The Complete Guide to Happiness Podcast with Dr. Fantastic: Interview with Vida Amor de Paz

[00:00:00] This podcast is brought to you by Revival, Book One of the Unveiled Book Series and by Casa de la Zissa.

[00:00:27] Come with me to discover the transformative power of kindness and the joy it brings.

[00:00:33] Join me as we explore every Monday morning simple yet profound ways to elevate your happiness one gesture at a time.

[00:00:47] Oh wow! Fantastic baby dance!

[00:00:56] Welcome to another episode of The Complete Guide to Happiness.

[00:01:01] I hope your last week was happy. I hope you're happy today.

[00:01:04] And if you're not happy today, you'll be happy after watching this show.

[00:01:07] Got a great guest today. Name is Vida. She's ambassador number... what is it here?

[00:01:16] 9,709. Met her in Antigua.

[00:01:18] Right now I'm on the island of Amaury Quay on vacation in Belize.

[00:01:24] But I try to interview everyone around their schedule to make their life easier.

[00:01:29] And I love these interviews and they're fantastic.

[00:01:33] Last week's was amazing. I hope you watched it.

[00:01:37] I mean, so far, every interview has been fantastic because I've got 9,000...

[00:01:42] Actually, as of today, 9,976 fantastic ambassadors of kindness.

[00:01:48] So I'm really happy that everyone's understanding the philosophy, trying to follow it, trying to follow it.

[00:01:55] Today I did a GoToBeFantastic YouTube.

[00:01:57] I did a piece on...

[00:02:00] Follow your own damn advice!

[00:02:02] Because sometimes I don't follow my own damn advice.

[00:02:04] But this is the Guide to Happiness.

[00:02:06] Whatever you're doing that's making you happy, keep doing it.

[00:02:10] There was a quote here.

[00:02:11] I look...

[00:02:12] I always, as you know, I like to do happiness quotes from Aristotle.

[00:02:16] And he said, happiness depends on ourselves.

[00:02:20] And that's so true!

[00:02:22] Because no one's gonna make you happy.

[00:02:24] I can teach you how to be happy, but you've got to want to be happy.

[00:02:29] A lot of people want to be miserable.

[00:02:31] It's a lot easier to be miserable and a failure than to be happy.

[00:02:37] Who is this?

[00:02:38] Rosemond Pictures said, happiness is making the most of what you have.

[00:02:43] And riches is making the most of what you've got.

[00:02:46] Okay, that's pretty cool.

[00:02:50] Here's from Mary Lou Retton.

[00:02:53] Mary Lou Retton.

[00:02:55] She has total recall.

[00:02:58] One of the few people on the planet that can recall every moment of her life

[00:03:03] in living detail like you're describing it as you're watching it.

[00:03:08] You know, five years old.

[00:03:09] The refrigerator was green.

[00:03:10] It was two placards on it.

[00:03:13] You know, I mean, just like a photograph.

[00:03:15] It's called photographic memory or total recall.

[00:03:18] My friend Ronald Reagan had it as well.

[00:03:21] Anyway, so Mary Lou said...

[00:03:23] No, no, I'm sorry.

[00:03:25] Mary Lou is the gymnast.

[00:03:27] I was thinking of the actress.

[00:03:30] I can't think of her right now.

[00:03:31] I'm sorry about that.

[00:03:33] Optimism is a happiness magnet.

[00:03:35] If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.

[00:03:40] That's very true.

[00:03:41] I'm five years on the road and that's been very true for me.

[00:03:47] Happiness is a mood.

[00:03:49] Positivity is a mindset.

[00:03:51] That's interesting.

[00:03:54] Eleanor Roosevelt.

[00:03:56] You know, famous first lady.

[00:03:58] Happiness is not a goal.

[00:03:59] It's a byproduct of a life well lived.

[00:04:03] And a life well lived is one of kindness.

[00:04:07] Kindness leads to happiness.

[00:04:10] The kinder you are, the more happy you'll be in life.

[00:04:13] I promise you that.

[00:04:15] Life is short.

[00:04:16] Life is short.

[00:04:16] Spend it with people who make you laugh and feel loved.

[00:04:21] That's a happiness quote, I guess.

[00:04:23] Okay, here's a short happiness quote.

[00:04:25] Just a couple more quotes before we get to the interview.

[00:04:27] She's standing by.

[00:04:28] She's going to call in in a second.

[00:04:30] But I wanted to make you happy with some quotes, you know.

[00:04:35] What is this?

[00:04:36] Drew Barrymore.

[00:04:38] From the Barrymore family.

[00:04:40] Happiness is the best makeup.

[00:04:43] See, if I had makeup, I'd be really good looking.

[00:04:46] Be bright.

[00:04:47] Be happy.

[00:04:48] Be you.

[00:04:49] I like that one.

[00:04:50] Start your day with happiness and gratitude.

[00:04:53] Yes, be grateful for what you have.

[00:04:56] People have a little house and they say, I wish we had a bigger house.

[00:04:59] A lot of people don't have houses.

[00:05:01] A lot of people don't have food.

[00:05:03] If you have some food in your belly, you're better off than 90% of the planet.

[00:05:09] Who is this?

[00:05:09] Carrie Underwood.

[00:05:11] Every day is a new day.

[00:05:13] Duh.

[00:05:14] Every day is a new day.

[00:05:16] No, every day is an old day.

[00:05:18] What the hell is that supposed to mean?

[00:05:21] Oh, here's one.

[00:05:22] What is this?

[00:05:23] Elizabeth Gilbert.

[00:05:25] Embrace the glorious mess that you are.

[00:05:28] Don't beat yourself up.

[00:05:30] That's the thing about being kind to yourself.

[00:05:34] Lily.

[00:05:36] Something or other.

[00:05:37] Being happy never goes out of style.

[00:05:40] Ain't that the truth.

[00:05:43] Let me see.

[00:05:43] I'll give you one more.

[00:05:47] Life doesn't have to be perfect to be amazing.

[00:05:50] I have an amazing life.

[00:05:51] And it's certainly not perfect.

[00:05:54] Oh, here's one from Bob Hope.

[00:05:57] One of the biggest landowners in California at one point.

[00:06:00] He entertained a lot of people.

[00:06:02] Made a lot of people happy.

[00:06:03] Those US auteurs he did.

[00:06:05] He was a very kind man.

[00:06:07] And he lived a long and fruitful life.

[00:06:10] May he rest in peace.

[00:06:12] He said, be happy with what you have while working for what you want.

[00:06:17] Okay.

[00:06:18] Well, that's enough happiness quotes.

[00:06:19] Again, I'm here in Ambergrit Key Island in Belize.

[00:06:25] And today I walked along the beach without my phone.

[00:06:29] I should have had it because there were some of the things I wanted to photograph.

[00:06:33] But anyway, I decided to go without my phone.

[00:06:36] Do an hour and a half walk.

[00:06:38] It was supposed to be an hour.

[00:06:39] It went to an hour and a half.

[00:06:42] And contemplating, you know, life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.

[00:06:47] And my mission, you know, making you happy, making the people happy, making the world happy, solving the world's problems.

[00:06:54] I like to do that.

[00:06:55] And I met some really fantastic people today.

[00:06:58] Every day I meet the most fantastic people.

[00:07:00] And typically they agreed to follow the three commitments to kindness.

[00:07:04] Be kind to yourself, be kind to all others, and be kind to Mother Earth.

[00:07:07] And they become an ambassador of kindness.

[00:07:09] We're going to have 10,000 people that have met me that agreed to try.

[00:07:14] Try.

[00:07:15] That's the key word.

[00:07:16] I'm not always kind to myself.

[00:07:18] Watch the video on Be Fantastic YouTube.

[00:07:23] I've gained weight in the last five months because I've been eating too much.

[00:07:26] But I've been enjoying eating, enjoying cooking, making some kind of recipes here on this channel.

[00:07:31] Or on Be Fantastic channel, rather.

[00:07:33] And so let's get to the show.

[00:07:36] Okay.

[00:07:36] So I'll be right back with Vida.

[00:07:38] She is fantastic, really.

[00:07:40] Let me tell you a little about her first.

[00:07:45] She organized 576 shows, TV shows, 60 live concerts.

[00:07:54] She's been a speaker lecturer in over 20 countries.

[00:07:59] On the environment, which is commitment number three.

[00:08:02] On history, which is what we should learn from.

[00:08:05] Ethical and social concerns.

[00:08:10] We need to be ethical.

[00:08:12] And we have a social problem in the world.

[00:08:14] You know, as you know, I call it the insanity of humanity.

[00:08:17] And I'm trying to save your planet from it.

[00:08:20] So with people like Vida, she's a journalist, obviously.

[00:08:24] She just went to COP 29.

[00:08:27] I didn't go this year, but that's another subject for another day.

[00:08:32] I've done a video on Be Fantastic YouTube.

[00:08:34] Anyway, so let me get her on the line for you.

[00:08:37] And let's have some fun meeting Vida.

