Episode 184 AARON SIGA ( Construction Influencer & Owner of Hamma Built )

A lot of people get a past they can’t outrun, and a lot of people in construction carry more weight than anyone sees. I sit down with Aaron Siga, a Kaneohe legend who used to be known for scrapping, to talk about how he flipped that energy into something that actually builds people up: leadership, teaching, and a steady “aloha” attitude on and off the jobsite.

We get into the real story behind his “hammer built” mindset, from the wake up call of prison to the grind of learning framing, metal stud work, and union life the hard way. Aaron breaks down what separates a real worker from a loud one, why the best fighters are usually the most humble, and how jobsite culture can either help apprentices grow or push them toward burnout. If you’ve ever felt stuck, underpaid, or underestimated, his approach to leveling up through responsibility and repetition hits home.

Then the conversation goes deeper than construction tips. Aaron opens up about depression, suicidal thoughts, and the moments that forced him to seek therapy and rebuild his thinking. We talk about mental health in construction, the danger of screaming at people who are already struggling, and how purpose, community, and faith can pull someone back from the edge.

If this connects with you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one mindset shift that helped you keep going when life got heavy?

Transcript

Welcome And Local Event Invite

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Aloha and welcome to another edition of the Above the Bridge Podcast. I'm your host, Thaddeus Park. If this is your first time tuning in, please like, subscribe, tell your friend, and thank you for joining us. I want to take this time to invite you to our RB day party, Laid Back. It's gonna be May 24th at the Capitol Modern Museum. It's super good, fun, it's old school RB. We got a bunch of great DJs, uh good food from Whiskey Smoke. And it's on May 24th from 3 till 9 o'clock. Go uh check out our website, get your tickets, laybackrmb.com. Aloha. Okay, this week my guest is somebody I've looked up to. Uh he's been as uh weird as it sounds, he's been a Kaneoe legend, and a lot of people in Kaneoe know this individual, and he's been doing amazing stuff on Instagram and getting into social media to inspire and also shed some light on Local Brada doing hard work and being true to who he is and also showing the construction industry in a different light. And I'm super stoked to have this guy on my my show. And if you would have told me a long time ago this guy would be on a podcast with me, I would have been tripping. Aaron Siegel, what's up, brother?

SPEAKER_02 1:35

What's up, bruh? Yes, uh, let's go. This is super I need to cut you off or notice your show, but love you, bruh. Love you too, my brother. That's how we do it in Kaneoye, bro. You know what I mean? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

But it's true, I've grew up hearing your name for good and bad, but um you've established yourself as somebody who is known in Kanye, and bruh, you you had a crazy upbringing, and when you're young, you're known for a bunch of stuff, and to see how you are now is very inspiring, and not just to me, and not just to everybody who've known you in Kanye, but you're inspiring this younger generation, and for for me, that's so important. We get kids, and I think them seeing people like you doing what you're doing, like it's just changing the world for the better. But I don't know, man. I just uh to shed some light. Um growing up in Kaneway, bro. You were you're one of the ruggedest people I've heard about and known. And I mean, how was it like growing up in Kaneway back in the day, bro, when we were young?

SPEAKER_02 2:55

Well, you got WaiNai, you got every you know, everybody got their their town, their thing, right? But yeah, Kaneway, bro, we used to go Kailua, Wamanalo, just chill. But growing up in Kaneoi was kind of mellow, it was kind of boring. So me and my friends would hang out, we'd make them not mellow, not boring. And um I don't know about legend, I don't but that's funny. But anyway, long story short, never have MMA, never had ultimate fighting. If had I would have been an ultimate fighter, but yeah, um maybe people, my my reputation back then, not to exaggerate, but I probably got into one fight every weekend, all the way to 18 years old, bruh. Almost every weekend I got into and scrap. It's just so we would travel. My friend Ryan Sousa, plugging him in. Good brother, shout out to Ryan, bruh. Shout out to Ryan Sousa, Steve Silva, but um Ryan was like he was on cool guy, bruh. And um, growing up in Kaneo, I was doing taekwondo with Bob Smith. Um Dennis Alexo used to come and train with us. Yeah, but um Bob Smith, like bruh, he he would teach us how to fight, bruh. This this guy was anyway. When I went on the streets fighting, um never have um grappling, was just kicking and punching, you know what I mean. So I mean, I know I'm like bore everybody with the past, but yeah, Kanye growing up in Kanye uh was was pretty cool because a lot of Wamonano guys, Kailua, we all got together, hang out, Lani Kai, you know what I mean? The uh the beach park, the lookouts, yeah. Um, yeah, it was cool. And Ryan from a real quiet mellow guy, he became on strapper because that's all we used to do. You know what I mean? So uh he works Steve Odos now.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

Yeah, he's doing good.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

Um Steve, he worked for the movies once in a while to get the movie set. So um I happy that my brothers, um, they were in turn positive too, yeah. One thing I like about us Kanye guy about these, so it's SSS, Sega, Susa, Silva. Not in any particular order, but that's just how it was. And then um uh growing up, these guys, I know in my heart, bro, they're good people. And you know, when you get friends that don't do drugs, that's solid. I know right now, guarantee Ryan and Steve, they're against it. Even when um, like let's say if they was to date whoever, if the girl was a drug addict, but they wouldn't even have it. You know what I mean? Same as me. We don't that's one thing I like about them, we're not chronics. Yeah, chronics, that's their own thing. I'm not judging them, but that's the kind of friends I had. And then yeah, growing up in Kanye, it was just cool, bro. Um, I was never one hunter, I was never one surfer. I was, you know, I was just one of the boys, one old old English, 80 ounce. Oh yeah, the the 40, no 40 ounce beer. Yeah, oh yeah, and then go out, hang out, scrap. Then next day we wake up, um we would work out, train. Once in a while, um, before all that, I was already training martial arts, so I kind of knew the system. My instructor, Bob Smith, at the time, he never liked what I was doing. Yeah, because he uh yeah, he never trained me for that, but I wouldn't love it, bruh. Like that, that's what we love to do. You know, brother.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

Yeah. Sorry, I'm talking too much, bro. Yeah, no, no, but this is this is what we're here for, honestly. And yeah, I've I've grew up in the same system, and yeah, but like training with with that that um system is is just you just become something and you become lethal, honestly. And I know through the years, like things turn around and and everything has a has a way of working itself out, and and everything has a has a reason. I learned a lot from going through that martial arts system about discipline and um doing doing right from wrong, even though at times I I never, but it was definitely beneficial to me, and I'm sure for you it was the same way. I I know right you're doing scrapper, and then they put that skill in you. Now you can kick like when you know what I mean. That's dangerous, bruh. And I know the kind of kicks we we could do, you know what I mean? It's not it ain't it ain't funny. Yeah, well, you still can't kick good or you still get them.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

Um well at my age, I'm in my 50s. I'm not gonna lie. People don't know how old I am, I'm gonna bust them out right now. Okay, Uncle Aaron is old, I'm up to an age. So if you guys like race or battle me, whatever, I don't have time for that. I'm gonna get injured. Uh, but I can still do the splits. Nice, I can still do the splits because of Bob Smith. Okay, that's remarkable. So a couple times when I was working Hawaiian dredging um or other companies, you know, when I had to stretch and flex, I would just drop into the splits, and the guy that was doing the stretch, he'd be like, drop his hands, and he's like, No sense of even teaching guys how to stretch because I don't know about there sitting in the split like a ninja, and then all of Hawaiian dredging guys is like, bro, what's going on? All good, but that's because of the training, uh nothing special. So if you like be martial arts or whatever, you gotta train, bro. You cannot be imagining that you're gonna be one badass or one one scrapper. If you know scrap, if you know train, if you start in your head that you tough, oh you might run into somebody that's really tough, bro. And you're gonna have them bad there, bro.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

Yeah, always get one out of hammer. That could be tough for you what I mean.

Attitude Beats Violence Every Time

SPEAKER_02 9:11

Yeah, that's why, bro. I why you think I love and treat people good? You know what I mean? I promote that. Um, yeah, what I was teaching, you know, I I taught on a I taught places, you guys would ask me what is the best weapon and all that. So I'm gonna share with you guys right now, real fast, what is the best weapon you can have. Is it nunchocks? Is it one knife, one gun, baseball bat, whatever, mace? Your best weapon, partner, for real is your attitude, bro. You get a good attitude, guess what? Nobody's gonna like fight with you. You're fighting without fighting. You in diffuse whatever bomb that could come your way, you in diffuse them. When I see one situation happening, I see I see brothers at the bar, you know. Sometimes we go hang out. Guess what I do, bro? Show them love and allow, give them respect. Any brother, they're like, oh, Anx, you're super cool, whatever. So, and you know what? I help plan you guys too. That's kind of like my hobby. You need help with things, I'm gonna help you, whatever. And word get out, yeah. Aaron is cool, bro. He's not, you know what I mean. So, with that said, that's how you build your reputation of having the best weapon, is your your attitude, bro. One good attitude, nobody's gonna like fight you. You know what I'm saying, bro. Yeah, so you walk around with a chip on your shoulder, scrappers, they're gonna size you up, especially guys on the streets, bro. They're gonna look for this guy, in key tapping, you know what I mean? I'm gonna triumph. You know what I'm saying? But yeah, uh, if you don't I gotta bruh, so I'm gonna just tell you right now, the fighters that I know that can fight, these guys not gonna act like they can fight.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

Million percent.

