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The College and Career Ready Podcast | empowering students for the careers of tomorrow
Join your host Sonia Cacique on a transformative journey preparing high school and college students for real world careers, equipping them with practical skills, professional experiences, and career guidance.
As a dedicated career guidance counselor, career coach, and education leader, Sonia has spent her entire career empowering the next generation for the future workforce. With her expertise, she helps students develop self-awareness, motivation, and career guidance, building the essential skills needed for success in both their educational and future professional journeys.
Coach Sonia is ready to shift the focus from GPA, class rank, and grades to career connections, self-identity, character development, and real-world skills. She aims to challenge the traditional narratives and provide students with a comprehensive approach to education and career readiness. Changing lives for our next gens, one student at a time.
Listen in on the conversation!
The College and Career Ready Podcast | empowering students for the careers of tomorrow
[Career Exploration] Pharmacy Technician to an Entrepreneur - A Tale of Transition, Triumph and Transformation
Join us for an enlightening encounter with Anthony Newton, a man who's climbed the ladder from being a certified pharmacy technician to becoming the founder and CEO of Kaduceus Holdings. In this captivating conversation, Anthony shares his journey of determination and resilience, and how a high school teacher ignited the spark for his career path. From the heart-wrenching origin story of Kaduceus to the symbolic inspiration behind its name, Anthony's saga is interwoven with lessons on how to rise from adversity and persevere in the face of challenges.
Transitioning from a secure job to the uncertainty of entrepreneurship is a leap that many fear to take. Listen to Anthony as he recounts how he took that leap of faith, balancing on the tightrope of risk and reward. He shares the divine prompting that led him to donate a memento from his last paycheck, and the fulfillment he found in presenting his pharmacy technician program to the Houston Independent School District. His words serve as a beacon of encouragement for anyone contemplating their own entrepreneurial journey.
Finally, we explore the impact of hard work, inspiration, and overcoming obstacles. Anthony discusses the role his parents' work ethic played in shaping his attitudes towards success and the profound influence of representation, exemplified by the figure of Barack Obama. He concludes with a reflection on his journey, emphasizing that every experience, whether positive or negative, offers something to be gained. Wrapping up the episode, Anthony highlights the importance of community and gratitude in achieving one's goals. Tune in for an episode filled to the brim with valuable insights, advice, and inspiration.
Here are links to his favorite book recommendations:
Rich Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
https://www.amazon.com/Rich-Dad-Poor-Teach-Middle/dp/1612681131/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3I6QORDRQ8FVO&keywords=rich+dad+poor+dad&qid=1678146862&sprefix=rich+dad+poor+dad%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1
Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
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Learn about our Career Connections Course: www.CollegeCareerReady.org/COURSE
"Stay well, be present, and enjoy the journey"
Hi friend, I wanted to hop in here to share with you that this podcast has now evolved to the College and Career Ready podcast, although the content, mission and passion behind this podcast is still the same. We wanted to bring our students into our conversation. Our now College and Career Ready podcast will be inclusive to students and parents. Thank you for continuing to be part of our community. And now let's get started with the episode. Hey friend, welcome to the MomFlynnz podcast. I'm your host, sonia Casique. I'm a mom of twins, a licensed school counselor, an educator and an entrepreneur. This is our community, where we get to walk together while building a network of people and resources so we help our kids reach their personal goals and career aspirations. You'll hear episodes with tools and strategies, while also sharing stories from a wide variety of experts in the field, because truly, as moms, we are our kids' most influential influencer. So come with me and let's get started, hi friend.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the MomFlynnz podcast. I'm so pumped and excited you're here with me today because I have an epic guest speaker, someone who I personally admire and who I have known for over 15 years. Anthony Newton is the founder and CEO for Caduceus Holdings. He has been in the education development business for over 17 years. Mr Newton founded Caduceus in 2006 and has been involved in all aspects of Caduceus Holdings a results-driven leader with national responsibilities that puts focus on building high-quality products to successfully implement within the education sector.