[00:08:41] We have some amazing ambassadors.

[00:08:42] If you're not an ambassador of kindness yet, you gotta join.

[00:08:45] You don't gotta do anything.

[00:08:47] But you should because there's strength in numbers.

[00:08:49] And this is free.

[00:08:50] I know people don't respect free, but it's free.

[00:08:53] And what can I tell you?

[00:08:54] It's free.

[00:08:54] Well, everybody, as promised, it's Vida.

[00:08:58] Vida, amor de paz, which means love of the country or what?

[00:09:03] What does that mean?

[00:09:05] Actually, Vida means life in Spanish.

[00:09:08] Okay.

[00:09:09] Amor means love.

[00:09:10] And the paz means of peace.

[00:09:13] Love, peace.

[00:09:14] That's a fantastic name.

[00:09:15] Life, love, and peace.

[00:09:17] Life, love, and peace.

[00:09:18] Well, what a fantastic name that is.

[00:09:20] I'm glad to have you here.

[00:09:22] I'm glad that you're an ambassador of kindness.

[00:09:24] Number 9,709.

[00:09:27] You don't know this, but today we have 9,975.

[00:09:31] So the next couple of days, we'll be over 10,000 people following the three commitments

[00:09:36] to kindness.

[00:09:36] What are the three commitments, Vida?

[00:09:38] Let's see how good you are.

[00:09:40] I don't know.

[00:09:41] I think it's be kind, love yourself, love others, be kind with the world, with the planet.

[00:09:50] That's it.

[00:09:50] That's right.

[00:09:51] Okay.

[00:09:52] How I give it in speeches and how my ambassadors do it, be kind to yourself is the first,

[00:09:57] most important commitment in life.

[00:09:59] Be kind to all others, the easier second commitment, which stops war.

[00:10:04] It's the golden rule.

[00:10:06] And be kind to Mother Earth.

[00:10:07] Those, Vida, those three commitments solve all problems.

[00:10:11] I've given many speeches in Antigua and I run into kids months later and I say, what

[00:10:15] are the three commitments?

[00:10:16] Like that.

[00:10:17] One kid goes, love myself, love others, love the planet.

[00:10:19] I mean, it can't be any simpler than that.

[00:10:22] You can't.

[00:10:24] No.

[00:10:24] You're a journalist.

[00:10:25] You write on things like the environment, which is our third commitment.

[00:10:30] History, which is our life.

[00:10:33] Ethical and social issues.

[00:10:34] Well, I mean, you might admit we're in a social crisis now because there's not enough kindness

[00:10:41] in the world.

[00:10:42] You just went to the COP 29 and it's not our fault, climate change.

[00:10:48] We're contributing to it.

[00:10:50] But as you know, as history has shown, the Earth has gone through climate changes during

[00:10:55] the dinosaurs and during every other age on the planet.

[00:10:58] We're contributing to it, certainly.

[00:11:01] And we should cut down.

[00:11:03] And my statement is if we buy less and we use less, we will cut down on greenhouse emissions.

[00:11:11] Simple as that.

[00:11:12] But we want the governments to fix it.

[00:11:14] And as you know, from COP 28 to COP 29, the greenhouse got worse.

[00:11:19] Did you know that?

[00:11:20] That's true.

[00:11:21] That's so true.

[00:11:22] We're over 420 parts per million of carbon dioxide.

[00:11:28] Yeah.

[00:11:28] We should not be over 350.

[00:11:32] Yeah.

[00:11:32] So we are contributing.

[00:11:34] And I think if just people use, I call it the third less rule.

[00:11:38] Drive a third less of the time.

[00:11:40] Use a third less toothpaste, a third less water.

[00:11:44] We can't use a third less oxygen.

[00:11:46] But I mean, if we just use less of everything.

[00:11:49] But see, the whole society is based on greed.

[00:11:52] They want you to buy more, not less.

[00:11:56] Yeah.

[00:11:57] Tilt the camera down a little bit so we see more of you.

[00:11:59] So...

[00:12:00] The problem is selfishness.

[00:12:03] Yeah.

[00:12:03] You know, we could see it in COP 29, you know, the developed countries already developed,

[00:12:10] you know, they don't want to give in.

[00:12:13] They are very stubborn.

[00:12:15] They want to continue with what they have and they don't want to share any of their profits,

[00:12:21] you know?

[00:12:22] So...

[00:12:22] I don't know.

[00:12:24] It just seems to me, well, I heard a lot of it, that it was due to the election of Donald Trump,

[00:12:30] that since he doesn't believe in climate change, then other countries are not going to follow through what they promised.

[00:12:38] Yeah, it's...

[00:12:40] You can't make everyone happy, that's certain.

[00:12:42] But whatever you do to make, to change anything, you're making half the people pissed.

[00:12:48] Half the people are going to be happy.

[00:12:50] So...

[00:12:50] Things are not a deviation.

[00:12:52] Yeah.

[00:12:53] There's many cures to cancer, but cancer is profitable.

[00:12:57] So they don't want to cure cancer.

[00:13:00] They don't want to cure diabetes.

[00:13:02] No.

[00:13:03] These things are profitable.

[00:13:04] They make a lot of war.

[00:13:05] They don't want to stop war.

[00:13:06] War is too profitable.

[00:13:08] It's ridiculous.

[00:13:10] These are ethical issues we're talking about.

[00:13:12] You talk ethics, you know?

[00:13:14] Touring 20 countries, boy, you've got quite a resume, young lady.

[00:13:17] All my guests, I ask the first question, because this is the complete guide to happiness.

[00:13:21] Because as you might agree, we're on this planet to be happy.

[00:13:24] If you're not happy, you're blowing it.

[00:13:26] You're wasting a day.

[00:13:28] You're wasting your breath.

[00:13:29] You're wasting energy.

[00:13:30] You've got to be happy.

[00:13:32] And this is the complete guide to happiness.

[00:13:33] So my question to each guest, the first one is, how do you define happiness?

[00:13:39] You know, when I am happy is when I'm giving to others.

[00:13:43] That's when I'm most happy.

[00:13:44] For example, Christmas time.

[00:13:47] I think many people are happy during Christmas because they're buying presents for their loved ones.

[00:13:53] So they feel happy.

[00:13:55] So if you give, you are happy.

[00:13:58] If you just feel that everything is for you, for yourself, you can't be happy.

[00:14:04] Well put.

[00:14:05] And I agree.

[00:14:06] I'm here on the island of Ambergric Key.

[00:14:08] And I put a bench out last year when I was here last.

[00:14:12] And I called it give and get.

[00:14:13] And the rain made it fall apart.

[00:14:16] So I repaired it here.

[00:14:18] And the last, since I've been here a week, I've seen three or four times when people drop things off.

[00:14:24] Giving.

[00:14:26] And the next day they're gone.

[00:14:28] So people are getting them.

[00:14:29] So, you know, they say it's better to give than to receive.

[00:14:31] I like to say it's better to give than to get.

[00:14:33] So I love the fact that that's working.

[00:14:36] In Antigua, I feed a lot of people, as you might know.

[00:14:40] I had, I used to feed 100 people at the park every Thursday.

[00:14:44] And that made me very, very happy.

[00:14:46] It was very rewarding.

[00:14:48] And a lot of people, I'm very big in Africa.

[00:14:50] A lot of people say, when they hear about my philosophy and the kindness revolution, they say, they'll actually say, what's in it for me?

[00:14:59] Well, those are the people that I don't want in our community.

[00:15:02] I want people like you to say, how can I help?

[00:15:05] Exactly.

[00:15:05] That's how we're going to make a difference in the world.

[00:15:07] How can I help?

[00:15:08] Yes.

[00:15:09] You know?

[00:15:09] You're absolutely true.

[00:15:11] That's absolutely right.

[00:15:13] I have done so many things in my life.

[00:15:16] Not charging.

[00:15:17] You know, just because I want to help.

[00:15:20] And so I've done many, many projects at Anorum.

[00:15:24] You know, just because of my love for art, helping others become famous.

[00:15:32] Singers, for example, I have promoted many singers.

[00:15:35] And I was not really expecting anything for me.

[00:15:39] I was trying to help others.

[00:15:41] So I think that's the key to happiness, helping others.

[00:15:45] I agree with you totally.

[00:15:47] I think they call it, well, in one way it's called random acts of kindness.

[00:15:52] But I've traveled the world the last five years and I get the royal treatment.

[00:16:00] I mean, I tell them what I'm doing for the world to try to spread kindness and people

[00:16:04] just are so kind to me.

[00:16:07] It's off the charts.

[00:16:08] It's really rewarding.

[00:16:09] So I've proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt that kindness does come back at you, especially

[00:16:16] when you're not even looking for it.

[00:16:18] You know, I say sharing is caring.

[00:16:21] Caring is kindness and kindness leads to happiness.

[00:16:24] And I ask people to share these videos.

[00:16:26] I ask them to share my quotes.

[00:16:28] Are you you're in a group?

[00:16:30] Antigua is fantastic, right?