The Wake Up Call In Prison

SPEAKER_02 11:05

If you gotta if you gotta walk hard and you gotta look hard, what that's that's cool, that's your thing, that's how you like that's how you like run them. But I'm gonna tell you, a lot of the fighters and scrappers I know it's the nicest, coolest guys, bruh. Humble, super cool, you know what I mean? But then oh, I see them fight. Oh, somebody a cup, lickings they give up, you know what I'm saying? That's all yeah, that's probably why. Um that I'm gonna be honest, that's probably why I won my fights. Because guys don't size me up. Ah, this this guy's on scrub, you know what I mean. I heard he gets scrapped, bro. Ah, you on scrub, they see me because we go, ah, you're not in, and I'm like, nah, and I'm like next year, you know, they they come in rushing, and then one thing leads to another, they still because they already underestimate me, you know what I mean. So, yeah, but I'm not the toughest guy, bruh. I just maybe I got lucky, you know what I mean? So I don't know, bruh. You got lucky a lot, but no, but so I uh love you for that, bruh. I know you and yeah, a little bit younger generation. Usually the younger generations they look up to the older ones for sure, for sure. And you know what? As your older generation, I'm gonna tell you right now. Um I'm not proud of what I did, but I was always true to myself. I would never go around bopping or acting, you know what I mean, bro. So yeah, anyway, enough about my past. Yep, we can go on and on. Uh, all the guys that I know, they know. If what is that saying, if you know, you know. Yeah, but you know what? Right now, what is this 2026, right? 100,000 billion guys tougher than me, right? So I got nothing to prove, bro. You know what I mean? I just got love and all, and that's how I'm gonna win all my scraps, just show love, you know what I mean, and yeah, hopefully everything works out.

SPEAKER_00 13:08

That's definitely what you portray nowadays when how did you switch over from like kind of with the different mindset, like okay, ready for scrap every single second, to versus ah, I don't need to do that no more. I can just kind of live my life a certain way, and is not that important where I can just like you said, love and aloha.

SPEAKER_02 13:34

Um, well, um, I kind of went the wrong way at 18. I kind of I did on vacation for a while. You can call it I went to college, hard not college for a while, and I ran into some hammers. The college I went to. The college was free. We had free jewelry, we had free food, you know what I mean? We had free security. If you know what I'm talking about, what college I went to.

SPEAKER_01 14:02

Yeah, yeah.

Finding Purpose In Construction Work

SPEAKER_02 14:03

So when I went to that college, I went learned that plenty tough guys out there. When I went to that college, brothers gonna ask me, Oh, brother, how are you, uh where you from? I said, Oh, Kanye, you know what they tell me? Oh, oh, where is that? Now it's 1992 now. Where is Kanye Oy? I was like, Oh, the winter side. I said, Well, you don't know where Kanye is looking at each other and say, bruh, we're from the west side, we're from Waianae. I was like, all you guys from Waianae? I was like, yeah, I was like, this is college I went to and choke why nine guy. Anyway, I was the only Kanye Oli guy when I went to college in 1992, and I got to meet choke Waianae guys, and then as we all started hanging out, I got to be like, bruh, these guys is gangsters. I got to meet some heavy hitters where I was, and these guys was like coolest guys, but then I look at the rap sheet, I look at why they in college, I'm like, bruh, that's heavy, you know what I mean. Then I started realizing, okay, I stay with the big boys. Am I gonna handle this college or am I gonna turn out, you know, not good? So I had to switch, I had to go animal in order to make it with the west side. But these guys were hardcore, and this is my brother's good friends. And you know what? Back in my day had Crips and Bloods, any Crips and Bloods, bro, in prison. Tough sorry, college, and you know, anyway. We didn't go to the mainland a little while, and then guess what? Crips, bloods, hawaians, Samoans, Tonguins, we team up, and you know when you watch movies or you hear things about mainland, they're tough. They are tough, but man, when the Hawaiian guys in group up, bro, it can be, bro. So then I realized, whoa, brothers, there's strength with unity. Yeah, so with that, that was my mindset. There's strength. So as I started to leave college, I started maturing already. I said, you know what, I don't like come back to this college, bro. I gotta switch, I gotta fully change so that when I when I get get get back into the real world, I gotta make it. You know what I mean? And then when I got out, guess what? I was making what, I don't know,$12 an hour, maybe. I was working um doing kind of uh like pipe fitting or trading. One day my friend told me, hey brother, brother Aaron, what you doing, but what you do for work? And I was like, Oh, this and that. He told me, whoa, what you only make$37 an hour. I was like, I said, what? He goes, Yeah, because I I look at you, you look like you're in hammer. That's the first time I heard the word hammer. That guy was Wayne Connect, by the way. He's the one that got me into construction. From he's from Waiwoli. Now he's own his own construction business. He got me in construction. So I went in and then I ran into the track homes, bro, as an apprentice. Uh, was Davis Bacon was in Carpenter's Union. So right there, the superintendent when approached me, he said, Hey, his name was Kevin Countryman, Hammer, um, framer, hammer, superintendent. He said, Aaron, plan you guys like your job. Um, I'm gonna be honest with you, I know Ray Wayne's your friend, but now you mind. You know what? I want you and your your crew to build to give me one house a day. So it's hardware, yeah? We're doing hardware. Just do one house a day. He said, I I've been laying off guys, letting them go because they cannot handle. I said, I don't know, I don't care how long you take, just do it. So we're working, working. Then he pulled me over like maybe the the next day. He said, Okay. I see you get on good motor on you, bro. You get you get action, you you there's something. You go talk to the boys and you tell them, I said, I want one house a day. I don't care if it takes longer than eight hours, just one house a day. Give me all the hardware on that house. So I rallied the boys. I said, guys, guess what? Kevin's gonna lay us off. What? There was panicking. It was all apprentices. I said, You're gonna lay us off. We've cannot give him one house. He said he'll give us whatever it takes, like one house a day. He said we can work overtime, stay late, whatever. But he won one house. But we work two, three hours after work. And he would stand by his truck and just watch us like that. He looking up, he looking at us at the building. And we slam him out in about a week. We were slamming him. And guess what? He came up to me again, he said, bro. I cannot use you anymore. I was like, What? He said, start working out. I said, Why what? I said, he goes, I'm gonna put you on shear wall. I'm wasting my time with you on hardware. There's more to you. I see this. You rally the guys, your leader. I'll put you on shear wall. Shear wall, you're putting screws and plywood in metal framing all day. You know what I mean? So I work sheer wall, jamming, jamming, jamming, bro.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

This guy Kelly was the the foreman, just and and you and you learning how to do this on the fly. You never did them before, never ever did them before, bro.

Sponsor Break And Community Support

SPEAKER_02 19:24

Oh I work in sheer wall one day, by snapping because the screws going inside the wall wasn't was I was burning them because I was screwing too fast. You screw from wood into metal, you're gonna burn the tip. And I was snapping because I was punching the wall, losing them. Kevin was watching me. He came up to me, go, What's going on, bruh? I said, This effing wall, frick. I didn't know I was losing them. He goes, calm down. Let me show you. He started showing me a little bit how to feather the trigger. He said, Bruh, you can do it. Just focus. I know you can do it. Don't get crazy. I know you're an animal, you can do it. Anyway, long story short, I ended up doing sheer while we were jamming, bro. We started jamming. Guess what happened? He pulled me over again. Bruh, I don't know to tell you. I was thinking, what I did now, he goes, I'm gonna put you with the stackers. I said, hi, he goes, you know the stackers is the elite in track homes. Okay, okay, these guys look up there. These guys is framing roofs, bruh. You can frame one roof, you can frame anything. Because you gotta walk up there, balance, and you gotta know all your pitches and all that. But I'm not gonna put you on the second story, I'm gonna put you on the first. You're gonna work with um Elijah Connie, Wayne Connie's brother, bro. There was all in the mix. I worked with Elijah because I was shaking, walking on the plate, panicking. Elijah's oh, come down, calm down. He was watching me, teaching me. I started learning, started picking them up. Next thing you know, long story short, we started going to different jobs. I met Jason Gabriel, Hudson. This was like journeyman, but anyway, so we entered union, carpenter's union from Davis Bacon when grandfather union. The union would take over, we would switch into union. So I went turn into a 60% apprentice off the top because I already was with them. Yeah, yeah. So in turn union, I start on go union 60, work my way up journeyman. As soon as I made journeyman, I enter the um 2009 is when I made journey. Long story short, me and Ryan Silva went into the journeyman competition. Um, fresh journeyman, bruh. And I was on stacker.

