From Rodeo to Recovery: Shane Jacob's Transformation

In this inspiring episode of "Conversations with Rich Bennett," we delve into the captivating story of Shane Jacob, tracing his journey from a high-adrenaline rodeo cowboy to a transformative figure in the world of horsemanship and personal development. Shane opens up about his former struggles with alcoholism, which spanned nearly two decades, and his profound journey towards sobriety since 2016. His candid reflections offer a raw and honest look at the challenges of addiction and the pivotal moments that led to his decision to change his life.

Shane's narrative isn't just about overcoming addiction; it's a tale of reinvention and self-discovery. We explore how his passion for horses and his experiences in the equestrian industry, including founding the Vegas Valley Horse Auction and running Jacob Livestock, became instrumental in his recovery and personal growth. In 2021, Shane launched "The Horsemanship Journey," a platform that underscores the symbiotic relationship between personal development and effective horsemanship. He advocates for the importance of self-image improvement and shares how this philosophy not only enhances human-horse interactions but also enriches every facet of life.

Throughout the episode, Shane draws parallels between his interactions with horses and human relationships, emphasizing the significance of intention and action. His story is a testament to the power of resilience, the importance of self-awareness, and

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Transcript

Rich Bennett 0:00
Today we have Shane Jacob with us, a man deeply rooted in the world of horses and personal development. Shane's journey began in central Utah, transitioning from a rodeo cowboy to a professional. WARSHAW Sure. In Las Vegas in 1992. With 30 years of experience, he has worn many hats in the equestrian world from training and selling horses to founding the Vegas Valley Horse Auction and running Jacob Livestock, a horse feed company. In 2021, Shane launched the horsemanship journey with a dedicated team, a platform that has become a leader in personal development for horse enthusiasts. This initiative reflects the wisdom of great horsemen, emphasizing the importance of self-improvement for successful human horse interactions. Shane believes in the immeasurable value of individuals and advocates for continual self-image improvement as a duty to oneself and others. His mission is to enhance people's horse experiences and guide them towards purposeful, joyful lives. So please welcome the founder of the Horsemanship Journey Certify Life Coach, Professional horseman and author Shane Jacob. You've been sober since 2016, correct? 

Shane Jacob 1:08
That is correct. 

Rich Bennett 1:09
Okay. And how long were you actually in addiction for? 

Shane Jacob 1:14
Well, I'll just tell you that I first of all, thanks for having me. I appreciate. 

Rich Bennett 1:20
Oh, my pleasure. 

Shane Jacob 1:23
So nice to be here. And hopefully we can I hope to be able to I mean, if we reach one person that gets a that gains from this conversation, I'll be happy. Yes, I will. I was I'm I was very good at being an alcoholic. I mean, I wasn't a part timer. I didn't do it half assed. I mean, I was 100% alcohol. I didn't miss any. I missed two days in over 22 years of drinking to excess. And those days in those two days, I was hospitalized. So. So a little almost 23 years of drinking to excess on a daily basis. And what I mean, drinking to excess. I don't mean having more than three drinks. Okay. I mean, in the end, I was drinking more than 22 beers per every 24 hour period on an on what? 

Rich Bennett 2:19
Yeah. How in the world are you still walking? 

Shane Jacob 2:22
I think by the grace of God. 

Rich Bennett 2:25
I absolutely do. So. How old were you when you started? 

Shane Jacob 2:31
You know, I'll tell you, I was. I was a teenager. I was kind of rebelling from my parents. That was a good idea. And what I was taught was a good idea. I had something. I had something going on inside my mind, inside my soul. I don't know where it came from. I can't. I can't reach out and find anybody to blame other than myself. I felt I. 

Rich Bennett 2:54
Had a right. 

Shane Jacob 2:55
A normal, good upbringing. You know, I can't pinpoint one, you know, blame something X, Y, Z happen to me. But I had these feelings of inadequacy, rage I had I felt like some I just didn't quite measure up. I felt like something was wrong. I felt like I didn't fit in. I played sports in high school. It seemed like I was part of the, you know, one of the in-crowd. But I still when I was among my peers and people, I didn't feel I felt like I just something I wasn't quite the same. I was just less than for some reason, I don't know. And those those. But I noticed that I felt better when I drank, you know? Yeah. Or I drank kind of the better I felt. And it was a little positive gain. And I got used to that positive gain and it stayed with me for a for a long time. Those little positive gains had a net result that was tragic, tragic. And I mean, it resulted in me being locked up several times for several periods of time. There were people that suffered permanent losses because of. 

Rich Bennett 4:04
My oh my God. 

Oh, Jesus. So, wow. I mean, I'm still blown away by 22 beers a day for every day. 

Shane Jacob 4:15
Oh, well, I don't know if you remember, but I used to drink a lot of Coors Light in there. Oh, yeah. In the beginning, I'd drink maybe a 12 pack a day. And then and then they came out with these 18 boxes of bottles, and then they came out with 20 boxes of bottles. But 120 isn't enough. And I needed at least another six pack. And I mean, I'm talking average here. Sometimes it would be in excess of 22. But, but and I mean on a daily basis with no MREs, it's just a chorus. Yeah. So it was a it was a constant ongoing thing. And I you know, I knew that there was a problem, but I really didn't know to the extent of what the problem was because I was living so much of my time in this alcoholic haze. 

Rich Bennett 5:03
Wow. All right. Holy cow. Ma'am. So. 

And that just blows me away. What time of the day would you start drinking? 