[00:16:32] Right.

[00:16:33] Yeah.

[00:16:33] I haven't had much time to watch anything because I've been very busy, you know,

[00:16:37] writing articles for the COP29.

[00:16:40] We're having a press conference on Tuesday in Guatemala City.

[00:16:45] Okay.

[00:16:46] And so I'm moderating a forum there.

[00:16:48] It's a lot of a lot going on.

[00:16:52] But I want to see I want to congratulate you, first of all, for doing this.

[00:16:58] I think it's great what you're doing.

[00:17:00] You know, there's a problem with it because it's free.

[00:17:03] If I were to charge people for the motivational quotes that I put out every day and it goes

[00:17:09] out to 700 WhatsApp groups around the world, they'd probably watch them.

[00:17:13] But because they're free, people don't watch them because people don't respect free.

[00:17:18] And I know you're busy and you're a journalist.

[00:17:20] But what bothers me is that I put a lot of time and effort into doing this.

[00:17:24] And it's five seconds of your day to read a motivational quote from Abraham Lincoln,

[00:17:30] Marcus Aurelius, Eleanor Roosevelt, whomever.

[00:17:34] It's always famous people or either philosophers or entertainers.

[00:17:40] And they all have something bright to say and very, and it puts a smile on your face.

[00:17:45] But you've got to take time sometimes for yourself.

[00:17:48] And reading that quote every morning in Antigua is fantastic.

[00:17:52] It's for you.

[00:17:53] It's not for me.

[00:17:55] Actually, I have read some of your quotes, which are fantastic.

[00:17:59] Like you say, it's fantastic.

[00:18:00] Oh, good.

[00:18:01] I like to hear that.

[00:18:02] I'm sorry.

[00:18:02] I'm sorry.

[00:18:02] You know, my name is not made up.

[00:18:07] My father named me Vida Amor, Life Love, so that I would express that.

[00:18:13] And that people would love me when they're hearing my name, Love, Vida Amor, and I would love them back.

[00:18:23] That's a fantastic name.

[00:18:25] Now, as you know, I go by Dr. Fantastic now, and that makes people smile or laugh.

[00:18:33] And when you make, as you know, when you smile, you live five minutes longer because it reduces stress, anxiety, and depression.

[00:18:40] And when you laugh, you live an hour longer because it releases more endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, which release anxiety, stress, and depression.

[00:18:49] So it's a benefit.

[00:18:51] Well, I think I'm going to live about 200 years then because I'm always smiling and I'm always laughing.

[00:18:56] Well, yes, you're going to live a long time.

[00:18:58] You look like you're 20.

[00:18:59] So, I mean, I'm sure you're only 25.

[00:19:01] But no, you've got a really accomplished career.

[00:19:04] Now, I'd like to ask you, as an ambassador of kindness, you're part of a community that's in 143 countries.

[00:19:11] And, you know, it's a team.

[00:19:13] This isn't for me.

[00:19:14] This is for the, this is my gift to the world.

[00:19:18] And I'd like to hear from my ambassadors on how they could help if they'd like to help.

[00:19:24] A lot of people can't help.

[00:19:25] A lot of people can't afford the bandwidth.

[00:19:27] A lot of people can't afford the time.

[00:19:28] And that's understandable.

[00:19:30] You know, I mean, as I say, Vida comes first.

[00:19:34] If you're not, Vida, if you're not happy, you can't make your husband happy.

[00:19:38] Tim, is it?

[00:19:39] Tim?

[00:19:40] No, Dan.

[00:19:41] Dan.

[00:19:42] Dan.

[00:19:42] You can't make Dan happy.

[00:19:43] You can't make, if you're into God, you can't make God happy.

[00:19:49] You can't make your company happy.

[00:19:50] You can't be of service, that's what I'm trying to say, to anybody or anything if you're not happy.

[00:19:55] You know, you traveled, I think it was 48 hours to get to COP27.

[00:20:00] Did you meet some nice people on the plane?

[00:20:02] Do you meet people?

[00:20:03] Do you like to talk to people when you're sitting next to them on a plane?

[00:20:07] Yeah, yeah.

[00:20:08] If they are wanting to talk to me, sometimes I want to sleep, you know.

[00:20:13] Right, right, right.

[00:20:14] So I know.

[00:20:14] Yeah, but I was sitting next to my team also.

[00:20:18] Okay.

[00:20:18] And so because I went with two members of my team.

[00:20:22] Right.

[00:20:22] One of them was my son, who's also a producer.

[00:20:26] And the other is another producer called Joe Wells.

[00:20:29] So Andres De Paz was my son and Joe Wells.

[00:20:33] Okay.

[00:20:33] Andres De Paz worked for Discovery Channel for six years.

[00:20:38] And he won like six, seven prizes for Discovery.

[00:20:42] So now he decided he didn't want to be in the States anymore.

[00:20:46] He wanted to live in Antigua and connect with his roots.

[00:20:50] So that's why he's here.

[00:20:52] Andreas is his name.

[00:20:53] Andreas.

[00:20:54] Mm-hmm.

[00:20:54] Okay.

[00:20:54] Well, is he kind?

[00:20:56] Oh, he's super kind.

[00:20:58] Super kind.

[00:20:58] Okay.

[00:20:59] So now he's ambassador number 9,977.

[00:21:05] Yeah.

[00:21:05] I like to hear, you know, one of the things, if everybody who's an ambassador sends in, your

[00:21:11] husband's already an ambassador.

[00:21:12] He was an ambassador before you, sends in just one of their kids' names or their spouse

[00:21:17] or their mother or their father.

[00:21:18] It's just your first name, your birth city.

[00:21:21] Where was Andreas born?

[00:21:23] He was born in Guatemala City.

[00:21:25] Guatemala City.

[00:21:26] So basically, it's just, it's almost like a vote for kindness, a vote for a better world

[00:21:34] by getting on that list.

[00:21:35] Everyone's listed on worldkindnesslist.com.

[00:21:38] And it's just my way of trying to make a statement that we need to be kind.

[00:21:44] Of course, there's billions of people that are kind, but they're not in our community

[00:21:49] and they're not, I think there's strength in numbers and there's strength in the community.

[00:21:53] The point I was trying to make with you going to 48 hours, you know, there's too many people

[00:21:58] in the world that have blinders.

[00:22:01] And especially in the big cities, they don't, they bump into people.

[00:22:04] They don't talk to them.

[00:22:05] They sit next to them.

[00:22:05] They don't talk to them.

[00:22:07] They're in their own little world.

[00:22:08] And that's, if that makes them happy, fine.

[00:22:11] But I think there's a reason we meet everyone.

[00:22:14] There's a purpose that we meet everyone.

[00:22:16] Now, meeting you, hopefully we'll meet other people that can see our vision because you're

[00:22:23] part of a team now.

[00:22:25] And I want to pick your brain on how you can see journalists.

[00:22:29] I would, I think there's probably a hundred journalists that are in, in this community.

[00:22:37] And none of them had written an article yet or anything.

[00:22:39] One was in Cairo was, was writing an article.

[00:22:43] And then she asked me what college I went to.

[00:22:46] And I said, I went to the school of hard knocks.

[00:22:49] I graduated from La De.

[00:22:51] And she said, well, the fact that you didn't go to college, I can't write an article because

[00:22:54] you're not accredited.

[00:22:57] I mean, if you can come up with a plan to save the planet, to save humanity, and you

[00:23:02] didn't go to school, is it valid or is it not valid?

[00:23:05] No, if it comes from your heart and you know what you're saying and it's true, and

[00:23:10] you're sincere about it, you can write.

[00:23:13] What's the problem with it?

[00:23:14] You might have the art, the talent for writing.

[00:23:17] You don't have to go to college to write.

[00:23:19] No, no, no, no.

[00:23:20] I write.

[00:23:21] I write prolifically.

[00:23:24] What's the word for it?

[00:23:25] What's that word?

[00:23:27] Prolifically.

[00:23:28] Prolifically.

[00:23:28] Yeah.

[00:23:29] What is it?

[00:23:29] Prolific.

[00:23:30] I write prolifically.

[00:23:32] But no, she was a journalist, but she didn't want to put her reputation on the line writing

[00:23:37] about a guy who has just got a fantastic idea, I guess, or a fantastic program, or what do

[00:23:43] you want to call it.

[00:23:43] So that's okay.

[00:23:45] I mean, everything in life, Bita, happens as it should, when it should.

[00:23:49] That's what my son says all the time to me.

[00:23:52] Yeah.

[00:23:52] I mean, it's fate.

[00:23:54] It's all lined up.

[00:23:55] It's predestined.

[00:23:56] We are all one.

[00:23:57] I think we need to have a new world consciousness because there's too much greed.

[00:24:01] There's too many wars.

[00:24:02] Too much conflicts.

[00:24:03] There's too much poverty.

[00:24:05] There's not enough education.

[00:24:07] There's not enough kindness.

[00:24:08] I wrote a speech for the United Nations.

