Faith Over Fear: Governor Wes Moore on Service, Patriotism & Moral Leadership

Mick Unplugged

Governor Wes Moore shares his personal journey from hardship to leadership, emphasizing how service saved him and shaped his values. He disc

Key takeaways

• Service is not just an act but a transformative force that can save individuals from adversity.
• True leadership is about lifting others as you climb, not individual achievement.

Main topics

• Service as a life-saving force
• Faith vs. fear in patriotism

Notable quotes

"Service saved me."

"The only things that are worth it is stuff you actually have to work for."

Conclusion

Governor Wes Moore's journey underscores that leadership rooted in ser

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) I'm probably the most improbable governor in this country. I'm a kid who watched my dad die in front of me when I was three years old. I had handcuffs on my wrist by the time I was 11. I joined the army at 17 years old. I graduated from a two-year college, and I now serve as the 63rd governor of the state of Maryland. But the reason that I'm here is because there were people who saw me there before I saw myself. Speaker 1 (0:27) Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to, I usually say another exciting episode of Make Unplugged, but today I'm going out there and I'm being honest and I'm saying this is the most important conversation that I've ever had. You know, almost 300 episodes, 300 guests, but the man that I'm talking to today has inspired me. Someone who's the same age as me, has roots to where I live. You all know him as... the best governor in these United States, but I know him as one of the best leaders that our country's ever seen. A leader of men, a leader of humans, and just a leader of the great state of Maryland. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm honored to bring to you Governor Wes Moore. Governor Moore, how you doing today, brother? Speaker 2 (1:14) Nick, listen, I cannot tell you how much, how excited I am right now, how much I appreciate you. And, and, and listen, I think one of the things I'm, I'm really inspired by you by is there's, it's one thing to be successful. It's another thing to be relevant. Um, you've been successful. I mean, you have been able to hit the tops in so many different spaces and, you know, in business. And, and I mean, like you, you know, sold two businesses. I mean, that's just like, this is wild, but it's the relevancy. Speaker 1 (1:48) It's Speaker 2 (1:49) the then turning it and doing things that you can say, listen, we can both lift as we climb and making sure that we are not leaving people behind, which is our mantra here in the state of Maryland. So this is an honor for me, man. It really is. So thank you. Speaker 1 (2:03) I'm the honor one. I look at it like you allow the blueprint for people like me to do what we do. You inspire so many people. And a lot of what I do, man, it's because. I've seen how you do it. And I said in the opener, we're the same age. So to see someone who's so impactful and at like all the things that you do, you just inspire me to push too, bro. Thank you, man. Thank you. Speaker 2 (2:27) Yes, sir. The Speaker 1 (2:28) fact Speaker 2 (2:28) we're the same age means I got work to do. Speaker 1 (2:30) No, I'm trying to catch up. I'm trying to catch up. But speaking of that, man, like I always ask my guests this question about what's your because. Speaker 1 (2:41) That thing that's deeper than your why. I call it your true passion. And for me to ask you this question is so surreal. To understand your because, that deeper than your why. Like, why does Governor Moore continue to do all the dynamic things in the state of Maryland and in all the communities that you're a part of, man? Like, what's your because? Why do you keep doing the things that you do? Speaker 2 (3:09) I'd say. It's because service saved me. Speaker 2 (3:16) Because I have people who, I mean, like, listen, and I tell people that I'm probably the most improbable governor in this country. You know, I'm a kid who watched my dad die in front of me when I was three years old because he didn't get the health care that he needed. That, you know, my mother did not get her first job that gave her benefits after my dad died until I was 14 years old. That I had handcuffs to my wrist by the time I was 11. Speaker 2 (3:44) Because we grew up in a community that was over-policed and we knew it. I joined the army at 17 years old. I went to, I graduated from a two-year college. And I now serve as the 63rd governor of the state of Maryland. And I think to myself where it's like, but the reason that I'm here is because there were people who saw me there before I saw myself. Like there are people who were willing to. And people who are, whether it was coaches and ministers and teachers and aunties and uncles and like, you know, people who just were willing to sacrifice for the