Shane Jacob 5:16
Yeah, it's a good question. My schedule now, mind you, I run a little company and I was still functioning and paying the bills and maintaining work for 17 years before I finally destroyed it. But my, my. My thing was, is that I would wake up and it got to be later. I would begin my day later and later and later and progressively. And at the end in 2015, I was not beginning my day until after 11 a.m.. So. Oh God, yeah. And I would just I would spring out of bed at around 11, 1130 and I would just I would jump up, throw my clothes on, go attack the day. In the end, I was only making it until about in a couple hours. And then I'd slowly I'd start to, I'd start to drink at about two and then I'd drink for 12 hours for about till 1 to 2 a.m., you know, just kind of ongoing basis as I was going about my day and working and thinking I was being productive, this whole time, then I'd finally crash at one or 2 a.m. and then I'd sleep till half the day away and then do the same thing again. And, you know, every day I would wake up. I woke up nearly every day, not every day, but nearly every day I would wake up and in my mind I would be thinking to myself, This is wrong. Something's wrong. I can't keep right. I'm going to die early. I mean, my liver is going to fail. I'm I'm ruining this. I'm I'm failing over here. I'm not taking care of this and that and the other. And then you know what I would do is I would push that sort of thought aside, would focus on the events of the day, and I'd do the same routine. And then I'd wake up the next day and I did this and let me just tell you, I did it day in and day out. I'd wake up and I would know that something's wrong. I have to stop this. And then I'd go do the same thing. I'd push the thought aside, I'd focus on the events, the immediate thoughts of the day, and then I'd go do I'd fall right back into the same thing day in and day out. And when you are not living, when you're living inconsistent with your values, in other words, when you're when you continue to do behavior that you know is not serving you or that is against your values and your beliefs, it takes a toll on the way that you value yourself. And it takes a toll on your your soul. It takes a real toll. 

Rich Bennett 7:41
Yeah. 

Shane Jacob 7:42
I think I think we all know that, you know, when you know, the I guess there gets to be a point where the juice isn't worth the squeeze. I mean, all of us who have had any type of addiction, there's a gain to it, right? There's a plus or we wouldn't be doing it. We're not all certifiably crazy that we need to be institutionalized. We're getting a gain. Otherwise why would we be there? There's something to gain from this, from this use, from this, whatever this addiction is. And so when we buffer use it to check out and we get this gain, but a lot of times we're not we don't consciously measure what we're getting versus what we're losing. Mm hmm. I mean, we just don't we don't take I didn't speak for me. I did not take the word. I didn't have the wherewithal to say What I'm losing is not worth what I'm gaining right on after the gain. I'm going after the gain. I'm going after the plus. I'm going after the plus Until finally things unraveled to a point to where I was losing my marriage. Because just for not being present, I mean, if you can imagine, you can still function at that level. I can still go to work every day. I can still pay the bills. I can still maintain some level of coherent, cohesive. I mean, I can still be mostly present and what they would consider to be a functional alcoholic. 

Rich Bennett 9:10
Yeah. 

Shane Jacob 9:11
But everything around me is just falling apart. All the relationships people know I'm hiding. I mean, if you can imagine 22 to 28 bottles a day, I mean, that's a lot of bottles. It's like, where do you hide them? Like, how much do they make in your truck? And it's like, it takes a lot of management. It takes a lot of work to do that. It takes a lot of money to do so. 

Rich Bennett 9:33
Were you drinking during work and everything as well? 

Shane Jacob 9:36
Yeah, yeah, I work for myself and I'd be drinking and I'd be doing that secretive until it was, you know, dusk a lot of the time. 

Rich Bennett 9:44
But yeah. 

Shane Jacob 9:46
But yeah. 

Rich Bennett 9:47
So how long were you married for? 

Shane Jacob 9:50
17 years. 

Rich Bennett 9:52
Oh, my God. 

Wow. So. 

Shane Jacob 9:58
But then wasn't. 

Rich Bennett 9:59
Any. Oh, good. I'm sorry. Go ahead. 

Shane Jacob 10:02
I can tell you what happens. I mean, why do we change? I mean, it's it's it's interesting to me to contemplate my own story and to think about what drives us to change. I mean, I think we all, all of us, when we look at other people in addiction and it's so hard to watch them disintegrate. I have yeah, I have people that are very close in my life. I've had people that work for me and I watch them in addiction and we just sit back and I'm sure people were watching me, just watching my life deteriorate and there's like, there's nothing you can do. And people are trying to convince you and change you and and they think they're trying to help you. And they are. And but, but nothing happens, right? So that right is is what really makes the change. Why? What is going to drive us to do it? What makes the change for us? What if you're getting this gain all the time and you're not seeing the negative, then why the hell would you change? Why didn't 22 years, you know, And then I sit back here today and I complain that I'm watching people's lives disintegrate and but I can understand why, you know, I can understand why, but so what? What really drives that? And I think that I think there's a couple of big things that I was missing. And I think, you know, they say, well, you got to come crashing down, you know, And a lot of times we'll we'll have such a terrible, so much destruction and pain that that we say, okay, that's enough now the juice isn't worth the squeeze. I'm done with that. Yeah, I'm going to go do something else. And sometimes we have to hit those bottoms in order to do it. But the question is, is do we have to really do that? I mean, do we is that really necessary? And I think the answer is no. I don't think that we have to. I mean, you can and it's a way out. But I don't think that we all just have to wait until we either die or almost die or destruction to be able to change. And so the question is, is why? What is missing? What is lacking? What are we making up for? What is that gain? Getting that we can get somewhere else? Because it is possible and there's so much more available. It's it's amazing to me my life before and after. I don't it doesn't even measure. It does not even measure. It's like a whole new me. I don't even know who that was. It's gone. 

Rich Bennett 12:25
It feels good to get up early in the morning again, doesn't it? 

Shane Jacob 12:28
It feels very good. 

Rich Bennett 12:30
Yeah. Alcohol was the hardest thing you ever did, right? No drugs? 

