Still Strong #1 Captain Steve Brady

Keith Vance: [0:01] Welcome to the Still Strong Podcast. Here we talk about unfading strength, tested by life, forged through faith, and proven over time. Steve Brady. How you doing? Welcome to the podcast. Thank you. Steve, before I give you this introduction, I remember the first time I met you, I had bought some property in Clewiston, and you were out there checking on your cows in your police uniform and your patrol car. Yep, I remember now. I shook your hand, and I knew there was a story behind your handshake. There are certain people you can just tell that there's a story behind there. When I decided to do this podcast, I went through my contacts, my phone with people that inspired me. Not necessarily people I knew real well, but people that inspired me. And you're the first one on my list. So that's why you're here on episode one. Well, I appreciate it. All right, episode one. So here we go. Let me give you a proper introduction. Captain Steve Brady, a 30-year Lee County Sheriff officer. That's right. 25 years of that was with SWAT. Yes, sir. Which I'm really interested to hear about that. Well, that's what we're here for. You are a seven-year Army Airborne MP. That's correct. Yes, sir. Married to the same woman for 37 years. Yep. Beautiful wife, Karen. Karen. And my wife's name is Karen. Yep, we have something in common. Yeah, we've got the same woman. You have two children, a boy and a girl. Yes, sir. I've met both of them. Yes, you have. Your son is cut from the same cloth. Exactly, yep. Big, strong kid. By the way, is he still working for Karen Young? No. He's not there anymore? No, he works for Coastal. He works for Coastal now? Yep. I met your daughter. I think you had referred her to me about a project. Yes, a project. A project about her.

Captain Steve Brady: [2:05] It was a renovation project for her friend's business downtown Fort Myers.

Keith Vance: [2:10] Yeah, and anyway, just a little better interacting with your kids says a lot about you. You've got good kids, man. That's great. And you've got seven grandchildren.

Captain Steve Brady: [2:20] Yeah, they are a delight. They are.

Keith Vance: [2:23] So you, like me, you like taking your grandkids out to the property out there in Hendry County. Absolutely. And a couple times we've been out there at the same time, and I've had the privilege to meet some of your grandkids. And, again, I observe people, and seeing a big, strong guy be gentle with his grandkids. That vibed with me. I watched you. I watched you. So, seven grandkids, and then you are a part-time cattleman and beekeeper. There you go. Beekeeper.

Captain Steve Brady: [2:53] Like I don't have enough to do already, you know? You like me, man. Always hustling. Always hustling for a side hustle, yeah.

Keith Vance: [3:00] I got a gift for you here, a still-strong hat. This is a Richardson. Richardson 112. 112 trucker. There you go. I don't know nothing about these. Those are the kinds. All I know, my kids said these are the best. Yep, they are.

Captain Steve Brady: [3:13] Only the best. Yep, 112. Well, I appreciate it. Thank you. Yeah. Well, I brought a little something for you as well. There's our honey here from my hive. Oh, I'm close. They're right next to your property. They probably got the nectar from some of your plants. Nice.

Keith Vance: [3:30] S&K Cattle Company. 100% raw honey. Good deal. Thank you, man. Yeah, absolutely. All right. Well, let's get started here. Okay. We'll just start from the beginning and then wherever we start vibing, we can just drill down on. Absolutely. All right. Where were you raised?

Captain Steve Brady: [3:51] Where'd you grow up as a kid? I was born out in California, Glendale, California, Southern California. Born there, raised there. Between there and Oregon. The first part of my childhood was spent out in Southern California. Then my parents split up when I was 12. And then my mom took us and we went to Oregon, where everybody's from, basically. Both families are from Oregon. So that's where we ended up. And I was able to learn and do quite a bit in that time in both locations. You know, that's what basically developed me and, you know, created the foundation of who I am now. So your parents were divorced when you were 12. Yes, sir. How many siblings did you have? Just my brother and sister. You're the oldest? No, my brother's older. And then I have a younger sister. So you're right in the middle. Yep. Middle kid. You know, the trouble kid. Were you a trouble kid? No, just, you know, rambunctious, you know, and very adventurous. Your siblings, you tight with them? Very, yeah, very. My sister was younger, so she came along six years later. I mean, as far as hanging around, doing stuff, we probably didn't as much as my brother and I did. We did everything. He was four years older than I am, but we joke about being feral children. Back in the 60s and early 70s, that's just the way you were raised. Feral kids, man, get out of the house and just go do. Man, we did everything. Everything was an adventure and a journey.

Keith Vance: [5:41] So before you were 12, when your parents were together, what did your dad do for a living? What was life like?

Captain Steve Brady: [5:47] My dad retired from LAPD. He was a police officer at Los Angeles Police Department. Yep, yep. And spent, I think, 28 or 29 years there as a cop. He retired eventually, yep. And just a hardworking guy, you know, a good father, you know, hardworking guy. You know, when he wasn't working, you know, at the police department, he was always, you know, doing something around the house. Just a handyman and always got a project going, you know, and real good with his hands and building things and just real strong work ethic, you know.

Keith Vance: [6:27] So we'll talk about this later, but one of the questions I was going to ask you is where you ended up today. Who was the primary influence on you? It sounds like it was your dad. Well, you're a police officer.

Captain Steve Brady: [6:40] Yeah, yeah. My dad was an influence, but I think the primary influence was my mom. Really? Yeah.

Keith Vance: [6:47] So let's talk about that.

Keith Vance: [6:51] Let's talk about your mom. Take all the time you need.

Captain Steve Brady: [7:04] Yeah, just a, she was just a, you know, just a wonderful woman, you know.

Captain Steve Brady: [7:14] And just the, you know, the quintessential, you know, housewife, mom, you know, typical of that generation. And just, she was our biggest cheerleader, you know, and just, you know, just told us, you know, we could do anything we wanted, you know, I mean, we could be anything we wanted. And just was really a huge supporter of us, you know, and took just wonderful care of us, you know, as kids. And, you know, we weren't, we weren't a rich family or nothing, you know, just typical working class family. And she stayed at home and took care of the house and, you know, and dad worked and, you know, all that. And, but man, you know, she could cook anything, make anything. She made all our clothes or, you know, our Halloween costumes. And, you know, you know, just was very involved in our, you know, our development, our growing up. And like I said, she was the biggest, you know, supporter of us, our biggest cheerleader. And I think probably because I spent more time with her because, you know, once they split up, we obviously left and went to Oregon. But, you know, I think she's probably the biggest influence. You know, my dad was a huge influence, but, you know, I spent more time with my mom. So, you know, just the way the numbers fell. But, you know, her, you know, her, just her encouragement, you know, all the time. She was always positive about us and anything we wanted to do or could do. And she was there, you know, at our backs. And so, really, yeah.

Keith Vance: [8:46] So, when you left with your mom for Oregon, did, how did your relationship with your dad transition? Obviously, he's in California. Yeah, yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [9:00] It, you know, it didn't really change, I don't think, that much. You didn't see him. You didn't see him as often. No, not as often. You know, he, you know, he was a, he's a, he's a great dad. He's still, he's alive. You know, he's still alive. He's a great dad. Awesome father. Love him. And, you know, he was, he was a hard ass, you know. And so, you know, it wasn't, you know, it wasn't the, you know, hey buddy kind of relationship, you know. Understood. And so, but, you know, that's what we needed as kids, you know.

Keith Vance: [9:29] And that's indicative of that generation.

Captain Steve Brady: [9:31] Yes, absolutely. You know, and, you know, he came from a harder generation, you know, his, you know, and so, but yeah, I mean, he was great. Loved, you know, loved having him, you know, as a father. And, you know, he, he would work us hard, but he, he also let us play hard, you know, and, and there was rewards too, you know.

Keith Vance: [9:51] So at 12 years old, you moved to Oregon with your mom. Did she remarry? Like, what was that? Eventually, yeah. Eventually she remarried. Yep. Yeah. So, you said eventually. So, single mom. She was a single mom for a while, yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [10:04] For, yeah.

Keith Vance: [10:05] Good while. So, single mom working? Yes. Yep. And taking care of all you guys.

Captain Steve Brady: [10:10] And taking care of us, yeah. Thing is, when we moved to Oregon, we moved in with her parents, you know, basically moved. We bought their home, and then they had a two-acre piece of property there. We bought their home that my grandfather built from the ground up by hand. Like, kind of, he was a construction guy like yourself. So, he built this small home back in the 50s, and, you know. So, we ended up buying that, and then they got a manufactured home, put it right next door, you know, and then they moved into that. So, yeah. So, we had a support system there as well, you know. Family's always important, you know, to have as support.

Keith Vance: [10:49] Listen, listen to you talk about your mother. I had a conversation with my mother on Thanksgiving. And, uh, I remembered a, I unlocked a memory when we were kids. My mom and dad had five of us. And, uh, I unlocked a memory that we would fill the bathtub, and the bathwater never got changed out until the last of us had a bath. Yeah. My parents never talked about finances, but I knew that we were living differently than everybody else. Sure, yeah. And the reason why the bathwater never got changed out is because we had a water bill. Right. So, there was a cost associated that. And I told my mom, I was like, Mom, I had this memory. And, uh, she said, um, she said, um,

Keith Vance: [11:59] she said, um, she said, your dad's always been good, uh, good at working hard and, and making things happen. And she said, you have that in you. She's like, Keith, you see opportunities. And she's like, it just amazes me how you can just take an opportunity and run with it. She said, I have, I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I know how to make a little stretch it out. Oh, yeah. It'd go a long way. Yeah, that's how my mom was. That sounds like your mom. When you were talking about your mom, I was like getting emotional because that's my mom. Yep. A hundred percent. My mom could stretch. She could stretch, dude.

