Brad Lea: From Sleeping on a Beach to Dropping Bombs with the Best in the World | AJ Buckley Show

AJ Buckley Show

Brad Lea shares his journey from being kicked out of his home at 16, dropping out of high school, and getting recast in his first movie—moments that taught him the power

Key takeaways

• The person who signs the checks holds ultimate power—this realization at 17 became a life-changing decision to become that person.

Main topics

• Early life struggles and family hardship
• The turning point of realizing power lies in control of money

Notable quotes

"Three days before starring in my first movie, I was recast. That's when I realized the person who signs the checks has all the power."

Conclusion

Brad Lea's story is a testament to the power of resilience, self-awareness, and

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) My next guest at 16 years old was thrown out of his own house. It was a high school dropout and three days before starring in his very first movie, he was recast. It was right then and there that he realized the person who signs the checks has all the power. So he made one decision. Become the guy with the money. He now has one of the biggest podcasts in the world called Dropping Bombs, and he sits across from the most powerful people in the world. They now come to him. Please welcome to the show, Mr. Bradley. Speaker 1 (0:37) How are you? It's so good to have you on the show. Man, if I was any better, I'd be you. I don't know about that. I was sitting in the sort of pre-show there. I've been a fan of yours for quite some time and just, you know, especially when like the algorithm picks up like motivational sort of things or financial things or when your brain goes somewhere and then you just started coming to my feed a bunch and a bunch. I was like, man, this guy's got some. some wisdom there. And then you get the cigar and I was like, all right, I'm going to, I want to check out what this guy's saying. So it's, it's just been really consistent and sort of on my own journey of what I've been doing. You've had some really one amazing guests on your podcast. And, and I think too, just some of the, your views on things. It just, I, I've really drawn from randomly when you're. when you're on a scroll, like, ah, I'll just stop and see what you got to say. So, uh, I was a huge honor to have you on the show and, uh, um, I'm looking forward to, uh, to chatting with you for a little bit here. Speaker 3 (1:37) Well, thank you very much. It's always good to hear that someone actually appreciates what you say. So that's always nice. You know, with social media, as you know, you know, I always tell people, you know, if you're too afraid of the hate, you'll never fight the love. So it's always nice when you finally find some, somebody that actually appreciates it. So thank you. Speaker 1 (1:58) Yeah. Now, now take me all the way back when, when, when you were born, where you were born, what was your house like when you grew up? What was, what was the, what was the beginnings of your journey? Speaker 3 (2:08) Well, that I can remember because, you know, when I was born, I was with my mom and real mom and dad. And when I was two, they got divorced. And so she took four of us and sent us to a foster home and kept the baby, my little brother Tony. And then my grandmother told my dad, you better go get him because my dad wasn't going to, you know, take us either. But my grandmother told his ass, you better get over there and get your kids. So he came to get us. So I went to live with my dad and then I had a stepmom my whole life, which is really like my mom. So, but that, but that house, cause I don't remember this one. Um, that house was really just, you know, blue collar, you know, hardworking, you know, middle, low to middle income family. Speaker 1 (3:04) I was just reading, when I was doing research on it, there was a story about your family taking hardships and some financial hits as a kid. And there was something about an uncle in a bar and insurance policy. Is there, what was there? There was a bunch of stuff on that. Was it like you were just... Trying to put things together as a family unit, just whatever you could do in the family just all came together at certain times or how is that sort of upbringing in there before you started really learning like how to make money? I'm going to help you out really quick. Take my advice right now. Go to ghostbed.com forward slash Buckley. Code word Buckley. Type that in, get 10 % off and get the best sleep of your life. Here at the AG Buckley Show, we just started working with a company called Cortrex. CoreTREX is an e-commerce team out of Walmart's backyard that takes brands from launch to millions a month. It is a risk-free guarantee. You want to book a strategy call with these guys? I highly recommend it. Go to CoreTREX.com. That's C-O-R-E-T-R-E-X.com. These guys are the game changer. Speaker 3 (4:16) Well, I mean, you know, you must have read quite a bit about me. Speaker 1 (4:21) Where's that? Where did I talk about that? It was just on one of the articles that I pulled up with perplexity. It was like this last week. Well, my Speaker 3 (4:28) uncle and my dad, my dad became very entrepreneurial for a minute. You know, he worked in a place called Weyerhaeuser, which is like a mill. So it was very, you know, blue collar, labor based work. My grandpa was a logger. So like, you know, real tough, hardworking family. Yeah. And my whole