B to Z
Mental health and wellness
B to Z
Hello Zach Batista
As we shift from the intensity of personal growth and academic struggles, we take a collective breath to savor the comforting embrace of life's simpler pleasures. Fond memories of Fort Benning's Southern charm lead us into a conversation about the nostalgia wrapped within the scent of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. We then leap into tales of training service dogs, peeling back the layers of companionship and the role these loyal friends play in our lives. Tackling imposter syndrome and the craft of setting goals, we open up about the sides of ourselves that often stay in the shadows, embracing everything from our humor to our grit. Clinging to Vince Lombardi’s wisdom on commitment, we leave you with a mantra for perseverance that's as applicable to the mundanity of household chores as it is to the ambitions of career aspirations. Join us for an episode peppered with motivation, reflection, and a hearty helping of real-life stories guaranteed to stir both heart and mind.
Hello, hello, good morning, very excited today. Today we have a special interview with one of my buddies by the name of Zach Batista.
Speaker 2:How's it going?
Speaker 1:That's good man, Excited about this podcast and what we have going on how you doing.
Speaker 2:I'm doing good, I'm most. Yeah, I share the same excitement Like. I said a few people had mentioned it to me. And then that random day when we met up and you said right, that's just, that was too easy, Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we have a crazy connection. We're very opposites in a lot of personality and physical attributes and mindsets, but we definitely come to the same point a lot of the time. But let me start this interview off with just giving the listeners a brief overview of you. So if you could just describe yourself and your background for the viewers, that'd be great.
Speaker 2:In Chino, california, southern California. Born and raised, my dad instilled a good work ethic in me, always knew how to work, and that always interests me. It's a construction type work. He has his own construction business at one time. He has a landscaping business at one time. Worked for him doing that type of stuff. Love playing sports. As a kid I had college a couple times early on and then decided it wasn't for me early on. Right, I joined the military. Okay, I was in the military for 15 years. What branch? The army? Okay, the army. Yeah, both active duty and end of the reserves. And now I'm back in school.
Speaker 2:Give me another shot.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, that's cool. That's cool. Do you think your background with your father tailored your want to go to school now as far as not working as hard, or, you know it tailored you to do construction because you're an engineering major? Correct? Yeah, he's an engineering major. I believe he worked as an electrician for many years and he did engineering science.
Speaker 2:Electrical engineering.
Speaker 1:Electrical engineering. What? What drove you to pursue that?
Speaker 2:So you got up. I think the last generation in general wanted every, ever wanted to see everyone go to school, wanted to see the next generation learn as much as they can, although I do think that kind of devalued seven degrees, in a way.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Now in the job market. You have a master's degree right and still only qualify for a basic entry job. Yeah nobody wants that. But yeah, I think that did drive me a little bit was I would like to complete this for my family, my family, my lineage, my parents, Okay yeah, so myself too now.
Speaker 3:But yeah, that was, that was a driver for sure.
Speaker 2:Mm hmm, okay.
Speaker 1:How much would you say your profession is tailored to who you are as an individual? Was it 50% of who you are? Is it 80% of who you are? Is it 30% of who you are? Well, where does that lie?
Speaker 2:When I, when I first started going back to school again yeah. I probably would have said 90 to 100%.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Now that I'm getting into the classes. Yeah, it's not all peaches and cream, you know? I mean it's not sunshine rainbows every day. Mm hmm, I'm probably at a 50% now that I've been joined it. That, yeah, yeah, that this is for me. This, this Taylor's to be yeah is dwindling Right, but yeah, but we're waiting for it to be done. We're trudging forward. Yeah, we're going forward, yeah.
Speaker 1:I know school. I have a little bit of college under my belt, not much, well, no, I have quite a bit of college and it was fun when it was fun and it was horrible when it was horrible. Yeah, you know, it starts off really nice and you're energetic and you kind of lose that, that fire a little bit. Right, what is it Like? What do you, what do you think universities could do, to like keep that fire going with the, the students we talk about all the time, how you have a reality, years of experience going into a trade that you kind of already know. And then you go when you get into a school and you you're forced to relearn the things you've already learned on the job and how hard that is, and you know, bring in today's reality into such a conformed learning environment.
