Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: Who is CZ Lopez and what is his background?
All right, this episode, I'm actually talking to a really good friend of mine, Ray CZ Lopez. I met him through Robert Irvine and the Robert Irvine Foundation a couple of years ago. And we've been instant friends. He's like an accountability partner. So this episode, we talk about some personal things, man, like first off.
This book, if you're watching, Carnivore Leadership, subtitled, Taking Charge Instead of Taking Shit. Just that alone, you know you're going to listen to this episode. So we go into his because. We talk about failure and the lessons learned there because most people get that wrong.
And then at the end, we talk about the most favorite thing he loves about Robert Irvine, one of our best friends together. So ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, this is my good friend, The carnivore leader himself, Ray CZ Lopez.
Buckle up. You're listening to Mick Unplugged, hosted by the one and only Mick Hunt. This is where purpose meets power and stories spark transformation.
Chapter 2: What motivates CZ Lopez in his leadership journey?
Mick takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning, helping you discover your because and becoming unstoppable. I'm Rudy Rush, and trust me, you're in the right place. Let's get unplugged.
CZ, how you doing today, brother? Hey, doing good, Nick. Thank you. Thank you so much for that introduction, man. I really appreciate it.
Nah, man. I truly love everything about you. You know, we met through Robert Irvine, the Robert Irvine Foundation. And it was like moment one, right? Like we're sharing an adult beverage, right? And just talking about life. And I was like, who is this guy?
Chapter 3: How does CZ define failure and its role in personal growth?
And then I get to learn your story. I hear so much about you. And like, you've been, you've been like a mentor and accountability partner, a friend, man. So I just owe you so much. So thank you so much for being here, brother.
And then some people just, just come into your life to where you make that immediate connection, you know, and a lot of it is because of the drive and purpose that you have in your life. And that's that's a common theme that I have seen with the people that we surround ourselves with Robert Irvine and the foundation.
But yeah, likewise, man, you know, it didn't take long to figure out like, you know, this this dude is part of the pack, man. And let's go ahead and keep on pressing forward.
Absolutely. Absolutely. And CZ, you know, on this show, I always ask my guests, like, what's your because? What's that thing that keeps you motivated, that keeps you held accountable, like that thing that's deeper than your why? And I know from time to time, your because changes. So in the season that you're in right now, what's your because?
Chapter 4: What is the significance of humility in leadership according to CZ?
Why do you keep doing the things that you do, brother?
My because is simply because we're temporary. Our existence is numbered. We don't know how long we have on this earth to make a difference. So we have to make every second count. You have to make every relationship, every interaction count to ensure that we set up the next generation for success. That's always been my because, and it keeps me driving forward, man.
I love it. I love it. I'm going to get into the book in a second because as I've read it, and for all of you that are watching or that are listening, the book is right here. If you're watching, I'm pointing to it. But Carnivore Leadership, go get it now. It's going to change your life. There's a lot of lessons. But before we get into that, man, let's talk about...
Chapter 5: What lessons has CZ learned from adversity and misfortunes?
Your career. Let's talk about what shaped you to where you are today. So for those that don't know you, highly decorated. I've never met a person that's in our circle, that's in our pack, that doesn't just oogle over CZ. Talk to us about your journey a little bit.
I think it was a series of misfortunes that actually led to the path that we ended up taking. And when I say we, I have to go ahead and give credit to Janet quite a bit on that. But was going to college, going nowhere really fast, decided to enlist in the United States Air Force. Started being stagnant by virtue of the job that I took at the time.
And I mentioned job, not duty, because I don't think I really aligned with my initial duty, which was transportation. It wasn't really challenging me. But it wasn't until I became a special operator, specifically an Air Force pararescue man, that I found my purpose in life. From that moment on, every day, every day seemed like... It was never work.
I was looking forward, regardless of whether the situation was going to be unpleasant or something meaningful.
Chapter 6: How did CZ's experiences shape his leadership philosophy?
