperation.

Adam Coleman: 00:43:48

I got to see markets that have dirt floors.

Adam Coleman: 00:43:52

I got to see that stuff, you know, cars that are barely running on the, on the, you know, driving around.

Adam Coleman: 00:43:58

So I got to see those things.

Adam Coleman: 00:44:00

Cops walking around with shotguns, which kind of blew my mind, you know.

Adam Coleman: 00:44:06

So I got to see all these different things and then come back home.

Adam Coleman: 00:44:10

And it made me more grateful as far as the things that I have, even like the basic of what I have, because I saw so many who didn't, who didn't have these things.

Adam Coleman: 00:44:23

It's not to say that having these things means that life is so much better, but you can see the benefit in the utility of having these things.

Adam Coleman: 00:44:33

How there's so many people who strive just to have the basics of what we have.

Adam Coleman: 00:44:38

So if I was to use that as an example and talk about the political conversation, because there are a lot of Americans who don't leave this country and when they do, they basically go to American enclaves and resorts and stuff like that and sit by the beach because it's, you know, a carved out space for them to feel safe away from the locals and everybody else.

Adam Coleman: 00:45:00

So because they don't actually see people being desperate people wanting and yearning things, I don't think they fully understand why so many people are trying to come to America.

Adam Coleman: 00:45:15

You know, why would someone travel through the desert, risk death, risk being trafficked into sex slavery, risk a mother having their children take away from them, never to see them again?

Adam Coleman: 00:45:30

You know, I heard stories of just recently, some reporters were talking to independent reporters were talking to migrants who were in New York City.

Adam Coleman: 00:45:45

And they asked them all, what country are you from?

Adam Coleman: 00:45:47

How did you get here?

Adam Coleman: 00:45:49

And as they're describing all the different countries that they had to go through, from South America to throughout Central America to make it to Mexico and eventually into United States.

Adam Coleman: 00:46:01

They were pointing out, in certain areas it is known for people to be kidnapped.

Adam Coleman: 00:46:06

In certain areas it's known for people to be, to be trafficked for kids to be taken, for you to be robbed and have your goods stolen.

Adam Coleman: 00:46:17

And they understand that it's still better for them to go through that so they can come here and be in America.

Adam Coleman: 00:46:27

And I should tell you something that, like, for me, when I hear these stories and I've talked to people who are legal migrants, you know, immigrants who from this country.

Adam Coleman: 00:46:38

My father was an immigrant from Trinidad, although I didn't have relationship with him like that, so I never got to hear his immigrant story.

Adam Coleman: 00:46:47

But, you know, I talked to plenty of immigrants who came here legally who are in the United States.

Adam Coleman: 00:46:52

People from Iran who were escaping persecution and came to the United States with nothing and was able to build a sustainable life, who are so thankful for being here.

Adam Coleman: 00:47:02

Cuban Americans who came here from communist nation to find prosperity here.

Adam Coleman: 00:47:09

And they're so thankful for being here and the safety that is being provided for them because of being here.

Adam Coleman: 00:47:15

You know, I look at all these people, I'm like, there's so many examples you don't even have.

Adam Coleman: 00:47:19

I don't.

Adam Coleman: 00:47:20

I don't ever have to touch down in Iran or Cuba or any of these places.

Adam Coleman: 00:47:24

I don't ever have to live there to understand because I've talked to so many different people, and they all have the same reasons why they risk so much just to come here.

Adam Coleman: 00:47:33

Like, there's so many people who are afraid to move from one state to another state because they don't know anybody.

Adam Coleman: 00:47:40

You know, I don't know anybody there, and I don't know if I'll get a job.

Adam Coleman: 00:47:44

These are people who went to a completely different country with barely anything, who don't even speak the language and have to literally start their entire life over with little to no support like that.

Adam Coleman: 00:47:58

To me, if someone's willing to go through all that, there must be a really damn good reason as to why they want to do that.

Adam Coleman: 00:48:05

And especially when you find out it's not just that one person, but there potentially millions of people who are in the very same predicament that, to me, that says there's something very special about the United States, because trust and believe, no one's trying to do that for the vast majority of other countries around the world.

Will Spencer: 00:48:28

Yes.

Will Spencer: 00:48:29

And I think the tragedy of the situation is that so many of these people's hopes and dreams, they're used as political pawns as well.

Will Spencer: 00:48:36

And that's.

Will Spencer: 00:48:37

That's the real shame is there is, you know, traveling around the world.

Adam Coleman: 00:48:40

Just.

Will Spencer: 00:48:40

If I could share a quick story.

Will Spencer: 00:48:41

I think I was on a flight to Australia.

Will Spencer: 00:48:44

And I was sitting next to a man, I was talking about my desire to.

Will Spencer: 00:48:49

To travel around the South Pacific.

Will Spencer: 00:48:51

And I had told him that I wanted to go to Papua New Guinea.

Will Spencer: 00:48:54

And he kind of stopped cold for a second.

Will Spencer: 00:48:55

He's like, you probably don't want to do that.

Will Spencer: 00:48:57

And I said, why?

Will Spencer: 00:48:58

He's like, well, my wife is a nurse there.

Will Spencer: 00:49:00

She flies in, and there's active human cannibalism going on right there.

Will Spencer: 00:49:05

So probably.

Will Spencer: 00:50:22

Probably don't fly to Papua New Guinea.

Will Spencer: 00:50:24

As in, like, she gets off.

Will Spencer: 00:50:25

Like, she's.

Will Spencer: 00:50:26

She's a.

Will Spencer: 00:50:27

Some sort of missionary, nurse helping.

Will Spencer: 00:50:29

Helping a small village, something like that.

Will Spencer: 00:50:31

And he was describing to me, like, you know, she gets off the plane and she gets into, like, an armored SUV and is taken to the village.

Will Spencer: 00:50:38

You know, she.

Will Spencer: 00:50:39

And not just her, but the doctors and all that stuff.

Will Spencer: 00:50:41

And.

Will Spencer: 00:50:42

And that's the condition of much of the world that people are trying to escape from.

Will Spencer: 00:50:45

Like, that's one of the.

Will Spencer: 00:50:46

One of the worst stories that I heard, obviously.

Will Spencer: 00:50:48

So people want to escape these conditions.

Will Spencer: 00:50:52

And like, that genuine human desire for safety is.

Will Spencer: 00:50:56

Is exploited and weaponized people by people who want to use those individuals as political pawns within the United States.

Will Spencer: 00:51:02

And it's like kind of getting screwed no matter.

Will Spencer: 00:51:05

No matter where you are.

Will Spencer: 00:51:06

And then, of course, along with, you know, these.

Will Spencer: 00:51:08

These genuine good people trying to, I believe, have a better life.

Will Spencer: 00:51:11

There are people that are actively, actively malicious, released from prison, et cetera, who see us as an opera, who see our country as an opportunity to exploit as well.

Will Spencer: 00:51:20

And it's such a.

Will Spencer: 00:51:20

It's such a gigantic mess and certainly like to travel and to see the condition of much of the world.

Will Spencer: 00:51:26

Like, we really do not understand how blessed we are to live in the United States.

Will Spencer: 00:51:31

There's no country on earth that's like it.

Will Spencer: 00:51:33

You know, there's no.

Will Spencer: 00:51:34

There's no country as significant that's as peaceful, and there's no country that's as peaceful that's as significant.

Will Spencer: 00:51:40

Right.

Will Spencer: 00:51:40

So you can go to, you know, you can go to China, you know, which is a pretty big country, and it's not as peaceful there as it is here.

Will Spencer: 00:51:46

I mean, the heavy hand of communist oppression, you feel it when you get off the plane.

Will Spencer: 00:51:51

When I left China, I flew from Shanghai to Taiwan.

Will Spencer: 00:51:54

I exited the airport at Taiwan and instinctively went.

Will Spencer: 00:51:58

Because I could.

Will Spencer: 00:51:59

The weight of the.

Will Spencer: 00:51:59

Of Communist China finally fell off.

Will Spencer: 00:52:01

I didn't even notice.

Will Spencer: 00:52:02

I was feeling it.

Will Spencer: 00:52:03

And so.

Will Spencer: 00:52:03

But we.

Will Spencer: 00:52:04

But because as you're, as you say so rightfully Americans don't travel.

Will Spencer: 00:52:07

And so they don't have the ability to reflect on the blessings of this country.

Will Spencer: 00:52:11

And they.

Will Spencer: 00:52:12

And as a result, they don't know how to manage sharing it and not sharing it.

Will Spencer: 00:52:16

So some are motivated to kind of like, hold, withhold it entirely, and some are motivated to just give it away freely.

Will Spencer: 00:52:22

It's because neither really knows how to value what we have here because they've never seen it from the outside.

Adam Coleman: 00:52:28

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 00:52:29

You know, if I can slightly pivot because you made me think about something.

Will Spencer: 00:52:34

Please.

Adam Coleman: 00:52:34

It reminds me of people who grew up always surrounded by Christianity, always going to church, and some of them not understanding the perspective of someone who's born again and understanding the daunting task of recognizing where you were wrong, were you sinned and you were in living right or whatever.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:05

Whatever your circumstance was, and to acknowledge that and repent for that.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:11

So.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:12

And to do that in a deep way, to now come with Christ in humility.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:22

Like, I don't think a lot of people understand that.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:24

Who, Who've always.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:26

They've always been in Christ and, you know, it's culturally theirs and always gone.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:30

And they've always been theoretically in the street, narrow, never deviated.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:34

And I, you know, that's what it makes me think of.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:39

And I see people like Russell Br.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:42

We'll just use him as an example, you know, we know his history of debauchery, of getting into all these different things, of being confused and drugs and all this.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:52

And for him to come to Christ.

Adam Coleman: 00:53:54

And then people will be like, well, you know, and try to downplay the significance of what he was able to accomplish.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:04

Skepticism, that every person who comes to Christ must be, you know, trying to do some sort of trickery.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:11

And, you know, it's just.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:14

Or, oh, well, let's just wait and see if they really are.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:18

It's just, man, there's.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:22

There's such a daft of humility surrounding faith and genuine.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:29

Trying to have empathy and understanding for people.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:31

You know, if Russell Brand slips up and has a drug binge, well, you should understand, empathize with him and pray for him and hope that he comes back and he stops these.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:46

His ways.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:47

But, like, it doesn't mean that you're.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:49

You're automatically perfect.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:50

And just because you want to pretend that you're perfect your entire life doesn't mean that that is actually true.

Adam Coleman: 00:54:57

It doesn't mean that someone else who, who has slipped and fallen and struggling is somehow worse than you.

Adam Coleman: 00:55:09

And I think that's.

Adam Coleman: 00:55:10

I think that's what really bothered me this idea that this person who has always been on the straight and narrow is somehow better than me because they've always been on straight and narrow.

Adam Coleman: 00:55:23

And it's like.

Adam Coleman: 00:55:24

No, because from my perspective, I thought that was the whole point.

Adam Coleman: 00:55:28

The whole point is that you might think you're on straight and narrow, but you're a sinner.

Adam Coleman: 00:55:33

So am I.

Adam Coleman: 00:55:34

We're on the same plane.

Adam Coleman: 00:55:37

And we both have our struggles with something that is the whole point of all this.

Adam Coleman: 00:55:43

And we should be empathetic rather than pretending that we don't sin, that we don't have lustful desires, that we don't have, you know, a bit of an ego that don't struggle with pride, that we don't struggle with these things.

Adam Coleman: 00:55:58

Yeah, we all got different things that are going on in our lives.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:05

So I started to kind of deviate.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:08

But when you said that.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:09

No, that's like the thing that really came to my mind.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:12

I think there's a really, really big lack of empathy that especially exists within.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:21

In the conservative world, and especially, like conservative politics, which always tries to use Christianity as a measuring stick for policy, when the reality is, like, the Republican Party is a political party, it's not church.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:38

And when these same political figures.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:42

And by the way, it's a little bit of a rant.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:44

These same political figures who want to wag their finger up.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:48

No.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:49

And be outraged because they're a whole bunch of rappers who are at the Super Bowl.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:53

Oh, my God, it's degenerate music.

Adam Coleman: 00:56:56

The same ones who are saying, I like Andrew Tate.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:01

Oh, you mean the pornographer.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:03

The guy who's being accused of trafficking.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:05

Oh, that guy.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:06

Oh, okay.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:08

All right, cool.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:10

You know, it's just.

Will Spencer: 00:57:11

Thanks for the double standards.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:13

Right.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:13

It's just this.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:14

It's so blatantly obvious.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:16

It's not even an attempt to be consistent.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:19

And so that's where I'm like, I just.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:23

I can't stand.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:25

Obviously, we're all hyperts to some degree.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:27

And I just try not to be as much as possible, man.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:31

There's some people who are just so overtly not even trying.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:34

It's just whatever is beneficial at the time.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:37

They just.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:38

They just say and do these things because, well, this person's different because they're on my team, or this person's different because the people I hate hate him.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:46

So they're now my friend, even though they're clearly an immoral individual.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:51

You know, so it's just.

Adam Coleman: 00:57:53

It's all that.

Will Spencer: 00:57:54

So, yeah, no, I totally understand.

Will Spencer: 00:57:58

Like, there, there's.

Will Spencer: 00:57:59

I Think the thing that I would say that I see similar between the conversation about, you know, coming to America and coming to Christ is people who have a good thing not knowing how to properly onboard people who want to be a part of it, right?

Will Spencer: 00:58:13

Whether it be like, yeah, come in, I have plenty to go around, or that, no, you can't have any of this, right?

Will Spencer: 00:58:19

Like hard walls versus like, you know, thrown open barn doors.

Will Spencer: 00:58:23

And I think part of that might have to do with like, well, we have this good thing.

Will Spencer: 00:58:27

And maybe it has to do around with this 20th, 21st century conversation around the word privilege, right?

Will Spencer: 00:58:32

Like we, like this privilege comes bundled with this notion of like guilt and shame.

Will Spencer: 00:58:37

Like, okay, I have this thing and like, I should feel bad because I have it and they don't, right?

Will Spencer: 00:58:42

Communist, Marxist.

Will Spencer: 00:58:43

And so if you're operating in that paradigm, it's like, oh, I have this unearned privilege, well then, well then the response could be like, I better give it away, right?

Will Spencer: 00:58:50

And then some people are going to say that, like, no, stop giving that away.

Will Spencer: 00:58:53

You have to make people earn it.

Will Spencer: 00:58:54

Like, let's shut it down, right?

Will Spencer: 00:58:56

And so I think, I think we're so maybe infected by this Marxist thinking that we don't know how to say, like, okay, I have a good thing, but I want to make sure that before I share it with you that we have some understanding first, right?

Will Spencer: 00:59:10

And I think churches, you know, the churches can have better or worse onboarding processes.

Will Spencer: 00:59:16

Some churches have membership classes where they actually vet you and ask you questions because they want to protect a good thing that they have.

Will Spencer: 00:59:22

It's not that they say, no, you can't be a part of this, right?

Will Spencer: 00:59:25

You actually go through a process.

Will Spencer: 00:59:27

And I think we used to have that in America as well when we used to understand this is a good thing, we have to protect it.

Will Spencer: 00:59:32

But in the past, I don't know, 20, 30, 40 years, it's just been, I feel like in Christianity also, the doors have been thrown open, like seeker sensitive, I think, is what they call that.

Will Spencer: 00:59:42

Like, yeah, just come in, hang out, you know, as if, as if, you know, there isn't requirements to get into heaven, you know, as if there aren't requirements in the Bible to take communion.

Will Spencer: 00:59:53

And so I think what everyone's responding to and in some cases reacting to is this over generosity that has drained the reserves of both the United States and perhaps also Christendom.

Will Spencer: 01:00:03

And so what do we do when we're inheriting this situation?

Will Spencer: 01:00:06

I don't actually, I don't actually know But I know what you mean about, like, facing skepticism, being Christian, or facing judgment.