[00:24:11] Did you read that speech I wrote for the UN?

[00:24:13] No, send it to me.

[00:24:15] Yeah.

[00:24:17] And what I've done now is I've tailored it to people because United Nations.

[00:24:22] Here's a story I wanted to talk to you about COP 29.

[00:24:24] I listened to a lot of the leaders, you know, and one of the leaders, I think it was from

[00:24:30] Albania and there's called the leaders lounge.

[00:24:33] That's where all the leaders hang out before they go on stage.

[00:24:37] And they got food and they got drinks and they're all networking and talking.

[00:24:41] Right.

[00:24:42] And he said, because he threw his speech away after being in the leaders lounge and came

[00:24:47] out and said, you know, our speeches are falling on deaf ears because the leaders weren't listening

[00:24:54] to them because they're, they're getting ready for their speech.

[00:24:57] Yeah.

[00:24:58] So in essence, he was making a very profound statement that nobody's listening.

[00:25:03] Right.

[00:25:04] I mean, hurting humans for a goal is like hurting cats, you know?

[00:25:13] I look at, I study everything.

[00:25:16] I study documentaries on, on, on everything.

[00:25:19] And there's a lot of disasters that could, that could end humanity and civilization.

[00:25:26] One of them is called a CME.

[00:25:29] You know what a CME is?

[00:25:31] A lot of people don't.

[00:25:32] It's called a coronal mass ejection.

[00:25:36] Okay.

[00:25:36] And it happened in the 1800s.

[00:25:38] It knocked out all the electricity, destroyed, not knocked out.

[00:25:43] It destroyed all electricity on the planet.

[00:25:45] But the only electricity back then was the telegraph.

[00:25:48] So that was repaired in a few months.

[00:25:51] In 2012, we were 10 days away from a CME.

[00:25:55] We are, our planet just moved out of its path.

[00:25:57] It's an injection of mass from the sun and it knocks out all electricity.

[00:26:02] And so it moved, it missed the earth by 10 days, 12 days in 2012.

[00:26:06] Had it hit the earth, we lose all electricity.

[00:26:09] If we lose electricity, it's back to the stone age.

[00:26:12] I mean, it's, it's, it's horrific.

[00:26:15] You know something?

[00:26:17] Um, I'm writing a book.

[00:26:19] Actually is already written.

[00:26:20] I have to find a publisher, but it's called trapped in the Maya parallel world.

[00:26:26] Hmm.

[00:26:27] Now the market did not have electricity.

[00:26:29] Right.

[00:26:30] Although they did do wonderful things.

[00:26:33] I don't know.

[00:26:34] Maybe they had a, had another kind of energy that they were using that we don't know of.

[00:26:38] So it's, that's interesting, you know, to find out what the archaeologists are right now researching.

[00:26:47] Yeah.

[00:26:47] Well, the point I was going to try to make with that electrical problem thing is we can protect our electrical grid if we put in a lot of trillions and trillions of dollars.

[00:26:59] So if we were to say, yeah, if we knew one was coming in like 20 years, we probably would spend the trillions of dollars to protect the grid.

[00:27:06] So it doesn't go out because once the grid goes out, we don't have, um, food.

[00:27:10] We don't have water.

[00:27:11] We don't have communication.

[00:27:13] We don't have safety.

[00:27:14] We don't have, I mean, the world at an end, but we can prevent that.

[00:27:19] But you know why we're not going to prevent it?

[00:27:20] Because there's no profit in it.

[00:27:22] Even though that's how, see, I call it the situation we're in on in the planet today, the insanity of humanity.

[00:27:30] It's insane.

[00:27:31] The ridiculousness of, of society, um, because of the greed.

[00:27:36] Um, yeah, I've been studying, uh, food fraud, you know, about food fraud, uh, the horrific things they do with food to process it, um, manipulate it, uh, to preserve it.

[00:27:49] Uh, it's, you know, uh, quite simply, a tuna is not pink.

[00:27:55] Um, ham is not pink, but they put nitrates in it.

[00:27:58] So it turns pink.

[00:27:59] So people will buy it.

[00:28:00] Ham is great, but nobody's going to buy great, great ham, but, and the nitrates are cancerous.

[00:28:06] So we're killing ourselves for profit.

[00:28:10] So they can make more.

[00:28:12] It's just, you know, the ethics of it.

[00:28:14] And you talk about ethics, you know, and the social dilemmas.

[00:28:17] Um, if it's in a package, it is unhealthy.

[00:28:23] And that's why I like to work it.

[00:28:25] You were talking about wars.

[00:28:27] And did you know that 12% of the $300 billion that they're supposed to be given the poor countries for climate change?

[00:28:37] 12% is spent on wars.

[00:28:40] 12%, I'm sorry.

[00:28:42] 12% of that $300 billion.

[00:28:47] Yeah.

[00:28:48] Yeah.

[00:28:49] It's supposed to be coming to us, but it's going to wars.

[00:28:54] Because war makes more money.

[00:28:57] Yeah.

[00:28:57] Yeah.

[00:28:58] It's a real simple formula.

[00:28:59] Greed is the worst word in the world.

[00:29:02] Greed is the worst word.

[00:29:04] And I think fantastic is the best, but it all comes down to money.

[00:29:08] It all, the food fraud.

[00:29:10] I mean, they fake clothes, Prada, Louis Vuitton.

[00:29:14] You've seen the fancy things people like to buy.

[00:29:16] It's the same material, right?

[00:29:19] Probably the same of people that manufacture, but it doesn't have the, you know, the cache of the brand.

[00:29:24] The same exact material.

[00:29:25] I mean, Louis Vuitton is plastic, right?

[00:29:27] But it's very expensive and it's fake.

[00:29:30] They fake food.

[00:29:32] They fake wine.

[00:29:33] They fake cheese.

[00:29:34] They fake meats.

[00:29:36] They're putting horse meat in a regular meat.

[00:29:38] I mean, it's, it's so sad what's going on.

[00:29:42] But living in Antigua, you know, you and I are, we buy a lot of fresh foods.

[00:29:48] Hopefully they're not too much imported.

[00:29:50] You know, the farmer's market at Keoba and places like that are, are fantastic.

[00:29:56] You just have to, I'm trying to teach people to be self-sufficient to try to get a solar panel.

[00:30:02] Because if electricity goes out, we have to, you know, and you don't have candles or you don't have solar panels or you don't have, you know, you know, they're called preppers.

[00:30:10] Have you heard of what a prepper is?

[00:30:14] People that are prepping for disaster.

[00:30:17] You know, that means you have seeds so you can grow.

[00:30:20] You have a source of water.

[00:30:22] You have canned goods.

[00:30:24] You have dry foods.

[00:30:25] You have a gun because when the electricity goes out, if you don't have a gun to protect your family and your water, you know, you're in bad shape.

[00:30:34] It's going to be a horrific thing.

[00:30:35] But I don't like to talk doom and gloom, especially on my Be Fantastic channel.

[00:30:41] Here I talk about everything because I like, sometimes I just got to get it out that there's a lot of bad things going on.

[00:30:46] And that's why my mission, and I say our mission now because you're part of it, is important to educate people.

[00:30:55] Have you seen my kindness pledge, the global kindness pledge?

[00:31:00] Yeah, yeah.

[00:31:01] Yeah, there it is.

[00:31:02] It's going to help a lot of children.

[00:31:05] It builds their self-confidence.

[00:31:07] It's an anti-bullying thing because it builds camaraderie, it fosters camaraderie.

[00:31:11] It spreads energy to the classroom.

[00:31:13] It teaches them the value of words, and it makes them aware of our environmental crisis.

[00:31:19] That pledge, I don't know how, I want every child in every language to recite it daily.

[00:31:25] Imagine, Vida, if you look in the mirror every day and say, I am fantastic.

[00:31:31] That would make you...

[00:31:32] Well, I am always happy.

[00:31:34] Yeah.

[00:31:35] But unfortunately, people look in the mirror and say, I'm a loser.

[00:31:38] I'm fat and I'm ugly.

[00:31:39] I'm too old.

[00:31:40] No, my hair's not right.

[00:31:40] I don't say that to myself.

[00:31:41] I don't say that to myself.

[00:31:42] I know.

[00:31:43] Well, that's...

[00:31:44] I always say I'm a winner.

[00:31:46] That's the most important, it's called manifestation.

[00:31:50] Yeah.

[00:31:50] Yeah.

[00:31:51] By saying you're a winner, you're manifesting winning.

[00:31:54] The veil between her world and the other realm has faded, unleashing magic into the lives

[00:32:00] of ordinary citizens.

[00:32:04] Awakening from a four-year coma, Tori James discovers a world transformed.

[00:32:09] For some, like Tori, the unveiling ignites hidden abilities.

[00:32:15] With her expertise in classical languages, she's drawn into a world of thieves and magic.

[00:32:25] Join Tori on her magical journey in book one of the Unveiled book series, Revival.

[00:32:33] Unveil your destiny.

