Press On Podcast

Jan Larison: Welcome to the press on podcast. Join me as we uncover the journeys and lifestyles of top industry professionals and entrepreneurs, learning the secrets of their achievements. I am your host, Jan Larison. Feast.

Cody Pickett: Thank you.

Jan Larison: Our our guest today is Cody Pickett. We're really thankful to have you and appreciate you taking the time out because I know we've been trying to get this done for about 2 months and busy times, busy lives. It would have been nice if we could have done it in December because we'd had a lot to talk about with, going to Vegas and the history of Vegas with us for for the most part. But so, Cody, what we want to do and what we try to do with the press on podcast is bring people that are from the valley or transplants to the valley, whatever, and find out what it is that made them who they are today. So with you, I would like to know I know you have a wealth of history, and you are a native Idahoan.

Mhmm. So

Cody Pickett: Which is not normal nowadays.

Jan Larison: I know. We were discussing that earlier, but, what tell us what got you to be Financial Insurance Group. I know that you have a lot of but we are trying to identify, you know, like, how your business relates with real estate, and Right. You guys do a lot of real estate insurance. But but how did that happen?

So I want you to start from the start, not like so what how you got here?

Cody Pickett: Okay. So I don't know. Hopefully, that'll be a long, long, long conversation.

Jan Larison: Yeah.

Cody Pickett: But I stumbled upon insurance. So for my background, as you know, I grew up on Chicken Dinner Road, you know, grew up on a horse, and, you know, always had big dreams and goals of playing football at a high level. Was was very successful in that. I was able to go to the University of Washington play, sold all of my horses, sold you my last horse right before I went to college, or while I was in college, because there was no NIL, which that sucks because I would have done okay.

Jan Larison: Yeah. You'd have been yeah. You'd have Would

Cody Pickett: have done okay. They'd have they'd

Jan Larison: have sell at that.

Cody Pickett: But instead of having NIL, I was selling my horses to be able to, pay for college or to pay for my, extra expenses in colleges, but, played football for a long time, was drafted by the 40 niners, played in the NFL for 3 years, and then went to NFL Europe for a season, and then played in the Canadian league for 4 or 5 years, and was kinda thinking, okay, how am I gonna transition? I mean, football's been my life. How am I a guy that I can just hop into the business world? Like, what am I gonna do? Is it gonna be real estate?

Is it gonna be this, that, or the other thing? And I was lucky to meet my my business partner and his family, the Pugmire family. And about 2 or 3 years into going into Canada, they're like, hey. Let's, you know, let's start branch of insurance, and, we'll do mortgages on the side type of deal till you kinda get things rolling. I had no idea about any of this.

I mean, literally, like, deck pages on insurance were foreign to me.

Jan Larison: Nothing in at University of Washington prepared you for insurance.

Cody Pickett: 0. I mean, 0. What prepared me for insurance, I guess let let me tell you how I got. So going back and forth to Canada, I was in, my buddy Nate's office doing the mortgage thing. I mean, every transaction was just really it was difficult.

You know? No matter you guys know in the real estate world and and the mortgage transactions, there was just a lot to, getting somebody qualified for a loan. And on the insurance side of things, it was really it's independent insurance world, which I am. I'm a broker, so I have tons and tons of carriers to be able to take care of my clients. It's about relationships and service.

And so for me, being in the football world for all those many years, I know how to handle different relationships. I mean, when you're in the football world, you have different guys of different ages, different ethnicities, different walks of every part of the life. So for me, the relationship piece is one of my strongest points, and then I've surrounded myself like a quarterback would with an awesome team. I mean, we have we've got 20 people on our team now, so, we're very comfortable in knowing the ins and outs of the insurance world. And for me, my biggest thing is just building relationships.

Jan Larison: So how long start to finish, what year was that? How long did it take you to get to where you are now?

Cody Pickett: Oh, yeah. A long time. Well so when we started our branch it was just Jeff and I, we had no account managers, no help, that was in 2010. So it was Oh,

Jan Larison: 14 years?

Cody Pickett: Yeah. October 15, 2010 is when we wrote our first policy, Dan Jaffek, who's my first client was so awesome. He can never leave me because he's been my first one, but it's been 14 years. It was just Jeff and I for 4 or 5 years just kind of learning the ropes, you know, learning how everything works, building our relationships with our carriers, like I said being a part of Financial Insurance Group is a great thing because we have so many different carriers that we can write with. And now fast forward, here we are in 2024, and we've got about 20 people on our team.

