This Is What Keeps Me Going After All These Years

In 2016, the speaker had a severe car accident, leading to a coma and a vegetative state. He had a troubled past, involving gang activity and illegal betting for a notorious cartel. Despite this, he was able to transform his life, and now, through his company, Francis Wine, he encourages others to share their stories of transformation. The speaker also offers a program to help people reinvent themselves, and he shares the inspiring stories of four individuals who have overcome adversity.
Steve, who survived a severe car accident at 22, had to relearn basic skills like talking, walking, and eating. His mother was his main motivator, encouraging him to finish high school and start college. Despite initial setbacks, Steve persevered, finding strength in working out and education. Now, he advises others facing struggles to surround themselves with supportive, positive people.
This podcast features a mother sharing the story of her son, Steven, who overcame a severe brain injury that left him in a vegetative state. After a car accident, Steven had to relearn basic functions like breathing, but with determination and hard work, he not only recovered but excelled academically. The podcast also includes a conversation with a former criminal who turned his life around after serving time in prison. Both stories highlight the power of resilience, support, and second chances.
A former prisoner turned his life around by creating a protein ice cream while incarcerated. He started selling it in prison and continued his business after release, now selling his product in various fitness and nutrition outlets. He plans to expand his business with 100 freezers across the U.S. by summer. He also plans to start a YouTube platform to share his story and promote his product.
The speaker is having a conversation with Fernando, who shares his life story. Fernando grew up in a tough neighborhood and joined a street gang at 12. He spent time in and out of jail, but during one of his sentences, he found faith through reading the Bible. This led to a transformation in his life, and he decided to leave his past behind and serve God. Despite the challenges, Fernando managed to reinvent himself and is now inspiring others with his story.
The text is about a man who turned his life around after spending seven years in prison. He credits his transformation to his faith in God and the support of his wife. He faced challenges when he returned to his old neighborhood, but he was able to overcome them and start a successful business. He encourages others to find their own path to change, emphasizing the importance of faith and support from loved ones.
The speaker recounts his life journey, from being dishonest in his youth to becoming a trusted businessman. He discusses his involvement with the Trump Organization, his prosecution for a crime he claims he didn’t commit, and his subsequent 11-year prison sentence. After his release, he began preaching and working in solar energy, while also advocating for truth and justice. He has applied for clemency under President Biden, but feels let down by the current administration.
The speaker is hopeful for a pardon under the new administration, acknowledging the long process of clemency. They express admiration for Alice Marie Johnson, a newly appointed pardons officer, and ask for a fair review of their case. The speaker also shares their passion for their wine business, Franz East Wine, which symbolizes transformation, like their own life journey. They encourage others to join their community, promising continued support and transformation.

2016, I went under a semi truck. It was a really, really bad car accident. And I was in a coma for two and a half weeks. And when I woke up from the coma, I was in a vegetative state. My life took a different path. I started bookmaking at a young age. I was, you know, 23 years old, trying to make that money. And next thing you know, I started booking bets for one of the most infamous cartels in the world. Jumped into a street gang at the age of 12. That just was a total pivotal point in my life where I embraced it.

As soon as I got in, I embraced it. And I always say there’s a reason why people join a street gang and another reason why people stay. And for me, the reason I stayed was the violence. Doug, he called the DEA proactively, and he basically asked them, is David Vogel violating the law? And do you know what they said? They told Doug, a living legend in law enforcement, that they could not say I was doing anything illegal. The DEA basically de facto said I was clean. Doug Brova said I was clean. And then, boom, I’m indicted.

Foreign. Welcome to another sit down with Michael Francis. Hope everybody is doing well. All is very good, very blessed on this end. As always, my friends, I give all the praise, honor, glory, and thanksgiving to our God for that. We have a very special episode today. You know, I’m always interested in people, and especially those who have been on a wrong path, like myself at one time, and have been able to reinvent themselves, transform their lives, and go on to have some success. And so, through my company, Francis Wine, we issued a challenge, and we put it out there to a lot of people.

And we said, listen, if you have a story of transformation, if you’ve been able to reinvent yourself, put yourself on a better path, come out of a bad situation, tell us about it. We want to evaluate it. And then we were going to pick the best one. But I have to tell you this. There were so many great stories. It was hard for me to pick only one. So what I ended up doing is picking four. And it was four people that came out of a bad situation. You name it. Very, very difficult, very tough. And through the discipline and through, you know, other people helping them, and through determination, they were able to transform their lives.

And so what we’ve done is we’ve asked all four of them, or we promised all four of them that if we found them interesting, and we certainly did, like I said, there were so many to choose from that I would do a video on them and let them tell their story. So we have four that we’ve highlighted here. And you know, people coming out of a bad situation is something that I guess I can be an expert on because I came out of one of the worst. I mean, I was a, I was a mobster, I was a bad guy.

I spent 20 years in that life. I grew up in the life. You know, I tell people that every day. I lived in violation of both God’s laws and the laws of man. And just about everybody I know from my former life is either dead or in prison for the rest of their lives. Most of them are dead. And they didn’t die under good circumstances. Many died, many were murdered, many died in prison. And I certainly would have had the same fate had I stayed in that life. No question about it, I’d either be dead or in prison for the rest of my life.

You know, for me, it was a faith, it was a God experience. I had the support of my wife, who is a very godly woman, my mother in law, the people around me, and, and through a very difficult process, it’s not easy to change your mind and to change your whole mindset that you’ve been living in for so long. But through a very difficult process, I’ve been able to come out on the other side. And you know, I just turned 74 years old. And for the last 30 some odd years, I’ve been living a different life.

And God has honored that and blessed me in many, many ways. So we’re gonna highlight these people today. And listen, when you listen to them, I want you to think about it. You know, whenever you listen to somebody that gives you an encouraging message, something that they’ve been able to deal with and come on the right side of, you should apply it to your own life. If you’re struggling, you know, if you’re in a bad situation, if you’re having a tough time right now, you know, what can you get from these people? Maybe even from me, because I know that I’ve inspired many, many people throughout this last 30 years that I’ve been on the road talking to people and doing things to try to be helpful.

You know, what can you get out of what these people have to say? You, you might relate to something that they’ve gone through, and you may be sitting back and saying, wow, they were able to do this, maybe now I can do it. And you know, I’m actually offering a program right now of reinvention. We’re, we’re trying to help people because I get so many messages. So many people approach me, whether it be in person. When I’m on a speaking engagement, you know, we’re doing a book signing, people come up to me. They’ll slip me a note, michael, I need your help.

I get emails all the time. We get messages. So when we like to, at times, put things up that might inspire you to help you make a change in your life. So without any further delay, I’m going to bring on these four guests. They got incredible stories, and I hope that you can get something out of it. And you know what, people? Anytime that you can make a change that’s positive for you, it’s not only a benefit for you, but for the people around you, your family, you know, it’s an amazing feeling to be able to transform your life.