Will Spencer: 01:00:14

Like, you don't know what it's like out there.

Will Spencer: 01:00:16

I'm just coming in the door looking for safety.

Will Spencer: 01:00:18

I can.

Will Spencer: 01:00:19

I can very much understand.

Will Spencer: 01:00:21

Understand.

Will Spencer: 01:00:21

And also taking for granted what they have.

Will Spencer: 01:00:24

Like, you grew up, you know, in the.

Will Spencer: 01:00:26

In the church, you know, and it's like.

Will Spencer: 01:00:28

And here's this incredible blessing that was given to you from birth, and I believe you're faithful.

Will Spencer: 01:00:33

Like, but they don't have a way to devalue it because they weren't wandering around in the wilderness.

Will Spencer: 01:00:37

Wilderness.

Will Spencer: 01:00:37

Like some of us.

Will Spencer: 01:00:38

Some of us were.

Will Spencer: 01:00:39

So that's my rant in response.

Will Spencer: 01:00:40

Like, I agree with everything you're saying.

Will Spencer: 01:00:42

It's a.

Will Spencer: 01:00:43

It's a strange thing to experience and to be able to talk with you about, because I've had similar experiences traveling America and Christianity as well.

Adam Coleman: 01:00:52

Yeah, I.

Adam Coleman: 01:00:55

This is.

Adam Coleman: 01:00:55

This is the area where I try not to complain.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:03

I don't like complaining in general.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:09

Obviously, I complain.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:10

We all complain a little bit, but try not to be a complainer.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:15

So what I try my best to do is instead of pointing out what people aren't doing, I just try to do that very thing.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:27

And so we were talking about becoming a public figure.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:33

I.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:34

I never.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:34

I never anticipated any of this stuff happening.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:37

As I was saying before, and as it happened, I start to understand that this is much bigger than myself.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:47

And even as I was coming closer to God, I understood that what I'm doing is much bigger than myself.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:56

And how I can.

Adam Coleman: 01:01:57

How it can impact people can.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:01

It can be both.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:03

It can be one or the other.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:04

It could positive or it could be negative.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:06

I can do a bunch of clickbaits off and make people upset, or I can give people to think about and be thankful and give them something generally positive after reading something that I write.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:21

So I chose.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:24

I chose to go the positive route because that's just.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:26

That's my nature.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:28

Like, I want to help people.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:31

Excuse me.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:32

I should drink more water.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:37

Not allowed.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:39

No, I.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:40

In general, I want to help people and I want them to do better at their lives.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:44

And what I realized is my.

Adam Coleman: 01:02:48

My little bit of notoriety that I have has been an opportunity to touch people in a very particular light in a very particular way that maybe other people aren't attempting to.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:06

Excuse me.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:09

You know, if I.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:10

If I can give a quick story and please, I tell the story.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:15

Obviously, when I tell these stories, it's not to brag, not to talk about.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:18

Look, I'm better than Anybody.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:20

Anybody else.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:21

I feel very fortunate to be in a position to help somebody like this.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:26

But I talked.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:28

I sent a tweet about being lonely.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:33

It was something of that nature.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:34

Being lonely or being.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:36

Maybe even being agoraphobic at that moment that I felt agoraphobia.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:42

I was just scared to leave my house for the first time.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:46

And I talked about that, and someone sent a tweet that said, I'm going through that right now.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:53

And when I read that, I was like, that sounds like a call for help.

Adam Coleman: 01:03:58

And so we immediately went to private message, and I started talking to him, and I said, can you talk on the phone?

Adam Coleman: 01:04:09

He said, actually, I cut off my cell phone.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:13

Like, he.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:13

He hasn't been communicating with the outside world other than Twitter, and he had barely used that.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:21

And.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:22

But I convinced him to bring up some sort of way that we can talk online.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:28

And I had to drive somewhere.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:30

So I talked to him for about 45 minutes.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:32

Using Canada not to get his.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:36

His entire story.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:37

I did write about this experience on my substack, but basically, he had a lot of purpose in his job.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:47

He worked in a hospital, and it was taken away from him, and he felt like they took his purpose like he had nothing else.

Adam Coleman: 01:04:54

And it was so detrimental to him that he was moments away from killing himself.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:04

So his job status was held in limbo for quite some time, and he just became reclusive.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:11

And what was really unfortunate at times is that he had a wife and he had a kid.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:17

So he's not a single guy by himself.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:19

He has a family, and he's just.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:23

I know exactly how he feels because he's just going down this pit and he's by himself.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:28

And so what I told him was, I understand what you're going through.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:34

And I told him about my situation, what I went through.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:37

I said, here's my suggestion.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:38

And I just asked him, like, let's just start with basics.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:43

Are you taking a shower every day?

Adam Coleman: 01:05:46

Do you.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:46

What?

Adam Coleman: 01:05:47

Do you brush your teeth?

Adam Coleman: 01:05:49

You know?

Adam Coleman: 01:05:49

And he just started telling me, yes, I do this.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:51

No, I don't do this.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:52

Okay, that thing that you don't do, do that.

Adam Coleman: 01:05:58

Just focus on that.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:00

Do that, and then move on to the next thing.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:03

And I was.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:04

I was.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:04

What I was essentially trying to tell him is that you have to build up these Ws.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:08

Like, when you go that low, you think you're incapable of doing anything, but even the smallest task you accomplish, it feels like the biggest W.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:20

And for someone who's never been that low, like, if I told Them to make sure they take out the trash every day.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:27

You're like, what's the big deal?

Adam Coleman: 01:06:29

I do that all the time.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:30

Yeah, but this person does it.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:32

Barely cleans up after themselves, nevertheless, takes out the trash.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:36

Like, they're so low that they're.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:38

That they're not able to do anything.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:41

They're unmotivated because they don't think that they can do anything, Even something as simple as take out the trash.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:47

And when you convince them to leave enough that they can do just that one task of taking out the trash, then that's a W for them, and then they'll move on to the next task and the next task.

Adam Coleman: 01:06:59

So we had that one conversation.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:01

I would check it, check on him, like, you know, every few months, you know, on Twitter, you can live.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:07

Leave a pinned, you know, DM spot.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:11

So I never forgot.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:13

So he never got lost in my DMs.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:15

And I would occasionally reach out to Master.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:16

He's going.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:17

He would say he's doing better.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:19

About a year later, I think it was about a year later, he sent me a message.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:24

He said, hey, I just wanted to let you know I'm back at work.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:28

I'm in a different department.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:29

I really like what I'm doing now.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:32

I want to thank you because that conversation really helped me.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:39

And, you know, you were one of the few people who actually I even talked to.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:44

Like, he had cut off his family.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:46

Like, he wasn't talking to anybody except for people that live with him, and he wanted to thank me for that.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:53

I didn't want anything from him.

Adam Coleman: 01:07:56

You know, I wasn't even going to talk about it, and I didn't talk about it until he sent me that message, because I.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:03

I wanted to use that as an example.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:05

Like, if you see someone struggling, like, don't leave them floundering.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:09

And I could have very easily just scrolled right past it, but I saw it, and I.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:14

And I feel like I was supposed to see that.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:17

I'm sure he follows thousands of people, and he could have never seen a tweet, but he did see my tweet, and that prompted him to say something.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:25

Something told him to say something, and started that connection where I was able to help him.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:31

And me helping him, or not even just helping him, just talking to him.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:36

Like, when you're so low that someone talks to you and relates to you and understands where you're coming from is such a big deal, because when you're in that space, you feel so alone.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:47

You feel like you're by yourself.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:48

And that's what sinks you even deeper.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:51

And so, you know, for me to be in a public figure, in that.

Adam Coleman: 01:08:56

This particular space where I can positively affect someone, you know, I feel so thankful that.

Adam Coleman: 01:09:07

That God gave me this privilege to be in.

Adam Coleman: 01:09:15

Yeah.

Will Spencer: 01:09:18

It really is a blessing.

Will Spencer: 01:09:20

Thank you for that, by the way.

Will Spencer: 01:09:21

It really is a blessing to be given, you know, by God, these platforms and to recognize, like, no, this is a gift to have been given this international microphone, the sort of thing that has never existed before in human history.

Will Spencer: 01:09:36

Like, you know, and then the question becomes like, what are you going to do with it?

Will Spencer: 01:09:41

You, me, anyone?

Will Spencer: 01:09:42

Like, what are.

Will Spencer: 01:09:42

What are we going to do with this?

Will Spencer: 01:09:44

Right.

Will Spencer: 01:09:45

Is it going to be an outlet for our fleshly desires, for, you know, for.

Will Spencer: 01:09:50

To express our.

Will Spencer: 01:09:51

We'll say passions.

Will Spencer: 01:09:52

I don't mean that in romantic sense.

Will Spencer: 01:09:53

I mean it in the.

Will Spencer: 01:09:54

Maybe the fleshly sense.

Will Spencer: 01:09:56

Or is it going to be a tool for good?

Will Spencer: 01:09:59

Is it going to be a tool for conflict?

Will Spencer: 01:10:01

And it's a real test.

Will Spencer: 01:10:03

And I think a lot of people aspire to having that level of influence.

Will Spencer: 01:10:07

And it's like, I don't know whether we're aspiring to influence or something.

Will Spencer: 01:10:11

Is.

Will Spencer: 01:10:11

It is in itself a good thing.

Will Spencer: 01:10:13

I think these, these tools can only be wielded effectively by people who are like, you know, this is a gift, and I want to handle it respectfully, specifically, so that you can have the presence of mind to connect with a man who reaches out to you in that moment that you can have the presence to say something landed in you right with what they said.

Will Spencer: 01:10:32

And then you took an extraordinary measure, which is to reach out to them personally and kind of get involved in their life to some degree.

Will Spencer: 01:10:41

Like, that's.

Will Spencer: 01:10:41

That's the sort of thing that I think you can probably only do if you have a sensitivity to the.

Will Spencer: 01:10:46

To the gift that's been given.

Will Spencer: 01:10:48

Because if it's just all about you, then you're just going to steamroll over the thousands of people who are following you.

Will Spencer: 01:10:54

But if it's about something bigger than yourself, bigger than ourselves, like, we can be sensitive to the people who are in front of us.

Will Spencer: 01:11:00

What a blessing that you had to.

Will Spencer: 01:11:01

That man's not only his.

Will Spencer: 01:11:04

Himself, but his family, his work, like, you'll never know the impact.

Will Spencer: 01:11:09

You'll never have.

Will Spencer: 01:11:10

Know the true extent of the impact you had in that man's life.

Adam Coleman: 01:12:29

Yeah, you know, even.

Adam Coleman: 01:12:34

Even with me talking about my journey in faith, someone had sent me a message privately.

Adam Coleman: 01:12:43

I think it's like the day after I posted my Baptism video.

Adam Coleman: 01:12:48

And they said, hey, you know, I've been struggling coming to where you're at.

Adam Coleman: 01:12:56

I want to, but I've been struggling coming to that point.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:00

And I said, can you talk on the phone?

Adam Coleman: 01:13:04

So I gave them my numbers to call me.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:07

They called me and I talked to them for about an hour.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:12

And I just told them, like, here's, here's where I started.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:16

Here are the arguments that made sense to me.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:20

Here are the experiences that I had in my life.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:24

And, you know, check this video out.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:27

Like this, like, and understand this.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:29

And like, that's how I ended up coming to this point.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:35

And I had him understand, like, I came from a point of being agnostic for about a decade to saying, I proclaim Jesus Christ as my savior, something I thought I would never do.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:49

So I had that conversation with him and what he funny enough and we could talk about this.

Adam Coleman: 01:13:58

I'm really big on near death experiences, the testimonies from people who, who went through that.

Adam Coleman: 01:14:05

So that was one of the things I told him.

Adam Coleman: 01:14:07

I said, you know, near death experiences and listen to the testimonies, and listen to a whole bunch of them.

Adam Coleman: 01:14:14

Was really profound to hear their testimonies.

Adam Coleman: 01:14:20

Not just like, oh, I heard one person, but like a series of testimonies and seeing where the overlaps are, reading their mannerisms, are they exaggerating?

Adam Coleman: 01:14:32

You know, are they nervous?

Adam Coleman: 01:14:33

Like, just like reading the people, trying to see how authentic the stories appear to be based off of how they're telling it, amongst other things.

Adam Coleman: 01:14:42

And, you know, I was telling him that.

Adam Coleman: 01:14:45

He was like, oh.

Adam Coleman: 01:14:45

And you know, I never looked into that.

Adam Coleman: 01:14:48

The very next day, he sends me a message and he's like, bro, why did I go on YouTube?

Adam Coleman: 01:14:54

And YouTube recommended near death experiences.

Will Spencer: 01:14:58

I was like, they're always listening.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:00

Yeah, either the algorithm, guess you're talking to me.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:05

So I don't know, but I just thought that was funny.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:11

I don't know, it was divine intervention or whatever it was.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:14

But just the fact that I was able to have that conversation because I was open enough to talk about what I was going through.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:23

You know, I haven't talked to him privately in a minute and in probably a couple months.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:30

But, you know, maybe that was a catalyst for him to come to Christ.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:36

And so I just try to think about that.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:38

And that's just one person who reached out to me who wasn't even sure if I would respond to him.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:43

Who knows how many people have seen my videos, have read my story, has thought about what I said about coming to Christ, that Actually brings them closer to Christ.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:55

You know, who's seen my journey?

Adam Coleman: 01:15:56

Even someone like Russell Brand.

Adam Coleman: 01:15:58

How many people does Russell Brandt have connection to from a distance who listen to what he says and listens to his arguments and why he came to the conclusion that he able to help bring closer to Christ.

Adam Coleman: 01:16:13

So I mean, you know, anything can be corrupted.

Adam Coleman: 01:16:18

You know, your, your public Persona can be corrupted, so you become self indulging and narcissistic or you can use that same public perception to help other people and sacrifice a little bit of your time to help someone that you don't even know.

Will Spencer: 01:16:37

Amen.

Will Spencer: 01:16:38

Amen.

Will Spencer: 01:16:38

which I gather was happening: 2020

Adam Coleman: 01:16:51

So reading the book.

Adam Coleman: 01:16:53

So for people who haven't read the book, there's a lot of storytelling, I know a lot of personal stories and lessons from stories.

Adam Coleman: 01:17:02

And when you do stuff like that, you come very retrospective.

Adam Coleman: 01:17:08

You start thinking about all these different things.

Adam Coleman: 01:17:10

And you know, I had a childhood trauma.

Adam Coleman: 01:17:13

I had unfortunate stuff that happened to me as an adult and what I started thinking about those moments where things weren't good but something happened to keep it from being worse.

Adam Coleman: 01:17:28

So I think sometimes people think like, oh, well, things were going bad and then suddenly something rescued me.

Adam Coleman: 01:17:36

Everything was okay.

Adam Coleman: 01:17:38

But for me, the times that I think about, we're not necessarily like, I'll just give an example.

Adam Coleman: 01:17:51

Not getting into the whole backstory.

Adam Coleman: 01:17:52

This is a little bit long.

Adam Coleman: 01:17:54

I moved from New Jersey to Tennessee and I thought I had a place to stay.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:01

Come to find out the person had lied to me that I was supposed to stay with.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:05

The good thing was I had a job that I already got hired for.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:12

I came there on a Friday and I was starting the job on a Monday and.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:18

But had no place to stay.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:20

There was a guy I happened to know in Alabama.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:22

He let me stay at his place for the weekend.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:24

But Monday came around and I know where to stay.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:27

I went to work and my new boss obviously knew that was coming from New Jersey.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:33

He's like, so how's everything going?

Adam Coleman: 01:18:35

And my instinct is always like, oh, it's fine because it's my problem.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:39

I got to deal with it.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:40

But I told him the truth and I don't know why I told him the truth.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:46

Normally I would just lie and just kind of deal with it and just wallowing, whatever.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:50

But I told him the truth.