Speaker 1:As a former educator, the vision has always been to reduce analytical minds, starting with the youth.
Speaker 1:Today, that vision has led to the development of multiple programs and the creation of a number of accredited positions. Caduceus has graduated and certified thousands and thousands of students, in given direction to countless individuals nationwide. I personally have always been inspired by Mr Newton, as I have also had the opportunity to know him personally as a friend and a mentor Friends. It truly is an honor and privilege to have him here with us today, and he will share with us how he went from growing up in a very humble upbringing with very young parents to how he started his career journey as a certified pharmacy technician, thanks to a sweet and loving high school teacher who guided him in the direction of a career in health science, to now the founder and CEO of a multifaceted company. Students, parents, take note, because he will share tips and advice that you won't want to miss, and stay tuned till the end, because you will be in for a big surprise. So, without further ado, let's get started. Hi, mr Newton, welcome to the Monflinz Podcast.
Speaker 2:Good morning. Good morning, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us, so why don't you go ahead and start off and introduce yourself to our audience?
Speaker 2:Name's Anthony Newton. I'm the CEO and founder of Caduceus Holdings Incorporated. We established ourselves back in June of 2005 as a DBA and got incorporated June of 2006.
Speaker 1:And basically at Native.
Speaker 2:Houstonian, born and raised her in Houston. Parents were from Louisiana. Mom and dad have been together now for about 43 years. My mom got pregnant at the age of 13. She had me at 14, my sister at 15, and my brother at 16. And her and my father have been married now for 43 years.
Speaker 1:Wow, what a history, and I'm sure you're going to touch on that a little bit more, but tell us where you are now in your career lives.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so present today. I oversee Caduceus Holdings, which is a conglomerate. We have the educational farm, which is in a little over 250 school districts across the country, in 24 states, including Hawaii. We have 10 different program offerings that range anywhere from pharmacy technician to all the way down to EKGM phlebotomy. So there's a whole assortment of different programs that we offer and things are going quite well. We're based in Houston, texas, but, like I said, we have a reach nationwide.
Speaker 1:Yeah, super. So let's go a little bit back in time. As you were growing up, you told me a little bit about your history and your family. What did you have in mind as far as your career in high school level?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So in high school most high schoolers back then I really didn't have a sense of direction or guidance as to what I wanted to do. But there was a teacher by the name of Betty Brown, cashmere High School in Houston, texas, houston Independent School District. She took me by the hands and in my junior year she put me in what's called a health co-op program. So apparently she saw something in me that I didn't see in myself and she felt that I would do well in the medical center. Prior to meeting Miss Brown, I never knew anything about the medical field, so I got my first job as a patient escort at Herman Hospital, willing patients to and from the radiology department. So that's how I got my start in the medical space.
Speaker 1:Super. So before meeting Miss Betty Brown, did you have any inkling as far as what you were going to do when you grow up, when your parents would tell you?
Speaker 2:No, just being a kid having a good time getting into some trouble, but no, really, no, no, like sure road as to what I wanted to do when I grew up, you know. So the objective was the. When you're younger, you think about the here and now, so there's not a lot of emphasis on you know what's going to happen afterwards, and that happened for a lot of my buddies. So it's like when you graduate, then the reality sets in like wow, I need to do something. High school is over. But when you're in high school, you're so focused on, you know, the sports, the activities, the grades, things of that nature, so it didn't afford me the opportunity to look to the future. It wasn't until, again, miss Betty Brown gave me that opportunity, that, the exposure and the opportunity.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and that's wonderful and I appreciate you sharing that because that's what we like to share here in the Montponese podcast that there are so many people that can really be influential in the child's life and being that she was your teacher and that she just saw that in you to kind of start looking into the health science arena, it's pretty remarkable. So tell us a little bit more about that externship. You were in a co-op, so what happened there? What did you get to see and explore?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I would. I was driving at the time, so I think I was about 16, 17 years of age, but I would commute from my residence or from school actually from school all the way to the medical center here in Houston, Texas, and prior to getting that job I had never been to the medical center, so I'd go out there. I'd see all these young professionals doing so many different things. That really impressed me and just drew me in. I found myself going from school to work and then back home, but I started spending more time at work just learning from the different professionals that I was around at that time. So willing patients to and from the radiology department and wheelchairs and stretchers afforded me the opportunity to interact with radiology technicians, MRI technicians, ultrasound technicians the list goes on and on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wonderful. And how did you get introduced to pharmacy?