It was the same drive and motivation to show up. And that was because something needed to happen at the time. So I ended up doing the special operations bid for about two decades. And then I got another call to be a senior listed leader, meaning to step away from special operations and become a figurehead for larger organizations.
I was not too crazy about that prospect, mainly because I love my tribe. I love being a PJ. I love saving lives. And I love the team that we had around us. Operators, support, civilians. It didn't matter. They were just phenomenal people. But the need for leadership in those other echelons, specifically the higher echelons, was something that appealed to me.
And I thought that I had something to offer. I thought that I could do it different than the average. And I thought that I will go ahead and give it the same level effort and rigor that I gave Special Operations.
Chapter 7: What is the meaning behind 'Carnivore Leadership'?
That eventually led to being selected as the highest enlisted ranking member in the entire Department of Defense, Department of War today, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman. But it was that series of misfortunes, and we can talk a little bit more about what that bad means, that eventually put you in a position to where you can make the most difference.
So let's talk about the bad then. Let's talk about the misfortunes. Like for those that are watching or listening, like break that down a little bit.
Yeah. So it begins obviously with not having a purpose in Bridgeport, Connecticut and going to Sacred Heart University. It was a very tough spot to be, because as a 19-year-old, you're trying to figure out what the hell your life is going to look like. And college, to me, wasn't going to do that at the time. So I just went ahead and went blind into military service.
I knew that, hey, there's a purpose in there. You're serving your nation, and you're going to get the things that you require the most in your life at this point, which is independence, discipline, And that purpose, right, being part of a bigger team, not just an individual.
So when I got into service and I was and I was given the duty of a transportation specialist, I was sent to Iraq Leonard Station on Creek, Greece. And I got into trouble right away just because of my wild ass ways.
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Chapter 8: How can listeners apply the principles from CZ's book to their own lives?
Got an article 15 that is a nonjudicial punishment for adverse behavior. And I got demoted. I almost got kicked out of service there at that moment. And that was the first wake up call to realize that nothing is owed to you. You have to earn your keep every day. You have to follow the rules. And you have to make sure that you exemplify those rules if you wanna be a cut above the rest.
And I fell grossly short at that moment. So that was wake up call number one. Wake up call number two, in order to fix that one, I needed to find a purpose. And that's when I decided to join the ranks of pararescue. And I didn't make it through the first try. I was 147 pound kid. My legs were not really all that strong. And man, I just couldn't keep up with the finning.
at times, swimming with those big rocket fins. And I got a setback. I was given an opportunity to come back at a later date. And it was at that moment that I had my second wake up call. It's like, all right, so you really have to work harder than the average in order to make it, because there were some guys that were just breezing through the program. And I was having a tough time.
So what did I do? I went ahead and parked my car. I started riding my bicycle everywhere to go ahead and get that leg strength that I needed. And I started swimming at least five days a week just to go ahead and make up for my shortcomings. By the time I got back to the training pipeline, the instructors are like, holy crap, what the hell did you do, man? You must really want this.
And that was success story number two out of adversity. Then throughout my tenure as a senior enlisted leader and as a pararescue man, there have been many other failures that ended up becoming synonymous with lessons. I never looked at a failure from then on as something that was gonna hold me back.
I looked at failures as something that was gonna make me stronger, that was gonna give me further drive, more motivation, a chip on my shoulder to just go ahead and keep on pressing forward.
and that became probably like the greatest lesson learned to work in several bouts of adversity i found opportunity to go ahead and prove myself that i was better than who i was the day before i i agree and you and i we've had this conversation right adversity reveals character and failure shows that drive that you have right and i totally believe
that a lot of folks don't wanna accept the lessons that you learn, not just about yourself, right? But just the lessons within the lessons sometimes. You know, I think social media today and we could talk about just media in general. They always highlight the wins.
And so I think from a societal standpoint, we just assume that like everybody who wins was born a winner and they never go through anything. But but you were proof that like. In order to get there, in order to climb the mountain, you got to get pushed back a little bit. No one just easily goes up the mountain. No one easily does that trek. You learn things.
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