0:00

My name is Gary Henderson, and I built the creator studio to show you what's possible. Today we have a super special treat for you. Manny Cabo. He was a four chair turn on the TV, show the voice. He's an OG in our community and he's also the builder. Behind the mojo token on our platform. So go ahead and hit follow on the show. Let's jump straight into the studio

Gary Henderson: 0:25

All right, creators. Welcome back into the studio. Today we have a really special treat. So our community is, it's full of very unique and diverse people that do really epic things in the world. And some of those people are really active in our community. Some of those people are a little bit quieter and they, they lurk in the, the corners and they, they read, they're not as talkative. Some of those people get active and then they get really, really, really busy. Right? But we have some people that just do epic things. And today's guest is Manny Cabo. And a couple years ago I was watching this TV show called The Voice, and I saw Manny's audition and I watched four chairs on The Voice. There's only four of them there. And all four of the judges turned around for Manny. And I watched that happen. And then two years ago I was on Clubhouse. And I had this like starstruck moment as I saw Manny Cabo in the audience and coming up on stage and talking with us and singing for us. I was like, oh wow, this is Manny Cabo. And he would come in and he would sing these songs and I remembered him and it was just really a cool experience for me. And then we fast forward a little bit later and Gino says, I brought in a great giraffe. And I said, well, who you got? He said, I got Manny Cabo. And I'm like, holy shit. How'd you get Manny Cabo to join our community? And now we have Manny as an OG giraffe in our community. So he was a four chair turn on the Voice. He's been named Brock Entertainer of the Year, had over 15 million views on his videos for the Voice. Manny, welcome to the studio. How are you today?

Manny Cabo: 2:11

Gary, how are you? My God. It's great to be here. It's kind of surreal, you know? But yet serendipitous man. So thanks for having me. It's always a pleasure.

Gary Henderson: 2:19

It's. Kind of surreal. I agree with you, but I can't think of a better, like a better person to bring in to the Creator studio than you. Um, you've gone on a journey and I really kind of wanna explore that journey. Today I wanna explore, I don't know a lot about your life prior to the voice, so I wanna explore what life was like there. I wanna explore what it was like to go through those big, big pinnacle moments. And then I wanna explore what it's like to be a creator today, because I think the journey that you've gone on can help so many other creators keep going every single day, going from moments of building and growing to huge opportunities and huge highs to having to get back and get your hands in the dirt and build again and not give up. So that's our journey today, Manny. Um, I'd love to start out though, why don't you fill me in, like leading up to the voice. What were you doing, where were you at? What led you to that TV show?

Manny Cabo: 3:22

That's a great question. That's one that, that's always presented to me, you know, and, and it's funny, I had taken a hiatus, ironically enough. First of all, I was a late bloomer. I didn't start singing it until, uh, late in my twenties. And everyone was like, really? Yeah, it goes to show you that age is nothing but a number. But prior to the show, you know, uh, as I said, I took a little hiatus of about five years. So many frustrating moments in music, a lot of egos, a lot of attitudes, you know, uh, being underpaid, being abused by club owners, yada, yada, whatever the case may be. But, you know, you fast forward a few years after I took that break and uh, friends of mine were like, Manny, bro, there's this show called The Voice. Cuz back then it was relatively new and they're like, you know, I think you should go on there. And I'm like, yeah man, I don't really care for those shows. I'm not into reality shows. You know, back in the day we had Jersey Shore, we had all those shows and it, it created such a stigma for me. So that was the deterrent. But then, you know, um, I think it was my brother-in-law filled out the application without me knowing. And sure enough, I get this email, congratulations. You know, you get a private audition. You know, I didn't even have to do the cattle call because most of those big, uh, auditions like the Voice and, and American Idol, X Factor, whatever the case may be, they ask you to do a cattle call. It's like two days grueling, you're in line. So this is more private, intimate thing. And I remember it was a Wednesday night. I didn't want to go. My, my friend Michael's like, you gotta get into the city and do this. And he says, Hey, Manny, look up. And sure enough, I look up, there's a sign that says Manny's, right? Literally right next door, right before I'm putting my hand on the door to open up to go into the audition that says Manny's. I'm like, okay, this has gotta be a sign, right? So I walk in. Hang out. And usually at these auditions they make you sing, you know, like one or two songs, 60 seconds, you know, I ended up singing six songs and when they asked me, you know, there's a two part interview, go in, you sing a song, then you could do the video interview. And when they asked me, well what is it about the shows that you like? I said, dude, I can't stand any shows. I'm here cuz I got two guys waiting for me. They're about to kick my ass if I don't go through with this audition. And they started laughing. Now the point I'm trying to make here, very, very important cuz you listen to it, you start cracking up. But here's the reality. This is where I started to understand the power of authenticity. Had I got in there pretending to be somebody, I'm not really preparing the song. Oh yeah, I've done this, I've done that. Probably would've been on the show. But since I was really earnest, really honest, I'm not the best singer in the world. I'm here cuz I had this impetus of two supporting people that wanted me to go through this. But I don't really like the shows. They asked, they asked me to come. I'm like, we love the honesty. That's what we want on the show. We want somebody to be real. So let that serve as a lesson for everybody out there. You know, you're never too late in the game to start again. I didn't start singing until my late twenties or thirties. Most of the people on that show were like 18, 19 years old. So they already had a huge head start. But I had the passion, I had the drive, I had the focus, I had the discipline to do certain things that unfortunately are rarely seen, especially nowadays. So with that and with the authenticity and being just who I was, I was able to get on the show. But prior to that, it was a really rough road. And for most people at my age, I was already being shunned. Like, what the hell? You know, and nobody knew I was going on the show. Uh, I already got the, the critics, you know, when I was on stage and what is this guy doing on. Ilk painted, you know, he's bald. Who, who does this guy think he is? He's got eyeliner. And I kept with it, and as luck would have it or however serendipitous it may be, I was presented with this opportunity, not crush it on the voice, especially after people thought I was crazy. Once I posted that, I auditioned, but I shut everybody up once I got the four chairs, and then again, I repeat it, you know, like four years later, and I did it in Spanish. So you just gotta, you gotta follow your truth, Gary. You know, um, I, I've always been a firm believer that you just gotta really be comfortable with being uncomfortable and more importantly be comfortable in your own skin. And that's why I'm able to do what I'm able to do. You know, I just ignore the hearsay and, and the noise, and I just embrace that empty space of stillness. That's my only superpower, you know, amongst other ones that have contributed to it. But I think that's what lends itself to me still being here today, doing what I'm doing.

