So right. So after after college, kinda go back to the concussion thing. I wasn't sure what I was gonna do. Long story short, I had the opportunity to, to go overseas to to Singapore and and work for a a tech startup business. And actually originally only planned to be there for about three months, but I ended up staying for six years. And and it was a fantastic opportunity, a a great way to begin my professional career. I was working for this tech startup and and and an NGO. And and throughout that time, I I began to kind of travel as much as I could. I was in my early twenties in the heart of Southeast Asia. I had, you know, a little bit of flexibility. My work schedule had the world's best airport in my backyard, and and and and it took advantage of that opportunity to explore as much of the region and beyond as possible. And just a personal preference when I traveled, I didn't like to, to repeat places. So even if I went somewhere and had a great experience, you know, the next week and the next holiday, the next opportunity I had, I would just go somewhere different. And, so I put that formula into play for about six years. And in early twenty eighteen, I I realized that I had traveled to about a hundred and twenty countries in the world. And it it was at that point when I remember thinking, well, like like, how many are there? I I I always travel because it was fun and I enjoyed it. But most importantly, I learned from it. Travel's the best education I've ever had. It it it was never about ticking boxes or checking places off a list. And but I got to that point. I did a little bit of research and learned that there are a hundred and ninety three fully recognized UN sovereign states. And so I thought to myself, well, maybe I could go to all of them. And and that competitive athlete in me, like, setting goals and working toward achieving them and so on. So started doing some more research and and and decided to to to to try and go to all the countries in the world.

Yeah. And and to your point, you know, Sam, when you went to these countries, you kind of immersed yourself a little bit. But, you know, I love, you know, I love, like, talking about the people and, you know, you would experience the food, you would experience the culture. What were some of the most surprising things that you learned at some of the places that you visited?

Oh, I mean, travels in like, generally taught me so much. I mean, it's taught me how to become comfortable being uncomfortable about the power of perspective. It's it's taught me to to to never judge people by the actions of their government. I've learned that that people who have the least often give the most, something that I found to be true in all corners of the world. More specifically, the one, like, just a a story that comes to mind is I was in, I was in the Pacific island nation of Samoa, and I had a friend of mine, a friend of a friend who was showing me around. Her name was Marissa. And she took me around the island, had this great visit. And that evening, we went to, actually an Italian restaurant, and she brought actually her boyfriend with her to the dinner. So it was the three of us. And it turned out that her boyfriend, Paul, was one of the captains of the Samoan national rugby team. And, you you know, in that part of the world, rugby's a a big deal. Right? But I I I didn't know quite how big of a deal it was until we went to pay our bill. And the the currency in Samoa is called the tala. And Marissa, the waitress comes over, and Marissa pulls out ten tala to pay the the waitress. And before she gives it to the waitress, she shows it to me. And Paul, along with the two other captains of the rugby team, are on the note. He and and I and I looked at him and was like, you're, you think you're on the money of of this country? And and and so it was just this very surprise. Like, I think of people on money. It's like

We put Presidents on them.

Washington or the Queen, right? Or Nelson Mandela. Or in this case, it was Paul, the captain of the rugby team that was sitting. So just a kind of a surprising thing that happened, and these kinda quirky things happen in these these kind of remote parts of the world sometimes.

Oh my goodness. That is funny. I'll remember that. You know? Yeah. We put presidents on our money. You know? So that's really interesting, but that just shows you how much they value

Exactly. Yeah.

Rugby. You know? So talk about this. You got to, coach hockey in North Korea. And then with other places, how did those experience how did that all come about, and what did that teach you?