Captain Steve Brady: [12:34] And, uh. Well, they come from that generation of, you know, because her parents were depression. You know, my mom's parents were depression era. They, they, you know, they fled the, the Dust Bowl, you know, in the Panhandle of Texas and, uh, ended up out in Oregon. So, you know, and they, you know, they had two nickels to rub together. That's about it, you know? And so they made, like you said, they made a lot out of a little.

Keith Vance: [12:58] But, uh, talking about how life was and how you said your mom was your primary rock, your person. And my mother also. And then you look at, uh, children nowadays that mom and dad are both working. Yep. To make ends meet. And how vital it is for children to have a mother's influence.

Captain Steve Brady: [13:25] A hundred percent.

Keith Vance: [13:26] A hundred percent. It's a, it's a struggle for families financially for, to make ends meet. And it's a huge sacrifice on the family. It's a huge sacrifice on those children. Yes. That need the influence of a mother.

Captain Steve Brady: [13:40] Oh yeah.

Keith Vance: [13:42] That's, that couldn't be, couldn't be farther from the truth. I've been blessed that, uh, my wife, we have seven children. I've been blessed that she's been able to stay home and take care of our kids. In the beginning. Listen, Steve. In the beginning, I was, she was 18. I was 20 when we're married. Mm-hmm. Had children right away. In the beginning, by the time I paid my bills, I'd have $20 left over for the month. Right. That's how tight it was. I didn't, there was no, there was no room in the budget for any hiccup. Uh, 20 bucks. We'd get a pizza and a movie and like, we were happy. Right. We were happy. So this, this is just my own, this is on my, this is just me talking. This whole keeping up with the Joneses thing. Right. Getting in the debt. And like, I don't know how much that has to play, but there's something to be said for keeping life simple within your means and trying to keep mama with those babies as long as possible because it influenced me. Oh yeah. And it influenced you. Oh yeah. A hundred percent. And I'm not, I'm not belittling or demeaning or saying, you know, casting dispersion on people that have to do what they have to do. I'm just saying it was a lot better back in the day. Oh yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [14:53] I believe so. I believe so. Um, you know, and I, I think every generation has its challenges. Mm-hmm. And, you know, the older generation's always, you know, complaining about the younger generation. But, you know, every generation has a different channel and faces different things. But I still feel like you said, that core family is what develops you. You know, and when you have a mom that's able to raise you and a father that's in the picture, you know, that, you know, it develops you differently. You know, and I was fortunate, you know, with my mom and my mom and dad. And, you know, I, of course, you know, I only have two children. And, you know, we worked, you know, we both had to work. It was just part of the way it was, you know. And, but, again, when we moved to Florida and, you know, right out of the military, we moved in with her parents. And then, you know, slowly, you know, developed from there, got our house and everything. But her parents, we continued to maintain that family unit where you have support from family. And her parents were a huge, huge part of our life and my kids' lives. So, you know, in a sense, they helped raise my children as well. So we had a huge support system there. And that was perfect for us. And it worked. And then it's kind of passed down to my son, who's got seven children like yourself. But they're making it work. You know, his wife stays at home and homeschools all those children. Wow. And you've seen the difference in them. You know, you've seen, you've met those kids and my son and everything. And it's, you know, it, there is a difference.

Keith Vance: [16:54] Family's important. Mm-hmm. Family is the core of civilization. It is, 100%.

Captain Steve Brady: [17:00] And when that family unit starts to break down, that's when values start to break down. And that's when society starts to come and go get out of whack. And we're going to get into crazy ideas.

Keith Vance: [17:11] We're going to get into that. Because of your job that you're in. You see it every day. Let's save that. We're going to get into that. Sure. That's good. So, 12 years old, you're with your mom, living with her family. She eventually remarries. Let's talk about your high school days. Did you play sports or what was your high school days like? Yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [17:31] High school was great. You know, my childhood was just awesome. I couldn't say it anymore. I, you know, played in, you know, any team sport we could. I've been part of a team my whole life, basically. And, excuse me, starting with, you know, just school sports and, you know, played basketball and wrestled football, the whole bit, you know. And were you a decent athlete? Yeah. Yeah, I was, you know. But, you know, just had a blast, you know. High school, I wasn't the top student in the world, but I had fun. And I just, you know, it was, high school was a social thing for me. You know, I mean, I learned and I did my thing. I did what I was supposed to do. But back then, of course, high school was, you know, a lot of vocational stuff, you know, welding and shop, everything. All the stuff that, you know, that we wish we would have more of now. So, that's what I, you know, I aced those classes. We had agriculture classes, you name it. So, you know, most of my day was either in the welding shops or wood shop or in the tractor shop, you know, or something.

Keith Vance: [18:39] And so, let's hit that for a minute because not everybody's built to sit and stare at a blackboard for hours a day. Oh, man. I'm not built that way. No. I got to go outside. I got to put my hands on something. I got to like that. So, we're all built to learn differently and to take away, again, this is just my point of view. Sure. To take away a way of learning hands on. Yes. I don't think it's proven. There's nothing better. It hasn't proven to be good for us. Yeah. And they're even taking away kids' recess time. Listen, you learn a lot by play. Oh, yeah. It's proven. Social skills.

Captain Steve Brady: [19:14] You learn social skills. You learn how to get along. You know, you learn conflict resolution. You learn everything in recess, you know. You learn how to talk to people. You learn how to talk to girls. You learn how to talk, you know. Sure. You learn how to fight, too, you know. Yeah. You might learn how to lose. That's good, too. So, yeah. So, high school, any? High school was great. I had really no intention. I knew early on, you know, as a kid, just from seeing my father, he was a military guy and then he was a cop, you know. Okay. So, I was like, well, that's what I'm doing. You know, it's what you do. And, of course, I wanted to be everything else. You know, my grandparents, you know, they were, you know, they were, he was a cop. carpenter and a cowboy and everything else, you know, so I wanted to do everything, but, you know, pretty much knew right away, look, I'm going to go, I'll be going in the military regardless. I don't, you know, that's just my destiny. I'm going to military and college wasn't even a thought, you know, a consideration.

Keith Vance: [20:17] And, um, so, and exactly what I did, you know, I, uh, I was homeschooled and a lot of my homeschooling, my dad would send me to work for people. Right. Uh, every summer I was working on a construction site. Okay. I graduated high school. My dad said, Hey, you're going to go to college. I said, no, I ain't going to college. I already got a taste of how to make money.

Captain Steve Brady: [20:40] Yeah. Oh yeah.

Keith Vance: [20:41] And, uh, you're like, no, you're going to go, you want to try it out for a year. I almost made it a year and I got kicked out. I got kicked out, came back and started working, framing the house, eating it up. So right back to what you knew. College isn't made, isn't for everyone.

Captain Steve Brady: [20:55] No, it's, it's not. And, and, you know, and I'm not going to bash college because I went to college. I got out of the military and then went to college and got a degree, did all that. But, uh, it's, it can be important. And for some people it is and everything, but it's not the, it's not the end all do all, you know, you don't need it. You don't need it to, to survive. You don't need to be successful.

Keith Vance: [21:17] Well, the thing is, you know, the thing is we're all cut different cookie cutters. We're not all the same. Right. Exactly. And we should make, leave some room for the odd balls. Yes. Yeah. Exactly.

Captain Steve Brady: [21:28] And that's, you know, and I've always been a hustler, you know, always I've been hustling since I was a kid, you know, when I was eight years old, I had a, my dad, my dad, uh, he kind of, my brother and I hatched this plan. We were going to, uh, come to him with this proposal about, Hey, we, we need an allowance. Right. And, uh, cause you know, he, we had chores to do every day and a bit. And then on the weekends, we were doing whatever projects we were with him, you know, and, uh, and we were always like, man, what, you know, cause other kids were getting allowances were like, why don't we get an allowance? You know? So we, we went to him with our hat in our hand, Hey dad, you know, it sold him on this plan that, you know, we would really, we could really use a, an allowance. And he's like, he kind of, I can imagine what he was thinking, you know, kind of chuckling in the back of his head. He's like, you know, okay. So he, uh, he ended up saying, all right, he agreed to it. He gave my brother, he said, Oh, this is what we'll do every Sunday. I'll give you, give you an allowance. Bob's my brother. He gets 50 cents and me like a quarter. And I was like, and we're like, Oh, okay. And I was like, you know, I didn't, my dad's a guy, you don't argue with him, you know, you know, you're just kind of like, yes, sir. Kind of, you know? And so I was like, Oh, okay. But I'm thinking, man, why am I getting the short end of the stick here? I'm like, well, why does he get more, you know? And, uh, well, he's older. I'm like, well, that didn't make any sense. And of course my brother, he was like, well, yeah, cause I'm bigger, you know, but it was funny. So we, uh, you know, from that, I was like, you know what, that's just not enough. You know? So I, I started hustling, doing my own stuff, you know, and where we lived, um, you know, we lived in a real equestrian area, so I could always make money. I could always make money, you know, uh, training people's horses or cleaning their, their stalls or something. Or, and I, and I also, um, started my own little shoe shine business because we had a truck stop next to our, our living in this village. And there was a truck stop there and I could go over there. And as a kid, as an eight year old kid, I could go make 20 bucks in a day. Wow. Shining shoes over there, shining boots, these truckers boots. And, uh, so as a kid, I had all kinds of money, you know, cause that, that allowance was like, man, I ain't gonna cut it. No, I need to go make my own. So we were, we, my brother and I were always hustling on something. We were selling things or mowing the yards or doing something, you know? And so.