hope of me. And I take that very seriously where, you know, I think about the work that we do in Maryland. I think about the fact we made Maryland the first state in the country that has a service year option for all of our high school graduates. I think about this work because I know that service will save us. Because service saved me. Speaker 1 (4:43) Wow. That's why you are who you are, man. Like that right there, you talk about service saving you. And, you know, I know the story of you. Trying to leave, right? Trying to leave service for a little bit. Talk about that full circle moment of, you know, the importance of service to you now. Speaker 2 (5:08) Yeah, it is true because like I was I was sent to a military school when I was 13 years old. And people always like, you know, no. why did you choose to go to military school? I'm like, yo, to be clear, no one chooses to go to military school. We all, we all get, we all get chose to go to military school. And, uh, and in those first days, like I was very clear, like, I don't want to be here. I'm not going to be here. And so in, you know, in the first, I think four days I ran away five times from the school and I would just keep on trying to run away. And finally they found me in the middle of the woods. Because they drove me a map on how to get to the train station. But the map was fake. The map literally took me to the middle of nowhere. They just enjoyed watching a flashlight make circles. And they were getting a laugh out of it. And when I got a chance to talk to my mom, she told me she was like, and this was like, this is, you know, Mick, it's wild. This was like one o'clock in the morning. Speaker 1 (6:02) And Speaker 2 (6:02) so I called my mom. And technically, I wasn't allowed to use the phone. But they said, you're allowed to make one phone call. And I called her. And I was like, Mom, I'm ready to go home. Can you come get me? All that kind of stuff. And she says to me, she's like, too many people have sacrificed in order for you to be there. And you have to understand it's not all about you. Speaker 2 (6:21) And I'd be lying if I said anything changed that night because it didn't. But eventually I began to understand what she was talking about. And I got close to my plea brothers, the people who I was there with. And they gave me a little bit of rank and a little bit of responsibility. So it actually felt good to be in charge of something. And by the end of the first year, I said, if it's okay, I'd like to sit tight. And I ended up, you know, staying there throughout my high school career. But it was definitely something where it didn't happen overnight. And that's why I always tell people, like, nothing worthwhile comes easy to you. The stuff that comes easy is usually never worth it. The only things that are worth it is stuff you actually have to work for. But it was one of the most important decisions I made when I actually chose to actually put in the work. Amazing, bro. Speaker 1 (7:08) Amazing. You know, I have to give you some kudos and some flowers right here. I'm going to try not to get emotional about it because you mean this much to me. And I call this segment the unplugged truth. And this is my unplugged truth for you right here. This year, we celebrate 250 years of American independence, right? I watched on 4th of July the top three greatest speeches I've ever heard in my life. Wow. And it was Governor Westmore. I'm for whatever reason, I'm not even going to lie and say I was seeking it out. But, you know, like I'm flipping through and I'm on C-SPAN and I see you announce that you're about to do this speech. And I have so many notes here on that speech because I'm with family. You know, we're in the South, got the grill, got the smoker going, maybe got some spades going on over here in the corner. Speaker 2 (8:14) But everybody that Speaker 1 (8:15) I'm with, and it's like 25, 30 people, we all paused everything that we were doing because it was one of the most dynamic speeches in the history of speeches that I've ever heard, man. And so you talked about the work of patriotism. And there's so many quotes that I have, but one of the things that stood out to me was you said that faith is in the foundation of patriotism. And I was so moved. For like 15, 20 minutes, man. Like when you were finished. I wish I would have recorded it for you. Everybody that was in the house stood up clapping. I had uncles that had tears in their eyes, man. Like, bro, that was one of the greatest speeches I ever heard in my life. And I'd love to just, one, I'm giving you your flowers for that. But talk to us about the work of patriotism, man, and like how all of us are a part of it. I'm not even going to give the speech away, but like just talk to us about that. Speaker 2 (9:13) I can't tell you enough how much that means to me, man. Sincerely, thank you. Speaker 1 (9:18) And, you Speaker 2 (9:19) know, when I first decided to do