So listen to what they had to say and, hey, hope you enjoy it. All right, Steve, let me welcome you to the podcast, and let me thank you for being such a supporter of Franz East Wine. I appreciate it very much, and your story is amazing. You know, you’ve overcome some. Some real obstacles in your life, and I think our viewers are going to be really encouraged by what you have to say. So, and I want to personally thank you and. And I admire everything that you’ve overcome. I can tell you that I understand what it is to overcome obstacles.

And yours, yours certainly was a big one. So why don’t you let our viewers know what you’ve gone through and what you, you know, where you were and where you are now. Hey, my friends, doesn’t everyone love the thrill of playing for a big prize? And in crypto, prizes don’t get any bigger than the OG Bitcoin. Sounds familiar. Play Crypto.com’s Freedom Jackpot from today to July 4, and you might just land a one Bitcoin payout. Each time you trade $50 worth of any token in the Crypto.com app, you earn a chance to win the big jackpot.

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Limited times, not forever. Don’t lose this opportunity to get into crypto with a huge bonus, my friends. That’s an offer nobody should refuse. Okay, well, first of all, I’d like to say thank you very much, Michael Fancy Mr. Francis, for having me on your platform. This is really cool. This is an honor and just thank you very much. I’m going to be graduating from CSN Community College. And I think less than two weeks, I think May 19, I’m not sure the exact. That close, huh? Yeah, very, very close is mind blowing to me. But. So that’s coming up and I really hope to get accepted to usc and I wanna.

I wanna pursue. I want to major in communications and pursue a career like yourself, to become a motivational speaker and just to show every. To show everyone that any. Anything is possible with hard work and determination and of course, who you surround yourself with. Yes, that’s a big factor in it. And me. Luckily I had my mom. My mom, she gave up her life basically and just worked on me. Encouraging me to working out was a big, big factor in my rehabilitation. Well, why don’t you, Steve, why don’t you tell the people what it was that you went through because I think they’re going to be really shocked to hear what you went through and where you are now.

Well, July 15, 2016, I went under a semi truck in a car accident. It was a really, really bad car accident. And I was in a coma for two and a half weeks. And when I woke up from the coma, I was in a vegetative state. So I had to relearn how to do everything again. How to relearn how to talk, how to walk, how to eat food, just how to express myself. Having this conversation that we’re having now, I couldn’t do years ago. So it took a lot of work and a lot of. Just a lot of work and a lot of motivation to not give up.

And working out was a big factor for me and it just became a huge hobby of mine. Steve, how old were you when this accident happened? I was 22. And yes, I just turned 31. So we’re going on nine years now. And who was the. Who was the major motivator in your life? I think you just mentioned your mom. Was she the one that really inspired you and encouraged you to keep up your determination to get well? Yes, definitely. My mom motivated me to get back into school because she showed me how close I was to graduating high school because I dropped out.

But I was very close to graduating, and my mom showed me my credits, and so that just gave me the motivation to get into adult school and receive my high school diploma. So that was the start of it. And then when I received my diploma, my graduation wasn’t the best. Like, I just felt kind of bummed out because I wish I could have been there with my friends, but I didn’t know anyone. And my teacher actually was the one that mentioned to me and my mom about college. She said, what about college? And we never thought of that before.

So I started my first college class, and I passed with a B. But my professor wasn’t the best. He just kind of turned me off about school. But, you know, I was just sitting around kind of doing nothing for quite some time. And so I told my mom that, let’s give it another shot. And ever since then, I kept saying, oh, oh, you know, this has been my favorite semester. This has been the best semester. I just kept meeting awesome professors that have just kept encouraging me to keep going to school. Don’t give up just because you had one bump on the road.

Not. Not the best professor. That kind of rubbed you the wrong way. But that’s just. That’s just life, right? You’re gonna meet people that aren’t always gonna have the best interests for you. Exactly, Steve. And you can’t always, you know, when you’re determined, you can’t let other people discourage you. Let me ask you this. You said you. You’re all. Excuse me. You also got into working out, which probably was very difficult initially. What. What motivated you to. To just continue at it? You know, I, I. My mom. Because my. My mom goes. My mom goes to the gym with me.

She jugged me with her. She. She dragged me with her because I think it was her birthday. Actually, it was her birthday a few years ago. And me, I. I didn’t want to get out of the house. I was. I don’t know if I. I guess I was depressed. I was going through my own little depression, so I didn’t want to go anywhere. And it was my mom’s birthday, and she said, you’re gonna go to the gym with me. It’s my birthday, so be quiet and get in the car. So that was the start of it.

And then I just loved it, started liking it more and more, feeling my. My strength. My strength grow, and just seeing what it was doing to my body. It felt really good. And I was able to walk straighter and just. I developed enough. Enough strength to start running again. Wow. Because I couldn’t run for years. I was in a wheelchair, and I got sent home from the hot. Not from the rehab facility where I was at. I got sent home in a wheelchair, but they. Not sent home in a wheelchair, but they gave me the wheelchair just in case.

But I never used it. And so it just. I learned how to run again. That was a big. A big objective of my milestone, and I accomplished that, and I started to run. So. And you look like you’re in pretty good shape right now. I’m trying my best. You still work out daily or, you know, every day? Yeah, every. Every. Every other day, or we. Sometimes we get in our phase where we work out daily. Right. And it’s. It’s just. It becomes a part of your life, you know? Exactly. Yeah. That’s just. Did you ever have a personal trainer or did you do it all by yourself? My.

My mom. My mom’s my personal trainer. Wow. Before. Before. We. We had our trainer before, but then it was overall my mom. Wow. I tell you, your mom sounds extremely special. She really does. She’s superwoman. Yeah. And she’s still, I’m sure, very supportive of you. Now, do you still live at home? Yes. Wow. But she. Yes, she’s really supportive of me. That’s great. You know, and you said something. You know, it’s so important to surround yourself with the right people. Is there anybody else in your life that’s been really supportive. Supportive and helped you along? Not.

Not really. It’s just been me and my mom. So your mom is really it, huh? And of course, we’ve had angels along the way that have just. It was that. That push, you know, the actual push to not give up, and just a little bit of help from people, mainly friends of ours. Now. Now they’re family, of course. Right. But just not so much. My mom’s pretty much been the only one. Like I said, very special. Steve, let me ask you this. There are a lot of people out there now that are struggling with, you know, some physical disabilities, some emotional know.