family was kind of like that. But my uncle, he was a little bit more of a rebel, you know, rebel. And eventually my dad started to become more entrepreneurial and he had a pizza parlor and a tavern and a little like local newspaper. And we were starting to get somewhere. And he partnered with my uncle in the tavern. And apparently a guy came in, got drunk, went out and crashed his motorcycle and sued us. And my uncle, to save a little money, had let the insurance lapse. So this is the story I was told. I've never really asked my uncle, is that true? I just, you know, that's what we were told. So long story short, they let the, they let the insurance lapse and to save a little money and someone sure enough, you know, they needed the insurance, didn't have it. So basically took my dad and just bankrupted his ass. Well, after that. He just kind of gave up and went back to blue collar and never became entrepreneurial again. But I was witness to it. Speaker 3 (5:56) I think Speaker 1 (5:57) maybe, I don't know, I've never really thought about it, but maybe that's where I get it from. Well, that's what, when I was reading about it, I was like, I wonder if this is where the beginnings of your entrepreneurial sort of things, like where, you know, in life you can have setbacks and you can, you know, as my dad always said, it's like in your losses or in when you're on your back looking up, you find out how bad you want something. You find out. Um, and, or through my dad would say through my failures and my, you're going to learn things to, of how you're going to succeed in life. And there's things in, in, in life for me that have happened that I didn't know at the time, but later on, I'm like, oh damn, that was, I learned so much in that time that prepared me for what's coming next. Um, yeah, well, you know, Speaker 3 (6:47) I don't think watching my dad build those businesses. really had any effect. When I think back on what happened, what had the major effect on me was I was told to get a real job. So I went out, put my application into the Weyerhaeuser mill and all these blue collar type places. And I got, believe it or not, a job with the forest service. So they were paying me to go up and what I thought was fight forest fires. And so I ran around thinking, you know, I'm going to be cool and, you know. forest fighter or forest firefighter. That sounds macho. So I showed up one day and, and it wasn't really glamorous at all. It was, it was a bottom of the totem pole. It was called a piss bag operator, which is basically, it was a big bag of water you would put on your back and then you would squirt the stumps that were smoldering. So the fire didn't reignite. And, and, and so really I'm just, you know, in the back with, with the. bag of water squirting stumps. And it was very difficult going up and down mountains. And, you know, it was smoky and dusty and it was just a miserable job. And then I got poison oak. So I went up to the guy and said, Hey, I can't come in. I got poison oak. And he basically opened his shirt and his whole body was covered in poison oak. And he just said, he just said, dude, that's part of the job. And I'm like, dude, are you kidding me? And he's like, no, you, you're going to get poison oak doing this. Obviously there's. poison oak out there. So I'm like, pass. I quit. And so when I quit, everybody said I was stupid. My whole blue collar family with the blue collar mindset said, dude, you're, you're, you're, you better get another job. So I opened up a newspaper and I found a job that was for selling cars. So I went in and applied, got the job and I was supposed to wear a suit. Well, I don't know if you like suits, but dude. You look bad ass in suits. So, so ultimately I'm in a suit. I go to the job the first day, fricking, they tell me to go pick out a car. And I'm like, what do you mean? They're like, you get a car. When you sell cars, you get a car to drive. It's called the demo. And it was, there was a whole row of trans amps, brand new trans amps. And to keep in mind, I'm Speaker 2 (9:01) a Speaker 3 (9:01) young kid. There's brand new trans amps. I can't afford any of them. And I get one. Because I worked there and I'm thinking in my head, damn, they want you to have poison oak. These guys want you to have a Trans Am, dude. There's no, it's not, you don't need to be a freaking brain surgeon to figure that out. So I'm like, dude, I like this. And that people were coming into the car lot looking for cars. It wasn't like I had to find customers. They were coming to us. And all I had to do was sit there and open them up and be nice. And so I started, and I started making money. Like my first two weeks there, I made six grand. in two weeks. And, and like the whole fire crew was not making six grand a month, let alone in two weeks. So I just said, wow, dude, this is the job. Got to wear a suit, drove trans-ams, making all kinds of money. This was heaven to me. So I just stayed in sales. And fortunately, you know, sales is one of those skills that you can take into any occupation and life. So I really got good at being able to sell and, and close. And then I, learned resilience and and and how to handle objection and you know how to build conversational skills etc but at the end of the day i think that's what literally kind of got me into the more entrepreneurial mindset was commission only sales yeah Speaker 1 (10:20) did you i was reading the thing did it say that you were you wanted to be an