Speaker 2:I will say universities specifically. And now I went to Chaffee Community College and got my associates before I transferred to Cal Poly, which is a university. I feel like they tailor to who they have to tailor to. And what is that? That's? That's a new generation, that's, that's a fresh out of high school. I upset because they aren't tailoring to me anymore. A 35 year old vet you know that has been around, that has that has seen the industry already. No, I should. I'm the one who should conform Right, I should be the one who's who's flexible. But I think that is one of my biggest difficulties.
Speaker 1:Okay, you fit is fitting in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fitting in and conforming to the, conforming to the university flow, man that that memorize everything, have no other life but university. But you and I both know we got. We got a whole other lives beyond school, beyond our learning. We know the bigger picture, the adult, the adult picture.
Speaker 1:And I see you speaking on generations. If there was one thing that you could give future generations college students or what are they called yeah, college students what piece of advice could you give them to you know, help them with their transfer from community college to a university, and how to stay refreshed in that long journey to get what they need? What could you give the next generation?
Speaker 2:I've heard this advice before, so I'm just I'm just gonna use it again. It's, and we started off with this Make sure you enjoy it. If you're not enjoying it in the beginning, you're not going to enjoy it at the end. Things like your general ed. You may find a topic that you really do enjoy just doing your general education, and I don't know if that's, if they do that on purpose to kind of filter people out like, oh, you have to take your English, your math, everything Before you start focusing on your degree topic, right, right.
Speaker 2:But sometimes in the midst, there, they, they lose some people, yeah, going off, and they lost me. That's not a bad thing. To me that's not a bad thing.
Speaker 3:Of course.
Speaker 2:I don't know about his financial situation, but if you have the flexibility to try out as much as you can learn as much as you can.
Speaker 1:that's my advice. That is good advice Because you never know in opportunity changes. You know the experience changes opportunity. There you go, the more you experience, the more different opportunities you'll you'll get in life. Would you agree with that?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and this comes from someone who dropped out of college different types To where I'm at now. So I did, I put a toe in, try to try to degree, didn't like it. It could have been the time, could be the place, but yeah, that's.
Speaker 3:That's. That's where I'm at now yeah that's good man, you know.
Speaker 1:kudos to you for you know. Reinserting yourself back into a world after you've already established yourself in another career, that's. That's really hard. You know someone call that a career shift in in in a way, and that's hard to do, you know so those to you on that and, you know, good luck to you on your future achievements at Cal Poly Pomona.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, Okay, right on. I want to dig into your personal life a little bit and just ask a few questions and you know, see where they go and we can go down that that road. So can you explain any pivotal moments within your military career that have shaped you as a man today?
Speaker 2:I will. I've told you this story before. This is going to be brand new to our listeners. I'm going to shout someone out. At the time, he was my brand new squad leader. He ended up being my platoon sergeant at one point and now he's just a friend and a mentor, like you are to me.
Speaker 3:This is.
Speaker 1:Montana. His name is Adam Teske. There we go.
Speaker 2:Teske Teskers. He's a good guy. So in the military, even in your day to day uniform. Hold on real quick.
Speaker 1:Just Teske like testicles, teske T-E-S, don't worry.
Speaker 2:Nickname yeah, and you're talking about? I'm a nickname. Yeah, you a guy, I'm fucking people. Yeah, no, he Edward Werner badges, you know for certain schools on your uniform and this guy came in and he was going to be an instructor. Yeah, and instructor and he was going to qualify shooting with us on a rifle course and he was going to teach us and he had all the badges, he had all the frills, he looked like a badass and I even said I was like man that looks like a badass.