And there are people out there, I’m sure, that, you know, are ready to give up or just don’t have the determination to try to make their lives better. I mean, you. You basically reinvented yourself, you know, from. From that horrible accident. You had to really come back in every way possible, you know, mentally, physically, emotionally, every way. What would you tell people out there that might be struggling? You know, maybe not as severe a struggle as you had, but, you know, to. To people, everything is relative. We all go through our own demons, so to speak.

What would you say to encourage those people out there that might be dealing with some of the issues that you dealt with just to never give up? Make sure you surround yourself with people you love, people that encourage you to not give up, and they encourage you to do good. Because if you start hanging around bad people that you see, you see bad things, you’re gonna be a part of it. And it’s just. That’s just the way it is in the way it goes. So make sure you surround yourself with people you love, people you care about, and people that are doing good.

Well, Steve, I can tell you this. You know, there’s an old saying that. That I think in most cases is true, and that is whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And, you know, it all depends on what kind of person that you are. But, you know, you’re. You’re a living proof that you can come back from something, you know, really traumatic in our life, in your life, and. And really do some great things and, you know, know, mentally, physically. Now you’re going to be graduating from, you know, is it USC or ucla? No, no, no.

CSN College of Southern. I applied to usc. So that goes good. Okay. And so after you graduate, you’ll find out about usc, right? Yes, exactly. Well, listen, we’ll be plugging for you, and if you ever need any references or you need any help from us here, either at Franz East Wine or at our membership platform, the Family, we’d be very, very happy to support you in any way that we could. I really mean that. You’re. You’re certainly somebody to be admired. Thank you very much, and I appreciate your time for having me on your platform. Thank you very much.

It’s been an honor. It’s been an honor and a pleasure on my part, and I’m so, so happy to have you in the Francis family, Steve. So God bless you, and I’d love to meet your mother one day. Thank you. Her. Okay. She’s. She’s actually right here. Well, can I see her for a minute? I just want to say hello. Yes, she’ll jump in. Okay, quick second and one quick thing. I want to thank everyone that helped get me here in this podcast. Thank you very much. Is a lot of my best friends that I love so much helped me.

Great. Well, I. Don’t be upset if I call you mom, but, you know, just, you’re a very, very special person, and I really appreciate everything you’ve done with Steve. I mean, you’re obviously, you know, the light of his life. So really, it’s just an amazing story and you’re an amazing woman. So thank you very much. Well, first of all, Mr. Francis, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart because Steven missed a little bit of why, how he got here. Years ago he was in and out of jail and it was a constant struggle.

It’s that phone call you fear to get as a parent. And unfortunately, Steve, after work he went out with his buddies and went under a semi and they told us that he was not going to make it. He got what it’s called diffuse axonal injury, which means that all the neurons are disconnected from the brain and the ones that do wake up are highly impaired. 90% don’t wake up because it’s diffuse axonal injury. Long story short, when he was released from the hospital, he went to a rehab center, but he stayed in a vegetated state. And I, as a mother, my goal was to get him into a life that he can defend himself.

As parents, we want our kids to be independent. And Steven, it was an everyday, every day, every day where he worked out. He works out so hard at everything. For us that we don’t have these disabilities. It’s easy for us to wake up and dress, get dressed and breathe. In his situation, it was very different. He had to relearn how to breathe again on his own. So that’s why with this type of injury, 90% don’t wake up. And the ones that wake up are highly impaired. Steven, not only did he recover, but he overachieved. He’s a Phi Theta Kappa honors role student.

He’s the very first student to ever achieve those accomplishments from the College of Southern Nevada. So the reason why USC is so special to us is because when Stephen had his accident, they rushed him to USC trauma center. And when we went to the school to get to go for the tour, I asked the academic advisors and I said, how many students have you had where there were patients at one point dead, artificially alive to now trying to get into the school? They’ve never had someone like Stephen. So Stephen wants to go to USC because it’s the number one for communications.

But a lot of it, you had a huge impact on Stephen. Stephen met you one time when you were at the church after he was out of jail. We have a picture with you and him and one of the things we told him to read and his father had a book of yours. I didn’t know who you were, but you were a huge motivation for Stephen. To turn his life around and have some kind of hope. Wow. So thank you, sir, for having Stephen in your platform. Well, you know, that just gave me the chills to hear that.

I didn’t know that. So, you know, praise God for that. But listen, this is an amazing story, and Stephen, you know, you’re a very special young man. I can tell you that. And you have a very special mom, and you’re just proof that, you know, almost anything can be overcome if you have good support and just the determination. So it’s an incredible story. I think a lot of people are going to want to hear this, and we’re going to be anxious to share it. So thank you so much. I hope I get to meet you again.

You know, we’re. We’re actually neighbors. I live in Orange county, so I’m not far from you if you go to usc, so maybe we’ll get the chance to meet again, and I’m sure that’ll happen in the future. So God bless you both. Thank you very much for. For being aboard, and thank you again for supporting us the way you do, and hopefully we’ll see again. Thank you so much. Okay, bye. Bye. God bless. God bless. Oh, and first of all, let me. Let me thank you for, you know, being a great supporter of Franz east wine.

Appreciate it very much. You’ve, you know, we. We need people like you and, and, you know, both Sam and myself and everybody involved in the team. Thank you very much. We appreciate that. And, you know, thank you for being involved in this. And, you know, you have an incredible story, you know, know, and people love to hear comeback stories and. And people that have been able to overcome obstacles and challenges in their lives. Sometimes we make some bad decisions. I know I made many of them, and by the grace of God, I’ve been able to correct them and move forward.

And I think in the same way, you know, your story is pretty similar. So why don’t you let our guests know our viewers are going to be, you know, excited to hear your story, and then we’ll take it from there. Yeah, you know, Michael, I was involved in racketeering, just like yourself. You know, I got indicted in 2015. I came off a couple national championship football teams with the USC Trojans under Pete Carroll. And from there, you know, I was around all these. These, you know, silver, silver spoon kids from USC and playing with these guys that all went to the NFL, and I was just trying to chase that.

That money, trying to fit in, you know, and, you know, my life took a different path. I started bookmaking at a young age. I was, you know, 23 years old and trying to make that money. And next thing you know, I started booking bets for one of the most infamous cartels in the world. And unfortunately I went down the path of organized crime and you know, became one of the largest quarterbacks for the cartel. And you know, I ended up in federal prison and currently still living in the federal bureau prisons halfway house. And everyone likes it.

Like you said, everyone likes to come back a second chance. And, and this is my second chance right now. Where did you do most of your time, Owen? I started at the USP Lompoc and then eventually went down to the FCI next door and then from there I got transferred to Victorville. And from Victorville, eventually I got sent to FCI Colorado and Littleton. Well, I got to tell you, we both were in the same places. I was in Lompoc, I was in Victor Village, and I was also in Colorado. Yeah, a little bit earlier than you, but yeah, I was there.