We've got a couple different branches. And like I said before, just have an awesome team around us that that really help us thrive and and do well.

Jan Larison: I I think I saw your branch in Payette Yeah. Or Fruitland. Is it Fruitland technically?

Cody Pickett: Yeah. So so Jason Hanson started Financial Insurance Group. So we are, I guess, I don't know, know, say franchised or the umbrella of FIG. Jeff and I have the national branch, so we're here in Encuna, Robin has our Encuna, a branch, but yeah we're we're affiliated with all the different offices I think there's about 12 or 13 different locations around the northwest, I'm licensed in about 15 or 20 states, But, yeah, just a big awesome team that we're a part of. And like I said, Jason was it was awesome for him to give us the opportunity to to build our branch.

Jan Larison: Right. So if anybody wanted to become an insurance salesman and, I mean, you're not an insurance salesman. You're an insurance broker. Right?

Cody Pickett: Right. Absolutely.

Jan Larison: So then you went to University of Washington, and then you had to go take all of these insurance courses. Mhmm. Were they difficult?

Cody Pickett: They were fairly no. Not not really. Not like, you know, the the loan officer exam is is different. Mhmm. The I mean, the insurance exam was was okay.

I mean, it's just knowing the things you need know. You know? Knowing the things you need to know, but, yeah, I mean, really, and then the day to day, you learn the insurance kinda as you go through the fires, I guess you could say, like, literally.

Jan Larison: Right.

Cody Pickett: You know, the different experiences because the insurance exam can can prepare you for some certain things, but being in the business 14 years, we've seen a lot of different crazy things and, we feel like we're really able to, educate our insurers on the things that they need and and then sometimes, you know, they really, oh, I don't need that. I don't need this. Well, you don't, but let me give you a couple examples of things that happen in real life and, oh, okay. Yes. This is this is the direction I need to go.

Jan Larison: Sounds like, honestly, insurance and real estate is super similar because there is the relationships are key. Mhmm. You know? And you wanna build your relationships and, like you said, have the same client that you've had, you know, when you very first started. We've done the same thing, and it's actually fun.

And I know they kinda say give you a bad time and say that you're running for mayor all the time.

Cody Pickett: Yeah.

Jan Larison: Yeah. And I can relate.

Cody Pickett: I can Especially my dad.

Jan Larison: I know. But that's okay.

Cody Pickett: He wants to prefer try it. He prefers talking to 2 or 3 people, and I talked to 2 or 3,000 people.

Jan Larison: Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. So do we. But so well, that's very cool, and I appreciate your background.

And are you thankful that that's how your career has?

Cody Pickett: Absolutely. Again, the thing when you get into the business world, and I try to tell people that play sports and are, you know, younger people, land and different people. Like, what are you gonna do when you grow up type of deal? Because the the sports world lasts for a certain amount of time, and then it's like, alright. You gotta hop into the real real world, and you have to have something you enjoy.

I mean, that might sound cliche or whatever, but I love coming to work every day. I mean, I love coming in here. I love the team that I have. I love what I do, and I think that's how the people that are really successful, they really enjoy what they're doing, and that and that's for me. I'm so lucky I found it.

14 years, you know, 29 years old, I started the business. I look back. I'm like, man, I wish I would have started earlier. But with that being said, all those different, relationships and those 10 plus years of playing football after high school or however long it was, kinda prepared me for the different relationship aspect that I need in the insurance world.

Jan Larison: Right. Right. So I have some questions. I, like Yeah. Reached out to some people that we know, and you may a few that you don't, but, and wanted to ask, you know, what made Cody Pickett who he is.

Right? So first of all, you mentioned earlier that you grew up on Chicken Dinner Road, and, we went to call Caldwell High School first or First Valor Divin Caldwell. Mhmm. When you were young like that, was it hard to change and go to a different school, or was it not a big deal for you?

Cody Pickett: It was. It was because, you know, I had up until 8th grade, I mean, all the friends and friends that I've grown up with. I mean, I lived out there, you know, a couple minutes away from West Canyon, a mile away or whatever. And then going into your freshman year, not only going into a high school is a big change, but but going to a different school, yeah, it was it was it was a big change. But, I mean, I had great coaches around me.