Gary Henderson: 7:53

I love the story of you kind of took a little hiatus and you weren't young. I, I was a big American Idol fan. One of our other OGs, his name's

Manny Cabo: 8:02

Who, who was it? I mean, you know,

Gary Henderson: 8:04

Yeah. And Justin Greeny. He's an OG as well, and he was in that very first season of American Idol, Justin and Kelly. And American Idol, they had this age limit. You had to be like under 24 or 25 or something like that. Like, and if you were a little older, you didn't get there. And I remember when the voice came out, they started letting just people come out. And I loved it because we couldn't judge. I mean, we all know that there's a look to a musician. If someone's a rocker, we expect a rocker. Look, if someone's got a certain voice, we expect a certain look. I love the voice because we got to hear the voice and the people that wouldn't have normally got in because they maybe didn't fit the part, or they weren't young enough, or they weren't cute enough or whatever, they got accepted because they had a great voice. And, and that's just, I just, I loved the show. Once I started watching the voice, I never watched, like I, I didn't dig back into America Idol or anything like that. Um, I think it's really cool that what you go on the show and, and you. You, you've had this, this, this moment. You've had six songs with the judges. You've talked with them, you've laughed with them. You got a private escort in. You didn't have to go through the cattle call. Did you feel confident walking to the show? I.

Manny Cabo: 9:24

I really did. You know, I think the reason why I felt so confident, it wasn't coming from a place of conceit or arrogance, I just wasn't expecting anything in the outcome. You know, the reason many people. Don't follow through with their passions or their instincts because they wanna control everything. They're always worried about the end result. Where me, I was focused more on the elements of gratitude and compassion. You know, compassion isn't something that, in my opinion, you do for people. It's something that I do for myself. You know, people get affected by that because that's a great side effect. But I use compassion and gratitude for myself cuz it helps me. It helps me perform better how I show up. It helps me function. So throughout that journey I was, I was already grateful to have been chosen. So when I was on the show and I was sitting in my hotel room and I have a whole bunch of these kids and their parents, and I'm explaining to 'em, guys, forget about the 90 seconds that you're gonna be on stage performing. Let's live in the moment. Let's embrace each other. Let's talk about the stories, how you got here. You know, because once you focus on just the performance, then you exclude all these beautiful elements surrounding this entire journey, you know? So that was very, very refreshing for them. And I learned that from my parents. They're like, don't rush. My dad always used to say, rest in peace. You know, don't rush cuz you're gonna crash. Just take some time out to smell the roses. And that's exactly what I did. I just embraced everything. I embraced everybody. Um, I got to be such great friends with the production crew, you know, uh, my background, as you already know, I'm a photographer, so I was so intrigued by looking at these $200,000 lenses in so much that before my performance, they were looking for me. I'm talking to the camera guy about this, a Nikon or Fuji lens, whatever. It was like, bro, you gotta get on stage. So that was a clear indication. I was so engrossed in the moment having this heartfelt dialogue. I forgot what I was doing. So plus I did all the work prior. You know, there's a lot of elements in here that led up to that point right before I got on stage. And let's, let's face it, I crushed it. And it wasn't a surprise. I really did the work. You know, I, I sucked up all the knowledge. I sponged myself to death. And along the way, I also learned to embrace the other competitors that were there because it's a very humbling show. Gary, you're there. You get some of the best singers in the world. You're like, I don't even belong here. Right? But, you know, I canceled that thought right away. I said, you know what? I'm gonna embrace everybody. Let's see what everybody brings to the table. Just honor their talents. And believe it or not, till this day, we're still talked about is one of the most versatile, one of the most approachable season, uh, of members till this day. So that should tell, you know, that should tell you something. I'm really proud to have been part of season nine, and that was one of the reasons why.

Gary Henderson: 12:18

I'm glad you had the confidence because. I've heard you sing, I've heard your voice. You're definitely one of the great singers that deserve to be there.