So Lompoc wasn’t bad. I mean it, you know, especially when we got into the, the medium. So I never made the camp, but I was in the medium there. It wasn’t bad. Yeah, I, I enjoyed it. The, the meeting was great actually. It actually turned into a medium when I was there. So I, I enjoyed it. The. They still had those cable weights if you remember. You know, Carmen Persico had that rose garden they took out. They took it out, huh? Yeah, they took it out, but I, I liked it. There were some good guys there that, you know, enjoyed working out and I just kept my, my mind right by, by doing my pull ups and push ups every day.

I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t like it when they sent me to Victorville. I liked it better in Lompoc. Yeah, Victorville was all awful, man. It was just desert. Yeah, there was nothing to do. You’re doing pull ups off the, the stair, the staircases. Yeah, it was tough. How much time did you end up doing? I did nine inside and I got the last year in the halfway house right now in Los Angeles on how restrictive I was in the halfway house in la. They were pretty easy with me. I was, I was gone at 6 in the morning, got back at 12 midnight.

Actually. I don’t have it that nice, Michael, but I’ll tell you when I leave at 6 in the morning and my curfew tonight’s 9 because they knew I was interviewing with you. So they’re, they’re big supporters of the comeback story. You know, this. This brand I started, California Ice Protein, and they’re really excited about the documentary that’s coming out, and the book that I recently wrote that came out Black Friday. Well, let me ask you what. What made you. You know, this whole change in you. Did it occur in prison? You know, when did the light bulb go off and say, you know what? I got to change my ways? What happened? You know, once that judge sentenced me to 21 years, and I said to myself, wow, this.

This is a time to rehabilitate. Right? He’s obviously sending me away for a reason. And, you know, I got to prison, I said to myself, well, I guess it’s time to sober up. You know, I was using drugs and drinking and partying like a rock star. I’m not going to lie. And I realized once I got to prison, I said, man, I got to make. Make a change in life. And I went from putting bad things on the streets now to, you know, distributing healthy treats. It’s a. It’s a weird comeback, but I’m enjoying it. I’m a big fitness guy.

And, you know, I ended up getting my master’s degree in business administration while incarcerated, and I started this brand while in prison in my 6×8 cell, you know, in a mop bucket with ice and rock salt. Wow. Yeah. Tell us about it. What is. What does the beverage do? So it’s. It’s actually a. It’s a ice protein. So by accident, I was in my cell one day, and my cellie said, hey, if you want to keep your. Your protein shake cold, why don’t you just throw some salt on it with the rocks with the rock salt from Colorado.

If you remember, they used to have that rock salt to the sidewalks. Yeah. So I use that rock salt to keep my protein shake cold. In one day, I came back in the. The protein shake turned into like a. Like a frostbite, like, almost like a smoothie, like an ice cream. And I started eating it, and I was like, man, this is. This is awesome. And so you. Next thing you know, I. I started making it for my workout crew, and I was making, like, seven at a time. And everyone’s like, man, you should sell this.

This is like, ice cream. It’s protein ice cream. Next thing you know, I’m selling, you know, 30 jars on a Saturday, and come NFL Sunday, I’m selling 50 jars a day at 15 a piece. And I said, man, I think. I think I’m onto something. Yeah. And out, literally in 20, 24, 2024 of, of March, and as soon as I hit the ground at the halfway house, I remember the first thing I wanted to do was start researching if there’s any protein ice cream out there. And that’s, that’s the story. And I’ve been running with it since.

And we’re building the brand as we speak. And like you see behind me, I got my ice cream push cart right here. Join the ice protein revolution. And some of my buddies that are artists, you know, did some cool paintings for us. You know, just real, real bright and colorful from this dark past of my life now to this, you know, bright future. Well, listen, you know, I, I got to commend you for that, Owen, because not many people, I think the majority of people don’t make the prison time work for them. You know, one of the things that bothered me the most, you know, when I was in prison, I did eight years, but I saw guys going out on parole and coming back three, four, five, six times, and I couldn’t believe it.

I wanted one chance to get out, but these guys were going in and out and in and out. And so it’s not too often that somebody makes the prison time work for them and really kind of reinvents themselves while they’re in there. So I really commend you for that. I know it’s a big accomplishment. And, and let me ask you this. Is it available now, your beverage, in any, any retail outlets yet? Yeah, so it’s an ice cream bar. Actually, we have it a 24 hour fitness in Long beach, downtown Long Beach. We have one in Huntington beach called Everybody Nutrition, which carries our bars.

And then there’s another meal prep company called Healthy Meal Prep in Spain Valley, and we also have a GNC in Granada Hills that carries it. We currently have 100 freezers that are landing this month from China. We’re going to pay that tariff and we’re going to have 100 freezers. We’re going to have 50 in Miami and 50 in California. California. So by summertime this year, you know, the grant, my, my, my release date in the Halfway House is June 26th. Right. So I tell myself, if I can release June 26th and have 100 freezers in the United States, I’ll feel pretty good about myself.

No, that’s terrific. And you know, just a heads up, my daughter and son in law, they own two gems here in Irvine and Newport beach. So, you know, when you get out, you know, I can put you in touch with them. And, and they got a pretty big membership There. So maybe there’s something you can put there also. Yeah, I would love that. I’ve been at Equinox and everyone at Equinox is like man, you guys have to carry this here. It’s amazing. So I can’t wait to see you in person. I was going to bring you some, but next time when we’re in Newport golf and we’ll have, have a bar together.

Yeah, well, June 26th, that’s around the corner, man. Yes sir. And I understand you’re starting your own YouTube platform also. Yeah, I’m learning man. It’s this, this technology. When I got out, someone gave me a smartphone. I didn’t know how to use it. You know, I was using, I was using a BlackBerry. So you know, they put together a team for me and the social medias. It’s been fun telling the story and you know, I’m looking to have this, this platform where you come work out with me and we sit down and enjoy the podcast together and I break out the ice cream and we eat it together and you tell me you’re gimme a review on a healthy ice cream.

I call it an innocent indulgence. No, that’s a great idea. And yeah, you got to build your platform. I mean that’s where it’s at today for business. And you know, if you build a really successful platform, you’ll find out that YouTube is paying you to market yourself. So it turns out good. It’s a, it’s a, it’s an offer you shouldn’t refuse, let’s put it that way. But let me ask you now, do you, you work out a lot yourself daily? Yeah, I work out five days a week and then I usually try to take the weekends off as you know we, we get a 24 hour home pass right to visit our family.