I mean, I'm still lifelong I mean, I'm lifelong friends with all of my my high school coaches. Unfortunately, but just great people I knew that was the right fit for me. Mhmm. And those guys were great mentors in my life, for a long, long time. Right.

And that

Jan Larison: how do you say that when you are a young man in a sports program? Mhmm. It's amazing how many guys you go back and say, hey. Who are the biggest mentors in your life? And it's their coaches.

Cody Pickett: Yeah. Absolutely. And, especially, I mean, I had fantastic high school coaches. I mean, I got coach Fortner on the wall behind you here. I mean, he's been coaching for 50 years.

He just retired. I mean, he's you know, like, he jokes, I'm the son he never had. I mean, coached me from 96 to 99, for 3 years of high school basketball is probably some of the best times I had. I mean, I was very successful going on after that, but I always reflect back to my high school days, and he's been a huge part of my coaching. You know, I hopped into coaching the same time I started my insurance business.

I've been a high school coach for 14 years, and coach Ford has been with me the whole time. He's he just retired this year after 50 years of coaching, and what a what a what a awesome thing for him to be able to, you know, touch so many lives. I mean, obviously, you're not gonna everybody's not gonna love you, but that's not really the the job. I mean, the job is to help build character of of young men or young women or whoever you're coaching and and try to teach them the hard lessons, and that's that's tough in this day and age because, you know, people won't be told what they wanna hear, but but they don't always need that. Sometimes they need the hardened conversation.

So, he's been a huge influence for me and and helped me get to our end today.

Jan Larison: I've been able to watch you 2 coach together,

Cody Pickett: and

Jan Larison: it is so much fun. He's just super dynamic and fun to watch, and you're fun to watch to coach. But Appreciate

Cody Pickett: it.

Jan Larison: So what's the difference between playing and coaching?

Cody Pickett: Oh, playing and coaching, what's the difference? Well, in the basketball world, especially the high school basketball world, I'm probably more stressed as a coach than I am as a player, and I tease coach Forner about this because I had control when I can play. You know, as a coach, you gotta point him in the right direction and you let you gotta let him go. So I think that's the the the biggest thing is is the the impact in the game. I mean, I'm an Eagle, I have fantastic parents and fantastic players, so, we've been fortunate to be good for a long, long time.

And I think the biggest difference is just, you know, trusting your players that they're gonna go make the plays, and you just gotta prepare them as best you can and and hope they do well.

Jan Larison: Completely. Like, I understand. We were joking earlier about having control or being in control of things. And so when you're coaching your kids, how is that?

Cody Pickett: So coaching my kids is different than my high school kids because I can physically tune them up if I need you.

Jan Larison: You can, like, physically put

Cody Pickett: them where they need to go. Physically tune them up and that's why, my high school my high school kids are so great to my little ones. My little kids think my high school kids walk on water but I always joke them about, hey, you know, if I get frustrated with my high school player, I can I can give him some thoughts verbally, but I can't actually put my hands on them? And I joke with my little guys, hey, I can I can tune you up if I need to when you get in high school? Probably that comes back from my dad and my dad literally me walking off the field and him finding me in the court of the end zone getting a hold of me.

So, anyway, I think that's a little bit different coaching your own than coaching somebody else's kids.

Jan Larison: Yeah. That's true. I've seen it. So so here's some more questions. We're gonna go back to your dad and, like, maybe we'll go with it right now.

So who was your biggest influence growing up and with your choices that you made?

Cody Pickett: Oh, it's definitely my dad. You know, my mom was fantastic, my mom and dad. But as far as, you know, the direction, I had a ton of respect for my dad and, you know, he was very successful in the in the the line of work that he was in, in the rodeo world. So, he was definitely my my biggest influence. You know, he he played college football and and and had to make that tough decision whether to go to the rodeo world or stay with the football world.

And and, yeah. So he was definitely my biggest influence. I still look up to him to this day. Yeah. He's awesome influence for me, and and the football world is different.

You know? Like, I feel like there's things that we didn't know. I mean, he played to a college level and and could have maybe taken the next step but chose to go be very successful with rodeo. But every line of business and every walk of life, there's different things that you have to learn. So, there are things that maybe we woulda did different.

I mean, I probably woulda left after my junior year. He was he told me I should have. I'm a loyal guy, as some other people I know are very loyal, but, the the sports world that's why I love high school. The the for the sports world in high school is like I don't know if this is is corny or whatever. It's like at the purest form.