Yep. So, in twenty sixteen, I was living in Singapore, and, there was a Canadian man who was putting together this opportunity to go and coach and and play against the North Korean national ice hockey team. And and, you know, I I was already living in Asia, and I was playing some hockey there for fun and, so got connected with him and was immediately was immediately interested. And so long story short, I went I spent a week there in, in early twenty in March of twenty sixteen and had a fantastic experience. I mean, we were treated like royalty. The food, the culture, everything was great. Now I'm not I'm not oblivious to the fact that I saw what they wanted me to see and getting off that tourist track things can look can look different. But it it was it was what it taught me was particularly memorable was using hockey as a way to build a cultural bridge with Right. People. And these guys on the team, they they they worked hard. They listened. They wanted to get better. They wanted to be there. And and it was really a privilege to be able to share some, you know, some knowledge or some ideas with them. And and and so I think, you know, another thing that travels taught me more broad like, broadly and then also in this situation is just the the we're we're all fundamentally the same. I mean, everywhere I went, I went to every country in the world, and I found people just like us. We're all fundamentally the same. And and and the overwhelming majority of people in the world are are are well intentioned, proud of their country, happy to help others. And it's unfortunate that there's often a small subset that gives a much larger group a bad reputation, but most people are are are good, and that was even the case in in North Korea.

Yeah. Hockey, that that's I I love that because you said, you know, hockey was the bridge because these guys loved hockey and and it really the the other differences really kinda faded away.

Oh, exactly. Once that hockey. Exactly. Once that puck dropped, we didn't care about political discrepancies or demarcation lines or nuclear weapons. I mean, our our relationship ran like a Swiss watch on the ice, and it was really a a fantastic experience.

Beautiful. That's beautiful. Well, let's let's get into this a little bit. And then just in a couple minutes, we're gonna take a quick break and we'll come right back. But by twenty nineteen, you had been to a hundred and eighty countries and you were closing in on your goal, hundred ninety three being the goal. Something drew you to Syria. I know that you met, and I can't remember her name. What was the really famous, singer that you met?

Yeah. So in in in April, I, I I was in Fiji, and I connected at the airport with Joss Stone, who's a a British musician. And we had like, I kinda knew she was doing the same thing. She was also going to every country, so we kinda bonded over over our, you know, similar journeys.

So and I know that she had been to Syria, and you said, you know, I'm I'm gonna go to Syria. She gave you some some ideas of how, you know, to navigate. What can you just walk us through? And then we're gonna we're gonna take a quick break. But can you walk us through a little bit about what happened that day in Comishely? Is that right? Comishely? Yep. And everything changed that day for you.

Yeah. So, as you mentioned, this was May of twenty nineteen. I'd been to a hundred and eighty. I have a hundred and ninety three countries. And, you know, for for places like Syria or other kind of countries facing instability, there's always, you know, there's always a lot of different variables, things to consider when when traveling there. And and for me, on my entire journey, safety was always the top priority. Like, as much as it can be, and I still say that today. I mean, I I don't think it's cool to be in unsafe situations. Like, I don't go looking for for trouble. At the same time, I was committed to to completing my journey and really that curiosity from my third grade, you know, geography b in the globe that my parents got me was was really driving all of this. And so there was also a religious component to to Syria as well. It's one of the this is cradle of civilization. It's mentioned more than three hundred times in the Bible. Mary Magdalene was of Syrian descent. The Paul the apostle's conversion took place on the road to Damascus.

Damascus. Mhmm.

And and so my faith was a big part of my travel journey. I've been so I'm Catholic. I've been to mass in sixty five countries. I've visited Catholic churches in a hundred and fifteen. Anyways, there there was there's so much instability happening in Syria, one of the most tragic humanitarian disasters of our lifetime. At the same time, the it's one of the most culturally, historically, religiously significant places in the world. So I was really excited about that opportunity. But on May twenty fifth, twenty nineteen, and I'm kind of, you know, moving through some of these details. A lot of this is is in the book as as as you can imagine. I was walking through a roundabout on the way to meet up with my guide. This was two hours after arriving in the country when all of a sudden a black pickup truck abruptly pulled up next to me. Two armed men jumped out of the back seat and and instructed me to get inside. And, thankfully, they weren't violent, but I didn't have a choice. I I I was scared, confused. I had no information or anyone to help. I was I was desperately trying to understand what was happening, and and and these men were loyal to the the then Syrian president, Bashar al Assad, and told me that they were skeptical about my travel history and my travel motives. And as we sped down back alleys of the city, the officers in the vehicle, they they accused me of of espionage, of being an American spy and and collaborating with terrorists, and nothing like this had ever happened to me before.