So I try to enjoy the weekend with, with my uncle but you know, I eat real clean. I eat four ice cream bars a day and, and I still got a six pack so the product’s working. Well, listen, I’d be interested in trying that myself. You know, I, I work out at least three times a week. I try to do four, but three times as good at least. And I’m surrounded by everybody that’s just fitness freaks. I call them the Francis fitness freaks because my wife, it’s a lifestyle for her. Since I met her at 19 years old, she’s been working out.

My two of my daughters are fitness trainers and nutritionists and my son in law is now the same. My son in law yesterday well, future son in law, he’s marrying my, my youngest daughter. He ran a 26 mile marathon on set on Sunday and he did it pushing in a, a wheelchair, I guess his roommate who has muscular dystrophy but a little bit more advanced and he ran the 26 miles. It was unbelievable. Yeah, Easy. Yeah. In a wheelchair. And, and you know, but he was a professional baseball player. He played for the Giants in their minor league system and then he got released after five years.

But they’re all crazy. I have no choice but to be fit because I’m grounded by it. Sounds like you got the perfect family man. Yeah, I do, I do. And we’re going to, we’re going to certainly enjoy your product also. No doubt. Perfect. I can’t wait. I would like to drink some of your non alcoholic wine. Obviously. I’ve been sober for 10 years, so. I heard you got a non alcoholic version. We do and it’s, it’s really starting to take off. Walmart just took, they took an eight state order on it. So we’ve given them an exclusive for I think 60 days and they just, it just went on the shelf last in this, this past April.

So we’re excited about that. But it’s good, it’s really good. You, you’ll enjoy it because it’s actually, it’s, it’s an alcoholic wine and then we extract the alcohol out. So we don’t extract the taste out, we extract the alcohol and it’s, it’s been really going over well. Oh, that’s great. Can’t wait to try it. But anyway, you know, Owen, really, really proud of you. And I know how difficult it is to come back. You know, nine years in prison. A lot of people come out angry and they come out resentful and they just waste the rest of their life.

And I’ll tell you this, you know, I went to Angola Prison and I visited so many prisons across the country and even around the world and so many guys that I’ve spoken to, 55, 60 years old, that are doing life for 50 years and they all look back and they say, Michael, you know, I don’t know what I did. You know, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what I did, but look where I ended up. And you know, we could easily end up there. And these are, these are not first time offenders. They’re first, second, third, fourth.

They’ve had opportunities and just kept doing the same thing until finally it got them forever. And it’s a shame when that Happens. It’s very sad to see. And, you know, I commend you for, you know, making the most out of your time and coming out and really doing something good for you and for the rest of the world, because anytime you’re pushing a healthy product like that, it’s great. So I really commend you for that, and I thank you for being part of our group, and I look forward to maybe coming on your platform, you coming on mine, and just talking about your product and everything that you’re doing.

It’s a great story. Yeah, I appreciate it, Michael. We’ll definitely have you on when the time comes, and I look forward to seeing you down in Orange County. And remember, as a Trojan, we just fight on. Yes, yes, I know that. Well, I can’t say I’m a USC fan. You know, I’m still a New Yorker at heart, and that’s where my heart is. But it’s a great school, and so you just keep fighting on. I appreciate it. All right, man, Let me know when you get out. You know, give me a holler, and then we’ll plan to meet at some time over the summer.

Sounds good, brother. All right, brother. You got it. Take care. Take care, man. You guys. You got it. Fernando, how are you? I’m doing well. How are you? Pretty good. Thank you. And thanks for joining us. And thanks for being a follower of Franz East, a supporter, I should say, of Franz east wine. We appreciate that very much. And you have an incredible story, something I can relate to quite a bit. You know, you’ve sort of reinvented yourself after some tough times, so I’m proud of you for that. And, you know, I got a little glimpse of your story, but I would love for you to tell our viewers.

I’m sure they’d like to hear. You know, Fernando, there’s a lot of people struggling out there, and they wonder how they can make a comeback or, you know, how to reinvent themselves after a problem they faced in their life. And, you know, it’s guys like you and even myself to some degree, that inspire these people. So why don’t you tell us what you went through, where you are now? And I think people are going to really enjoy it. Yeah, absolutely. First of all, thank you for having me. And, yeah, so, you know, I just. I grew up in the streets, you know, since.

Since. Since a little kid recalling, you know, getting jumped into a street gang at the age of 12. And that just was a total pivotal point in my life where it just. I. I embraced it as soon As I got in, I embraced it and I knew that that was going to be my life no matter what. Like, I got my neighborhood at some point, you know, in the, in the future, I got my neighborhood blessed across my chest. I, I represented that with, with the fullest intent to, to either spend the rest of my life in prison or, or I was gonna die on the streets.

But initially that, that, I knew that that was going to be my future. But during the process, I, you know, I was going in and out of juvenile hall, in and out of LA county jail, and eventually ended up doing state time, which led to, to that pivotal moment where God steps in, into, into my life and totally changes everything. But, but I never went to jail to look for God. I never went to jail to look for God. I, I, God was never in the picture. I mean, I grew up Catholic and, and God, you know, God was what’s, was there in the background.

But it was never something that, that I accepted or nothing that I wanted to follow because obviously because of the life that I chose to live. And so when I was in the, in supermax and in the Cash Steak fighting my case, right before I ended up getting convicted, I ran into a guy who was calling the shots at the time and, and something about him that’s just separated him from everybody else because up to that point I never experienced a person with that type of leadership. He wasn’t a Christian. But one of the things that I did notice about him is that he would read his Bible before lights went out and every time I would look at him and I would look, you know, down his bunk and I would notice it and I would think to myself, what’s so interested in that book that he should read it? And I never questioned, never asked him anything, but the day that he got convicted, he caught the chain and went upstate.

I picked up a small Gideon Bible and at that point I started the Gospel of Matthew. And when I arrived at the part where Jesus was being crucified, that just totally broke me. That was just like, I mean, I’m doing time since I was a kid, you know, grew up in the streets and up to that point, I never realized that my life was completely heading in the wrong direction. I just, that was just that, that moment where God just totally opened my eyes and allowed me to see what, what, what, what Jesus, what he did on the cross wasn’t just how I used to view it.

I used to view it as something that he did for everybody else except me. I never thought that was, I was included in that. So at that point, when God opened my eyes, I repented. I asked God to forgive me. And it wasn’t an easy transition because I mean, going from that life to now having new desires and a desire to serve God and a desire to leave my past behind was very difficult. So that when eventually, you know, as time progressed, I started to study the Word, I started to read. And there did come a point where God drew the line.

And God said, I didn’t hear God’s voice audibly, but I did hear God tell me directly, who is it going to be? Is it going to be me or is it going to be them? Referring to my homies. And I think that God made a reference to that because. Because I was loyal to that. Like my commitment was to that life, that lifestyle and whatever came with that. But when God drew the line, at that moment, without hesitation, I said, it’s going to be you, Lord. And from that moment on, I began to present myself as a Christian.

