The Inspiring Odyssey of a Gen Z Leader through a Pandemic Landscape

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Healthy, Wealthy and Wise podcast with Dr William Chokta, MDJD. Our mission is to empower you with the knowledge and the tools you need to thrive in all aspects of your life. Join us now as we discuss everything from nutrition and exercise to money management and personal growth. Dr Chokta will provide insightful advice on how to improve your physical and financial health, as well as your emotional and mental well-being. Whether you're looking to boost your energy levels, unlock financial freedom or cultivate a more positive mindset, we've got you covered.

0:41 Get ready to become the best version of yourself? So let's get started. Here's Dr William Chokta, MDJD. Speaker 2: Welcome to the Healthy, wealthy and Wise podcast. I'm delighted to have you with us today, and today we have a very unique topic. We're going to talk about leadership, and we're going to talk about a number of issues, but we're going to talk about it from a unique perspective. We're going to interview a very outstanding and dynamic young man by the name of Vincent. Vincent is 17 years old and he's a member of that Gen Z group that we hear so much about. I'm the favorite of Vincent. I'm the extreme, but one of the things I have learned is that the Gen Z individuals have a unique perspective on life, and not only is their perspective on life unique, we can all benefit just from talking to each other and exchanging ideas. So this is the thrill, the surprise, the gem that we have for you today. As always, I like to start off with my beliefs. I believe that life is about being of service to other people. I believe knowledge is power. I believe leaders can change the world. This is part of our masterclass series, these podcasts, and basically it has to do with healthcare, it has to do with education and has to do with

2:14 spirituality. One of the areas that we're going to dev into is the education area and how that has impacted us individually and indirectly. And so we're going to talk about education from the perspective of our interviewee today, vincent, and have him just sort of bring us up today with what's going on and how things have developed in his life. He's at a very unique flexion point in his life and we're going to have him talk about that and how he got there, what he's learned and what he's doing to move on. As always, we'd like to give you an outline , and the outline is that we're going to introduce Vincent to you shortly. We're going to talk about leadership. In addition to that, some of the challenges that he's gone through, certainly in terms of the COVID period. We're going to talk about soccer, which is one of the loves of his life, and how that is important to his development and how that has helped him, and about his outlook and his plans for the future. As I said, we all know that the Gen Z is a unique generation, and a couple of things that have been said about this generation is that they tend to be the lonelier generation. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I think part of it means that they have not had a privilege of the socialization that a lot of us sort of grew up with, and so

3:44 they tend to use their phones and their computers and insulate themselves and calm themselves and learn in ways that a lot of us, certainly back in the baby boom generation, did not learn. One of the other issues that's said about the Gen Z generation is that they are more diverse and they're more comfortable with diversity and those of us back in the baby boomers and others who've struggled and fought the wars and this, and that the Gen Z folks don't worry about that a lot. They just sort of go with the flow, and that's a good thing and that's something that I think that we can all learn about in terms of what we have to do and that sort of thing. Thank you issue that came up when I did some research was that they are also very concerned about their mental health, which I found interesting and to some extent, unique. So, not to spend too much more time, let's go ahead and get into it, let's get right on it. So, benson, why don't you tell us who you are and how old you are and what state you live in?

5:00 Speaker 3: I live in the state of California, I am 17 years old and I am going into my senior year of high school. Speaker 2: Okay, you go into your senior year of high school. Were there any things that you learned? Well, let me back up. Has your journey to your senior year of high school been easy or has it been hard? It's been challenging. What are some of those challenges? Speaker 3: For. The first one is COVID. Speaker 2: How was that a challenge for you? Speaker 3: It was a challenge, because I'll do middle school.

5:46 That's when COVID really started to come up. Okay, yeah. So I mean we thought that for stream break we were going to get two weeks off or three weeks off because COVID was rising, ended up turning into two and a half years of no in Persian school. Speaker 2: Two and a half years. So how did you adjust to that? Speaker 3: So some kids can agree with me, some kids will not. I feel like throughout my eighth grade year coming into my high school, my freshman year, and we were all online and it was hard but easy, because for me, I had more distractions in school than at home but at the same time, I had the ability to pick and choose when I could do my schooling at home. Vice versa , if I would go to school, I'd have that time set where I'd have to go to this class at this time, I'd have to do homework at this time, or so, on and so forth, so you had more flexibility. Basically, yeah, oh , okay. And I feel like a lot of kids take advantage of that and got their classes done, and a lot of kids didn't take advantage of that and that resulted into kids losing credit to their freshman and sophomore

7:17 year because they didn't fulfill the requirements they needed to. Okay, okay so what? Speaker 2: so from an academic point of view, do you think COVID or the pandemic and being out of school that created time where you had to do everything on zoom? I guess? What was that? A plus or minus for you? Speaker 3: Both because well, let's get into the pluses I was more focused, I was more dedicated into getting good grades because I mean I wouldn't want to not graduate because I missed credits my freshman year. A negative component of that was there was a lot of issues with the computers and a lot of issues with the, say, the internet. Say, basically, your class rely on the internet and if the internet went out, I mean you can't do your class. So I feel like also that's why a lot of kids struggled, because maybe they didn't have an internet and they couldn't go to school or didn't have good internet.