Manny Cabo: 12:27

Thanks, Carrie.

Gary Henderson: 12:28

so many times, like our limiting beliefs kind of get in our way just a little bit, right? We, we say, that's a great singer and that's a great singer and Oh yeah, but they can do this thing and it's the thing that you just can't do because your voice doesn't do that. You know? Your voice does a lot of other great things. It just doesn't do every great thing.

Manny Cabo: 12:49

Yeah.

Gary Henderson: 12:49

No voice does every great thing.

Manny Cabo: 12:52

well, you know what? I, I'll take the fanfare. You know, I, I, by no stretch you, I think I'm the best singer, but as I said before, you know, we do. We, we need to start learning. And this is a blanket statement in my opinion. You know, just like I used to tell the contestant, we need to start breaking our patterns. You know, most of the issues that we have, this negative self-talk or the victim mindset, I'm so stressed out, I'm overwhelmed. This person's annoying the shit outta him because of whatever, you know. Where you place your focus is where you place your energy. And if you're giving your energy away to things that are needless, then how do you expect these things to serve you? You know, and it's been scientifically proven, Gary, that your thoughts create your your destiny. Now, let's picture this. We have roughly what, 60 to 65,000 thoughts a day, right? That create your destiny. If you've been thinking about the same thoughts for the past 15, 20, 30 years, how do you expect to change your life going forward? Because the same thoughts that have led to making these choices, the same behaviors, the same outcomes, you know, if they're negative, you're gonna feel like shit. And here's the ticker. How we feel, how we think and how we show up in the world is what a, a great professional and somebody I look up to, Joe Dispenza calls our personality, you know? And in order to change your personal reality, you have to change your personality. Does that make sense? So you have to start this new dialogue, and that's all I've been doing to overcome the hardships in my life. And believe me, the caveat is it's extremely difficult to do that in the very, very beginning. Cuz what happens is we have to stay conscious of our thoughts and break the patterns that subconsciously have run our lives for so many years, these patterns have dictated every single outcome that we have until today. That's why it's so important that we need to hold ourselves accountable. We can't blame shit on anybody. The only person that we blame, our outcome. Where we are today, what we've accomplished is the person staring back at you at the mirror. And I, I'm very, uh, uh, very firm on that.

Gary Henderson: 15:03

I feel it. I feel it. I, I, I, I do it. It's impactful. It's, we are responsible for where we're at. It is the person staring back at us. We do have to change our personality. I liked your quote. You said, when you, where you place your focus is where you place your energy. And it's true what we repeat in our minds and what we pay attention to. If we're going out and we're, we're partying with our friends, or if we're playing video games all day, or if we're cruising TikTok all day and we're not creating our content, we're not gonna get our results. when we create our content, when we become our, our authentic selves, um, we do get our results. So, Manny, you're, you're on stage, you just crush it, you're, you're, you're singing and you start to hear the chairs turn. What does it feel like when the fourth chair turns.

Manny Cabo: 15:53

You know, the funny thing is, Gary, I didn't even know the chairs had turned. You know, I was too busy, you know, thanking the band. The lights were so bright, if you notice the very end, they were like flickering, a lot of strobes, so they were all in my eyes and I did not notice until the house lights turned on. And then I look over, I'm like, Holy shit. Were they just, are they all turned around because the, you know, the, the, um, the performance is over, or did they turn and I'm looking in the audience and people holding up four fingers and four fingers everywhere. I'm like, oh my God. And I see Adam standing on his chair and I'm like, I, I think I just made history for myself, you know? And that was a very surreal moment. I think that was the only moment throughout the entire trajectory that I just lost myself. I was truly living in that space where, you know, you ever seen those movies where it's so loud but all you hear is a pin drop in your brain and then all of a sudden the sound comes in full, you know, full stream, full focus. So it was a pretty surreal moment for me. Obviously I was filled with elation and then the questions came in and I don't even remember going through that moment of when they started asking me questions. Thankfully the video was out and the world and 14 million people have seated plus, and I can go back and revert to my dialogue cuz I didn't remember anything. So it was, uh, it truly was, to use the word surreal would be an understatement.

Gary Henderson: 17:17

That sounds amazing. I have a question though. Was, is Blake Shelton to point the finger at the head Jiff that we all see is that's steering your performance, right?

Manny Cabo: 17:28

You know what? No. Uh, the one thing that steered my performance, my daughter wanted me to choose Blake. Cuz you know, I, I grew up on a steady

Gary Henderson: 17:35

I'm not saying you picked Blake, but the little look in the chat here and Discord, the little Jiffy where Blake's pointing at the his head. So here Chef Brian in our community here,

Manny Cabo: 17:45

Right?

Gary Henderson: 17:45

sent me your video again and he said, this is Manny. Or Gina, one of the two of them. This is Manny. This was his performance. This Jiff Blake is moving his finger at

Manny Cabo: 17:58

yes.

Gary Henderson: 17:58

moment, and this one is popular as fuck

Manny Cabo: 18:02

it is.

Gary Henderson: 18:03

That is your performance.