Even when I was in the prison yard, I never, I stopped associate. I didn’t stop totally associated with my friends. I still would be there and I would feel if they needed anything, I would help them. But. But my life was totally separate, separated from that because now I was serving God. And you know, Fernando, it’s amazing how similar our stories are in that regard. It was, you know, a prison Bible, a Gideon’s Bible that was handed to me by a prison guard. Actually that started me on my journey when I was in solitary for, you know, almost three years.

But it’s amazing, I understand everything that you’re saying and I can relate to that. But I have a question, question, you know, what, what was it that attracted you to the gang at 12 years old? What, what was it? And you said you really, you felt good about it, your heart was in it. What was the attraction? The attraction for me once I joined and I realized what I was getting myself into was, was the, was the violence, the physical violence. That’s what attracted me. And I always say there’s a reason why people join the street gang and another reason why people stay.

And for me, the reason I stayed was because, because of that I enjoyed it and I was very much a part of that. Let me ask you, you know, did you have two parents in the house? Were you a two parent home or. Yes, I had both of my parents at home, except my dad. My dad was never really around during my upbringing. And my mom, my mom was at home for a short period of time, but then she Worked, so we really didn’t have anyone at home. I got it. You know, the reason I say that, you know, when I was in prison, I spoke to so many young gangbangers that had similar stories.

You know, they didn’t have a father figure in the house, and they had their mom, but their mom was struggling too, trying to do her best to raise her children and work and, you know, so she couldn’t have much control. And then you get attracted to the street and the gangs and that brotherhood and all of this stuff. So it’s a common story, you know, it really is. But what’s not common is the way you’ve gotten yourself out of it. So, you know, again, both of us did it through the blood of Jesus, and that’s what turned our life around.

And, and, but from that point on, it’s still not that easy because you have to change your whole mentality, and now you’ve changed it in a way. You become success in a legitimate world. So how did that whole transition happen for you? It was difficult. It was difficult because I still had roots and it was hard to uproot my lifestyle from that direction that I was heading to. But ultimately it was God. I dipped my eyes in God’s word daily. I totally surrendered to him, and, and although it was hard, I still kept leaning on him.

So when I paroled, so I ended up doing close to seven years in prison. So when I, when I paroled and I came home, I was, I just leaned heavily on him because I knew that I couldn’t do it on my own. I, I, I knew that. And God revealed that, like, so my time in prison, serving that time as a Christian, it not only did, it challenged me, but it also helped me in, in such a tremendous way that, that because the, the challenges I faced in prison, I don’t face those challenges out here. Out here is easier to, to walk away.

It’s easier to hide on the streets. It’s easier not to be around anybody. But when I was challenged in prison for my Christianity, God used that to help me be able to make it out on the streets as well. Hmm. When, when you were released and went back to the same neighborhood, did you have any trouble from, you know, former associates? And, you know, walking away from sometimes is not easy. I know I went through some tremendous struggles as a result. Yeah, it, it wasn’t as I thought it was going to be worse than it, than it actually was.

But no, my, a lot of my homeboys, for, by God’s grace, embraced it and Just kind of just let me do my own thing. I was afraid, though, prior to getting out, because, you know, because I have my neighborhood. It’s like a billboard across my chest and. And I saw it. I did kind of fear, okay, if I go to the beach, I’m not gonna go in there. Or if I go swimming, I’m not gonna go in there without. With. With the shirt on. Always take my shirt off. And I thought, okay, what if something that I did to somebody in the past, they see me with my shirt off? Or they will.

They retaliated, but no, ba ba. But by God’s grace, God has been very gracious and very merciful and has spared me from a lot of things. So you believe he protected you once you committed to him, and he really knew that you were sincere and he knew your heart. You believe he’s had his hand of protection on you? Absolutely. God has definitely made himself real. He’s not just. God is a real person. He’s a real person to me and always has been. And I’ve. I’ve always held that. I’ve always had an intimate relationship with him, and I’ve always seen him that way.

And I do see that God has had his hand upon me throughout, from even when I was in the streets to today. Well, I. I agree with that. So many people have. So many people have said the same thing to me, Michael. And I say, hey, God had a different plan and a purpose for me. And when he. He has that for us, then he’ll direct our steps and he’ll put his veil of protection on us. And that’s what he’s done with both of us. Let me ask you this. Explain briefly where you are today, how you’ve been able to succeed and turn your life around and grow a big business.

Yeah. So. Well, I’m. I’m married. We have four kids. Wow. I started my business as a general building contractor and plugged into my church, and we just been steadily moving forward, holding hands, you know, hand in hand with God. Excellent. Your wife has been very supportive, I assume. Very supportive. I would not gone as far as I’ve been without her support. Yes, absolutely. Isn’t it amazing, Fernando? Where would we be without the women in our life? If it wasn’t for my wife, I’d either be dead or in prison if I didn’t meet that young girl. Oh, yeah, same here.

Yeah. It’s amazing. I think sometimes they have a little bit more. There’s something more special about them that they just have this influence over us to keep us in the right direction. And praise God for that. Amen. Well, let me tell you, it’s a tremendous story. You know, I want to thank you again. I think people are going to be very encouraged to hear it. You know, these. It’s so encouraging when somebody has come out of a difficult situation, been able to turn their life around, around, especially through Jesus Christ. You know, I’ve been preaching that word now for 30 years, and, you know, it’s.

It’s. It’s what it is if you’re not walking with Jesus. You know, just that life has so much less meaning. It really has no meaning because we know where we’re going at the end, and we’re going there because of the blood of Jesus and. And his sacrifices and grace and mercy on us. So, incredible story. Just quickly, what would you tell everybody out there or anybody out there that wants to turn their life around and has been able to do or can do what you’ve done in your life? What do you have to say to them? Just briefly? I would say that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and turn to him and he will guide your steps.

Amen. You said it all, Fernando. Thank you very much, brother. And hopefully I get to meet you. You still in la? Still San Fernando Valley. Oh, okay, cool. We’ll get to meet at some point, I’m sure. Yeah, it’d be nice. All right. Thank you very much for having me. Thank you. Thank you. God bless you. David Vogel, A pleasure to have you, my friend. And, you know, first of all, I want to thank you for being such a tremendous supporter of Francie Swine. I really mean that. You’re very involved in our company and you’re always there to support us.

And here you are today as one of the people that was selected because you have a great story and you tell it well. And I got to tell you, you’re always amusing. I enjoy getting your emails. I enjoy speaking with you. So it’s a pleasure to have you around. And I want you to tell people, you know, we. We did this so that we want to inspire people. We want to encourage them with. With, you know, individual stories and things that we’ve overcome in our lives. So why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself, what you went through, where you are now, and I’m sure our viewers are going to enjoy it.