[00:32:39] So let me ask a couple questions about your career here.

[00:32:42] You've done 576 TV shows.

[00:32:45] What was your favorite one?

[00:32:47] Maybe my trip to the North Pole.

[00:32:49] I went on a schooner, on a sailboat.

[00:32:54] And it was very fantastic.

[00:32:57] Because I went on with a mission and a scientific mission to detect how the ice was melting,

[00:33:06] how rapidly it was melting, and everything about climate change.

[00:33:10] So my book that I wrote called Extreme Adventure is a reality of climate change.

[00:33:17] And we have a mutual friend that helped you with that.

[00:33:22] Yes, John Paul DeGioria.

[00:33:24] And also, Dr. John Kerman, who was my mentor, he used to be the CEO of NOAA.

[00:33:36] Wow.

[00:33:38] Of one of the divisions of NOAA.

[00:33:39] So he was the one that taught me everything I knew about climate change.

[00:33:43] And he was the one that invited me to go on that expedition.

[00:33:48] Problem was, we were going to go on an icebreaker, a Russian one.

[00:33:56] And scientists, like a hundred scientists, were trying to go into that same vessel.

[00:34:04] But last minute, the Russians decided to charge a whole bunch of more money.

[00:34:10] So everything was canceled.

[00:34:12] So I called the NOAA people and said, hey, listen, what do we do now?

[00:34:17] Well, they said it was canceled, so now you can't go.

[00:34:21] I said, sorry, I'm not giving up.

[00:34:23] I don't take no for an answer.

[00:34:25] So he said, okay, try to find this other sailboat called Tara.

[00:34:33] And they're in France.

[00:34:35] I mean, there's a French vessel.

[00:34:37] It's actually a schooner.

[00:34:39] And they're already very close to the North Pole.

[00:34:42] See if they want to invite you.

[00:34:44] So I did find out where they were finally, and I flew to see them.

[00:34:49] And I was with them in that expedition.

[00:34:53] North Pole.

[00:34:54] North Pole, the center of the North Pole.

[00:34:57] Did you get to the top?

[00:35:00] Yeah.

[00:35:01] I mean, it was the center of the North Pole.

[00:35:04] They have a pole there, right?

[00:35:06] At the very top?

[00:35:09] No pole.

[00:35:10] But I did plant my flag, the Guatemalan flag.

[00:35:13] It was the first Latin American flag ever been planted at the North Pole.

[00:35:19] That's fantastic.

[00:35:20] There were a lot of flags there, I imagine?

[00:35:22] No, no, no.

[00:35:23] They melt.

[00:35:24] They melt up.

[00:35:26] But I went into their vessel.

[00:35:28] And so when they got out of there, they were carrying our flag, the Guatemalan flag.

[00:35:34] Among the other flags from the most powerful countries in the world that were there.

[00:35:39] Wow.

[00:35:40] Except for Guatemala was not powerful, but we were there.

[00:35:44] What a great experience.

[00:35:45] It was great.

[00:35:46] So if anybody that's hearing me would like my book, you can find it in Amazon.

[00:35:52] And it's called Extreme Adventure.

[00:35:54] It's in English and in Spanish.

[00:35:56] How many books have you written?

[00:35:59] Well, that was my first one.

[00:36:01] Actually, I did write another one for children.

[00:36:03] The Children of the Great Warming, but it's in Spanish.

[00:36:06] And we've been giving them out to public schools here in Antigua and other places.

[00:36:12] And the other one is the one that I'm looking for.

[00:36:15] If anybody is hearing me and you want to help me publish it, it's called Trapped in a Maya Parallel World.

[00:36:21] It has everything to do about climate change, too.

[00:36:25] But it's a science fiction book.

[00:36:28] Partly it's true.

[00:36:30] It's a hybrid.

[00:36:32] I'm talking to a few publishers now.

[00:36:34] I can probably introduce you to one of them.

[00:36:38] I wrote two books.

[00:36:40] I wrote it in English.

[00:36:43] I wrote it in English.

[00:36:45] And now it's in Spanish, too.

[00:36:47] So I'm just waiting to see if I can get this book published.

[00:36:51] Well, you said your other books on Amazon.

[00:36:53] Don't they have self-publishing on Amazon now?

[00:36:56] But I don't want self-publishing anymore.

[00:36:58] I want somebody to really get my book.

[00:37:00] I don't want to pay for it.

[00:37:02] Right.

[00:37:03] I want a publisher to really be interested in my book because of the content of it, the way it was written.

[00:37:09] Right.

[00:37:09] And publish it.

[00:37:10] So I'm looking for another way of publishing it.

[00:37:16] The traditional one.

[00:37:17] My second book is called How to Be a Fantastic Person.

[00:37:20] And I, too, am looking for a publisher.

[00:37:22] So we'll try to combine our thoughts on that one.

[00:37:27] Yes.

[00:37:27] Good.

[00:37:28] What made you happy today?

[00:37:30] Oh, my gosh.

[00:37:31] I'm always happy.

[00:37:32] There's nothing in my life that does not make me happy.

[00:37:37] I'm always happy.

[00:37:38] You're a happy person.

[00:37:39] That's my characteristic.

[00:37:42] I'm always laughing.

[00:37:43] I'm always thinking of the positive surroundings that I have.

[00:37:48] I'm always grateful.

[00:37:50] I think the best way is to be grateful at every single moment.

[00:37:55] Everything you do.

[00:37:56] I'm so grateful for my life.

[00:37:58] Yeah.

[00:37:59] To be grateful for what you have, you know?

[00:38:03] I mean, even if you don't have a lot, you don't need a lot to be happy.

[00:38:07] I'm very happy for my children.

[00:38:10] I have four children, seven grandchildren.

[00:38:13] Wow.

[00:38:14] And so, you know, I'm just, I can't ask for more.

[00:38:18] I have it all.

[00:38:19] I have a great husband within.

[00:38:22] Yeah.

[00:38:23] I like that.

[00:38:24] I don't need anything else.

[00:38:28] Well, that's what I'm trying to help.

[00:38:30] So many people aren't happy.

[00:38:32] And I was asked to do this podcast.

[00:38:35] You know, I go where I'm invited.

[00:38:37] You invited me to the football game on Sunday.

[00:38:39] Unfortunately, I'm in a different country, but I go where I'm invited.

[00:38:42] And I was invited to do that, do this, do this podcast, which is fun.

[00:38:48] I'm having a great time because of 9,977 ambassadors.

[00:38:54] Now they all have a fantastic story.

[00:38:57] You're accomplished, fantastic person.

[00:39:00] I mean, I'm very happy to know you.

[00:39:02] I hope we could put our heads together and see how we could get all the kids in Guatemala

[00:39:07] to say that pledge in Spanish.

[00:39:11] That would be nice.

[00:39:12] I can write it.

[00:39:13] Now here's how it goes.

[00:39:14] Repeat after me.

[00:39:15] I want you to feel this and I want the audience to feel it.

[00:39:19] I pledge to be kind to, I pledge to be kind to you.

[00:39:24] No.

[00:39:24] I pledge to be kind to.

[00:39:26] I pledge to be kind too.

[00:39:28] And love, myself, I love myself.

[00:39:31] I pledge, to be kind to.

[00:39:34] I pledge, to be kind to.

[00:39:36] And strive, to love all others and strive to love all others.

[00:39:42] I pledge to be kind to love and respect our Mother Earth.

[00:39:52] We are all fantastic.

[00:39:56] You are fantastic.

[00:40:00] I am fantastic.

[00:40:03] Do you feel the power of those words?

[00:40:06] Of course.

[00:40:06] I believe in that 100%.

[00:40:08] I know you do.

[00:40:09] That's why you're going to be a fantastic ambassador of kindness.

[00:40:12] Now, when I give a speech, I always say I'm going to use words today because words have

[00:40:17] power.

[00:40:18] Words have meaning.

[00:40:19] Words affect water.

[00:40:21] We're 70% to 85% water.

[00:40:24] They've proven with the Kyoto Water Study that plants are sentient.

[00:40:29] They're affected by water.

[00:40:30] We are affected.

[00:40:32] I mean, words affect the water.

[00:40:34] Words affect us.

[00:40:36] Words affect the plants.

[00:40:37] Words affect the animals.

[00:40:38] So it's important the words you choose.

[00:40:41] And I'm stuck on the word fantastic because it makes you smile.

[00:40:44] I think you're fantastic.

[00:40:47] I want to share with you the documentary that we took with us to COP29.

[00:40:52] Yeah, I was going to bring that up.

[00:40:54] I think that's a fantastic.

[00:40:55] I watched it.

[00:40:55] It's very short.

[00:40:57] And because short form nowadays is very important because nobody has patience to watch anything

[00:41:01] long.

[00:41:01] But go ahead.

[00:41:02] Tell us about it.

[00:41:02] No, and I have another one also that we produced for COP16 in Colombia.

[00:41:08] And it's also short.

[00:41:10] And it's in English.

[00:41:11] So maybe we can share that in your website.