Shane Jacob 12:35
That is correct. 

Rich Bennett 12:36
Okay. 

How many times did you actually try to quit? And what actually, 

if it was more than once, what was it that finally was able to get you to say that it enough? 

Shane Jacob 12:53
You know, the interesting part in my story is, is I didn't try to quit. I only tried to quit once and I got it done. 

Rich Bennett 12:59
Not good. 

Shane Jacob 13:01
And and and I had a lot of things in my mind that were coming apart. My marriage was coming apart. It had reached a level that it never had before. I was getting older and in the back of my mind I thought I was going to die in a young, you know, 50 year old. I was going to die, you know, curled up in a drunk ball and just, you know, I thought I knew I was ruining my health. 

But I, I had heard 

I began, you know, what really made the change for me is I started to I had heard somebody on, strangely enough, not strangely, but interestingly enough. How about that on a podcast, which gave me an idea what that. 

Rich Bennett 13:50
I was like, What. 

Shane Jacob 13:53
Came of that? I had an idea presented to me that 

that a 

that I was not realizing my value, you know, And I had to recognize that, you know, earlier on I, I told you that as a young man that I thought that I carried this thought of inadequacy, that my feelings and my thoughts of my worth, I carried it with me for years, decades, I carried it with me and my behavior that I was doing fed the belief. In other words, when I was living inconsistent with my values, when I was doing things that I knew were good for me, it was feeding my idea that I'm not good, that I'm not good enough, that something is wrong. I don't measure up. I'm not as good as everybody else in the world. It fed this thing and something happened to me. I heard a little message one time and whatever. I think between that message and just a gift of God, it sparked an idea in me that that I ended up feeding the idea that I actually was okay. And I came to know over a period of time that that that I actually am okay. I mean, I didn't know that I thought I really thought that maybe I wasn't quite as good as you and I. Yeah. Over a period of time and being in sobriety, I was able to feed that idea and that right there, I think now we all, you know, in life as human beings, we all measure ourselves and we all have this idea about who we are and how much value that we have. And I have come to believe in an idea that says that if we commit if all human beings would recognize that this idea that we have about ourselves, our self-concept, our self-image, our self-confidence, that if we would know how important that our belief about our self is, and that would we would commit to improving our relationship and our belief about ourself over our lifetime, that that we can increase our capacity as human beings for ourselves, for the relationship that we have, for our communities, for our countries, and make our contribution to the world. And I believe that that's the way to do it, that it begins with the way that we see ourselves. And that began, and that's why I was able to step out of that and make that transition. 

Rich Bennett 16:29
So, yeah, it's amazing because a lot of people, a lot of people don't believe in that cold turkey. And I know cold turkey has helped. You know, some people quit, You know, something they're addicted to, whether it be alcohol, whether it be drugs, whether it be nicotine, you know, or something else. Some people can do it, some people can't. You're proof that, yeah, you can do it. You know. Ed, go ahead. 

Shane Jacob 16:57
Let me make one comment on that because, you know, okay, I thought let me just tell you, in in in 2014 and in 2015, I was working with my brother and he so we've spent a lot of time together side by side. And I'd talk to him and I'd say, you know, I'm thinking about making a change. I didn't tell him what it was because I don't think he would have believed that I could do it. The people that knew me would be like, Yeah, whatever. Yeah, you're going to do that. You've been doing it for, you know, for 20 something years, you know. But I told him, I said, I'm thinking about making a change. And I kind of alluded to it, but I didn't say what it was. And, and, but I had put I had been thinking about it, and I put a lot of thought into it, and I came to the best resolve that I could. In other words, I had I had tried to make the change in my mind before I actually made the change. And I'm talking about a substantial amount of thought. I'm talking about over more than a year's worth. The time I thought about how would this go? How am I going to do this? And so I was mostly resolved. Now, did I know that I could do it? The answer is no. I did not know that I could, but I knew that I was going to give it everything that I had and I was going to go for it. And I mentally prepared myself for a long period of time that I was resolved, that I was going to give it all I could. And let me tell you, I came home. Listen to it. I got I have to tell you, it was like any other Saturday night. It was the it was the second Saturday in January 2016. And my brother and I were coming back from a horse shoeing clinic in California. And it was like every other day I'd started drinking about 10 a.m.. I drank and drank and drank and drank until late at night. And but I had the plan in the back of my head. I woke up Sunday morning, the second Sunday in January 2016. I got in my old blue truck and I drove myself to a detox place and I checked myself in and that was humbling. Wow. And and I had been there because I had been told I'm like, well, coming off alcohol, you know, you can have these convulsions. It's hard, you know, you right. And so I was pretty worried about that. I didn't want to die. So I'm like, okay, I'm going to I'm going to do this. I'm going to medically watch me. And so I did. They they took my phone. I mean, they treated me like an inmate. And I'm like, hey, I'm here voluntarily. But I did it anyway. I did everything they said. And I came down off that alcohol and I drove my blue truck out of there. Two days later, with the resolve that I was done, I drove from that detox straight to an AA meeting. Oh, and, and I went into that meeting and I got me a sponsor and I was with I stayed active in AB for, you know, for a little while for a year or so. And then right from, from the days preceding where they weren't easy, I walked into that meeting and that guy goes, Hey, do you need a sponsor? You look like death right now. And I'm sure I did look like death, right? 

Rich Bennett 19:46
Wow. 

Shane Jacob 19:47
And but but I never went back. I never went back and picked up anything. And and I don't believe that I will, but I know that it can be done, but I don't think that it can be done. This whole cold turkey idea that you're talking about, I think that what makes it possible and what it did for me, I'll say that, is that the mental resolve that I had in my head beforehand. 