Right? Like, it's just awesome in high school. College, it's definitely a business, and then obviously the next level, it just scales that that business. And then and, I guess that's why I'm successful in the insurance world because I've been in the business of football and, yeah, it it it it scales up the higher you go, but, yeah.

Jan Larison: I think that a lot of times, guys that are athletes, jocks, whatever you wanna call them, people overlook them as just how mentally tough they are. Mhmm. And so it's it's great to see guys like you be super successful, and it's all over the place. If people would just open their eyes and see who the guys are that are winning in life

Cody Pickett: Yeah.

Jan Larison: They're guys that have been a part of the team. They've led they've got leadership from, you know, whether they're the quarterback or whether they're the guy on defense that is lining everybody up and making sure they're seeing what's going down. I mean, guys that know how to play in a high pressure situation are, you know, over the top, successful in business.

Cody Pickett: And that that's that's probably more I mean, I'm so proud of my college education from the University of Washington, so proud of it. But as far as, like, me managing my team here in the insurance world and dealing with tough situations, I mean, that goes back to, like, being a little kid and having to condition after practice. You know? I mean, cash the other night, we're running his butt off after practice. Dad, why the you guys are yelling at us to run and stuff, and you don't have to run my you're building character, man.

You're learning how to deal with hard situations.

Jan Larison: Yeah.

Cody Pickett: And all those hard situations through the the sports career help you deal with business situations.

Jan Larison: Right. It's true. Doing hard things. Like, if you do hard things every day, it makes the the other stuff easy. So so okay.

Here's a few more of the questions that I was given. So what's your mindset? What's your mindset when you were going into football games? And I don't know if you wanna go from, like, high school to college to the pros, but

Cody Pickett: that's a great question, and I don't know. I feel like, mindset, you always felt the best the more prepared you were. Mean, so the more prepared Jamille, the old corny saying or whatever saying he wants to stay ready so you don't have to get ready, that was the mindset was and I and I had fantastic coaches to prepare me for this, but the more you could be prepared for the situation I mean, I'm a big guy on on on envisioning what the opportunity is gonna be, envisioning putting yourself in a stadium, putting yourself all through the course of whatever was gonna happen prior to having it happen so that way when you get there, you can just play or you can just just react. And the same thing in the insurance world. I mean, you have a big meeting with a client trying to put yourself in the environment, around the people, knowing the personalities, So that way when you're there, you're not trying to figure it out.

You can just actually react and be normal. And that's and that's that's how it was in football. You know, whatever environment, if whatever high school's space you were going to, if it was cold, if it was hot, or whatever, try to prepare yourself the best you can so you can be successful in the in the opportunity you have.

Jan Larison: When you started out in insurance, did you game time role play at all? Did you, like, role play with

Cody Pickett: Yeah. I mean, I didn't have anybody that I necessarily would role play with, but, yeah, as far as envisioning that opportunity, absolutely. Absolutely. And the biggest thing I think with insurance was is just for me, we scaled, we grew appropriately, I would say. A lot of people that know me, I mean, I'm very big on character and trying to do things the right way.

I didn't start with insurance and go after the huge commercial accounts that I have now. Right. I wasn't ready for that, and I knew that. And I didn't wanna I didn't wanna jump into that water before I was ready. So Jeff and I really scaled our business to handling the things that we knew we could handle, And then as we grew, as we added pieces to our team, then we take took the bigger steps and the bigger steps to where now, I mean, I'm very, very confident in our team.

I mean, we handle pretty much anything and everything, but it's taken us it's taken us a good amount of time to grow that in a in our in our numbers and our growth have been, consistent with how we've wanted to do it. I mean, it's the slow steady grind to be the quality company we wanted to be, and that's, you know, us just building the foundation, you know, in the football world, the same thing. You started 5th grade tackle football and you grow to the NFL. I mean, it's you gotta take steps appropriately.

Jan Larison: Right. So when you so back to the we're we're going back and forth from business to football, but so as you say, you prepare mentally for your game time situation, whether it's insurance or football. How do you prepare as a coach for your games? Do you do the same thing?

Cody Pickett: Same thing. Absolutely. I mean, it's and I try to tell my kids, you know, the envision of the environment, whatever school we're playing at, what they're gonna run offensively or defensively. Just trying to get them ahead to prepare for the situation so that you can be be ready. And that's where, you know, my high school coaches were were absolutely fantastic.