Keith Vance: [23:47] Before we get into your transition from high school to the military, other than your parents' divorce, was there any other adversity or hardship that looking back that you overcame that was difficult? Like, did your dad intentionally make life hard for you to make you right now?

Captain Steve Brady: [24:05] No, no, no, not a bit, not a bad, not a bit, you know? Um, you know, like my, my dad, he, uh, you know, he did the best he could, you know, uh, you know, and, uh, I think that generation, you know, there was a lot of divorce and, you know, uh, and, uh, I think just the, uh, uh, you know, something about the seventies, maybe, I don't know, but, uh, no, he, he did, you know, he's a, he's a wonderful man and a good guy. He never did anything to make our lives miserable. He, I'm not talking about making it like miserable.

Keith Vance: [24:35] I'm talking about, you know, there is something about putting pressure on a kid. The Bible says it's good for a young man to bear his burden early, to get used to that weight. My dad would put, Oh yeah. Oh, you're talking about that. Yes. My dad would put chores and stuff on me to make my life heavy. Oh yeah. That might see, I look around and say, I see my friends playing and I'm over here doing this and that. So was there any of that? Oh, 100%. Absolutely. That made you who you are now.

Captain Steve Brady: [25:02] Yes. My brother and I, you know, he'd be like, get up, let's go. We're working. And, you know, we've got things to do this weekend. And, you know, all right. You know, we never complained. You know, we actually enjoyed it for the most part. You know, there was times we'd, man, I wish we could be out, you know, down in the river playing or riding horses or something. But, you know, it seemed like he always turned it into an adventure, but he worked our asses off. You know, and it was hard work. Probably kept you out of trouble. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it kept us out of trouble. And, but, you know, we were, you know, putting a roof on a house or doing something, you know, always had a, you know, and he really instilled. And that's where I said, you know, the distinction between my mom's influence and his influence. You know, she's the one that, you know, created my personality and developed my spiritual foundation. My dad was the guy that developed the, you know, the work ethic and the hard work and work for what you, you know, you earn what you get. There you go. You know, and, and it's out there, go out and get it. And he even told me when I, you know, I was complaining about the, the, the allowance thing. And he's like, well, go out and make some money. There you go. You know, go ahead. There's, there's jobs out there. You know, I'm eight years old. I'm like, all right, I'm doing it. You know? And here's the thing.

Keith Vance: [26:20] If you would have given you more than 25 cents, you'd be like, oh, this is plenty. Yeah. But it wasn't enough. You had to go find more. So that's, that's, that's a good lesson.

Captain Steve Brady: [26:27] Yeah. Absolutely. A hundred percent. Yeah. We let, we joke about it. My brother and I, you know, what would we do at 50 cents? Because I'm doing the math going, it's going to take me a month, a dollar. Now, you know, early seventies, a dollar did get us something, but it wasn't much, you know, but we did learn how to save and do all that. But yeah, my dad was real, you know, taught us about being self-sufficient and doing things yourself and working hard. And, you know, if you want something to do it, you know, make it, fix it, you know? And, um, so yeah, that's, that's how that, that ended up.

Keith Vance: [26:58] I want to move on to your time in the military, but you said something that sparked something with me. You said you learned your spirituality from your mother. Yeah. Can you expound on that a little bit?

Captain Steve Brady: [27:09] Yeah. I mean, from early on, she, you know, she's a devout Catholic, you know, and, uh, you know, that to the day she died. And so, um, but yeah, they, you know, we went to Catholic school and, you know, the whole bit and my dad supported that. You know, my, my dad's not the most religious guy, you know, don't really know much about his, his thoughts on that. But, um, you know, my mom was very, you know, that was how it was going to be. And he was like, yeah, absolutely. You know? And so, you know, she, she had us in Catholic school and, you know, did the whole thing. And, uh, you know, again, my brother and I, we still joke about Catholic school and all the, you know, the, the things you hear about it. And most of them, it's true. So just the craziness, but yeah, we, it really shaped our, our, our faith and our, our spiritual foundation. And, and, uh, you know, not, I'm not, I'm not a Catholic to this day, but you know, um, it's still, it, uh, it shaped my, uh, my, my Christianity, my faith and, and, and that sort of thing. But, and she's the one that really made that happen and, you know, and, uh, guided us in that direction.

Keith Vance: [28:18] It's, um, it's the, the way I, the way I believe according to the Bible is that it's the, the husband and the father's responsibility to take that role. Um, but even in our church, you see a mom bringing her, the children and the dad's not.

Captain Steve Brady: [28:41] I'd say 90% of the time it's the mom. It's the mom. Yeah. Yeah. It's the women.

Keith Vance: [28:45] It's not the way it's intended to be, but that these mothers, these, you see these mothers taking on roles that aren't necessarily designed to be theirs, but, but thank God that they, they pick up that mantle, that they pick it up and do it.

Captain Steve Brady: [28:58] No, you're right. And because, uh, you know, like I said, it's, I mean, my own personal, you know, uh, view on how, how society should, you know, men, men have certain roles, women have certain roles and, you know, with the women are the, the nurturers and, you know, the, they, they make the home, you know, they make the home a home and, and, uh, they raise the children and they, they, they provide a loving atmosphere. Men are the doers, the providers, you know, and, and the protectors of society, you know, they do man stuff, you know, and, um, but like you said, sometimes, you know, mom has to pick up, yeah, she has to fill in those gaps, you know, where, where sometimes a man fails.

Keith Vance: [29:37] And thank God that they do. Yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [29:39] A hundred percent. Yeah. Thank God they do.

Keith Vance: [29:41] All right. So military, you finished high school. Yep. Yep.

Captain Steve Brady: [29:46] And then straight in the military, I had signed up early, you know, and I just knew early on, you know, that, uh, I was going to join the military. And so my brother had gone in before me and, uh, so it kind of, you know, got an idea. Okay. You know, cause I didn't know which one I was going to go. He joined the army and, and, uh, um, did you guys happen to be at the same, in that, in that same time for a short time? Yeah, we were, we ran at the same time. Uh, he was obviously he's four years older, so he went in, you know, uh, a couple of years before I did. And, uh, and then, uh, I joined as soon as I got out of high school and joined and he was over in Germany. I ended up in the States here, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. And then, uh, yeah, I did almost just shy of seven years there. So what were some of the lessons you learned in that time in your life? Man, a lot. It was great. Uh, you know, I was, you know, I would encourage anybody that's doesn't have a direction or just doesn't have a, an idea of what they want to do or where they want to go. You know, give it a try, you know, worse you can do is, you know, finish out your tour and get out. But, um, it, it develops, uh, it develops a lot in a young man. Um, fortunately I had a lot already, you know, I already had a, a, you know, you had a good, a good base going into it. And so I thrived in it, you know, and, and, uh, you know, basic training, I was a breeze, you know, because I was, you know, like I said, I was an athlete. So, you know, uh, none of the physical stuff really mattered to me. And, and, uh, so I just, you know, I made it through no problem. And then, uh, um, but yeah, what I think what it developed, it develops your sense of leadership. It develops, uh, your, um, your sense of team, teamwork and that, that sort of thing. But I think the biggest thing I learned from that, and I also, I've, I've told my son this and he's learned the same thing, uh, because he, he did the military as well. But, um, you, you learn a lot from watching others and it's when it comes to leadership and when you're not a leader, when you're just a private, you know, Joe Schmo, um, you know, you look around and, and I always, I always gravitated towards the good leaders. You know, the guys that said, okay, that's what I want to be. You know, that's the kind of guy I want to be. And I always tell people when you're in a situation, you know, in a leadership situation or anything like that, look around and, and, and try to, try to be, try not to be the guy that's, that's a horrible leader. You know, find the guys that are, that are, that are horrible and not be that guy.

Keith Vance: [32:33] So I told you anytime that you say something that vibes with me, we're going to drill down. Sure. Absolutely. Because that vibes with me because there are people. There are people that want to be leaders. That shouldn't be. They're trying to be leaders, but they're not leaders. They're not. They're not leaders. And it sounds like from my experience, the ones that bark the most are not the leaders. The ones that are constantly saying, Hey, follow me. Hey, do what I say. Hey, let's go this way. It's the one that's quiet in the room. The one that brings steadiness to the situation. Yeah. Yeah. The one that, you know, when the, when, when the crap hits the fan, you'd be like, that's the guy I want to be with. Not the guy that's barking. Right. And, um, so yeah. Uh, leaders in life. You talk about, we just, we just get finished talking about family. Yeah. You know, a father is a leader, a father that just has that quiet steadiness settles that whole home, man. And it creates an environment that, you know what, this, this is hard, but it's going to be okay. So you talk about leader, what you learned about leadership and following certain leaders, watching leadership, man, vital.