Manny Cabo: 18:05

That was the first time that everyone started to see that gift and it was brought to my attention. You know, I like to think that it's mine. I think after that, he started doing that a lot. But yeah, it was an honor when people started labeling that particular gift to my performance, and, you know, it probably is because it's, I think he's got the same jacket, the same outfit on.

Gary Henderson: 18:22

your performance, Manny. This is your performance That's

Manny Cabo: 18:24

That's awesome. That's awesome. That's awesome.

Gary Henderson: 18:27

So we all relive a little bit of your performance every time we pick Blake pointing at himself.

Manny Cabo: 18:32

I feel the chills every time it comes up. I'm like, okay, somebody's using my gift. That's great.

Gary Henderson: 18:40

Oh man. So what. What's the competition like? You know, you're in, you're pretty much a free spirit. You're, you're a photographer, you're independent, you're dentist. This five year hiatus. You go on this whirlwind. What's the competition like those first couple weeks of going through and battling and stuff like that? Is it, is it, was it fun? Was it challenging? What did it feel like?

Manny Cabo: 19:06

You know, for me, the, there was no competition. I've never competed. I've been an athlete all my life. I almost made it pro uh, playing baseball. But for me, I was always a team player. So I think the most competitive, uh, part about this whole puzzle was. Compartmentalizing your day, staying focused, getting enough sleep, not letting the anxiety, you know, take control, you know, that self-talk that I just alluded to. So it, it wasn't a sense of competition with the other, uh, um, contestants, although I know a lot of people felt that way. You could feel the tension sometimes walk in, you can cut it with a butter knife. But me, I'm like, I was so grateful to be in the room with so many of these top tier musicians that I think the feeling of appreciation, a and gratitude overcame all that stuff, which lends itself to me being more open-minded, being more observant of what they were doing. And instead of competing and feeling insecure and having that self dialogue of doubt, I would really intently listen to the things that they were doing vocally and from a technical standpoint, you know, from a performance standpoint. And I would sit there and take mental notes. Um, you know, thankfully for me, I got that from my dad and. You know, I have to tell the story cause I think it serves its purpose as to why I've always felt like, no, no, no, I need to outperform. But for myself, you know, always have that underdog mentality. And I know you, Gary, you're like me. I always root for the underdog, you know? And my story began where it almost didn't begin. You know, I didn't almost make it into this swirl. The doctor saw my complications in my mother's pregnancy and they actually suggested that the pregnancy be terminated. But my parents were adamant about, you know, not considering that as an option. So here I am, you know, 53, still raising cane. So that underdog mentality has been with me since, even before I was born. So one of the, the crucial elements that attribute that underdog is to don't take anything personal. You know, don't be intimidated. Instead, learn the competition. Be more aware of what the competition is doing so you best, uh, uh, set yourself up for victory, you know, and leverage those skills from everybody else so you can prepare. It's like when we watch the, uh, the movie Eight Mile, when, um, m and m, he basically reverts back to all the criticisms that could be thrown at him. And he leveraged all that. So when it came down to his battle partner to talk about him, he had nothing to say. So that's exactly the mentality that I had. You know, people can criticize me, people can tell me I'm not gonna be able to do this, but I've absorbed all the talent. I know what everybody's going to do. So now I'm more mentally, physically, emotionally, prepare myself for my performance. And it's almost like I, I absorb all that negative energy and then I just repel it. By living in the moment, man, and that, that really served me. Um, and I encourage everybody, stop competing. Nobody gives a shit what you're doing. You know, nobody cares what you're doing. You, you put more focus on people than they ever will on you. It's just an illusion. And I realize that in my trajectory in this entertainment industry. You know, everyone wants to impress everybody else, but you know, at the end of the day, we all go home. We're all, you know, complaining. We're all miserable about something. I don't care how many millions you have. I know millionaires that are, that are miserable, but at the end of the day, it's how you compose your, your, your mental prowess. What are the things that you're truly focusing on? And I'm always going to go back to that energy. And the energy of competition was never an issue for me. I don't even entertain that. Again, I look in the mirror. I love myself. You know, I embrace the talents that I have. I work my ass off. I feel like I do have to work my ass off, cuz I know I'm not as good as these other singers. But passion always, always exceeds the talent when talent doesn't work hard. And luckily for me, I'm very, uh, uh, resilient, uh, oriented and that's what's helped me. That's been my superpower. Just I do the reps, you know, I do the work. That's it.

Gary Henderson: 23:06

I feel it. I've seen it, I've witnessed it, I've watched it. And you had a powerful quote there. You put more focus on people than they ever will on you. And if you just focus on yourself and you just go, do your reps, go put in your work, go become more authentically you, then your results are right there for you. So, Manny, you got a four chair turn. You're in the competition. You didn't, you didn't win the voice. So take me on the journey when you got cut, tell me what it was like to kind of go back home and go back and, and kind of get back into the daily life.