[00:41:15] Of course.

[00:41:16] I mean, I'll put it in the description here as well as a link.

[00:41:21] You know.

[00:41:22] Okay.

[00:41:22] That would be fine.

[00:41:23] But yeah, it's all about, like I say, sharing is caring.

[00:41:27] Caring is kindness.

[00:41:28] Kindness leads to happiness.

[00:41:29] We need to share our knowledge.

[00:41:31] I'm trying.

[00:41:32] I mean, I'm an older guy and I've got a lot of experience.

[00:41:35] I've been having a blessed life to have met the people I've met, to done the things I've

[00:41:40] done.

[00:41:40] And I want people to learn by my mistakes.

[00:41:43] I made mistakes.

[00:41:44] We all make mistakes.

[00:41:45] But I really, truly believe that two words save the planet.

[00:41:49] Be kind.

[00:41:50] Two words.

[00:41:52] Humans are stupid, simple creatures.

[00:41:55] And luckily, I feel that the three commitments are memorable.

[00:42:00] You can remember them easily.

[00:42:03] Children at five years old, especially the Guatemalans, I run into them months later and they got it

[00:42:09] down.

[00:42:14] Well, as you know, I'm an ecologist.

[00:42:17] I'm an environmentalist and I have a foundation called Fundación del Bosque Tropical, Tropical

[00:42:23] Rainforest Foundation.

[00:42:24] So I created that foundation, founded it like 25, 30 years ago.

[00:42:31] Wow.

[00:42:33] So what does it do?

[00:42:34] Tell us about it.

[00:42:35] Reforestation.

[00:42:36] We have this project right now of mangroves and we need to see how we can protect them.

[00:42:42] So on Tuesday, we're going to have a meeting with a businessman from Taiwan.

[00:42:48] And he's interested in knowing what we want to do to see if maybe he can help us finance

[00:42:55] the protection of it.

[00:42:56] How much money do you need and what would you do with it?

[00:43:00] Oh, my gosh.

[00:43:01] It's like a little bit more than a million dollars for five years, during five years.

[00:43:08] Five million a year.

[00:43:09] Yeah.

[00:43:09] The communities?

[00:43:10] Yeah.

[00:43:10] We need to work with the communities so that they do not destroy and they learn.

[00:43:16] It's an educational project as well.

[00:43:18] And to give them tools for ecotourism so that they will be benefited by their communities

[00:43:28] as well if they do things right and help them with fishery and the rest, you know, because

[00:43:35] it's an amazing place.

[00:43:38] Amazing because it's a hotspot of the world, in the world.

[00:43:44] Yeah, I love Guatemala.

[00:43:47] Again, the third commitment to kindness is very short, the description, but I've got hundreds

[00:43:54] of hours of how and why to be kind to the planet, how we can be kind.

[00:44:00] You know, I just brush on the main topic of it, but to really go deep into it, I've got four

[00:44:08] websites.

[00:44:08] I've got thousands of videos that explain how and why we should be kind to our planet.

[00:44:13] You know, I do want to know more about or I want you to tell the audience about that

[00:44:19] fantastic documentary that I watched on the biodiversity of Guatemala.

[00:44:23] Here I've been living here in Guatemala for a year and watch that documentary was quite

[00:44:30] fantastic.

[00:44:32] Good.

[00:44:32] I'm glad.

[00:44:33] But is it one of the COP29 or the COP16?

[00:44:37] Which one?

[00:44:38] No, the one with the biodiversity of Guatemala.

[00:44:41] 16.

[00:44:41] When you sent me.

[00:44:42] COP16, yes.

[00:44:43] I mean, the communitary people, the concessionaries are doing an incredible job.

[00:44:49] And it's a unique model worldwide.

[00:44:53] So now the other countries want to copy us.

[00:44:56] Well, so that's the kind of thing that when we, I don't have any funding for what I'm doing.

[00:45:01] I'm doing it all my own dime.

[00:45:03] But when I, when we can combine all the 9,977 ambassadors with their two cents, let's say,

[00:45:13] or their solution, which is that documentary.

[00:45:18] I mean, but people don't have the time to go through my web.

[00:45:22] They don't even have the time to read their welcome letter.

[00:45:24] I send everybody who joins a welcome letter.

[00:45:26] It's quite lengthy because it answers a lot of questions, tells them about some of our websites

[00:45:30] and some of the speeches I've done.

[00:45:32] And, you know, guides them to.

[00:45:33] I've read them.

[00:45:34] I've read them.

[00:45:35] You have?

[00:45:36] Very few people take the time to read it.

[00:45:38] It's, it's, it's, because that's where I think short form is important today.

[00:45:43] You as a producer, I think they're going to really come down to movies in five minutes.

[00:45:49] Well, that's the sad part about it.

[00:45:51] Because the children nowadays, the young people are not even interested in watching all, you

[00:45:58] know, documentaries that are more than five minutes long, which is bad because they're

[00:46:03] not learning anything.

[00:46:05] And TikToks is their thing nowadays.

[00:46:07] And that's not good.

[00:46:09] That's not really good.

[00:46:11] Some TikToks are good.

[00:46:12] I've done some TikToks in support of the indigenous peoples because they asked me to be their

[00:46:18] influencer.

[00:46:18] Right.

[00:46:19] So I have been doing many of the, of the TikToks to teach, to teach people about the, the indigenous

[00:46:27] that are, you know, the chinkas and shortis that are doing a lot for Guatemala and, um,

[00:46:34] and people don't know about it.

[00:46:36] So I'm glad to be able to do those TikToks, but I want to see the young people turn over

[00:46:42] to watching consistent, um, you know, consistent documentaries, consistent programs.

[00:46:51] Like my TV show called Los Secretos Mejor Guardados.

[00:46:55] It's a, it runs on a weekly basis.

[00:46:57] It runs three times during the weekends and it's a half hour long.

[00:47:02] And it has, you have a lot to learn from those.

[00:47:05] But nowadays people are not watching TV anymore.

[00:47:09] Just the, the phones, the TikToks.

[00:47:11] That's unfortunate.

[00:47:13] They want short form, um, uh, information, not even information, stupidity is what I call

[00:47:19] it.

[00:47:19] I mean, uh, big breasts get a lot of views.

[00:47:24] Um, people falling down, people falling down or getting hurt or fighting.

[00:47:29] I was actually, um, on a bus coming here and, uh, I looked over the guy's shoulder and he

[00:47:35] was scrolling and all his, cause you know, they, they have the algorithms that tell what,

[00:47:40] that know what you're interested in.

[00:47:41] And he loved seeing people fight.

[00:47:43] So he's scrolling.

[00:47:46] There's a fight, another fight, another fight.

[00:47:48] You know, everything's being captured on video, even if they don't want it to be captured.

[00:47:51] And there's a lot of people fighting, you know, I tell people about stupidity.

[00:47:56] It's the stupidity there.

[00:47:58] That's what's being promoted nowadays.

[00:48:00] That's what I call it.

[00:48:01] It's the insanity of humanity.

[00:48:02] We're, we're just, we're mindless beings and I'm fighting an uphill battle because no,

[00:48:09] that's the last people, last thing on people's mind is kindness.

[00:48:13] The people look down.

[00:48:15] If you're kind, they look down on you, you know?

[00:48:17] Um, so it's, it's like, it's, it's, it's an uphill battle, but it's one that's worth

[00:48:22] fighting.

[00:48:23] Um, I'm happy to have people like you, um, in our community and maybe we can produce some

[00:48:28] content together.

[00:48:30] Um, uh, you know, it's, it really, it's going to come down to less than a minute content.

[00:48:36] And it has to be highly polished, uh, captivating.

[00:48:40] Uh, I think you can get people's attention.

[00:48:42] If you do something really polished for one minute, because five minutes is too much nowadays.

[00:48:50] You're right.

[00:48:50] Well, five seconds, I'm giving away free, fantastic, motivational, inspirational quotes

[00:48:56] every day that take five seconds to read five seconds.

[00:49:00] And people don't read.

[00:49:02] They don't have time.

[00:49:03] That's bad.

[00:49:04] I know it's bad.

[00:49:06] Yeah.

[00:49:07] Well, I hope we can meet soon in person.

[00:49:10] I want to meet you.

[00:49:11] I'll be back soon.

[00:49:12] And we're going to, um, we're going to, um, strategize, uh, because we're both on the

[00:49:17] same path to try to make the world a better place.

[00:49:20] Um, and it's soon because we're leaving, we're leaving for the States on the 10th.

[00:49:27] Oh, I'll be back before the 10th.

[00:49:28] Yeah.

[00:49:29] But you're going to be gone for how long?

[00:49:31] Um, well, actually on the 6th, I'm going to get a recognition, uh, from the chamber of

[00:49:37] announcers of Guatemala.

[00:49:38] They have selected me to hoist the flag of Guatemala in the Banco Industrial.

[00:49:45] Oh, wow.