Speaker 2:Being in the medical center. You could start, you know, meeting everyone pretty much, and I would go down to the MRI department and hang out with those guys.
Speaker 2:And I went over to the pharmacy department too and I started taking you know, hanging out with a lot of those guys and I took a liking towards pharmacy, and so an opportunity presented itself for me to, in my senior year, to work closer to home at LBJ hospital. And so I actually submitted an application and, because of my background in the medical field or in the medical center, it afforded me the opportunity to work at LBJ hospital as a pharmacy technician. So that's how I got introduced to pharmacy technician. It was right around that senior year, right after high school.
Speaker 1:Wonderful, and did you aspire then to just stay being a pharmacy technician? How did you transition into where you're at today? What?
Speaker 2:happened was pharmacy technician is very interesting. I got my start. Most people start in the retail sector. I actually started in the hospital and preparing those IV bags, working with the pharmacists and the pharmacy technicians and still taking the medicine up to the floors to deliver them to the patients. I really grasped that. After doing that for about a year or so, I got the opportunity to go to a firm, a recruiting firm that actually it was like a I can't think of the name of those different things that puts you in different jobs, Like a staffing agency.
Speaker 2:There you go. I feel like I would have staff an agency Because, again, young, just trying to man, if I can make this, let me go ahead and try to make that amount of money. So the staffing agency was like, hey, we can put you in various different places and we'll pay you X amount of dollars. So when I affiliated with the staffing agency, I probably worked in every different aspect of pharmacy, from retail to mail order to all the different types of things you can do as a pharmacy technician. And so with that experience, from the age of 18, all the way to 21, I got the opportunity to be a teacher at a vocational school here in Houston and so I was their youngest instructor, form tech instructor. But they gave me the opportunity because of my wide array of different experience in the field.
Speaker 2:So at the age of 21, I was a teacher and I figured I did that for a couple of years and I figured, man, if I can teach this stuff, why don't I go back and become a pharmacist? And so I started, got accepted into Bland College out in Brinum, texas, and I will commute from Houston to Brinum, which is about an hour or one way, a little over an hour or one way every single day, and I did that for a year, got a job out there as well while I was going to school there. I figured I'd work out there and I worked as a pharmacy technician in Brinum and then after a year of doing that, I came back to Houston and had all my courses that I needed for undergrad for the most part, and so I've enrolled in Texas Southern University to start my path to go to pharmacy school and I was headhunted by someone in the educational space the vocational educational space to be a pharmacy technician program chair over a vocational school in Houston.
Speaker 2:So again was their youngest person at that time 24 years of age where I got my start as a pharmacy program chair for the pharmacy technician program. So I developed it from the ground up here in Houston, did that for about two years and rose to the point where I was overseeing the entire state of Texas for the pharmacy technician program. So yeah. I was a student at one point, then a teacher, and then rose to a director of pharmacy all within a short period of time.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, what happened from that transition to the next thing that you went into?
Speaker 2:Well, the next thing was caduceus. So just hanging around all these guys, and you saw students that would come up to me and say hey, Mr Newton, I'm working a great job as a pharmacy technician and I'm making some pretty good money, but my tuition, my student loans, they're really weighing on me. So these guys were paying back student loans, not for bachelor degrees or associates, but for certificates and I just felt that weight on them, so that really stuck with me as a director of pharmacy.