Yeah. Gosh. I mean, Sam. And and they didn't speak good English. Right? I mean, they I don't yeah. So you you're trying to figure out even what people were saying to you. So, I mean, it's just really not knowing the language. Let's let's take a break there, And then we'll come back, and I wanna I've got lots of questions Yeah. That we'll dig into. But let's take a quick break, and we'll be right back on the Something Extra podcast with Sam Goodwin.

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Welcome back, everyone, to the Something Extra podcast with Sam Goodwin. So we just left off where Sam was walking through a roundabout in Syria, and a black pickup truck pulls up, and he's commanded to get into the back of the pickup truck. And, you know, so, I mean, lots of things had to be going through your mind. You're probably just in a state of confusion. Right, Sam? But when you know, some people might say, why take a risk like that? How do you answer that now with the benefit of hindsight? How do you answer answer that question?

So, yeah, I'll say I I was I was scared, confused. I had no information or anyone to help. I was desperately trying to understand what was happening. So take a risk. Do you mean, like, traveling every country or going to, like, unstable places?

Unstable places. Yes. Yes. It may have been like, that might have been one that I would have left off my you know? But how do you because, listen, there's some there's some silver linings that really came out of this whole experience, and we'll talk about that. Some a release of another person. You know? So, how do you answer that?

Talk about that one.

But Yes. Yes.

So, so so as far as taking risks in general, in twenty twenty three, I I was invited to Niagara University, my alma mater, to be their commencement speaker. And I gave the students five key points, and one of them was to take risks. And and so I I think about it. I mean, a very quick story. When I, going back to this point where I had concussions and wanted to go to Singapore or had this opportunity, I wasn't sure whether that made sense. I I just didn't know. And and, it seemed a little crazy. I mean, I was twenty three years old. Shouldn't I be finally kind of being a little bit more responsible and and all that stuff? And, kind of related to this, I remember discussing this with my parents, and I said, you know, I don't know what I should do. And my dad said to me, he said, Sam, if you go to Singapore and and things don't work, the the worst thing that happens is you just come home. And and that kind of safety net, so to speak, was kind of like the foundation of of my adulthood and really encouraged me to to to take risks. And then I went to Singapore and worked for a start up company and with so much uncertainty. I mean, most there's so much

Most start ups are.

Start ups are. Right? And and I remember I got and and for for six years working for that company, you know, I'm in my early twenty like, six years, every meeting that I went into, I was the dumbest person in the room. And and that was that was uncomfortable, but simultaneously, this time of huge personal and professional growth. And Mhmm. So so much of the so many of the things that, you know, I I I've enjoyed the experiences that I've had have been as a result of of taking risks and and being being, you know, being uncomfortable. And so with the travel journey, generally speaking, I mean, at the time, there were only about a hundred people in history when I finished who had been in every country in the world. Now there there's a few more. It it's pretty small group and, you know, that doesn't happen without taking risks and having those experiences. So, generally speaking, it was kind of just this curiosity and wanting to learn. At the same time, as I was mentioning a minute ago, like, that was always a balance with prioritizing safety and everything that's happening in different places. So, it it was all just kind of this constant balance.

Right. Well, I mean, Sam, I think of the old adage. We've all heard it. No risk, no reward.

Yeah.

Right? No risk, no reward. And I I know for me I know for me, you know, now here's what I say now. You do have to protect your yes. You have to protect your yes. So you have to because, like, at the busier you get, you know, everything comes at an expense of something else. Right? Your yes comes at an expense of something else that you could be doing. But I know for myself, so many of the things that have been good in my life have because I said yes.

A hundred percent. And I I like to use the metaphor with the turtle. So a turtle only moves forward when it sticks its neck out.