Adam Coleman: 01:18:52

And a couple hours later he pulled me to the side and he Said, hey, the supervisors and myself are pulling our money together to put you in a hotel room so you have enough money to buy to get your own place.

Will Spencer: 01:19:08

Praise God.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:10

We don't want anything.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:12

And let me tell you, you want to motivate someone to work really hard.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:17

I was like, man, yeah, I will.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:20

They're like, can you work overtime?

Adam Coleman: 01:19:21

I will do whatever overtime you want.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:24

I didn't care.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:25

That's right, I will do whatever.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:26

I was a model employee the entire time I was there because I was just so thankful that they did that.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:33

And they did that for, I want to say, almost a month and a half.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:38

We have these weekly hotels that were relatively cheap in Nashville at the time, but they pulled their money together, put me in these hotels.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:47

I had gotten a few checks at that point and I got a one bedroom apartment for 500 bucks.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:56

It was really cheap at the time.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:57

It was 500 bucks a month.

Adam Coleman: 01:19:59

No deposit.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:00

So I was finally able to get in there.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:02

No furniture, but I was in shelter.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:07

Yeah, yeah.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:09

But I think about moments like that.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:11

They didn't give me money to get in an apartment.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:15

They gave me money.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:16

So I just had enough shelter.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:19

Right.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:21

And I was able to earn money along the way so I can feed myself.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:25

And they helped me at the shelter.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:28

So they didn't completely rescue me, but they did something on the goodness of their heart.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:32

And they don't even know me.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:33

That's the other part.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:34

It's not like been there for years and like Adam's on hard times.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:38

They didn't know me.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:39

I was quite literally a stranger.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:40

It was the first day they even knew I existed in person.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:44

And so, you know, I think about stuff like that.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:48

It would prompt these people to help me like that because they didn't have to.

Adam Coleman: 01:20:54

Especially be one thing if that manager on the side said, I'm going to help you.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:01

But they all pulled their money together and wanted to sacrifice to help me.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:07

And they didn't know me.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:09

And I.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:09

And I know some of them were Christians.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:12

And so I just, I just think about, I think about stuff like that.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:16

What prompt people to go above and beyond for someone they don't even know, you know?

Adam Coleman: 01:21:23

So it's.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:25

It's moments like that when I was being retrospective of my life that I was like, something's there.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:33

I didn't experience with the Holy Ghost.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:39

I didn't know it was the Holy Ghost at the time.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:42

I just knew the feeling that I experienced about getting too long into it.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:49

My, My great.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:51

I'm sorry, my grand aunt, my My grandfather's sister.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:54

She was like my grandmother to me.

Adam Coleman: 01:21:57

My actual grandmother had died when I was very young.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:02

She passed away.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:04

I saw her because she had left hospice and she was in terrible condition.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:09

And I saw her and she was in a lot of pain.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:13

I left that night.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:14

The next morning I got a call that she had passed away.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:18

And I was very distraught.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:21

It was probably the saddest I've been about someone, someone that I lost.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:29

And they were.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:30

I'm in New Jersey, they're in Massachusetts.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:34

The family asked me to be a pallbearer and I said yes.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:40

So I went to the funeral.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:41

I'm trying to keep together because I don't like crying in front of people, but I'm trying to keep it together.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:49

And I'm kind of like, to the point where I'm like.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:52

I'm thinking myself, after this is over, I'm just.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:54

I'm just gonna go home, my place, because I don't.

Adam Coleman: 01:22:57

I don't want to be around anybody.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:00

And I make it to the grave site.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:04

I get out of the car and the.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:09

Actually my cousin's pastor.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:10

Pastor was read something and then got cued to come over to lift the casket.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:18

And in my head I'm thinking, oh, man, this.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:21

It's going to be floodgates now, man.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:24

And I put my hand on the casket and I felt this overwhelming sense that she's okay.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:33

Like, it's just.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:35

And I said, what the f.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:37

Was that?

Adam Coleman: 01:23:38

From that moment, for the entire time I was there, I did not cry anymore.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:44

Like, I knew in my soul that she was fine.

Adam Coleman: 01:23:48

Now I'm crying, but yeah, I knew that.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:00

I knew that she was fine.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:02

And, ah, that's why I tell the story.

Will Spencer: 01:24:10

It's okay.

Will Spencer: 01:24:12

Take your time.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:16

So when I go back in time and I think about that, I'm like, how do I explain that?

Adam Coleman: 01:24:24

You know, I just.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:25

I just set up as far as I'm distraught, I want to go home, be alone and just cry out and just deal with it and putting my hand or casket and just overwhelmingly, I didn't talk myself into that.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:41

I didn't.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:41

That wasn't me.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:43

That was something else.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:46

So, you know, that was.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:48

That was like, I tell that story in the book, so that's when people understand.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:54

Like, I'm coming from a place where I'm not even sure if there's God.

Adam Coleman: 01:24:59

But in the book, I came to a point, as I'm being in perspective to saying that there is God and not fully understand even as I tell that story, that it's it's the, it's the Holy Ghost that touched me.

Adam Coleman: 01:25:18

But you know, just explaining as, like, I felt like there's a higher power that, that blessed me with getting rid of that, that grief because that was one of the best, because I have.

Will Spencer: 01:25:53

Oh.

Adam Coleman: 01:25:56

It'S okay.

Will Spencer: 01:25:57

I get it.

Adam Coleman: 01:26:00

So that was, that was the weekend of the first Black Panther movie came out.

Adam Coleman: 01:26:15

And all this as a family, like it was just nothing but celebration.

Adam Coleman: 01:26:22

It was so nice.

Adam Coleman: 01:26:26

And you know, if I didn't have that happen, so, yeah, if I didn't have happen, I wouldn't miss out on all that.

Adam Coleman: 01:26:54

So, yeah, there's.

Adam Coleman: 01:27:02

There's so much more.

Adam Coleman: 01:27:04

There's so much more that I can get into.

Will Spencer: 01:27:09

Well, thank you for letting all of us into that moment.

Will Spencer: 01:27:13

I can feel the impact that it had on you.

Will Spencer: 01:27:16

And I can imagine coming from an agnostic framework, to put your hand on the casket and suddenly feel the sense of peace.

Will Spencer: 01:27:26

And essentially what you're feeling is she's in a better place, she's okay.

Will Spencer: 01:27:31

And you're being confronted in a very real, visceral, emotional, felt sense way about the reality of eternity in a way that you didn't expect.

Will Spencer: 01:27:39

You expected to be grieving her loss, but instead it was almost maybe somewhere in there you felt a sense of celebration.

Will Spencer: 01:27:49

Like this wasn't something to be sad about, this was something to be happy about.

Will Spencer: 01:27:53

And then you got to enjoy.

Will Spencer: 01:27:54

Amazing.

Adam Coleman: 01:27:57

And that's where like the near death experience testimonies were like really profound that I started getting into the past.

Adam Coleman: 01:28:07

Was it six or so months?

Adam Coleman: 01:28:09

Six, eight months?

Adam Coleman: 01:28:10

Especially since the beginning of this year was the how people explained how Christ, how Christ walked away all of their grief, all their insecurities.

Adam Coleman: 01:28:29

The afterlife removed all of the earthly pain, you know, the insecurities, the jealousy, all that stuff, the worry, all of that was gone.

Adam Coleman: 01:28:46

People who had stories of being healed, and these are people, so people understand, these are people who are clinically dead.

Adam Coleman: 01:28:55

So, you know, these aren't.

Adam Coleman: 01:28:58

I had a dream and I woke up.

Adam Coleman: 01:29:01

These are people who are clinically dead, sometimes for minutes, sometimes for hours, who come back and have such a profound experience.

Adam Coleman: 01:29:12

But you know, a story that there's common stories that happen where Price, either Jesus himself or God wipes away their grief.

Adam Coleman: 01:29:28

You know, people who go into the afterlife who are grieving the loss of something, the loss of someone especially, and before they go back, he wipes away their grief.

Adam Coleman: 01:29:43

And like that, that type of stuff is like, man, that's.

Adam Coleman: 01:29:47

It's so profound.

Adam Coleman: 01:29:50

And the more I understand about Jesus Christ.

Adam Coleman: 01:29:53

That's really profound for me is he's the only God that has suffered in human form.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:03

And so he's the most relatable and he understands, you know, and that's why it gets.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:09

I get frustrated with lack of understanding what people are going through, the lack of empathy.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:17

And it's like we were taught the born again situation.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:23

I said, man, there's so many people like former drug addicts, like Russell Ben, former drug addict.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:29

You know, just all these people who are just suffered.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:33

And you know, it reminds me of in the Bible, why they were questioning why Jesus Christ is around.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:39

You know, the prostitutes, you know, tax collectors and all these people.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:43

He says they need me more.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:45

Right.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:45

He didn't remove himself from them.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:47

He came close to them.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:49

He understands.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:50

He understands how difficult this life is, which is why he says, you know, to.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:57

I'm probably going to butcher, but like to.

Adam Coleman: 01:30:58

To put on all your anxiety onto him, all your burdens on him, you know.

Adam Coleman: 01:31:05

And so when I hear these stories of them having that experience of seeing Jesus Christ and he taking the burden off of them and onto himself so they can come back this earth and move forward with the rest of their purpose of being here.

Adam Coleman: 01:31:27

Listen, someone could be lying.

Adam Coleman: 01:31:30

Anybody can be lying.

Adam Coleman: 01:31:32

But I have a hard time believing that thousands upon thousands of people tell their testimonies who have nothing to gain from it.

Adam Coleman: 01:31:47

Most of these people.

Adam Coleman: 01:31:48

Very rarely are any of these people writing books about their experience or anything like that.

Adam Coleman: 01:31:53

And even if they did, it doesn't mean they're lying.

Adam Coleman: 01:31:57

Most of them are hesitant to even talk about their stories.

Adam Coleman: 01:32:00

And not all of them are stories of going to heaven and seeing Christ.

Adam Coleman: 01:32:05

Many of them are experiencing what it's like going to hell and coming back.

Adam Coleman: 01:32:12

Even those stories were profound because for many of them, as they're falling in this pit of darkness, it's the blackest black that they've ever seen where they can't see their hand in front of their face is so black and they are able to call out Jesus name and light opens and he pulls them out of the pit.

Adam Coleman: 01:32:39

You know, it's that kind of profound understanding.

Adam Coleman: 01:32:43

And so people hear these stories.

Adam Coleman: 01:32:45

These aren't dreams.

Adam Coleman: 01:32:47

These are nightmares.

Adam Coleman: 01:32:49

These are circumstances of people who are actually dead where people can't explain how this person is still alive, where they come back and they're healed, you know, So I.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:04

I think there's just so much that is there.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:06

Have you seen one where there's possibly someone lying?

Adam Coleman: 01:33:08

Sure, you can account for that, but man, Not.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:12

Not thousands upon thousands of people who have nothing to gain from it.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:16

And when you look, when you watch people long enough, you can generally.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:21

Generally tell someone who is lying, who's acting, who's embellishing.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:27

And the vast majority of these people, just like I was telling you my story with my.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:32

With my granddaughter, and I, you know, it's coming from hard, and I'm crying.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:37

I'm watching these people go through the same experience, you know, and doing this, and they're not public figures, you know, they have nothing to gain from this.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:47

They just want to share their story.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:48

And hopefully people understand why they changed their entire life.

Adam Coleman: 01:33:54

They switched from being a Muslim to a Christian, right after this experience, they were confronted with so many different things, changed professions, changed everything, and came to Christ.

Adam Coleman: 01:34:05

Like, there's a reason why.

Adam Coleman: 01:34:07

So, yeah, I think these ND experiences are far, far more profound than people give them.

Will Spencer: 01:34:17

Mm.

Will Spencer: 01:34:18

Yeah.

Will Spencer: 01:34:19

And that the.

Will Spencer: 01:34:20

The total life change is the real.

Will Spencer: 01:34:23

Is the real testimony, right?

Will Spencer: 01:34:25

That's the shift that, like, I had this experience, right.

Will Spencer: 01:34:29

And it touched me in a deep, emotional way, and I realized I have to change my life.

Will Spencer: 01:34:35

And then you change your life, right.

Will Spencer: 01:34:38

That is the surest testimony of the gospel of Christ.

Will Spencer: 01:34:42

To see sinners saved.

Will Spencer: 01:34:45

Right.

Will Spencer: 01:34:45

And to see that pattern happen over and over again, and also for it almost to be, in some sense, kind of effortless.

Will Spencer: 01:34:52

Right?

Will Spencer: 01:34:53

So I spent a long time in the new age doing a lot of inner healing stuff, you know, not just therapy, but a bunch of other stuff, turning myself inside out to try and grieve and grow and know, spiritually evolve, et cetera.

Will Spencer: 01:35:04

I mean, that was a big part of my life, a big part of why I traveled and since coming to Christ in the past four years, the growth in the same sense, I don't want to say it's been effortless, because that's not the right word, but the growth has come very naturally.

Will Spencer: 01:35:17

It's required letting a lot of things go, but just opening my hands and just feeling the growth happen.

Will Spencer: 01:35:22

What I fought and, you know, and suffered for, a small little morsel of growth is given so freely by the Holy Spirit and in Christ that it's like, what was I ever doing messing around with all that stuff, except perhaps to show me, by contrast, you know, like, there's the hard way.

Will Spencer: 01:35:41

Sure, do it the hard way.

Will Spencer: 01:35:42

See if you get anywhere versus the easy way.

Will Spencer: 01:35:44

And that's the thing.

Will Spencer: 01:35:47

Like, just last week I had someone asked me, he said, you know, you've been through so many different phases of different Religions, religions and spiritual traditions.

Will Spencer: 01:35:58

Like, how do you know this isn't just another phase?

Will Spencer: 01:36:00

And he was asking in good faith.

Will Spencer: 01:36:02

Like, he was, he was essentially testing my profession of faith.

Will Spencer: 01:36:05

And he had every right to in the situation.

Will Spencer: 01:36:06

So I didn't, he didn't like, just walk up to me and say, hey bro, I have a question for you.

Will Spencer: 01:36:10

I would have fielded that too.

Will Spencer: 01:36:11

But like, I understand why he was asking because it's like we have something precious here that we want to protect and we want to make sure that you're as sincere about it as we are.

Will Spencer: 01:36:22

And so I appreciate that skepticism and like there, it needs to be suffused with grace.

Will Spencer: 01:36:28

It needs to be like, no, I genuinely want to know you and hear who you are.

Will Spencer: 01:36:32

I want to believe that what you have to say is true.

Will Spencer: 01:36:34

But like, I want it to be true.

Will Spencer: 01:36:36

Not for my sake.

Will Spencer: 01:36:37

I want it to be true for your sake.

Will Spencer: 01:36:39

That's what he's saying to me.

Will Spencer: 01:36:40

And so, and so I appreciate it.

Will Spencer: 01:36:42

I have always appreciated that pushback on me.

Will Spencer: 01:36:44

Like, please ask me questions, like, I will tell you about the guy that I was.

Will Spencer: 01:36:49

I remember being dead.

Will Spencer: 01:36:50

I can describe to you what it's like to be dead.

Will Spencer: 01:36:52

And so it's, it's a, it's to hear the story of how it impacted you and how it impacted this person with the near death experience.

Will Spencer: 01:36:58

It's like, yes, this is real.

Will Spencer: 01:37:00

And so to meet people inside the church who grew up in the church who don't have experience, like, look at what you have.

Will Spencer: 01:37:07

Take it seriously.

Adam Coleman: 01:37:10

Yeah, that, that's, that's, that's so it.

Adam Coleman: 01:37:15

Just take it seriously and cherish it.

Adam Coleman: 01:37:19

You know, the.

Adam Coleman: 01:37:22

I cherish, I cherish where I'm at and I cherish our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Adam Coleman: 01:37:30

Even more so because, you know, I keep going back to struggle and suffering.

Adam Coleman: 01:37:37

And for many years when I suffered, I didn't understand why I had to go through that, you know, because the way we talk about a culture is like, suffering is only bad, right?