Winning The Metal Framing Competition

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Okay, let's take this break from talking to Aaron Sega and shout out our sponsor Defend Hawaii. They've been my sponsor from the very beginning, and I appreciate them. Go to their store at Winter Mall called No One and also go to their website, they have some new clothing that just dropped at. Defendhaway.com. Use promo code ATB pod upon checkout. You'll get 15% off your first purchase. Defendhawaii.com. Aloha.

Teaching The Trade Through Instagram

SPEAKER_02 22:10

Was a metal framing competition. Because I show up late. The judges talking. Oh, where I'm going to park over there. I said, move the cone. I drive they move the cone for me. I go park. I get out. Oh, where? Well, where my station? Where are we going to work? Where are we going to jam? Oh, over there. That's your station over there. It was in the you know the blazed arena. The competition was in the parking lot. You don't have this competition anymore, but it was in the parking lot. So what happened is bruh, okay? Because I get the sniffs, I start cutting the bundles because the thing's strapped up. I cut the bundles of bringing everything to my area. Because everybody looking at me, all the all the competitors caught it. The judge still talking. I just, I just loading material. I'm getting a barrel, cuz you know what I mean? So, right, everybody just and then the judge you just the guy he'll just oh okay, okay, okay. Then he came and say, Okay, hold on, no start yet. Here's the rules, here's the plans. He gave us plans. So it was on eight feet by eight feet house, okay, okay, eight feet by eight feet, eight feet tall, okay, and then had uh uh four hips and fascia. All everything was metal except the plywood floor. We had to cut our own metal joistes, we had to cut the rimmers, we had to we had to frame the walls, but before we frame the walls, what I did is I went and lay out the ground and I draw out the trusses. So me and my partner, we ain't gonna frame the trusses on the ground, put them on the side, frame the walls, stand up the walls, bro, just smashing. Like how we do, you know what I mean? At work, yeah. Yeah, so we got up the first wall. This one competition now. We got up the first wall. I look at Ryan, I go, Oh, cause look, everybody, guess what they was doing, bro? Slipping the bundles. No, they was they were still joy. We finished heating the floor, we finished framing the trusses, we put them on the side, we stand the first wall. I told them, bro, we take one break. We took a we took a snack, juice break in one competition. Everybody's laughing. Anyway, long story short, we end up winning uh the steel man competition in the Blazed Delve Center. We'd frame out the the trusses, put on the fascia in uh, I think it was two hours. So one window, one window, one door, metal framing, and uh the trusses was metal, the fascia was metal. I think it was two hours or three hours, anyway. Yeah, we won. So I was like, okay, framing competition done. What's next? I go back to work. The guys tell me all my journeymen, Jason Gabriel, you go. What happened at your competition? Did you win? I go, Yeah, he goes, Ah, you better win, and that's it. You know, you tell me congratulations, cause that's the kind of animals I was working with. You know what I mean? He was a framing for me. He was like, So Jason and Hudson was, you know, anyway. So from there, boom. Started going, started learning, and you don't get layoffs, yeah. So when we get layoff, because no more work, I go work side jobs, you know what I mean? So just working, working, and next thing you know, I was just running into different companies. Um, got slow, I went to another company, got slow, went to another company. Me, I don't stick around. That's why I never became superintendent or boss. I was just, I see slow, I pick up the phone, I jump. I just jumping. That's how I learned panic. Some guys they get the layoff and they cruise them. They stay home, they cruise them, they go back to the same company. Layoff, they cruise them, go back to the same. And that's how you become boss because you stuck with the same company for a long time. Me, I know I know stay. I jump. And that's how I learn how to do track homes, custom homes, commercial building, high-rise. I got to meet plenty good guys and I learned, bro. And then next you know, I started doing side jobs. So now, up to date today. You know, my videos, I always remember when I was one apprentice, I had a struggle, bro. I was watching and learning on my own. The journeymans will never, they never teach. So now when I um when I'm framing and I see something that is worth teaching, I pass my phone, I say, bro, video this, I'm gonna show everybody how to do them. So you know, if you go back, if you watch my videos, I start off by saying, I'm gonna show you guys how to do this, right? Yeah, simple. And I just talk and I show them and then I explain. So now my videos kind of be like, I went ready and showed whatever. But but let me can I clear this up real fast?

SPEAKER_00 26:40

Yep, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 26:41

Um, I like let all you construction guys know if you're watching and listening, even if you're not construction, I am not the best. I don't claim to be the best, I don't claim to be awesome. I just sharing the love of construction that I love. And I like teach because nobody would take the time to really, really teach me. I had to learn through the struggle. So now when I show my videos, I kind of I kind of like you know magicians where they show magic. Yeah, I'm not a spoiler. I'm gonna teach everybody how the magic works. That's me. You know what I'm saying? Uh that's me in construction. I'm the spoiler. I'm gonna tell you guys how I do them easy. I'm not saying out of fastest, but to me, whatever I'm showing is teachable and easy. You know what I mean? So I glad I got to get let people know that that's where I'm coming from. I don't claim to be the best, bro. I'm not. I'm you know what I mean, brother. So that's my construction, that's why I video, and I try to video because a lot of people that I see, they get plenty of problems, yeah, in construction. They're old ladies, um, they get um relationship problems, they they're they lose loved ones, they they go through deep depression, bruh. But they still gotta come work and the boss yelling at them. Yeah, so with that said, I don't like be that boss. I don't like be that guy that would make you want to cure yourself. Yeah, because that's the raw truth of construction, bruh. All you bosses out there that's yelling and swearing at your guys, you don't know that your workers like go home and cure themselves. That's the truth. So next time you guys yell and swear at somebody, hurry the F up, you and scrub, you might not see the guy again. Yeah, because he he tired already, he like give up. So I I just like encourage everybody, no give up, man. You know what I mean? Because it's on rough. I call it one spark, yeah. I call construction one spark because you gotta train, you gotta like get side jobs, you gotta learn, you gotta be, you gotta be fit. Don't get me wrong, you guys don't know if you be trained, they're hammers. But go drink all day, come work. You know what I mean? I've done it, you know. Um, I mean, I've done it not training, but I went out with the boys after work, drink all night, party, and guess what? Go work in the same clothes, not even shower without even sleeping. You know what I mean? Uh so that's the life of one construction guy, man.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

That's crazy. No, but I it was cool to hear your journey, and I kind of while you were telling it, it reminded me of how I how I was, and probably how you was going through a martial arts system, especially the one we went through. You gotta be on sponge and learn and get better, and then you move up. It's like on belt system, like, oh, once you reach this level, time to get to the next level, right? But it's that mindset which pretty much through martial arts you carried into what you're doing now. It's super apparent. Like the way you would take something is like, oh, this is what I gotta do. I'm gonna be the best at this, and then you move to the next level, I'm gonna be the best at that. That's something that was ingrained in you at an early age, even if you never knew it, you know what I mean? But it's something that you had in here and you used it as you as you got an adult and applied it to construction, and the way you're bringing it to the forefront, and so people can kind of it resonates with a lot of local bradas because your delivery, it's like on real local brother doing doing real work, you doing real work and you're breaking it down in a real way that people can understand, and it's fun to watch. Like, I don't even do construction, I watch, I watch them, and um I think the authenticity of who you are as a person is why it's working, it resonates with all the people watching your stuff because you're raw, you're real, but you showing something so intricate. Like I was watching you cut freaking stuffs and lighting them up. For one, I gotta appreciate something. You get good math, bruh. You can do math quick, like you it's it's skills, bruh. And I think um thank you, bro.

SPEAKER_02 31:20

Yeah, the the delivery that you yeah, that I did learn from a lot of and then I just sorry, I don't mean to cut you off, but oh no, that's not all me. Yeah, I learned from guys that I like. You remember I said people don't teach people did teach me some stuff that I gonna remember, and I just made on my own and I kind of found shortcuts, yeah. Okay, sorry, bro. Go.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

No, but how how did you even start? Oh, I'm gonna try to start filming myself, and I know that that was your idea, but then is when did it catch on to to for you to be like, Oh, bruh, I can do this a lot, and it's starting to grow. Like, when did you get excited about that? I got excited with the comments, guys.