Mhmm. That's good. I like that. I love that. Well, let's talk about this. You spent sixty three days, I think, nine weeks in prison, the first month, and I just cannot I'm reading this part, Sam, and I'm just I'm I can't even imagine. Especially, you're a very social person. You get energy from people, And you spent the first month in branch two fifteen in solitary confinement.

Yep. I I spent I spent twenty seven days in in solitary confinement. The only human interaction I had was was for a few seconds in the morning and evening when the guards brought bread and boiled potatoes and water. I I found, you know, I found strength in that situation in in, you know, a range of ways from from leaning in like, I I'd leaned in the to the perspective that I developed from traveling to different corners of the world, which provoked gratitude for just the basic food and water I was being given. I I leaned on, as we were talking earlier, these skills and traits from being a competitive athlete. I leaned on this belief that that I had a purpose in life and and a desire to see family and friends again. And most importantly, you know, I leaned on my faith and prayer and and, and and and the strength that that came from that, it was interesting to, like, surrender to God while already being held captive. And so there there there were a lot of different things in place, but solitary confinement is torture. I mean, it's a it's a cruel captivity tactic that's been used by people for for centuries. So it's it's torture, and and I wouldn't wouldn't wish it on anybody.

Yeah. Well, a couple things. I you probably felt a little like Paul. You felt a little like Paul in in prison. Right? You know? And he but he free in Christ, you know, even though he was captive.

Yeah. Well, from a spiritual standpoint, sometimes I I felt like maybe God was using prison to bring me closer to him as he did with Paul.

Absolutely.

At that point, I often thought, well, like, you know, maybe could you, like, choose a different method?

I'm sure Paul thought that a few times too. But really and truly, it was like everything that you would normally been dependent on, like your strong family ties, friends, things like that, were stripped away and you had God. But here's here's what I thought was really interesting. I mean, I think you really your mindset, Sam, to get through that. You know, because you said, like, I remember you saying, like, you you had a daily routine. I mean, you set yourself up a daily routine. Now what was really difficult is there were no windows. So you didn't know if it was morning or night or, you know, you kind of came up with your own, I guess, methodology to figure out if this morning or night and, based on, like, the meals and things like that. But, yeah, I remember you saying you ran around you know, you would run around the the the cell twenty five times one direction and then turn around and go the other direction.

That that's right. And and something I'll mention on that is is about six months after I came home, I was invited to, to North Carolina by the US SEER team, so survival evasion resistance and escape. And these are members of our military who are put on missions where they're at risk of being captured. And I gave a presentation to seventy five Green Berets and SERE team instructors, and what they wanted to know was basically this this exact thing that you just mentioned. Like, what what did I do in that situation without any training? And and it turned out that some of the things I instinctively did were what they teach in their program, And one of those was establishing a routine. And and and it it it makes sense because I I just think about think about how much more productive we are in our life, in our personal professional lives when we have a routine.

Yes.

When we have that process in place, that structure. And so the same was actually the the case in, you know, a a very tough situation in in solitary confinement. And so I would do all these different things to pass time. I would, and I had time in the day for all of them. I would I would pretend the cell was full of people and tell stories. I would sing songs. I would remember hockey games that I played in in my life from start to finish. I had time to eat. I had time to pray. I had time to exercise, like you were saying, walking the the laps. And all of that became so important for for that routine, which was just, like, crucial for for for emotional and and and psychological health.

Mhmm. Yeah. But to your point, I mean, really, we're we're better when we've got a routine and we've got discipline in our life. Right? So yeah. Yeah. You had this. I I said prayer became an uninterrupted conversation with God, and I just I love that. I love that. You would use the rosary, you know, with your using your fingers as the beads. I I love this. You said, I was working to forgive people who weren't even sorry. They weren't even sorry. How did you reach that level of forgiveness, Sam? Because it's hard. I mean, it's let's make no bones about it. It's hard to forgive people that have hurt you.

