It is with pride and joy I present to you the 28th member of Team Do Good, the mighty Billy Jo Galeazzi. I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate Billy Jo here via Tampa Bless and Team Do Good. His willingness to participate in this feature is highly appreciated. And now, without further ado...
Name: Billy Jo Galeazzi
Place of birth: Iron Mountain, MI
Currently reside: Tampa, FL
Heritage: Yooper! Fun fact, Yooper was added to the dictionary in 2014.
Judging by the usage graph on Wikipedia, us Yoopers have really been taking off over the last 25 years.
Family: Wife Valentina and daughter Francesca.
Alma Mater: Central Michigan University
Occupation: Director of Operations at Cross Boss Media / Producer of Studio 3:16
Speaking of which...
Activities you organized or participated in related to helping others and uplifting humanity?
Cross Boss Media and our newest show Studio 3:16.
Cross Boss Media’s Mission is to provide children a genuinely entertaining secure place to encounter Christ in a way that inspires action.
Our newest show Studio 3:16 is about a high-spirited Christian recording artist, aided by unsuspecting collaborators, who must discover how Gospel passages are relevant today so he can reconcile his own shortcomings, keep his job, and teach kids about God through his music.
We just completed production of Season 1 and we will be releasing episodes starting on September 8th via studio316.com which launches the same day. At the same time, we will be working on producing Season 2!!
If you want to join along, Watch, Pay it Forward, and Share!
The Tampa Bless 12
1) Favorite pastime or hobby? Why? Please explain.
I like to start each day with my three favorite hobbies.
The 3 R’s - Reading, Rosary, and Running (working out)
You will find me doing these three things in order every morning. Honestly, at this point, it is more of an addiction. I don’t know how to start a day without doing all three, and if I don’t get it done, believe me, it isn't pretty. I get serious withdrawals.
Reading
You will find me reading and/or listening to each of the following every day: The Bible, The Wall Street Journal, and some type of non-fiction book related to what I am currently working on. The Bible is there to constantly keep me on the right path, The Wall Street Journal is always teaching current lessons of what is and isn't working in the world, and the books are always giving me a deep dive into a new subject.
Rosary
Honestly, I never thought I would be praying the Rosary. I always thought it was just something my Grandma and old people did. I had no idea that so many people prayed it. I used to be big into meditation and then I was introduced to the Rosary and I never looked back. It was a bit of an adjustment at first, but now I am obsessed. I have to thank Rob, Marya, and the Reynolds girls for training me up on it.
If you have never prayed the Rosary, or are struggling to learn it I highly recommend checking out Hallow. It is a great resource to start praying the Rosary, amongst many other things.
Running/Exercise
Lastly, you gotta love getting the blood flowing to start each day. To me running and exercising is not about the physical benefits, it is all about the mental benefits. There is just something special about the clarity you get from working out.
Bonus: Taking long walks with my daughter while we pray the Rosary. Once we finish I transition into listening to something on Audible. All three hobbies at once, the ultimate trifecta.
2) Favorite sport, team, or player? If not into sports, your favorite musician or album? Or answer one of each if you’d like or any combo. Please explain why for any one or more of the questions you answered.
Favorite Team - The Green Bay Packers Vince Lombardi was famously quoted in Jim Valvano’s Espy Speech, “Gentlemen, we’ll be successful this year if you can focus on three things, and three things only. Your family, your religion, and the Green Bay Packers.” I like to take that advice literally! I don’t really follow the NFL or football or any sport for that matter. But I do love watching the Packers play. I highly recommend watching the speech, I don’t think you will be disappointed. Side story about the Packers and the impact they have made on me. The Green Bay Packers have been in my life for as long as I can remember. I still watch old highlights of Brett Favre to this day and it never gets old. I try to embody Bretty Favre in the workplace today. If you didn’t know, there was a time when Brett Favre had the NFL record for most touchdown passes thrown and the most interceptions. The guy was tough, fearless, and enthusiastic to play every day. He reminds me of a Jeff Bezos quote I love, “When you swing, no matter how well you connect with the ball, the most runs you can get is four. In business, every once in a while, when you step up to the plate, you can score 1,000 runs.” If you were to switch up that quote and modify it for football and then think about Brett Favre, I am sure a lot of those touchdown passes scored a lot more than 6 points. We all make mistakes and screw up, but to have the confidence to keep firing away is remarkable. Go Pack Go!