Rich Bennett 20:10
Mm. But that's a big plus because a lot of people the input, a lot of people don't put all that thought into it like you did, You had to sit in the back of your mind that you wanted to quit and you know, you sit for a year, you're thinking about this, how are you going to do it? And you follow through with it. A lot of people don't even think about that, you know? So I guess congratulations to you for following through. And I think that might be where the business mind, you know, it was your business mind, talked to yourself in a way. You set your mind to do something. You're going to do it, right? 

Shane Jacob 20:46
Yeah. Yeah. That is true. I have I have one more message on this addiction thing. Just if if you'd just give me a sec. Sure. And that is, 

you know, if you if you are in an addiction or if you know someone, I. I really believe that, you know, I can say to you and I can say to them and I can say to people in addiction or people that know people and they can I can say, well, I know it's possible. And you can I can guarantee you it's possible. And I can also tell you that it's a lot nicer on the other side. And you may or may not believe me, but I think one of the things that we can do if we see people in addiction or if we're in addiction, that one of the most important things that we can do, and I'm going to come back to this, is focus on our value, because if you truly believe, if you are committed to increase the way that you believe about your value, you're going to get to a place where you're going to make the decision, you're going to make the decision to step out or the people that you know, if you can help them come to know that their value is immeasurable as a human being just for the fact that they're alive, regardless of what they've done, regard loss of the addiction that they're in, regardless of how much shame they feel for anything, for whatever they've done and regardless of what they done that their value is immeasurable, that it is priceless before God and before the world. And in it can be to themselves that once I believe that that's the biggest key in beginning to take the step out and take the step towards 

giving taking better care of yourself. And and I think it's the way out. I truly believe that is the best thing that we can do and that is my message. If you're in addiction or you know, someone that is. 

Rich Bennett 22:43
And now here it is, you're doing something well, you're a life coach, right? 

Shane Jacob 22:51
That is right. Yep. 

Rich Bennett 22:53
Okay. So you went from a rodeo cowboy to a professional horseman and a life coach, correct? 

Shane Jacob 23:01
That is true. 

Rich Bennett 23:02
Okay. So can you share a pivotal moment in your life that significantly influenced your philosophy and approach towards horses and personal development? 

Shane Jacob 23:14
Yeah, man, that's a good question, Mitch. And horses are such this magnificent creatures. I mean, this this guy. 

Rich Bennett 23:22
I love on there. 

Shane Jacob 23:23
They're just incredible. And I've worked with horses for a long time. It's been I've had the been blessed enough to have horses be my occupation for the past several decades. And these amazing creatures are lessons in life. I've learned so much from these guys. It's available to me. And I'll tell you a couple of I'll tell you I'll answer your question in a couple of ways. One of the most interesting things and lessons I've learned about horses is that 

everything matters. And I believe that my own life, too. Here's an example. What I mean by that is, is what I learned was, is that I learned this early on that every interact lesson that we have with the horse. Okay? And what I mean by interaction is, is when I come into X amount of proximity with the horse back to where he senses my presence from that moment during that interaction and every single interaction that I have with that horse, he is either moving up or moving down. What I mean by that is he's either moving closer to or further away from my desired result in this relationship. 

Rich Bennett 24:42
Okay. Okay. 

Shane Jacob 24:44
So everything that I do matters in this situation. Okay, So now you may say to yourself, well, I do the exact same thing every single time when I'm with my horse and I get the exact same result. So I don't see how I'm you're either moving closer or further away. And the answer to that is, is if you do the exact same thing and you're getting your desired result, you're reinforcing the idea to that horse of what you want to do. Therefore you're more likely to continue to get that result in the future. Therefore, you're moving, you're solidifying your desired result, therefore you're moving closer toward always getting your desired result. But back to the everything matters. Everything that I do in this scenario matters. And so how I approach him, how I touch him, how I move, how I where my eye position is, everything that I do matters. Now, do I have to be perfect to get it? You know, to get my desired result? No, I don't have to be perfect. I don't have to be perfect with you because I can't be perfect. But what I need to know. But if I focus on that, everything matters. And I know that that horse is that it's that it's going to matter to him. He's going to catalog it in the back of his brain, and it's either going to be an emotion towards or further away. So when I know that, then I can become to be more intentional with my with all of my actions. So now when I come into proximity with the horse, it's not like, well, I don't care. I'm just going to, you know, kind of attack it and hope it works. Then I can be more methodical, I can be more thoughtful, and I can do things to the best of my knowledge or I can learn how to do things that will move me closer to my desired result. Right now does because I'm doing something that would would encourage him to move to the towards the desired result. Does that mean that he's going to know? It doesn't. He's his own individual right. And so he may or may not do what I'm influencing him to do, right. But if I'm doing the best I can to influence him, to move towards the desired result, then that's all I can do. I just I can't guarantee it, but I can certainly affect it. And if I'm in his proximity, I have the the biggest chance of having him move towards where I want him to move towards. The thing about it is, it's just so interesting, our reactions of horses, because the thing about that, what I try to do now is apply that to people because the exact same thing applies. 

Rich Bennett 27:32
Right at. 

Shane Jacob 27:33
Every single thing about me up is influences our relationship, everything that I do. So if I'm not in tension on and if I'm not thoughtful and if I just think it doesn't matter, and if I don't care, and if I don't approach it with intention, then I have a lot less odds of reaching the desired result that I want in this relationship with you. And it's just a fascinating thought. And really it just goes to intention because I think it's so easy. You know, we don't really it operating on intention is not a requirement. It's often, Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 28:12
Wow. You know, it's funny because when you were explaining that a use of the horse and yourself, I was thinking with the horse, I was thinking of like another person. So you're doing it one on one with individuals and yeah, I could I have to ask you this. I just love horses. I find horses fascinating. And if you can't answer it, I understand. But what is your favorite breed of horse? 