[00:49:46] And, uh, they want to, they want to commemorate my, my work, my life, life's work, 45 years

[00:49:54] of, of being working on, on journalism.

[00:49:58] Wow.

[00:49:58] And so, uh, yeah.

[00:50:00] So that's going to be on the 6th.

[00:50:01] I'm going to be in the city.

[00:50:03] Um, Dan's birthday is on the 10th, on the 7th, on Saturday.

[00:50:07] So the only days we're going to be here in Antigua is on, um, Monday and Wednesday.

[00:50:14] Okay.

[00:50:15] And then we're going to be in the city.

[00:50:16] So hopefully we can meet.

[00:50:19] But you're coming back.

[00:50:20] When are you coming back?

[00:50:22] Oh, we're coming back by the end of March or April.

[00:50:26] Oh, you're gone for a long time.

[00:50:28] Okay.

[00:50:28] Yes.

[00:50:29] Yes.

[00:50:30] Well, I need, I need more Americans to be following my, my philosophy.

[00:50:35] I've got, I'm really big in Africa.

[00:50:37] Um, but, uh, somehow Americans, um, because I'm not in America, but I meet a lot of Americans

[00:50:43] in Antigua.

[00:50:43] Obviously it's the most visited city in all Central America.

[00:50:46] I love Antigua.

[00:50:47] Antigua is really an amazing place.

[00:50:50] Yeah.

[00:50:50] National Geographic considers Antigua the number one city to be visited in the world.

[00:50:58] In the world.

[00:50:59] Okay.

[00:51:00] In the world.

[00:51:01] Yes.

[00:51:01] I just found the art that they got.

[00:51:04] Okay.

[00:51:04] I heard, I heard it was the, um, what would I hear?

[00:51:08] A couple of different things.

[00:51:09] It was the, um, most visited city in all Central America, but I didn't hear the world.

[00:51:14] That's interesting.

[00:51:15] In the world.

[00:51:16] Yeah.

[00:51:16] I know it's a world.

[00:51:17] It's a language that Matt Geo sent.

[00:51:20] I know it's a world heritage site.

[00:51:22] I know it's, um, got more personality than Carter has pills.

[00:51:26] It's more weddings.

[00:51:27] I heard that in Antigua than anywhere else.

[00:51:30] It's about the 10 cities in the world for weddings.

[00:51:34] Well, top 10 in the world for weddings.

[00:51:35] Top 10.

[00:51:36] Got a nice active volcano.

[00:51:39] How many?

[00:51:40] I have one next to me, which is the agua and in front of me, the fire volcano.

[00:51:46] I climbed that.

[00:51:47] I climbed that about six months ago.

[00:51:50] Uh, it took me six hours.

[00:51:52] It was the hardest thing physically I've ever done in my life.

[00:51:55] It was pretty tough, but it was fun.

[00:51:57] Oh, you did it.

[00:51:58] Wow.

[00:51:59] Yeah.

[00:51:59] You climbed it.

[00:52:00] I climbed it.

[00:52:01] Yeah.

[00:52:01] I took three beers to make it harder.

[00:52:03] And I came down in flip flops.

[00:52:06] Mm-hmm.

[00:52:07] It was a lot of fun.

[00:52:09] That is amazing.

[00:52:10] Well, it's great meeting you.

[00:52:12] And I have to leave you because I have another call right now from my editor.

[00:52:16] Because we are producing now the documentary in Spanish that's going to be shown at the press conference on Tuesday.

[00:52:24] And I'm getting this message right now that urgently he needs to talk to me.

[00:52:29] Okay.

[00:52:29] I'll let you go.

[00:52:30] In closing, throw away the word good because you're not a good person.

[00:52:34] You're a fantastic person.

[00:52:35] You're not a good journalist.

[00:52:37] You're a fantastic journalist.

[00:52:38] The word fantastic will change.

[00:52:41] It's changing lives because words matter.

[00:52:44] And you're fantastic.

[00:52:45] Words matter.

[00:52:46] Words matter.

[00:52:47] Thanks for your time, Vida.

[00:52:48] That's why my dad gave me this name.

[00:52:51] And the interesting thing is that I married at the pass.

[00:52:55] I divorced at the pass.

[00:52:57] But my name kept as it is now.

[00:52:59] So my real name has been Vida Amor de Pass forever.

[00:53:03] And that's the way people recognize me as Vida Amor de Pass.

[00:53:07] Well, I like first names.

[00:53:09] I don't believe in last names.

[00:53:10] I think everybody should go by their first name.

[00:53:12] Yeah, but the pass is a good one because it's a piece.

[00:53:15] Peace.

[00:53:16] Yes.

[00:53:16] Life of peace.

[00:53:18] Yes.

[00:53:20] Have a fantastic rest of the day, rest of the weekend.

[00:53:23] You are fantastic, Vida.

[00:53:24] Thank you so much.

[00:53:26] Thank you.

[00:53:27] Thank you for this interview.

[00:53:28] It was fantastic.

[00:53:29] Bye-bye.

[00:53:30] Okay.

[00:53:31] Bye.

[00:53:31] Bye.

[00:53:36] CDZ Collegium Musica is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

[00:53:43] It is a kind of school of music, a concert series, and an agency that promotes the musicians,

[00:53:52] dedicated artists, and educators who we feature as our performers.

[00:53:57] The goal of the Collegium is to bring community together through music performance.

[00:54:07] These performances vary in musical style from classical to jazz, and music from different parts

[00:54:13] of the world.

[00:54:21] The goal is to also educate us to how music functions, not so much as a musical universal

[00:54:32] language, because there are differences in the way that these languages of music are expressed,

[00:54:41] but to educate us to be able to be more appreciative, not only of the music, but the culture it represents.

[00:54:50] And by doing this, it brings community together.

[00:55:12] Well, another fantastic ambassador of kindness with a great resume.

[00:55:18] What, 45 years of journalism and creating content?

[00:55:22] She is fantastic, truly.

[00:55:24] And now it's time for another cooking episode of Dr. Fantastic.

[00:55:29] I'm going to reach into my bag of recipes and see where in the world I was and what I did.

[00:55:35] It's always fun to look back and see I cooked that.

[00:55:38] So enjoy this next episode.

[00:55:41] I'm going to the next segment, the cooking segment, and get in the kitchen.

[00:55:46] Learn how to cook.

[00:55:47] It's fun.

[00:55:49] Baking is not as well.

[00:55:50] Some people love baking, but, you know, I like cooking.

[00:55:53] So get in the kitchen with the kids, with the family, family that eats and cooks together,

[00:55:58] stays together.

[00:55:59] And if you don't cook together, at least eat all together.

[00:56:03] Enjoy the episode, the segment.

[00:56:07] You got to enjoy the whole episode, not just the segment.

[00:56:10] Enjoy the whole show.

[00:56:11] Like, subscribe, and share.

[00:56:13] All of these.

[00:56:14] Welcome to another episode of Dr. Fantastic Cooks.

[00:56:17] Today, I'm in my new villa in Garden City, Egypt.

[00:56:21] And I've been requested to show them, my host, how I make my famous pasta sauce.

[00:56:27] And, of course, I'm going to show you how.

[00:56:29] So first, the ingredients.

[00:56:31] I'll be seeing fresh tomatoes, fresh green peppers, red peppers, and yellow peppers.

[00:56:36] I love some nice color in the pasta sauce.

[00:56:39] If you like a little ariata, we have the green peppers.

[00:56:43] And, of course, extra virgin olive oil.

[00:56:45] We've got the salt, the pepper, fresh garlic, and some tomato paste.

[00:56:50] And I'm going to be using the smallest chopping board I've ever used in my life.

[00:56:56] But, it'll work.

[00:56:59] And, you know, I'm going to make the best pasta ever.

[00:57:02] It's easy and inexpensive.

[00:57:05] So, stay tuned.

[00:57:07] Now, obviously, the first ingredient, and I apologize for not showing it to you, is onions.

[00:57:11] Now, I'm told these are a year old.

[00:57:13] So, it'll be very interesting to really see if they're good after a year.

[00:57:18] I've never actually experienced an onion being edible after a year.

[00:57:23] But, if not, we have to go back to the store.

[00:57:25] We're going to take a Tok Tok.

[00:57:26] I love Tok Toks.

[00:57:28] And it looks like it's a living, breathing, edible onion.

[00:57:35] Okay.

[00:57:36] So, the first step is to dice the onion.

[00:57:40] This doesn't look too good, actually.

[00:57:42] Yeah, there's parts of it that are good.

[00:57:44] So, I'm going to dice the onion, saute it in olive oil, chop up the tomatoes, saute it,

[00:57:50] chop up the vegetables, saute it, put in a little tomato paste, a little bit of water,

[00:57:54] salt, pepper, the green peppers, and it's going to be great, great pasta.

[00:58:01] Stay tuned.

[00:58:02] I've cooked in a lot of places, campfires and everything, but very seldom get a new stove.

[00:58:08] Sometimes it's one burner, sometimes it's two.