Captain Steve Brady: [33:46] That's the best thing you can do is sit back and watch and say, I'll follow that guy, but I won't follow that guy. So I'm going to learn how to do what that guy does, you know, and learn what not to do from that guy.

Keith Vance: [34:01] Because, because you want to be a good leader. You want to be someone that can be trusted. Someone to say, Hey boys, let's roll. And then the job is going to be, the guys, the job's going to be accomplished. Yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [34:10] And I've had to do that. I've had to learn that. And, you know, that's how I've had to apply that in my 30 years, you know, and, uh, I've had to apply that a lot. And so, you know, if you want to get a team of 25 guys to, to, you know, to go into a building that's, you know, uh, that you might not come out of, you know, you have to be able to, to get them to do it, convince them that this is not convinced, but guide them, you know, and, uh, you know, have them knowing that push them, know that, have them know that you're, you're there and they're, they're safe, you know?

Keith Vance: [34:43] So, but yeah, I, you'll have to forgive me. Airborne MP. I don't, I think airborne, did you jump out of planes? Yeah. I'm thinking airborne. You jump out of planes. So let's talk about something cool for a minute. All right. So let's tell me some good. It's. Some cool stories.

Captain Steve Brady: [35:01] Well, that's, it was, uh, that was a blast, man. I, you know, yeah, I was at Fort Bragg and, uh, that's home of the airborne, you know, special operations and the whole bit. So, um, yeah, I just, it lucked out. It was funny. I joined the army on an open contract and, uh, which means you just join and they send you wherever. Okay. And, uh, so, you know, I wanted to be an MP. I'm like, okay, I want to be an MP because my dad was an MP, you know? And, uh, so I was like, all right, uh, be an MP and, and I signed up, send me wherever. And so when they were reading out assignments, they were like, Hey, Brady, you're going to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I was like, okay, well, that's a long way from home. You know, it's a complete other end of the country, but that's fine. You know, that's what I'm here for. I love adventure. You know, that's, that's what I do. And, uh, so I ended up there and, uh, and I remember my drill sergeant going, oh, hey, you can go airborne. And I was like, well, what's that? I didn't know that, you know? And, uh, so are you jumping out of planes? I'm like, okay, great. So got there.

Keith Vance: [36:01] Pause, pause a minute. How tall are you? I'm six two. All right. So you're, you're tall, you're on the taller in the spectrum, but yeah, I don't picture big, tall guys jumping out of planes. Like, oh yeah, no, there's a lot of, yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [36:13] Okay. All right. All sizes.

Keith Vance: [36:15] I don't know why I had that mental picture, but I just didn't have a picture of this big old.

Captain Steve Brady: [36:18] I'm probably not as tall as I was because I had a really hard landing. All right. So keep going. That ended my airborne career. But yeah, no, I, uh, I got to Fort Bragg and, um, was able to, uh, uh, go airborne and, and, uh, just had a blast, man. It was, uh, it was a good time. And, uh, um, you know, jumped out, jumping out of planes and going to the field all the time.

Keith Vance: [36:41] And so talk about the first experience of jumping out of plane. What was that like? I don't remember.

Captain Steve Brady: [36:47] Yeah. Oh yeah. Definitely. Remember, you know, it's funny cause, uh, um, you talk about faith and all that, um, at, at Fort Benning, Georgia, where the jump school is, um, there's a little chapel right next to the, the barracks where, uh, where everybody stays. And, um, nobody, nobody goes into this chapel, right? Except the day of the jump. It's funny cause that place is jam packed full of paratroopers praying about their first jump. It was hilarious, you know, cause, uh, you know, I, you know, cause I went in there, you know, uh, just cause they offered it. They're like, Hey, you know, chapel will be open and stuff. Yeah. It's jam packed. Any other day it wasn't, you know, but it's, but yeah. So, uh, no, yeah. First jump is just, you know, you just a lot of, you know, uh, that's where, that's where you, you really have to rely on faith too. You know, you're like, you know what? And God put me here for a reason and he's gonna either get me through it or, you know, have a different plan for me. So, but yeah, it was a little, you know, it's a little nervous just like anything else.

Keith Vance: [37:52] And, uh, um, you trust your training and you just, oh yeah. Yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [37:55] A hundred percent. Yeah. Knew everything's gonna work out. Cause the way I look at it, I'm like, look, there's been, you know, a hundred thousand other paratroopers before me and there'll be another a hundred thousand paratroopers after me, you know? And so, you know, they've done something right. And, uh, you know, the odds are, you know, in your favor.

Keith Vance: [38:13] So one of my, one of my daughters for her 18th birthday, she wanted to jump it up a plane and, uh, I'm afraid of heights. Yeah. Like I can, I can walk on the peak of trusses, you know what I mean? But, but I have control over that. Sure. Anyway. So I'm like, I'll go with you. I was like, man, what am I doing? What, you go out to Cluiston? Yeah. Yeah. I went out to Cluiston. I'll go with you. Yeah. But I took a freaking Xanac before we went. Oh Lord. Took a freaking Xanac when we went and I jumped, um, you know, did it. Got, uh, got motion sickness almost to the ground and just laying there puking on the ground just cause I, you know, got a little motion sickness. But listen, that Xanac didn't kick in until, until the drive home. And my daughter's like, dad, car, car, car, car, car, car, car. I'm like, what's wrong? Like, I feel like I'm good. Yeah. But apparently I wasn't good. Apparently I was all over the place. So if you were working that day and behind me, you would have probably grabbed me. Yeah. But she's like, she's like, yeah, I took the Xanac too late. It didn't kick into the drive home. And apparently, apparently it was, uh, the, the drive was more scary than the, the jump. Probably. Yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [39:24] She probably remembers that more than the jump. Yeah. So anyway, but yeah, that was, it was a good time, man. And, uh, so I spent like, you know, just shy of seven years, uh, there at Fort Bragg. Um, I mean, I did a year in Korea during that time as well, but you did. Yep.

Keith Vance: [39:43] So when you got out, you're how old are you now?

Captain Steve Brady: [39:45] How old are you now? 26 or 25, 26. 25. When I was 18. So yeah, just, yeah, just 25 ish. 25 ish. Yeah. You haven't met your wife yet. No, I did. I met, we met in the army. We got married while I was in the army. Okay. Yeah. Her brother. My brother was my roommate, and we were both paratroopers together. He's my roommate, and she had come up to see him, and we met and kind of hit it off, and we're kind of where it went from there. And then right before I was headed to Korea, I had re-enlisted, and I took Korea as an option because it was only a year-long tour, and I would be right back to Fort Bragg because if you're airborne, you pretty much just stay at Fort Bragg. And we were dating at the time, so I said, well, I don't want to be gone longer than I have to. And so I re-enlisted for the Korea option, and we had been dating and whatnot. But then literally right before I left for Korea, she says, hey, I'm pregnant. So, I said, okay, well, I guess I'm getting married before we go to Korea. Yeah, that was my next question. That's a story in and in itself there. Wow. Yeah, yeah, we got married in four days, man. Wow. Yeah, I had already left. I was getting ready. I was leaving for Korea, and I was out and visiting my dad and my mom. I had a couple weeks leave, and I'd been out there, and she calls and says, hey, I think I'm pregnant. It's like, oh, boy. Okay, well, let's get hitched. So, I forget what day it was on, but she had to run to the clerk of courts down at the courthouse and get a marriage license and whatnot. And I'm like, well, I'll get a flight, and I'll head back, you know. And this was on a Friday. As a matter of fact, it was. It was on a Friday. Well, we'd start talking like Thursday night. She was telling me. I said, so Friday she had to get the ball rolling. Right. And it was funny because my mom and dad, they didn't know I had. I mean, they kind of knew I had a girlfriend. Sure. You know, I was in North Carolina, and they're out on the West Coast. And so, I was home visiting my mom, and it was after my wife had told me that she's pregnant. You know, I was like, oh, boy. So, I had to start making plans to get back out there. And so, I told my mom. I said, hey, I got to tell you something. And she knew right away. They always do. She did. She goes. Listen, they always do. Oh, she knew. I was like, wow. She goes. I said, hey, you know this girl I've been dating? She goes, she's pregnant. Yeah. I go, yep. So, I said, oh, boy. I said, and I'm leaving to go get married. And she's like, all right. How long were you guys dating before you got married? Not long. Probably. This was in April. We got married in April. So, the prior, like, October. So, not six months, maybe. Something like that. And 37 years later. Oh, yeah. Yeah. No, it was meant to be. 100%. Yeah. And so, yeah. I went to Korea. And she had the baby. And I came home, you know. And, you know, saw the baby for a couple weeks. And flew back to Korea. And then, and after that, you know. So, yeah. So, we were married in the Army. And together ever since. Good.

Keith Vance: [43:21] Let's, we're going to jump into, from the military, you went straight into law enforcement.