Speaker 2:In addition to that, I had a task that was given to me as the director of pharmacy for the vocational school to go out and find ID certifications for our students, because everyone was graduating from those vocational schools with pretty much a certification to work in the retail sector, and so they tasked me with this monumental fee to just go out and find an ID certification company. So we went, we scoured all of Houston and looked at all the different companies out there and I came across this one company that was absolutely phenomenal. So I went into the guy's office. I think he was a young guy to about 28 years of age. At the time I was 25. So I was very inspired by that and I asked him. I said, hey, buddy, you know I'm overseeing the entire state of Texas, but we have reached nationwide, and this was back in 2000. Wow, 2005. Right, so we had reached nationwide. And I told him what you guys offer is ideal for what we need.
Speaker 2:And I remember this gentleman he you know, as I was talking to him, expressing my passion about what we did at the vocational schools, how we were helping the students to excel, et cetera. I remember I was very passionate about it and I've always had this entrepreneurial side to me as well. So I told him hey, man, look, if I can get you into this agreement, can you work out some type of agreement with me where, I can, you know, get 10% for every student that's brought to you? And so he came. He stood up from his desk, put his hand on my shoulder. I came around to where I was, put his hand on my shoulder and he said hey, I tell you what I'll make sure I tell your boss you did a great job by introducing your company to our company.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:And then he went and had a seat and I remember I felt small, I just sunk in my seat and I was like, oh man, I mean, this guy can't believe he just really killed me like that. You know he just he deflated my. I had so much passion, so much drive, so much, you know, ambition. I was young and I was just trying to make a deal work. But you know, instead of channeling that disappointment, or instead of absorbing the disappointment and acting out on it, I actually channeled it and I said you know what? You know what this guy is doing is extremely impressive and I know exactly what we need for our vocational school.
Speaker 2:And this is where that aha moment came about. I identified a problem and I found a solution to that problem, and all I had to do was combine the two and put a price tag on it, and that's all businesses identifying a problem, bringing a solution to that problem for an agreed amount. So when we think about it, lawyers solved legal problems, didn't solve teeth problems. Trashmen solved trash problems and depending on how big of a problem we solved, that determines the income that you create. And so I decided to birth caduceus.
Speaker 2:At that point I went and hired two individuals, put together the ID certification components that were needed and I company that was birth was caduceus. So I allow caduceus to come in and present to my firm. At the time and my boss and I were there the company did an outstanding job and we decided to give them the contract. And so that's how caduceus was birthed, pretty much out of a moment where you think is the worst moment of your life. You know, trying to change everything, and that's why I say all things happen for the good when you're pursuing your past. So just always look at it from that perspective.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love the way you refrained the situation and how that brought you a lot of opportunity. So let me ask you this oh man, there's so many questions I have to ask now from that story. Tell me about the Caduceus name. How did you come up with the Caduceus name?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so when I was working at the vocational school there was a gentleman by the name of Dr Ernest and the late Dr Ernest. He was a phenomenal individual and he was an older gentleman and he was overseeing the dentistry department. But Dr Ernest was very boisterous. He was very vocal about things that he felt were just unjust and unfair. And so one day we saw him in the hallway and he was complaining about the.
Speaker 2:Everyone in the program got a lab coat and on those lab coats they get a patch on the shoulder and his patch had a tooth and a toothbrush to represent the dental department. And he said I don't want a tooth and a toothbrush. On my patch for the insignia, I want a Caduceus. And I pulled him to the side and I said hey, dr Ernest, what is a Caduceus? And he said it's the staff with the snakes on a minute around it and the figure eight with the wings on top. It's the medical symbol for healing and you see it on the back of ambulance trucks or physicians' offices. So a lot of people have seen the logos but don't necessarily know the name of them. And I said, wow, you know what, doc, one day I'm going to start a company and I'm going to name it Caduceus and it's going to stand for not me just complaining about things, but actually making something happen.
