Hello, everyone.

I'm Rameca Vincent Leary, and welcome to this edition of Connecting the Community.

Northwest Florida is brimming with prolific authors who have tapped into various genres.

So the theme of this broadcast is The Right Stuff.

It represents the dedication of the authors who will be featured, including their contributions to society as a whole.

You'll hear from Dr. Brian Rucker, a multifaceted author who also serves as a history professor in Pensacola State College.

We'll step into the world of Erica Lane's and her impacting book.

My selfie needs no filter.

And folks, if you need a pick me up.

Author and motivational speaker Jeremy Ruffin fits the bill.

His book, Rough Path Quotes for the Right Path is a page turner.

But first, it's an honor to welcome Abraham Scully, bestselling author and CEO of Speaks to Inspire his book Unlearn the Lies A Guide to Reshaping the Way We Think About Depression Promotes Mental Health Awareness.

He's joined by his lovely wife, Stephanie Scully, who serves as chief operating officer at Speaks to Inspire.

Abraham, let's start with you and tell us about your background, a little bit about your growing up and living the life and the journey per se.

I grew up in Miami, Florida, so about 700 miles away from sunny Pensacola events at home.

We love it, don't we?

And I was raised by two Jamaican immigrant parents who moved to the United States in pursuit of the American dream.

So very quickly, I learned what it meant to work hard and to achieve things that seemed impossible in in my during my upbringing.

I decided to be the first in my family to try new things.

And one of those new things was going away for college.

So I moved away for college and I attended the University of West Florida, where I got my bachelor's degree in psychology.

And from that experience, it became the catalyst for everything that I'm doing today, separating myself from what's the norm for me, right, from what was comfortable for me and stepping up.

And that, yeah, it opened up a ton of opportunities and I'm happy to be here and talk about them today.

Now, speaking about opening up opportunities, Audience, We must explore mental health and dispel any myths.

So, Abraham, we're going to take a look at this video.

Anybody willing to work for your own mental health?

Just work.

I'm not gonna lie to you.

It's work.

I'm hoping that as I'm sharing my journey, I share my process with you.

Not only will it encourage you to prioritize your mental health, but it'll show you that you have the tools necessary to do it.

So one of the things that made it very difficult for me to ask for help is because I had no idea what mental health was.

So when I do these talk, I like to break it down, make it super simple.

Mental health is a state of wellbeing.

Mental health is what?

A state of wellbeing.

That's it.

Mental health does not mean crazy.

Mental health does not mean weak.

Mental health does not mean any of these other things that we associate with mental health.

Mental health is a it's a state of wellbeing.

It's a person's condition with regard to their psychological, their emotional.

And I also like to add their social wellbeing.

How are we interacting with each other?

It all ties together.

And that mental health.

Mental health is in everything.

If you're not doing well mentally, you start to see how it affects every other area of your life.

All right.

Abraham So we just saw you speaking in reference to mental health.

Why don't you expand on that and how it correlates with your book?

So growing up, like I mentioned, in a Jamaican household, because although I was in Miami, if you have Jamaican parents, you live in a Jamaican household.

So we unfortunately didn't have conversations about mental health.

So anything related to feelings, thoughts, emotions.

Those conversations were non-existent.

Now, there were a lot of things that we did talk about when things were going well, when we had food on the table, when we had opportunities in front of us.

But it was difficult to have the conversation about grief, about right.

Anger, about fear and anxiety.

So in that household and with that upbringing, I decided to take what I saw and it became what was my normal, which was that if I go through any emotions or feelings or thoughts that are not joyful or happy, I suppress those things.

And I got very good at that.

And from that experience, it led to me suppressing it to a point where I ultimately developed clinical depression as a college freshman.

So what we're also going to do within the context of this segment is we're going to talk about the seven lies that are mentioned in your book.

But we have to provide that correlation between you and your lovely wife.

So when did you come on this scene?

Estefania Well, I briefly met Abraham during college, and I learned about his inspiring story.

And when he shared his story about depression with me, I realized that it was something that I related with, and I immediately jumped on his mission to spread awareness about mental health and encouraging people to challenge the lies that prevent them from asking for help and taking care of themselves.

So I said, Let's do it.

I'm on board.

And then a few years later, we got married.

The wedding bells are chiming, but more specifically the importance of addressing mental health in educational settings.

I know that's something that's near and dear to your heart.

Yes.

And it is specifically a challenge because normally youth and adolescents and young adult years, they are more prone to mental health disorders.

It is also a time where we experience a lot of challenges from going into adulthood.

For the first time, we we go away from home.

Like Abraham mentioned, we start having financial responsibilities.

We are away from our families and all that stuff.

So a lot of these things can create, let's say, the perfect vacuum for some of the issues that happened for a lot of young people.

So it's important, especially in the work that we do, it's space to inspire for us to partner with educational institutions to make sure that they are providing services that support the mental health of students.

Speaking of which, here locally, are you partnering with any of the high schools, middle schools, elementary schools or colleges?

Yes.

So we have done work with some of the colleges in our community colleges in town.

And we have also done work with colleges, universities and schools all over the US as well.

Abraham, let's get back to your story, Resilience.

You're in college, right?

So let's let's go back.

Right.

Resilience and the power of seeking support.