Captain Steve Brady: [43:27] Well, I got out. Yeah. I was just deciding what I wanted to do when I was getting out. And I, I said, well, I want to go to college. Because I got this. There you go. Got it. They convinced me to sign up for this college fund program. Back when I was in, it was called the Vietnam era education assistance program. And so, I, so I got some college money. I think I'll give college a try. Because I had met some guys. Again, the leaders that you want to be like. Sure. And I met some guys that, that had been, you know, enlisted guys first. And then they got out and went to college. And then came back in as officers and whatnot. And I said, man, this guy's squared away, you know. And I'm thinking, well, I should, I need college. Or I should go to college. To just better myself, you know. And, I mean, better myself in a, in a, you know, more educational way. Understood. And so, I did. I said, well, I'm going to get out. I want to go to use this college fund. And my, my wife's parents had already retired down here to Southwest Florida. And so, they kind of had their own agenda. They wanted us closer because of the grandbaby, you know. And so, they said, well, come on down here. There's a college here. It was, at the time, it was USF here in Fort Myers. And, it's Edison and USF. And then, so, we got out and went to college for four years here. And I worked part-time, you know, at a print supply company here in town. Okay. Just went to college. And, you know, got my degree, but I knew I wanted to go into law enforcement and use that degree for that. So, yeah, so I did four years of college and then signed on with the sheriff's office. Well, I put myself through the academy, and then during the academy, I signed on with the sheriff's office.

Keith Vance: [45:20] Before we dive into that, let's take a little break. Sure. Yeah, yeah. All right. This part of the podcast is brought to you by Vance Ranch. Vance Ranch is our family 100-acre ranch in Henry County. We have a 6,000-square-foot barn where we host wedding venues, corporate events, anniversary parties, and whatever else you want to use it for. Find the link in the bio. Now let's get back to the show. All right. We're back from the break. All right. There you go. We had just, you're married. Yeah. Married very quickly. Married very quickly. Four days. For obvious reasons. Yes. You, out of the military, went to college for four years, and did the, what's it called for becoming a... The academy. The academy. Joined the academy. Joined the academy. And now you are a police officer. Yep, yep.

Captain Steve Brady: [46:18] Signed on with the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

Keith Vance: [46:20] And you signed on right away with SWAT, or what was that? No, no.

Captain Steve Brady: [46:24] There's a requirement there. You have to, you have to be on a little while. There was, there was a, a three-year requirement. Okay. To be a deputy first. But I actually got a waiver and came on it two years because of my military experience and the things I did in the military that, that helped me, you know, in the...

Keith Vance: [46:45] Was that the goal all along?

Captain Steve Brady: [46:47] Did you... Uh, actually, no. I, I didn't even think about SWAT, you know, until, you know, when I, until I got to the sheriff's office. I'm like, oh yeah, that's right. You got a SWAT team. And, wow, they do some cool stuff. And, you know, I'm like, that's, that's what I want to do.

Keith Vance: [46:59] So let's talk about that. Let's talk about some cool stuff. The jumping out of the school. Let's talk about the tactical stuff of SWAT. Like stuff that I wouldn't know. Like. It's a lot to it.

Captain Steve Brady: [47:10] There's a whole lot to it. Um, people, uh, associate SWAT with, you know, what they see on TV and stuff. And, and, you know, it's all Hollywood and dramatized and whatnot. And, um, but yeah, it's, you know, it's basically, it's a team of, team of men that, that, uh, um, that are trained tactically. Uh, in specific skills to get specific missions accomplished. Um, basically what, what we, uh, what we trained for is, um, you know, the, the main ones are like hostage rescues and barricade subjects, high risk search warrants, uh, VIP protection, things like that. But it's also for just any unusual circumstance, you know, that the, that the average, you know, deputy is not going to be able to, to accomplish. And so.

Keith Vance: [48:05] I feel like you and I are going to vibe on this one real good because I'm already drawing lines to other things as you're talking. So keep going.

Captain Steve Brady: [48:12] Yep. So, uh, you know, it's, it's a lot of training and it's, you know, um, and, and the selection process as well is, is very, uh, very difficult. And, um, demanding and, uh, um, and, and for, for good reason, you know, we, we don't want people that, uh, are not going to be able to, to hold up, you know, You don't want somebody folding. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And so, um, but yeah, it's, it's, uh, it's a really, uh, it's a really rewarding, rewarding unit to be a part of. And I'm sure it's, I was fortunate to be a part of it for 25 years, 25 years. I'm sure that's a pretty tight brotherhood. Very, very hundred percent. Yeah. I, you know, I haven't, I left at 25 years. I, I ultimately, I became the SWAT commander and, uh, um, and then, uh, you know, I, I ended up eventually stepping down, you know, uh, as the younger guys are getting up there and I'm starting to realize, you know, other things in life that I wanted to do. Sure. But it's still, you know, it's still absolutely part of me, you know, everything. I mean, I wear, I still wear the hat, you know? And so it's like, you know, you know, it's just, it's still part of you. You don't, it doesn't ever go away, you know?

Keith Vance: [49:31] So as you're talking about with that job, how high the stakes are, I would imagine that you have to be ready, physically ready. Uh, you're training readied up. I would imagine that you're like, it's like a consistently. All the time. Yeah. A lot of training and ready. And that, that vibes with me because, um. And as a husband, a father, grandfather, it's been impressed with me for virtually ever since I started having babies that there's no off-season for me. Absolutely. So I'm drawing lines to the tactical thing with other things like, and that's where no off-season as far as spirituality, no off-season as far as, oh, my tummy hurts, I'm not going to work today. Right. No off-season as far as being physically capable to handle the business. Right. If something goes down, I'm the one that's going to have to take care of it.

Captain Steve Brady: [50:39] Absolutely. Like I said, that spills over into real life all day long. I learned early on in my career that, look, I have to be in the best physical shape I can be in and mental shape to serve the people of this community. There you go. They did deserve that. They, you know, they, it's incumbent on me. You know, I took on that responsibility. I, you know, I accepted that mission, that job. Right. And so, you know, if I, if I can't, if I'm not performing up to my best, then I'm not, they're not getting what they deserve. And, you know. And you become a liability. Yeah, it's absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, in those particular situations, you know, you're talking about life and death. Right.

Captain Steve Brady: [51:32] Right. Like, okay. You know, 25 years of being on call 24-7, you know, 365. You know, after a while now I've got some grandkids and I'm like, you know, I think, I think I'm going to pass that torch, you know. But, yeah, you have to be, you have to have that mindset. Otherwise, you know, you have to be able to make that sacrifice and that commitment. Otherwise, you know, it's not going to work. And like you said, it bleeds over into your personal life. You know, if, you know, you have to, you know, you have to maintain being a good father. You have to maintain being a good provider and spiritually keeping yourself up, you know, that way as well. And, you know, in order to perform and provide, because that's what men do. You know, we, we provide, we step up and do what we're supposed to.

Keith Vance: [52:18] My brain is going into several different directions right now as we're hitting this, because there's like so much. There's so much here we could talk about. And I want to dissect it. Like, I was never in the military. I was never a police officer. But what you're describing, I felt that pressure on me, like I said, as I have to take care of my wife. I've taken care of that children. Like, I felt that responsibility.

Captain Steve Brady: [52:44] Well, every man should feel that pressure.

Keith Vance: [52:45] And as you're talking, it's like, hmm, that's good. Make sure that I am being everything I'm supposed to be. Right, yeah. When you're 25 years in SWAT, this kind of changed the, not the sub, but just kind of changed the focus. What were some of the fitness regimens that you would go through to stay physically capable, to stay strong?

Captain Steve Brady: [53:11] Man, I've done every kind of workout you can think of, you know, over the years, you know. Did a lot of running, a lot of CrossFit type stuff, you know. Lifting, you know, lifting weights. And I kind of did a combination of both all the time. You know, I wanted to be able to run a lot. And then, not that I run a lot in the job, but, you know, I wanted to be able to, you know. You know, what really comes to mind is just specifically, I was on a canine track. And I had, I had, I had left, I had, I had not been working out for a while for some reason. And I remember having to track this guy and with my dog. And it was a long, long track. It was probably a mile or two or something like that. And I ended up finally getting the guy at the end of the track. And the fight was on. And I'm like. And you're already winded. I got, you know, we won. But I was like, man, I don't want to be winded like that again, you know. And so, that really pushed my, I mean, it pushed me into another level, you know. And I said, I don't want to, you know, not do that again, you know. So, I always wanted to be in the top physical shape I could be in. And so, started a lot more cardio, a lot more, you know, that high intensity type workouts and stuff. And, you know, I was, you know, a lot younger then. And then, so, and I, you know, I played sports too, you know, here and there. We had an arena football team at the sheriff's office for a while. And I played hockey, things like that. So, anything to just kind of keep you in shape. Right. But a lot of lifting too.

Keith Vance: [54:55] Yeah. Like I said, I'm going to be 50 here in January. and I'm trying to extend that strength and that fitness as long as possible. Yep, same here. Not for aesthetics or anything else, just because I want to be strong for my kids, my grandkids, anything else, be able to do whatever I need to be done. Plus, it just feels good, man. Feels real good. Feels good just to get out there and sweat and just get it going. I've never heard anybody, like I've heard a lot of people say, oh, I don't feel like it, but I've never heard anybody do a workout and say, I wish I hadn't done that. Right. It always feels good after, but you got to go through the misery to get the reward. It's been worth it every time. That's life.

Captain Steve Brady: [55:40] You got to go through the misery to get the good part.

Keith Vance: [55:43] Let me make another shift in this pocket that we're in right now.

Keith Vance: [55:52] I would imagine that you would, I would imagine you see people or deal with people on their worst days in SWAT.

Captain Steve Brady: [56:00] We deal with the worst in human condition. Yeah. It's, the human condition can be really, really bad. Yeah. At times.