Like I said, mentors in my life. One of the biggest coaches I had, you know, coach Gilbertson at University of Washington was fantastic. I would say one of the biggest biggest influences I had as I got older was Mike McCarthy who's the head coach for the cowboys now. I mean, he's on the wall behind me.

Jan Larison: Yeah. He

Cody Pickett: was he was very hard on us to prepare us, and I can't thank him enough for it. Because that was never my mold coming up. I mean, being a guy at Caldwell, I don't want it to sound a certain way, but the brainpower part of it wasn't a huge thing for me because I was just kind of a guy. I was bigger, stronger, faster, and I could make plays because I was a guy. You know?

And then then the older you get, the high school level, the college level, the NFL level, now it's a brainpower thing. You know? And and even in college, you know, there were certain plays or certain situations that, you know, my coaches will say that was probably one of my biggest setbacks is that the mental piece of it. Not that I couldn't handle the mental piece of it, but I didn't wanna grind at the mental piece of it. You know?

I just wanted to I was maybe the old school Brett Favre day, like, hey. Let's just figure it out and go play. Power through. You power yeah. Just you know?

And just you can't really do that. And Mike McCarthy was huge for me to teach me the mental piece of it, and I only played for him for a season. But all that preparation used to always say that, you know, that, you know, this mental preparation is gonna prepare you for life and it really has, and I I can't thank him enough for that.

Jan Larison: Yeah. That's huge. That's huge. So so, how do you stay motivated?

Cody Pickett: Oh, I don't know. It's in my DNA. Yeah.

Jan Larison: It might it might be.

Cody Pickett: My my DNA. I mean, I mean, the day you think you got it figured out is the day you gotta quit. Right? And, like, why not try to be better? I mean, if you're not growing at anything in life, you don't feel good, you know, from that's, you know,

Jan Larison: If not growing, you're dying.

Cody Pickett: Yeah. A 100%. You know, and I'm like, you know, sometimes I make my wife crazy with that because, you know, going to the gym or doing these things or I and that's just the competitiveness in me, you know. I mean, I had some health scares that, you know, I feel like got through, but now I'm kinda trying to take it the next level and give it back to where I feel good again and and, yeah. I mean, it's being an athlete and being a guy that's always been successful athletically, you gotta be wanting to grow.

I mean, like I said, coming in here in the insurance world every day, you know, motivating our team for us to grow, We have so many different ways for them to grow as a team, and we never want anybody on our team to just show up, and this is how it's gonna be, and there's no room for growth. So, you know, with pay and different things, you know, we we try to incentivize our team for them to wanna be excited about coming into the office to be better.

Jan Larison: That's great. That's great information for any business owner at all. So when you were younger because I do know your DNA for anybody that doesn't know we have some of the same DNA but when you were younger did you always know what your life was gonna look like?

Cody Pickett: Yes. That's crazy. I mean

Jan Larison: I get it. I get it.

Cody Pickett: I mean, I it's crazy. And then there's forks in the road where it's like, nah. That's not the right path. I mean, this might sound crazy, but, you know, growing up on Chignera Road, I knew I was gonna play in the NFL. I just knew I was gonna play in the NFL.

I mean, I thought I was gonna, you know, play in the NFL, beat Troy Aikman, win Super Bowls, and be married to whoever in this universe. Right? Like, just all these different paths. And then, you know, that kinda goes how you want it to go, and then you get into certain pieces like, do I really love this game? Like, I thought I loved the game.

You know, when when you get, you know, to the NFL, do I really, really love it? And I really I don't know. I just there was pieces there that, like, it wasn't really right, you know, and then the whole, you know, spouse thing. I mean, I I married, my high school sweetheart, you know, and, couldn't be happier. You know?

Like, there's different paces as you go. I knew where I wanted to get, but as you get older, there was different forks in the road and things my football world could have been way different. I mean, I could have left after my junior year. Who knows where I would have got drafted? I mean, I had a 1st or second round projection.

I I broke every Pac ten record at the time. You know, I could have been a 1st or second round draft pick, but I probably wouldn't be sitting here. You know? I mean, I wouldn't be married to to Carly. I wouldn't be as happy as I am.

Like, my life has worked out amazingly perfect. It's been great. But there's different forks that if you look at different ways, football, maybe it was a wrong decision. This, maybe it was a wrong decision. This, maybe it was a wrong decision.