SPEAKER_02 32:00

Little guys is like, yo, oh, right on, but hey, you know what? That's what's good on. They start like, and you got your haters too, yeah. Oh, yeah, always like haters and the likers. My Instagram started growing, and plenty of guys tell me, bruh, I read all your comments, and you get some haters out there, and and they're like trying to critique me, and they're trying to like tell me, Oh, why are you doing like this? Why you doing like that? This uh, you know, ah, that's the job. I'm like, in my head, I'm like, bruh, go get your own Instagram, go get your own social media, go teach. You like teach on my social media. How dare you! But I don't, I don't, I don't say that in the comments, I just I just let them fly. So, all the haters, thank you because you may be famous. All you haters out there that talk smack about me, thank you because that's the reason people are looking at that, like, wow, this guy's hating on Aaron. Who else is hating? And guess what? The thing is, just the um algorithm is just flowing, bro. And yeah, you and the haters don't realize the more they're hating, the more they're talking bad, and the more people talk, other people watching, and and you know, like you said, there's plenty of guys out there that really don't know construction, yeah. Innocently they're learning. You know what I mean? Plenty guys out there is like that. I meet, like you said, you you're not even in construction, and you you appreciate that. So uh what made me started videoing is uh I started getting more likes, I started getting more views, and you know what? You get plenty, guys, they get paid for that, and people like they get one, they get one thrill, yeah. I mean, yeah, you it's interesting. You you you're happy that people watching, yeah. But I'm not doing for that, for the views or the likes. I just I just love what I do, and people can see the love, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Guys, guys come up to me, but even today, um, the delivery truck guys when recognize me, the guys that was doing the glazing, the windows, everybody's like, brother Aaron. I said, Oh yeah, hey, how's it? I know already they see the video, bro. Everybody shake my hand, but we love your videos, bro. We love the content, whatever you're doing is awesome, bro. Keep teaching, keep encouraging, and you know what? For hearing them say that that's why I do it. I trying to encourage. Yeah, I trying to teach, but I trying to encourage, bro, because this is when discouraging world. Yeah, this world will break you down, tear you up. The bills no stop. You gotta invest in yourself. You gotta invest, you gotta believe in yourself, you gotta be encouraged enough to like, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna own it. You know what I mean? I get uh this one apprentice that I'm working with, he kind of he's um, I don't know if I can do this, Aaron. You know what I mean? I said, bruh. The boss giving you this responsibility, own it, handle it, go home and figure out how you're gonna do it. Just figure it out and come back the next day and just own it. You gotta like you, you just I don't like saying manna because plenty girls out there, sisters talk for them, talk for the guys like now. So you cannot so the word manna, squash, sisters all day is hammers too, bro. Okay, so if you think you're tough, we'll give birth.

SPEAKER_01 35:35

We'll give birth, bro.

SPEAKER_02 35:37

Okay, we'll give birth, one child. Okay, have God put one child in your womb and make you give birth. Alex you are tough, you are guys, yeah. But the women more tougher than us, so I can't never use the word man up because yeah, sorry, but I just yeah, so I eh, but I tell I'm sorry if I cut you off.

SPEAKER_00 36:00

No, bruh, this is good, bruh.

SPEAKER_02 36:01

No disrespect, yeah. This is oh, this is what I want, bruh. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 36:06

Yeah, this is awesome. Yep, and I feel like you're um inspiring people. I think because the way your delivery is like just local people alone can appreciate it, and you know what I mean? It's like you watch like say mainland construction companies, one guy tell you how to do this, it's so fabricated. It's like the guy get gotta have the right angle. It's like you was like, give me the camera, like try trying them, like start jamming, and and it's it resonates because it's it's real, and and that's kind of your that's your niche. That's that's why it's kind of successful. Okay, let's take a short moment to shout out our sponsor, iRip Detail Supply. They're your one-stop shop superstore for everything you need to detail your vehicle. They have a store in Temple Valley Shopping Center, one in Las Vegas, and the newest one in WaiPiel. But if you go on their website, iRipDetailsupply.com, and use promo code ATB Pod upon checkout, you'll get 15% off your purchase. But I would suggest going into the store, talk to the uh the workers that are there, they're very knowledgeable of their products and how to use them. If you have any questions or any anything you need to ask about detailing, whatever vehicle you have, I would just go down to the store. I rep detail supply. Aloha. I do understand the hate, bruh. Like I get it, and at first, like I I like responding and engage, like being where you came from long time ago, to where you are. How was it hard for you not to engage, or it's like you're so past that?

SPEAKER_02 37:49

No, no. Uh, when I first started getting the hating comments, I was like, I want to comment, bro. Where you at? Meet me right now, meet me right now, where you at?

unknown 38:02

That's funny.

SPEAKER_02 38:03

I want to see you in person. Yeah, that was my first response. But then I was like, wait a minute, bruh. Then you know what I would do, brother. I would I would check their posts and I would see what they got. And I'm like, how is this? No disrespect to fishermen's now. No disrespect. Fishing is cool, but how is this guy who is a fisherman trying to tell me how to frame? But I kind of I kind of was like, Yeah, maybe he got framing background, I don't know. But I won't check his Instagram. I'm like, this guy not even on frame, why you're trying to tell me how to frame. So I could kind of laughed inside. Then I see one other comment. Ah, you use what is this, this and that. I'll go check his post. He gets like, um, I don't know, flowers or like paintings, you know what I mean? Whatever. Some people show whatever, and I'm like, there's nothing in your videos about construction, so I started realizing these people just trying to irk me, bro. They're just trying to irk me, bro. They're trying to get me to say something stupid. Yeah, so I look immature and I look uh unprofessional. First of all, don't ever be immature, bro. Yeah, you guys cannot control your life, but you can control how you act. Remember that. Yeah, you can you can control how you act. Your emotions sometimes may be out of control, but your actions you can control, bro. Unless you snap, somebody messed with your your kids or something that then you just snap, then you're out of control. But other than that, you can control the way you act. Yeah, you cannot control your life, but the way you act when God guides you on how your life can be, bro. You know what I mean, partner?

SPEAKER_00 39:58

Yep, yeah. Right, you ever you ever take a step back and look how far you come with that kind of attitude now, where it's like, oh bro, I I made a huge change in my life, and this is the the good that's coming from it. Because guarantee, the old seagull back in the day, when guy made on bad comment, he'd be sleeping within 10 minutes. You'd find where he lit, you know the kind.

SPEAKER_02 40:22

It's like yeah, I would have been at his door, yeah. Yeah, but one time one time a guy went act down, me talk or nuts. Uh okay, off the record. I'm not gonna say names, but this is when I was in high school. Because uh, the guy went talk nuts, bro. I I never even tell my friends, but I never tell Ryan, I never tell Steve, I never tell nobody. I don't go to the guy's house, knock on the door. Oh, the can you stay home? Oh, yeah, hold on, I'll go get him. The father, the dad, turn around, walk into the guy's room. Guess where I am behind the father, walking in the hallway. The father gave me no idea.

SPEAKER_01 41:00

The father, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:01

Somebody had to see you. The guy look at me, he panicked. I punched him right in front, bro. And guess what? The father got me, slammed me on the ground, started punching me, grabbing me, and everything. Cause I look at him and said, Uncle, this is not you, not for it. You can stop. He said, Bah, get out of my house. You he didn't he was a tough guy, you know what I mean? But I never throw back because I never come for but guess what happened? That guy is on the ground in his room, on the ground in his room from one shot. You know what I mean? Maybe you I see what's going on. I hit him or not, and then the father and grabbed me already. But that's how I used to lose him back there. I never I don't need to call the boys, I don't need to call back up. I went to the guy's house, follow the father in his house, punched the guy as soon as he went up in the door. So, with that said, I'm not encouraging you guys for do that. Don't do that. That's bad. That's bad erring, bad, bad iron. But yeah, when when I get that kind of comments, I get a lot of that. Um I don't even think like that anymore, Panna. Yeah, I don't even think about violence anymore. That's not even my um I could if I had to, but that's the last thing on my mind, bro. And you know what, bro? Even in construction, when somebody gets aggressive, you gotta remember the guy having one bad day. Yeah, don't take him personal, it could be something. Just just continue working, you know what I mean? So yeah.