Keith Vance: [56:11] So my question is,

Keith Vance: [56:17] when that's your job, dealing with depravity, and then you go home to have dinner with your wife or to be around your children, like,

Keith Vance: [56:29] was there, was there, what was that like when you're trying to figure it out? Like, how do you, how do you shut it off? Do you shut it off? Do you learn how to compartmentalize things? Can you talk to your wife and just, can just, Hey baby, I went, here's why I went through the day. Or do you have to save her mind from that? Like, what's that process of, so I was going to say, I, I'm very good at compartmentalizing everything.

Captain Steve Brady: [56:51] And, uh, it's, I don't know. It's just part of me where I don't, I don't share it with my wife. I don't, you know, I share that. Cause you know, I don't want to put that on her. You know, she's, uh, and I just, I'm not a guy that shares my feelings, you know, like that. And so, and, but on the other hand, a lot of stuff didn't bother me. I mean, I, it, you know, it happened, I, but I, I just realized, I know that that's how life is, you know, and, and, um, you know, there's good and there's evil. Right. And I, we deal with the evil side most of the time. Um, there's a lot of, a lot of times where we, you know, we deal with the good stuff and there's, you know, we, we, we, we, it's a positive, you know, positive outcome. But, um, yeah, I didn't, I didn't really, uh, have, uh, an issue, you know, like struggling with anything like that. Um, I'm able to just shut it up. You know, and, uh, you know, perfect example would be, uh, her during hurricane Ian, you know, we were, we were out, uh, you know, from the very get go, um, doing rescue and recovery type stuff and mostly recovery, obviously. So, um, you know, we were plucking bodies out of the water and stuff and, and out of the, the bushes and things like that. And, you know, there was, there was some guys that had a little, little issue with, you know, that and, and, uh, you know, just handling bodies and stuff. But, uh, I kind of explained it to him like, Hey man, you know, um, that's just a, it's a, yeah, it's a, it's a, it's a big, um, pile of biological, you know, you know, meat right now. It's nothing, you know, it's, it's a body, but that person's soul is already where it's going to be. It's, you know, so right now we're just dealing with, um, you know, yeah. So, you know, it's no different than a, you know, something, uh, an animal gets hit on the side of the road or something. But, you know, I tried to explain it like that. Like, but don't, don't look at it as a, as a, you know, a living human being with feelings or anything. It's that person's soul. It's already where it's going to be. And, you know, so let's just, you know, do the job, do the job.

Keith Vance: [59:10] You look at his job. So my father, he's a, a minister. He's a, he's a pastor. And, um, I've been observing him my whole life and dealing him, dealing with, like, I keep my circle pretty small. Mm-hmm. I keep my circle pretty small. As a pastor, you don't have the prerogative to adjust the size of your circle. When people are hurting, it's your job to deal with it. Yes. And that's why I believe that being a pastor is a calling, because it takes a special person to do that. Oh, yeah. I also look at emergency responders and police officers the same way, because you have to be able to, like you said, Bed, compartmentalize and deal with it. Not everybody can. A couple weeks ago, I was taking my other son-in-law. He was real bad. He was sick, man. He was like, man, that stomach thing for like weeks. He was dehydrated. Our family is in Orlando. He was home by himself. I called him and was on his phone, so I was worried about him. Went and picked him up, took him straight to the hospital, and I didn't want to get sick, so I'm sitting in the truck. Oh, yeah. Just went and waited in the parking lot. But as I'm sitting in the truck, I'm seeing sick people go in this hospital, and I'm just thankful that there's a hospital that sick people can go to. Yes. The Metaflight flew in while I was sitting in the parking lot, so somebody was in bad shape. Sure, yep.

Keith Vance: [1:00:54] And the emergency people rushed out. They grabbed. And I was just thankful for people that answered the call and that there's someone on the other side of the equation. There's a hurt, but there's someone there for the rescue. Right, and there's a resource. There you go, and I'm thankful that there's somebody on the other side of the equation that answered the call. Mm-hmm, yeah. I couldn't do that. I couldn't be that doctor or nurse that's doing that. I don't think I could do your job, Steve, because I think it would just crush me. Right. But it makes me thankful for you and people like you that answered that call and that can, because I would imagine, I would imagine if it wasn't a calling that you could become very bitter, that you could become very, like, look at humanity in a very way where you see everything through a lens of what your job is like. Yeah, yeah. And you can't be like that at home.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:01:51] And there's some guys, there's some people like that, you know, and it is what it is. You can't get everybody to think the same, you know, or process that kind of information and, you know, those feelings the same way. So, you're right, you do get people with a jaded sense of, you know, life and whatnot. I look at it like, look, God's got a plan for everybody and everything on this planet. And it's, you know, it's part of the plan, you know, and if this person is, you know, something's happening, then it's for a reason, you know, and so, you know, it kind of takes the guilt and the weight of responsibility off of you, you know, like, you know, and so, yeah, I, you know, I just have a, I guess I have a real multifaceted sense of humor, which is what gets me through, you know, most of, most of life. So, but some people don't, you know, they don't analyze it that way.

Keith Vance: [1:03:00] It sounds like faith plays a big part in your job because you've mentioned God's will, you've mentioned this a lot. So I think that may be your.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:03:08] Well, that's, that's what you, you know, at the core of it, that's what you, you turn to, you know, and then, you know, that's who's, that's who's, that's who's ultimately. Creating a plan, right? You know, we, we all think we, we can plan our lives and we do, you know, you have a certain amount of control over how you, how your life is, but your destiny is already planned out. Yeah. And so, you know, that, that journey and that path to that destiny is, is, you know, you can control some of that, but you know, there's, there's monkey wrenches that get thrown in there and, you know, they're thrown in there for a reason. Yeah. You know, you might not think that you might think that, oh man, you know, why does it happen? I mean, but if you sit back and you, you analyze it and think, well, well, you know, why, why did that happen? Well, maybe it happened for a good reason. Yeah.

Keith Vance: [1:03:57] It's funny you said that because I spoke just last night to a friend of mine, um, about a heartbreaking matter. And, uh, he said, as long as Christ is on the throne, it's all good. Oh yeah. Yeah. As long as he's on the throne, it's all good because he is sovereign and it is comforting to know that, yes, I do have responsibilities. I need to know what my responsibilities are and manage those responsibilities. But overarching all that is God's responsible for all of it. Yeah. And he has a perfect will. I might not be able to understand or see it, but he is doing his will and his work and it's comforting because I, I tend to take on more than what I'm supposed to. Right. I want to take on every, I want to take it all on. I want to carry all the burden. Yeah, exactly. There's only one person that can do that and that's Jesus Christ. He can only carry all of it. So that's good. Yeah, for sure. Um, anything else in SWAT that I feel like I might be missing some stuff here in SWAT. I feel like that's a, a good one there.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:04:59] Yeah. I mean, It's a, it's a, it's definitely a, it's challenging, but it's very, very rewarding. You know, um, you know, when you, uh, when you're helping somebody or saving somebody or whatnot, um, you know, or, you know, like I said, getting the, you know, getting the, the evil element off, you know, off the streets or, you know, out of people's lives. That's, uh, it's very rewarding. And, you know, it's, um, like I said, it's part of, you know, the whole being a man thing, you know, it's like, you know, society needs men to do man things and, you know, and it's not always pretty and it's not always, you know, glamorous and it's, it's dangerous, you know, and, um, we need men to, to realize that, you know, nobody else is coming to save you, you know, you know, men have to get up and, and, and protect the rest of society and, and, and, uh, keep things moving, you know? And, uh, if, if we don't have those men, then, you know, you said, it starts to spin into chaos and you've, you witnessed that. What's that? And you've witnessed. Oh yeah. A hundred percent. So, um, you know, men do hard things and sometimes, you know, most of the time it pays off very well. Sometimes there's a sad ending, but you know, there's a price to pay sometimes.

Keith Vance: [1:06:28] Hmm. Well, thank you for, thank you for sharing that. And thank you for your service to our community. I, I love first responders, man. I, like I said, I love pastors and I love first responders because without those people between holding the line between chaos and what we have now, I mean, it, it can, you can see how it can spiral quick. You look at any of these hurricanes, you know, when, when somebody holding that line, you can see how it can spin out quick. Sure.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:06:59] So when you look at these, you know, these third world countries and stuff that don't have a proper sense of order and their society and whatnot, and they're just, it's chaos, you know? And like, you know, wow. You know, so it's nice to know that.

Keith Vance: [1:07:16] So you are a captain now, you've been a captain for five years.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:07:20] Somewhere around, yeah, I think about five years. What's life like for you right now? Life's great. I'm right now, I'm a watch commander for the county. We're in a day shift watch commander, which is nice. Um, I've had a, just a wonderful, blessed career at the sheriff's office. Been a great place to work. Awesome people, you know, just, um, and, uh, you know, I, you know, I put in the work, put in a lot of hard work and, uh, um, and they've, you know, they've, they've rewarded me for it, you know, and, and, uh, and should have, and should. Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, it's, uh, you know, it's a give and take, you know, um, you gotta live life, you know, with some humility and, you know, some, some, uh, you know, just, just working hard and that kind of thing. And I think it's really, you know, I've been, had done everything I wanted to do with the, at the sheriff's office and I've kind of winding down my career, you know, gone next year. And, uh, so they've allowed me to, you know, hold this position and good. It's kind of a, you know, it's not, they're taking care of you. Yeah. Yeah. It's, you know, I'm not in tax support in my order, you know, not getting the phone calls at three in the morning and that kind of thing. And so, yeah, it's nice. I've been able to sort of, it's a nice transition. You know, I've got the, I've got the cattle thing going on. So that really helps me manage that. Cause that's, gosh, that's probably a more of a full-time thing than my, isn't it really? Yeah. It's, you know, how many cows do you have right now?