But as far as life and how it's worked out, it, I took the right right path.

Jan Larison: Right. So I know that your dad made the choice to go rodeo. I remember the phone call that came to our house when he, like, told our parents that he wasn't going to

Cody Pickett: That call didn't probably go over very well?

Jan Larison: No. It was it was actually to grandma Pickett, and she said, Dee Pickett, I'm not gonna make you do anything. Yeah. And that was and I remember hearing that, and I'm like, well, what does that mean? But I knew I mean, I I was pretty young.

So, did you ever think when you were younger that you'd rodeo?

Cody Pickett: Yes. Yes. I mean, I still have, you know, lived through other people or lived through different things. But, yeah, I mean, I look at like I said before, those different paths of, hey. Could I have left early and been to the NFL?

What would that have looked like? What would it have looked like if I didn't went to the University of Washington if I would've because I could really rope in high high school. What would what would it look like if I would've went and, well, rope with my dad? I mean, would it would've been like, you know, JD Yates and his dad? I mean, could we have made the finals?

Would would he have killed me being in the truck with him all that time? You know, like, could I have made it to the finals? I mean, I'm confident that I could have if that would have been my path. You know, but yeah. I mean, I think about those things, but like I said before, I'm in a perfect spot.

You know, I got to kinda live through different different people and different family members and different pieces, but, yeah, you always think about that. You know, what what path could it took me here and, how would it have been? But my dad was pretty good influence on me on knowing, you know, the quality of life, you know, the guys that are, you know, out there grinding, rodeo on. I mean, it's a it's a tough way to make a living. I mean, there's a ton of perks to it and there's a ton of things that are really, really hard that people don't really realize.

And so he I feel like he did a good job of teeing me up to this, what I have now even though we didn't know where this direction would lead us. It wasn't like, hey, you're gonna be an insurance agent. Right. I mean, he just, you know, he wants to give me more crap about it than anything, you know, because he thinks I'm running for governor or whatever. But I

Jan Larison: think that's a great idea.

Cody Pickett: Worked out. Worked

Jan Larison: out. Well, I think that, you know, I for me to go into real estate, like, it was completely I couldn't be a cattle buyer like your grandpa picket. And if I could've, I would've because I love there's nothing I enjoyed more than traveling all over and going to those ranches and moving cattle and processing cattle and all the things. It was just I love doing that, but but my path led me a different way. And I look back at maybe a couple forks in my road that I I'm I'm thankful that where I am today too.

And and, anyway, that's enough of that. But so we said who the biggest influence in your life was your dad. And what if you could tell young men or young women, like, I know your kids, you keep them teed up going in the right direction. What is something that you could tell them about how to go game plan for success?

Cody Pickett: Well, there's I guess that's maybe a 2 part answer or a 2 part. Number 1, you gotta find something you love, whatever it is. I mean, if that's your relationship, if that's your career, if that's your whatever it is, you gotta love what you're doing, and your parents, your surrounding influences can't want it more than you want. And that's really I mean, if there's so many kids nowadays that have they got their toe in the water with and I'm not saying you gotta go specialize. I'm not gonna say you gotta go eat, sleep, and drink whatever career path that is, but at some point in time, you've gotta figure it out that, hey, look.

This is what I'm gonna do, you know, burn the boats or whatever for plan b, and you've gotta go all into it. Right? And then and if it doesn't work, okay, then you can pivot or take that fork in the road or whatever you wanna say. But, you know, there's there's so many different ways to be successful. There's so many different ways to make money.

There's so many different ways to be successful, in in relationships, in business, or whatever. But, ultimately, you're never gonna have that success if you're not fully invested into what you're doing. And I think, like, back to me in my football days, I mean, I was fully invested up into a certain point, and then there gets to be gray area. Like, hey. Is this right for me?

And that's where you're you can't be successful if you don't eat, sleep, and drink it, and love it, really. And so I think that would be the biggest thing for me for influences of young people is, you know, find something you love and work your tail at it to be successful, and don't come up a plan b and until that fork comes in a row.

Jan Larison: Yeah. When the fork comes, you just fell forward.

Cody Pickett: Yeah. You

Jan Larison: just have to keep going. You know?

Cody Pickett: Follow whatever your gut says and figure it out from there.

Jan Larison: Exactly. And those and those will come. Yeah. They will. So what is one thing that someone told you once that you've clung to that's helped you in create the person you are today?