Depression On The Jobsite Is Real

SPEAKER_00 42:29

That's super that's a super awesome story because not many people can change like that, you know what I mean? And from one side to the other, and it's it's remarkable that I mean you the you the guy, you have a lot of respect through the years, and you leading by example. I watched some of your videos, and you kind of touched on it for a little bit about the industry you're in has a lot of mental health problems. And I watched one of your videos, and you're with a younger, younger kid, and talking about it. And for one, I I always like when when men can be strong enough to address that because most times men they too proud or they too uh uh just bury that. I can like yeah, for somebody like you to come out and bring it to the attention of of all your people viewing your your Instagram is kind of cool to see, but your industry, like you said, has a lot of mental health issues, and how has it been trying to shed light on that and get guys to kind of be more open about their struggles and stuff like that, and to get help or talk talk to people?

SPEAKER_02 43:49

Okay, so the reason why I promote the mental health issue is because I was there one time. Um Before so twice I wanted to take my life. Before my oldest daughter was born, I was going through some stress. And the stress I was going through wasn't about work, it was about my past. I did so much bad by me trying to do good. Now I was hating myself for what I used to be. And the thing was just haunting me. You know what I mean? So I brought I was I was to the point where you know what? I'm a bad person. And this one time I went to the poly lookout. It was so bad. I went to the poly lookout. Um I won't leave my keys in the truck, leave my wallet in the truck. I went to the poly lookout and then um I went to the bridge. You know where you can see the cars at the bottom.

SPEAKER_00 44:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:55

I went smash, I was drinking alcohol because I told myself, this is my last night. I'm gonna drink, fall asleep on the bridge, and in my sleep, I probably gonna roll over. Anyway, um, long story short, I was woken up from some good people, bruh. They saw my ID, they saw my truck. They they was like, hey, wait. So they came, then grabbed me off the bridge, they knew already what's happening. They talked to me. And you know what, bruh, they was crying. They didn't save my life, bruh. They did. And um, yeah, I was I was ready for the eye, but I not the kind I wasn't I couldn't kill myself, but I just wanted to end it. There's mental health to where you know like kill yourself, but you just don't want to live. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? So that's the avenue, that's the that's the stage I was. So I went through that. And then in time, you know, I I you know I kind of dismiss it. And then um one time, unlike say what company I was with, but I was working on high-rise building, and the superintendent up there was one of my friends, um, and he saw something was wrong with me. And I was like, bro, we was on the, I think it was what, 14th floor, maybe halfway up, and then I was looking at the ground already. I was like, bruh, this is the day. Because I was sometimes I go through so much stress to where like I like end it. You know what I mean, Ambrah. Yeah, and then so I went up, I was looking, and I was like, bro, I go in, I gonna do it today. I go in, I'm gonna jump off. I brought us that's sad to say, but I was serious. My friend saw something was wrong, but he talked to me, and he brought him like, hey, oh, he never know. Then I just was like, he saw me kind of break down, bro. And he didn't pull me on the side. Next thing I go um to the office, talk to um the safety guy. Anyway, the guy knows who he is. I went talk to him, he's from he's from the winner's side. Uh if he's watching this video, he know me. And then he was like tripping out. Anyway, long story short, he went tell me to get some help. You know what I mean? So companies today they provide that mental health.

SPEAKER_01 47:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:31

And guess what? I took his advice. I went to do um therapy, yeah. And you you can call it a psychologist, psychiatrist, whatever, but they call it therapy. So I got to talk to someone. I went to like maybe four or five visits, and that person would help me to like switch my thinking, bruh. And I started like, wow, you know, not feeling, I don't feel depressed anymore. And that's when I started to when I started doing my videos, and I started focusing on trying to help people that took my focus off of me, my negative. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, because she told me, why don't you try switching your whatever you're thinking into something, find something you love. And I was like, What do I love? What do I love? I don't love to surf, I don't love fishing, I don't like I don't like a lot of stuff Hawaii guys like. We can plan any things in Hawaii, you know, guys foil boarding, they go do jet skiing. I don't love none of that. Then I realized, bro, I love framing, I love construction, bro. That's my thing. And then so one day I did one video and I was like, brother, I felt good to like the next thing you know, I started saying, like, oh, when you go to a job site, you do this, do that, no do this, no do that. I started talking, and then I started seeing the abuse coming up, and then I showed some clips of what I was doing, and just you know, I'm not I'm not showing off, I just showing the love, and that my friend would help me to uh what is offset my mental health. Whoa, me doing videos, encouraging and teaching and helping people would offset hating myself. See what I mean? Yeah, I was hating myself for all the bad that I did, you know, bro. Yeah, like the beginning of it, you know, I was on terror when I was young and I did a lot of bad. So my self-esteem, you can be the toughest guy, but if you really think about the damage you did, but you're gonna hate yourself. So now with the construction, I found out what I love. It's not surfing, you know what I mean, it's not traveling, you know, it's not Vegas, it's construction. So I started focusing on that, and then I started making these videos, and then next you know, was I don't know, the thing went viral. I had a couple, I had a couple of videos when in the millions, bro. I think I get four videos that's in the millions. Now, if you go on Instagram and you see videos in the millions, guess what? It's usually one beautiful girl showing her body, or doing something beautiful, and guys just guys just watching, yeah, in the millions, or what sports good looking girl. So, bottom line is this beautiful, if you beautiful, you can get millions of views. Uncle Aaron is ugly as hell, right? Just straight raw, local boy, ugly. I saw ugly, I make one onion cry, you know what I mean? Quick stupid jokes, but when guys, when my videos been in the millions, I was like, What the heck? If you go back to my Instagram panel, I get four, I think is in the millions, and it's just me showing what I love to do, so that went take off, and then I started like I saw now. I started just making videos, and then bro, I feel so good that I take in whatever I get and just share. This is how you do it. I'm gonna show you guys how to do this, I'm gonna show you guys how for do that. This is what you guys gotta do. This is how you act, this is construction, and guys watching, bro. Yeah, guys is watching, and and everywhere I go, people approach me and just tell me, okay, long story short. You know, all my stories long, anyway. Short, short story. I was at the um the trick, the carpenters union, I was teaching on Saturday. I would go to the restroom. I and when you go restroom, I you gotta pass the finishers, pass the finishers, finish carpentry. I use the restroom, came out, talk story, and then one of the uh female apprentices, you know, female girl came up to me. She was like, You you you Aaron? I was like, Yeah, Uncle Aaron. I was like, Yeah, she goes. She came up to me, she was like, You have no idea, but your videos really, really help me and touches me, and I know you, and I thank you for teaching and encouraging me. You have no idea how much it inspires. I look at her, I go hug her. I was like, Thank you, sister. You know what I mean? That thanks to, and you know what? She's only one of the many that told me that, but she was the most recent that almost cried talking to me. So that motivated me, like, wow, bro. Like, people actually, you know what I'm saying? Um making one difference. Yes, I had one person literally cry when I when I they got when they met me. Like, you have no idea, you know what I mean? Like, I don't even know how people, I'm not nobody special, but you get people out there struggling and they can relate. Yeah, you know what I mean. And when all these apprentices, all these people, I get brah, I was on a freeway. I stick my hat out the window, right? Trying to merge on each one. I stick my hat, look out. Thank you. Oh, brother saw me and pullover, poppy swan. I was like, Oh, and wrote them. He said, Brah, brother Aaron, okay, and he was like, and the a lot of places like oh, you get guys doing that, and it's because they know I'm not the best carpenter, but they know I'm a good uncle, a good brother that I try to help, and that's why people showed me in aloha back. So if you see me, guys, say what's up, bro. Because bro, I love all you guys, you guys know gotta be construction. I like you guys make it because Hawaii is Hawaii's expensive, bro.

SPEAKER_00 54:01

Oh bro.

SPEAKER_02 54:02

The biggest the biggest stress is what, uh bills, right? Yep, surviving, bruh. You know what I mean? Like the guy's struggling, bruh.