3) Favorite movie? Why? Please explain.
You know, I don't really have a favorite movie, but I will say there are a few movies that when they are on TV I don’t change the channel, even during commercials. I don’t have cable anymore, so maybe they don’t play these anymore, but when they did, these were the ones.
Forrest Gump
Shawshank Redemption
Any Star Wars Movie
The Matrix
Any of The Mummy movies
And National Treasure
Random list, I know. 4) Favorite place (country, city, town, etc…) you have visited and why?
I love Texas! I was there for a few years living in San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas and there is just something great about that State.
The people, the culture, the cities, and the outdoor life are top-notch. There is this Texas pride that is contagious.
If I had to think back to a few things I would want to do again
Float the San Marcos River from Don's Fish Camp
Eat at Salt Lick BBQ outside of Austin - There are better BBQ places for sure, but they have the best overall experience.
Go boating on Lake Travis
Camp at Big Bend National Park - The least visited national park in the US
Backpack up Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Yes, Texas has mountains, I didn’t believe it either.
Of course, just going out anywhere in Austin
Spend a weekend eating amazing food in Dallas
5) Last meal? You could have anything, what is it? Why? Please explain.
Probably a simple burger and fries. But if I had to pick something unique I would say that my wife's family is from Argentina and her dad makes a traditional Argentinian asado that is unreal and it is always paired with her mom’s homemade empanadas which are unbeatable. The meal is usually washed down with a great glass of Malbec and finished off with a Fernet and Coke. Either one of those would be my last meal.
6) Three activities or routines you would highly recommend? Please explain your reasoning for each.
If you only knew what you just asked. For those of you who know me, you know that my life is one long set of routines. Honestly, it is kind of embarrassing.
Here are 3 Routines I have recommended recently...
1. Mandatory Monday - This is more of a mindset than a routine. Mondays are the best day of the week! And Mandatory Monday is the routine that sets up the entire week for success. It is called Mandatory because there is no other choice but to wake up, shock the mind and body, and get after it. No matter what, you get up early and work out on Monday morning before you go to work. When you get to work you pick the biggest hardest thing you have for the week and you get started on it right away. After work you go and get your groceries for the week, when you get home you do your laundry, you clean your home, and do every chore you can think of. Monday is a day to tackle every task you possibly can and you do it with a big smile on your face. When everyone else is out there crying that the week has started you are sprinting laps around everyone. It is also the perfect day to start a new habit you have been meaning to get started on, like working out, starting a diet, or quitting something you have been meaning to carve out of your life. The momentum of the weekly grind is powerful when used properly.
2. 2 Alarm Clock System - This is a routine for anyone who struggles to get out of bed in the AM. The 2 Alarm clock system. First off, if your phone is in your bedroom, you are doing it wrong! Stop going to bed with your phone.
Now onto the routine. The first alarm should be near you and just loud enough to get you up. Oftentimes people hit that snooze button; here is where the second alarm comes in. Make sure it is either next to a sleeping baby you don’t want to wake up, or off in a distant room, preferably next to a fridge with a source of caffeine in it. Set it to go off 5 minutes after the first one goes off and make sure it is as loud as possible. Make it so when the second alarm goes off someone is going to be very upset. Once the 1st alarm goes off there is going to be pressure to get up and get to the 2nd alarm before it is too late. Once you are up and at the 2nd alarm, slam a coffee or some type of caffeine to prevent you from falling back asleep. There you go! A simple routine to start waking up every day.