What made you take that first step?

I got sick and tired of being sick and Ty, when I think about resilience, many people believe that resilience is this state of optimism that doesn't shift or change.

I see resilience as the ability to bounce back from adversity quickly and we all are resilient.

Some may not have developed their resilience muscle, as others may have.

But another thing with my upbringing and seeing my parents work hard and seeing them overcome adversity and that was the norm, I had that within me to then tap into that inner power.

But more than anything, although I knew how to overcome adversity and bounce back from adversity, I was so afraid of opening up about being depressed.

I was so I felt so much shame about being a man and saying it's difficult to get out of bed.

I'm having these negative racing thoughts.

I can't control these thoughts.

I'm thinking things that are making me feel like I'm inadequate, like I shouldn't be a college student.

No one in my family has done it.

Who do I think I am?

I was battling the fear of saying those things, although I had the resilience to get up and do what I needed to do.

So there was a point where I got sick and tired of being sick, of being sick and tired, and I made that decision to seek help.

So openly discussing it.

That push.

Could it have been your parents?

Could it have been the influence of a beautiful woman?

What was it?

For me, it was a really good friend of mine.

They were my freshman year and although I moved 700 miles away from home and had no family or friends in Pensacola, I have always been an outgoing person, so I didn't know anyone.

But by the first couple of weeks of school, I knew a lot of people and during that process, I developed different friendships.

And one particular friend that really changed the trajectory of my life as it pertains to this experience.

She recognized that I went from being this enthusiastic student with the smile on his face to not being so motivated and not looking so excited about school, and she was courageous enough to reach out and ask me what was really going on.

And that's a good thing that she did.

We're going to delve into your seven lies that are dispelled in your book in just a moment.

But Stephania the importance of student success.

There are people out there who are depressed and they feel that all is lost when it comes to retention and students succeeding.

What has been your experience working with speaks to inspire some of the things that you have encountered for those you've helped?

Yeah, so a lot of the times, many of the students that we work with and that we encounter, one of the biggest reasons that they are experiencing challenges in their academic life is due to nonacademic related issues like mental illness.

So as we previously mentioned, college is a difficult time for a lot of young people.

So there are many times where that lack of motivation, like Abraham mentioned, turns into not showing up to class, not having ability to focus and perform the way that they want to.

Not having the ability to achieve their academic and their professional goals.

So it really impacts their potential and their opportunities, not only in college, but even after that.

Seven Lies, seven Lies.

And may I say again, seven lives.

Okay, Abraham.

So we're unlearning those lies, right?

But two of the lies in the book really stood out to me.

One of the first things I noticed, depression is a sign of weakness.

So why don't you talk a little bit about that?

I start by sharing a related experience that we've all had over the last couple of years.

When COVID 19 came on the scene, many people had no idea what it was.

Till this day.

A lot of people don't know.

I don't think we know what it is, but we were aware of the signs and symptoms that were evident.

To let individuals know it may be an illness, it may be something that you should seek support for.

But when it comes to depression, we don't know the signs, we don't know the symptoms.

And so we experience these things and feel as if there's something wrong with us feeling like we have a character flaw.

But I quickly learned that depression is not a sign of weakness.

It's a mood disorder that affects the way we think, the way we feel and the way we behave.

And it's also treatable so we don't have to stay in that state.

No, you do not.

We can get support in another one.

Seven lines, right?

I can't recover from depression.

I'm stuck.

And that's another one that really resonated.

Well, Yeah.

And and many people experienced this.

So one of the interesting things about the lies that I wrote about, I protect peculiarly dealt with and battled with these lies.

But on my journey of being a public figure, a public speaker, I've been able to speak to thousands of students during my career and I hear the same misconceptions in those one on one conversations.

And in the room filled with 2000 students, They're saying the same things that I wrote about in the book.

So the reason why these lies were even selected for me to delve into is because it's a shared experience.

And so a lot of people feel that we're stuck because we don't know that we can treat the thing that we're experiencing and depression just like any other mental illness, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia.

There are treatments that the more we educate ourselves, the more we can recognize that we're not stuck.

We just haven't found the treatment that works for us.

Absolutely.

And that's the fun of developing healthy coping skills.

And you're working closely with your husband.

And even during the process of writing this book.

Correct.

Probably brought back memories.

But how can people cope more so when they're dealing with depression?

Yeah.

So the first thing that we always talk about is asking for help, which takes a lot of courage and a lot of bravery.

And also in asking for help, understanding that there are a lot of resources available out there like the nine eight Lifeline or the crisis text line.

And the other thing too, is understanding that taking care of our mental health doesn't require a degree.

It doesn't require extensive procedures.

But one simple way that we can take care of our mental health is doing certain things like exercising, like meditating, like prayer, like taking a walk outside in nature, like spending time with our family and friends and doing things that are really allowing us to cope with the challenges of life in a positive way.

So, Abraham, how can we help people unlearn the lies?

If you were to speak with anyone out there in the viewing audience right now, in a nutshell, because this book is so impacting much needed, what would you say in a nutshell?

All inclusive.

Two things It takes education and the willingness to share our stories.

As long as we continue to educate ourselves on the real challenges that we experience as human beings and we are bold enough to share our stories, the more we create these safe spaces where individuals who are suffering in silence, they feel open enough to speak on it and get the support that they need.