Adam Coleman: 01:37:56

And then there are some cultures, you, suffering is a result of a previous life or something like that, but suffering is always bad.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:07

And so if you're right and if you're, if you're succeeding, what's always good, right?

Adam Coleman: 01:38:14

Success is always good.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:15

The scientists who said always having money is good.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:18

Well, if that's the case, then how come there are millionaires who kill themselves?

Will Spencer: 01:38:23

That's right.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:23

And how come there are people who don't have very much who are happy and joyful, right?

Adam Coleman: 01:38:31

But even more so to the struggle.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:34

Like, there's purpose in struggle.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:36

And like, obvious.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:37

The most obvious example of that is Jesus Christ literally suffering for our sins.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:43

There was purpose for him to do that.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:46

What he did was a sacrifice, and it was positive.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:50

There was a lesson to be learned from it.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:52

And it was something that was necessary, and it was positive to do.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:55

And so his struggle, there was a point for it.

Adam Coleman: 01:38:59

And what I started realizing as well was that there's a point for my struggling.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:05

The reason I'm not very afraid of, you know, online haters or cancer mobs is because I suffered.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:14

It's because I went through all these different things, and I'm okay.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:17

I'm okay with that.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:19

And now I have an opportunity, because I've been very fortunate.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:23

I have an opportunity to use my struggle as a lesson for other people to understand.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:31

I can use my struggle to relate to other people who are struggling, to help them pull themselves out, even if it's just one person.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:39

I can.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:39

I can use.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:41

I can use my story in a positive light, just in the same way we use other people's stories in a positive light.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:50

And so, you know, I don't.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:52

I don't regret anything that I went through.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:55

I don't regret being homeless.

Adam Coleman: 01:39:57

I don't regret my father not being in my life.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:00

You know, I don't regret any of this stuff.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:02

I can't change any of it.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:04

I'm not resentful.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:06

I'm not angry.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:07

I'm not.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:07

None of these things.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:10

I am here.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:11

And the only thing I can do is use, excuse me, use the parts where I suffered and struggled to try to help somebody else and learn something from it and appreciate things.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:28

I've been homeless three times in my life.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:30

You know, I named one of the times, you know, where people had to pay for me to stay in a hotel.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:35

I was homeless twice as a kid.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:37

Stayed in a homeless shelter once and, you know, stay with some strangers another time a stranger in a.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:45

And a trailer.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:47

And I know what it's like to feel insecure about where you live.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:52

I always like to have no job and struggling to find employment.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:57

Like, I know all that stuff.

Adam Coleman: 01:40:59

And here I am sitting with you with thousands of dollars in computer and camera setup sitting in front of me, and I can pay my bills, and I drive a functioning vehicle, and I have a loving wife, you know, like, so I went through all those things to appreciate, to really appreciate.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:20

Obviously, I didn't have to go through all that to appreciate stuff, but it just adds to another level where I can't Take things for granted.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:27

I just can't.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:29

You know, it's why I have a hard time setting high expectations for this and that.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:33

It's like, man the lows that I've come from.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:36

Like, I'm just so happy to be here.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:39

Right.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:40

I just.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:40

Doing the best that I can to go as far as I possibly can, but I know that there's going to be a cap and there's going to be a moment where I have to do something else.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:49

So I'm still thankful to be here.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:52

If tomorrow no one cares about what I have to say, then I'll deal with that and I'll move on and I'll figure it out.

Adam Coleman: 01:41:58

And even more so, I have Christ by my side and I'll be okay.

Adam Coleman: 01:42:04

So, you know, I think, I think it's really important to be thankful.

Adam Coleman: 01:42:08

Obviously you don't have to lose everything to be thankful for what you have, but I just wish people were more introspective about the reality of their life.

Will Spencer: 01:42:23

Yeah, there's in sort of secular culture, there's a big sort of gratitude, thankfulness kind of movement that's happening, but it's not Christ centric.

Will Spencer: 01:42:32

So like, who are you, who are you giving?

Will Spencer: 01:42:34

Who are you thanking for all these things?

Will Spencer: 01:42:36

I read, there's something that I read online couple, couple weeks ago.

Will Spencer: 01:42:41

It's been kind of living rent free in my head, and it said, you know, if, if, if everything that you didn't say give thanks for this week were taken away tomorrow, right?

Will Spencer: 01:42:54

Like, like think of, think of all the things in your most recent prayer that you didn't give thanks for.

Will Spencer: 01:42:57

Imagine that they'll be taken away tomorrow.

Will Spencer: 01:42:59

And I was like, oh my gosh, how many things am I not giving thankful thanks for?

Will Spencer: 01:43:03

You know, sitting down, making myself breakfast, like, you know, the, the blood in my veins, the air in my lungs, the food on my plate, the, the power, you know, the safety, the health, all of these different things.

Will Spencer: 01:43:13

Recognizing the overwhelming bounty of life that, that I, that I've been given in that moment that we've been given.

Will Spencer: 01:43:20

Right.

Will Spencer: 01:43:20

Of course.

Will Spencer: 01:43:20

And there are other people that don't have those things right.

Will Spencer: 01:43:23

For, for various, for various reasons.

Will Spencer: 01:43:25

And so to recognize.

Will Spencer: 01:43:26

And this ties into the, the conversation about travel in America.

Will Spencer: 01:43:31

And this ties into the conversation about, about, you know, recognizing the good of growing up inside the church on like, being told what the faith and the straight and narrow is as opposed to having to find it later in life.

Will Spencer: 01:43:43

Like these overwhelming bounties that so many of us have and yet we have A culture that catechizes us in want and need and desire.

Will Spencer: 01:43:52

And so it seems like no matter, no matter how many blessings we have showering around us inside America right now, almost no matter where we are, that there's always this, but I gotta have more.

Will Spencer: 01:44:01

It's like, well, are you properly giving thanks for what you have now?

Will Spencer: 01:44:06

That's good and also what's bad?

Will Spencer: 01:44:08

And that's the part that I love about what you said.

Will Spencer: 01:44:10

And I want to read, of course, the famous passage, if I May, just Romans 8, 28, 29.

Will Spencer: 01:44:16

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good.

Will Spencer: 01:44:19

For those who are called according to his purpose, for those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Will Spencer: 01:44:31

So the suffering that we experience, the hard things that we go through conform us to the image of Christ.

Will Spencer: 01:44:36

It's not meaningless suffering, right?

Will Spencer: 01:44:38

It's all turned to this ultimate highest good and like, hallelujah.

Will Spencer: 01:44:44

Right?

Will Spencer: 01:44:44

And so that's, that's, that's.

Will Spencer: 01:44:46

That's the gift of being able to look at the long roads that any of us, you and I in this case, have walked to come to Christ and to recognize, like, I have this.

Will Spencer: 01:44:55

I'm good.

Will Spencer: 01:44:56

Serving in this way against the online haters, against the difficulties that come with being a public person, the difficulties of being questioned and challenged.

Will Spencer: 01:45:05

Like, yes, I know what it took to get here, so I'm okay being asked these questions and being subjected to scrutiny if it's done with grace, but sometimes it isn't.

Will Spencer: 01:45:15

So you don't have control over that anyway.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:18

Yeah, I don't most of the time.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:20

It's not dumb and Greece, if I'm honest with you.

Will Spencer: 01:45:23

That's right.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:24

That's very.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:26

Everything these days is very deaf of grace, so.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:32

But it's okay.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:33

It's okay.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:34

Like, I just wish there was more grace for other people, not necessarily for myself.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:42

I wish there was more understanding of what other people are going through.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:47

No, I think sometimes.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:50

I think sometimes people carve out.

Will Spencer: 01:45:54

Part.

Adam Coleman: 01:45:54

Of what it means to be a Christian and ignore the other parts.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:00

Some people want to be, you know, Jesus Christ turned over tables.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:06

They want to be that Christian.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:07

Right?

Adam Coleman: 01:46:08

Ah, you know, tell how it is.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:10

And then there are other people who just paint Jesus Christ as this hippie dippy guy who just accepted everyone, and you're all wonderful.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:20

And it's like, well, no, it's.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:23

It's both in more Right.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:27

There's an understanding that he is just, he's also gracious, he's understanding, but he still has rules.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:39

Right.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:39

Like there's a balance.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:41

And actually if I can go back a little bit, you made me think about something.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:47

You're talking about how it feels effortless and.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:51

But I know what you mean comparatively.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:54

Right, okay, but I know what you mean.

Adam Coleman: 01:46:56

I think the word I would use is that it feels natural.

Will Spencer: 01:47:02

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 01:47:03

And that's.

Adam Coleman: 01:47:07

I had somebody tell me like I was already, I was already acting Christ like without realizing I was acting Christ like because I started doing things that felt natural.

Adam Coleman: 01:47:16

Like I started listening to myself like when I started traveling and I got rid of that social anxiety which is, it's like a wall that prevents you from trusting yourself and listening to yourself.

Adam Coleman: 01:47:28

When you stick your yourself somewhere that you have no, know nothing about, you have no choice but to listen to yourself and to talk to yourself and to trust yourself.

Adam Coleman: 01:47:39

And that inner voice is not just my voice.

Adam Coleman: 01:47:42

Yeah, it, it's God has also helped to, to guide me and that's that, that like a God given instinct, you know.

Adam Coleman: 01:47:51

And so when I'm meeting someone and I'm like, something's not right about this person.

Adam Coleman: 01:47:57

I have no information other than my instinct.

Adam Coleman: 01:48:00

I need to stay away from this person or I need to go towards this person.

Adam Coleman: 01:48:04

There's something about this person I need to go towards.

Adam Coleman: 01:48:07

And I started listening to that not just occasionally, but all the time.

Adam Coleman: 01:48:13

And every time since I tried to stretch like, well, you know, I tried to make excuses for someone or something, it always bit in the ass every single time.

Adam Coleman: 01:48:25

And it's like, lesson learned once again.

Adam Coleman: 01:48:28

My instincts are 100 correct.

Adam Coleman: 01:48:31

And so, you know, coming to that and listening to my instincts and, and once you start doing that, your instincts are natural, Everything just feels natural.

Adam Coleman: 01:48:44

Like I have a friend who's a theologian, she's a theologian and a journalist.

Adam Coleman: 01:48:53

And our first conversation, she was, she was interviewing me for a Dutch newspaper that she was working for.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:00

She's.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:01

She read something that I wrote.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:03

She's based in Netherlands and she wanted to interview me for the.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:06

Their paper.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:09

Excuse me.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:11

And we had this like this first time ever talking.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:14

We just had this really comfortable understanding conversation.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:22

And she told me after that, towards the end of that conversation, she said, you know, you're the most Christ like person I've talked to in a long time.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:32

Now this is before I like completely, you know, proclaimed my love to Christ.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:37

But I was being slowly like introduced to different Christians and I was becoming more and more open to it.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:44

And, you know, she.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:47

We're still friends.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:49

And she told me.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:51

What I mean by that is it's coming natural to you because you're listening to yourself.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:57

You know, it's just very natural.

Adam Coleman: 01:49:59

So when I go to her and I say, biblically, what is this?

Adam Coleman: 01:50:03

And she tells me, I said, that's what I thought.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:06

And it's because, yeah, my instincts are telling me, like, this is right or this is wrong.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:11

Like, obviously there's a.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:12

There's a biblical text that.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:14

That explains in detail and we should understand these things.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:18

But every time I read a piece of text, I'm like, well, yeah, that makes sense.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:24

Like, to me, it just.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:25

It just seems natural.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:26

It makes sense.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:27

And then when I hear texts from other face about very specific things, it seems like they're trying to convince you to do something that is not natural.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:37

Well, in this circumstance, it is.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:40

I was like, wait, whenever I read the Christian faith, it is never circumstantial.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:45

It is never thou shall not kill.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:47

Unless it's like, well, it's just.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:50

That's.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:50

That's what they.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:52

Yeah, there's an asterisk next to it.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:54

You know, it's.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:56

It's like, that's.

Adam Coleman: 01:50:58

That's the part where I'm like, well, yeah, like, this is.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:03

This is.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:04

Everything about this is very much so natural.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:08

And if something is natural, it feels effortless.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:11

Like, I don't have to try very hard.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:15

And I've always.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:16

I've always had a strong sense of guilt.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:18

Like, I know that I can't.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:20

I can't do certain things because I feel so guilty.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:24

And I've always been like that.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:26

I used to call it a curse because, you know, you see your friends doing certain things, you're like, oh, I wish I could do that.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:31

I wish I could go here, do that, and not feel bad about it.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:36

But now I'm like, man, it's a real blessing because it's like, it steers me in the right direction.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:42

And now that I have my.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:43

My sense of.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:45

Strong sense of what's moral and border, like, what's.

Adam Coleman: 01:51:51

What's guarding, that is knowing that I will feel such a strong sense of guilt that I have no choice but to rectify what I just did.

Adam Coleman: 01:52:01

Like, and that helps to keep me in line understanding that if I listen to my instincts, my moral compass is on point 100 of the time.

Adam Coleman: 01:52:12

That's God given.

Adam Coleman: 01:52:13

So every.

Adam Coleman: 01:52:14

Everything about this, it feels so natural and normal that for, like, the first time in my life, I don't have to, I don't have to think very hard about what I'm doing, am doing this right, or anything like that.

Adam Coleman: 01:52:28

It's just, it's just there.

Will Spencer: 01:52:33

Some people would regard the.

Will Spencer: 01:52:34

A living conscience as a curse, right?

Will Spencer: 01:52:38

And I heard you say that earlier.

Will Spencer: 01:52:39

Like the pain of a conscience that's saying, don't do that, don't do that, right?

Will Spencer: 01:52:44

Or even though everyone else is doing that, don't do that.

Will Spencer: 01:52:46

Like, a living conscience in, especially in culture today can feel like a curse because all the popular kids are doing this or all of, all of society is telling you to do this or trying to get you to buy this or engage in this.

Will Spencer: 01:52:57

And it's like something inside me is very inconveniently telling me not to do it.

Will Spencer: 01:53:03

And I get into arguments like this on Twitter with atheists.

Will Spencer: 01:53:05

I say like, well, do you have a conscience?

Will Spencer: 01:53:08

Do you know right from wrong?

Will Spencer: 01:53:09

And they'll say something like, yeah, but that's just socially conditioned, right?

Will Spencer: 01:53:13

And then I'll show them a picture of like tank man from Tiananmen Square, the guy who stood in front of the, in front of the tanks, you know, like that is that kind of behavior which is exemplary of so many other kinds of behavior that are just like it.

Will Spencer: 01:53:26

That's not socially conditioned.

Will Spencer: 01:53:28

That's the behavior.

Will Spencer: 01:53:29

There's, there's no one who says stand in front of a line of tanks.

Will Spencer: 01:53:33

And that guy, by the way, he didn't know he was being photographed.

Will Spencer: 01:53:36

Like, he didn't know, like, oh, there's cameras up there, so I'm going to go do this.

Will Spencer: 01:53:39

No, he did that exclusively because it was right to him in that moment, the most inconvenient thing.

Will Spencer: 01:53:46

And that's the conscience, right?

Will Spencer: 01:53:47

And so the conscience can't be socially conditioned because the conscience tells us to do things that are often, quote, unquote, antisocial.

Will Spencer: 01:53:55

But to live in alignment with our conscience is the best blessing because it means we can sleep at night.

Will Spencer: 01:54:01

We don't have to worry about that thing that I said that one time or that thing that, you know, no one saw me do, but, you know, I know that I did it.

Will Spencer: 01:54:07

It's like, it's a, it's a gift if we have the self discipline to act in accordance with it.

Will Spencer: 01:54:13

And that, I think, is the hardest thing for so many men and women too.

Will Spencer: 01:54:16

Like just part of the human condition to have the self discipline to act in alignment with our conscience when it's antisocial, when it's sort of counterproductive to the group and I think that's being weaponized by a lot of.

