SPEAKER_00 0:09

Welcome to the first episode of Universally Personal. I'm your host, Greg Allen. Over the last few years, I've met with incredible people and listened to their stories, their struggles, their triumphs, and the lessons they've learned. It is amazing how each one has navigated unique circumstances to land in a healthy and meaningful space. Through their stories, I discovered something powerful. Our most personal experiences often hold the most universal truths. The format here is a little different. You'll hear these stories told entirely by the guests themselves, set to a musical soundscape designed to deepen the experience. The guests were selected because I found them to be authentic, interesting, and informative. They come from a variety of backgrounds, which may be completely different than yours, but that's the point. Our differences often connect us. Today we are starting with a lighthearted look at learning new skills and the vulnerability that comes with sharing them. Our guest is Dan Sullivan. Dan never backs down from experience just because it might get awkward. He also is not afraid to dive deeply intellectually until he uncovers the core of a learning experience. In today's episode, we'll hear Dan's response to two simple questions. The first one, what did you do as a child that you are still doing today? Let's check out his response.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

I never did anything like that.

SPEAKER_00 2:09

Tell us something that you used to do as a child that you're still doing.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Okay. I did this this weekend. This happened. I have a uh pipe, a four-inch PVC pipe, and I have a about a three-foot long two by eight board that I sit on that pipe, and then I stand on it and I balance. And I balance. So that that's the thing that I did when I was a kid, was just all the kind of circus crazy. I had an older cousin that could ride a unicycle and juggle. And I was like, man, I want to I want to learn how to juggle like him. I want to learn how to ride a unicycle like him. I'm pretty good at it. Because you could hurt yourself really bad. I'm like, I I don't know that I could I maybe I could hurt myself really bad, but I don't know. I'm pretty good at it. I don't know, I'm pretty good at it. On your balance board.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

Tell us something that you used to do as a child that you're still doing.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

On the balance board. It's just so fun to accomplish it. It's such a difficult thing, and then you are able to do it, you're like, wow, I did that. On the balance board. You know, getting on the balance board is probably the riskiest part of it because that's when it's tilted, and you're just gonna go like that, and it's gonna go right off. Like, okay, let's we'll go there. Starting anything, right? Stepping out and and trying to do a new thing that you've never done before is always scariest at the beginning. It's just so fun to accomplish it. It's such a difficult thing, and then you are able to do it, you're like, wow, I did that with the balance board. It's just so fun to accomplish it. I did that. You know, getting on the balance board is probably the riskiest part of it.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

Well, I'm definitely impressed with the agility Dan has maintained, and honestly, not at all surprised that he has uncovered a universal truth in his story. Next, Dan tells us about something new that he's attempting. I hope you find his adventure challenging and entertaining.

SPEAKER_02 5:07

Universally personal.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

That's fun. When you get the chance to do something, you you take it, you go, and you have no idea what you're doing. You get the opportunity, you step into it, you fail and learn from it, or you do awesome. But yeah, doing stuff, trying things. Let's talk about playing bass, right? So I have basically an electric bass that's shaped like an acoustic bass, so I can play it without plugging in and it makes noise, but it's not very loud. And I'll take it to bluegrass jams, but you can kind of tell people aren't really taking you seriously because it's not a real bass. So then at some point we're at a jam, and the person that's playing the upright bass is tired, and there's only one. You only have one bass per jam, and the guy looks at me, he's like, Come here, you gotta give me a break. And there's that moment there of, oh shoot, I'm in front of all these people. The bass is extremely important to this song, to every song, and he's just handing it to me. I'm not used to frets, it's a completely different muscle, but you have to go for it. I mean, you don't have to go for it, but I'm trying to model for my kids when you get the chance to do something, you you take it, you go. So um, so then you start playing the upright bass, and you have no idea what you're doing. And uh, for like the next three songs, they picked all songs that were open, so I didn't have to use my left hand at all because they knew I was struggling. But you know, stuff like that. Like you get the opportunity, you step into it, and then all of a sudden people help you. When you get the chance to do something, you you take it, you go, and you have no idea what you're doing. You get the opportunity, you step into it, you fail and learn from it, or you do awesome. But yeah, doing stuff, trying things. This happened just this last weekend. So now I have an upright bass. We're at Kentucky Fried Picking, which is just this awesome gathering of hundreds of bluegrass people, and they're all jamming, and there's a jammed group with no bass. So me and my son Levi were like, let's go jam with them. So we go over there and they finished up their song. They're all like, Yeah, and they're like, Oh man, we need a bass so bad. Do you know such and such song? And I was like, no, but I'll figure it out. And this dude in front of me, he's like, No, you won't. It's hard. If you don't know it, it's gonna be miserable. And I was like, Okay, what what one note can I play? Like, play A. Because that's just an open. So I'm struggling along, and this guy gets up to leave, and he comes right over to me, and he's like, D, E. Okay, get ready for the A. A. And I was like, he's telling me how to play this song, and I could do it when he with his help. And usually guys do that, and they'll do it for the chorus and verse, and then they're like, I told you, now you got it. This dude stuck with me the whole song, and it sounded great. I was like, dude, I could not have done that without you. And he's like, Yeah, we needed a bass bad, and if you didn't know it, you need to be told. It's like scary that you do it. That's bud. But yeah, doing stuff, trying things. When you get the chance to do something, you you take it, you go, and you have no idea what you're doing. You get the opportunity, you step into it, you fail and learn from it, or you do awesome. But yeah, doing stuff, trying things, doing stuff, trying things. And then all of a sudden people help you. That's fun.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

Well, that's it for our debut episode. I want to thank Dan for leading us off and keeping things light. We will certainly be hearing more from Dan in the future. Exclusive content, including extra material from Dan, is available for Premium Plus subscribers at UniversallyPersonal.com. You can also find out more information about our musical contributors right there on the website. Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay connected, keep an open mind, and join us next week as we dive into another story I'm sure you will find Universally Personal. Until then, be fit, stay sharp, and listen closely.