And reminds me something Maya Angelou said, being a muted voice.

I knew those voices.

Right.

Thank you both so very much.

I've learned a lot and an exceptional book indeed.

Folks, mental health awareness is a pressing issue that cannot be ignored.

As we head to break, we sure do hope that you will harness everything you can to live a fulfilling life.

We'll be back right after this.

Hello, everyone.

During this segment, we're highlighting the multifaceted work of an amazing colleague and friend, Dr. Brian Rucker.

He's a history professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Pensacola State College.

Plus, he's invited a couple of people to join him.

It's a pleasure to welcome Vic Campbell, an esteemed author and friend.

He's joined by Hannah MATTHEWS, one of Dr. Rucker's former Pensacola State College students, as well as one from the University of West Florida.

Now, I must admit, this is definitely a family affair.

Glad to see all of you.

But, Dr. Rucker, let's start with you.

First of all, being a professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, why don't you tell us how long you've been at the college?

27 years.

27 years.

And they've flown by, haven't they?

They really have.

Now, for those of you out there who don't know it, he has authored over 50 books, numerous scholarly articles.

And you're one of the most humble people I have ever met.

You've got a beaming smile.

But what we're going to do this evening, we're going to highlight three of his amazing books.

Hang on tight, because I'm going to head over into Vic's World.

You're a friend of W.S..

Sorry.

And P.S., why don't you tell us about your experience working right here?

Well, I graduated from high school.

Whatchamacallit in 67, came here with no money and trying to figure out how to pay for college.

And I. I walked in the door, the brand new street back in the day, and I said, Can I work here?

And some Marine guy that was standing there was the chief photographer retired from Marines, and he said, You're working for me.

He dragged me into the dark room.

Okay.

I didn't come out for like two and a half, two weeks Groundhog Day or whatever.

So let's talk about your relationship with Dr. Rucker.

Have you two met?

Well, we met kind of late, and I think we knew each other for a number of years.

But I was living in New Jersey.

Uh, I escaped this entire area for about 40 years.

And in the last 25 years, my wife and I were working in New Jersey.

And when we retired, we came back here.

And by that time I had already written this book, which was a series of newspaper columns.

Dr. Rucker knew about me from that.

I knew about him from the other people that I had talked to over the years.

We gradually we got to meet once I got back here about 12 years ago.

All right.

And I'm coming back to you momentarily.

Hannah, I see you smiling because you love Dr. Record, don't you?

Oh, I absolutely do.

Tell us about his interesting ways of teaching in the history department.

Of course, you had him at PSC.

I did.

And I was very fortunate to have him at UWF, too.

So Dr. Rucker is the reason I chose to major in history.

And he's influenced me not academically, but professionally too.

So one of the things that really stands out about Dr. Rucker is he can make anyone care about history.

I've had multiple friends and family members take his classes who do not care anything about history, but they all left his class saying, Oh my God, you were right.

History is actually really cool.

And I was like, Yeah, that's all because of Dr. Rucker.

Sara One creative way in which he has wowed the class at PSC.

Well, the most iconic thing he does is for his second part of American history class when he's talking about the 1960s.

He will wear a Beatles tie dye t shirt, plays some sixties music.

It's usually the magical mystery tour by the Beatles on his boom box, and he will talk in a very strange pitched voice with all these 1960s sayings like Make Love, Not War.

All right.

And it definitely captures everyone's attention and quite the impressionist to boot.

So we're going to be highlighting three of your books.

Let's talk a little Disney World.

Worlds within the World.

That's the first book that we're going to highlight.

Of course, we know Disney World opened in 1971, but your book spans from 71 to 2021.

So why don't you take the lead?

Yeah, it 50 years of Disney and my family took me down there.

I was just a kid and got addicted to it.

And for years and years.

And what got me interested?

Nobody ever done a history of all the resorts and the onsite places and I always thought that part of the Disney magic was that you can choose your own destination to stay.

If you want to stay in the South Seas, you go to the Polynesian Village, you all stay something modernistic, you go the contemporary.

If you want to stay like a national park, you go to Wilderness Lodge.

If you want the African safari, you go to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

So it's like you can choose your own destination.

So that's why this world's within the world.

And it was highly.

A lot of people don't even realize this happened.

So I wanted to capture all that.

And basically I wrote the book because no one else had.

And I just wanted to compile this.

The 50 year anniversary is coming up.

So one thing that I really liked about the book tell us about the Disney Skyliner.

I felt that was quite intriguing.

Oh, yes.

Oh, this was this was an interesting idea of the star Wars.

Yeah.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

It was just a bad time with the pandemic.

All right.

But the idea was an experiential star Wars, your all Star Wars cruise liner, it's like a 48 hour stay and you're in outer space.

It's a fascinating idea.

It's just it's there having to shut it down this month.

In fact, I heard about that And the Magic Kingdom resorts attractions.

There are so many.

Would you like to highlight?

Well, it's know it's fascinating all the different like I said, Disney Imagineers, the people that point of this, they really wanted people to escape just a regular hotel.

They don't want something to be like a a Las Vegas hotel room.

They want you to go to a vacation destination.