SPEAKER_00 54:10

So yeah, bruh, that's nah. No worries. First off, uh I never knew that was gonna be your story, bruh. And um, respect for sharing it, bruh. Like, that's not something I wasn't expecting that, to be honest, that story, but um it seems like God had a hand in that. God had those people stop you from going all the way or taking taking it to the worst level. God, that's God having a purpose to direct you in some kind of way. And that's super apparent from what I from what I hear what you said. That's that's God help. Like, bruh, it's not your time. I get plans for you. And how it was to humble yourself and understand, like, oh bruh, I need help, I need to talk. How how important was those conversations like with your uh therapist or psychiatrist or whatever? Yeah, how important those conversations were to make changes in your life, and how often is it that most local bratas or people we know or just men in general don't lower their their pride and let down their their guns and put down their arms and just be like bruh, I gotta tell somebody how I feeling and I gotta let some I don't need macho, I don't need on hammer. I can let myself be vulnerable and and say fuck bruh, I'm hurting. Like I right like for you to do that, that's that's that's a good example how it could work. So how how hard is it to get people to think that same way now? Or because you're an example, it could be coming easy, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 56:10

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 56:11

Okay, I want to take this moment to let you know about my sponsor, medicinal mushrooms Hawaii. They're a locally based medicinal mushroom company. Um, they're in Hawaii, they have five different mushrooms right now. It's extracted mushrooms. We have lion's mane, chaga, red reichi, turkey tail, and the last one they just came out with is the cordyceps. And if you don't know the medicinal properties of these mushrooms, uh go to their website, medmushroomhigh.com, and it'll explain to you all the medicinal properties of each and every one of these mushrooms. I take all five religiously, I'll take uh the lion's mane, chaga, turkey tail in the morning with my coffee. I'll take the quarterceps for a pre-workout and the red Reishi I'll take at night to help me sleep. But go give them a look, medmushroomhigh.com. And if you use promo code ATB Pod Upon, check out all capital letters, you'll get 45% off your first tinture of extracted mushrooms. Medmushroom High. Aloha.

SPEAKER_02 57:22

Um, it works, bro. Um, to tell you the truth, hammer built is not construction. Get that out of your brain already. Everybody get hammer built. It's not a construction company. Yeah, I'm not talking about construction, guys. Hammer built. Hammer built is individuals that been through the grind. Like I said, when I first introduced them, single moms, single dads, they get the kids they're raising, they're stressing, nobody there helping them. Um guys that men and women, parents, you know, gotta be single, parents that are just barely making it, and they got a family to you know support. Um regular people that's working just trying to do the right thing. To me, that's on hammer. And to keep going and being surviving, taking care of yourself and the people you love, that's a hammer built. You built yourself up as on hammer. So what I'm getting at, you're like being on hammer, and you get mental health, go seek help. The hammers, to be on hammer, you gotta you gotta know your limits. Yeah, you gotta know that, bro. You're not invincible. Hammers in their rooms, in their cars, cry, bruh, because they don't know what else to do. They get so much emotion, and after they cry, they're like, you know what, I gotta get my act together, I gotta bring it in because I get my kids counting on me. I get my wife, I get my my husband, I get people depending on me to be there for them. That's on hammer. And if you have mental help, go seek help. I mean, they have medication for it, right? Antidepressants. They may recommend that I never take any antidepressants, I never did any medication. My therapists wouldn't help me to find balance with what I love instead of what what I hate, and I was hating myself. So I'm not saying I love myself now, but I love what I do. And if you don't love what you do, then don't do it. You know what I mean? Um, if you're in an industry or you're in a company that you don't love what you do, and you're just getting stepped on, mistreated, um, and it's not working out, even if it's a lot of money, it's not worth your stress. Forget one other job, or get something that you love, right? It always hard. You cannot just pick and choose what you love to do because it's not always available, but keep trying, keep moving around. You know what I mean? Keep moving because get something out there that can help you, and may not be one job that could make you happy, it could be um, like you said, God, maybe um, maybe you might need some advice. And I'm gonna tell you right now, the first the best person to get advice from before I get into this, you know your vehicle, your truck, or your car, you get something wrong, where'd you where you look? You can check the manual, yeah. Yeah, you look at the manual, yeah. How what's wrong with the vehicle? The manual is from what from the manufacturer of that vehicle, right? So who is our manufacturer? Who is our manual? Make sense, yeah. So when you pray to God, you're talking to him, yeah, right now you like have a communication. If you're gonna have a best friend, you gotta have a communication. You can't just talk to your friend, you gotta listen to your friend, right? Yeah, now God not gonna come out of the sky like how you talk to Jesus when he was baptized, he's not gonna do that to you today. You know how he talked to you, bro? Get this get this book that's been protected through many years, through prophets, through Holy Spirit, that is on manual. Some people may not believe it, but I believe it. I believe the Bible is is the manual to our our life on how we can fix our vehicle.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:24

Um, that's the bruh. That's the best way to describe what bruh. I never that's a good um analogy. I never thought of that. The Bible is from the manufacturer, yes, fix brah. That's a good bruh, that's some smart shit right there.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:46

Or Chevy has their manual to fix more than Chevy.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:52

Yeah, we are humans who made humans, God, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:57

Father, and he gave us the manual, look at the manual, and you know what? How you gonna have a best friend if you don't communicate, you're gonna talk prayer, you gotta listen to listen to his word now, and bro. Honestly, don't just read the Bible when you read something, stop and meditate on it, and after you meditate on it, put it in your heart, and you know what? Go out and apply it and and see that see that um direction or that um instruction from the man, see it work. So, long story short, I know my stories is long, but long story short. You know, Aaron Seeger. I'm gonna tell you guys right now. People don't know, but I am I'm a spiritual man, bruh. You look at my videos, you see swearing. No, yeah, I swear in real life. Once in a while, when I, you know, I'm upset or you know, I it may slip. I'm not perfect. Okay. Um I read my Bible, bruh. Um I just say my prayers, I talk to God, okay. Um He talked to me back, I read, and you know, you know, guys, call it church. You get whatever you go, you gotta like meditate on your Bible, bruh, and have your whatever it is you do, everybody has their own religion, okay. But see, whenever you look at one scripture, see how it what it's telling you, bruh. Right. I know, trust me, I'm not a pastor, I know you know what I mean. I'm not I know this, I'm not that guy. Um, it helps helps me. So with finding what you love to do for me, construction, right? And in the Bible, bruh. So you know my personality, the way I treat and love people. Aaron Sega is on good guy, but our creator helped me to be on good guy, bro, through his word, and and Luke chapter 6, verse 27 was the hardest scripture for me, and that's my favorite scripture. Love your enemies, do good to those that despise or use you or ridicule, whatever. Love your enemies. Luke chapter 6, verse 20. I know that by heart, and you know what? Heartful love your enemies, bruh. Yeah, so guess what? Before I even have an enemy, I love him already. Well, check out my last few videos. Guess what I said, but love you guys, bruh. Yeah, love you guys, and then cut, right? Yeah, I love everybody, bruh, because God loves me and he loves you, bruh. Okay, so don't give up. You feel like pulling that trigger on ending ending your life. You gotta remember now people out there love you. You know what I mean? They do. And don't be selfish. That creator that gave you you and your manual, you're gonna take that away from him, right? And not only he gave you your life, but he gave you his best, right? His son. That's the truth, bro. So I'm not trying to get into our religion right now because the planning guys is not religious, and I respect that. And this is not on religious show.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:38

So nope, but I I I'm definitely on board with all that, and it worked. You are guaranteed one living testament that that it works, you know. I mean, like it God works, bruh. And and like you said, you gotta uh listen, and you gotta and he talks to you in in all kinds of ways, and well, throughout real fast, this guy, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:06

So when I go to church this weekend, church meeting, whatever we call it, the guy that gave the talk, the talk was about hearing or listening. You said it, you gotta listen. Yeah, when you tell your kids for do something and they don't do it, they heard you, then you tell them you listen to you're not listening to me. Okay, sorry, but just I just don't know. That's the same thing. I like what you said, but yeah, just remind me. Yeah, you gotta listen, bruh. Not just here, okay. Go ahead, Pana. Sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:37

No, that's that's exactly what I was trying to say, and I think bruh, you hit the nail on the head, and your example is remarkable, and and I think just you talking about that, like is it's a trip, it's a trip to understand where you come from and to where you are now, and that's gonna be the inspiration. That's the reason why God is using you to shed light and to have this platform and to be able to communicate to people that may change. You changed one life and they live in and they found God, and they they grinding one other day because of a video you made, bruh. You win, you winning in life, and your level of who you were and and what you despise of how you were back then. That that that goes away, and it it'll go away. It's just that's real, bruh. That's real shit, and that's real love, that's God's real love. And and bruh, it's I'm tripping. I never thought this conversation was going in any direction that it was, bruh. And that that's why I love this show. It's raw, it's something that I no clue what's you know why you know why?

SPEAKER_02 1:08:55

Because you're not one guy that just owns on podcasts, you're not just an interviewer. We know each other. We from we you know me, bro. It's so yeah, so there's passion in our conversation. We are sitting above the bridge talking stories in that's why you know it's called above the bridge, right? Yeah, yeah. You know that bridge when raining, people don't know, but I'm gonna tell them right now when raining on when bridge is always on the news, you choke water going through, it's canoe bridge, and you know, brother Tad and his boys is his good brothers, they say above the bridge talking story, and that's why Tad would name this show Above the Bridge. It's a talk story show, bro. Only thing, guess what? We know beers in our hands.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:45

I know next time, next time.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:49

Can you put beers in your pocket?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:51

Of course, bruh.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:53

What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:54

Oh bro, it'll be like a tree of obsession.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:59

You know what? I mean, we're not gonna get drunk, but you know what I'm talking about. Maybe next time, bro. Next time we guarantee, bruh, I'm gonna bust up my nickel of ultra gold, but in the fridge right now, bruh.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:16

So, like, you've been working, planning, and what do you do for fun? Like, what do you do on your free time?