actor and you had got cast in a movie that um just before went to camera They gave the part back to the producer's son. I was going through that this morning. Was that at the store? Speaker 3 (10:35) Yeah. Speaker 1 (10:36) So you get cast in a movie and the producer's son was in rehab or something. And then what happens? This is bananas. Speaker 3 (10:49) Well, when I was younger, I was in a Levi's commercial and I was on Knotts Landing and I was always. Speaker 1 (10:55) Good Speaker 3 (10:55) looking dude, bro. Come on, let's go. Well, I was always like. kind of doing extra work. And so I always wanted to be a movie star. And so. I just, you know, auditioned for a few movies and got the part. And it was the leading role in a movie. And three days before production, the owner's son or the producer's son got out of a drug rehab and they brought me in and basically gave him my part. And so ultimately, you know, it never worked out. But yeah, that was what I was going to be as a movie star. Speaker 1 (11:27) And you at that point, it seemed that... Had that realization that the people that write the checks, those are the people that control. Make the decision. And it was that, we would say another form of sort of time in your life. You're like, ah, this is, this is where I need to point the ship. Because as a guy that makes a living as an actor, prior to getting on the other side of the camera. I was really like, when I started to see that, it's like, it's the guy that writes the check is he, you know, he, who holds the pen, uh, is, is the most powerful person. And in order to really have, you know, be independent or make what you want, you have to be able to have that power, which is, it's, it's such a different road because as artists and stuff, you're like, Oh, I want to do it for the art. Which at the end of the day is starving artists is a real term. Yeah, I didn't want to do it Speaker 3 (12:19) for the art. I wanted to do it for the fame, the attention, the money, the treatment. I mean, dude, I just wanted to be famous because, you know, paparazzi and everybody's screaming. And I was on a couple of movie sets, you know, at one point, I forget how old I was, but young. I went down to California and I would sneak into Universal Studios by just walking. by the security gate like I belong there. Yeah. So as soon as I was past the security gate, dude, you're on the lot. You're at Universal Studios. So I just started checking studio doors and I'd open up the Speaker 1 (12:54) door. Are Speaker 3 (12:54) you serious? Yeah, and I'd open up the door and I'd walk in and I'd be on the set of, you know. a show that you would see and, you know, there would be just actors walking around and like directors walking around. And I was just walking around like I belonged there, but I snuck in literally off Lancashire Boulevard. Yeah. Speaker 1 (13:11) Yeah. I used to live right there. I used to live right just off Lancashire. Yeah. Well, there's, Speaker 3 (13:15) there's, there's a bank right here. And then one of the gates to the studio right here. And then there was just people walking in and out. So I just walked by like I belong there and they didn't say a word. So anyway, one time I came out of a studio and there was a tram going by filled with fricking, you know, onlookers and they all started screaming and I'm like, dude, I was just eating it up. And then I was on a set of a movie in, in, uh, Washington once where. Everybody freaked out and acted like I was somebody, even though I was nobody. But, you know, I enjoyed the attention. So I wanted to be famous just because of the attention and the treatment that celebrities Speaker 1 (13:57) got. I mean, it's a part of the job that can be really fun. And then there's that other side, too, that you're just like, what the fuck have I got myself into? Of that anonymity and whatnot that you... Speaker 1 (14:12) search for but it's also too there's people that have they get their moment of fame or get their opportunity and they squander it they just they throw it away they don't use it for a good platform or you just get these other actors or whatnot that just drive me nuts where they just they stand on ceremony way too much and it's like guys we wear makeup okay we play pretend nobody wants to hear from us it's like just hit your mark cash your check and go home Well, you know, there's people do that every Speaker 3 (14:44) day in life. You know, we have opportunities every day and we squander those. It doesn't always have to be this massive opportunity that people squander. They squandered the day. Yeah. So like, if you think about it, I always tell people, listen, if I handed you a million dollars, how would you feel? And they're like, oh man, that would be crazy. You know, how would you feel? You know, oh, I'd feel relief. I'd feel enthusiasm. I'd feel freaking unbelievable pressure lift off me. And I say, well, if I told you I'd give you a million, but you can't wake up tomorrow, would you take it? And they're like, absolutely not. And I say, well, then how come you don't act like that every day you wake up? Because if you think about it, waking up is worth more than a million dollars. A hundred percent. So you're getting it every single morning, but you squander that opportunity. You wake up, you choose to be in a bad mood. People say, well, it's not my choice. See, again, this is where people get it wrong. It all boils down to what's called free will, right? We were