Manny Cabo: 23:40

Yeah. That was, um, That was also a, a pretty cool transition cuz I got a chance to see, you know, I had already in my mind, I already won. Remember as I always, uh, always said to all the other guys, guys, we beat out 70,000 other contestants on this show. You guys won already. Like, you have nothing to prove The fact that we're on tv, that's just a bonus. You know, it's an awesome side effect of all the stuff that we've been through thus far. But when I left the show, I think the most gratifying thing that I felt was. And I've always held really, really, really close to this quote. You know, it's not what people feel when they see you, when they're in the audience, when they're listening to you, when you're performing. That has nothing to do with anything. It's what people feel in your absence. And when I left that show, my roommate Keith, who I still perform with on a daily basis, I just talked to see him on tour, still have great relationships with the people. Like when you left the show, we were all so sad because we lost our mentor, we lost our big brother, we lost our dads to some of these kids. And I walked off stage. Gary, some of the production crew were crying and they gave me a big hug. I'm like, guys, wait a second. I appreciate that. It, it's so humbling. Like, it, it, I think about it, it makes me emotional, but. My philosophy was, this was just a chapter in Manny Cabos book. Now I close this chapter. I'm needed somewhere else. There's another journey for me to be on, and that's why I try to encourage people, guys, you can't, you can't focus on the past. We lived it, right? Embrace it. But right now is the important aspect of your life. And once I left the show, I left it behind, had a great time, I left an impact. The best thing that happened to me is not win the show because it's like the Beatles. The Beatles retired after 10 years. They retired on top of the world. I got one of the, the most talked about four chair turned is ever on the show. Um, one of the best rock battles ever on the show. And I left the people wanting more. So at the end of the day, that is the best thing that could have happened to me cuz I left people with that, that taste in their mouth. Like, oh man, I wish I could have seen Manny perform one more. And I'm really, really happy and content with the results and me going home. I had no problems with that at all. Gary.

Gary Henderson: 26:05

I think it's really cool. I love your outlook on this. It's, it's so refreshing. Um, there's, there's wisdom behind the, the years that you've lived on earth. Um, I feel it.

Manny Cabo: 26:16

Well, I've learned that from you. People like you, Gary. I really did. You know, I've learned a lot along the way and thanks to people like yourself and this tower, people in the industry ha have taught me different outlooks. You know, I've had to learn that the hard way. You know, that's why I take it to heart when I do my podcast or I do my music or write my messages. You know, I take that to heart to help other people. Cause I know how difficult it was to learn all this shit.

Gary Henderson: 26:37

Yeah. It's so hard. It really, really is. But you come home, you, you do some pretty big stadium tours. You, you, and then you go back and you compete again in, in Spanish. Yeah.

Manny Cabo: 26:48

yeah. As a matter of fact, this time, um, It was almost like the stars were aligned. The producers of Lavos, which is the same conglomerate as nbc, they realized I was Latin and they reached out to me. They're like, we'd like you to, to uh, perform on the show. Um, and I said, you know, at first I was a little hesitant cuz it, it's a big strain on the family. You know, you're away for a good portion, you know, uh, of, of a month here and there. Scattered three weeks here, two weeks there. So it's a lot of stress on your body. It's a lot of stress on your family. Plus if you have financial ob obligations and contracts, which at the time I did could be very, very stressful. But I ended up doing it anyway. Of course, I'm a big risk taker. I don't care. I'd rather have loved and lost and never have loved at all. So I went on the show, uh, crushed it, ended up in the top 25. But the wonderful thing about that is you want to talk about being comfortable in the un uncomfortable, right? I, I was a rock singer, and granted, I speak Spanish, Gary, but I don't speak proper Spanish. There's tons of dialects. So there's a lot of words that escape me. And I was still uncomfortable being on camera because in my household as in many, you know, Spanish Americans, we speak what's called Spanglish, right? So it's a little mixture of both. So on the show, people expect you to, you know, speak fluently, which I did, but in, in, in different, uh, um, in a different capacity, you know, more of a comfortable laid back. Uh, so that was pretty challenging. And I would, oh my God, I was getting so many critiques from people. Well, yeah, he's a rocker, but he's American. He's really not Spanish. I'm like, come on guys, it's bad enough. I gotta learn, you know, performing and understanding a new language, and then converting these, these worldly renowned hits and making them my own. I gotta worry about your nonsense, you know, uh, criticism. So there were certainly, um, a, a myriad of. Obstacles, you know, and elements that were trying to, to force my attention elsewhere to try to, you know, distract me. But all in all, it was an amazing experience. The one thing that was totally different, the voice was very formal, very business oriented. You know, I was, I was number 18, so that was my call. All right, number 18, let's get here. You know, occasionally called me Manny, but on Lavos it was like I was hanging out with my family, like my cousins, my grandmothers, you know, we, we hug each other, we kiss each other. We're a very loving culture. So it was, it was more relaxed. With respect to that, but that's not to take away from the talent and the, um, the workings of the show. It was still the same mentality. You had to be focused, you had to come correct, and you had to really know your shit and material. Uh, it, it, it was just a little bit more easygoing for me, and I felt really comfortable and extremely grateful that I did that show because now I, I, I woke another beast around the world, um, with respect to rockers that wow, his age, not only can he sing in Spanish, but I'm also bilingual. I can do this as well. And I think at the end of the day, that's my impetus behind doing everything that I do. Will I inspire at least one person? Will I empower somebody to think outside the box or think differently or give them that, that encouragement or that push? Unlike most people, I grow my wings on the way down. I just leap man the hell with it. I'm going for it. And it always works out. And if you go into situations like that playfully and anticipate things working out, I tell you in most cases they always do. If they don't, it's because you started entertaining the fear aspect of it. So fortunately for me, and you've seen me throughout the years, the past four years, I've been brutal. But I chose to focus on the things that I can leverage. I focus on the things that serve me, not take away my energy as I, as I mentioned before, about your focus. So yeah, it was a great experience, Gary.