Okay. Well, I’m an ordained minister. I’m a father of five. I’m a guy who wore a wire in Trump’s old building to expose Corruption. I mean, my story is one of betrayal, redemption, you know, Mafia politics, and also divine mercy. So I grew up in Bessonhurst, Brooklyn, an Orthodox Jewish household. My mother, she lit candles every Friday night. My father served in the Korean War. My grandfather, he was too old to fight in World War II, but he made uniforms to support the war effort. My neighborhood, as you know, Bensonhurst, was a patchwork of Jewish and Italian families.

We broke bread together. We fought on the same little league team. I mean, it was a kind of street ethics, as you know, that we all followed. And my word was my bond. I was raised to believe that Anna wasn’t negotiable. Now I was. But, you know, I, I had a tainted background. I was kind of a scammer. When I was a teenager, I had a mail order business, and I’m going to be 100 transparent. I wasn’t very ethical, but I was lost. And when I was 26, I was still clinging to my Orthodox Jewish roots.

But I met a man named Mike Haynes. He was a mentor at the company I worked, Heritage Rare Coin Galleries. He brought me the First Baptist Church. He introduced me to Jesus. And it all clicked. So everything in the Old Testament pointed to Jesus. And I gave my life to Christ. When I was 26. I never looked back. Back. Now, let me, let me ask you this, David, just stop. You coming from, you know, Jewish parents, how did they accept that? You know, honestly, I really didn’t talk to them much about it. I wasn’t, I mean, by that time, my dad was dead and my mom, she just accepted it.

I mean, it wasn’t a big deal. You know, like I said, I was. When I was a scoundrel, when I was a teenager, I was very dishonest. But after coming to Christ, I rebuilt my business, my life on truth, my handshake, it became a contract. My business was clean. I had clients that were worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the numismatic business. They trusted me. And, you know, then it, then it happened. I. When I was a little bit older, I moved to Trump World Tower. I wasn’t just some resident. I was actually a soldier for the Trump Organization.

When Trump sued the city in New York, Donald Trump, he alleged and he proved that the city inspectors were soliciting bribes. Now, as part of the settlement, Trump World Tower got a multi decade tax abatement. But Trump, he had racked up legal bills, a lot of fees, so the board owed them roughly $30 million. My neighbor drew Aaron, he negotiated it down to 15 million. But then Barry Jacobson, who also served on the board. He refused to pay Trump anything, And I can’t make this up. He threatened to kill Drew Aaron if we paid Trump a dime.

He basically told Drew, if you sign that check, I’ll kill you. And that wasn’t posturing. I mean, Barry, he had power. He had serious money. He had a violent edge. At that time, Deborah Stops, who is Trump’s liaison, asked me to intervene. She knew Barry’s cousin. He lived next door to me on the 59th floor. And I wore a wire for Trump. I mean, it was that simple. I risked everything. I did it, number one, to protect my friend Drew. But let me be honest. They also wanted Donald Trump to know I stood up later. Did.

Did Donald engage you personally to wear that wire? No. It was through Deborah Stotts, who was Trump’s executive in the building. She ran the building. Okay. And later on, I was prosecuted for a crime. I’m innocent. And let me explain. I owned a pain clinic in Texas. We followed the Intractable Pain act to the letter. I wasn’t a physician. I wasn’t writing scripts, but I was smart. So I hired the best legal counsel I could find. And here’s where I want to talk about Doug Grover. I mean, you might know him, Mike. He’s. At the time, he was a mob buster.

Doug Grover, you know, was the deputy chief of the US DOJ’s Organized Crime Strike force. I remember the name. Okay, well, I’m sure he took down. I was prosecuted by the strike force, so I. I know it. Okay. Did you. I’m just curious. Did you know Doug? No, I didn’t know him, but his name was in some of my paperwork and everything, and I knew who he was, obviously. Okay, well, he took down Tommy Gambino. He took down Salvatore Angela. He helped lead the Abscam prosecutions. And this man, I mean, he was allegedly. He was feared in every major crime family in America.

So when I hired Doug, it wasn’t because I needed the defense. It was because I needed the truth. And he investigated my business. Everything I was doing side by side with Texas attorney Susan Hendricks. Now, Doug, he called the DEA proactively, and he basically asked them, is David Vogel violating the law? And do you know what they said? They told Doug, a living legend in law enforcement, that they could not say I was doing anything illegal. Now, let that sink in the U. S. Government. The DEA basically, de facto said I was clean. Doug Rover said I was clean.

And then, boom, I’m indicted. Now, what changed? It was the goal post. The DEA’s. Excuse me. The DEA’s own website had a pain protocol, and it was developed in partnership with the University of Wisconsin. We followed it, our doctors followed it. But boom, the web page vanished. Gone. Deleted as if it never existed. They wiped their own blueprint clean. Then they used my adherence to it as evidence against me. Just imagine shooting at the goal. Then someone moves the goal post, and then they arrest you for missing. I mean, Michael, it’s a mafia democracy. That’s what you call it.

You know, that’s what I call it. Because it wasn’t about justice. It was about power. Now, I was convicted under a legal standard that the Supreme Court later invalidated under the Riyan. I might be pronouncing that wrong. The real Rouhan case. Ruan. So if Ruann had come earlier, I wouldn’t have served the day. And they offered me three years on a plea deal. I said no. I wouldn’t lie. I wouldn’t say I was guilty. They gave me 20 years. I served 11. You know, when I got out, I didn’t crawl into a corner. I started preaching.

Every morning at 7am on LinkedIn, I deliver a live sermon. I call it Sunrise in the presence of God, Rain the shine. I talk to God, I talk to the people, and I bring a light to the. The C suite. And I didn’t stop there. I got involved, helping my son with solar energy to help the world. I helped one of my son’s clients access free money. I mean, I got one of his clients $849,000 in free money. And it’s really more than that. It’s reinvention with a purpose. Because to me, the truth matters. And that’s why I just did a 1 hour and 37 minute video interview with Sherri Ann Alpierovich.

Yeah, she’s part of our extended family. I connected. Thank you. Thank you, Michael. Through the Francis Family Network. And as we speak right now, the interview is going viral on LinkedIn. And people are finally hearing the full story without spin. And I want to highlight one other thing. I work with Bob Desena. You might know him. You probably know his cousin. He’s the founder of Council for Unity. And yeah, I mean, the man’s a legend. He sat with gang members in schools and prisons, not just to scare them straight, but to love them into transformation. And I followed that lead when I had my pain clinic.