8:21 Yeah, good, okay, okay. Speaker 2: So did you have good internet? Oh yeah, I could do. Okay good, how did you deal with not being around your friends and that sort of thing? Was that a plus or a minus, or how did you adjust to that? Speaker 3: To be honest, it was a plus because it was a transition to a grade to high school. So in middle school, I feel like that's when kids start to, I guess, develop into their own selves and start exploring more, because I mean, you're basically graduating from elementary to middle school and I feel like middle school is where you really get to experience that change of getting six, seven classes a day , getting six, seven different teachers, having to do PE, having to do hardcore PE for the first time. Okay, yeah, and I feel like my friends were a bad influence on me. In what way?

9:24 Smoking gangs, all that. So as soon as I was isolated from that environment, I mean I found new friends that can provide a better environment. Speaker 2: Interesting. So it was a plus because it allows you to separate from the present group that was there at the school and gave you the opportunity to just look at alternative associations, and that was a plus for you. It was a plus for me. Excellent, excellent, what? Have you been involved in any type of leadership at your school or related to your school and, if so, tell me about that.

10:05 Speaker 3: I'd say I was captain of my varsity soccer team for about three years now. Speaker 2: Okay, and how did that come about? Speaker 3: Freshman year Everyone. If you're going into high school freshman year, no matter how good you are, you're going to start at JV. Speaker 2: As junior varsity. Speaker 3: Yeah, you're going to start at JV for your freshman year. Okay, all students, I don't care how good you are, you're going to start at JV, okay. Okay, you're going to start at JV, but maybe as the year progresses, you get bumped up. If you're good enough, okay, I'm going to start at JV for the freshman year. I'm good, energy and I bring the competitiveness to the game. Okay, and I feel like not a lot of players on my team had that drive to win. It was like. It is what it is if we lose, like, no , like.

11:13 Speaker 2: And why do you think you have that drive with that competitiveness? Speaker 3: Because I honestly feel like I get it from my grandpa and my dad to be honest, my mom too I feel like that's just my family. I mean, we, if we're going to do something, we do it well, okay, and we strive for the best. So I believe that that's a reason. Speaker 2: Okay, okay, okay. Have you ever? What would you say, you learned in just sticking with the COVID for it, right? What was your biggest lesson that you learned during the COVID time, during those few years that you, you know you couldn't go into the classroom and that sort of thing that you think will help you, you know, as you continue on your journey as an adult?

12:05 Speaker 3: I feel like the lesson was if you don't work for it, you won't get to where you're going to be at, for instance. Like for an example I mean I could barely do 20 juggles in the backyard starting out when I first got back into soccer and now I can do 100 easy . So what? What is a? Speaker 2: juggle For those of us who are not a soccer player. Speaker 3: Basically, if how you juggle with your hands, you juggle with your feet. Oh, okay, so okay. Speaker 2: Yeah, so your skill, your physical skills, that improve significantly.

12:45 Speaker 3: But also my mental skill, because, I mean, my coach is a pretty wise man. He told me that it's all about the mindset and the dedication to get you to where you want to be at, and I feel like, with all the adversities that are faced and the Bumper that I've gone past, I'm fulfilling the requirements to achieve my dream , which is to put major league soccer, or typically college soccer, okay, okay. Speaker 2: And that makes sense. And one of the things that we've said repeatedly on these podcasts is that what you believe affects how you think and what you think affects how you feel and how you feel affects how you act. But I found it extraordinarily interesting that it's 17, that you sort of figured that out, and I think, again, this may be something else that's exemplary of you, gen Zers. Yeah, and I think that you you recognize the importance of that and by starting with the most important area first, in other words, your mindset that a lot of these other things blow and they blow more easily or more effectively for you than some of the rest of us that sort of struggle with more and more things to be concerned about. Why is it that you like soccer? Is it unique about soccer or, as compared to other sports, for you?

14:07 Speaker 3: Well, I think it's can argue that I mean some of the just football, baseball et cetera, so forth. But I feel like soccer is really been a big part of my life since I've grew up on it. I've played it since I was four, four and a half. My mistake was was I took a break for about eight or eight or nine years. I took a break for a long time because I mean like I kind of didn't believe myself as little. I was like I stopped playing at 10. So about seven, no, about, yeah, about seven years. To be honest, like when I started getting back into it, it was just like the drive and the love of the game again and the passion of the game that really got me to love the game again or love it more than I used to. And with all the the positiveness around me I mean my dad mentoring me every day before I joined the Barça club I mean it was just a good experience. And now, since I've gone through that and I mean I don't know, it was just a crazy experience because I mean, compared to when I was 14, barely starting now, I mean it's

15:40 just been a crazy, crazy life story, to be honest. Speaker 2: Well, let me ask you this what would you say is your greatest talent or skill that you've developed over time? Speaker 3: I'd say two of my greatest talents and skills are being able to take things in and letting things go. To be honest , from, say other people are like. Also my ability to control my emotions. Okay, because when I was little I would have angered issues, anger management classes and all that. To be honest, I don't think it really helped me, but I feel like since COVID since I doubled it on my own and I learned to control it on my own, it was just like a way for things to just settle down and for me to calm down. Okay. But yeah, and another skill is, I mean, my soccer journey. To be honest, that's one of the things I'm most proud of, okay.