Shane Jacob 28:42
If I can answer it? Oh, I'll surely answer that. 

My favorite be, of course, is the American Quarter Horse. The American Quarter Horse is the largest breed registry in the world. I don't know how many know that they're up to, but they're not only I think that they've they've become the largest because of their I don't know, their flexibility. So just a quick history on that. In the in the late forties and I think it was in the late forties in America, they had taken a racehorse and another smaller a thoroughbred. Right. Okay. They'd taken some thoroughbred type lines and then they've taken these, these working these cow horse working horse classes and they crossed them together. And then originally the quarter horse was bred to run a quarter mile. Hence a quarter horse. So he was a racing horse. But the influence of the working cow horse that the cowboys of the day were riding across with these thoroughbreds that were bred to run longer distance, made a smaller kind of a stockier horse, and then eventually they moved more from we still have racing quarter horses, but most of the horses are more of the the the athlete and they are so athletic that that's one of the reasons. And now we've read them not only to be so athletic that the maneuvers and the things that they accomplish are just incredible and we've also bred in a willingness, you know, that the quarter horses become now a a creature that is known for its ability to not only be super athletic, but its mental capacity to be willing to kind of come your way and to be please to please. 

Rich Bennett 30:35
God now want to go out and play right. You know, play and ride with some horses. I just have men now. I'm kind of upset because I'm not going camping with my wife and everybody. They're going camping to Assateague in a couple of weeks. And even though you can't because there are a wild horses out there, you don't. They say not to touch me or anything, but man, they are beautiful. 

Shane Jacob 30:59
It has been said that there's something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man. And I found that to be true. 

Rich Bennett 31:08
Oh, they're just. They're amazing. There's just something about them. Unlike any other. And every animal is different, you know? I mean, dogs are amazing, too. You. It's just. But anyways, the horsemanship journey explained to everybody. What is the horsemanship journey? 

Shane Jacob 31:29
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 31:30
Besides a phenomenal business. 

Shane Jacob 31:34
Well, the horsemanship journey is basically it. It just is the idea. Our main focus is the idea that, hey, the answer's out there. And once you realize it's the answer, it is you, then you're able to start progressing towards the answer. A lot of us, a lot of times we just get stuck on the idea that the idea is somewhere else out there. You know, we just we can't get it because of X, Y and Z or and so we're constantly focused on external when when the answer is always internal. And the horsemanship journey today, our big focus is taking people that are unhappy or unsatisfied and feel like they're living a mediocre life and that they want to actually have a career and work with horses. As for a living, we help them make the transition to go from jobs that they're just not too thrilled about to a life they love working with horses. And I've. I had the chance to you know, I was there. I immediately when I was in my twenties, I'd just been let out of jail one of the times for a drinking offense. And and I had a job and and and and I worked at that job, and I hated that job, Rich. I mean, I do. Yeah. I don't know. I guess it was a combination of the work and the people and whatever it was I got to, where I, I, I was, I was having physical results on the weekend. If I was off on a Saturday and Sunday by about it got to be where on Saturday I was starting to dread Sunday because I knew the next day was Monday and I was and it was having a pretty big impact and I was just so damn miserable that I, I decided to take the risk. And let me tell you, it was a scary risk, 

but I stepped out there and did that. And that was a long time ago. And now I have the opportunity, which is it's an excellent opportunity. Absolutely love to see people who who recognize that they don't have to keep doing something and living the life that that they don't believe that they're meant to be. That just because of all these reasons that you only only get one lifetime and if it's inside of you and it's something that is your passion and that, you know, whatever it is, horses, right? Your happens. I focus on the horses. But if you're not doing what you know that you want to do, I think that our wants and desires really do mean something. I don't think that they're selfish. I used to think they're selfish. I don't think that they actually mean something. And I think that if we pay attention to them and move more towards our passions and our desires, not in a selfish or in a responsible way, but I think that we need to pay attention. I think they mean something. I mean, I think we focus on them is the only way that we're going to come to know and be able to give our contribution that we have to the world for this lifetime that is really so sure. So that's the great opportunity that we are focusing on right now and have the opportunity to help people through that transition, which is quite a transition when you're talking about a major career change. There's a lot of stuff that go into that. But to see people like I experienced myself go from kind of burnout or mediocrity, like getting by or the security to wake up and be able to do something. Now that a produces a similar or a close income or sometimes even more to do something that lights them up, I mean, it's it's just it's amazing to watch. And so it's a it's I'm glad I get to experience that. 

Rich Bennett 35:15
Actually, you know, with that. Why do you think so many people that are are not happy in their career are afraid to change their career? 

Shane Jacob 35:28
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 35:29
I mean I something I've never and that's something my father always told me, you know if if you're not having fun at your job, if you're not enjoying it, then it's time to look for something different. So whether it be a job or a career. But why do you think so many people are afraid to change? 

Shane Jacob 35:46
You know? I think people don't change because they don't. One of the reasons is we don't need to. You know, Earl Nightingale said it in the sixties. He's like, you know, it's not very hard to make a living in America today. And quite honestly, compared to the sixties, I think it's easier to get by now than it was then. Yeah. And so the fact that we don't really kind of need to we don't want to we're not people don't train us, you know, we kind of get our dreams since we're kids. We kind of get them beat out of us a little bit. You know, we're like, That sounds crazy or safety up, you know, don't take risks. And and then sometimes we get committed with financial commitments and we get commitments in our relationships, and then we have children that we're responsible. So we have responsibilities, including children. And we feel that, you know, that we won't be doing a service to the our close relationships and our responsibilities because we don't think we can replace the income. I mean, there's a thousand reasons. Yeah, but see that that's what we do. We get to help people address those reasons if they want to and actually realize that, you know. 