I was the number one financial supporter of Council for Unity. And I also sat with gang involved youth myself. I listened. I told them my story. I gave them hope. And I saw lives change. I saw tears. I saw young men who wanted to believe that a new path was possible. And Mike Bob’s teaching, it stuck with me, especially this one. Unity. It’s not just the word, the mission. And I brought that into my business and my preaching. And now with the Church of Unity, which I formed, working to build something global, a network of people who believe in redemption, justice and truth.

And the one thing I want to tell your audience, don’t believe everything you read. Dig deeper. Ask yourself, why would someone risk their life if they had something to hide? Ask why a man like Doug Grover, a Mob Buster with 40 years in the trenches, would stand behind me. Ask why the DEA erased their own website. And I’m not looking for sympathy. I’m asking for clarity. I’m asking for truth. And Mike, I thank you. Thank you for giving me that chance. And I just want to say this from my heart. The only way to truly make things right in my life is to get clemency.

Not as a legal technicality, but as a divine restoration. You know, I talked about it in my full interview with Sherri Ann, and again, thank you for the introduction. It’s going viral on LinkedIn because it’s raw, it’s real. I talked about wanting a wife, a family. I got five amazing kids. But I’m not done. Well, let me ask you this there. When you talk about clemency, are you actually going to apply for it? I have applied. Yeah. I applied under President Biden and he promised clemency reform. He stood in front of the nation and said it would happen and he lied.

He turned his back on the honest, the innocent and the redeemed, and instead he granted pardons to convicted killers like Leonard Peltier, a man who executed two FBI agents. He gave climate clemency to Adrian Pilla. He was convicted in the killing of a mother and an eight year old child. Well, let me, David, let me tell you, I don’t give him a pass on that because he doesn’t deserve a pass. You know my feelings about Biden, but I’m sure there were people around him that, you know, he just used his auto plan and did whatever they told him to do because he wasn’t.

He wasn’t in control of his presidency. But, and again, that’s no excuse. When you take on a job like that and you have a major responsibility and you don’t shun it because you’re affecting the world, not only your own country. But listen, David, I, you know, I It’s an incredible story. I’m sorry what happened to you. I really am. You know, you know how my feelings are with the government. And all I can say is I hope under this new administration, the Department of Justice, the FBI and the dea, I hope they straighten all this, this fraud, abuse, and, and, you know, there’s just terrible, terrible corruption that we’ve had over the past several years.

And I hope that Trump now, you know, really straightens it out. And any way that we can support you, you know, in your, your quest to get clemency, you know, maybe now under this new administration, you’ll see something different. But listen, I have, I admire you, you know, you’re a fighter. You really are, and you’re very, very determined. And I believe that you’re going to accomplish it. It takes a while, I know, with these clemency things. But I give you, I’m going to go for a pardon myself only because it’s been 30 years. And, you know, when we change our lives around, and I think people can see that, you know, when it, it, it’s over a long period of time, well, then maybe that, you know, some people deserve, you know, some consideration in that regard.

So I’m going to try for it, too. But listen, it’s incredible story. You know, just one last thing that you want to tell people before we close down. Well, my message is to Donald Trump, I was a soldier. You might not know that, okay? Because, look, in your position, you might not know what I did. All I’m asking is for a review. Just look at my case, look at the facts. And Alice Marie Johnson, you just appointed her, your pardons are. She’s a very honest person. She is someone who preached Bible when she was in prison, and she hopefully, hopefully will do the right thing and at least give me a fair investigation.

I mean, clemency, it’s the final act of justice in my story. And I’m just praying, praying that President Trump, he listens. And I’m trusting God to move hearts, because I’m not done yet. I’m not even close to being done, if that makes sense. No, it makes a lot of sense. And I believe Donald Trump will hear you at some point. So keep up the good work. David, thank you again for being such a supporter of not only Franz east wine, but of our membership platform. The family are a great, you know, contributor in there, and we appreciate everything, and I’m sure I’ll get to meet you someday.

I’m looking forward to that. All right, well, there you have it. I mean, if these stories don’t inspire you, I don’t know what will. Just ordinary people that came out of a bad situation and were able to turn their life around. And, you know, the interesting thing why we did this through, you know, Franz east wine, through my company, is because, you know, the story of wine is a transforming story. Our grapes, our vineyards, came from Armenia. Well, what’s the story? You know, why Armenia, Michael? Why not Italy? Why not Napa Valley? You live in California.

Why did you pick an Armenian wine? Who ever really heard of that? Well, I’ll tell you why. Because the way the history goes on this, and I verified it and it was written up in many magazines and you can look for it yourself, is that when Noah’s ark landed and the flood subsided, it lands at the foot of Mount Ararat, which was Armenia at that time. New civilization, new people. God honored Noah and the whole new civilization. The first vineyards were grown at the foot of Mount Ararat. So it’s kind of a transforming story there to begin with.

And then the story of wine is transforming, you know, from grapes, the way it goes through the process to transform itself to come into, you know, wine. Something that we all enjoy, obviously, in moderation. And that’s why I bonded with that story. That’s why, you know, my partner Sam, who’s Armenian, came to me and said, Mr. Michael, you’re the perfect guy because your life has been transforming. The story of wine is transforming. The history of Armenian wine is transforming. So that’s why we put it together and we put out this challenge to people who have had a transforming life.

I’m all about transformation, people. So listen, I want to be encouraging to all of you. If you have a situation, you know, join our family, come to us. You know, we want to help you. We’ve helped many people. We’re continuing to help many people. And that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 30 years of my life. And I just find new ways to, you know, to exercise that, and hopefully it’s successful. And I think it has been, you know, for many, many years now. So that’s it for today, my friends. How do I always leave you? I hope you enjoyed this episode.

We’ll be bringing you more, and as you can see, it’s not fully finished, but I’m in my new studio. You’re going to see more of it and you’re going to enjoy it. We got a lot of great content coming up, so please stay tuned. And as always, I appreciate all of you. Hit the subscribe Button Enjoy Franz East Wine and thank you for keep returning for the content. How do I always leave you? Same way. Never going to change. Be safe. Our country’s becoming safer. Be healthy. I think it’s becoming more healthy. We heard some things recently about the COVID vaccine, not taking it anymore where it’s not necessary.

A lot of things are coming out that are going to be beneficial to us. Be safe. Be healthy. You know I mean this. God bless each and every one of you. Your families, your neighborhoods, your communities. God bless America. And yes, I’ll see you next time. My friends, if you enjoyed this video, I’m going to give you an opportunity to become my partner in business. Franz East Wine experiencing tremendous growth over the past couple of years and we’re going to experience even further growth in the next few years. You’re going to have an opportunity to be my partner because you’ve been supporting me, you’ve been my fan base and I want to share this with you.

So go to invest.franz easwine.com and offer you shouldn’t refuse.
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