And while you're staying there, you have this surrounded ambiance atmosphere.

This is always good about the detail, like detailing.

Exactly.

So I'm quite curious and I know our viewers are you've written this book about Disney.

Have you gone multiple times to Walt Disney World?

I've lost track of too many times.

So many times.

Back to you in a moment, Dr. Record.

But, Hannah, just really piggybacking on what you said and Dr. Rucker's imaginative qualities when it comes to education, and I know he loves Hawaii.

I spent a few years in Hawaii myself, but when you would show up for class and we're still at PSC, we'll get to UW up in just a moment.

I'm sure it was an unpredictable experience every day.

Was that the factor that made it even that much more exciting for you?

Oh, absolutely.

I mean, he does a overview of American history, so history nerds like me would kind of know what he was talking about.

But you honestly felt like you were in a movie because of how charismatic he is and he can make the most foreign things, such as the laying of the continental Transcontinental excuse me?

Railroads seem like it was the most amazing event of all time.

Exceptional.

Now, big podcast, because I know Dr. Rucker loves to talk.

You've done podcasts on several of Dr. Rucker's field trips.

Why don't you tell us at least about one?

Oh, well, as an example, let's just just my favorite, I think is one I have one on our show dot com page, uh, for the town.

But Davy Crockett would come down with General Jackson and move around Shambala.

And he took us.

Bryan and I went to the Escambia River to Mineral Springs, and he talked about when Davy Crockett was there and when there and when the, uh, the Indian wars were going on and the various incidents that happened.

And then when Davy Crockett left there and and came down.

But just talking about that at the river, what thing does he tell the story?

I don't realize he's taping me.

Yeah, right.

I sit here and speak up and then I become very self-conscious and it's just fascinating stuff.

It's just the little pieces of history.

And we've done what, dozens of them all over the panhandle.

Little little tidbits of history.

But you all learn from each other.

That's the exciting thing about it.

You're great friends, and I can just feel the energy emanating from both of you.

Time to talk about book number two.

Flora down.

The Rise and Fall of a Florida Boom Community.

I found that book to be quite fascinating.

It's a ghost town.

Yeah.

Back in the 1920s, they tried to start this Florida boom project and in Santa Rosa County.

And one of the Ringling Brothers of the nephews was involved.

And it was interested in the idea of selling all these farm lots, not residential lots, but they would build a farmhouse and have several acres of satsuma oranges, grapes, blueberries and sell people a fully functioning farm.

It was had a huge Spanish style hotel there that was built a beautiful water tower.

It was going to be a big project like 50,000 acres.

But bad timing hit right as the Florida land boom was collapsing.

They built the hotel, never opened.

They have curbs that go out into the woods today.

All sidewalks you can still find go to the woods.

So I wanted to rescue this.

This interesting project because people saw the ruins for decades.

A, what is it I remember seeing as a kid?

I wanted to find out more about it.

And so that's usually when I write a book, I will find out more about it.

It's I want to read about this, so I have to write it first.

The Porter family all hands on deck, sadly.

Right.

We know that it didn't come to fruition the way they wanted, but why don't you tell us a little bit more about them?

Oh, they're interesting.

Yeah.

Everybody was here in the twenties.

There was a warmer climate through here and everybody was into horticulture.

Satsuma oranges by the thousands were all grown across the panhandle.

They called this area of Satsuma land.

They were interested in pecans, pears, blueberries, grapes.

It was a very horticultural scene and they were trying to promote this.

So when everything went south, as one might say, did they ever try to reinvigorate this idea or concept anywhere else was what is a one time thing here?

Basically, yes, it was a one time thing.

And sadly, it will be an interest if they're just a couple of years difference.

Now, the hotel stayed abandoned, but I hear that locals would get a generator on a Friday or Saturday night, hook up the power and have dances there.

Informal dances, interesting, interesting story.

I just found it to be quite fascinating.

Hannah From your history lessons from PSC to you, if you walked through the doors and who do you see?

Dr. Rucker I'm sure you were excited about that.

Tell us about the transition from undergraduate to graduate.

So at PSC, I had the pleasure of having him for all my history classes.

I'm not a big European history person, but he made me enjoy it.

Now when he's at UW, where he teaches to very niche classes, he teaches Florida history in the fall and Panhandle history in the spring.

And those are local history, basically.

And I've lived here my whole life.

And after I left his Panhandle class, I found a new appreciation for the area because, like Vic said, he takes you on these field trips and he shows you these places that are absolutely insane and lifelong Floridians or Pensacola INS like me have no idea that they exist Now.

Vic, you have known Dr. Ricker for quite some time.

Has he ever bounced ideas off of you when he's in that, quote, writing process, as we would say?

Why don't you share an interesting story?

Has he ever called you up at 2:00 in the morning and said, hey, I have an idea for a book?

Why don't you share some things with us?

Well, I'll tell you, one of my favorite books is not even published, and I want to I keep hounding on him to publish his Ph.D. thesis, turn it into a book, and it could be a fantastic book, Blackwater and Yellow Pi and all the details of of the development of this area with the pine trees and the and the Blackwater River and the Escambia River and Skinner, the whole timber industry thing.

I would love to see him do that.

We need to beat on him a little bit and make him do it.

Oh, I think you have the energy to do it, but you are also a local author.

And why don't you tell us about some of your work?

Well, I had written a book, basically a collection of newspaper columns when I was in New Jersey.

I was corporate up in New Jersey.

And my wife, we were both living our corporate lives and so we wrote I wrote a newspaper column down here, and that turned into a book.

So it's little stories about the area.

Okay.

And different people.

We are taking it back, Dr. Rucker, all the way back to the Civil War.

Okay.

A lot of people don't realize that during that time we had a lot of people in our area that suffered.

So my eyes have seen that's the next book.

That's the final book that we're going to explore in this segment.

Why don't you just take us back, tell us what the inspiration was for writing that book.

Now, easily related to the Civil War, I was looking through 1890s, 1900s newspapers for something completely different.

And I'm seeing all these old Civil War soldiers and Confederate who would come in to Pensacola and reminisce in the newspaper interview, though, about what they were doing 40, 50 years ago.

It was fascinating because they're telling me information that's not in the official records.

They're adding descriptions.

It was fascinating because these are stories that been untold, is like sit around much of a campfire with a bunch of old soldiers telling war stories.

So I just started collecting them all together and it was like, you know, these people, they're just trying to get through the war.

That's what they think they can war about, you know, remove their boots, be comfortable.

Will they find food the next day?

They're just trying to survive a horrible thing, their place down.

So it really does have a human quality, but it's like just sitting around listening to a group of people tell an old war stories.

It was fascinating and some are amazing, some are poignant.

It's just a wide variety of things I was able to collect.

I would like for you to share with our viewing audience one story from that magnificent book, excerpts from Diaries Soldier's Stories about to go into Battle.

Can you think of one that you would just really like?

Yes, I know which one of there was.

A soldier arrested at Fort Bragg.

Rank is accused of being a spy and he was are basically not even court martialed.

They just basically strung him up and they hung him and he survived.

He survived hanging.

Somebody cut him down at the last minute and said, no, he's not a spy.

He actually was, but he's still alive.

How I was hung at Fort Bronchus and this was a horrible trauma for him, as you talk about, you know, blacking out and things, you know, seeing the lights and stuff like that and that when he came to afterwards, he became a preacher.

So he saw the light literally.

Definitely.

You know, there were some excerpts from the book, diaries.

And a lot of times soldiers will write in their diaries and they'll send letters home.

Can you think of an example that really moved you in that respect?

Oh, there were things like, you know, these people were separated from their loved ones, their families, wives and children.

And you just wonder, you know, what's going on with them because they're basically defenseless.

They're you know, where are you?

When are you coming back?

People that were in the P.O.W.

camps, it really touched the human quality of it.

I looked at some of the photographs in that book and they were just astounding.

And we're living in our in our generation right now.

Just think about the thoughts that we go through their minds.

It was a time of war and the fact that you're bringing this to the forefront of our minds right now.

Such a great history professor that you are Now, Hannah, I must ask, has he put the writing bug in you?

Do you aspire one day to write your own book?

So he has not put the writing bug in me, but he has encouraged me to pursue my niche interest, which is the New Deal in Pensacola, and he's helped me a lot with my thesis for grad school.

But I will tell you his passion for history has made me pursue a career in public history.

So I worked at Fort Pickens for the National Park Service, and I currently work for the University of West Florida's Historic Trust.

Whenever I give it to where I try to emulate the spirit of Dr. Rucker.

Oh, I love that.

And brownie points for you.

Hannah's being modest.

She's actually got a term paper that encouraged her to turn this into a scholarly journal article.

She's got talent, and I hope you do that.

You should.

Hannah definitely pursue it.

Now, Vic, your experiences with Dr. Rucker spanned decades.

I just want you to share with our your viewing audience really, because both of you have written a lot.

There could be somebody out there who's thinking about writing a book, maybe publishing an article.

What would you tell them right now?

Boy, I would tell them to do it.

I'm working with two or three people right now that are trying to get a book published.

And some of the people in our group that Brian participates with on Saturdays drink coffee with us.

They have such an experience of life.

You have everybody has experience in life.

There's always something really interesting going on and if you just write it down, just start writing, put something together and that's everybody's got a story.

Every everybody's got a story.

Everybody has history, you know?

And a lot of times it's just family history.

But if you don't write it down, that family history will be lost.

You know, I'll just will have a family member.

That's a start on the census.

You won't know about the stories behind these people.

And that means something that can pass on to the next generation about their grandparents and great grandparents.

I grew up, you know, showing peace on the porch with my great grandmother and great aunt and all of that.

And they were telling stories from the 1890, 19 teens.

That's probably how I got hooked in history.

And those were fascinating family stories.

And so I need to write those things down before they're lost.

We all have stories, and most importantly, also, Dr. Rucker, take that first step.

Do not hesitate.

There are many mentors out there.

I'm into a lot of students and others myself.

And I know that you're a great mentor and you have been a great one, a tremendous mentor for Hannah And Vic, It's been a pleasure having you in the segment as well.

Dr. Rucker, you are such a treasure and a charm.

All right, folks, as you heard, Dr. Rucker's record, rather, is a wellspring of knowledge.

So stay with us.

There's more to come right after the break.

Hello, everyone.

During this segment, we're welcoming two amazing authors and friends who share a passion for making a positive impact in this world.

It's a pleasure to welcome Erica Lane's author and professional speaker.

Her book, My Selfie Needs No Filter, has created quite the buzz.

She has also invited a special guest, Amari Francis, who serves as a youth ambassador for my selfie, needs no filter.

Next, we have Jeremy Ruffin, founder of Rough Path.

He just released a book entitled Rough Path Quotes for the Right Path.

He's also joined by Abraham Skelly, a familiar face from our first segment.

He's an author and CEO of Speaks to Inspire.

Now, he also works closely with Jeremy in his endeavors.

It feels awesome to share the same space with all of you.

Now, Erica, let's start with you.

How did you come to meet Jeremy, your friends?

Yes, I met Jeremy last year at the Black Beauty Expo.

He and I both served on a speakers panel.

I served on one for the women he served and one for the men.

And he just a phenomenal speaker.

He certainly is.

Yes.

And afterwards, we were able to spark a conversation.

Now, before we get into your captivating book, and I love the title, by the way, my selfie needs no filter.

Very commanding.

But we need to find out a little bit more about you, your background, and what inspired you to take this foray into authoring the book.

You know, last year, in February, you know, we all heard about the Miss America tragic incident, Miss America USA, where she committed suicide.

And so that let me know that we still have work to do because it wasn't just happening to well-known people.

It was even happening on a local level as well.

And when I started doing more research into the suicide rates, depression rates, even just the teenage pregnancy rate, it let me know, okay, this is a lane that definitely needs to be walked in.

But ran in as well.

And so that really sparked me to want to find out a little bit more about this and to sit down and speak with different ones like Ms.. Amari here who are in that age category and see what is that we can do about that.

And so that's kind of how my selfie needs no filter was was birth.

So, Amari, you're a 17 year old.

You're a youth ambassador.

Tell me about your role.

Well, I play a lot of a lot of roles within this business in this community that Erica is building.

My role is to kind of talk with other people my age, like when we were running the summer camp.

I would, you know, talk to some of the kids there.

And there was a lot of there's a lot of people that are just hurting.

Definitely.

And you can and especially in my age group these days.

So it's very good to talk to them and, you know, help them out because I went through some of the stuff that they're going through.

So did you meet her initially as a registrant for the camp?

Being a part of the camp, is that how you two first met?

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

But she has inspired you, right?

You met her.

She has instilled some very excellent career goals into your life or highlight those a little bit later.

But I've got to step over to the side where we got these men over here.

Jeremy Ruffin.

Let me just say this.

I've heard so much about you.

You are such an impacting speaker, motivational force and unable to boot.

Let's talk about your background in this area, in the community.

Yes.

So, first off, thank you for having me on.

I'm so excited to be here.

I'm born and raised here in Pensacola.

I was adopted at six months old.

So my foster parents, supporters had me for the first six months and my parents adopted me.

So I have I have a tremendous story.

And just being born, raised, I went to Pensacola Christian from K for my master's degree in teaching, educating in the area, and then started my business in 2021.

So it's just been amazing to have those connections, those people that you've been able to see and grow up with now be able to partner with you and just encourage people.

That's what we're all about.

I love the name Ruff Path.

There's a story in the name embedded in that name.

Why don't you break it down for us?

I'll break it down for you.

Please.

So it's a play on my name.

My last name is Ruffin.

So Rough Path stands for four Things Resilient, urgent, focused and faithful.

And I feel like if you want to be set apart, if you want to be special, if you want to do things that are great, you need those four things.

And I feel like I can step into a church atmosphere or spiritual atmosphere and use those, or I can go to a business or a sports team and talk about being resilient in everyday atmosphere and everyday work ethic.

So it's just been an amazing, awesome opportunity.

Now we'll talk about your coaching duties a little bit later, but on page 36 of your book, I have a little something I'd like to share.

You say the light switch of excellence must always stay on.

That really moved me.

Sometimes people are so willing to turn the light off or a little flicker of a flame, but we must keep it on, right?

Absolutely.

Excellency is a way of life.

It's not just something that you do when you feel like doing it.

And I always challenge young people.

If you want to be excellent, make your bed in the morning.

Start with something that you can accomplish.

The first thing that's amongst some adults.

Everybody.

I spoke to somebody on that.

Right.

But sees everything that you do.

The small details.

My dad always told me growing up, the small things will affect those larger things.

So you've got to be excellent.

And that makes you stand out and other people and it's just great.

I think everyone needs to understand how to be excellent.

And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr talked about the street sweeper being the best one possible.

It may not be the job that you want, but do it with dignity and knowing that it's not on to yourself, but it's what you're going to do.

And then maybe you'll be rewarded with other things down the line.

But what you've said really makes an impact point, because to have friends such as Abraham Scully in your corner, right, so to speak, you've worked with Jeremy a lot.

Why don't you tell us about that?

Absolutely.

So I initially met Jeremy at a community event, and it was just for networking purposes and I heard him open his mouth and I said, I got to get connected with this guy.

So very quickly I saw that there was synergy there in terms of our energy and our approach to supporting our community.

And very quickly, we started partnering to do different events and work together in different capacities.

I like that supportive, okay, Because sometimes in life will run into scenarios where someone's doing a great job.

We need to encourage them.

Don't.

Don't we?

Absolutely.

We need to edify one another, lift one another up.

And that's what I see with the two of you.

All right, Erica, So on page 106 of your book is I was reading, and I've got to tell you what I read.

All right.

Step into your lane.

Stop comparing yourself to others.

That is a crucial statement because a lot of people overlook that.

Do you be you?

I want to be myself.

Why are you trying to be like someone else?

Just embrace yourself.

We've run into situations with that in life, or we see that happen all too often, don't we?

Oh, yeah, most definitely.

And especially among the youth.

So right now, you know, my my main target is with the 13 to 19 year old young ladies.

And my message to them is that it doesn't have to be a competition.

You know, one of the one of the things that we go over in the book is who's on your front row?

So who is there clapping for you?

And then who are you clapping for as well?

The sky would be so dark if there was just one star in it.

We want a sky lit up with stars.

You are the star on the stage of your life.

And she can be the star on the stage of her life as well.

So it's one of those things where, you know, I'm trying to foster those kind of connections and relationships with each other so that they know that you can support each other, clap for each other, and that that's okay.

Influential people in your life because this is an exceptional book.

And I and I think about that and I'm looking over and I'm admiring everything that you have done.

But we have people in life that help us, that encourage us.

Can you name one or two?

So one person alive, of course, is my mother.

Wonderful.

I am a product of a teenage pregnancy.

My mom was 17 years old when I was born and my father was 19.

They stayed together for 27 years until he passed away.

And they were high school sweethearts.

Just trying to figure out how to keep the baby alive.

Yes.

And my grandmother, Sarah and I mentioned her in my book as well.

She was very influential.

She was a nurse.

She was a homemaker.

She had eight children.

And she just showed me what it meant to be a woman of strength, but also to show empathy and how to care for others.

I love that, Mary, hearing that, I must tell you, being a youth ambassador, I know you wake up in the morning and say, thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Let's talk about your career aspirations.

You are 17 years old.

Are you in college heading to college?

What do you plan to do?

So the plan originally was to go to college, do the normal.

But I've decided that I wanted to go to the military and I'm going into the Navy as a corpsman.

Okay.

The medical field for me is.

Is full of opportunities.

You can do this.

You can do that.

And there's not many people of color, you know, in the medical field.

You don't see a lot of us.

So I would love to bring that there.

My dad's retired U.S. Navy, served 31 years.

He was a nuke on a sub, loved it.

That military life.

And so back to you, Jeremy, talking about make that bed and do it right.

My dad would plop a quarter on that.

It doesn't bounce off.

You're in trouble.

At least that's what he told us.

This kids, Jeremy.

So let's talk about your coaching duties.

I found some great images of you in action.

All right?

And because you have that vibrant personality, I know that you just wow the players.

But tell us about your journey where you have coach.

Okay.

Absolutely.

So I started my coaching career at Pensacola Christian College.

I played four years of college basketball and then turn right around and coach for four years.

So I thoroughly enjoyed that.

Got to go to the Philippines three different times on missions, trips, being able to use basketball as a tool to communicate with people, to feed people in education.

So that was amazing.

I left there was a head coach at Pensacola Christian Academy.

I then went to Escambia High School.

I was a head basketball coach there for three years and then just recently coached three years at Milton High School.

And it's just amazing to be able not to just coach basketball, but to coach a life and to teach those young men.

Basketball and athletics really does prepare you and give you an edge for for being dedicated life and being disciplined.

Now, basketball is my favorite sport, just happens to be okay.

And we have basketball, men's and women's here at PSC.

So have you ever coached anyone who's made it on to the NBA?

Just curious or I've not coach anyone that's been on to the NBA, but I have had some guys that have played overseas, so they play some semiprofessional.

I've got one that's playing right now over in France and he's doing a great job, so I'm so proud of those guys.

Oh, they'll text me or call me or or write me on social media and tell me thank you for the things that they learned.

So it's always interesting to see that.

So, Abraham, I am so curious.

Have you ever helped him coach at least gone to see one of his games since you're so tight, right?

Not watch them, coach.

But I have learned from him.

Yeah.

One of the things that I think Jeremy Ruffin exemplifies is excellence.

You know, I love coffee, and so when I do ask Jeremy to borrow some of his time, it's always over coffee.

And there's never been a meeting that we've had where he didn't bring his notebook.

And for me as a leader, that is something that I always want to develop within myself is growth and looking to continue to grow and looking to continue to surround myself around people who are with that mindset.

And so learning from Jeremy has been a journey and it's exciting to be able to have people in my life who can encourage me, support me, and also help me to excel forward Excitement.

Erica Right, because you all are friends or among friends right here now.

So yes, your book has really touched my life as a female on so many levels.

And it's that impacting for me.

And you shared an example of why it's so important.

But aside from that in the book, can you think of maybe some lessons learned that you have conveyed not only through workshops and conferences that you know have helped young ladies like Amari?

Sure.

So when we say myself, who needs no filter?

Of course we're not talking about the kind of selfies you take with an electronic device.

We're talking about your internal self.

So your self-esteem, self-confidence, self-respect, self care, self-love.

And so we put self-love at the end for a reason.

It is the foundation for all the other selves.