Speaker 2:And I remember we went down to go get the Caduceus DBA in 2005 and it was taken because Caduceus is traditionally spelled with the C. And so I went to my graphic designer and he, you know, when you hear it you think of K, and I thought of K and he's like man, let's just spell it with a K. And he put the staff down the side and he created our logo right there on the spot. So that's how the name Caduceus was born.
Speaker 1:I love it, I love it, I love it. Let's go a little bit back to your story. You came up with the, with the IV certification, and you were basically selling it to your current employer. Correct, that is correct. Ok, and how did you? How did you branch out and become independent? Yes, so.
Speaker 2:I figured you know, once a business you know is starting to generate revenue and you've identified a problem and you bring a solution to that problem, then you make you think about it and say, wow, our vocational school had this issue, maybe other vocational schools have the same issue. So I went off to offer IV certification to a multitude of different vocational schools throughout Houston and the surrounding areas. I did that for a year while simultaneously working for the vocational school, and so the success started to take off. And I remember when I turned 26, I, a year after I had started Caduceus and just DBA making supplemental income, everything was great. I was like man. You know, I went to church one day and something was just. It just dropped in my spirit and it was like, hey, I want you to resign in its entirety and start Caduceus full time. I was like, no, not that.
Speaker 2:You know, I was always taught you need a steady job. You know, you got insurance benefits. I just 25, 26 people walking around calling me Mr Newton. I had a corner office. I was like man, I don't know, I want to let this go. I was actually the highest wage earner in my family at the time, the amount of money that I was making, and so it was hard to you know swallow that little small voice that I heard telling me to leave my job security and go off and do this full time. But one of the things I looked at is the fact that it was generating revenue and if there's opportunity in Houston, there were the opportunity in surrounding cities and in surrounding states and so on and so forth. So what did I do? I went back to my employer and I told him you know what? I'm going to go part time and I'm giving you guys a four week notice. And that was that. So they were all shocked because everything was going so well. I was an outstanding worker.
Speaker 2:I always tried to separate myself from everyone else by going above and beyond the call of duty, because I feel like if you're the best at what you do, there will always be a position for you available. And so, again, I wasn't fired, I wasn't let go or anything like that. I actually didn't give a two week notice, I gave a four week notice. But then I went to church the following Sunday and again something dropped in my spirit. I didn't tell you to go part time, I told you to quit your job, resign from your job, apart from your job, and start your company full time. So that was wrestling in my spirit and I decided to act on it. And I remember going back to my director and saying hey, look, no, I gave a four week notice and I was going part time, but now I want to give you a six week notice. And we two know that I'm transitioning out of this position in its entirety.
Speaker 2:And one of the things I did you know, just getting on a semi spiritual tip is I knew that if I stepped out, it had to be a faith move, and so I decided to give $7.58 seats. On my last check that I got, I took $7.58 seats and I sewed it into a ministry. Seven different checks for $58. And I remember someone saying hey, you know, I heard, you know they had given $58 and to a church or an entity and they receive $58,000. And I remember saying that's crazy, $58,000. Yeah, so, and you know again, I just remembered that after the fact, but when I was given the $758,000, it was a testament. I wanted it to be a monument to where hey, this is me and God internet. To partnership, because most partners want 50-50. And he asked for 10%. And if he's all knowing and all powerful, who better to partner with? Right? So I just wanted to make sure everything was solidified before stepping out.
Speaker 1:And I did that.
Speaker 2:And three months after I parted ways from the from the vocational school, I decided to. I was working on a group of individuals and we decided to put a pharmacy technician curriculum around the ID certification component. We went down to our first school district, which was Houston Independent School District, and they end up closing our deal with us and my first check from Houston Independent School District back in 2006 was for $58,000.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, go a little bit more in detail and share with us, if that's okay. How did you get into HISD? It's the largest school district in the Houston area.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think. Definitely faith I had. No, I was this young kid, 26,. A lot of me was very naive at that point. I felt like I could conquer the world right, and I remember my mom put me in contact with an individual that knew another individual and they got me the introduction to just they led me to say, hey, go, why don't you try going down HISD?