SPEAKER_02 1:10:24

Oh, that's I'm good. I try to try to spend time with my daughters when I can. Yeah, um, when I mean if they're available, they're so busy, yeah. Um, they get their friends, they're getting older. Um, that's my free time whenever I can. Um my oldest daughter is graduating um in May 16th, next Saturday at the Blazedell. You know what I mean? So, you know, Uncle Aaron Seeger, I give one daughter. You know, come give her on layer, come give her on layer. I like come show her all, but she's I don't know. See, my my daughters, they really know like um show themselves on social media, they're not like that. So, and I'm not gonna mention their names just because they said dad, we don't want to be on social media, but that's my that's my free time that a lot. And you know what? If they're busy, um I like to sit on a tailgate, eat poke, yeah, right, watch the sunset, or go to the beach, sit down on the one tent, or maybe not on one tent, and just have a couple beers and just watch the water, you know what I mean? Um uh I love that kind of stuff, but the the simple things that don't cost money is what I love. Spending time with my daughters, and and honestly, the um used to pass weekend and go walk Kailua Beach, park at um Kalamas.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:59

Yeah, Kalamas.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:00

Come back, and you know what, bruh, was you like therapy. That's therapy. Yeah, take your take your shoes off, walk on the sand. Your sand, the sand going round your body, bruh. To like, and when you're walking, no listen to headphones, don't listen to your whatever, your gangster music, your country music, don't even listen to music. Guess what? God gave you music, and it's to your right or to your left, it's the ocean. When that water splash, you think he made that water splash for fun? He made that for us. Whatever we see and hear, he did it for us because he that's for our enjoyment. He never just gave us one earth to live in, he gave us things that we're gonna enjoy. You have a drive, bro. Oh, the sunset is mean. You pull over, get planning, guys. Pull over watching the sunset.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:52

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:52

That's free. That's free. You're not gonna pay for that. People pull up and they and they're videoing all the way to the sun, go down. You think God knew what he was doing when he did that? Made them guarantee, yeah, guarantee, bro, because he's a loving God, you know what I'm saying? Uh he's cool. You think the sky is blue for nothing? You know, blue is a calming color. Imagine the sky was like hot red, yeah, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, blue for calm us down, yeah. It's a gas and all the mixture and all the chemistry. All scientists can come up with whatever theory, but buggers blue in nature, uh, the birds chirping, all that is free, bro. You enjoy it, bro. You know, so take all that, take the love you got. Um, go in, go out, help teach or inspire people. Go, go, go take on walk, listen to nature, get your headphones off. When you go to the gym, you use your headphones. You got an animal. Me, I said the gym, I just animal, I get my headphones on, just killing. But when you when you do your free time, take the headphones off, but listen. Just but you know what I hate, honor. I can share this. Yes, tell you local boys something right now. Uh, you know, it's uncool, uncool about locals. Uh they pull up, you standing on your tailgate, and they pull up and they're pounding their songs. Yeah, I'm like, I'm just gonna say that. Serious, I mean, honestly, you love your music, that's fine, but that's what you love. How you know what I love? You being selfish right now. Yeah, you just trying to tell us, listen to my song, this is what I love. I'm the coolest, I'm bringing joy to you. You're not bringing joy, you're just irritating everybody.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:34

Bruh, that just happened to us H3 Lookout last week. We were drinking beers up there, and these guys didn't pull up. We say, Brah, your music not even good, you know what I mean? And they get them blasting, and they brought your speakers is bogging, you get shitty speakers. Like, come on.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:52

I know the guys they think they get game at all. You hear the treble, yeah. The fucking thing rattling, yeah, and the thing rattling, bro. The thing is, bro, honestly, you like loud music. I'm gonna tell you not anymore. But can I share something with yeah, yeah, loud speakers? You guys like loud music, yeah? You like you like it'll be louder. I'm gonna tell you one secret, roll up your windows and just keep them to yourself. Okay you like you like bring your eardrums and you like them loud, roll up your windows yourself and enjoy your love, your loud music.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:31

That's your own, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:33

Not everybody loves your music for you to think that we love your music, that's selfish. Because Uncle Aaron will tell you guys with respect, don't be selfish, bro. You get people out there, who knows what did you get when your sister, right? Your sister that you love, or your brother that you love about to kill himself, and he's sitting on a tailgate, and and he's just enjoying nature, and you pull up with your music, you just enradd his cage, bro. Yeah, you know what I'm saying now. Don't be selfish, guys. You see people enjoying themselves, you see guys hanging out. When you pull up, turn your music down. Oh, bro, this thing is quiet. I'm gonna leave my music down because they're there for that reason. Yeah, that therapy. You just coming and you put in your own gangster. You can be gangster, but just go be gangster somewhere else, bro. Because honestly, I'm gonna tell you guys the honest thing right now, okay? No one's impressed. Yeah, no one's impressed when you pull up and you're trying to be gangster. Nobody is impressed. You actually people actually looking at you like, what is wrong with this person, right? Yeah, yeah. Let's tell all the guys, hey, you get sounds cool, you get one nice big truck, cool. You get you set up cool, you come out. That's you, be you, but sometimes look around and observe, oh, this this crowd, this not uh this is not the hip-hop crowd, yeah. This is aunties and uncles, this is little kids hanging out. Why are you gonna pull up with boys in the hood pounding? You know what I'm saying? I love boys in the hood, but there's a time and place for that, bro.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:20

Yeah, yeah.

Advice For Young Builders And Legacy

SPEAKER_02 1:17:21

So, all due respect from Uncle Aaron, bruh. We stay in Hawaii air, you don't know what people are going through. They need that they you see them there first, yeah. You bruh, if you're there first, nobody around, you look on yourself, go. Because guess what? If I pull up and I don't like the sound, I'm gonna leave. But if I already if I they're enjoying nature, right? Me and you, by the time we're hanging out enjoying nature talking story above the bridge. Somebody pull up and they start blasting crazy, I don't know, gothic music, right? They can love all the gothic they like, but we may not be into that right now. Don't do it, guys. Yeah, yeah. I thought we got to say that, bro. I was gonna say that somebody gotta hear this. No, but you know, this podcast, plenty people can see them, right? Yep, for sure. Good. Everybody gonna know how we feel about guys interrupting you with their music, we're not impressed, right? Definitely, and especially the thing, like you said, junk. Yeah, you know what I mean, bro. Yeah, sorry, bro.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:25

Um, now we've been going for a while. Uh, future-wise, where do you see you taking this platform and what are your goals for the future?

SPEAKER_02 1:18:34

I have no goal, I have no plan. I have I just gonna keep uh you know Instagram, TikTok. Um guys tell me I can make money, which is fine. People do it. I can sign up. They I get I get um I get uh what you call those ads, or they they reach out, they do this, we you can earn money. Um, the guy's telling me how to earn money with my videos, go on YouTube. I'm not trying to make money, bro. I'm not trying to be successful, I'm not trying to be um well known. I just can keep sharing what I see is interesting or encouraging. I will share that. You know what I mean? Yeah, I don't see myself awesome. Yeah, I don't see myself elevating or being elevated. I don't care. That's not I'm not trying to be the man. You when when when when somebody hey brother, we love your videos, but I encourage I not even copy until I love it. That's my payment. That right there is my payment. That is a million dollars just came into my pocket. That's my payment, you know what I mean, brother? Yeah, so yeah, I see myself doing the same, just being me for the rest of my life, nothing special, no gotta be famous. I just it's interesting that social media gets you that attention, but I'm not I'm not doing it for the attention, bro. I'm doing it for the love of people and the love of what I do, sharing it to you. If you guys love something, share them. You know what I mean? And somebody might grab that, and then they might be encouraged. So if you get something bad to say about somebody on their social media, you're don't do it, bro. Because you just look you just look dumb, you know what I mean? Yeah, but how long was talking? Like an hour already or more?

SPEAKER_00 1:20:40

We're going for like 80 minutes, but whatever. Last thing I like asked you is what would you tell like these young kids coming out of high school and they like get into the business? What kind of advice would you give them, like trying to get into construction?