Speaker 2:He looks like he knows the shit. And Adam looked at me and he said you know what? He may look like a badass, but remember everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time. Don't get old, you know. Fanny's a bunch about somebody in their badges. He's on the way till we find out you know what he can do. Wait till we see what he can do. That guy ended up being I know this dude's name. That guy ended up being the shittiest instructor we ever had. Really Shitty instructor. Shitty at shooting, just looks sloppy. I don't even know, like I don't know, if you just dumped everything forgot.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You look like shit. And we're back there. Bad taste, I'm bad tasting my mouth and that was like man. That really because I used to look up to those guys I used to judge. So judge a book by its cover, I used to judge other guys by their uniforms, that's you. Yeah, man that was pivotal for me.
Speaker 1:Okay, I remember the when we first started talking about doing this podcast, we I was asking you about a specific military thing. Where they were, they would line the people up and they even have the prisoners and what was the name of that?
Speaker 2:Oh, they were firing squad. That's how we were going to do it. Yes, we were doing a firing squad.
Speaker 1:So I have some questions to do a firing squad for you real quick and they're just like. It's like 21 questions, just short rifle questions real quick About short answers.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Okay, short and short answers please.
Speaker 1:What is your favorite military movie?
Speaker 2:Oh, that is a good one as of as of late. Yeah, fury that, that tank movie.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I haven't seen it. Brad Pitt, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's like, of course, I even growing up, but early on my military career it was black Hawk down. Okay that, oh, love, love black Hawk.
Speaker 1:Okay, what's your favorite city you were ever stationed in? That is a good one.
Speaker 2:That is I and that has come up a few times. I love Fort Benning, georgia.
Speaker 3:Georgia.
Speaker 2:Yeah, why it just? It has that weird I don't know South feeling, like, yeah, yeah, and even though it's different, like okay, like you've been to the South, you know you've been out that way. People are different, yeah, cultures different, and I like, I like that feel of it.
Speaker 1:Okay, this sets up the next question what's your favorite comfort food?
Speaker 2:Hey, honestly, anything my mom makes and she can, she can really come to bat with a good chicken soup when you're sick.
Speaker 3:But yeah, but I gotta say man, I'm good.
Speaker 2:It's like just comfort food, wise, like meatloaf. Meatloaf mashed potato like sweet potatoes or something like that yeah yeah, like that, that's a good cup of food to me okay, okay, let's do two more questions.
Speaker 1:Do you have what's your favorite outdoor activity?
Speaker 2:you know a service dog that I've trained myself, right?
Speaker 1:coa, coa coa that dog. He did a good job on it. Man, it's a shout out working big old dollars right now too.
Speaker 2:Now that's the organization I'm going through and amazing Mike, the owner and founder, really grateful for what you do, but so my favorite outdoor activity right now is going out with him. Mm-hmm, we do, we do our training every day outside, if we can get a couple hours in just to reinforce, reinforce commands and let them have fun. Yeah, let them. I let them off the off the leash, off the vest for a little bit too right, let them, let them have that like dog time too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, dogs seem to be a big thing in your world right now, like has it always been that way for you, or is that something new that you've discovered?
Speaker 2:we always had animals and dogs growing up. Why? Just because of the farm or farm wise and any chip to bang chip. Yeah, you know, you know, like you with your dogs, mm-hmm, it was your choice, but also kids choice, right, right they were good. Yeah, push, they did yeah it was a big thing and I feel like we had that same dynamic growing up. We push a little bit and and if dog wasn't already there, we'd all of us, we'd have a dog and it was our responsibility.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there you go yeah, there is some kind of feeling that's like I get a dog that's kind of completes the family and stuff like that. You know that. I think there is something that to be said about that yeah, like have you been as of recently? Are you you working on any projects or anything that you're excited about, that you want to share with us, or any avenues that are new for you personally.
Speaker 2:This right here rest outside. You were for this. I am equally as excited going down and everybody listening mm-hmm, this is a side hustle for both of us.
Speaker 3:Yeah, this is not our.