Yeah. Absolutely. And and I the the again, yes. Some of my prayers, you you mentioned there were it was kind of this this string of prayers, but I prayed very hard for the the courage to to forgive these captors. And and and and what I realized was, as you mentioned, I was working to forgive people who they weren't even sorry, and and that's strength. I mean, forgiveness I found is is is not a feeling. It's a choice. And that's that's what I discovered in that in that situation. And for for me, and someone can probably articulate this better, but what I imagine was I was going to do everything I could to forgive these people, and I was gonna address kind of that bond or or that kind of link between us, but then they still have to to answer to God later. And they they can deal with that, but I'm gonna do my part here as best I can. Mhmm. And and I have to say, I'm also, like, speaking, like, kind of, like, I I, like, it wasn't this I maybe making it sound easier now than it was at the time because it it was it was, you know, this I'm, like, six years out. You know, I speak about this story for a living. And, like, sometimes I feel like I'm maybe not, you know, communicating how challenging it was.

How difficult it was. Right?

So, like, there may be a little bit of that, but, basically, that was kind of how I how I imagined the the forgiveness side of it. And there came with that quite a bit of peace, actually. It took it it was hard to get there, but after I got to some level of forgiveness, there was there was there was some peace because I could just put that aside. Okay. I've addressed that. Now I can, you know, work on addressing other other things.

Yeah. Yeah. And not listen. If there's listeners out there that, you know, are struggling with this, it's it it's not easy. It's not easy, but unforgiveness will keep you in bondage.

Unforgiveness was just more more captivity.

Mhmm. Right. Exactly. It's kind of an oxymoron, but, so true. Well, let me ask you this. Let's talk about your family and your family. Oh my goodness. I absolutely fell in love with your family, Sam, because your family was trying to move mountains to bring you home.

Yeah. So so one of the most one of the most overwhelming things for me when I was released was learning about everything that happened on the outside while I was trapped on the inside. And and it was also it was also challenging for my family to to learn about the details of me on the inside. And and, actually, I was on, I was, on USA Today last week talking about the hostages being released in Gaza and giving some some them some advice. And one of the things that I mentioned was this point, like, because the people on the outside don't know the details about the inside and and vice versa, and that can be so so when when someone's released, there's all these different emotions. Like, there's incredible happiness, there's excitement, but there's also, like, it's disorienting and there's confusion. And and so there's this whole, like, reintegration process that happens, but it can be pretty heavy for family members to learn about about everything that happened. And so in my case, it it was just it was overwhelming. I mean, it's six years later today, Lisa, and and I'm I'm still saying thank you to people. I'm still learning about someone who made a phone call or said a prayer or talked to a friend, whatever it might be. And, so when I went to write the book, what I realized was that half the story wasn't even mine to tell. It it it it was really my family's. And as I learned more about what they did, there were there were times where where I I would be learning these things about what they went through and think, gosh. In some ways, I feel like I had the easy part. Like, I don't know if it was better or worse to be on the inside or outside. Because for every for every hostage or wrongful detainee around the world, there's also a family that's going through the hardest thing that they've ever gone through.

That they've ever gone through. Right.

In their life. Something nothing can prepare them for. Mhmm. And and so anyways, I learned about it all in the aftermath, and then that's why the book is is kind of told there's there's it's like two stories.

There's different perspectives. Right? Your mom's perspective, your dad's perspective, Stephanie's perspective. Yeah. And I I love that because it's so true. I mean, they were going through their own, you know, their own hell, if you will. Yeah. Yeah. Thinking about their son, thinking about their brother. You know, your mom, you know, she I mean, I know she's a prayer warrior. But let's let's let's talk about this because, ultimately, obviously, your parents had the FBI involved. They had all kinds of folks involved, although they kept it very close, you know, so they would not get out publicly because there could have been risk in that. But, ultimately, Sam, incredible, Stephanie, your sister that lives in Nashville, remembered a classmate. I mean, that was kind of the I think that was kind of the, the breakthrough moment, really. You know? Can you just talk about that a little bit? How did you it's on see, I I say it. I don't believe it was a series of coincidences. I think it was Mhmm. You know, God putting that in her heart, you know, to call her her roommate to say, hey.