Rich Bennett 36:53
Yeah, which is good. I mean, if you're happy, you got to do it. Yeah. What do you see as the biggest obstacle in people getting what they want. 

Shane Jacob 37:08
The biggest obstacle in people getting what they want? 

Rich Bennett 37:11
Yeah. 

Shane Jacob 37:13
That's a really good question. That's a big question. Why do people not get what they want? 

Rich Bennett 37:19
Mhm. 

Shane Jacob 37:21
And I believe in my experience, in my own experience and what I see in the world, the reason that we don't get what we want is that we don't, I think most of the time that this comes down to, it comes back to my idea what we believe in ourselves because a lot of times we don't if we really, really if we uncover the core of it, if we really go to the core, I think that we're going to find that we don't think that we can. And the reason that we don't think that we can get what we want is we because we don't think that we're good enough. We don't think that we're worthy and we don't think that we're capable. The total answer is what keeps us from doing it, or these thoughts that are going through our head and that are may or may not be 

intentional. We have these ideas and these beliefs. This, you know, we're born with this brain and this God given unique brain. And then we have all this input every second. Our brains are getting input right this very moment. And that will happen for as long as we live. We have this constant input into our computer. And so our computer, this amazing computer, says, I want to do this, and our computer goes, Boop, you can't. And it's trying to protect us. But and it's trying to prove that we can't so that we don't hurt ourselves or it's trying to protect us is what it's trying to do. But we can override that computer. And a lot of times that serves us because our computer unintentionally, our brain slash brain, our mind in an effort to protect us in a way that is a survival physiological mechanism 

doesn't always serve us being able to reach our potential and achieves that with the things that we want to do. And so when we recognize that, first of all, I think we really need to know our value. I just I can't say enough about that. I just yes, I know that we can't. I think it's so important to really realize that and just to know that. And if you don't know that, I'm telling you just I'm asking you to just give the idea. Try just take my word for it. You really are priceless. You have a tremendous, unbelievable value. And you can if you don't. And so if that's not working for you, it's like, well, how can I? I want to believe that, but I'm not really sure if it's true. Let me just tell you this. You take away the day, The first thing to do is pay attention to the thoughts and the words that you have about yourself. Woops, Did I just say that? Oh, I'm such an idiot. Don't ever say stuff like that. Don't say. 

Rich Bennett 40:03
That. Right. 

Shane Jacob 40:04
You're not an idiot. You wouldn't say that to somebody you were trying to build up. Don't say it to yourself. Pay really close attention of how you treat yourself. What about the mistake you made? What about the things you did wrong? What about the things that you don't really want to talk about because you have so much shame? What about all those things? Let those things. Those things. I think you can I know you can come to know that those things are okay. You're still okay because of it. Everybody makes a mistake. 

Rich Bennett 40:29
They learn from them. 

Shane Jacob 40:31
Yeah, it. It's okay. Yeah. So that that's the I think that's the first thing is in the in this process is to really pay attention and work on the relationship that you have with your self As far as forgiving yourself and the language and the thoughts that you use when it comes to yourself, that's a beginning that will help starting build good beliefs and good thoughts about yourself when you start treating yourself better, then you're going to have the capacity. Then you can make the choice to say, Once you believe that you have more capacity, once that you believe that you have more value, once you believe that you have more worth it, starting to open up the idea of what you might be possible to do. And then when you know that and you take responsibility for yourself instead of blaming someone else, you're on your way to getting what you want. 

Rich Bennett 41:21
Shane have you ever thought about writing a book or even going out doing speaking events, or do you? 

Shane Jacob 41:28
I think that's in my future, my near future. 

Rich Bennett 41:32
I, I think you have to. Yeah, definitely the book to tell your story, 

but to get out there and to speak with people, 

you have so much to offer. I mean, you're just I, you're, you're motivated, you're motivated. And I think more people need that something I want to talk about before because I don't I know we only got an hour, but there's so much I want to ask you about the podcast. What made you decide to launch a podcast. 

Shane Jacob 42:15
Yeah, well, 

our our original I originally set out to 

I originally set out to help people who wanted to be excellent with horses and excellent in their personal lives to, you know, to kind of give a resource and a framework of how to get that to happen. And I knew that I'd been taught, like we all have, that we are the, you know, we kind of equal the five people that we spend the most time around. And so in order if I want to be good, I got to be around good people. So I have over the past several years and I will continue with our new podcast to interview the top horseman and top people in human behavior in the world. Now, oh, a little secret here. The biggest beneficiary of me doing all these interviews has been me. 

Rich Bennett 43:14
You? 

Shane Jacob 43:14
Yeah, I've had the chance to interview the top. Some of the top. Like I said, so far, about 80 or so of the top horsemen and people, experts in human behavior in the world. And it has been an incredible experience. And talk about motivating. It's been motivating, It's been enlightening. And and and, you know, you talked a minute ago, you said, well, how come we don't get what we want? And I said, well, I don't. I think part of the reason is we don't know that we can. And the more that we spend time around people who have what we want, I think it's just such a big key to be able to get where we want to go. Yeah, that's why motivation of the podcast. If this is something that interests you, we're your people. If you want to make that move into horses for full time, come and see how the best horseman in the world, what their philosophies, their mindset and how they get everything done. If you want to be, if you want to be excellent at horsemanship and you know, we're studying the best in the world. And so that is my motivation that that's my motivation for our our podcast. 

Rich Bennett 44:21
See, I think in for the listeners out there too, I think the Horsemanship Journey Horsemen and what Shane is talking about is only beneficial for horsemen. It's not this is beneficial for everybody because you can learn from it. And I guarantee you, I'm sure you've probably had entrepreneurs and business owners, not even in the horse industry contact you because it's the business models a lot the same from what up from what I'm seeing. 

