The 'Circle of Trust'
A story about a community
I sure wasn’t expecting this a few months ago.
After losing my job back in March, I was unsure of where the future would take me. I knew I’d be writing again somewhere. It was just a matter of when and where.
As you all know, I decided to bet on myself and create this Substack. It’s been a success so far, as I recently surpassed 1,000 total subscribers. Last week, I wrote an article talking about the incredible community that I’ve built thanks to this platform. Today, I’d like to talk about another incredible community.
That community is the "Circle of Trust”.
I know what you’re likely thinking. What the hell is that?
Well, it’s a community I didn’t know I needed.
Every Thursday night I have the privilege of being a guest on the ‘Sedano & Kap’ show on ESPN LA. I call in and talk Dodgers for about 10 minutes.
Over the years, I’ve called in to numerous stations and talked about the Dodgers. Every show I’ve been on has been great. The hosts are great. The executive producers are great. Everyone I’ve talked to has been great.
This show though? This one is like I’m part of the family.
I wrote about this last week, but in case you missed it, here’s how we got to this point. Within about 15 minutes of letting Twitter know I lost my job, Jorge Sedano reached out to me, offering a weekly spot on his radio show to talk Dodgers.
Jorge and I had never interacted before. We just followed each other on Twitter. He could have just extended his best wishes on my next journey. Instead, he decided to give me an opportunity on his live radio show.
Just a few days after this, his co-host Scott Kaplan reached out to me. First time we had ever chatted as well. We spoke on the phone for about 20 minutes. I gave him the rundown on my background, he game me the rundown on his. Having literally just met me, he asked if I’d be interested in helping out with his brand new sports app he launched.
Two guys with very successful careers. Literally never having a conversation with me prior to this. They didn’t have to be so generous, but they were.
It just goes to show what kind of show they are, which you’ll learn in a minute actually gets even better.
They created this community on Twitter. No, actually. If you go to the communities tab on Twitter you can find it. It’s called the ‘Circle of Trust’. Personally, I don’t know the reason behind the name, but maybe I should find that out soon.
This community has nearly 1,000 people in it. Every day there are discussions about the show, sports… and really just everything else. It’s a community filled with amazing people.
Over the months, I’ve gotten to know a good amount of them. Whether they are calling me B’Lakay or talking Dodgers with me, I’ve gotten to know so many incredible people.
On Wednesday night, the show was recording live at Homebound Brewhaus at Union Station. A few weeks prior, the guys asked if I’d be making it to the event. Hell yeah I was going to make it to the event.
I was just planning on showing up to listen live and have a good time. Instead, they brought me on-air to do my segment live with the guys, as opposed to the normal phone interview.
It’s pretty wild when you’re meeting two guys for the first time… while going on air with them. But it was a blast.
Speaking of praise, it’s not just the two of them with the show that are great. The show has two producers, Lindsey and Laura, who are the absolute best in the game. They’re great to work with every week and make the entire process that much easier.
They kick ass at their jobs and are the freaking best. It’s always great talking with them briefly when I join the show every week. I know their jobs are probably insanely stressful, but they do a great job getting me on every week.
Back to the fun night.
Last week when I was on the air, I said that I would be enjoying a cold one for every run the Dodgers scored for the game. Well, I should have taken that into better consideration.
Yeah, it was a long night.
The Dodgers jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the first inning. Well, everyone was aware of the bet I made, as they were watching each at bat as if it was Game 7 of the World Series. Whenever the Dodgers scored, the place would erupt in excitement, knowing another beer was on the way.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t a man of my word. I didn’t drink 12 beers for the 12 runs the Dodgers scored. My total for the night I think was 5, maybe 6. I had a few small ones, but the bartender then gave me this massive glass that definitely held more than a few.
Even something as small as that, one beer for every run, made everyone so happy. All the people there were having a good time, but when the Dodgers scored a run everyone reacted as if we were all best friends.
Aside from talking Dodgers on the show and pounding beers, I got to meet a lot of great people from the community for the first time. The conversations were almost as if we have been buds for years. I met maybe 30 or so people for the first time and had a conversation with them as if it was our 100th… not our first.
That’s the kind of community this is. It starts at the top with Jorge, Scott, Lindsey and Laura. It then spreads all the way across nearly 1,000 random strangers. Different ages. Different locations. Different ethnicities. However, everyone has one common interest. The show.
The isn’t your typical sports show. That’s what makes it so great. That’s what makes this community feel so special. Sure, talking about sports is great. Hell, it’s the best. But what this show has put together is truly something that just feels like a massive friend group. It really does. I’ve been around for a while, and I don’t know of any show that has the community this show has.
Had it not been for these two guys, I wouldn’t have known about this great community. I wouldn’t have met so many amazing people. Who would have thought losing a job would lead to so many incredible things?
💙💙💙