Speaker 2:So I remember going down HISD and I remember they're telling me about the CTE department, career and Technical Education. And so I go to the front desk of this huge building off from Houston, texas, a soft 290, the Hattie White building and I go in there and they say okay, you're from the CTE department. And they give me the phone and they let me speak to an individual, and this individual I can't remember his name to this day, but the individual that I spoke with said oh, I'm sorry, I'm not the right person you need to speak to. This is the person you should speak to. And I said okay. And when I got the connection for that person, I said hello, miss Such-N-Such. This individual told me that you're the person I need to speak to in regards to presenting our course for the Formacy Technician Program for Houston and the School District. And because this is years later she told me this after the fact, because I said that individual's name, that transferred the call. That is the only reason she allowed me up into her office.
Speaker 2:So it was a subtle name drop, you know from one person that had referred me to her and she allowed me into her office. I presented. I was very passionate when I presented Didn't have a lot of information, it was more conceptual than anything, but that young lady at Houston Independent School District gave me the opportunity that I needed that catapulted me to where I'm at today.
Speaker 1:Wow, that is amazing and thank you for sharing about just really stepping out of your comfort zone and just knocking on that door, a huge door.
Speaker 2:Huge. For me it was just a door, you know, because I was 26. This is just another door. Let me go do it. In fact, this was a building. I mean, it was the largest building I ever stepped foot in.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's amazing. And then how did you get to creating new programs that you just decided that you wanted to continue to expand?
Speaker 2:Well, see, this is what I've learned about life. You know, as things come at you, people may ask you to do monumental tasks. They may ask you to do a little task. If you pick and choose what you want to do, then you're picking and choosing how you move forward in life. Every task that they brought to me at the vocational school, I took it on. I used to work 60, 70 hours a week and I never knew that what I was doing then would help me for caduceus and what I was about to do in my future. And so I always tell people, no matter how big or small the task is, take it on and don't look at the compensation that you're receiving for it now, because you will need it later on in your life.
Speaker 1:Wonderful, wonderful. And now you have grown caduceus into a total of 10 programs. Is that correct?
Speaker 2:That is correct. So as I was working with individuals from the vocational school, I made great rapport with everyone that I came across. You know, I just I was a sponge, so I wanted to absorb and so things up from them. So when I, when they found out, found out that I went off to start my own company and working directly with school districts which was my vocational schools work for they work in conjunction with post graduates we were working directly with high scores so it wasn't a problem. So a lot of the people that I told about and became friends with over the years they wanted to come over with me and start developing curriculum as well too. So I was able to cherry pick a lot of great people to help develop curriculum while they were still working at their vocational schools and help me to establish the company to create formacy tech, medical building coding, that they're an assistant EKG, phlebotomy, pct, medical assistant, iv CERT program and, of course, our CNA program.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's amazing, you know. Let me go a little bit back in time just for a minute here, because we in our audience we might have students who you know, who their family background has no college experience. What would you tell them right now? What would be the biggest takeaway that they should hear from you, who has come from a background of you know family, who really didn't have that, that role model for you to follow?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I tell people, a high school student, to get involved in as much things as you can get involved in, because the exposure is where it's at. Had I not been exposed, there's no telling what I'd be doing right now. So that's the whole purpose, for caduceus is just to allow exposure to individuals so that they can have opportunity that stimulates. From the exposure you may go and realize that, hey, after doing this job or after experiencing this, this is now what I wanna do. I like it. I like the way the people are, the environment, the workflow and things of that nature. So I tell people, just keep your mind open to exposure, because once you're exposed, then opportunities develop from that. Because a lot of times I mean, I wasn't passionate about medical field prior in high school, but the exposure created the opportunity and then the passion for what it is I started doing over and over again, day in and day out, to develop. So that came over time, but had you first have to be exposed to it?
Speaker 1:Beautiful, wonderful.