16:58 Speaker 2: You know it's interesting when you said not let things bother you. I have as part of my basic principles don't sweat the small stuff, and most stuff is small Coming to the same conclusion that you've come to that most of the things that aggravate you or upset you or whatever are really not as big a deal as you think they are At least not at the time and that what you'll find is you just let them go and put it in perspective and it's not that big a deal. Okay, excellent, think about it. What's a good academic subject that inspires you? You know of the subjects that you're taking, so let me ask you what is your GPA?

17:41 Speaker 3: My GPA is a tool coming from my junior GPA this past school year, or was it? Speaker 2: 3.8? 3.8, okay, what is a particular subject or class that you've taken that really inspires you, that you really like? Speaker 3: Well, it's just kind of a class that I'm going to take, okay, all right, coming into my senior year. Okay, I'm really interested and I think it's going to change my perspective on how I see things. Is AP Psychology? Speaker 2: AP Psychology. Ron, congratulations for taking an AP class. That's always good in high school. I remember that.

18:21 But what is it that fascinates you about psychology? Speaker 3: I want to know, or want to be able to understand, how the different parts of the human might think and what components of the brain allow us to think that way. Speaker 2: Okay, Okay, In terms of the and why. What is that fascinacy In terms of the human body and that sort of thing Overall. Speaker 3: I mean, I would want to pursue in the medical field and I would want to be some type of doctor in the future. So I feel like AP Psychology gives me that kind of kickstart.

19:02 Speaker 2: So you're interested in going into medicine. Yes, oh, that's always good. That's always good. We certainly like that. Yeah, always good. Another question, and I'm just randomly asking these things what are you passionate about? Listen, john, what? Speaker 3: are you passionate about what bars you up? What excites you. To be honest, I feel like Bakri, yes, but also like working out by myself. Okay , explain that. I mean it's just like kind of like a therapy, like going out for a run or like doing something by yourself that just like like just gets you to feel like I guess gives you a dope, new rush of feeling good, like feeling refreshed. I mean, you did this by yourself.

20:08 When you say you didn't want to do it and you still did it, that's also a mindset thing. That's something that I learned that even if you don't want to do it and you still do the thing that you don't want to do, it will pay off again. Speaker 2: Well, it's interesting, there are a lot of professional athletes talk about that in terms of that mindset, even just individuals who exercise a lot, in terms of the mental health benefit of exercise. Yeah, you know, and you mentioned accomplishments, you know you don't want to do it , you know, but then you do it anyway. Then, after you do it, you feel better, and those of us in the health care field we call that therapy. That, indeed, is a type of therapy and it's something worth continuing to keep us healthy, wealthy and wise, as we like to say. What would you say is your biggest strength and what would you say is your biggest weakness?

21:04 Speaker 3: Oh, academically or just in general. Just in general , I'd say, my biggest weakness is, I'd say, like academically is math. Okay, well, academically is math. I'd say my biggest achievement is learning how to understand math in a way that it's just a formula that you need to master. Likewise, soccer is just a formula. Speaker 2: You need to master. If that makes sense, it does make sense and what I like about it is that you took your weakness and made it in a strength, that I would argue that if you have a weakness that you know of and you're able to attack that weakness and convert it or change it or modify it so that it is less of a weakness and more of a strength, that's a huge achievement. Thank you again for listening to our very unique, healthy, wealth and Wise podcast today. This is the first time that we've interviewed a Gen Z member and one of the things that a number of things we've learned one is that even at age 17, members of the Gen Z generation have learned how to take adversity and turn it into a strength, and that's clearly something that we can all do when things happen in our respective lives. Interestingly, I found that when

22:35 listening to someone doing COVID, particularly those in junior high school and high school we hear the downside about how it's difficult for students and how the grades have dropped. It's good to remember, like Vincent, that some of these students actually did better with a more organized, a slower, a more restricted, a more controlled environment that they were. They were able to take control of their circumstances, and I think it's important to understand that Gen Z is different from the rest of us, not to mention the fact of their dependence and use and integration, if you will, of technology, and that includes the artificial intelligence, chatbot technology, for it's the Gen Z generation that would be the first generation, among others, to take that into our colleges and universities when they begin to enroll in the next two to three years. Thank you again for being with us today and have a wonderful day.

23:45 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Healthy, wealthy and Wise podcast with Dr William Chokhtong MDJD. We hope you enjoyed this episode. In fact, if you found this episode helpful, you can support and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform with the keywords Dr William Chokhtong, and you'll find it very quickly. Also, subscribing helps ensure that you don't miss any future episodes. And then take the next step of action and share it with your family, friends and or your co-workers. They'll be glad you did so. Until the next time, live your best possible life the best possible way. You've been listening to the Healthy, wealthy and Wise podcast with Dr William Chokhtong MDJD.