Will Spencer: 01:54:28

Against a lot of people today.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:30

Yeah, absolutely.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:32

Absolutely.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:34

You know, I was just thinking about the last time my conscience beat me the hell up.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:40

Was.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:43

So when I.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:44

When I.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:45

When I write, and it's not often like, sure, that's what I'm saying.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:48

Like, it's very rare when I wrote something.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:54

Actually.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:55

No, I think it's better if I tell you this.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:58

You know, Twitter is a.

Adam Coleman: 01:54:59

Interesting place.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:00

You get caught up in stuff, and.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:03

And.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:04

And that's why I.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:05

I actually call.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:06

I call Twitter demonic in nature.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:08

It doesn't have to be.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:10

But anything that separates people in its natural state is to separate people is something that is demonic.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:18

And obviously, you can.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:20

You could take anything and make something positive out of it, but I.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:24

I see it as an avenue that steers towards separation, whether it's mocking people, ridiculing people, blocking people, you know, yelling at people, defaming, canceling.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:36

Like, all that stuff you get rewarded to do on that platform.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:40

And because it.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:42

In my opinion, that is demonic in nature, it's very easy if you're not.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:48

If you're not conscious of it, to fall on that path, even just slightly.

Adam Coleman: 01:55:53

And I had accidentally.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:00

I had accidentally mocked someone who was suffering, and I.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:08

When I realized that, and then their followers were coming after me, and I.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:14

And I was like, I didn't know that.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:15

Like, I was trying to.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:16

Like, I didn't know that.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:17

I didn't know that.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:18

And then I deleted what I tweeted, and I felt such guilt for, like, an entire day.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:29

And I posted, I'm taking a break.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:33

Like, I need to get off of here.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:35

I'm taking a break.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:37

And then I think a day or two later, I sent out that woman a private message apologizing to her.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:45

And I said, I don't expect you to respond.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:48

I just want to tell you that I'm really sorry.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:51

I didn't know that you were suffering.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:54

If I did, I would have never said that.

Adam Coleman: 01:56:56

It's not my intention to hurt people on here.

Adam Coleman: 01:57:01

You know, I got caught up with all the other stuff, and I thought you were this.

Adam Coleman: 01:57:06

And I do know, and I'm really sorry.

Adam Coleman: 01:57:09

You know, if you want to tell your story on my platform, I would welcome you to do that, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm really sorry for hurting you.

Adam Coleman: 01:57:19

And she responded and said, wow, this never happens on her, and it never happens.

Adam Coleman: 01:57:28

You know, just someone saying, I was wrong, and I am so sorry, and I did not mean to hurt you and really meant a lot because, you know, people hurt someone and they just move on and pretend that happened.

Adam Coleman: 01:57:40

My conscience did not stop bothering me until I did that, until I acknowledged that I messed up.

Adam Coleman: 01:57:49

So, like, I'm so glad to have a conscience like that, because I don't know how.

Adam Coleman: 01:57:56

How badly I hurt that lady.

Adam Coleman: 01:57:59

Right.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:00

And maybe me apologizing was a way for her to alleviate that hurt and understand where I'm coming from.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:08

And we're were both alleviating that pain because I was humble enough to say I was wrong.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:15

I'm in the wrong here.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:16

I'm so sorry.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:18

And to understand where she's coming from because, you know, I get it.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:22

I get why she said what she said, what, you know, and what she's going through.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:26

So.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:28

And just so people kind of understand, she was.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:32

She was affected by Covid, I believe, a COVID vaccine.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:38

And I didn't know that.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:40

I saw her as somebody who was like, you see all these people who are.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:45

Seem kind of crazy, just wearing masks and stuff like that and kind of freak out over.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:49

Over these very things.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:51

But she was someone who was sick because of the COVID vaccine.

Will Spencer: 01:58:56

Well, vaccine injury.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:58

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 01:58:59

So.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:01

So she was like, hyper.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:02

Hyper vigilant about everything, because I can't remember.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:07

It was just her.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:07

I think it might have been her kids as well or something like that.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:11

I can't remember in great detail, but that's kind of the basis of the mockery that I engaged in.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:20

And I didn't realize I was mocking someone who was actually hurting.

Will Spencer: 01:59:28

Have you talked about this on your Twitter since then, or is this the first time you've spoken about it?

Adam Coleman: 01:59:33

I.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:34

I wrote.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:36

I wrote a substack piece about it.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:39

As I was saying, I'm taking a break because I realized I got caught up there.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:48

You know, there were a whole bunch of things.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:50

Elon had retweeted me.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:52

I got.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:52

I got attacked by white supremacists who call me the N word.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:56

I was getting attacked by black leftists who were calling me coons.

Adam Coleman: 01:59:59

Like, it was just at first.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:03

I can't make anyone happy.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:05

You can't make anyone happy.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:06

I'm just.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:06

I'm all the above.

Will Spencer: 02:00:07

I like you.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:11

I like you as well.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:12

Thank you so much.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:13

But, yeah, it was just.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:16

It was like every hour I was getting a new hate message.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:21

I got leftists.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:23

Leftists and communists in New York City tagged me on Twitter on.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:27

On Instagram, and I had to block my mentions.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:30

And it's like.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:31

So then that happened like a two Days later, I was just like, I need to get off this platform.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:37

Like, because I'm.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:38

Oh, yeah, it was just.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:40

It was too much.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:41

It was too much.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:41

And I was starting.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:42

I.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:43

I didn't act like myself by hurting somebody.

Adam Coleman: 02:00:47

So, yeah.

Will Spencer: 02:00:50

I see what you mean about feeling that it's demonic, and I agree.

Will Spencer: 02:00:53

You know, I've said to a bunch of people that pre.

Will Spencer: 02:00:57

Elon, I think, you know, Twitter was a.

Will Spencer: 02:01:00

It was all about censorship, right?

Will Spencer: 02:01:01

They constrained the level of dialogue.

Will Spencer: 02:01:04

And now post Elon, it's like the narrative is being driven.

Will Spencer: 02:01:08

It's like it's being supercharged, and everyone's getting all frothy much faster in some very destructive ways.

Will Spencer: 02:01:14

And I can't say whether one's better than the other in some ways, but certainly there are.

Will Spencer: 02:01:19

There are benefits to free speech.

Will Spencer: 02:01:20

I mean, I think around the Trump assassination attempt, right?

Will Spencer: 02:01:23

That day, Twitter was so far out ahead of the media, in for 48 hours, at least.

Will Spencer: 02:01:29

And so that freedom of information, to let information flow was very, very powerful.

Will Spencer: 02:01:34

And that comes with the costs of people being able to say things that they couldn't say a few years ago that we then get caught up.

Will Spencer: 02:01:41

And it's like, whoa, I need to turn this off.

Will Spencer: 02:01:43

Especially when you have influence, like, you have.

Will Spencer: 02:01:45

I think you.

Will Spencer: 02:01:46

I think I saw 130,000 Twitter followers.

Will Spencer: 02:01:48

Like, that's a.

Will Spencer: 02:01:49

That's a big deal, right?

Will Spencer: 02:01:51

And it can.

Will Spencer: 02:01:52

It can be very easy to fall into that and be like, whoa, okay, whoa.

Will Spencer: 02:01:56

There's more.

Will Spencer: 02:01:57

As we said earlier, it's not just about me.

Will Spencer: 02:02:00

Right?

Will Spencer: 02:02:00

And that's.

Will Spencer: 02:02:00

And.

Will Spencer: 02:02:01

And you felt it becoming about something more than you and I guess in a different way.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:07

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:07

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:08

I felt like I wasn't.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:10

I wasn't myself.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:11

Like, how.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:12

And people who talk to me on the phone, there have been Twitter friends that I've made.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:18

We talk on the phone and stuff like that and talk frequently.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:22

They'll.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:22

They'll go online, like, whatever.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:24

You see Adam on.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:26

Adam online, that's how he is in real life.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:30

And then people meet me.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:31

It's like I'm.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:32

I'm so even inconsistent.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:35

Like, it probably drives my wife crazy because it seems like I'm.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:40

I'm Even temperament.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:42

I'm consistent.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:44

It's very, very rare that I'm emotionally off for an extended period of time.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:49

So when I am, it really bothers me, you know?

Adam Coleman: 02:02:54

And so when I.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:55

When I do something like what I did there, it bothers me.

Adam Coleman: 02:02:59

It bothers me a lot, you know, not necessarily because I'm trying To be an influencer and tell people to do this and do that.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:11

But just on a personal level, I just, I didn't have to apologize to her and I didn't have to tell anybody.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:18

I have to tell you.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:19

Right.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:20

I could have just moved on with my life, but I felt the need to, you know, and that's, that's, that's the soul aspect, the guilt.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:29

That's these, these are God given traits that we have that you can't measure.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:37

You know, it's just, it's there.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:39

You know, it's there just, you know, you have a soul.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:42

Like, it's there.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:43

You can't put under a magnifying glass.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:46

You know, it's.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:47

But, you know, it's there.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:48

And so we know what's right and wrong.

Adam Coleman: 02:03:50

And I knew what I did was wrong, and I knew that the only way that I could alleviate that was acknowledging that I was wrong and apologizing to this person.

Adam Coleman: 02:04:00

So, you know, and I didn't talk about it publicly.

Adam Coleman: 02:04:06

Twitter, not because I, I didn't, you know, I was shame, shameful of it and I didn't want to show my shame to the public.

Adam Coleman: 02:04:14

But sometimes when you do stuff like that publicly, it can come off as you appearing to be the good guy in front of everybody.

Adam Coleman: 02:04:23

It's kind of like when someone films himself giving a homeless person money.

Adam Coleman: 02:04:28

Like, it's that kind of thing.

Adam Coleman: 02:04:30

It's like, well, why are you doing it?

Adam Coleman: 02:04:33

Are you, are you genuine or are you just doing it to show people, look, I'm, I'm big and I apologize if.

Adam Coleman: 02:04:40

You know.

Will Spencer: 02:04:42

Right.

Adam Coleman: 02:04:43

You know, so that's why.

Will Spencer: 02:04:46

Yeah, for, in a situation like that, there's really no need to run that up the flagpole and make a big thing about apologizing to a specific woman.

Will Spencer: 02:04:55

Unless it's something that everyone saw and everyone reacted to and then it's appropriate.

Will Spencer: 02:04:59

But the reason why I asked if you talked about it is because the.

Will Spencer: 02:05:01

One of the thoughts that came to my mind is not just the impact that you may have had on that woman that you responded to, but the number of people who are watching you, who saw that in you for a moment.

Will Spencer: 02:05:12

Like, oh, I feel bad.

Will Spencer: 02:05:14

You know, I feel bad for Adam that he did that or I didn't know that about him.

Will Spencer: 02:05:17

Like, the, you know, because we, like the notion of having fans is quite strange, but it's a thing.

Will Spencer: 02:05:22

And it's like people are, people are watching.

Will Spencer: 02:05:24

And it's like they have high expectations for us and we have high expectations for ourselves.

Will Spencer: 02:05:30

And so it's great to hear about this because I imagine there may be one other person who is watching that, a third party watching that whole, you know, thought something or felt some kind of way about it.

Will Spencer: 02:05:41

And they'll probably be grateful to hear, like, the resolution that happened on the back end, that you actually reached out to the woman and that you spoke to her.

Will Spencer: 02:05:48

It's like, oh, that's really cool that he had the courage to sort of step.

Will Spencer: 02:05:52

To take a step back and reach out and treat her like a person rather than just a name with an avatar on Twitter.

Will Spencer: 02:05:58

Like, hey, we're.

Will Spencer: 02:05:59

We're through this mediated, pseudo anonymous kind of platform.

Will Spencer: 02:06:02

We can't see each other face to face like this.

Will Spencer: 02:06:05

So, like, hey, there's a human on this side, and I recognize there's a human on that side, and I didn't treat you like that for a moment, and I'm sorry.

Will Spencer: 02:06:12

Like, that's huge.

Will Spencer: 02:06:13

Like, oh, my gosh.

Will Spencer: 02:06:14

Praise God.

Will Spencer: 02:06:14

Hallelujah.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:16

Yeah, I just.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:17

I never.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:19

Also from the fact that one.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:22

I deleted it, and it wasn't.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:24

It wasn't up terribly long, and I deleted it.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:27

And I know.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:28

Part of me knows that, like, by that point, it was like, four days later.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:33

No one remembers any of this stuff, even if everyone's memory is short.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:38

So what did you say?

Will Spencer: 02:06:42

I forgot.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:43

Exactly.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:45

You know, for me, it's like, I already hurt this lady, and she's not a public figure.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:52

So that's the other part.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:54

She's just some lady.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:56

And so I don't.

Adam Coleman: 02:06:57

I don't want to make this a public thing and potentially hurt her again.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:04

Even I might apologize.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:06

And then someone who follows me is like, yeah, but she's still an idiot, blah, blah, blah.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:10

And then I'm just, you know, I just opened the pathway for her to get hurt again.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:16

So I, you know, kind of had, like, those things in mind.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:19

I didn't.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:21

I wanted to make it as personal as possible.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:26

And honestly, I didn't expect her to even respond.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:30

You know, I just wanted to.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:33

I just wanted to apologize.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:34

If she read it and she had nothing to say to me, and she's like, well, you're still an asshole, then so be it.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:41

But I wanted to get that off my chest.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:43

My conscience.

Adam Coleman: 02:07:44

And I just wanted to put it out there.

Will Spencer: 02:07:49

I think that's being very responsible.

Will Spencer: 02:07:52

I mean, you didn't have to say anything.

Will Spencer: 02:07:54

But again, this gets back to the point about the conscience.

Will Spencer: 02:07:57

Your conscience convicted you.

Will Spencer: 02:07:58

Maybe it wouldn't have made any difference to anyone else in the world or even her, but it made a difference to you.

Will Spencer: 02:08:04

And that's not to make it sound selfish.

Will Spencer: 02:08:07

It's like, look, regardless of whatever anyone else thinks, my conscience is telling me I did something wrong here, if only by God's standards, not even by her.

Will Spencer: 02:08:17

Maybe she didn't even feel all that wronged, or maybe no one else saw and thought it was wrong.

Will Spencer: 02:08:21

You thought it was wrong, God thought it was wrong.

Will Spencer: 02:08:24

And so you act.

Will Spencer: 02:08:25

And that's a gift.

Will Spencer: 02:08:26

Some people don't.

Will Spencer: 02:08:27

Some people don't have that.

Will Spencer: 02:08:28

A lot of people don't have that.

Will Spencer: 02:08:30

And I think more than anything that we should pray for those people that they have that.

Will Spencer: 02:08:35

But I think it's all.

Will Spencer: 02:08:36

People fear it because they know that not only will they then be accountable for their behavior going forward, they'll be accountable for the backlog of stuff, which is its own thing.

Adam Coleman: 02:08:49

Yeah, I think it's.

Adam Coleman: 02:08:53

I think it's really important to apologize.

Adam Coleman: 02:08:56

Not under duress, not because some said you should, but because you, you want to.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:01

Like, if someone told me you need to apologize to her now, I'd be like, go yourself.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:06

Don't, don't leverage an apology because an apology is supposed to mean something.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:11

Thing that's right.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:12

And if you genuinely mean it, then you apologize.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:15

But don't, don't.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:16

Like, that's like a huge pet peeve of mine when someone tries to force me to do something, you know, even if they're right, even if that person's right and I should apologize.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:26

But don't, don't try to force me to do something.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:29

I will do it because it's coming from heart and I want to do it.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:34

But I, I do think that there's a need to, there's a need to be humble about your experience.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:43

And, you know, I, and that's why I think it's important for us to talk about where we mess up.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:50

Because I think there's so many people who, you know, the influences online who pretend that they've never messed up, never did anything wrong.

Adam Coleman: 02:09:59

They're always right, you know, and even just the nature of being a born again Christian is saying I was wrong before.