Yeah. Absolutely. So for me, there's only one explanation that makes any sense. I mean, I believe that that God intervened here and, you know, it was meant to to to to survive. And so, miraculously, and and I mean that word when I say it, it was my my family who who found this route. So, in a in in a nutshell, my family was working with all of these different agencies, the FBI, CIA, the White House, the Pentagon. Pope Francis was involved, Russian Yes. Middle East NGOs, private sector security companies, the list goes on. And and the the US government's incredible people worked very close with my family. They it it just it was a tough situation from just a geopolitical situation. It's not their fault. It was just there's no diplomatic or economic ties between Washington and Damascus. So it made it it made it complex. And so my my sister Stephanie ended up talking to her former college roommate, who is coincidentally also named Stephanie. And it turns out that that she is is Lebanese, and her uncle is good friends with the head of Lebanon's internal security, which is kind of like the equivalent of the FBI here in the US. And he was able to go to his counterpart in Damascus and and and mediate my release, when so many others were struggling to to do anything. And and and and so, you know, we were talking earlier about the world being small and six degrees of separation and all of that. So, you know, all all very connected, but it just, you you know, it it puts a lot into perspective and and and just just so so grateful of of course, but that was, you know, when it was funny when when I was in when I was released and I got into the office in Lebanon, my parents were there and they had brought Joseph who was Stephanie's uncle. And I remember my my mom said to me, she was like, Sam, do you do you remember Stephanie's roommate from college? And this is like this is like ten minutes after I've released. And and I said to her, I was like I said two things. I was like, one, no, I don't. I mean, I had been living in Asia at the time. Like, I didn't know my sister's college roommae. Like, it just it just you know? So one, I said, no. I don't. And this my second point was, and why are we talking about that?

Isn't that a strange question? Yeah.

Like like, why is that being discussed right now? And so I just couldn't even, like, have imagined Mhmm. What had happened.

Yeah. Yeah. So amazing. Your mom, attended mass on the feast of saint is it Charbel?

Charbel. Yeah.

Charbel, just hours before your release. You know, and I did not realize this, but I looked it up, and Saint Charbel is the saint of miracles.

Okay. So just a very quick story on that. And, again, I learned about all all of this. So my family's working with all these different people, and then Stephanie's, you know, have they have this phone call. And so the Lebanese path, it's looking like that's kind of the most promising lead. And, the so I I was released on on July twenty sixth. So on the twenty fourth, my mom and my sister Betty went to a daily mass at, for any of the Saint Louis listeners, it was at Saint Mary Magdalene in Brentwood. And at the time, Monsignor Ramakati, who is actually now at, the school that I went to in grade school Saint Clement, but he was at Saint Mary Magdalene. And my mom and Betty go to this mass, and during the homily, Monsignor Remicati says, today is the feast of Saint Charbel. And my mom and Betty, they they kind of admit they looked at each other and say, well, look, we've actually, like, I don't know. I've never heard of of Saint Charbel. And so he goes on and tells the story. He's a nineteenth century Lebanese monk. He was a hermit, well known for working miracles and all stuff. And as the story goes, at the end of the homily, Monsignor Ramakati says he kind of, like, makes a joke, essentially. He's like, so if anybody here needs a miracle in Lebanon, pray to Saint Charbel. And my, you know, Beth Betty and my mom look at each other and, like, oh my gosh. This is this is crazy. They leave, and three hours later, my my parents get a message from Joseph, Stephanie Hajar's uncle, saying that my release had been granted through the Lebanese.

Makes me just teary eyed. It makes me just teary eyed, Sam. Yeah. It was amazing. You, I'm sure it was just amazing being reunited with your mom and dad, you know, in Beirut and that. I think you even did you guys go visit? Did you and your mom go visit the tomb of Saint Charbel? I think you did. Right?

That evening after it was released, we went to to Saint Charbel monastery just outside of Beirut. And Yeah. And we prayed together there.