3. Silent Prayer - Same spot, same time, every day!
Now that you are waking up in the AM without any problems, it is time to fire up your prayer habit. I have been experimenting with this for years and so many people recommended the same thing. Prayer is incredibly important in life and the way to get the most benefit out of it is by doing it at the same time in the same place every day and doing it in silence.
Don't be scared of Prayer.
7) A) Personality trait you highly value? Why? Please explain. B) The personality trait you highly dislike? Why? Please explain.
A. Hard Work - Nothing beats it. Hard work can overcome a lot of things in life. Even the trait I like least.
B. Negativity - The only thing that can overcome negativity is hard work. If you are lazy and negative. Bye!
8) Favorite thinker (author, philosopher, theologian, etc…)? Why? Please explain. And what is your favorite piece of advice, quote, or text from them or in general? Why? Please explain.
The Daily Bread - Fr. Al Lauer - I listen to this guy every day on Spotify. He is simple and great! He passed away in 2002 and he is just as relevant today as he was then. There are so many times I listen to him where I am like, dang! I really gotta step it up. I love when you find people who can push you. Favorite Book: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Good is the enemy of great. If you want to become great you need disciplined people who engage in disciplined thought and who take disciplined action—operating with freedom within a framework of responsibilities—this is the cornerstone of a culture that creates greatness. Also a big fan of Atomic Habits by James Clear. Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for getting 1 percent better every day. It's the ultimate guide on how to design a system where good habits emerge naturally and unwanted habits fade away. Will Durant. He is best known for The Story of Civilization, 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife Ariel Durant and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for The Story of Philosophy (1924), described as "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy." He has a lot of books out there, I would start with either The Lessons of History or The Story of Philosophy. Bonus Video: How Will You Measure Your Life? Clay Christensen "It's actually really important that you succeed at what you're succeeding at, but that isn't going to be the measure of your life." Too often, we measure success in life against the progress we make in our careers. But how can we ensure we're not straying from our values as humans along the way? Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School professor and world-renowned innovation guru, examines the daily decisions that define our lives and encourages all of us to think about what is truly important.
9) Biggest influence in your life or a top one, and what was it about them that really stood out?
Parents - Hard Work and Generosity. My parents gave me the best gifts you can receive; great values. They both instilled hard work as a core value and it is backed up with generosity. My parents are always helping whenever and whoever they can and it is usually by doing work.
10) If there is one thing you could change in the world, what would it be?
I didn’t understand what people were saying when they said this. But once you do it, you get it. Prayer will change the world. I recently got this quote by Mother Teresa sent to me and I think it sums it up nicely. "I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things." - Mother Teresa (St. Teresa of Calcutta) To take it one step deeper I would say pray the Rosary...Daily. If you don’t have a Rosary and want one, let me know and I would love to buy you one. If you don’t know how to pray the Rosary I would love to teach you. If you have no one to Pray it with, let me know and I will Pray it with you. If you want an accountability buddy on praying the Rosary, let me know and I will text you….Daily.
Contact: billyjo.galeazzi@gmail.com
11) Where did your desire to help others and uplift humanity come from? Please explain.
I feel like I have always had a desire to do good and help others along the way. To tie it back into being a Yooper, I feel like helping each other and uplifting humanity is just something that we do.
12) What are you working on now and how can people get involved?
Launching on September 8th via studio316.com - Studio 3:16 - Watch. Pay it Forward. Share!
Thank you so much for your time Billy Jo and for all that you do. The place we live in is that much better because of you. I hope that this feature has served to inspire you, as well as successfully celebrate those that help others and uplift humanity.
If you like, please subscribe below to the Tampa Bless blog and be on the lookout for the next featured member of Team Do Good as well as check out the Tampa Bless store for the latest offerings. Let's go! May God bless y'all and thank you for your support. Much love and appreciation.
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