Shane Jacob 44:56
So the only requirement to be a part of the horsemanship journey is a desire to improve period. So we encourage everyone. 

Rich Bennett 45:08
We got like horses to 

well, that would that would be an extra benefit. I would think. So with the PI is is it just you that host it or because you have an assistant with the horsemanship journey. Right. 

Shane Jacob 45:23
Yeah. We have a few of us here on the horsemanship journey and you have an assistant coach who probably we add more coaches as we move along. Currently I'm the single host of the of the podcast. 

Rich Bennett 45:36
Okay. 

Shane Jacob 45:36
Some of the podcasts are just me, but nearly every week we have a guest. 

Rich Bennett 45:44
And how many now you drop in every week or. 

Shane Jacob 45:47
Yep. 

Rich Bennett 45:48
Every week. Okay, so what, what day is it that it drops? Everybody can give it a listen. 

Shane Jacob 45:54
We are going to be launching our podcast in. 

Rich Bennett 45:58
Oh, you haven't launched yet. 

Shane Jacob 45:59
Weeks Yeah, we have. 

Rich Bennett 46:01
Oh, okay. 

Shane Jacob 46:01
It's been recorded. And so our first official podcast, previous to that, over the last two years, our, our interviews were video productions. 

Rich Bennett 46:10
Okay. 

Shane Jacob 46:11
Those are also available through the horsemanship journey. Our official podcast is going to launch either the first the first week of the first week of November here. So then. 

Rich Bennett 46:24
Okay. 

Shane Jacob 46:25
And our launch day, I believe is slated for Friday's Friday's good. 

Rich Bennett 46:32
Okay. The then that's you know what God I'm glad you did that. How many episodes have you recorded already. 

Shane Jacob 46:40
For the podcast? We've only recorded about, I would say six, eight. I think eight. 

Rich Bennett 46:46
But you're doing something that other podcasters haven't done when they go to launch. Some podcasters will launch once they record their first episode. You've built the funnel and that's how you're doing it, which is a big, big, big thing to do. And a lot of podcasters don't realize that. They don't realize it at all. So with and the name of the podcast, of course, is the horsemanship journey, right? 

Shane Jacob 47:14
Correct. The horsemanship Journey podcast. That's right. Okay. 

Rich Bennett 47:17
So we're in, let's say in five years time, where would you like to see the business and the podcast? 

Shane Jacob 47:27
Yeah, good question. 

In five years, you know, I, I believe that we want to improve our visibility. We want to, you know, become No. One. I think our Grant Cardone says the the biggest challenge that small business has is just, you know, just being known. It's like coming out of obscurity. And so in five years, we we want the we want to be known nearly to horse people, at least as a household name is the leader in in personal development for horse people. We want to be known at least for horse owners, as the the place that you go if you're interested in moving into a career with horses. We want to we want to be known as the place that you go. If you want to increase your confidence with horses. I think that our podcast in five years, if we do 52 episodes a year, we'll have a couple hundred and a half. You know, we probably closer to 500 episodes. And so we're looking forward to that. Our followership, I haven't slated in an exact 

number of downloads as a goal, but I think that I think that we're looking for a substantial following there. We had a substantial following previously, so very excited about the content that we're putting out. We're excited about the systems that we have that are currently helping people make those transitions right. And we're excited about our message. 

Rich Bennett 49:06
Just remember one thing downloads do not equal listeners. You can you'll have more listeners and you will download. I guarantee it. Yeah. And I, I put that theory to test because we decided to put on a podcast and there was a group of eight of us sitting around listening to it. Well, that's only one download, but it's eight listens. So it's, it's weird, It's even a podcast has been around forever, or at least for a long time. It's still hard to figure out the true numbers, but eventually it will happen. Back to the horsemanship journey, because you've helped a lot of individuals, can you share a story of someone whose life was profoundly impacted by the horsemanship journey? 

Shane Jacob 50:02
I can. There's 

there's 

there's several I think, for this 

I think for this story. I'll tell you a quick up and down story about a 

about a young man that came to work for me where he used to call my place Second Chance Ranch, because I would hire anybody that it almost seemed like you had to be on probation or parole to work here. But we hired it. 

Rich Bennett 50:35
Was your way of giving back and helping out. I mean, you went through it. 

Shane Jacob 50:39
We still do that. We hired a young man. 

He was, I think, 24 years old and 

he didn't have much left, had lost it all, really hungry, really desperate, really wearing, willing. And as a result of that, he excelled in our hay business. We have a horse feed business here in Las Vegas, and as a 24 year old, over a six month period, he moved up and he he became the leader. He became the yard manager. And he was he was over he was the supervisor over a handful of men that were more than probably some of them were twice of his age. So that has a big, big that's kind of a complex situation when you got a kid. MOSS But he did such an excellent job. He had such an amount of personal responsibility. It was incredible to me. Usually I don't see kids that come along. I don't I didn't see it myself. And when I view the world a lot of times, what I don't see people that immediately when there's a circumstance that needs to be addressed, that the first place they look is right here and say, okay, what can I do about this right now? And I don't know how that this kid had that instilled in him, but every thing that happened, it was never somebody else's fault. Even if it was. That doesn't mean that I mean personal responsibility doesn't mean that we accept blame for other people's actions. It means simply that we take ownership of the circumstance. As far as it relates to us. And we say, what can I do about it? And then that's what lets us move forward. This kid just did that. I didn't know. I don't know how he learned it, but but he did that. And so he was slowly turn his life around. And he worked here for about a year. I think eventually he he got hang around with the bad kids again. They went back down the path. He went back down the path of drug use and gotten started the pattern again. And after a year, I mean, after a good solid year, maybe it maybe it could have been 14 months or so. And 