SPEAKER_02 1:20:59

Oh, okay. I'm glad you asked the question good on. Well, first of all, you don't know you want construction until you work construction, it's not for everybody. Yeah, many guys tap out, they don't want to do it. But if you want construction, I'm gonna tell you guys right now start, go watch social media when you see one construction site, pull up. Hey, how's it? Hey, you know what? I don't I like work, I like pull up to the construction site. Um if get if the thing says hard hat only, uh safety, don't go because that's when you know I mean that's a corporate, you can get in trouble. But you get construction sites that just non-union. Pull up, learn what you can, and eventually you're gonna run into somebody in a union, you know. So I'm in a carpenters union. Yes, I will promote that. Um, carpenters union has been helping me pay my bills. You know, I've I've always had work. Um, so if you can, the union is for me is good because I don't gotta look for work. It's such a it's such a big union. If I get laid off or something, I just give another job in a union. There's always, you know, and sometimes you may have to wait, but while you're waiting for the next union job, go go work with uncle, auntie, whoever side job, but do something. Go go work side jobs, but work. Don't be afraid to work. Work, bruh. Okay, so that's my advice. Um, and when you do work, don't tell yourself, oh, I don't like this. I don't like roll up the guy's cord. I don't like, you know what I mean? I don't like get up, bruh, bruh. We all did it. Just do it, bruh. Just hammer down, okay. No manna, no woman. Hammer, hammer, build, hammer, build yourself, and just take control and just control your mind, your life, control um how you react to things because that's the only thing you can control. Okay, you cannot control everybody else, but you can control yourself. And you want to work construction, you want to get in, talk to people, ask questions, go people. Um, I was fortunate to one guy went to see me on Instagram, talk to me, and came brought him to the meetings, and guess what? He's a drywaller today, not a carpenter because the drywaller is the what was available, so there is nice, yeah, and not just Uncle Aaron, planning guys can help you get in. Just and you know, I have a good attitude. Number one is your attitude. Yeah, have a good attitude, be respectful. Uh, and oh, if you do give an opportunity to work, bruh, show up, don't be lazy, don't be late, and don't make excuses, just show up, you know what I mean. Especially if you knew guys gonna start going watch you, you know what I mean? They're gonna is this guy even worth teaching? You know what I mean? Yeah, so same way Kevin Countryman saw me when I was an apprentice, and he took me in and he's like, Hey, I gotta put you more, I gotta get you because you know you get potential. Let people see your potential, and you're gonna grow in the construction industry. You gotta show that you belong, okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:22

Right, Bob? That's a good answer, bruh. That's good for you personally. What would you want your legacy to be? What would you how would you want to be remembered?

SPEAKER_02 1:24:35

Um if you guys like remember me, don't remember what I taught you, don't remember how I um all my videos just remember how you felt when you saw my videos. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 1:25:03

That's it.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:07

Yeah, that's it. This isn't is not what you teach, it's how you make people feel. Because that's what they're gonna remember in the future at your funeral, they're gonna remember how you how you made them feel. So just remember the love from Uncle Harry.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:31

Right on, bruh. That's awesome. Yeah, all right.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:35

Oh sorry, but I appreciate you a serious question, but yeah, that's what I want people to remember me as, bro. That's how I made you feel, you know what I mean, Donna? Right, because that's important, yeah. Oh bro, that's all good, but all good, bro.

How To Get Hammer Built Gear

SPEAKER_00 1:25:58

Yeah, you different. You you get all magic, bro. Yeah, so for your brand, where can people find your brand and how can they get some of your gear?

SPEAKER_02 1:26:12

Okay, so um, hammer built. I never go into the stores or I never make a website yet because I'm busy work. I'm actually on construction work, I'm a carpenter, so that's my real job. I don't I don't stand around and try to do printing and um shirts for a living, it's just something that I came up with. Um, but but it's selling, yeah. People people like, and I just right you like hammer bill. Um, you like, you know, in about a week or so, I get on different um different design coming out. So you see this shirt orange, get hammer bill. I get hammer bill coming out with reflectors, get tribal inside. You can see the green, you're gonna see the orange, you're gonna see the camouflage with the reflectors, and you're gonna see hammer bill and get some sayings in the back. You know what I mean? I'll go in, I'm going to post them when it's ready, but um, it's a new it's because get plenty um job site job sites that gotta require reflectors. Yeah, so that's the route I go in. It's reflectors, camouflage with reflectors, um, and and the orange or the the green high-vis. You look closely, you're gonna see the tribal. But from far will just look like an orange and a green shirt. But you come up, oh god, it says tribal. So it's not but thank you. Um, you guys want it? If you're on Instagram, direct message me, DM, DM means direct message, and ask me, and that way I'm gonna ask you for your information. The reason why I say direct message, because I don't like asking for your information where the public can read, it's none of their business.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:54

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:55

Direct message me, I can tell you how we can meet up. Oh, you can call me and then or I can you know what I mean mail it to you. Yeah I'm not gonna do that in public. You guys want hammer bill, direct message me. And then when I ask you a question, do you have Venmo? And you just say yes, okay, where do you live? Or whatever, and some people don't respond back. So I'm not gonna I you know what I mean? A couple people when they find out they want it and then oh you know, I get it. Some people know more than money, you know what I mean? Yeah, but just if you know the m if you don't more money, just text me. Hey, you know, uh I really uh later on, just be honest, just no leave me hanging because I'm I'm there to help give out the merchandise Hammond bill to whoever's wants it, but some people they they say they want it and then I don't hear from them. You know what I mean? There's a few that maybe about out of like a thousand, maybe five people did that to me. And if you cannot get it today because you don't have the funds, just tell me, hey, brother Aaron, uh maybe next time, you know what I mean? Because I I I got my stuff ready for you, you know what I mean? So yeah, bro. But yeah, thank you for letting me put that in. Hammer built. Thank you for letting me be on your show, brother Tad. But um, you know, I like I like doing podcasts where I'm gonna ask you questions.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:27

Shoots. Well, we've been going for a while, and I appreciate you taking time out to come on my show, and and I'm blown away how you and open up. I wasn't expecting that, and um, I really do hope just everything you're doing, as well as what you said tonight, can inspire somebody, help somebody, have somebody seek out help, just maybe change their stars if if if it's time, and um what you're doing is is remarkable, and a lot of people don't, bruh. A lot of people don't have the confidence to to do what you're doing, and I think because you're out there doing it, it might inspire someone else too. And bruh, um all props to you. Oh, aloha, you are what I uh I vision aloha, and I I always say this on my show, is I feel like it's dying down to how it was when our parents was growing up, but get people like you and other people I'm meeting that it's that's not entirely true. It's it's growing, and Hawaii gotta be the beacon of Aloha, Hawaii gotta be the starting point because that's where it's cultivated, that's where it can shine the brightest. And people like you are are doing it, living it, being it. And um this younger generation needs it, bruh. We these kids is nuts, and and they need that same work ethic that you talk about, that same aloha and the same respect, and like you said, no be lazy. It's it these kids sometimes are entitled and want everything given to them, and um being the example, and because of how we grew up, we know that the work gotta be put behind it. And and some of these kids, they're learning because of your stuff, and and from listening to these shows, and because of that, we are inspiring together. And thank you for coming on my show and and opening up, bruh. I am blown away with your story, bruh. I wasn't expecting that, it came out of nowhere, bruh. And and um yeah, this this one makes me super stoked, and I feel like I could run through and walk now just from hearing your story, and I I appreciate it, bruh. Super cool, and um yeah, we good to go, bruh.

Defending Hawaii Through Aloha

SPEAKER_02 1:31:59

Um so um your sponsors is defend Hawaii. Yeah, yeah. Let's plug their being real fast.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:10

I do, I do at the beginning, it'll be at the beginning.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:13

What what what I see defend Hawaii is. Yep. People think we're gonna defend Hawaii as in bruh, let's get ready for action. Let's def no, let's defend Hawaii's reputation.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:24

Yep, that's exactly what it is.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:26

Stigma, our culture. We're not lazy, we're not dumb, we're not um caveman, we're not what you call primitive. Let's defend Hawaii and let the world see, like you said, the beacon. We control the love and the law. I like that defend Hawaii. It's not a physical thing, bro. Let's defend the name and and defend it by showing it, living it, like you said, and you know what is the main thing we gotta do? Love it. Yeah, I just that's I just want to give props to that. I like that, I like the brand, I like how it says defend Hawaii, but I don't see it as violently defending. I see it as let's defend Hawaii's reputation. We are good people, we so loving, we love everybody, even if you're not from Hawaii. Roger that, bro.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:24

Yup, that's what's up, yeah. Defend our culture and and show the world what Hawaii's about. Yeah, right on, brother. Well, shock us for the cameras.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:36

Yes, uh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:39

We're out. Shout out to Artist Groove Network. Aloha.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:43

Aloha.