Amazing. Amazing. Okay. So I've got more, but we're running out of time here. So I'm going to ask you this question. No. No. No. I love it. We could we could go on for hours and hours, but neither of us have that kind of time. And we don't wanna do that to our listeners. I want our listeners to go buy your book, right, or go hear you speak somewhere. But this was cool. This is about that silver lining that I talked about. There is this story about this forty four year old man, that that had been captive captive as well and imprisoned. I can't remember. I think he'd been in prison for at least a couple years. Can you can you talk about your family and how you guys god used you guys as an instrument to help him get released, which was a miracle.

Lisa, you would get along very well with my mother. I can I can tell you that? But, so, yeah, quick story on that. This was about two days after I came home. My father got a phone call from a Canadian woman who said that she had seen the news of my release, so forth, and explained that her son, his name was Christian Baxter, he had been missing in Syria, for it was actually about nine months at the time. And, she was saying that she was working with, like, the Canadian government and and and a little bit, but, like, she didn't really have a lot of kind of ideas or just ways. She was really just kind of praying and and just, you know, hoping that her son would come home. So, you know, my dad kind of gathered some information, and then we send it to, to general Ibrahim in Lebanon. And, exactly two weeks later after my release, Christian was released through the intervention of of Abbas Abraham in Lebanon. And so, you know, in in a way that that connection between my sister and a roommate really led to the release of two people who were wrongfully wrongfully detained. And and and so my mother often says that she believes that the entire reason that this happened to me was to answer the prayers of Christian's mother.

Yes. Who was a single mom.

A single mom.

He was he was her only son. I mean, you know, the he was her life. I mean

Exactly.

I just think the same thing, Sam, because she did not have the connection. She didn't have the even maybe the critical thinking, you know, that your family had.

My my dad had put together an entire team and was working on everything like that. You know? Yeah. Didn't didn't, you know, in the situation, like, didn't have those those reasons.

So cool. Oh my goodness. Well, it's just, amazing. I've so many different so many different questions still that I have here, but your book is Saving Sam. Listeners, go get the book. You won't be able to put it down. It truly is a testament to faith, family, and resilience. And, you know, I love it. And Sam is now a keynote speaker. So if you need a keynote speaker for an event, you know, reach out to him, and, we'll put all that in the show notes. I know now that you've you've gone on to get a master's in international affairs. You got that from WashU. I you I think you're you just finished did you just finish your doctorate too from John Hopkins?

Yeah. About a year and a half ago. So I finished that, which was which was, I I enjoyed that as well.

I love it. I love it. Well, Sam, this is called something extra. What do you believe is this something extra? And I'll give you a couple if you if you need that that every great leader needs.

So something that comes to mind with that is to, in addition to everything that we have going on in our professional lives, something extra that we can do is to continue to to grow outside of our work as well. So, over the past few years, you know, as you mentioned, I continue to go to school. Like, I went to WashU. I did a doctorate at Johns Hopkins. In the past year, I I got, my pilot license. It was something that I worked on really hard for for for for a year. Now I'm I'm training for an Ironman. So it's something kind of outside of my of my kind of traditional work that that, that I'm working on. So I think that we continue to kind of grow and evolve and push ourselves. You know, I think the the the more that we that we take on challenges on our own terms, the better we are, when they at us when we're not expecting. I think the the more that we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war. And so I encourage people to, to do something extra and and push themselves kind of outside of their professional life.

That's so good. Those are the operative words taken on challenges on your own terms.

Right. Exactly.

Not something that's forced on you from somebody else. Yep. That's so good. Well, Sam, I have absolutely loved getting to know you. I'm so excited now for our listeners to hear your story, and it's gonna be fun to sit back and watch what happens with, Sam Goodwin because there's gonna be some really good stuff in the future, and you're gonna be continue to be used, I know, to to make the world a better place.

Thank you so much, Lisa, for helping to spread the word. Congratulations on all of your success.

Thank you for listening to today's show. Something extra with Lisa Nichols is a Technology Partners production. Copyright Technology Partners Inc, two thousand and nineteen. For show notes or to reach Lisa, visit tpi dot co slash podcast. Don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen.