Find Your Adventure with Katt Williams

At that time, I already read so many books that I was excited about it. So I was like, oh, I'm guaranteed. I'm a sure thing. A terrible childhood. Like, I'm guaranteed to make it like this. All the year old and all of these stories begin. Poor girl. Centarell is played in the trendy. It's like. That mother's all full. All of her sisters are back. Oh, I'm like, God, you really know how to do it. Like, no, this is why you leave at 13. That's right. I get it, Jesus. Yes. This episode is brought to you by Rivian and Progressive Insurance. Hi, Craig Robinson. Hi, Michelle Obama. How are you today? Welcome back to IMO. Yes, on the vineyard. On the vineyard. It shocks. It's really, really lovely recording here in this beautiful space. It really has. You know, they're, they call this a bar. But this is a, I love a bar. This is not a bar. This is, this is just another house. As, as Aaron said, who's my 13-year-old? Who's with us today? Yeah, this is in a bar. This is somebody's house. He heard that we were recording in a bar. He pulled up. He was disappointed. He was disappointed. He wanted cows and horses and stuff around. This is not, this is Asian. But this area of the island up island, chill mark, is the best place to have a Rivian. Yeah, yeah. And as everyone knows, we got gifted Rivians. So I've been driving yours around. And I've been all over the island. But I haven't been up this way. I haven't been up island. So I'm saving that for my next trip. Yeah, but you can see how these backroads, you know, how the Rivian really operates well in it. Yeah, perfect. Perfect. Raise your suspension up. Have a little nice, little comfortable ride. The feature is good. So do you have to raise it up or is it already raised or are you lowering the suspension? There's two or three levels that you can set it. Yeah. And depending on the terrain, so in bumpy, you would raise it so that you can get over rocks and stuff and don't scrape the bottom. And you lower it to go faster on like the highway. Have you used it? I've used all three settings. You know I have. Excellent. Yeah. Excellent. Yeah. Well, it's good to be here. It is, but we we we're not going to mess around today because we're not messing around. We're so excited. Just settle down. Man, we we have cat Williams here. Ah, I mean, I'm you guy. I'm chilled. I'm chilled on this hot day in the venue. Cat Williams is obviously a comedian and an actor who's earned worldwide reputation as one of the world's top entertainers. He's celebrated for his brilliance in ingenuity on stage, which you and I both enjoy. Yep. He's also known for his critically acclaimed stand-up specials. And today remains one of the top touring comedians. On fire all the time. Just on the time. And he's currently on his heaven on earth tour. And he is performing in arenas all around the country. And we have to make sure we get to one of these because I want to see a lot. I guess going without any further ado, can we get the one the only only cat Williams? You came out like you were called out to the principals office. You came ready. Ready. Hi, Cat Williams. Hello there. Welcome. Thanks for having me. I am all. Thank you. You're handsome dude. Right. Yeah, you know that. Well, you know that about yourself. There were so many options. God had to make some people five five. And, uh, you know, you put that on hold. Take it. Because he gave me the whole rest of the hype. He gave me the whole rest of the hype. Yes. Yes, you guys are both strikingly tall. Well, it's good to have you be finned. It's so good to have you here. You've been on the vineyard too. How is have you been to the vineyard before is this your first visit? This is my, um, golf retreat. So you've been here before golfing. Okay. All right. Okay. And when did the love affair with golf start for you? It was it was immediate. Did you grow golfing? Because black, we don't we don't go. Why was not a thing? No, it's not. I grew up getting it's not a thing. We lived on a golf. We lived in a neighborhood with a golf course. We never used it. We just drove right past it. Yeah, it's probably the least economical sport. Yeah, yeah. Possible. I'm saying you only need one ball and 39 guys. You're like, you know, it's not that that way of golf. But yeah, I, um, I was growing when I got introduced to golf, but it is, um, I've really been able to grow with my own personal game. And I like everything about it. There are no negatives or drawbacks. What's your handicap? I'm a handicap. What does that mean? What does that mean? Now, I don't even understand that. Just a healthy man. Are you a scratch golfer? As they call, I know all these terms. I'm fairly I have X-sama. So I am a scratch golfer. What are the attributes that you take from golf that you can use in your entertainment life or your parenting life? A golf gives you the opportunity to do something exactly how the best player in the world would do it. And then six minutes later, you hit a shot that a nine-year-old. And this is the same you. And, um, having the ability to navigate your own personal expectations and to understand that you always have the ability to do better. And that, um, if you had a great hole, you put that behind you even as you would if you had had a terrible home. Yeah. You have to put the greatness of that hole aside because hole 13 doesn't matter at hole 14. Well, you know, um, we're going to be, uh, the golf course that we grew up by in Chicago on the south side that we just drove past and never went in. Now the Obama Presidential Center is opening up there in May and there's an athletic center. It's a whole development. It's on that golf course. So we're going to have to, I'm going to commit you now. You got to come out because we are trying to get young people, black kids exposed because to be living in a neighborhood with that kind of beauty and not be able to access it as we were not, um, because all we were doing was just riding past it. It's, uh, it's a good way for Barack to connect his love of a sport to the neighborhood that has given us so much. So we would love to have you, uh, involved in that. So I'm, I'm going to use this opportunity to get you on a hook. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Um, I, you and your husband are, um, one of only a handful of actual, super heroes that we've seen in the country. And, um, super hero is somebody you put, ungodly expectations on. You expect them to never make mistakes and you want them to be flawless and just things that just aren't realistic for humans, but the way that you to pull that off, um, was, I think when we look back a hundred years from now, like you were the source of pride for, um, a nation that needed that. So yeah, whatever we can do, thank you for paying you back for that. We'd love it. Thank you, Katten. That's very sweet of you. Oh, we can end it now. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, right. Right. Money's right. I'm not done yet. Right. So when you, when you sat down, you said you, you grew up getting weapons. That was a nice thing. I think we just come out with. Yeah, but, right. Right. So it's we know. We all know about it. We know. We know. So I want to, I want to back up and just hear how cat Williams became cat Williams. So I want to know how, you know, how did that start? So I really owe everything in my trajectory to the love of books that I forged early. So reading books just shaped me into this. So for example, I can remember young figuring out that my mother and father they really love me. But they took really good care of me. And how could you, what made you say they didn't love you? What did they do that left you with that feeling? Nothing. Nothing. I just, I was reading so many books and I was seeing so many stories and I was just trying to figure out where I fit in with these stories if I was that type of person. And I realized that my mother never kissed me, right? And that there was this dynamic that existed in other households that I didn't have in mind. But I was at that time, I already read so many books that I was excited about it. So I was like, oh, I'm guaranteed. I'm a sure thing. A terrible childhood. Like, I'm guaranteed to make it like this. This is where all begins. Core girl send a relic to play the name. It's like mother's all full. You like I'm right on the track. I'm like, God, you really know how to do it. Like, no, this is why you leave it 13. That's right. I get it. Jesus. Yes. And I was waiting to turn it around. Yeah. Wait until I turn it around that early. Yeah. Wow. Because how old? Like six. Yeah. Yeah. I had already made the decisions that six just because once you've read thousands of books, you see that all of these stories are similar and that you're going to make it through like depression is the worst disease because it makes you think things that are incorrect. You know, so I was reading so many books of so many people in so many different circumstances and it always works out. It always gets better. Life is always worth the next adventure. And so that's how I was looking at things even that early. How many brothers and sisters did you grow up? I'm the oldest. I know. Two younger brothers. So did your parents have you sweeping chimneys and what not? I mean, what was it about your childhood that made you read those stories and say, you know what? I'm missing something. You know, um, well, I wasn't at the age where I thought I was missing anything. Now granted, in retrospect, I was. But I was using all of my setbacks for my benefit. So I so for example, like I wasn't allowed to watch television or see movies or go over people's house or go to a dance or no extra curricular activities of any kind. But I devoted all of that time to reading. So I got three open books every day. I'm in the middle of these and I'm immersed and I'm getting. I feel like I'm really learning something from everyone's experience and that is putting me ahead of the curve because of how much knowledge and information I'm getting on something that doesn't have anything to do with me. Like I'm reading about Winston Churchill. But the story is all going together. Yeah. And this situation you're in not being able to do a lot of stuff. That was because you was that because your parents were religious. Yeah. Okay. They were drove as witness. Right. And high up in the organization. Yeah. But you know, a lot of the things that I learned, I learned because of that situation. So I already knew that when I got in a position to be a parent, I understood. Love is the most important thing. And it's free. Yeah. You can do that. That's right. And I know all the other stuff seems to matter. But actually the imparting of love and creating an individual that knows how to receive it and give it and deal with it is just so important. And don't get me wrong. My father was a great father. His great husband. My parents are still together. We've been together almost 50 years now. So like they're they're wonderful. But what's your relationship like with them today? My love them today. Same as always. I'm more. They got more respect for me for how great of a job that they did even when the feelings were there. You know, and I appreciated that and that made it so much easier for me to adopt children because I realized, you know, DNA doesn't matter. Bloodlines don't matter. So that's a family's where the love is. Yeah. That was another thing I didn't realize about you that you have adopted a lot of kids. Tell us. Yeah, I didn't see that in the bingo cards. But my son's mother was living in another state and she had another life and had kids. And at some point, she faced an addiction crisis and her children went to the orphanage. So when they called me, I don't have a direct relationship with these children, but they are the siblings of my son. And I did all the research and I knew that it takes a million dollars to raise a child. Yes. And I was eager to say, wait a minute, Lord, are you? Are you saying I'm going to have 10 million dollars to take care of your kids? Yeah, right. Fine. All right. I mean, let's go. Yeah. Because you don't want to let me suffer. You're certainly not going to let. And it was best experience. How old were you when you adopted the kids? And what stage in your life were you already in comedy? Were you already cat Williams? Or was this? Yes, man, but a lesser form. A smaller case, okay. I was making less than 25,000 a year. So that lets you know where I was. But I have been working and everything was looking good. It was a period in my life where I think that's the only way he could save me is to give me this instant humongous family and all of these. Did you be saving? I did. What was going on? Um, I love women so much. Tell us more. And so I had a five-room house with a woman in each room. Okay. Because I like women. I like waking up here and on my liking being around. Like that's my sweet spot. Um, well, it sounds like you weren't in crisis. No, it wasn't. No, it wasn't that type of crisis. It's just that um, the kids happen instantly like that meant, nah, I got to grow up. I got to do stuff a different way. Like I got to do a different trajectory. Like I'm going to be a family man. So I couldn't be the bachelor superstar that I had envisioned at that point that I was getting ready to go into. So yeah, saved me for sure. Uh, what was the biggest challenge in your parenting career? The hardest part is um, losing a child is probably the worst thing that could happen to you on this earth. Like there's no recovery from it. There's no. You lost a child. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But um, yeah, that was probably the only regrettable thing is that um, I had built myself to be completely impervious to the machinations of the devil. So there was nothing saying could do that wherever, um, take my joy from any, uh, situation. And the worst things are going for me personally, the more you can probably find me smiling telling jokes because that's how we get back. Um, but in that particular, uh, circumstance, it's, it's the worst. Hmm. Think imaginable doesn't get any better. It actually gets worse. Um, but yeah, other than that, it was complete joy. Hmm. Hmm. This segment is brought to you by progressive insurance. A brand that knows home ownership isn't just about having a place to live. It can open doors in ways you didn't expect. And not just for you, but for those who come after you. And you know, when I think about some of the challenges and the benefits of home ownership, I really think about the neighborhood we used to live in and, and, and, when we were growing up or where we moved to, when we, what are homes, when we moved to, when we bought our homes. And, and I picked the area because I knew it had stable home prices. And we knew it had really good schools and the really good schools part was the first part. And then we got the added benefit of it was such a good area. Our friends and family ended up moving there too. And that's how we began to build our community and build our friends and, uh, have sports and parties and, and it was not a benefit that I had looked for. I thought we were going to have to build a whole new community. And what happened was our community came to us. Yeah, yeah, that, that was certainly, um, you know, one of the highlights of living in hard high park. Um, uh, it is a well-established community. It's diverse. Um, it's got tons of amenities, not just schools, but where we lived was right down the street from the museum of science and industry. And that was a benefit when the kids were little to have the museum that was full of exploration and wonder. A walk away from your house. Um, so you remember we used to grab the kids on any given day or mom could pick up the kids, walk down down to the museum and they would spend an afternoon. Um, so it's not often that you get to live next to one of the most highly visited museums in, in the city. Uh, so that was a huge benefit. Yeah, yeah. First time home ownership can bring unexpected benefits, creating flexibility, new opportunities for family. Sometimes the best parts of owning a home aren't what you plan for. 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I think I learned that the most patients, if you have a special needs child, you just look at the world differently. You realize that the special needs community is like the only legitimate angels on earth. Like, well, out of the things that make people a bad person, somebody will autism doesn't even know how to do that. Yeah. Like they don't know how to be jealous or envious and conniving. And one of my favorite guilty pleasures is I've, have you seen love on the spectrum? I just love that show. Oh, I mean everyone on it. Everyone on the show. And Craig, my brother is never called on. I apologize. I apologize. It's a beautiful, um, it's a reality reality based show and the producers of that have worked on later dateers with us. And so it's the kind of reality TV that I really love. I mean, I love it all, but these are just really some of the best humans. They're autistic people who want to find love. And I think I cry every episode. Um, it's just like you, like you said, Kat, the best display of humanity. I watch it just to cry. Yeah. It's, um, it's a free therapy section just to go and be reminded about how wonderful it is to be human and to see, um, people searching to attain something that they can actually get to. And the fact that it goes from season to season and like they're famous now. They are. They need these now. And yet they're still right where we need them to be. So it's such a genuine experience. Do you have children who are autistic? You have one? I have one. Yeah. Yeah. We love. Oh my god. Oh, she's the best. Um, and I want to get back to because one thing I didn't ask about child, you were, you were emancipated at 13. Is that I've read that? Yeah. If you read that about yourself, tell us more. Yeah. Yeah. So it's not often that, you know, you just, and what led to that? Did you just walk out the door? Did you just say, Hey, okay, thank you, everyone. I'm going to take all my books and I'm on my own. I don't know how to put this without sounding facetious, but if, if you came from a Bible reading, believing family, yeah. And you already knew I was finna do what Jesus did. Okay. Bounce. Okay. No, five temple to turn over cables. This is the life of a Christian revolution area. Uh-huh. I got to you way ahead of me because even if I wanted to leave at 13, I wouldn't have had the girls to do it, nor I would be aware with all that I could do it. It was a terrible idea. All right. Here we go. I don't talk about it because I don't want any young person to hear that and think that it's possible that they get on it off hearing that it's terrible is useful. But it wasn't. I just said terrible. No, I'm the adventurer in this story. Are you getting me? Okay. Okay. Now, sir. I'm grown up. I got a mustache and I still got him twits. Welcome. That was my life. I'm picturing a little cat. Did you have the stick in your your goods and a little or chief? No. Did you walk out? I had a whole suitcase and a rottweiler puppy. So you left with that? That's dend for failure. I'm It's like and dependent. I'm taking a responsibility. Exactly. It's like man and I'll take this puppy. So where'd you go? Where was the first place you went in your puppy? WartWile puppy went when you left your house. Miami, Florida. You went to a whole another state. That was always the thing. How do you get to my image? I went to a truck stop. Oh, the best place to go. Wow. Because everybody's going out of here. And so then I checked license plates because I was looking for a warm destination and I was hoping for LA or California. But Miami presented itself and the guy let me and the rottweiler puppy get in the back part of the empty truck and it was stop everyone. Did you have any money? Well, how do you get the rottweiler? I was loaded. I must have had $1,200 and you could not have told me that I was a young million. $1,200. How do you get all this money? So the only thing I was allowed to do I was allowed to cut grass in a summer. And I was allowed to shovel snow in the winter. So I probably had 60 clients on each. I'm only making you an entrepreneur. I own the lawnmower and the shovels and how. And so me having money just gave me the ability to not have to wear the clothes that my parents wanted me to wear to school. I go where that outgo change, getting to something, fly and presentable for school. And then like I was living multiple lives, but the money made it possible for me to have that freedom. And I learned that pretty early on. What was your alter ego with your money when you went to school? Were you one way at home because you were dressing different and then you took your lawnmower money and went to school, linear, whatever. What, who were you? I had a relationship with the candy lady. So I was in sales already and I was buying at