Speaker 2:This is not our main gig. No, very busy outside of here we took a recommendation, we took a, we took a chance and we're going for it. So this project is currently taking up my creative time, mike, mike, mike, mike, mike, and I know it's taking up your. Your whole career is based on being creative yeah, but I see you giving me that that same creative I appreciate your time brother, I'm always here.
Speaker 1:You met me a hundred. Yeah, I came at you a hundred.
Speaker 2:You met me a hundred and I'm glad we both approaches with same energy it's cool interviewing you because I get to ask questions that I wouldn't normally.
Speaker 1:That wouldn't normally come up and day to day.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:One of these questions is if you could like, slice yourself into pieces like a pie chart, what would be the separate individual pieces and what which is the biggest slice and which is the smallest slice, and this is like characteristics, yeah characteristics of the Batista.
Speaker 2:I would say the biggest slices, that, and it could. It could go along being stubborn, but it's that. It's that that strong will, mm-hmm strong will, I'm still going yeah, I've mentioned this to you a lot of times. You came my birthday party last year. I turned 35, mm-hmm and I told you the theme 35 still alive. Right, I was ready a beating the military. I was a combat engineer and then I specialize in explosives and route clearance in the army. It's it's a different dynamic.
Speaker 2:You write your will that when you join at 19 years old yeah and you go on a deployment, you make sure all your final affairs are in order. Mm-hmm, it hits you faster, yeah, so now, if you, if you would ask me that, I'm sure saying with you, if you were to ask me that 10 years ago I would be giving you a different answer, right? But? But right now it's that, it's that will to keep going. That's, that's the biggest on that pie chart so staying alive, right?
Speaker 1:it was a theme of the birthday 35 still alive 35, still alive. So what was it that you went through that made you be like you know what? I'm fucking still alive. Like what was it? That kind of was like. What was the negative?
Speaker 2:that where you had to switch it you know, I'm saying because, if you're like, staying alive.
Speaker 1:When was you dead like how did you die? What was you dead? Like, what were you going through that said I'm still alive and fucking. This is my brother, motherfucking birthday.
Speaker 2:Have a drink, 35, still alive, like where you were you in a ride, mentally fucked up, like what was going on before the Like I said, I was ready to put my life online at any time, so that and that that's Doesn't necessarily stop after deployment there's, you know, accidents can happen anytime, so so the whole mindset of Danger doesn't necessarily exit when you leave a combat zone, but that immediate danger changes, and that's when I didn't realize my mental health was failing Considerably. I went through, like you said, rust, moments of Great depression, that that I didn't even know. Those are all outlying Factors of combat, oh Yourself. And now, after several years of therapy, I can say I know myself a little better. But through the through the bad mental health years, there were times I considered ending it all, mm-hmm, more than once.
Speaker 1:What was your like going into the military? What was your mentality like? Like were you healthy?
Speaker 2:Yes, mm-hmm, I always want to join the military. As a kid I actually my. My dream was to be a Navy SEAL mm-hmm, yeah, so I always had that early on. Mm-hmm, I actually applied to the Naval Academy Twice a junior and senior year in high school. Mm-hmm, I got denied both times.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So one time they only accept 20% of the applicants without 20 20 vision mm-hmm. I have 20, 20 vision. At the time, that was my junior year, so I learned that, along with their feedback, they provide good feedback. Mm-hmm, they said you're still young, get involved in more clubs. So I did. I see your year. I try to beef it all up the two tutoring this and that.
Speaker 1:Did that cause a shift In myself, in your deployment, like when you? Yeah, like a shift in what it is that you were doing? You as a child, you want to go to the military. You had your sight set on special forces and you get to special forces. Your vision denies you that opportunity.
Speaker 1:And then tonight, begin right yeah, I guess the reason I'm asking, that is, is to kind of tailor the like what, at what point did your mental Change in the military, what events inspired that mental change into the military? So I think that's a big part of who you are and your development as a person so there was a Learning.