Adam Coleman: 02:10:10

Like, I'm being humble enough to say I was wrong.

Adam Coleman: 02:10:14

And I'm doing the thing that I think is a long time, right, for quite some time.

Adam Coleman: 02:10:19

And so, like, for me, it's not, it's not embarrassing to acknowledge I messed up, because if I can talk about these things and maybe encourages somebody else to talk about it or to acknowledge where they're messing up, or maybe they're currently messing up.

Adam Coleman: 02:10:35

And they're just so fearful of acknowledging that messing up, that just keep repeating it.

Adam Coleman: 02:10:42

And, you know, I've had.

Adam Coleman: 02:10:45

I've had people.

Adam Coleman: 02:10:47

That's the other crazy part.

Adam Coleman: 02:10:49

It's like people like you in this space, they offer advice that you didn't necessarily need at that moment, but you're glad that they gave you that advice.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:03

You know, there was a guy who.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:09

It was kind of like a cautionary tale.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:12

He could see me ascending, and he said, hey, just so you know, he's an older guy.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:18

He said, listen, I used to be on TV decades ago.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:22

I was in la.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:24

I was doing this, that.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:26

And I was really feeling myself.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:28

And I cheated on my wife, and she found out, and I loved my wife and it ruined my life.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:36

And I realized, what did I do this for?

Adam Coleman: 02:11:39

Like, I just got caught up.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:41

And I did this because I had ego and it was all pride and I just thought I could do stuff with no repercussions.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:48

And I hurt the person that I loved.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:50

And I messed up my life at that.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:53

At that moment, because I was.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:55

I was chasing something that wasn't even important.

Adam Coleman: 02:11:58

And so he was like, make sure you don't follow into the mistakes that I did.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:04

No, I didn't do anything.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:06

There wasn't anything.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:08

Anything implied or anything like that.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:10

But he felt the need to give me that reminder kind of early on.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:19

Give me the reminder.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:20

Like, I see what you're doing.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:22

I like it, and I see which way you're going.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:25

And I'm just giving you my cautionary tale in case you ever come across a situation.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:32

And.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:32

And so you don't make that mistake.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:34

Because I.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:35

I love my wife a lot.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:36

I love her dearly and would never want to put myself in any sort of situation like that.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:43

And, you know, whenever I travel somewhere, I try to make sure my wife comes with me because, one, I want her there, but two, to show, like, I have no interest in any of this other stuff.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:58

I don't want to.

Adam Coleman: 02:12:59

I want to be tacitly involved in stuff.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:04

I want my wife.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:05

I want my wife only.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:06

I want her with me to see if I go and speak, if I go and sell books, stuff.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:11

Like, I want her with me because.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:13

Reunion.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:16

And I think that's ultimately what he was trying to.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:20

Trying to explain to me is like, cherish your union.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:25

You know, don't.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:26

Don't take it for granted like I did.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:28

And so that's.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:29

That's a.

Adam Coleman: 02:13:30

That's a lesson from just a random guy on Twitter who's been a follower of mine for quite some time who opened up and told me his story of his pain and his regret to make sure that I don't repeat his mistake.

Will Spencer: 02:13:49

Yeah.

Will Spencer: 02:13:50

And he showed you a potential pitfall along the way that you weren't even thinking of.

Will Spencer: 02:13:54

And maybe it wouldn't have been on your radar anyway.

Will Spencer: 02:13:57

But he's saying, like, hey, further down this road, you may encounter X.

Will Spencer: 02:14:02

In case you do, don't do it.

Will Spencer: 02:14:05

Because here's what happens.

Will Spencer: 02:14:06

I mean, the Bible is full of warnings against adulteresses.

Will Spencer: 02:14:10

Like, the mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit, I believe is one of them.

Will Spencer: 02:14:14

And you know, like, that's a thing, you know, like that think about that.

Will Spencer: 02:14:19

Men.

Will Spencer: 02:14:20

But it was kind of him to reach out to you and in a way almost share his story with you.

Will Spencer: 02:14:25

I mean, in a very real way.

Will Spencer: 02:14:27

Share his story.

Will Spencer: 02:14:28

Yeah, because it's like, hey, you know, don't do this, and here's me.

Will Spencer: 02:14:33

And so it seems to me that you create this space around you that people feel.

Will Spencer: 02:14:38

You intentionally create the space around you that people feel comfortable in, whether it be people you're apologizing in dms, you have people reaching out to share personal parts of your story, whether it's someone that you're reaching out to personally to check on them.

Will Spencer: 02:14:50

Like, hey, are you.

Will Spencer: 02:14:51

You okay?

Will Spencer: 02:14:52

Like, I felt something funny about what you wrote.

Will Spencer: 02:14:54

Like, what a rare, what a rare gift in the realm of social media to have a real, dare I say, a real person.

Will Spencer: 02:15:01

Right, Right.

Will Spencer: 02:15:04

So what a gift that you offer to the people around you.

Will Spencer: 02:15:06

Because whether.

Will Spencer: 02:15:07

Whether the, Whether the guidance from the man had anything to do with where you would ever be or not, it was something that he still.

Will Spencer: 02:15:16

Something that he still felt called to share.

Will Spencer: 02:15:18

Like, hey, this is something that I learned in a really hard way.

Will Spencer: 02:15:21

It's important to me to know this now, and I'd like to share that with you.

Will Spencer: 02:15:24

That's a, That's a piece of him that he felt comfortable enough to share with you, because he probably wouldn't share that with a lot of people.

Adam Coleman: 02:15:32

Yeah, and I'm.

Adam Coleman: 02:15:34

I'm always thankful.

Adam Coleman: 02:15:35

Like, I get DMs from people.

Adam Coleman: 02:15:37

I get emails from people in response to things that I write.

Adam Coleman: 02:15:41

I get people who say, thank you so much because this is my story.

Adam Coleman: 02:15:46

I really appreciate you.

Adam Coleman: 02:15:48

You know, so I get, as much as we talk, it's very easy to notice the negative that exists out there.

Adam Coleman: 02:15:56

But, like, the positive that I get disclutely dwarfs.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:00

That's.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:01

So when I, When I show off, like, the.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:03

The hate DMs and the hate emails, stuff like that.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:06

Like, those things are rare.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:08

Very much so.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:09

Often I get.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:11

I get positive things.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:13

I get people who share their stories, very intimate stories.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:17

I've.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:17

I've had people.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:18

My.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:19

My first viral tweet was talking about my sadness of growing up without my father, how it impacted me.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:26

I can't even remember the exact tweet, but I remember Christopher Rufo retweeted it and it just took off from there.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:34

And I was a small account at the time, so.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:37

But that.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:39

That prompted so many DMs from people who were like, that's my story.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:44

Or they were the fathers who were trying to fight for custody with their kids.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:48

You know, it's just.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:49

It was just DM after dm, after DM from people who were telling me in.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:53

In some detail their stories and what they were going through.

Adam Coleman: 02:16:57

And I remember that night, like, going to bed and I was, like, crying because it was.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:04

It was so.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:05

It was.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:06

It was very much so emotional.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:07

And I was on top of that.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:09

I was still sort of new to Twitter, but it was very much so emotional for me to have so many people feel what I put out there enough to tell me their story.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:21

And so I don't.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:23

I always think whenever they tell me their story, I always read it and I thank them for sharing their story because they don't have to do that.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:31

And a lot of people feel very comfortable telling me, and I don't break the trust or anything like that and, you know, reveal anything, but, like, the fact that they feel open enough, tell me.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:46

Because as much as they're strangers, me, I'm also a stranger to them.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:49

Like, they don't know me either.

Adam Coleman: 02:17:51

So for them to feel comfortable enough to take a chance and reach out to me, I've had people who are like, I don't think you're going to read this, but I just wanted to say.

Adam Coleman: 02:18:02

And then, like, two seconds later, I'm like, thanks so much.

Adam Coleman: 02:18:04

You're like, oh, my God.

Adam Coleman: 02:18:06

They're always shocked.

Adam Coleman: 02:18:07

Yeah, I'm just a regular guy.

Adam Coleman: 02:18:10

I use Twitter.

Adam Coleman: 02:18:11

I see a message, and thank you so much.

Adam Coleman: 02:18:13

I do appreciate it.

Adam Coleman: 02:18:16

So I.

Adam Coleman: 02:18:17

Yeah, like I said before, I take any of this stuff for granted.

Adam Coleman: 02:18:21

It's hard for people to reveal themselves in general, nevertheless reveal themselves to complete strangers.

Will Spencer: 02:18:32

Yes.

Will Spencer: 02:18:32

Oh, my gosh, very much so.

Will Spencer: 02:18:35

I had a successful female content creator influencer reach out to me and just privately tell me about how she met her husband.

Will Spencer: 02:18:42

I had replied to something that she had said, you know, and I had replied at length, or maybe I had retweeted it and replied at length.

Will Spencer: 02:18:51

I said, like, giving her the benefit of the doubt of a bunch of stuff.

Will Spencer: 02:18:54

And then she reached out to kind of explain her story and I was like, well, first of all, thank you for sharing that with me.

Will Spencer: 02:18:59

And she said something really nice.

Will Spencer: 02:19:00

She said, well, I trust you.

Will Spencer: 02:19:01

Like, thank you for saying that.

Will Spencer: 02:19:03

Like, we've never met, you know, but, but the, the idea that to be a kind of person where your personality, where yourself shines through the words, shines through the interactions, like, I think that's one of the beautiful things about, about social media.

Will Spencer: 02:19:19

There's a lot that isn't good, but the idea that through reading words or watching someone or some, over some period of time, being like, you know what?

Will Spencer: 02:19:25

I'm just going to reach out to this guy.

Will Spencer: 02:19:26

In fact, that's why you and I are talking is that I'd watched you for a while and, you know, I just like, well, I'm just going to shoot this guy a message.

Will Spencer: 02:19:33

And I know he's got a lot of things going on.

Will Spencer: 02:19:35

Let's just see if we can have a conversation.

Will Spencer: 02:19:37

And I was like, oh, my gosh.

Will Spencer: 02:19:37

He replied.

Will Spencer: 02:19:38

So I can relate very much to all these people that send you.

Will Spencer: 02:19:43

That send you messages.

Will Spencer: 02:19:44

I mean, and I think it's a blessing to be able to have the.

Will Spencer: 02:19:48

I guess I might say the inner resources to be available in that way.

Will Spencer: 02:19:52

And I don't mean like available in terms of, like, you know, I'm.

Will Spencer: 02:19:56

I'm here to pick up the phone.

Will Spencer: 02:19:58

It's like when someone messages, the ability to meet them with where.

Will Spencer: 02:20:01

Meet them where they're at, because that takes, that takes effort because you're wherever you're at during the day and this person's way over here and they send you a message saying, I'm struggling with something or whatever, and then you come over there to meet them where they're at.

Will Spencer: 02:20:13

Like, that's not easy to do in our, in our hectic lives.

Will Spencer: 02:20:17

And that requires a certain amount of inner resources to be able to do and I guess a generosity of spirit.

Adam Coleman: 02:20:24

Yeah, I.

Adam Coleman: 02:20:28

I'm sort of glued to my phone because working at it, you, you know, you always have to have your phone on you.

Adam Coleman: 02:20:34

But as far as being, like, emotionally available, I don't know where it comes from, but I'm okay with it.

Adam Coleman: 02:20:46

I'm okay with being emotionally available myself and talking about very intimate things or hearing people's stories.

Adam Coleman: 02:20:59

Also, I know what it's like to send someone a thankful message and not get a reply.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:05

So I'm just like, I respond to everybody.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:11

I check my emails, I check my DMs.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:14

As long as you're not crazy, I'll send you at least like a thank you, you know, something like that.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:21

Because, Because I'm thankful.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:24

Like, you don't have to tell me how, how much I impact your life.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:29

You don't have to tell me thank you so much for what you did.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:32

You don't have to tell me any of that stuff.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:34

But you took the time out of your day to say something nice to me, a complete stranger.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:39

Yeah, I'm going to thank you for that.

Will Spencer: 02:21:42

Now.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:42

If you send me something crazy and call me a coon, I'm gonna mock you and I'm gonna ask you with.

Will Spencer: 02:21:49

The energy you bring to me.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:51

Right?

Adam Coleman: 02:21:52

And I won't let that hurt me.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:55

I will actually call you.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:56

You're.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:57

You're my biggest fan.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:57

That's my, my thing.

Adam Coleman: 02:21:59

These are my biggest fans.

Adam Coleman: 02:22:00

The ones who, like, I just know I can't imagine hating someone so much that I send them an angry message.

Adam Coleman: 02:22:07

And I was like, oh, you're just, you're a confused fan, but you're just like a really big fan.

Adam Coleman: 02:22:14

That's why you send me that message.

Adam Coleman: 02:22:17

Like you'll know what to do with that energy.

Will Spencer: 02:22:18

I love what I do.

Adam Coleman: 02:22:20

Yeah, exactly.

Will Spencer: 02:22:22

You just don't know how to express all the affection.

Adam Coleman: 02:22:26

That's exactly what it is.

Adam Coleman: 02:22:27

It's like there's a thin line between love and hate and they're just like toeing that line.

Adam Coleman: 02:22:32

They don't know exactly how, how to deal with that pent up emotion.

Adam Coleman: 02:22:36

So I always give them my well played, my biggest grace.

Adam Coleman: 02:22:41

Thank you so much to my kids fans who send me these messages.

Will Spencer: 02:22:47

It's funny, I was thinking about that today as I was driving.

Will Spencer: 02:22:50

Just the number of hate tweets, angry stuff that just comes across every day.

Will Spencer: 02:22:54

And I was just looking around the car and I was like, it could be any of these people.

Will Spencer: 02:22:57

I mean, it probably isn't.

Will Spencer: 02:22:59

I'm trying to imagine that the spirit of the person who's just like, you know, they see something on Twitter and they're like, kill yourself.

Will Spencer: 02:23:07

It's like what people walking around, walking around during the day, you know, like what?

Will Spencer: 02:23:14

Like they just get on their phone and it's like they call you a coon and then they put it down and they go like, order a latte or something.

Will Spencer: 02:23:19

Like, I just don't understand how that fits together into a real person.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:24

I hope your family dies.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:26

Hey, so we'll go play ball.

Will Spencer: 02:23:29

Exactly.

Will Spencer: 02:23:30

Exactly.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:31

Sorry.

Will Spencer: 02:23:31

As I was saying.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:34

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:35

The world is weird in that.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:37

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:37

I think the Internet and anonymity forces people to, like, they're so separate.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:45

That's what I'm saying.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:45

It's the separation of people, and it's so easy to kind of see as things.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:52

And it's just a screen.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:54

A screen name and an avatar and stuff like that.

Adam Coleman: 02:23:57

And it's why I try my best to criticize ideas rather than criticize person, because obviously we've changed our minds and stuff.

Adam Coleman: 02:24:09

And so I think it's good to have grace because I've met, like, for example, I talk about leftists, but I talk about leftists as far as, like, the ideology of leftists, not the individual.

Will Spencer: 02:24:21

Right.

Adam Coleman: 02:24:21

And I've met former leftists who are people, and.

Adam Coleman: 02:24:27

And they're like, I'm glad that there are people who gave me grace to fit this ideology and move elsewhere to think for myself on these particular things.

Adam Coleman: 02:24:37

So, you know, I think that's.

Adam Coleman: 02:24:39

That's also important.

Adam Coleman: 02:24:40

So I try not to.

Adam Coleman: 02:24:43

I try not to go after the individual.

Adam Coleman: 02:24:48

I try to go after either the behavior or the ideology of a particular person.

Will Spencer: 02:24:56

Thank you for saying that.

Will Spencer: 02:24:57

I've been saying that a lot lately.

Will Spencer: 02:24:58

Like, go after their ideas or the behavior or the words, not the individual.

Will Spencer: 02:25:04

Right?

Will Spencer: 02:25:04

Like, you know, don't.