Gary Henderson: 30:41

It sounds like an amazing experience and a challenge and. Just a fun experience. But you, you said the last four years have been brutal. So you go through this, this peak, I think you were on the voice, was it 2015?

Manny Cabo: 30:54

That's correct,

Gary Henderson: 30:55

Yep. So 2015 and then you did the Spanish version 2019 and now we're in 2023.

Manny Cabo: 31:03

That's crazy how the years go by.

Gary Henderson: 31:04

it is kid's So crazy. I was, I was doing some math the other day on like, I mean, we moved to Puerto Rico in 2019.

Manny Cabo: 31:12

Wait, you were doing math? Gary. Gary.

Gary Henderson: 31:14

I was, I was just a little bit of math. Um, but so Manny, talk to me about the last four years. What's it, what's it been like?

Manny Cabo: 31:23

Oh, man. Um, to say, I'll use the word capricious. Unpredictable as an understatement because you know, I, I've experienced two of the most. Terrifying and, uh, uh, dismal points in my life. You know, first is losing my dad unexpectedly to covid. You know, I never could say goodbye. One day I'd take him into the hospital. Then, you know, seven days later, he was no longer with us. Uh, and if that weren't enough, obviously our whole careers as artists were, there was no career, there were no performances. We had to pivot extremely and adapt to using these new pieces of software. You know, there was no equipment available, even if I did decide to do live concerts. And then you fast forward a little bit further up and Hurricane Ida comes and washes away, uh, 25 years of my livelihood. So yeah, needless to say, I was very, very distraught, very, very vulnerable. I remember doing my lives and uh, you know, in tears. Uh, cuz I, I'm always fully transparent, you know, I've always been authentic and that's the best thing that you could offer your, your fan base and doing these lives on Instagram and whatever platforms were available with sitting on, on, on my front porch with my, my couches upside down, you know, sitting on my washer and dryer. That was a reality, you know, I would look outside, I'm like, dude, this isn't a movie. This isn't a Spielberg presentation, this is real shit. Like people, four people died down the street from me. I was pretty lucky that night before I was expecting us to get helicoptered out of my home. So, When you start looking back, hindsight, I am just beyond grateful that I am still here to tell the story, because I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. You know? And, and if anything, it's a testament to thankfully, you know, the, the amount and, and you know, the endless amount of hours that I used to work on mindset control. Had I not done that and prepared myself and focused my attention and utilized my energy and, you know, not focus on the void. Because we all know if you focus on what you don't have, if you focus on the lack, if you focus on the void, that's all you're going to get in life. So I chose to be grateful for the things that were still left behind. My family was still here. I had part of my home I could always rebuild. And you know, the funny thing is, Gary, there was a test, right? And I, I can't remember the name escapes me, but there was a show I was watching and he, he would ask contestants, listen, you have an option. I'm gonna give you 10 million today, right now. I have the money, brought the suitcase out. I'm gonna give you the 10 million. But tomorrow you can't wake up. You're dead. Do you know that a hundred percent of the people said, I don't want the money? So what you're trying to tell me is that you value waking up the following day over the 10 million. Supposedly, we all want the money, so why is it that we don't wake up every day with that sense of refreshed perspective on everything? That's exactly what got me through those moments. I'm like, absolutely not, man. I live another day. Four people down the road didn't make it. They're not here to tell the story. I am. Damn right. I'm gonna make it through and I'm gonna, uh, and I'm gonna focus on the things that I need to do, right? As you saw, remember I was, I was working construction, I was delivering pizzas, whatever it took no pride, no shame. I was taking selfies, delivering pizzas. You know, I made the best out of the most dismal situations. That's why I don't like excuses, Gary. And, you know, uh, we share the same brain on this. I don't want to hear your excuses. There's always a way out, you know, there's always a trajectory. Granted, sometimes it's an uphill climb, but nonetheless, when you get to that top, you have a better view of everything and you're gonna look back and be like, you know, that made me a better person and made me a stronger person. Yeah, it sucked at the time, but I made the most out of it. And people looked at me like, this guy's been on tv. He's an award-winning photographer, he's got a great podcast. He's out there delivering pieces. And I'm complaining cuz I'm making $80,000 a year and I gotta work on Labor Day weekend. So, There's, there's an, there's an imbalance in our mental, uh, stability in the way that the world thinks. And we need to make a shift here cuz you're focusing on the wrong things. And if you had to ask me, why do you keep doing what you're doing, why do you keep succeeding in life? Well, because I have a different perspective on life. I'm just grateful that I'm alive with life comes possibility. That's it. You know, it, it's not rocket science for me, as simple as that sounds, you interview 10 people and most of those people don't do that. Most people have a difficult time in convoluting that mindset and, and driving themselves into a trap on a daily basis. It's crazy.