you could see it and eventually ended up behind bars again. And it was it's a sad and it's a discouraging story. I mean, in in in substance use in addiction, I mean, that's a story that's a common story, you know. Yeah. The good part about this story is, is when he came, when he got out, he had a chance to come back and he had an opportunity here. He was given the opportunity we gave him the chance to come back and go out it again. And will this time will it last? I think so. I hope so. I don't know. But this time he seems to have more of a resolve this time, and his track record is looking pretty solid and pretty good. He's got I think he recognizes that that one of the main things that he thinks that was that made the difference last time in making back decisions were simply where he was spending his time. You know, earlier in this company, we talked about how to get what we want by the people that we hang around. And the same is true for as we know what my what they used to my dad said the birds of a feather flock together. And there's no truth about that. There is definitely a lot. Yeah. So 

today he participates in feeding his mind. I mean, he's on a program and I mean, it's not it's not a required program. It's not because if he's in trouble, he's not because he's on probation or he's not forced to do this. But by his own personal choice, he participates in weekly coaching, too, where he works on this, the the issues that he's having in his personal life. He's feeding in self positive, you know, role models through podcasts and the places where he chooses to take to watch his media. So when you say, well, it's the average of the five people that you spend your most time with, I think Rich in 2023, we need to take into account the amount of time that we spend in front of our screens. These. Yes, you know, computers, screens. I mean, those count as the five people that we spend our most time with. It's like what I'm watching. Where are we spending our time in? This kid right now is on a track of feeding his mind positive. You know, he's going down the right track and he's doing things intentionally that lead me to believe and have a lot of hope that this time that it's going to be a permanent thing. And to watch people go through those ups and downs. And I've chose this story because it's not always perfect. Sometimes it's an ugly damn mess, you know what I'm saying? It's yeah, it can be pretty, not a pretty sight. And but, but I think that, you know, they say that we don't strike out until we quit swinging and that that's a fact of life. And so that's my story. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 55:57
I love it. I love it. Well, Shane, first of all, something very important. Tell everybody the website and how they can find you. 

Shane Jacob 56:05
Yeah, you can check us out. We're all over media. The horsemanship journey, our main our website, of course, is the horsemanship journey. Dot com. 

Rich Bennett 56:15
Now, before I ask you, my final question is anything you would like to add? 

Shane Jacob 56:21
I would first of all, I'd like to say thank you again so much for giving me the opportunity to join you. 

Rich Bennett 56:26
Oh, my pleasure. 

Shane Jacob 56:28
It's a it's a total opportunity. It's been very nice. I my message is, is this the one thing that I would like to say is, is that if you're wondering if you don't know if you're contemplating my idea, I am going to guarantee you and I'm going to ask you to take my word that you and me and Rich and every other soul on the planet are of equal and immeasurable value. And I need you to know that. I need you to really internalize it and believe it. And if you don't believe it, try, believe in it. Try talking to yourself in a nice way, because it's the beginning of things of getting what you want. And not only that, not only is it the beginning of getting what you want and a good idea, but I believe that that is our duty and responsibility as human beings to endeavor to improve our relationships with ourselves. Because without a good relationship with ourselves, if I don't like me, and if I don't love me, I have limited my capacity to give to the people most close to me. And you don't want to do that. You've limited your ability to give to your community and to make your mark on the world. So I'm asking you and I'm telling you to know that that is a fact. 

Rich Bennett 57:47
Yeah, you have definitely got to get out there as a public speaker, talk to people without a doubt. So, Shane, something I like to ask everybody. I mean, you've been on several podcasts now being interviewed right through. Okay. So is there anything that a host has never asked that you wish a host would have asked you? And if so, what would be that question? What would be your answer? 

Shane Jacob 58:14
Is there a question that hasn't been answered? Well, I'm sure there's lots of been questions. That one that I wish they would have asked me. I don't know. You've been pretty comprehensive today. It's been an excellent. Thank you. It's been an excellent discussion. I will say that I'm going to give you one more quick one quick thought about horses, 

and that is this has to do with listeners because horses are excellent listeners. And the lesson that we have I'd just like to say that horses are such excellent listeners. I mean, I realize this, it's like I go to them and I'm not telling them nothing. I don't say anything. I try to just pretend everything's fine, but they know what's going on inside my heart and inside my mind and in my soul. They know what I didn't say it, but they know what they feel it. They sense it and they react to it. And I can't hide anything from them. I mean, I might as well out and went out, got a bullhorn and spread it out to the neighborhood or post it online. Those horses know what is going on with me. And, you know, when I thought about that, the more I thought about it, the more I first of all, tried to clean up my mind in my the things that were going on before I tried to have a you know, if I had some unsettled business, I tried to settle that so it wouldn't influence what I had going on with my horse because I knew that he could sense that he was acting weird, He knew what was going on. They always do. And I'm telling you, Rich, that's my lesson to relate with the relationships that we have with ourselves. I mean, you can try to hide it, but people know what's inside, what's going on inside. And so find somebody that you trust and and find somebody to trust and see if you can work on those resolve things because they're the way that you feel about yourself and that stuff going on, that chatter inside your mind is it's out there whether you want it to be or not. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:13
Well, Shane, I want to thank you so much. And if I ever get out of this, I'm going to look you up. 

Shane Jacob 1:00:18
I hope so. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:19
Because I want to I just want to I want to play around the horses 

and, of course, sit down with you, you know, because I know we could probably sit there and chat for hours without a doubt. So that's good. Thanks a lot, Shane. 

Shane Jacob 1:00:34
Thank you so much. Gilbert.