Will Spencer: 02:25:06

Don't use personal pejoratives, you know, because if an idea is bad, it's a lie.

Will Spencer: 02:25:11

You can just punch through it the right way.

Will Spencer: 02:25:13

But I think the challenge is people get their ideas wrapped around the axle of their identity, and when you start poking at the idea, they can't distinguish the idea from themselves.

Will Spencer: 02:25:23

Like, I get that.

Will Spencer: 02:25:24

You know, I poke at feminism a lot.

Will Spencer: 02:25:26

I enjoy doing it, but so many people have it wrapped around their identity.

Will Spencer: 02:25:29

Like, they.

Will Spencer: 02:25:30

And they don't.

Will Spencer: 02:25:30

Maybe they know, maybe they don't, but it can be.

Will Spencer: 02:25:32

It can be very.

Will Spencer: 02:25:33

It can be very sensitive.

Will Spencer: 02:25:35

But, like, again, it's kind of the arena, right?

Will Spencer: 02:25:38

It's the.

Will Spencer: 02:25:38

It's the public marketplace, the marketplace of ideas.

Will Spencer: 02:25:40

And so we should feel free to let ideas bash into each other and see which one wins.

Will Spencer: 02:25:46

And I think there's a strange phenomenon where, When.

Will Spencer: 02:25:50

When people build their platforms based on bad ideas, right?

Will Spencer: 02:25:55

And there's only one good idea in history, and that's Christ, you know, so you have that as a solid foundation.

Will Spencer: 02:26:00

There might be a few other.

Will Spencer: 02:26:00

I don't mean to be so Hyperbolic about it, but, you know, we're talking about solid foundations to stand on.

Will Spencer: 02:26:05

And so people build their platforms based on ideas.

Will Spencer: 02:26:08

A great example, Richard Dawkins.

Will Spencer: 02:26:10

Richard Dawkins is a great example that's been up lately.

Will Spencer: 02:26:12

You know, he built his whole.

Will Spencer: 02:26:14

s and early: 2000

Will Spencer: 02:26:22

Right?

Will Spencer: 02:26:23

Blind.

Will Spencer: 02:26:23

The universe is blind.

Will Spencer: 02:26:25

Pitiless indifference with no justice anywhere.

Will Spencer: 02:26:27

That's like one of his famous quotes.

Will Spencer: 02:26:29

And then a couple of weeks ago, he posts like, I lost my entire Facebook account for questioning.

Will Spencer: 02:26:34

Something about the riots going on in the UK that seems really unfair.

Will Spencer: 02:26:38

And, like, I hit him with that quote.

Will Spencer: 02:26:40

Like, is this you?

Will Spencer: 02:26:41

Right?

Will Spencer: 02:26:42

And so, like, when you build your platform based on this idea, and then you're held accountable for the idea.

Will Spencer: 02:26:47

Well, what did he do?

Will Spencer: 02:26:48

He deleted the whole.

Will Spencer: 02:26:49

He deleted the whole tweet.

Will Spencer: 02:26:50

He ran from the accountability of his own.

Will Spencer: 02:26:53

Of his own idea.

Will Spencer: 02:26:54

And, like.

Will Spencer: 02:26:55

And so to.

Will Spencer: 02:26:55

So to prevent that, it's like, no, defend your ideas in the marketplace if you can.

Will Spencer: 02:27:00

And that, I think, is one of the great blessings with Twitter that we haven't had before.

Will Spencer: 02:27:04

But like you said, it can get demonic, and we can easily just slide off and lose ourselves in the combat, you know, and become very fleshly about it and be like, whoa, whoa, whoa, I need to punch out of this for a second and go touch grass.

Will Spencer: 02:27:16

And remember that, yes, it's righteous combat against ideas.

Will Spencer: 02:27:21

And I'm a person, and they're a person as well.

Will Spencer: 02:27:23

It can be quite demanding, actually, now that I describe it that way.

Adam Coleman: 02:27:28

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 02:27:29

But I also.

Adam Coleman: 02:27:30

I do think that I have many, many of strategies that I implement.

Adam Coleman: 02:27:37

I think sometimes people don't think.

Adam Coleman: 02:27:42

They just do when it comes to Twitter.

Adam Coleman: 02:27:44

They just use it like a diary.

Adam Coleman: 02:27:46

But everything that I put out, it's kind of like a lawyer, the lawyer, a good lawyer is supposed to know the answer to a question that they ask.

Adam Coleman: 02:27:54

Right.

Adam Coleman: 02:27:55

You know, you don't ask that question if you don't know the answer.

Adam Coleman: 02:27:57

So I.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:00

I know the response that I'll get based on the tweet that I'm about to craft.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:07

I already know.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:08

It's very, very easy for me.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:11

And so every word that I use I know will elicit a particular response.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:19

I know if I use a qualifier that alleviates the people who say, well, you're being general.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:25

Actually, no, as a qualifier, I'm being very specific.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:29

Right.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:30

So you can't fight that.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:31

So there.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:32

There's very particular Strategies that I implement to avoid most of what become when it comes to stuff like that.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:41

But as far as you're talking about identity, I am.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:47

If anybody follows me, like yourself, I am very much so.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:51

Identity less.

Adam Coleman: 02:28:54

Obviously, people know about my faith and I talk about them, but outside of that, people don't really know my philosophy.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:03

You know, there's a lot of people who presume my philosophy.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:05

Right.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:06

You can see, like, you know, Tom Soul on the wall.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:08

Oh, he must be black conservative.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:10

And I ask people, am I.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:12

Have you heard me say, you know, as a black conservative?

Adam Coleman: 02:29:15

Right.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:18

Am I holding me being black as, like, this deity?

Adam Coleman: 02:29:22

No, I don't do that either.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:25

So when someone calls me a coon, it doesn't bother me because being black is, like, very, very far down on the list.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:31

You can't really hurt me on that.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:33

And that's an identity that I was born with.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:36

I had no choice but to be black.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:38

So, you know, so you can't really hurt me there.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:43

I'm an independent.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:45

I've said it multiple times.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:47

So that's the one identity.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:49

Because people tried to put you in the dichotomy of identity.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:51

Are you Republican or Democrat?

Adam Coleman: 02:29:53

You sound like a liberal.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:54

You sound like a conservative.

Adam Coleman: 02:29:55

Well, I'm an independent, and so I don't care if you smear Republicans.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:02

I don't care.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:03

That's right.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:03

That's my party.

Will Spencer: 02:30:04

That's right.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:04

You know, I.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:05

I've literally heard people say, your party.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:07

And I.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:07

And I say, I don't have party.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:10

I'm.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:10

I'm independent.

Will Spencer: 02:30:11

That's right.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:12

I don't.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:12

I don't.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:12

I've never identified as a republic.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:16

The most that someone's ever seen me say is, I voted Republican once in my entire life.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:21

That's it.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:22

But I'm independent, so you can't attack on the party.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:27

You can attack me, particularly on political ideology, because in some things, I'm pretty liberal.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:33

On other things, I'm kind of conservative on.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:36

I said, I'm independent, so you can't attack me as being part of this party and part of that party.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:42

So, like, throughout the line, I don't pigeonhole myself into a particular box that someone can constantly attack.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:53

So, which means you now have to attack what I say.

Adam Coleman: 02:30:58

Right?

Adam Coleman: 02:30:59

I've never worn the Trump hat.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:01

I've never done.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:02

I've never done any of these things.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:04

I've purposely not set up a trap for myself.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:08

And everything I've tweeted, I stand behind.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:12

So attack what I said.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:15

And that's the thing.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:16

If you attack something and I didn't say it, well, then you're not attacking me.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:21

You're attacking someone else.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:24

And so.

Will Spencer: 02:31:24

Or the avatar.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:26

Yeah, taking the avatar.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:28

So everything that I do on that platform is very much so thought about, I think about all this.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:35

Early on, I would schedule my tweets.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:39

I would do like.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:40

I would schedule like three tweets in a given day, and there were times that I would schedule it, and then two hours later, I would go in and refine it because I want to add in a word so someone can't mistake, I said.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:53

And so everything was perfectly crafted as to how I want to say it.

Adam Coleman: 02:31:58

And I knew that crafting this way would elicit this particular response.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:03

Now, whether it became a successful tweet or not is a different story.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:06

But I care more about the response and less about the success of it.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:10

The success will come, whatever.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:13

But I cared more about the response.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:15

And so I think if people were more crafty and thoughtful about what they put out, even down to just the particular word that they might use.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:28

Right.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:28

Because one word might assist someone to be angry.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:31

One word elicit empathy.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:33

And you could be talking about the same thing.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:36

Right.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:36

So that's where for me, the advantage of writing constantly and reading people and understanding, like when I said this, they're going to think this, or if I say this word, they're no longer going to consider the rest of what I say.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:53

Because that's the thing too.

Adam Coleman: 02:32:55

If you, if you use a word that is very polarizing, they forget everything else that you said.

Adam Coleman: 02:33:00

They just focus on that word, you know, so it's.

Adam Coleman: 02:33:04

That's a real thing too.

Will Spencer: 02:33:07

Yeah, the cognitive red light.

Will Spencer: 02:33:09

Like, as soon as I see that, I stop.

Will Spencer: 02:33:11

So can I, Can I push on something that you said a little bit?

Adam Coleman: 02:33:14

Sure.

Will Spencer: 02:33:17

So.

Will Spencer: 02:33:17

So I, I think it's.

Will Spencer: 02:33:18

It's.

Will Spencer: 02:33:19

I've noticed that your, Your identity less in your Twitter, and I've.

Will Spencer: 02:33:23

I've felt that.

Will Spencer: 02:33:24

That, I guess that presence, or it's not a lack of presence.

Will Spencer: 02:33:27

I felt that character of your Twitter.

Will Spencer: 02:33:29

So.

Will Spencer: 02:33:30

So you.

Will Spencer: 02:33:30

So you have the photo of Thomas Olap.

Will Spencer: 02:33:32

You don't identify as a black conservative, and you don't build a lot on top of your blackness in general.

Will Spencer: 02:33:38

But is that, is there not a way in which that is also a statement, considering so many black people today, it seems to me, and I mean, so many different groups are taught to build their identity on top of their identity.

Adam Coleman: 02:33:50

Right.

Will Spencer: 02:33:50

Is that, Is that not a statement in and of itself?

Will Spencer: 02:33:53

I appreciate the statement, but is that not a statement in and of itself.

Adam Coleman: 02:33:57

Yeah, I guess you could say that.

Adam Coleman: 02:33:58

It's.

Adam Coleman: 02:33:58

It's a.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:00

It's a statement, but it's.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:02

It's a difficult statement to pin me down on.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:08

Okay, I'm not over.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:09

I'm not overtly saying I reject this.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:14

I'm just not talking about it right much.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:16

In the same way I don't talk about Israel and Palestine, not because I support Israel or I support Palestine, but I just don't talk about it.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:27

So the, the absence of it just leaves people to, I don't know, think that either it doesn't matter that much to me or I don't.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:36

I don't care, or I just care to share.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:39

So this leaves a lot of misery behind it.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:44

But like the, the race thing, see, this is.

Adam Coleman: 02:34:49

All right, so this is the benefit of not just having Twitter to write and writing for other places, because Twitter is good for certain things, but it's not good for everything.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:02

And so if people really want to attack me, they need to read the articles that I write, because then they'll really get the full grasp of what I think about stuff.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:13

But my Twitter is only used for certain things at certain times because you can't have as much as people want.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:19

You can't have every discussion on there.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:22

Like, it's just going to evolve into stupidity.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:26

So if you want to know how I feel about something, I'm going to get it published and put it here.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:31

You go, read it and you make up your mind what you think about it.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:34

Just call it a day.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:36

So because of that, when I get accused of being a Trump sycophant, like, because one thing, that's the avatar they see, like, such and such follows you.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:47

Such and such follows you.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:49

So you must be a Trumper.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:51

And this and this and that.

Adam Coleman: 02:35:52

And I'm like, oh, if I'm a Trump sycophant, so read my article in the New York Post where I said that Ron DeSantis would be a better option than Donald Trump.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:01

Here you go.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:01

Here's the link.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:03

You know, if I'm a Trump sick fan, how come I never voted for him?

Adam Coleman: 02:36:08

Like, so it's just.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:09

It's down.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:10

It's down to these different things where I can.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:12

I can literally hit somebody with a link and say, actually, not only did I state the opposite of what you're stating, I stated with one of the biggest publications in the country, the oldest paper in the country.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:26

I'm very proud to say, oldest paper in the country.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:28

So here you go.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:29

I can Send you the newspaper clipping if you want.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:32

You know, it's that kind of thing.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:34

So that's where I kind of leave that stuff off Twitter, because I can't.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:40

I can't have everything there.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:42

Obviously I put links to articles that I write on Twitter, but to put stuff in Twitter statements and stuff like that and try to explain how I feel about everything.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:51

Under.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:52

Honestly, for some of the stuff, I don't even want feedback on it.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:55

Like, I.

Adam Coleman: 02:36:56

When I publish this stuff, these publications, I don't, I don't read comments.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:01

I learned lesson one time I read the comments.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:03

Probably wise.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:05

Yeah, I.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:06

I read it one time on for the New York Post, and it was something about giving thanks.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:12

And I was like, oh, let me read the comments.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:14

And I read the first comment, it was something insane.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:16

And I was like, of course.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:18

What?

Adam Coleman: 02:37:19

Lesson learned.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:20

Don't read the comments.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:22

So literally everything that I put out there, I just.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:25

I just don't read the comments.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:26

If I put it for a publication, I don't read it.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:30

This is how I feel.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:31

You like it, you hate it.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:32

I don't care.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:33

I don't Google, search my name and see if people talking about me.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:38

I prefer that people don't share stuff about what I'm saying, what saying about me.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:44

Like I care.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:45

Let them say whatever they want.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:47

I don't care.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:49

You know, this is for me.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:51

I.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:51

I don't.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:52

I don't really care if try to bring it to me, I block them and I move on.

Adam Coleman: 02:37:55

Don't even acknowledge them because I realize at that moment I'm more relevant and they want to get my attention.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:02

They want me to fight with them and stuff like that.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:05

And that's not my purpose here.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:06

I.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:07

I'm not here to fight with you.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:09

So it's exactly why you don't see Twitter draw between me and anybody else.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:14

I don't.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:14

I just literally don't argue with people I might criticize, like some leftists.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:21

But usually when I do that, I block them and I do a screenshot and move on.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:26

This is that idea.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:27

It's dumb, doesn't make sense.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:28

Here's why.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:29

And I move on with the rest of life.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:31

So I.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:33

Everything that I do on that website, it is carefully constructed because I ask myself, what is the purpose of this?

Adam Coleman: 02:38:41

Right?

Adam Coleman: 02:38:42

Is this beneficial to me?

Adam Coleman: 02:38:43

It's a big question.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:45

If I say this, what's the benefit from this?

Adam Coleman: 02:38:49

And if there's no benefit, I just don't do it.

Adam Coleman: 02:38:52

What's the benefit?

Adam Coleman: 02:38:53

If I acknowledge the person, it's like when Roland Martin didn't like one of my pieces in the New York Post and he misframed what I was trying to say and I saw it like at three in the morning and I was like, to respond to Roland Martin.

Adam Coleman: 02:39:07

No, Block went back to sleep.

Will Spencer: 02:39:13

Bye.

Adam Coleman: 02:39:13

And that's it, bro.

Will Spencer: 02:39:14

Goodbye.

Adam Coleman: 02:39:15

I don't care.

Adam Coleman: 02:39:16

Go ahead, talk with, with your five actual interactive followers.

Adam Coleman: 02:39:20

Go ahead and talk about me.

Adam Coleman: 02:39:21

I don't care.

Adam Coleman: 02:39:23

I'm going to go back to sleep next to my wife and enjoy my rest.

Adam Coleman: 02:39:27

So, you know, it's that kind of thing.

