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

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. Get ready to become the best version of yourself? So let's get started. Here's Dr William Chokta, MDJD.

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 baby boomer, so 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 and, 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 health care, it has to do with education and has to do with spirituality. One of the areas that we're going to delve 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 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. Another 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, vincent, why don't you tell us who you are and how old you are and what state you live in?

I live in the state of California, I am 17 years old and I'm going into my senior year of high school.

OK, you're going into your senior year of high school. Were there any things that you've 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?

For. The first one is COVID.

And how was that a challenge for you?

It was a challenge because I'll do middle school, I mean well, my eighth grade year, that's when COVID really started to in 2020, that's when it started to really come up, ok. And so I mean we thought that for stream break we were going to get two weeks off, or three weeks off, because they added another week because COVID was rising, ended up turning into two and a half years of no inversion school.

Two and a half years. So how did you adjust to that?

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 you 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 and I'd have to do homework at this time, or so on and so forth.

So you had more flexibility.

Basically yeah.

Ah, 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 year because they didn't fulfill the requirements they needed to. Okay, okay, sure.

So, from an academic point of view, do you think COVID, the pandemic and being out of school, that period of time where you had to do everything on Zoom, I guess, was that a plus or minus for you?

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 relied 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 it in it and they couldn't go to school or didn't have good internet. Yeah, good internet, okay, okay.

So did you have good internet? Oh yeah, I had good internet I could do it. Okay, good, how else did COVID? 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?

To be honest, it was a plus because it was a transition to grade two high school. So in middle school, I feel like that's when kids start to, I guess, develop into their own self 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. So yeah, and I feel like my friends were a bad influence on me. In what way? 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.

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.

I'd say I was captain of my varsity soccer team for about three years now.

Okay, and how did that come about?

Freshman year Everyone. If you're going into high school freshman year, no matter how good you are, you're going to start on JV as junior varsity. Yeah, you're going to start on JV for your freshman year. Okay, all students, I don't care how good you are, you're going to start on JV, okay, okay, maybe, well, you're going to start on JV, but maybe as the year progresses, you get bumped up if you're good enough, while you sleep. But I feel like, since I was, say, not a captain, but I would say I was a good representative for the team because I bring that Um, good energy, and I bring the competitiveness to the game. Okay, and I feel like not a lot of um, 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 and why do you think you have that drive with that competitiveness?

Because, um, I honestly feel like I get it from um, 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, um, we strive for the best, so I believe that that's a reason.

Okay, okay, okay. Have you ever, um, what, what would you say you learned in just sticking with the, with the COVID, for it? Right, what, what, what was your, what was your biggest lesson that you learned during the COVID time, doing those few years that you but out of you know, you couldn't go to into the classroom, and that sort of thing, um, that you think will help you, you know, as you continue on your journey as an adult.

Um, I feel like, um, the lesson was um, if you don't work for it, you won't get to where you're going to be at, for instance, like for. 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 juggle for those of us who are not?

Basically, if how you juggle with your hands, you juggle with your feet. Oh, okay, so okay.

Yeah.

So your skill, your physical skills, that improve significantly my physical skills improve significantly, but also my mental skill because, um, I mean, my coach is a pretty wise bet. 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 bumps in the road that I've gone past, um, I'm fulfilling the requirements to achieve my dream, which is to put major league soccer, or typically college soccer, okay, Okay.

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 figure that out, and I think, again, this may be something else that's exemplary of you, Jen Ziers, that that you, you recognize the importance of that and, uh, 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 um effectively for you than some of the rest of us that that sort of struggled with, with more and more things to be concerned about, why is it that you like soccer and what? What's unique about soccer or as compared to other sports, for you?

Um, well, I think it's can argue that I mean some of the just football, baseball, et cetera, so forth, um, but I feel like soccer has really been a big part of my life since I I've I've grew up on it. Um, I I've played it since I was four, four and a half. Um, what my mistake was was I took a break for about for about eight or eight or nine years. Um, I took a break for a long time because I mean, like I kind of didn't believe myself a little. I was like I was like I stopped playing at 10. So, um, about about seven, no, about, oh yeah, about seven years. Um, 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 to love the game again or love it more than I used to. And, um, with all the the positiveness around me I mean my dad mentoring me, um, every day before I joined the, the Barça club I mean it was just a good experience. And now, since I've I've gone through that and um, I mean I don't know, it was just the, it was just the crazy experience, cause, I mean, compared to when I was 14, barely starting now, I mean it's just been just been a crazy, crazy life stories to be on.

Well, let me ask you this what would you say is your greatest talent or skill that you've developed over time?

I'd say two of my greatest times 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, 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 dealt with it on my own and I learned to control it on my own, I mean 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 on, I mean my soccer journey. To be honest, that's one of the things I'm most proud of.

Okay, 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, okay, excellent, think about it. What's a good academic subject that inspires you? You know of the subjects that you're taking it, so let me ask you what is your GPA?

My GPA is a tool coming from my junior GPA this past school, or was it 3.8?

3.8,. Okay, what is a particular subject or class that you've taken that really inspires you, that you really like?

Well, this is 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?

AP Psychology One. Congratulations for taking an AP class. That's always good in high school. I remember that. But what is it that fascinates you about psychology?

I want to know, or want to be able to understand, how the different parts of the human mind think and what, what, what components of the brain allow us to think that way?

Okay, Okay, in terms of the and why, but what is that fascinatio? The human mind.

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.

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 just randomly asking these things that what are you passionate about, just in general, what it would?

Um. I'm passionate about.

I'm passionate Um what far is you up with what excites you?

To be honest, I feel like Bakri, yes, but also like like working out by myself, like, okay, explain that, because it's um, it's just like kind of like a therapy, like going out for a run or like, okay, doing something by yourself that just like Um, like just gets you to feel like I guess gives you a dope, new rush of feeling good, like like feeling refreshed. I mean, you did this by yourself. When you say you didn't want to do it and you still did it, um, 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.

Well, it's interesting that a lot of professional athletes talk about that in terms of that mindset, and even just individuals who exercise a lot, in terms of the mental health benefit of exercise. 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. Um, and those of us in the healthcare field, we call that therapy, but that that, indeed, is a type of therapy, uh, and it's something worth continuing to keep us, um, you know, healthy, wealthy and wise, as we like to say. Um, what, what would you say is your biggest strength and what would you say is your biggest weakness?

Um, academically or just in general. Just in general, um, I'd say my biggest weakness is, um. I'd say, like, academically is the math. Okay, well, academically is math. I'd say my biggest achievement is learning how to understand math in in a way that it's just a formula that you need to master. Likewise, soccer is just a formula.

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. You know that, 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. And to all of you, uh, be the change you want to see in the world. Have a great day.

Thanks for listening to the healthy, wealthy and wise podcast with Dr William Choctaw, mdjd. We hope you enjoyed this episode and, if you found it helpful, you can support and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. But the key words Dr William Choctaw, click on the, support the show and you've got it. This will also help ensure that you don't miss any future episodes. And then share this podcast with your family, friends and all your coworkers. They'll be glad you did and until the next time, live your best possible life the best possible way.