Gary Henderson: 36:11

I love the humility. I love the, the highs and the lows because I think that, For a lot of creators or a lot of creatives or entrepreneurs, or, we think that when we get to the voice, we've made it. We think that if this thing happens, if this person likes our post, if this person follows us, if this person responds to our email, if we get to speak at this conference, if we get this thing, then life will just be easier and we'll make it. And I think you prove that that's not always the case. And you've gotta keep no matter what.

Manny Cabo: 36:46

absolutely. And even if you do win, Gary, you're stuck into a contract. That's awful. So, you know, people's perspective on these competitions couldn't be any more garbled, you know, uh, it, it's just one of those things where perception is reality, unfortunately, and the reality of the situation is the artist always ends up getting shortchanged, which is why you have to go into these shows and just enjoy every minute of it. When we were on the show, they told us milk every performance it would take if you took money out of your own pocket, Gary, to advertise. Ted just to advertise what we did on the show, it would cost us 1.4 million from our pocket every time we were on the show. I don't have that type of money, at least not yet. So, yeah. Damn right. We're gonna go on the show and, and, and milk every single post. Do every single live, you know, use the logo for every single, you know, uh, um, marketing, you know, aspects that we were gonna put out into this world. You know, I just, I don't know, Gary. I just think that if you're not defined by a vision of the future, then you're just defaulting to the negative memories of the past. We gotta keep moving past, you're only as good as your last performance. That's the way I see it.

Gary Henderson: 38:01

I've heard you say that, and I agree with you 100%. You're dropping so much wisdom today, Manny, and you're still creating, you're, you're creating music. You were on tour not too long ago because I know Chef Brian got to come and see you. So what are you doing now? I know you've got a bunch of new songs out. What's, what's going on?

Manny Cabo: 38:19

Yeah, I mean, I, I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself. I'm doing the, the inexplicable. I'm releasing one song every seven weeks, but so far it's been, it's been amazing. One of the songs, uh, won, just won the Posse Award, the positivity award for the empowerment there for, um, you know, paint the Gray. Uh, my song me angelito. I got to perform with the actual band, my Idols seven US Live. They loved it so much. They invited me to the stage here, um, uh, locally here in New Jersey. And then breakaway got a Grammy, uh, uh, Grammy consideration. And now my other song, thanks to one of my fellow giraffes who I love dearly, Steve Ryan, he's like, Manny, bro, that Latin song you got, we gotta submit it to the Latin Grammys. So you just gotta keep putting stuff out, man. Stop complaining. You know, if you have a phone, then you have a full production crew. And that's all I've been doing. Uh, uh, I've been putting out podcast episodes with some incredible guests, just like you're doing. Congratulations, by the way, and your new podcasts. It's absolutely ass kicking, and I'm honored to be a part of it. But yeah, I'm just constantly creating from, from all sides, you know, doing the, the micro content, um, shifting back and forth to, uh, Instagram and TikTok. And now I just started this two days ago. I've got tons of material. I'm gonna put out my YouTube channel and it's called, you know, the Mojo Minute, where I'm gonna take bits and pieces of all the excerpts that I've taken from my interviews, from my experiences, from my podcast episodes. And it's gonna be chock full of nuts where people can go, all musicians or creatives. It's applicable to both realms of the, uh, the creative, uh, individual. Uh, it's only a minute. It's literally a minute. Go on, get your mojo tip for the day, and I guarantee you that one tip, uh, you could use and implement immediately. And they're not just, Hey, well, you know what? Wake up, say thank you. Be grateful. Not it's none of that. It's a really hard proven tips and techniques. So I'm really, really excited about it. I've always been driven by empowering other people. You know, just like you, it, it's just really gratifying for me when people see that light bulb go off. And I love to be a part of that. Just like you love creating, you know, and, and empowering people, uh, uh, to be their greatest, their at their greatest all the time. And sometimes that's difficult to do. So you have to lead by example. You really gotta show up when you don't want to. I don't like waking up at five o'clock in the day. I don't like getting in front of the camera, you know, four or five hours. I'm exhausted to the point where sometimes I even forget to eat. But that's what you have to do. You can't have the excuses, you can't get the results that you want if you only show up half the time, you know, it's just a fact. And no matter which way you slice it, Gary, and I know I could see you, you're not here, but I could see you nodding your head and pointing at me like, yep, that's exactly what you have to do. You can't, you can't make excuses cause nobody cares. Nobody cares if you fail. They only care when you start succeeding.

Gary Henderson: 41:18

You're. You're right, you're a hundred percent right, and they only care while you're succeeding because when you stop succeeding, then a lot of those people that care, they don't care as much anymore. And I've seen that. I'm sure you've witnessed that. Um,

Manny Cabo: 41:34

all the time. Oh yeah.

Gary Henderson: 41:36

what's, what's the personal life like? You're, you're hustling, you're grinding, you're, you're getting nominated for awards, you're performing with your idols. What's, what's family life like? What's, what's, what's Manny's life like?