Speaker 2:The military in listing straight up after those two denials was after a rock bottom. Okay, I had, I was going to school full-time, I was playing football, so this, so early on, right when I graduated, I went to Chafee. So so I, that was a nice feeling going back there and getting the AA. And I finally accomplished that because the first time I went for a semester try playing a little football for him I dropped out. Yeah, so about, the semester started in August, my Thanksgiving, I was done, but I was working two jobs.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Money. When you're 18 years old, you're a hustler right.
Speaker 1:It's easy to make money it is and get caught up in that too. You caught up in it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I also was not letting go of the party lifestyle easily. So a lot of late nights, a lot of a lot of freedom, yeah, I was. For the most part I was living on my own or with friends and you get that taste of freedom and you needed a hard shift in yeah, reality, or, and I and I got into some legal issues.
Speaker 1:I got a DUI.
Speaker 2:And it was. It was more like a wet and reckless kind of like a like you need this to To get on the right track. Right, it wasn't like a fool DUI, because I blew under the legal amount, but I was 18 years old, yeah, so that was. I didn't sign up for the army until I was 19. So after I Got through those legal issues, I said I need to do something different in my life, and that's when I joined the army. Didn't tell anybody, just went signed up. Yeah, didn't ask anybody's opinion.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's crazy to like usually your hardest, like some of the the biggest changes you make in your life are based off of grief or a heartache. Yeah, what is one thing that you, what decision that you've made off of like a high Ecstasy, happiness, energetic, right, because we all make super heavy decisions off of default or it's fucked up situations. Well, what's one thing that you chose to do in a positive mindset?
Speaker 2:Oh, so, oh, I've been engaged twice. Oh, this is also early on, oh shit, yeah, one of the times was right before boot camp, mm-hmm, and that was. That was a Not well thought out, but it was Everything's going right now I called, it was like right in between, the last sweet spot, the legal issues had all been cleared up. Yeah, I met someone and it was not everything's going. I was like, man, let's, let's do this. Mm-hmm, I sealed, you know. So ask her to marry me. She's gonna wait for me. I didn't work out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, met's met someone else a couple years later and the same same type of feeling oh, this meant to happen, this is meant to be, mm-hmm. So I have, I have made that feeling, or that I use that feeling twice.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:I feel like I think things out a lot better now, and I don't. I Don't even use that as an excuse. I don't use that Blinded by emotions. Yeah, I try to think things a lot clearer now, you know me right, and what would you say? I think things out. Yeah you're very methodical. Yeah, I'm very calculated.
Speaker 1:I'm very calculated. That's what came to mind say what you mean, and not a whole lot more. You know what I mean. I've never heard you just really playing around with words. I'm saying sloppy shit. That's good though, too. I think that's why we we do well together is because you are, or straight to the point of bullet point guy, and I, man, I enjoy a bullet points and stream line Communication. That's I love it, absolutely love it.
Speaker 2:Do you have?
Speaker 1:any kids. No, no, yeah. Are you wanting kids one day? I?
Speaker 2:Would like that yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's cool. I have three kids, Two boys and a girl. You know he knows them. One of my kids absolutely loves his dude. You know they they on the same wavelength of my body. Yeah, a little lady.
Speaker 1:Right on Okay let's see you could cut it real quick, then we can get back into the next part. All right, welcome back. Welcome back to B2Z podcast. We're here with Zach Patissa and coming back from commercial breaks. We've been in a deep interview with him and he's been very honest with us and we really appreciate that, given all his gems and information so we can steal it and use it for ourselves. So let's continue with the interview. The next question I have for you is you know, throughout your life and your military background, your school background, what are some of the challenges that you've faced upon your journey? What are some of the challenges you face upon your journey that have helped?
Speaker 2:you grow. Personally, I have been hit with every time I was placed in a bigger role, either a more responsibility, different leadership role, I always had that little bit of imposter syndrome when.