Keith Vance: [1:08:47] I know you're not supposed to have a cattleman.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:08:49] Yeah. It's like 34, 35, something like that. But, you know, it's just constant cause I've got them spread out, you know? So it's a, you know, it's kind of a, you know, it's always something. So that, and between that and the bees and stuff. So it's a, it's a nice transition into that, you know, that next chapter, you know?

Keith Vance: [1:09:05] Um, when you go to mess around with the cows, take care of the cows or whatever. Um, what's that mindset like for you? Is it like, oh no, is it like a job or is it?

Captain Steve Brady: [1:09:18] No, absolutely not, man. It's something I've, you know, I've, you know, uh, I wanted to do that my entire life. You know, like I said, growing up out in California, I was very early on exposed to, you know, we lived in an equestrian area and neighborhood or whatever. And so I, I was exposed to everything to do with horses and I worked with my neighbor. He was a farrier, you know? And, and so, you know, learned all about shoeing horses and got involved in, you know, got exposed to rodeo stuff and whatnot. And so I just always, that, that, that lifestyle has always, I've been attracted to that. And my, you know, my grandparents came from that, from, from, uh, West Texas, you know, up in the panhandle, they were all. You know, They all grew up cattle ranching, things like that. So, then, of course, when I moved to Oregon, I immediately started, you know, working in farms and ranches and just doing all that. And so, it's always just been part of what I like, and, you know, I've been attracted to that. And so, when I found an opportunity to kind of jump into that here, you know, I did. And, and, uh, so it's, it's, it's something I, I, I just, I love to do. It's, you know, it's really very rewarding and, um, and it's peaceful, man.

Keith Vance: [1:10:32] It's just, listen, that's the word I was looking for.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:10:35] Tell you what, man, it brings, it brings, when I get out there, I'm just like, and you know, you, you live, I mean, you, you've got the property next door and it just, I get out there. I'm like, man, this is just, this is it, man.

Keith Vance: [1:10:45] You know, I'm glad you said that. Cause that's the word I was looking for because. My life, I have a few different businesses, and my life is I have a certain level of stress. Not the stress that you're talking about. It's different. It's the same thing. But still stress. When I ride 40 minutes out there, and I clap my hands, and the cows come running to be fed, and just a connection to nature, and just being around those cows, I can just feel my stress come down. I just, ugh. Yeah, yeah. Just something about, and then those cows, man, it's so stupid. This is so stupid. Those cows have different personalities. Oh yeah. Every one of them. You know what I mean? They have different personalities and like, it's just a stupid cow, but I like, I know each one of those cows and they like know me and it's just like, I've never experienced it before, but I'm enjoying it. Yeah. Oh yeah. I'm enjoying that connection to whatever that is.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:11:44] Well, it's, you know, it comes back to like, you know, early times in the development of this country and everything. it's just that self-sustainability i mean that's how you know we you know of course everything a lot of stuff's industrialized now right you know feeding feeding the country and the world's all been industrialized and all but before that it was that agrarian society type thing and and you know uh local people provided for themselves and for their their communities and things like that and these small herds and right people you know growing you know crops and vegetable stuff and it just kind of that feel, you know, and kind of getting back to that sort of sense of, of, uh, self sustainability and, and, uh, I'm enjoying it, taking care of, you know, and, you know, like raising them as, you know, it was just fun, you know, it's fun.

Keith Vance: [1:12:32] Yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:12:33] Fun taking the grandkids out there. Oh yeah. They love it, man. They, they love it. And I took, took my grandson, I had to, had to go get a new bull, um, last week and we rode way, way. It's, there's a ranch way out south of Clewiston between there and Immokalee. And I took my grandson out there and he was just in awe, you know, we went to this ranch and they, they sell just bulls. And, um, he just thought that was the best thing in the world, you know, going out there, cruising around. And you know what? I mean, that's, again, that, that's a learning experience for him. You know, those are experiences that he will never forget.

Keith Vance: [1:13:08] And that's why I try to get, take them as much as I can and get them involved and yeah it's because that's the kind of things i was exposed there you go you know and it helps develop them and you know they're all homeschooled and so they can they can also get credit for all that yeah and they uh um you know so everything's a learning experience for them um that's a good transition because you brought up something that i'm living right now um i have i think five grand grandchildren now one more in the way there's six of them right now hopefully that's right can you name them all and recite their birthdays if my wife was sitting here i would yeah um but just this your life is slowing down yeah my life yeah kind of yeah my From what it was, my life is slowing down a little bit compared to what it was when I was raising those seven kids and just busting butt every day under pressure and missing memories. Not that I wasn't there, but mentally I'm just consumed with the pressure that I'm under just to survive. Yeah, same path. And that was my lot in life. And I don't... I don't,

Keith Vance: [1:14:31] I don't regret it. Right. That's the cards I was dealt, happy to do it, thankful to it. And my life had purpose, feeding those babies to take care of them. Like I got purpose out of that. But my role, my grandkids, with how my life has slowed down a little bit and I can take some time just to be around. Enjoy them. That's the same with me. And take care of them in a different way that mom and daddy are taking care of them. Yes. And just kind of like let them, that's what I love about having the property out there. is just slowing down and trying to let them experience things that I experienced. Let them be. Just let them be. It's not my job to raise you. It's not my job to discipline you. It's not my job to discipline you. It's just my job to be here and love you. And I'm loving it, man.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:15:13] Oh, yeah. Man, believe me, same boat. It's just been such a delight. And, you know, my wife and I, for a while, we were, I guess, you know, obviously we were empty nesters, but we were like empty nesters, like in the state. You know, our kids were gone. They were all in different states. And so it didn't, you know, we were thinking, what are we going to do when we retire? Where are we going to go? What's going to be our final, where are we going to go? Kind of thing. Are we going to stick around here and everything? And so we were kind of thinking about, you know, I'd really love to go back out west. And, you know, I love it out there. Sure. My home and everything. But then, you know, all of a sudden, you know, it's planned. And, you know, both of my kids moved back to Florida within like a two or three month period. And my son with all his kids. Yeah. And my daughter. And we were like, well, guess what? We're staying there for a while. There you go. So it was, and it's so nice. You know, the kids, I mean, literally live, you know, I don't know, 10 minutes down the street from us. And so, you know, my wife, she just, she's in heaven with that, you know, because she can, they are calling her, hey, can you come watch your kids? Yeah. Oh, absolutely. You know? And so.

Keith Vance: [1:16:30] Karen and I have talked about eventually wanting to build down Cluiston on that property. Yeah. But it's a 40 minute drive. Right. I just can't do it when I got two grandbabies living right across the street. Yeah. Another one, another one on the way over here. Right. And one five minutes down the road. I just can't do it, man. Right. We can all go together. Yeah. Or we can all stay right here. But I'm not. Yeah. Michael, Michael and my daughter, Brooke, they live in the Cape. Okay. They're about 45 minutes that way. Yeah. And they're on my heart a lot, but I'm not there a lot because 40 minutes is a distance. Yeah. You know what I mean? I just don't want to give that up. So. I hear you. Yeah. So I understand what you're saying about changing big plans because grandbabies show up and they're close by. Yeah. Yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:17:15] And again, that's, that's, that's one of those times where you're like, you know, when you think, when you think you have a plan, you know, but you don't really, you know? Yeah.

Keith Vance: [1:17:25] Let's make the transition here. Name of podcast is Still Strong, Still Strong after adversity, Still Strong after life just kicks you in the stomach. You got to make a move. You got to figure it out. But also Still Strong at our age. Still Strong at our age. Not that youthful strength with that freaking old man strength. That old, that, that strength has got some experience behind it. You're one of those guys. Okay. You're one of those guys. You're how old you now? I'll be 60 in April. Okay. So you got 10 years on me, but you're a strong man. Try to be. So what's your, what's your physical regimen nowadays? You don't have to be ready for tactical. Right. Yeah. Those days are past, but I, I know you still have a regimen to stay. I do. To stay strong. So let's talk about that.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:18:14] I do. And of course, as we get older too, we, we injure quicker and we take longer to heal. So right now I'm dealing with a shoulder thing. And, uh, but normally if, you know, um, if I wasn't dealing with a shoulder thing, I'd, I'd do a lot of heavy lifting, deadlifts and squats, uh, you know, those bench types, heavy dumbbell bench. Um, and a lot of, uh, you walk out, I don't run that much anymore. Um, cause I don't, I can do, I can get a lot of cardio just from, from the heavyweight workout that.

Keith Vance: [1:18:52] That's true. And there's science behind that as well.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:18:54] No, I agree. And so I get a lot of cardio, you know, when I'm doing a bunch of, you know, deadlifts and I'm like, geez, you know, or a bunch of heavy squats, whatnot. But, you know, I do a lot of walking on the treadmill and, you know, I do like that stair master thing, you know, that that's, that's pretty cool. Good. It gets me sweating and gets me, you know, breathing hard. So I do, I do need to breathe hard.