Speaker 2:Other than Ms Bette Brown, who has influenced you the most Wow man I was like I said, I was like a sponge, so I pretty much took from a lot of people when they crossed my path, no matter what ethnicity, no matter what religion, no matter what the person was involved in. I was just. I had the ability to extract the positive and leave behind what it is that I didn't desire.
Speaker 2:And so throughout the years, there's just been a multitude of individuals that I've extracted from that have helped me to become who I am today.
Speaker 2:So that's one, but I think that the biggest influencer I watch my parents work hard.
Speaker 2:They work hard day in and day out, and they were blue collar workers, and so that was not something that I wanted to aspire towards, but I really admired their work ethic and how they kept the family together and how they stayed married for as long as they did.
Speaker 2:I would say my biggest influencer in my life year to date would probably be Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States of America, and the reason why is for a multitude of reasons, but the primary ones are he was articulate, he was a family man, he never allowed anyone to get under his skin, he walked with poise and all those things we didn't have, those that representation, growing up, that professional in a suit and tie it's not something that I was privy to on a daily basis or a regular basis. So when I finally saw someone like that and he had risen to the level that he rose to, again, I may not be in agreement with all the policies and procedures, but I'm the type of person I can extract. Like I said, I'm a sponge so that image was vital to me and because of that image, that's an image that I try to hold dear to as far as emulating or more or less just being inspired from.
Speaker 1:Yeah, super. I love how you shared, how you've taken every opportunity and you have learned from it and you've had some pretty big obstacles that you've overcome. But is there anything looking back? Hindsight is always 2020, is there anything you do differently?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I wouldn't. Even though I was homeless for six months, even though I had my fair share of obstacles, I wouldn't change anything. The reason why? Because so many lives have been impacted over the last 17 years that I've been in business, not only just my life, my family's life, those that are employed with our companies, the students, the teachers, the CT directors, the school districts at large, the communities at large. When you have an individual that can come up to you and say, man, it was because I was exposed to a program in high school. I'm now a pharmacist, I'm now a nurse, I'm now a medical doctor, that's a great feeling and I feel if I go back and change anything, it could change everything. So I rather keep everything the way it is. No regrets.
Speaker 1:Love it, love it, love it, love it. What are the qualities that you think that has stood out from you the most? And I think and I might step in a little bit here and say is it your ability to just absorb all the good from others and be able to just defer anything else that's probably not productive, or something that's going to help you in the long run.
Speaker 2:Yes, I would definitely say that was major, because you got to learn to extract the good and leave behind the negative. And if you have that perspective, you can learn from anyone and everyone, because everyone that crosses your path is crossing your path for a reason and there's something that you can extract from that person. It may even be what not to do, or it's what to do or how to do it better. So these are things that I pride myself on. Also, to having faith is so huge because fear keeps us from doing a lot of things that we want to do in life. So how can you overcome fear? Well, you can overcome it with having faith. And if you have no faith and you always have fear and it'll keep you pretty much stagnant and not moving forward towards the things you want to accomplish in life, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:What's your definition of success?
Speaker 2:Man. So success to me is relative. I feel every single person is successful in their own way. So the single mom that's taking care of her two kids, working nine to five, coming home 10 into them, she's successful. A successful businessman that have rise to a certain level in their lives they're successful. The teacher, which has one of the most hardest jobs in the world, sits down and deals with students day in and day out, with all different type of personalities, all from all different walks of life, and they're able to keep their sanity. Okay, that's impressive and they are successful. So to me, success is relative. We're all successful in our own way and it's all about perspective, perspective and perception. So that's my definition of success, because if I talk to anyone for a prolonged period of time, I can identify their success.
Speaker 1:And what inspires you? Now You've made it to such an amazing opportunity to have your own company and you're continuing to grow. What inspires you today?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so my, my, my biggest inspiration is my kids. The reason why is because it doesn't do me any good To go out and educate tens of thousands of students around the world and not take the time to give to those that are near us and yours and closest to me. So they're a huge source of inspiration for me today, just making sure they're successful and they have every opportunity that I had, if not more. The people I work with, my colleagues, they inspired being able to See them excel in their careers and give more to our teachers and our students so that they can be successful. That's inspirational. And and the biggest inspiration is the teachers and the students as they excel in their fill of work and it's easier for them because of the products and services that we offer and the customer service that we offer.