Speaker 2:I first got it Like maybe I'm not ready for this and I shared that a few times with some close friends I don't think I'm ready, I don't think I have what it takes. Luckily, at that time I had people around me that did see me, see me for me, and I now know it's okay. You got to harness that nervousness, that excitement. It's okay to be placed in a position where you're uncomfortable, as you can grow into any position.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay. What's something you're looking forward to in the near future?
Speaker 2:Knockin' more things off the goals list, either beginning of the year, of course. We're three months in, we're in March Time to reevaluate the New Year's goals. I try to set the one year goals for myself, the six year goals, six month goals, and visit those and see if I'm achieving them and if I need it and if I need to change them at all. So the goal that comes to mind is to keep working on school. See how far I can get with that for the time being.
Speaker 1:Did you give me a little sliver for that pie chart, or did we just stop at the big sliver? I think I just gave you a big sliver. Man, let me get that little sliver too, since we're here.
Speaker 2:Yeah you're right To be continued, I would say, because I'm a major smile just now. I would say some of the little slivers are my sense of humor. It's unexpected at times Because we're talking about I can be calculated. Being calculated doesn't necessarily exude friendliness. It might seem like I'm dry, but I think I got a good sliver of a sense of humor too.
Speaker 1:I'd agree. Yeah, I'd agree. Alright, man, every session or every radio show, we try and do a roundup or give people a piece of information that they can take home with them and use throughout their day to day. What is one thing that you could give our listeners to help them out with their day to day?
Speaker 2:For some talk. We do some quotes for these roundups and, like one that I found, a quote that I have found that kind of fits into this.
Speaker 1:Thank you, we can edit it out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, yeah. Um, I'm going to go back to how I mentioned, just for this side hustle both of us coming full speed at each other, both of us meeting each other on this new endeavor and I'm a sports fan. I know you're a sports fan too. Vincent Barty was a great coach for many years in the NFL and he said there's only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything. Simple words, but whether it's your side hustle or man, that's a good one. Or your main gig, I feel like that's huge. Some of the bar conferences are going to be on the same day. I always tell my kids don't do it if you're not going to give 100%.
Speaker 1:You know like, save it until your time, until it's time to give it 100%. That's a great quote why do something if you're not going to give your all? Guys, you know this is life, you only get one opportunity at some of the things sometimes and you know, don't squander opportunity by half-assing it. Yeah, that's it. That's a good one. It's like old school. I'm half-assing Take off the trash. You got shit on the floor. You half-assing it. That's an old school, that's an old school term.
Speaker 1:You know half-assing Clean up your room. Yeah, if we clean up your room.
Speaker 3:You half-assing it Like nah, clean it up.
Speaker 1:You know, give yourself that self gratification.
Speaker 2:Man.
Speaker 1:I'm doing 100% of something, knowing that you're not messing around and that everything is solid that you've just done. There's a good feeling to that. There's a really good feeling to that.
Speaker 2:Like you said, those little tasks add up real fast. The simple things the clean your room for the as a kid, it still rings true as an adult. The little things, something I just did this morning. I didn't want leaves on my driveway when I drove in, so I swept up the leaves real fast.
Speaker 3:Swept it up clean.
Speaker 2:Even though it's something stupid. Something silly I didn't half-ass it, right, and I feel like just remember that. Everybody needs to remember that. Just everything, all the little tasks too, even driving, just drive, don't play it. You know what I mean? We can go down a rabbit hole with that, right, yeah, give it your all I like it.
Speaker 1:Thank you everybody to listening. Thank you everybody for listening and tuning in to B2Z podcast. Check us out on our next episode. We wanted to introduce ourselves with these first two episodes and now that you know us, we look forward to bring you all kind of guests based off of wellness, military, art, culture. We have a plethora of things to bestow upon your ears, so hopefully you guys can subscribe and you're liking the content that we're created. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thanks for everything. Thank you, zach, bye, bye, thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you, thank you, thank you.