given a gift by God to be able to choose. So the choice itself is the whole game. When I wake up, I can choose what I call heavenly energy or earthly energy. Heavenly energy is what you would imagine would be in heaven. Gratitude, joy, love, happiness, you know, enthusiasm, excitement, you know, just. Oh, heaven or earthly energy. That's the envy and the greed and the, you know, conflict and the confusion and the opposite. Well, if you have a choice and you do, why would you ever choose to operate in earthly energy? If the opposite of earthly energy. is available because people are unaware that it's just a choice. They have victim mentality. They say, well, it's not a choice. You don't, you don't get to determine how you feel. And that's where I'm like, guys, yes, you do. You can choose gratitude or you can choose fricking, you know, anger. You can choose to be in a, a kind person. You can choose generosity. You can choose, you know, confidence. You don't have to choose. anger and depression and uncertainty, but people are angry and depressed and uncertain. Why? Well, some and most will blame, which is victim mentality. They'll blame some outside factor. You can get somebody in the exact same situation and one of them's excited and one of them's depressed over the same situation. So how is it possible? It's not the situation. It's the perspective. It's how are you looking at it? I used to be pissed off. I couldn't afford new shoes until I met a man with no feet. You know, I could literally be in a worse position almost all the time. I was on a podcast once and I was telling him my story where I went to L.A. to be a movie star and I ended up on the beach homeless. It was only for a couple weeks. It was by choice. nonetheless, I was homeless. And he goes, well, brother, how did it feel when you hit rock bottom? And I'm, I always try to answer truthfully and just tell them what I think. So I had to sit there for a minute and I'm trying to think, you know, how did it feel to hit rock bottom? And I said, I don't think I've ever hit rock bottom. And he goes, what do you mean, dude? You were homeless. Yeah. And I said, yeah, but it was a beach. Like, It was homeless on a beach. Like, yeah, people pay to be there. Yeah. And then he's like, oh, man, what an incredible perspective. And I'm thinking to myself, is it really incredible or is it just obvious? Speaker 1 (18:31) Yeah. Well, it's crazy, too. It's like you think about it actually takes more effort to be angry. Like it takes more muscles in your face to frown than it does to smile. And that's what my mom would always say. You have to put more energy into being. angry than it is to just to be happy. And a big part of my life changed. Like when my dad had passed away, I was super, super tight with my dad. And after he passed, I was just angry at God, angry at the world because I lost my best friend. And we, I was very lucky to have the relationship that I had with him. And he, the. Speaker 1 (19:07) One of my best friends already, he said, AJ, like you got to start doing, you're hard to be around right now because everything is negative. And he said, I need you to each morning just write 10 things down that you're happy about, that you're grateful for. And he goes, and as soon as you're done, then say it out loud. And once I started doing that and recognizing sort of programming my brain to start thinking positive, everything started to change. And he's like, I don't care if you talk about the grass, I don't care if you talk about like your shoes, I'm grateful for this. built it into your DNA in the morning instead of waking up and complaining about Speaker 2 (19:39) everything because Speaker 1 (19:39) he's like no one wants to be around you right now because you're just being negative and I didn't know I was in this tailspin and then once I sort of broke the cycle of writing positive things down and I was doing it reluctantly I was like I'm happy for this I'm happy but then all of a sudden I was like oh actually I am happy for Speaker 3 (19:54) that and Speaker 1 (19:54) it really really changed my outlook on some things dude I just googled you yeah Speaker 3 (20:06) I had no idea, dude. Listen, A, when you said you're an actor, I'm like, actor? Like, what has he been in? So I'm looking this up. Is this you, Sonny Quinn and SEAL Team? Yeah. Adam Ross, CSI New York, Danny Crowe, Justified. Dude, Justified was one of my favorite freaking shows of all time. Yeah, Speaker 1 (20:24) I Speaker 3 (20:24) played Danny Crowe, man. Dude, the 21 foot rule. Speaker 1 (20:28) I was thinking Speaker 3 (20:30) like actor, what do you have some little freaking parts? Like, dude, you're a real actor. Yeah. That's what I make my Speaker 1 (20:35) limit. Dude, that's crazy. I love that you just figured it out. That makes this even way better. I'm like, it's so great. You're like, who did my, who did my team book this bum I'm talking to? The AJ Buckley show. What is going on here? That is funny. Speaker 3 (20:52) Because when you were saying it, I'm like, who is this guy? I got to chat EPT his ass. Dude, that is hilarious. So it was being famous, you know. or an actor, I should say, was it as fun as it seems? Cause like, dude, I'm not, I haven't, I haven't given up one of these days. See, when I found this out about losing that role and I realized, oh, it's the dude that's making the money that makes the decisions. So I went and I, and by the way, you know, that was a guy named Mark