Speaker 2:And then those students when they graduate, they have a diploma in one hand and a national health care certification and the other, and they can immediately go out and work and they're chosen To fill or they can go off to college and while they're pursuing their next level, they can work in a respectable profession while going to college. So you know, when I started, I had to work at Burger King. That was my first job working at Burger King, flipping patties Behind the grill, you know, in the kitchen as a cook. So they don't have to do that. They have better opportunities and our objective is To make sure that the next generation starts off with a leg up. Started off better than we did when we started, so all of that says for a chance.
Speaker 1:Yeah, super. What's next for your career or for Caduceus?
Speaker 2:I think for Caduceus we have, you know, one of the things I really want to develop for the students now that I've had this, you know, the 17 year stretch of Entrepreneurialism.
Speaker 2:I definitely want to start and this is a passion of mine an entrepreneurial curriculum for high school students so when they graduate they have a sense of Business, acclimate that they can start their own companies straight out of high school. So we have the health care sector want to start with the entrepreneurial sector as well and also a blue collar line. So there's a lot of those traditional trades like HVAC technician, plumber, truck driver. The list goes on and on. So those are some of the things that we want to introduce as well too. So no matter if you're a male or female in school, you like health care or non-medical things are. If you even want to be an entrepreneur, caduceus can be the one-stop shop so that everyone graduates with some type of certification straight out of high school.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. I can't wait to see where Caduceus continues to grow. Is there any book recommendations that you have?
Speaker 2:well. So my number one book that I read Over the last probably decade or so, two decades, would be Rich that poor dad. Okay, the second book to reach that poor dad. So the first book is rich that poor dad by Robert Kiyosaki. That's his first book in his series, but the book that was most impactful for me was his second book, which is cash flow quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki. Cash flow quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki, that book changed my life, also thinking grow rich by Napoleon Hill. That's another book that you have to get in your art or in your arsenal, if you will. And these are again our books that Changed the trajectory of my life, if you will.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's amazing. I appreciate you sharing this because I've started reading rich that poor dad and there is so much in that book that is not taught at the high school level actually at you know, any of the education level that we go through and so it's pretty amazing that that you're sharing resources where parents or students can start reaching out to To learn more about that. You're more than welcome. I'm going to ask you one more question. So can you give us your best tip or advice for high school and college students?
Speaker 2:Wow. So this is gonna be definitely outside the box and non-traditional, but what I want to tell the high school students Want to tell you three things. One, go fast to be lazy. And Three, don't save all your money.
Speaker 1:You're gonna have to do a whole another episode to go deep and dive into that one for us. Yes, can you, can you give us any, any quick little rundown on each one of them?
Speaker 2:Nope, we have to wait till the next episode Will give you Some elaborated points on each one that are very, very impactful, very powerful, and once you you focus on these three, it'll change your life forever.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it. Thank you so much, miss Dunyan, for spending your time with us, for sharing your story, from from your upbringing to how you channeled all the different challenges in your life and how you refrained so many situations to to be the person you are today and To have accomplished everything you've done so far, and I can't wait to see how you continue to to grow.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you so much, sonny. I'm proud of you, too, for even starting this podcast and Reaching the audience that you're reaching, because it's definitely a necessity, and I love the fact that you're going with your passion and what you love to do. So thank you for having me, and I greatly appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Thank you. We'll talk to you soon. Hi friend, thank you for listening in. If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much to me. If you share with a mom friend, send it to her right now or, even better, tag me on your Instagram stories. I can personally thank you for helping me build our community. I'm so thankful for each and every one of you. Let's give in touch and I'll talk to you soon. Adios.