Keith Vance: [1:19:15] But my wife years ago, she's going to the gym. I went with her. She hopping on a stair master. I'm thinking this thing is a freaking joke.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:19:22] It's no joke. And it's no joke. No, no, it's no joke. It was no joke. Yeah. I do that. Um, I had, uh, um, early on when I was 44 years old, I had, uh, got, I had, uh, ended up with a heart condition that I had to get repaired. And since then, you know, I've had to, I've been really in tune with my heart and everything. So that's, um, I just, I try to try to do everything I can to keep that strength. Be smart about it. Yeah. Be smart about that. But, uh, yeah, I mean, I, you know, just try to, I try to eat well, my diet, you know, um, oh my. Anybody, you know, I like my sweets every now and then, but, you know, I try to stick with a mainly higher protein diet, a lot of meat and eggs and things like that. But, you know, from variety and moderation, you know, in your diet, you know, there's no one specific diet that works for, you know, you got to dial into yourself and know what works for you. You know, you get these influencers and stuff on all over the internet telling you this is the right diet or this is the only thing you should do. And, you know, it's a guide, you know, everything's a guide. I feel like, you know, the high protein diet works for me. You know, I've cut out a lot of carbs, and I feel comfortable. I feel better. So, you know, I still, you know, I'll go have a big, big slice of cake, you know, but, you know, or have some toast or something now. But, you know, everything's moderation, you know, and so.

Keith Vance: [1:21:01] It is kind of nice to, I've been physically active for several years now, and I have a little bit of understanding of how the body works and how I feel when I eat right and what I lift. Right. And it feels good to not be so regimented as I get older. Yes. That, hey, if I don't do this, you know, I just messed up my workout. To leave yourself some room that if something's hurting, it's better off just to relax. Like, to give yourself some. Some recovery time. Not some laziness or a way out. But, hey. It's being smart about it. There you go. And understanding how the body works and how the body feels and being in tune to it. Something don't. I was doing some squats the other day and something on my knee. I had one more rep to go with something on my knee. I just felt like it might not be smart. And I was perfectly fine with just racking it. I do that all the time. I was perfectly fine with it. I'm not 20 anymore. Right. And if I take a risk, that's worse.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:21:59] Yeah. I do that. I do that all the time now. I'll be lifting and all of a sudden I'm like, you know, I just, if I do one more rep, I think I'm going to hurt something. And I'll just stop. I'm like, oh, I'm going to do something. And it's okay. I've learned to just sit back, take a breath, and go, you know what? You know what? I'm moving forward. That's all that matters. That's all that matters. You know, I'm moving forward. So, you know, because I'm not, you know, hitting a PR today or something or whatever. I don't even keep that any longer. But, you know, back when I was younger, that was, oh, man, I want to bench 320 or whatever, 325 or whatever. And I'm like, you know, not anymore. I just put on what I feel like I can handle. And I do it. And if all of a sudden it starts to hurt, I'm like, you know what? I'm taking, you know, take a few days off, whatever.

Keith Vance: [1:22:44] I'm glad to know that you're doing it too.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:22:46] Oh, yeah. No, you have to. Because we don't, like I said, I don't, and I don't even know how I injured my shoulder. I don't really, you know, it's like when you get older, you're just like, oh, you wake up and you're like, man, why does that hurt? What did I do? I don't know. So, you know, I've been laying off the gym for a while just because of my shoulder. So I'm like, and it doesn't bother me. You know, it used to bother me, you know, back when, back in my, you know, 30s and stuff. And if I didn't get to the gym, man, I, you know, I just felt like this anxiety, like, oh, God, you know, you didn't go. You're going to, you're losing. You know, you're going to, that's a setback. Well, it's not a setback, you know. So you're actually getting better. You're recovering. I didn't, you know, put two and two together. Yeah, that's good stuff.

Keith Vance: [1:23:27] Yeah. Well, I think we're going to about ready to wrap this up. Sure. I appreciate you coming. I'm glad you are first, our first person here.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:23:36] I hope this works out for you.

Keith Vance: [1:23:38] This is going to go, hopefully, if everything goes right, this is going to go live on Christmas. Okay. The last question I'm going to ask you is, you know, the podcast is called Still Strong. It's geared towards guys like us that are getting older and still getting after it smartly. But I think the main thing that inspired me to start this was Still Strong after that thing that just kicked you in the stomach. And I don't see a way forward out of this.

Keith Vance: [1:24:11] What would you say to someone who feels anything but strong right now that's just in the middle of it? That's maybe bewildered by circumstances. Maybe they just got a call from the doctor or, you know, their husband to say, I divorced. Like, whatever that causes a state of bewilderment. But through your experience, what would you say to someone who's just feeling incredibly weak right now? Just where do I go from here?

Captain Steve Brady: [1:24:38] Well, I mean, it's an overused term. But I think that, you know, if you have hope, you know, and a positive mental attitude and the understanding that nothing's ever definite. You know, there's always changes in different chapters in your life, you know. And there's always opportunities. elsewhere. And, you know, we're all on the same journey, basically, you know, we're all on a journey from life to death and there's a million different ways to get there and in different paths to get that way. If you're on a certain path now, and all of a sudden, you know, you're hitting a roadblock and you're, you know, there's something's going on and, uh, and it's just not right or whatever. There's always an opportunity to start something different and go and head in a different direction. You know, one of my key philosophies is just being flexible and being able to pivot. And, uh, I've had to do that my entire career and, you know, it's in the jobs we do, you know, it's, it's an ever changing fluid, you know, uh, situation and you, you're just going to have to learn to be flexible and pivot on certain things. Well, it's kind of that way in life too. Life throws, you know, monkey wrenches at you and obstacles all the time. And you just got to be able to shoot the gaps, you know, just like a football, you know, you're, you're running a ball towards this gap, you know, all of a sudden it gets full, boom, grab another gap, you know, and, and, and gain that yardage. So if you, if you feel like, you know, there's always, there's always a light at, at the end of a tunnel somewhere else, you can shift and head that way, you know, and, uh, and reach out to reach out to people that, that you can depend on, there you go to, to maybe help you along, along that way, help you get, get headed in that direction. You know, there's always somebody that is willing to help, you know, and, uh, you know, just be, just, just have a positive attitude, you know, and would just, you know, understand that you don't have complete control over everything. So if something's happening in your life, it's happening for a reason. And again, it's part of God's plan. And, and, you know, if you, and if you don't accept that, some people will sit there and just beat their head against that wall, you know, and, you know, and not realizing that this is, this is the way it's meant to be. So you should probably take this turn over here, you know, and head, head towards that door, you know?

Keith Vance: [1:27:07] And in my experiences, in my experience, those hardships have always been temporary. They are, they are. It's temporary.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:27:15] And you always come out on the other side going, man, that was, why didn't I, you know, why, why didn't I do this in the first place? You know, or why did I, you know, but, you know, and a lot of times it's a, it's a learning experience.

Keith Vance: [1:27:25] And a lot of times the, the why the answer to the why doesn't come to a much later. Right. Yeah. And then you look back and you actually look at those times and you actually become grateful for them because you saw how you grew through those times in my, in my experience. Yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:27:40] And it's, it just, it's called wisdom, you know? And I, you know, I always laughed as a kid, like, oh, these old wise men and everything, but you know, it's so true. You know, it's so true. You get wiser as you get older and it's just from life experience, you know, and it's, it's going through those doors that, you know, you thought, well, this is, you know, I don't know what's behind this door, but like, oh, wow, I'm glad I went through this door. I'm glad this happened that forced me to go through this door.

Keith Vance: [1:28:04] Yeah. You know, that's good. And realizing that you're not the only one. No, I, I get a mindset when things get hard, I get quiet. I locked down and I am learning to not do that because I'm not the only one. I'm not the only one that's gone through this and to just be, there's a lot of other people on this planet going to the same thing and just kind of like gain my perspective back. Yes. Yeah. Because I, I tend to internalize things and make it more than what it is and just, you know, just have somebody to talk to, go to prayer, go to the word of God, just get something to settle your mind and just get you through it. Yeah.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:28:42] Yeah. And also, I mean, you know, you talk about this globally, you know, um, there's people all over the world going through the same, same issues or whatever, but just to remember how fortunate we are as Americans to be in this country going through these issues, right. You know, cause this country is nothing but opportunity and, you know, and, and it's the land of opportunity, you know, they call it that for a reason. And so anybody that's facing, you know, any kind of, you know, mental adversity or whatever, just realize you're in probably the best country in the world to, to get through all that, you know, and, uh, move on to something, a new opportunity, a better life over here or there, you know, and, uh, just have that realization that there's always, like I said, there's always somebody hurting worse than you are.

Keith Vance: [1:29:33] Well, man, I appreciate you. Yeah. You can come here and spend time with us. Absolutely. Looking forward to hosting this and. Yeah, that'll be cool. Yeah. And with everybody on Christmas. So I'm excited, man.

Captain Steve Brady: [1:29:44] Yeah. So am I. It's going to be quite an adventure for you. You know, a new, a new chapter. Yeah. Another door. Amen to that. All right, brother.

Keith Vance: [1:29:54] Thank you. Yep. Yep.