a wonderful price upselling and supply and schoolmates. So you were the kid that had the nalators. Plus I had money. So I didn't have to, I was able to treat the women that I liked. Nice. Really nice. I learned that supplying happiness to people. So you were moneymighter. Moneymighter. Yeah. Is that where your character came from, moneymighter? You would you were practicing that at 13. It seems like it's all planned out. But you know, God showed me early on that there was this pathway and I wasn't really certain of how to make sure that I was on it or so you get to Miami. Yep. So we get to Miami with your puppy. This trip probably only took us maybe three days at the most. Maybe two. It was a really nice ride. But then so I'm there and I just had never seen a place so big with so many different neighborhoods and a different culture and ethnicity every three blocks and it was really a really a bit of a culture shock. But I found a place in coconut grove at a park and that's where I made my residence and it was across the street from a library and so I would eight hours a day I would be in a library reading and so you just camped out. Literally. Literally. Did you buy a tent with your money? No, ma'am. So you're just laying out on the grass with your puppy at 13 year old? No, no, no, no. They had a whole little street to the library. Segment of population that this was kind of a in the homeless world. This was kind of a gated community. Yeah, yeah. This park by the wooden marina behind it so you can't encroach it's in coconut grove. So yeah, I was able to purchase a brand new mattress the first day I was going to have to sleep so I never slept on the ground and anything. And remember my clothes are all dress clothes. I only have slacks and white shirts and ties. Is anybody like I'm just trying to picture this? I can't I can't picture any of those. And I'm still like are you telling the truth are you joking? Because I'm like still trying to picture you. You went and bought a mattress. How'd you get the mattress to the park? I mean, they brought it. They delivered. Oh, you went to a store and you had them delivered your mattress to the park. There's a homeless hierarchy in the place that I was at. So there was a guy who was in charge of whether or not you got to be there or not. And how do you convince him that you should be there? I didn't. I've lived. I have a presence. Yes, you do. And I'm one of the people that doesn't have ulterior motives. And most people I found do. But even at that age, I didn't have any. I was I didn't think I was old, anything. I didn't think I was in a bad experience. I thought I was making choices and decisions and I was trying to see if I could get them to work out. So when I get there, I get the mattress. And then there's this process where I find out how everybody else ended up in this park. And that is what was life change and is to find these to find out these are doctors and lawyers and nurses and accountants and and each one of these people had an experience with drugs and it led them here. And which is why when I emerge from this part of my story, like drugs are not a temptation for me because I've not seen or heard of parties or anybody having fun. I've just met these 40 people whose lives were destroyed. They're out in the elements living with that. And the fact that they're not going to be able to get those lives back that this is a new reality for them. And so as a young impressionable kid being able to see the harshness of life like that, it was very instrumental. And so when did you emerge from that? So if I fast forward, so now I'm in Florida, I'm thinking that, okay, I've left Ohio, right? So I have a humongous family and Dayton, a hundred first cousins, both sets of grandparents. So I'm like, you know, when I leave, this is going to be a big deal. It's going to be in the news on the papers. Like there's going to be a worldwide. It's like, like for your boy, where is he? Right? I mean, Bill Kurt, days on the Bill Kurt, these conniving parents of mine. Let's say I left on Sunday. They moved out of this. He on Monday. Oh my God. So no one knows I'm gone. My grandparents don't know. Nobody knows. Nobody thinks anything's wrong. What? Yeah, it was crazy. And so the way God works, I'm walking down a highway, maybe three years later, two years later, walking down the shoulder and a car pulls over. And I'm like, what these girls will not stay off of you, boy? They pull it over on the highway. That's a lot. So you got to be pretty good looking for that one. Anyway, it's not any girls. It's my parents. My two brothers and they are in Florida and saw me and just like on vacation or something. Just passing through Florida. Oh wow. God. Right. So I'd have to live in the park. No, this is at least a year later. So no, I moved from from those confines. But yeah. So now I am at this place. I think it's called winter haven. It's where the carnival people go when they're not in carnival season. Yeah, no, I know nothing about this. You say this like you know, winter even, you know, the carnival people. I'm like, no, this is just a flower. I know. It's like, you know, I was like, am I supposed to know about this? This goes along with hearing the unbelievable story. I'm just like, we need the horn. I didn't. So yeah, I was, I'm now away from Miami near a place called Ruskin, Florida. And my parents pull over on the highway and very apologetic. And let's just put the family back together. And we end up moving to Haiti to do missionary work. No, you didn't. And so I spend the next two years and Haiti. But just did you just get in the car? Where's the puppy? I just got the dog. Where's your dog? So here's the thing. Beautiful Russia, right? So I love that name. Figure out once I actually got into the homeless encampment, like I could not believe that I had brought this puppy here. Like, yeah, you were 13. That's 13-year-old thing. I'm like, whoa. What's the plan for the baby? This is going to be hard enough to navigate on your own. But fortunately, because he was pure bread and beautiful, he went for a great price. And that price sustained me for a nice little period of time. So I understood why God had let me bring him. But yeah, he went to a great home. And he supplied me a great income. And yeah. So then parents then they picked you up, right? They picked what I want to know. Shoulder the road. Do you get in the car? Is it like, Mom? Dad, right? I really did. I really don't want to get in the car. You've been like, yeah, are they like, get it? Boy, is it like that? Are their tears? Are they like, we've been looking for you? I'm the tallest person in the house. So let that understand, like, I'm a big guy, you know, 55. All right. So no, there's none of that dynamic. It's just, I'm sure as parents, they didn't think I would do that. And by the same token, they across the line, you know, like, they were, they were behaving as if I was a bad child. And I was a great kid who hadn't engaged in. Yeah. So there were mistakes made. I was already smoking cigarettes at this point. So I'm using this as the reason why I can't come with you guys. Like, I'm grown now. Yeah. I got stuff I do. And I smoke bad things. Right. They were like, no, you're fine. Uh-huh. I will see. But really, I was just trying to see where they were at. I couldn't figure out how they had located me. So Haiti. Right. Did they have the plane ticket? Did you? Yeah. So did you adopt on the plane? And what was Haiti like? And how long were you all there? We were there for two years until the Americans had to leave because of the Papa Doc baby doc transition. So it was magnificent. It was, it was magnificent. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I was able to really be in an adventure. And um, my parents, when we got over there, Haiti is a different country because, um, all of the writings at that time are all in French. So you have to read French. But then they don't speak French. They speak Creole. And Creole wasn't in any book. So you had to learn Creole and French. Um, so for the first year and a half that were there, I'm the only person in the family that reads French and speaks Creole. So I'm and you pick that up doing it. You just were able to pick that up quickly. Yes. Wow. Yes, ma'am. Fortunately. Yeah. But um, yeah, that experience changed everything for me. I was, I was eating sugar cane and mangoes and filling my pockets full of salt because I found out that Haiti had the highest mortality rate for babies dying of dehydration. And so I knew the salt in the water trick. And so I would just go out and walk village to village and they had sick babies. I would give them this information about saltwater. And because I was from Ohio, they weren't. I was able to bring like a different irrigation style to the part of Haiti, Santo that we were at. Um, just because it was such a big trick from where the village is, to where the water source is. And so yeah, I, I, I filled my days full of adventure. It was how were you when? In the past. During this period. Suppose I'm 14, 15. Wow. Wow. As our listeners know, we've partnered with Airbnb on this show. And I've been staying in Airbnb's while traveling both for my family trips and while traveling for IMO. In partnership with Airbnb, we wanted to share an opportunity to give back during this holiday season. Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization founded by Airbnb that connects people to emergency housing in times of crisis. Since Airbnb.org was founded in 2020, they have housed more than 250,000 people, including those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, the central Texas floods, and earthquakes in Turkey and Japan. When a crisis takes away the comfort of home, even the simplest evening moments like a bedtime story or a shared meal feel out of reach. Nights are special. For many sacred nights often represent dinner time, a warm shower, a show on the couch, reading kids a book followed by getting into bed. And for us, nights are for doing homework. Then if time permits, catching the end of a basketball game, you can visit Airbnb.org and donate a night for a family who has unexpectedly lost their home due to a disaster. Airbnb will be matching every donation until the end of the year. Together, we can restore sacred time at home and give back the nights that matter. Hey, everybody. Craig Robinson here. Amazon has everything for everyone on your list. And I want to talk to you about last minute Christmas shopping and holiday shopping, because I was a chief offender there. And I tell you, before I found Amazon, it was a stressful time for me. I go around collecting everybody's list in the middle of December and trying to get gifts and I was running around all over the place. But then I discovered Amazon. And I saw how they do their last minute deals. And I can always find savings on gifts for my family, whether it's toys, electronics, fashion, cosmetics, you name it, house goods. They've always got stuff on sale. And I can get it relatively quickly. Then I'm not running around the mall, stressing and sweating. And gifts show up. They're right on time. I can get them wrapped and under the tree. No problem. So this year, if you're in my position and you're stressing, Amazon makes last minute shopping feel like you planned it weeks ago. So that, my friends is my tip for the day. Shop for gifts for everyone in your family on Amazon. 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Each capsule has two parts, one for your body and one for your microbiome. So every ingredient lands exactly where it's supposed to. Now, I've been taking the PMO2 before bed, and I can honestly feel the difference in how I rest. It's become this little quiet moment of taking care of my whole self and not just part of it. So if you want to try it, head to c.com slash AMO20 and used code AMO20 for 20% off. And stop taking care of only half your health and start supporting all of you with seeds, probiotics. It's now that we're back because you have to get out of Haiti. So now we're back in Florida and I realize I'm not going to be able to stay with these nice people until I'm off again. And so now when we pick back up, now I'm in the situation where I'm at a comedy club and I don't mean to be there. But how did that happen? Well, because some of the carnies are going to this club. You went back to your county group now and we go there and they're asking for idea at the door and I'm not old enough to even be in there. So it's going to be a very embarrassing situation for me, which I'm not interested in. And then God comes as he always does. And to my walks past and they walk all the way past the line, they say, I'm a comedian and the guy goes, yep, your number four, he walks in and I'm like, oh, there you are. He always delivers me this pathway. And so, bam, I'm comedian number five, right? So I don't know what that means. I don't know now that we're inside of there. I don't know what goes on. So they're they just explain, yeah, we're having a comedy competition. But don't you look 14? Get five minutes. No, man, I literally had this massage since I was 12. No, you did. No, full massage. That's we're getting five, five. I already didn't get the growth spread. I would have been suicidal if the Lord did not provide other provisions. But he did, right? And so he gave me an outlook and a full massage. And I'll full massage. And remember, remind yourself what I'm wearing. Well, I have this on. Okay. So you got a dress in a white shirt. And this is all of my clothes. I don't have any issues. Dress clothes. So you always dress like a grown man. I've been grown. Okay. Okay. So you get in the comedy club and they say, all right, you got five minutes. Right. Right. So I just get up there and I talk about being the Black community for this entire city. Like there's nobody but me. I'm the only Black guy. Nobody else. And I talk about what that experience is like. Yeah. And that was my five minutes. And did