Cody Pickett: Oh, one thing that I've come through. I mean, there might be multiple things. A couple things. I mean, like, I don't know. The Mike McCarthy thing about preparing, the way you prepare situations.

Well, you know, the stay ready so you don't have to get ready. The preparing to succeed is a big thing, for me. I mean, I did have this is crazy, but I did have a teacher one time that I turned in her project about, like, what are you gonna be when you grow up? And I was gonna play in the NFL, and that teacher did make the mention of, that's not realistic. You're from Caldwell.

You're from this and that. And I've kinda stuck with that, like, the chip on your shoulder, like, hey. I would and it might have been a sub or whatever I wanted to say who it was, but I I made it. So, like, so those things, like, kinda having a chip on your shoulder, that's kinda stuck with me of, hey. You can't do something, watch me type of deal.

So, you know, I I love I love that kind of motivation or that kind of challenge that if somebody doesn't think I can do something, I love proving them wrong. Mhmm. Proving them wrong. And more for me than them, just to know that, you know, I tell my kids this all the time. Like, literally, the sky's the limit is what you wanna do.

I mean, that come back that could come back to a corny saying, but really reality. I mean, look at some of the people in this world that are just all the people in this world. I mean, if you're the LeBron James and you're 6 tens and blessed giftedly athletically, you're not gonna be my kid's not gonna do that. Right? He wasn't the god given abilities, but as as far as being successful in different areas, really, you can do anything you really, really wanna do if if if if if the cards fall right and you really work your tail out of that.

Jan Larison: Right. Another thing, you really can do whatever you wanna do. I mean, I was told that growing up all the time and didn't really know that I believed it always. But as the older I get, I'm like, there's so much truth to that. Yeah.

You just there's so much truth to that. If you just choose your path, go for it, and never give up or pick a different path. You know what I mean? Just keep going.

Cody Pickett: It's it's so true. And now now as you get older and I might defend that teacher that told me that I couldn't be successful. Because the older you get, the more you realize how some of these things seem untouchable. I mean, I hear my kid and talk now, and he's like, dad, I'm gonna play in the NFL. I'm like, gosh, buddy.

I'm like, really? Like but he doesn't have that fear or that he's doesn't have that unrealistic, like, thought on it. I'm not gonna take it away from him. Absolutely not. You go get it.

Jan Larison: Don't tell him no.

Cody Pickett: And I you gotta work the tail off. You gotta love it, and you gotta eat, sleep, and drink it. You know? When he's has his ass on the couch and doesn't wanna do anything, I'm like, hey. Remember what you told me?

You better go go make something happen here.

Jan Larison: Oh, that's so funny. So we've probably touched on this, but this is one one of the last questions that I have. If you could tell your young self anything, what would it be?

Cody Pickett: If I could tell my young self anything. I mean, I made so many mistakes. I made so many things that, things that I'm proud of, things that I'm not proud of, but I literally just stayed the course, and that's what I would tell that young that young self. I'm a huge guy that has anxiety, like, I anxiety and and, different you know, I didn't realize growing up that that was a thing. You know, it was just always like, hey.

Rub some dirt on it. Go just go figure it out. But anxiety was a big thing for me, but I just always just stayed the course. You know? One step ahead of me, one step ahead of me, stayed the course, took a deep breath, and would go.

And I would just tell my young self that, hey. Things are gonna work out. You know, those forks in the road will end up right. Just go with your gut, keep grinding, and and you're gonna end up in a great spot.

Jan Larison: Oh, I think that's a great information, Cody, and I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate you taking the time to hang hang out with me

Cody Pickett: Sure.

Jan Larison: And to be on my little podcast. Like you said, I'm just stepping out of my comfort zone doing something that, you know, getting comfortable, being uncomfortable.

Cody Pickett: Love it.

Jan Larison: But to have you here is,

Cody Pickett: we're

Jan Larison: I guess we're here in your office with all your memorabilia, which is what I wanted.

Cody Pickett: Mhmm.

Jan Larison: And so I'm glad we were able to do that. And I've you know what? In a year, when I'm better and I've got this, you're coming back on.

Cody Pickett: I love it. Well, thank thank you so much. I appreciate it. Yeah.

Jan Larison: Thank you for listening to today's episode. Please remember to subscribe, rate us, and leave a review, and please follow us on Instagram at Larison Real Estate. I'm Jan Larison, and keep pressing on.