And before we can even talk about self-love, we have to have self.

Like when we're learning to love, we typically say, I love you to someone else.

We're typically not taught to say, I love me.

We're not taught to look in the mirror and say, I love you to your reflection.

And so in that self-love chapter, I know that it may make some feel uncomfortable or maybe even seem weird, but you have to get to that self-love level.

It's the greatest gift that you can get to yourself because when everyone else is gone, when you are left by yourself, you are still left with that self-love.

And then just what that looks like, what it feels like.

And so my message to my ambassadors is start exercising that now so that when you get older, you don't have to rely on someone else to give you those skills.

If you want flowers and someone miss your birthday or Valentine's Day, give yourself flowers, take a cell phone, a date, things of that nature.

I like that.

And I'm so very happy that you've mentioned that in the book, because sometimes people say, Well, I don't need to talk about that.

But yes, yes, we do need to open up Pandora's box in that sense.

All right.

I'm sorry.

You're sitting next to a queen right there.

So tell me, how has she influenced your life?

And I'm sure in many ways, but can you think of maybe just one?

Yes.

The opportunities that she's given me so far?

No, I do I do a lot of social media things like that.

But I would never confident in myself.

And she's put me in like we went to a studio and we spoke on the air there and it was very opening like and we've read the books and it's like, Yeah, I'm that girl.

Like, you know, saying, Yes you are.

She can vouch for it.

I know that for certain.

And you remind me of a lot of my students.

You have that drive and determination, such a very strong work ethic, and that is to be commended.

Now, Jeremy, I saw some images of you and your parents, and I know that you love your family and you have a new young one and new Sun Justice.

So you've been blessed on so many levels.

So when it comes to your book, there are probably many people who inspired you to pick up the pen and write.

But can you think of maybe one or two that you would like to share right now on the air and say, hey, absolutely.

Well, you know, first and foremost, your family.

Yes, I hate to say, you know, all encompass, but your family, they supported me.

Anything that I've done, any events that I've had, any time I've had a book signing, they've come and they've definitely supported me in that aspect.

And then I just think of other people.

I understand you probably asking about there's somebody who inspired me to write, but I love quotes and I love encouragement.

So having other people knowing that they need to be encouraged as an encourager and I know I know Abraham can and I know Erica can also attest sometimes we need to be encouraged.

That's right.

So I can see you need to be encouraged.

So sometimes I know someone just needs to pick something up and just get one little nugget of truth that can get them through that time.

So just encouraging other people was something that really challenged me to be that for someone, someone that just needed that encouragement that light, that word that would help them in that moment.

You raise a very good point, because sometimes just the smile, a handshake, a hello can brighten up someone's day.

And Abraham, maybe somebody was walking in the spirit of depression and something like that just moved them.

They said, okay, well, tell him he really cares about me.

Her.

He shared something positive in my life.

So by knowing him, him giving you a boost in your endeavors.

So let's just talk about how his work is influencing you.

So there's an African proverb that says, if you want to go fast, go alone.

If you want to go far, go together and in connecting with Jeremy, it has shown me how far we can go when we lock arms versus when we separate and try to go in paths that are in alignment with where we want to go, but not in terms of what can create the most impact.

So being able to connect with Jeremy, have conversations, share visions, share dreams, share goals, and show me that we can go far together.

Support System.

I love it.

Erica There are so many great things on your horizon conferences, other endeavors.

Talk about your community involvement as a whole and why that is so important, especially during these times.

Sure, I am originally from Mississippi and I started my professional career here in Pensacola.

When I got to understand this community better, I fell in love with the community until I've had the opportunity to work in so many different capacities.

I've worked on the community level, state levels, as well as on the federal levels.

But here is just something about this Pensacola community.

And so I've been able to work with students.

I've been able to work just with different public health endeavors that have gone on with the pandemic.

I've been able to render service at different vaccine sites, the different testing sites, things of that nature.

But right now, working with the youth is really where my heart is.

And so wherever it is that I can plug myself in, wherever the need is the greatest, where I like to go.

Speaking of youth and plugging yourself in, Amari, I'm giving you the last word.

All right, so you are 17.

Why don't you say something encouraging to our viewers out there to inspire them to reach for the stars?

My selfie needs no filter.

You grow through what you go through.

It's one of the quotes in the book, actually.

Like you, when you go through something, you're like, wow, this is hard.

This is a tough time.

But you don't realize that you have to enjoy the journey.

You have to grow through it.

And Jeremy, quickly, maybe just a word or two of encouragement for you.

I've been going through some things and a lot of times you look back and say, Why me?

But a lot of times I try to tell people your path is harder because your calling is higher.

So you will have to go through a lot of things sometimes, but you can't have a testimony without a test.

And when you go through those things, not only are you going through them, you'll be able to help someone else that needs to go through those situations.

So you look through it and say, Man, I'm so glad the Lord allowed me to go through them, get through them, and not just do it, but dominate when you're going through it, and then get back and encourage somebody else as they finish through it as well.

Well, Abraham, I think he wrapped it up so they would say no said right.

All right, folks, I'd like to thank all of our guests for joining us.

I'm Rameca Vincent Leary.

And remember to keep it locked in right here on WSRE, PBS for the Gulf Coast.