anybody laugh? Oh, they loved it. They thought it was hilarious because again, what I didn't understand is I didn't understand why it connected. But it connected because it was all true. Like there was no Black community there. It was just me and everybody was looking at me like, what are you doing here? And you know, you want to hear what that guy feels like about his surroundings. What did it feel like to make people laugh? Did that? Was that new? I mean, because you were all, you had been used to public speaking. Right. Because I'm in front of crowds of 10,000. Converting folks. Well, that wasn't my job. Yeah. Everybody that was in the arena was already converted. I'm reading Bible scripture and giving a talk about this particular. Right. So I just kept asking God to show me a glimpse of where I'm going to be. And I just kept hearing a applause. But I didn't know what they were applauding or what it was that I had done or said. So I was, it was really frustrating for me before comedy came along. But as soon as I did it that first time, I was like, that's crazy. I think I got something from that. How could I have got something from that? Was that the vision? Like, um, so it's, it's probably not another, it's probably, if I'm 16 then, then it's almost another eight years before I do stand up. But I just had that in my head that this is a thing I could do. So then I go into door to door sales. I joined this organization that travels around the country selling books and magazines. You know, all I'm thinking is, I see all this is a movie. And we have to do it at a higher ground. I mean, we're going to finish this story. But I'm just like, dude, I'm just, I'm watching this movie. Yes, man. As you were telling it. Right. Anyway. And I've done my best to try to live, uh, accordingly knowing that it's going to get looked back on. Yeah. Yeah. So I did interrupt it because, you know, it was later on, you know, so you realize that comedy was a thing. But then you were doing the door to door salesman work. Right. To still work again. I'm in another experience that is shaping me for everything that follows because now I'm every door, I don't know who is going to answer this Hispanic Asian white black monetary love. I don't know anything. And I need to connect with this person. I need to ease their fears about a stranger at the door. I then need to be funny and engaging so that they smile. And then I need them to make this purchase that we both know they don't need. Who are you selling? It started with books and magazines and then it was cleaning product at the end. All right. So door to door salesman comedy next door was there something in between? I'm doing the door to door salesman. I knock on the door of five ladies of the night. And they are in a traumatic situation because their pent was murdered and they all witnessed it and they didn't know what they were going to do. And this is another like, what? I know everybody here is just like what? I volunteered for the Pimp position on the auspices. We were already dressed for the how to do it. Okay. You are already dressed for the part. Yeah. Okay. Okay. So they train me how to do this job. Right. And they taught me so much. Like I wasn't there very long but those those ladies really along with my sainted mother, those ladies really showed me what it was like to be a man. And they because they every night for hours they would just talk about everything wrong with men. Like men of all nationality shape sizes and colors was wrong with them. Why are they horrible creatures? Yeah. And I was able to add a still impressionable age, learn things and learn what bothers women and realizing that I was in charge of so much of that. Welcome back to IMO. We made it folks. It's December. The holiday hustles just starting to wind down which means it's a perfect time to switch into new year, new moves mode. What's one big move you want to make in the new year? Whatever those big moves are, you need a plan. You need a strategy. You need a partner. You need Shopify. The end of the year is when you review your yearly numbers, clean up your strategies and lay the foundation for what's next. They help you plan, launch and grow so that the start of 2026 is way ahead of the game with Shopify. You can keep track of everything from the palm of your hand. You can tag and sell your products globally and across all major social media platforms, making it possible to sell right where your customers are. Whether it's a side hustle or a storefront selling locally or globally, Shopify takes the guesswork out of starting a business. They have the tools to help you navigate whatever chaos the new year brings. Whether you're selling merch, products or the next best idea, make sure you do it via Shopify at Shopify.com slash IMO. For $1, it's time to put that business idea into action and start the next chapter again that Shopify.com slash IMO. Working on your mental health doesn't happen all at once. It happens in moments, one conversation, one deep breath, one session at a time. Growth therapy makes it easier to begin. As a coach and an athlete, I've always believed taking care of your mind as part of taking care of your overall game. You train consistently, you build the right support around you and you give yourself space to improve. Therapy can be part of that routine. Whether it's your first time in therapy or your 50th, growth makes it simple to find a therapist who actually fits you. They connect you with thousands of licensed therapists across the US with virtual or in-person sessions, including nights and weekends. You can search by insurance, specialty, identity or availability and start in as little as two days. No subscriptions, no long-term commitments, just pay per session on your time. Whatever challenges you're facing, growth therapy is here to help. Growth accepts over a hundred insurance plans, including Medicaid in some states. Sessions average about $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0, depending on their plan. Visit growththerapy.com slash IMO today to get started. That's growththerapy.com slash IMO. Growththerapy.com slash IMO. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. Yeah, yeah, you know, we have questions that we get from our listeners, but before we get to that, what advice would you give a young cat Williams coming along? And maybe not even a cat Williams, because you're so unique. You're so unique. What would you give to a young up-and-coming artist who sees you as a role model? What advice would you give them on how to navigate this industry, this career, these processes? I would say, if you believe in God, take as much pressure off of yourself as you can and apply that pressure to him. If you believe in God, then you know that in his books, he's got certain contractual obligations as well. It's certain things he has to do in certain situations. And it's okay if you put him in those situations, it's okay for you to say, I believe there's a God. And I believe that if there is, he loves me and he would help me in this situation. It is impossible for you to do that and then watch something happen and not know where that comes from. And so any artist, I would just say, make sure that your relationship with God is one of the relationships that you're also working on, whether it's spouse, kids, everything else. Make sure to pay attention to your relationship with God because it really is the difference maker in how things turn out. Everybody doesn't serve God. Some people serve the devil. And they put him in positions and it's terrible to say, but if that person has a better relationship with Satan, then you do with God as you'll fall to. And so I think that's the only advice that I would give to an artist is to find your higher power and connect because until you do that, you're just a rudderless ship out here. And I know from my own personal experience that it doesn't matter how young you get that relationship. It's never too early. Speaking of relationships, what's your take on relationships? Have you ever been married? I love relationships. Have you ever been married? No, never married. Would you do you believe in marriage? Do you believe in marriage? My parents are still married. Yeah, I had a wonderful example. Yeah, what about me? You've never been married. Would you want to be? Have you found the right person? Is it not something that you're interested in settling down with a single person? Do you envision what your parents have for yourself ever? Is that even a goal? Is it that's exhausting? No, not really. It's not that. It's, um, yeah, I think marriage is great. It's just that at the point in my life when that would have been the next thing that I was going towards. That's when I had this instant huge family. And then I, I was just so reticent to bring a person into this dynamic just because of how unfair that would be to this lady to have all of these kids that are not hers. And so I was trying to make myself, a better version of me in advance for this wife, right? Yeah. But in the meantime of that, I'm the one doing the cooking and laundry and the cleaning and the school wakeups. And so I got to the point where I was the wife. Yeah. And, uh, yeah. So where I am now, I finally have something I could offer a lady. I see. Monogamy's has not been a part of my journey. I've tried to share this gift with whoever was needed. Why, why limited? Why limit you? Why, why limit? Why limit the world? This gift for you. My man. Okay. And you, and you're, you love, I love it. I do. Cause why? That's, that's, that's the ultimate. It's all of our hero. But you, you have a farm. Not too, you, there's so much. There's, there's so many kind of little surprising layers. Yes. Yeah. Lovely farm. A lovely farm. Is it like a full working farm? I mean, are you? We have, um, 100 ducks, 100 geese, cows, pigs, goats sheep. We have animals that you never see. It's just a wonderful 100, some acre property in Americana. That's just magical. And it's the thing that I am creating, which is heaven on earth, the name of the tour. But it's a whole philosophy of whatever you think the afterlife is going to be for you. You can start making that for yourself here somewhere. Do you tour every year? Or how do you tour? How do you think about that? Is it like training like you want to be on tour? Every couple of years just to, or how do you think about? I'm an athlete. I have the same season as my athlete counterparts. So in the NBA, they play 82 games. I'm not sure what it is in baseball, but I have a 100 shows. I, I do 100 shows. And then I take a special. And that's been the routine that I've had since, I think 2001 was my first one. So is this that work ethic that the lawnmower kid that got to, you that $1,200 the feeling like if I'm doing it, I've got to do my best. I got to put it in. I got to, you know, well, I met, I met Prince when I was 12 and he changed the trajectory of belief for me. Like I knew I didn't have to make any changes. This was a guy who was shorter than me. He was already rich and famous. And he had a purpose in life. And so a relative of his was my first girlfriend. She was a little older than I was. So if I was 12, she was 16. She had a family member that was coming in the town. He was a musical artist because of my background. I wasn't really up on all of the musical artists as you would think that I would be. But you had me with her with all the candy that you supplied. I don't know if you can tell this, but I make really good conversation. And you know, money's not enough. And I only care what you like. So it makes me I got a mustache from candy. One more of you. But yeah, so she's like, yeah, he's just going to be here after after his show at the UD arena. And you should meet him. So I ride my bike over there. And I go in the house and I meet this guy, Prince, right? And I Yeah, you ever make somebody and go, whoo, this person's way smarter than me. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Right. So it was really my first time being in the vicinity of real brilliance. Like when it's not for show. And so we're having this super deep conversation. And you're 12, right? And and we are connected. And we have decided at the end of this conversation with friends, right? So I get ready to walk out, say, by the my girl, says, you'll walk me down. So me and Prince are walking down these steps. But he's thinking we're going to my car. When we get down to the bottom of the steps, my bicycle is right there. And he's like, what's that? I was like, what are you mean? What's that? That's that's that's my I'm thinking I'm thinking he likes it. I'm thinking he's noticed I've got to trick out Manga. Yeah, you know, like full of cash. Yeah, you're looking at it. That's 20. Let's me know that he's 18 a grown man. Wow. Well, because of our sizes, we just assumed that each other was to say, I don't I don't know what I was. Sizes and mustaches. So for all so he gave me the confidence to know because up until that point in my life, I thought that there were some things I was going to need to do in order to be good. Enough like I got to get taller. I don't know. This might be the first mistake God has ever made like there. I can't find evidence that anyone in the world missed a growth spread. Like, you have to understand, man, third grade. I'm five five. A giant among me like a man on campus. Truly. Right. Like man. And that was it. So Prince helped me see immediately. I didn't have to get taller. Yeah. He already had just signed this movie. I mean, his music deal. He had just produced his album by himself. He played 26 instruments on it. He did all of the jobs. Yeah. And it had worked. And so I knew that I didn't have to make any changes. I just had to be in the right position and be right myself when it transpires. So I'm super helpful. That God. Yeah. No, that would be that that's that's pretty powerful. Yeah. Well, let's help some folks. Let's help one of our listeners. Yes. All right. So