[00:58:11] I had the luxury of four burners today, and so my job will be a lot easier today.

[00:58:18] Okay.

[00:58:19] You heat the pan, and you put a little bit of beautiful Italian extra virgin olive oil in

[00:58:26] the pan.

[00:58:27] As you can see, I diced the antique onions, aged to perfection, one here.

[00:58:34] After sauteing the onions, you put the tomatoes in.

[00:58:39] So, when dicing the tomatoes, different sizes, you know, but it's all going to be cooked down

[00:58:45] in the hour it's going to take to make the sauce, you know, so it really doesn't matter

[00:58:49] the size that you cut the tomatoes into.

[00:58:52] Once the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes.

[00:58:57] And saute them.

[00:58:59] I like a little yellow pepper for color.

[00:59:06] Well, the good news is I have a very sharp knife, and that's very important.

[00:59:11] In the bad news, it's a very small cutting board, so it's not so easy.

[00:59:15] But I'm getting through it, and it's fun.

[00:59:18] You've got to love cooking.

[00:59:20] And again, for some nice color, red peppers.

[00:59:26] I lost my cameraman, so it's back to a one-man job.

[00:59:29] There's the peppers, and the tomatoes are nice and soft.

[00:59:35] So now it adds to that.

[00:59:39] And to make it a little arbiata, which is spicy, I put in two green chilies.

[00:59:47] I don't think they're too hot, though.

[00:59:50] So here's my trick shot for the day.

[00:59:52] I don't have a camera mount or anything, but to de-skin a garlic, you just basically,

[01:00:02] and the skin comes off very fast and easy.

[01:00:05] Look at that.

[01:00:06] It comes right off.

[01:00:07] Look at that.

[01:00:09] De-skinned garlic.

[01:00:11] That wasn't an easy shot, people.

[01:00:13] And, of course, the garlic.

[01:00:15] I don't cut it up real fine because it breaks down pretty easy.

[01:00:20] And that's just how I do it.

[01:00:22] So there's the garlic.

[01:00:24] Okay, you need to stir, obviously, constantly, and this pan doesn't have a handle,

[01:00:29] so I had to MacGyver without any cloth or anything around.

[01:00:34] I had to MacGyver a couple paper cups to hold the edge of the pot as I stir.

[01:00:39] So, you know, you've got to make do with what you have in life and not be upset by it.

[01:00:45] Just roll with it.

[01:00:47] And now for the spices, I'm going to put some pepper.

[01:00:52] You know?

[01:00:54] When you put these ingredients, if you don't like garlic, don't put garlic in.

[01:00:57] If you don't like green peppers, don't put green peppers in.

[01:00:59] If you like garlic, put a lot of garlic in, you know?

[01:01:02] And then salt.

[01:01:03] You can have some salt.

[01:01:04] I never measure.

[01:01:05] I usually just do it by sight.

[01:01:09] There's the salt.

[01:01:10] And then I'm going to put oregano, which I didn't mention earlier, oregano, and rosemary,

[01:01:18] and a couple tablespoons of tomato paste.

[01:01:21] A little bit of water, and you'll see what happens.

[01:01:25] There is the tomato paste.

[01:01:27] About three tablespoons, four tablespoons full, according to taste.

[01:01:33] Because it's churning out so nice and thick, I'm going to put very little water in it,

[01:01:38] because you want it to be a really thick pasta sauce.

[01:01:45] I finally found the parsley and the, not the parsley, the rosemary and the oregano,

[01:01:54] because it wouldn't be the same without that.

[01:01:56] And you can put some basil in there as well.

[01:01:58] And sometimes I put a little cumin.

[01:02:00] And so ends episode 10 of The Complete Guide to Happiness.

[01:02:05] I hope you're learning a thing or two about being happy.

[01:02:09] I hope you're already happy, and this just puts another smile on your face.

[01:02:13] I hope you're going to share this, because somebody out there might need a smile.

[01:02:18] Smiling is one of the most important things you could do to try to be happy.

[01:02:23] I once met a girl, and she was clinically depressed.

[01:02:28] And when you're clinically depressed, you're not going to smile.

[01:02:31] And the fact that you're not going to smile, it snowballs, and you increase to be unhappy.

[01:02:37] And it's what you're putting in your head.

[01:02:39] If you're putting unhappy thoughts in your head, you're going to be unhappy.

[01:02:42] So I said, you know, I'm a life coach.

[01:02:47] Do me a favor.

[01:02:48] Repeat after me these three words.

[01:02:51] I am fantastic.

[01:02:52] And she goes, no, I can't say that.

[01:02:54] And I had to convince her to try to say that.

[01:02:57] So finally, she broke down.

[01:02:58] She said, okay, I am fantastic.

[01:03:00] No, I said, no, no.

[01:03:01] Say it like you mean it, like you're an actress.

[01:03:04] And say it with emotion and passion.

[01:03:06] Like, I am fantastic.

[01:03:08] I can say it pretty well.

[01:03:09] I've been saying it a few times.

[01:03:12] And she couldn't get it in her to do it, you know.

[01:03:15] Words matter.

[01:03:17] Words affect water, like I said earlier.

[01:03:20] We're made of water.

[01:03:23] So when you say words out loud, it manifests itself.

[01:03:28] If you say I'm a loser all the time, out loud, in the mirror especially, you're going to manifest that action.

[01:03:36] Tell yourself you're beautiful.

[01:03:38] Because it doesn't matter what other people think of you.

[01:03:41] If you think you're beautiful, you're beautiful.

[01:03:43] If I always, I'm just trying to get through to people that it's not important what other people think of you.

[01:03:53] Too many people care too much about what others think.

[01:03:58] It's what you think that matters.

[01:04:00] If you think you're successful, you are.

[01:04:03] It doesn't matter what other people think.

[01:04:05] Money doesn't mean you're successful.

[01:04:07] Having a bunch of money.

[01:04:08] Happiness means you're successful.

[01:04:11] To be happy with what you have.

[01:04:13] Even if you have nothing.

[01:04:15] Everybody has something.

[01:04:17] You know, I heard a story the other day of this girl living in her car.

[01:04:21] I don't know if it's true or not.

[01:04:22] Musk met her and turned out happily ever after.

[01:04:27] But she had a car to live in.

[01:04:29] You know, she's probably bummed out that she didn't have a house to live in.

[01:04:32] But she had a car a lot more than other people have.

[01:04:34] A lot of people are living in tents.

[01:04:37] A lot of people are living without tents.

[01:04:39] You know, be grateful for what you have.

[01:04:44] Don't make yourself miserable for what you don't have.

[01:04:48] And what you want to be is happy.

[01:04:50] So hopefully, hopefully this is helping a little bit.

[01:04:53] Hopefully my ambassadors are so fantastic.

[01:04:57] They really are accomplished.

[01:04:59] And a lot of them are bus drivers and cab drivers and ditch diggers.

[01:05:03] And people, they're all equal.

[01:05:07] We're all equal.

[01:05:07] I treat the billionaires and the ditch diggers the same.

[01:05:11] They both have to put their pants on one leg at a time.

[01:05:16] Be happy, everybody.

[01:05:19] Like, share, subscribe.

[01:05:21] Sharing is caring.

[01:05:22] Caring is kindness.

[01:05:23] Kindness leads to happiness.

[01:05:27] And hit like.

[01:05:28] That supposedly helps.

[01:05:29] Spread the word.

[01:05:31] We only have almost 10,000 ambassadors.

[01:05:34] By next week, we'll have over 10,000.

[01:05:37] And one day, 20,000.

[01:05:38] And one day, 100,000.

[01:05:40] People united in a new consciousness.

[01:05:43] A new world order.

[01:05:45] Not for greed.

[01:05:46] Not for capitalism.

[01:05:47] Not for dictatorships.

[01:05:49] For kindness.

[01:05:51] And when we, we're going to be moving to Mars.

[01:05:55] Mars.

[01:05:56] Mars.

[01:05:56] So, they don't call them Martian people.

[01:05:57] They're calling them Martian people.

[01:05:58] Not people from Mars.

[01:06:00] Or Martians.

[01:06:01] They should call them Martians.

[01:06:03] But they're calling them, at least Musk is.

[01:06:06] And he's the one in charge.

[01:06:07] Martian people.

[01:06:08] Do you want to go to Mars?

[01:06:09] Mars.

[01:06:09] Maybe I'll do an episode on that.

[01:06:12] I've got a new guest coming up.

[01:06:14] Ken Baxter.

[01:06:15] Who went to outer space.

[01:06:16] The first man to go to outer space.

[01:06:18] One of our early ambassadors.

[01:06:20] So, I'm looking forward to talking to him about Mars.

[01:06:22] And space.

[01:06:23] And the final frontier.

[01:06:25] So, until next week.

[01:06:28] Have a fantastic week.

[01:06:30] Whatever you're doing.

[01:06:31] That's making you happy.

[01:06:32] Keep doing it.

[01:06:33] Bye-bye.

[01:06:34] I met Dr. Fantastic.