Adam Coleman: 02:39:30

I don't, I don't give people the time of day when it comes to stuff like this.

Adam Coleman: 02:39:33

If you don't like it, then that's, that's your problem.

Will Spencer: 02:39:38

Yeah, I have a similar thought process.

Will Spencer: 02:39:40

Like if I'm going to post this, am I ready to take on all the consequences intended or otherwise from this post today?

Will Spencer: 02:39:47

Like if I were to post this right now and this goes mega viral and it gets subjected to millions of views, like Twitter is the only platform in the world, I think, where you can write, where you have to write something knowing that no one might see it and everyone might see it at the same time.

Will Spencer: 02:40:01

Like, it's impossible.

Will Spencer: 02:40:02

It's impossible to write something that no one will see and everyone will see.

Will Spencer: 02:40:06

Right.

Will Spencer: 02:40:07

So for me it's like, ah, do I feel if this were to go viral today for whatever reason, do I really feel like dealing with it?

Will Spencer: 02:40:14

No, I don't feel like with it today.

Will Spencer: 02:40:16

So, you know, just like save it and draft or delete or something like that.

Will Spencer: 02:40:20

Or sometimes I get lucky and, you know, sometimes I'll hit the wrong button, it'll get deleted on its own.

Will Spencer: 02:40:24

I'm like, thanks, God, I appreciate you making that call for me.

Will Spencer: 02:40:28

But it's a, it's a, it's a real thing to have to calculate that to say, oh, you know, given that, like you, I hold myself accountable for all my words.

Will Spencer: 02:40:35

I posted it, I said it, this is on me.

Will Spencer: 02:40:38

So, you know, on my podcast, these are my words, Instagram, email list, all of it.

Will Spencer: 02:40:43

And so having that level of accountability means a certain degree of thoughtfulness.

Will Spencer: 02:40:47

It can't just be hot takes, it can't just be like, I'm just going to pop off on this random person on this comment just for fun, because I have to be accountable for what happens with that comment.

Will Spencer: 02:40:56

As you had to go through humbling yourself to reach out to that woman to say, hey, that was a moment where you were not thoughtful about what you were saying, or maybe you also didn't have all the information.

Will Spencer: 02:41:06

You were not as thoughtful as you otherwise would have liked to be.

Will Spencer: 02:41:09

And so you went back with thoughtfulness to make restitution and that.

Will Spencer: 02:41:14

We don't want to make a policy out of that.

Will Spencer: 02:41:16

Like you don't want to be doing that every day because the conscience hit of like, of dealing with it for an entire day of like the conscience nagging, you know, and that's not a bad thing.

Will Spencer: 02:41:26

But the conscience saying like, hey, that wasn't so good.

Will Spencer: 02:41:29

Like, oh, it's, it's, it's painful.

Will Spencer: 02:41:31

It's really, really painful.

Will Spencer: 02:41:33

And so I'd rather live in alignment and maybe not go as viral or maybe not be have as hot takes like, well, I would rather be accountable for my words than just be, you know, fire blasting everything out there and you know, yolo.

Adam Coleman: 02:41:46

Yeah, exactly.

Adam Coleman: 02:41:48

I have the same thought process.

Will Spencer: 02:41:50

So do you want to talk about some of the work you do on Wrong Speak for a second?

Will Spencer: 02:41:54

Because you mentioned that's where you have some of your more in depth thoughts.

Will Spencer: 02:41:57

Maybe we can just talk about that for a bit.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:00

Well, actually, with Wrong Speak, I started it.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:05

I technically started while I was writing the book.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:07

Then I took a hiatus.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:10

It was mainly a place for me to kind of rant about stuff while I was writing the book.

Will Spencer: 02:42:14

Sure.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:15

But I, after the book, I want to turn into a platform and invite people to write.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:23

Regular people, people who are aspiring to be writers.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:26

I was just inviting people to tell their story, their, their viewpoints, whatever.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:30

And with the premise that it's free speech, intellectual thought.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:36

So, you know, I, you know, we talk about hate speech and stuff like that.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:41

White supremacy, for example.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:44

It's not intellectual.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:45

It's very stupid.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:46

Right.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:47

Just so that's why I'm like, yes, we're free speech ish.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:52

You know, like, obviously some guys, like, let me tell you about being a Nazi is great.

Adam Coleman: 02:42:57

Like obviously we wouldn't publish that because that's not very intellectual.

Adam Coleman: 02:43:01

Right.

Will Spencer: 02:43:02

That's really.

Adam Coleman: 02:43:03

So that's why, you know, the pursuit for free speech in its absolute form, I understand to an extent, but I also understand that a platform like X can't be profitable in the long run.

Adam Coleman: 02:43:18

It's going to come to a point where Elon's going to have to make stronger rules regarding speech or he's going to have to implement even stronger freedom of speech, but not reach policies that might piss off other people to make those particular people the people who's pop in and say the Jews did everything Those guys back to gab and just.

Adam Coleman: 02:43:46

And wherever.

Adam Coleman: 02:43:48

But as far as once we goes, we encourage people to submit articles.

Adam Coleman: 02:43:54

Most of the articles are voluntary, just regular people who want to write, who want to express themselves.

Adam Coleman: 02:44:02

We got into news for a bit, getting some journalists to highlight stories that are interesting, not necessarily clickbaity.

Adam Coleman: 02:44:10

And we're trying to dabble with book publishing.

Adam Coleman: 02:44:16

So not just my book, but we have one other book here, the Luminesque Manual, Elizabeth Lang, which is a fictional book, Aurelian and its take.

Adam Coleman: 02:44:30

So, you know, we're trying to be a springboard.

Adam Coleman: 02:44:35

I think that's kind of the best way.

Adam Coleman: 02:44:37

A lot of people want to be the best at this and the best this and the top this, where I care more about the creators.

Adam Coleman: 02:44:47

I care more about giving them an opportunity to be seen.

Adam Coleman: 02:44:51

So we've had people who've had articles seen by, especially the Federalists, where the Federalists reached out to me, like, hey, can you connect me to this writer?

Adam Coleman: 02:45:01

And I help them.

Adam Coleman: 02:45:02

I've had writers reach out to me asking, can you connect me to this publication?

Adam Coleman: 02:45:06

And I try to help them.

Adam Coleman: 02:45:09

So try to foster an environment where we're helping to support different people.

Adam Coleman: 02:45:18

And much in the way as I've caught some success, I use my name to kind of pay it forward for other people.

Adam Coleman: 02:45:26

So, for example, I.

Adam Coleman: 02:45:31

I have three editors.

Adam Coleman: 02:45:36

All three editors live in different places.

Adam Coleman: 02:45:39

But I went to a convention in Phoenix.

Adam Coleman: 02:45:42

I got my editor that lives in Arizona a pass to come in, and we met in person.

Adam Coleman: 02:45:48

I did an event last year in Memphis.

Adam Coleman: 02:45:52

I got one of my editors a pass and the flight to come into Memphis to be with us to meet in person, come to a convention.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:02

This year, went to Vegas.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:03

I got another editor pass and I paid for it to come out to Vegas to help sell books and be on a panel as well, introduce these people to people within the media that I've met and get their name out there, interact people.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:24

And none of that would have been possible without wrong speed.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:29

And for two of my editors, when I met them, they were anonymous.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:35

One of them used some random screen name in an avatar.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:39

Now she uses her full name and her picture.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:43

The second one used her picture but an alias.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:47

And I convinced her to, well, and here's the thing, say convinced.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:51

I actually didn't tell them to do it.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:54

They asked me, should I do it?

Adam Coleman: 02:46:55

Because they were looking at me like, adam's a regular guy using his real name and everything.

Adam Coleman: 02:46:59

And I'm like, listen, don't be so scared.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:04

And they on their Own came to me one day and said, you know what?

Adam Coleman: 02:47:08

I'm gonna.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:09

I'm gonna use my real name and my picture.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:11

I'm like, go for it.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:13

And they did.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:15

And I.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:15

And since then, they don't regret and they feel so much freer because hiding, Hiding yourself is so restrictive in having.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:25

Fearful that someone is going to do something.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:28

Like, it's like, no, that's part of the problem of censorship is self censorship.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:33

It's making you scared that something's going to happen to you.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:37

It's taking that horror story of that poor person who got canceled and making you think that's common rather than being extremely rare that that's going to happen.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:46

So, like, that is how they win, is by making you scared.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:51

So don't be scared.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:53

And if you're.

Adam Coleman: 02:47:55

That's why for me, if someone attempted to.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:00

It's hard for someone to attempt to cancel now.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:03

Especially because I've been so open and vulnerable about my life and writing for major publications.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:10

I'm not hiding.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:12

So the people who are, who are the biggest victims of cancer culture, the people who are trying to hide and they have something that they're.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:21

Whether it be a job that they have that it's really precious of them, they don't want, that's when they come even harder.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:27

We're going to take that from you because you're scared of it.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:31

And for me, I'm like, man, I've had nothing.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:35

I've had absolutely nothing.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:36

Like, go ahead and take it.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:38

Like, I.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:39

It sucks, sure, but I'll be okay.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:43

I'll be okay.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:44

And now I'm not by myself.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:46

I have a lovely family, my wife and everything to back me up as well, which is extremely beneficial.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:53

But even if I didn't have her, like, I, I wouldn't be scared.

Adam Coleman: 02:48:57

Um, because I think being scared is how they come after you.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:03

Um, when you're hiding and don't want to be canceled, that's when they come harder.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:07

But I, I, from the very beginning, I was prepared for this.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:11

I used my real name.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:13

I used my face.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:15

My real face is what I really look like.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:16

I've always been transparent about my life and things that I've done.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:20

I talk about my faults.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:22

I talk about things that I did wrong.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:25

I talk about my progress, my success and failures, everything.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:28

So it's hard to try to cancel me because I'm not scared.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:34

Like, I'm not hiding something.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:37

So it's.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:39

And on top of that, I'm not.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:40

I'm not that controversial.

Adam Coleman: 02:49:41

Like, I really noticed Right.

Will Spencer: 02:49:48

It's a blessing to be able to use.

Will Spencer: 02:49:49

I think, what you said earlier about integrity and confidence and the path that you've walked and having Christ and travel, like all of these pieces kind of come together to have you standing on a stable platform that you treat responsibly as a human being and treating other human beings as human beings.

Will Spencer: 02:50:08

And so that gives you.

Will Spencer: 02:50:09

And of course, you're using your real face and your real name, and so there's nothing really to be found out.

Will Spencer: 02:50:15

There's no place really for them to go.

Will Spencer: 02:50:17

And you're on solid foundation, say, within yourself, and you're on solid foundation with God and your conscience.

Will Spencer: 02:50:23

Right.

Will Spencer: 02:50:23

And you're in a solid foundation with your family.

Will Spencer: 02:50:26

It's those men that need to be fighting, and men need to get to that place before they can start fighting, before they can start really fighting.

Will Spencer: 02:50:35

And I think that there's such a need for that, because those men can create a sense of safety for others around them to then use their voice like, yes, I'll take this for you.

Will Spencer: 02:50:45

Right.

Will Spencer: 02:50:45

I'll take.

Will Spencer: 02:50:46

Oh, I will take the heat.

Will Spencer: 02:50:47

I will draw the fire, because I'm in a stable foundation.

Will Spencer: 02:50:50

Then just come and join me and let's all push these ideas together.

Will Spencer: 02:50:54

To me, that's.

Will Spencer: 02:50:55

That's one of the definitions of leadership today.

Adam Coleman: 02:50:58

Yeah, I agree with him.

Will Spencer: 02:51:01

Well, this has been a fantastic conversation.

Will Spencer: 02:51:04

I greatly appreciate your generosity of time and generosity of spirit.

Will Spencer: 02:51:08

We didn't talk about any of the things that I expected we would, but we talked about far better things.

Will Spencer: 02:51:13

And so I appreciate the.

Will Spencer: 02:51:14

I appreciate the opportunity to connect on so many different aspects of life that are important to me, and to discover that they were also important to you was.

Will Spencer: 02:51:23

Was a great blessing and a great surprise.

Will Spencer: 02:51:24

So thank you.

Adam Coleman: 02:51:26

Thank you.

Adam Coleman: 02:51:26

I do appreciate you as well.

Will Spencer: 02:51:29

So where would you like to send people to find out more about what you have about you and what you do?

Adam Coleman: 02:51:35

Definitely on Twitter or whatever you want to call it at.

Adam Coleman: 02:51:38

Wrong.

Adam Coleman: 02:51:39

Underscore Speak.

Adam Coleman: 02:51:41

I'm on Substack.

Adam Coleman: 02:51:43

You can go to ww.com or Adam B.

Adam Coleman: 02:51:47

Coleman substack.com because the same place.

Adam Coleman: 02:51:51

And my brick bread series on YouTube.

Adam Coleman: 02:51:57

You can go there YouTube.com/speak and you can watch the different episodes just real quick.

Adam Coleman: 02:52:05

Breaking Bread is a series that I started doing.

Adam Coleman: 02:52:08

I basically sit down, enjoy a deal with people, and we talk politics, life, culture, religion, whatever.

Adam Coleman: 02:52:14

It's in person only.

Adam Coleman: 02:52:16

So they sometimes come to my house.

Adam Coleman: 02:52:19

I travel there.

Adam Coleman: 02:52:21

This weekend, I'm going to D.C.

Adam Coleman: 02:52:23

and I'll be sitting down with one or two people.

Adam Coleman: 02:52:27

So it's a very casual, nice experience.

Adam Coleman: 02:52:33

And I'm basically a one man, one man show as far as setting up the equipment and all this other stuff and learning that over the past year.

Adam Coleman: 02:52:45

And this is, this is one of the cameras that I use too.

Will Spencer: 02:52:49

Do you bring lights with you?

Will Spencer: 02:52:51

Just real quick, I saw, I saw a bunch of those.

Will Spencer: 02:52:53

I wasn't sure what they were, but it was like, wow, this is someone's actual house.

Will Spencer: 02:52:56

Like, this isn't a set.

Will Spencer: 02:52:57

Like, what a, what a thing to be invited so far into someone's life.

Will Spencer: 02:53:00

But do you bring lights with you or is it just the camera?

Will Spencer: 02:53:03

Do you find a well lit spot?

Adam Coleman: 02:53:05

So over the past year has been a progression and upgrading stuff and I completely underwhelmed lighting and so I invested in a light I'm using right now.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:20

I invested in this light.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:21

Awesome time ago.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:23

And man, I'm so glad I did that.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:25

I was like, oh, this is so much better.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:27

Yeah, it's so much better because before I was trying to use natural light and then, you know, the sun would move and then it would just be all this other stuff.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:33

So now I'll be traveling with a couple of boom mics.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:40

I got three cameras.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:41

I got the big light here, you know, I got my sound recorder.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:48

I got like, I have a whole, a whole setup.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:51

And what's crazy is I take it on the road too.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:54

I, I, I just, I was just in Atlanta.

Adam Coleman: 02:53:57

I've been to Florida a couple times.

Adam Coleman: 02:54:00

I've been to London twice with it, you know, so I've, I've traveled a bunch with this setup as well as dc.

Adam Coleman: 02:54:09

I've been dc, like, I think this would be my fourth time filming in DC for Brain Bread.

Adam Coleman: 02:54:15

So I, I'm always ticking on the road as well as inviting people into my home to sit down and have a conversation.

Will Spencer: 02:54:23

Well, it's a great looking series and I look forward to checking out.

Will Spencer: 02:54:27

It looks like some very personal conversations.

Adam Coleman: 02:54:29

Yep.

Adam Coleman: 02:54:30

Yeah.

Adam Coleman: 02:54:30

Thank you.

Will Spencer: 02:54:31

Great.

Will Spencer: 02:54:32

Well, thank you very much, Adam.

Will Spencer: 02:54:33

I appreciate it.

Adam Coleman: 02:54:34

My pleasure.

Adam Coleman: 02:54:42

Sa.