we've got a listener from San Antonio, Texas. And her name's Amber. And I think her question's going to resonate with you. So Hi, Michelle and Craig. I love the podcast. My name is Amber. I'm 32 years old and I'm from San Antonio, Texas. I opened my own salon at 22 and since then, I've navigated both personal and professional challenges. After a difficult relationship and some time living independently, I believed I had found healing and stability. But due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to move back home, which has brought its own emotional complexities. Over the past two years, I've been seriously considering relocating to New York City or Boston, not only to pursue greater opportunities in my industry, but also in hopes of building a life that breaks generational cycles. I've been taking small, intentional steps, investing in my business, putting myself out there, and making growth a priority. When I listened to your conversation with Kiki Palmer, I was struck by the part where you shared how you began seeking new paths and meeting people after realizing law wasn't your true calling. So my question is, when you were stepping into unfamiliar spaces and pursuing something new, did you feel overwhelmed or afraid? If so, how did you move through that fear without letting it stop you? All right. That's a big one. That's a doozy. That's a college level essay question. So any thoughts for Amber, just off the top of your head? I'm ready. Yeah. Okay. Amber, you're doing the work. And when you do the work, my answer comes out. So I don't think that you're confused in any way. I don't think you're wondering what it is you need to do next. I think you already know. I think you know that there is anything for you at the River Walk. San Antonio is a wonderful place, but it's not going to get you to where you see yourself being. I think very specifically, you picked New York and Boston. If the fear is what you're dodging, the fear is necessary. The fear is there for a reason. The fear is to make sure that you don't take this for granted this time and end up in San Antonio. For the third time, the fear is useful. On the other hand, you're only going to look back and go, I should have left earlier. Why did not go earlier? Not anything else. You're not ever going to regret this decision. You're going to regret the time it took you to get to this decision. All of the new relationships, your whole new life is there. And you deserve at 30 whatever you are to be able to pull that parachute and do a new life. And if you mess that one up, go from New York to Boston now. It never stopped being in search of your calling and your purpose. It is there. You are going to find it. You're right on schedule. You're not behind. There's nobody to blame and there's only upside. So I think you're doing great Amber. I think you know you're doing great. I think you just wanted us to reaffirm that you're making the right decisions. You're not crazy. And yeah, good luck. I love that. I love that cat. Why is cat? All the layers of cat. I would address the fear part of it because I talk about fear a lot. I agree. Fear is there for a reason and it's just interpreting the fear that you have. There is an element of fear and caution and everything. And that's a good thing. I always say there's the good fear that keeps you safe, but you just don't want to overindulge the fear that keeps you stuck because fear can keep you stuck. Absolutely. There are a lot of people who don't experience, don't try, don't grow because they're afraid of the unknown. And that can leave you in a small place because all the good stuff happens on the other side of fear. When you lean into it, get comfortable with it. Know it's a part of the right. If you can bear with that initial sort of the anxiety that comes with anything new and say that's normal. It's normal that I'm starting something new. I don't know anyone. I feel a little anxious about it. Ride that wave of anxiety, but don't let it stop you because when you do, you miss the growth that comes from taking a risk and pushing beyond the thing that makes you uncomfortable. If you practice moving away from that fear, you just practice always feeling safe, but you'll look around and realize that you might feel safe, but you won't be happy. And you probably have missed out on a lot of really amazing stuff. And you're not safe. And you're not safe. Where you are. There is no there is no bubble of safety because this is where you're from. You might as well have that experience because she said in her industry. So yeah, she's not going to make it out there in Texas doing hair for celebrities. She's got to go with the work. New York and Boston. Yeah. So that's great. Both of you have hit on some really good points. Fear is healthy. And you can't let fear paralyze you so that you don't do anything. And the only thing that I would add just to contextualize this for Amber is that you're always going to be nervous about the next step. So take it so you learn what that feels like. And each time it will be less fearful. That's what I found. The first hard pivot is the hardest. And then after that, you build that muscle and you're less afraid to try new things. Or at least it will remain consistent. So I'm the other part of the extreme. So every time that I have to do stand up, I'm as nervous and direct as I was the very first time that I ever did it and got like every single. Yeah. So even though we're almost at 10,000 shows in my 23rd 100 city tour like that nervousness and the butterflies and it never has gone away. It's what allows me to realize something's counting on this. There's something on this. You must do well. Yeah. You're passionate about it. And you need that in your life as a barometer so that you don't take things for granted. And it's in no way should stop you. It should further. Why would you be getting nervous for something that wasn't going to matter if you're nervous and fearful? That's a good feature. That's true. Still do it. Yeah. Yeah. We like that. Well, hopefully Amber, we wish you good luck. Right. Keep keep going. I think Kat said it right. You know you're on the right track and we are all confirming that you are so keep going. And we hope to see in New York. Yeah. And let us know, you know how it goes when you make that move. Right. Kat, this you know, a man. You are layered little dude. Right. The layers of the layers. Yeah. I know. Yeah. I know. Kat, thank you. This is this was a real privilege. Thank you. Thank you for putting us on your list. Yeah. You do very short lists. Most of my things are like that. It's a you set them up without. That was the short list. Point guard. Right. All you sell this goes. Yeah. No, I really, I really appreciate the opportunity that you both are making for yourselves and for others. Like this is really a big deal. This has been a treat. You are truly a gift in more ways than one. So thank you. Kat Williams. Thank you so much. Thanks, man. Everybody. Give it up.