Manny Cabo: 41:48

You know, I, I think that's a great question because it's an element that many fail to, uh, to dominate, which is balance. You gotta have balance in your life, and I think that comes from compartmentalizing my days. And therein lies the caveat of this whole stem because, you know, I have multiple careers and luckily I just abandoned, I shouldn't say abandoned, but I stopped the photography, and now I'm predominantly focusing on my podcast, my voiceovers and my music. And what I do is I divide three days a week and I just do one of each. Mondays, I'll do everything that has to do with my YouTube channel. Wednesdays, I'll do everything that has to do with my voiceovers and Fridays if I'm recording, if I'm doing harmonies, whatever, musically, that's what I do. I'll take Tuesday for emails, for marketing, for getting back to people, setting up appointments, and then at night I stop at six. I stop faithfully and I spend time with the family. You have to because you get lost in yourself. And if you don't compartment, compartmentalize yourself, you're just gonna be scattered all over the place. There's no organization, you know, you start, uh, if you don't have a d d, believe it, you're gonna develop a d d because you were going to be everywhere and not get anything done. Because it's impossible to go 25% here, 25% there, 25%. You really gotta lay in a hundred percent on one thing. And you do that on a daily basis. You just have to separate which one you're going to focus that a hundred percent. And that has served me immensely.

Gary Henderson: 43:18

I like the cutoff, um, because the, the work of a creator is never done. There's always another interview. There's always another person you can reach out to. There's always the next one's gonna say yes. You know, there's always, it's always there.

Manny Cabo: 43:32

absolutely.

Gary Henderson: 43:33

those hard boundaries for yourself keeps, you know, it keeps the relationship intact, it keeps the stuff with the family intact. Um, I really like that. I like a six o'clock cutoff. I think it's a nice time and you can always wake up early. You know, I'm sure the family sleeps in in the morning when you're waking up at five in the morning.

Manny Cabo: 43:47

Oh yeah, absolutely. Well, you remember when I used to go into the tower, I'd wake up to five, you know, I'd schlep downstairs, get on the bike. I wouldn't talk, but I'd be working out. You have to, you have to, uh, um, maximize your time, you know, and I didn't do that prior, once I stopped with college and stop baseball, you know, you get lazy as John Len would say, life gets in the way and we're too busy making other plans. But here is the problem with that. You know, you can't complain about your life not going anywhere and being stagnant, cuz people focus on the predictability. You know, people are more comfortable in living in fear because they, they don't understand what the future brings. That element of uncertainty is kind of like a deterrent. But, but I say this to those people when the pain of staying the same. Outweighs the pain of change. That's when we change. So what does that mean? Like how bad does it have to get before you decide to change? You know, be the scientist in your life and experiment. Seven, two weeks. You know, be conscious of your thoughts. Force yourself to get up when you don't want to, because if you do that, you know, inspiration does not be, does not breed the consistency. It's the other way around. It's the consistency of showing up every day that breeds the inspiration. And if you do that, get ready. Because those coincidences, those serendipitous moments start to come about and then you're just not gonna wanna stop the magic. You just keep showing up and keep showing up. The problem is initially people don't wanna do the work and they just lose that stride. But every day it's just, Becoming a little bit better, man. Just 1%. Just force yourself to get up and do the things that nobody else wants to do, so you could have the things that nobody else has. So that's what keeps me going every day, man.

Gary Henderson: 45:37

I love that, Manny, you've done almost everything you've been on TV shows, you've performed with your idols, as we've said. What's the one thing that you haven't done that's still on that list that you want to complete before you're done on this earth?

Manny Cabo: 45:52

Oh man, oh, you're killing me with that one. That's a loaded question. Wow. Um, I'd love to inspire a billion people, and that's one, it's a bold statement, but I, I, I really would, I'd like to inspire a billion people. I wanna leave a legacy, you know, I want people to look back some day and be like, you know, Manny was absolutely insane. Yay. Did a lot, you know, he was just a human dude. But, He really, he really affected me. He really made me a better person. I, I, you know, I wanna leave this planet better than when I got here. You know, the accolades, the money that doesn't buy you happiness, but the reaction of people, the elation that you bring to people, the peace that you bring to people and this world that, that, that's something that, that's quantifiable, you know? Cause the world desperately needs, and if I can contribute, I have the ability, you know, as an entertainer, using my voice on multiple platforms and multiple media styles, I can do that. So, I have to, I have to serve a bigger purpose than just, you know, selling out arenas. I just wanna, I wanna inspire the world, man, and be a household name, just like Colgate and toothpaste, you know, FedEx and, and, you know, and and mailing stuff out. I wanna be like, man, cobble the musician that inspired people, you know? And it is, it's a tall order. A lot of people say it, but the difference between me is I say it and I do it because all my messages in my songs, even though I get cr criticized for it, nah, you're not really a rocker. You do these corny songs. Yeah. But these corny songs come from, um, first of all, that's your opinion, but I'm writing with award-winning writers. You know, a, I just have the balls to do it. You know? Now they're getting so much recognition. You know, I've got awards for anti-bullying songs, anti hate songs, and now this world peace and Social justice song, I'm okay with that. I'm doing something different. You know, music, you can't tell me that. There is one chord, one song, one melody, one chord progression that hasn't been written. Everything has been done. So my question to these people and I posted, what have you done to better this world? Think outside of yourself for a little bit. What have you done to to make this planet, this place where you live? I don't care where that is, a better place, a better world for our future rock stars to come. You know, I'll pose that question. You'd be surprised how many people shut up and here's the thing. The more you help other people achieve their goals, the more you assist other people getting to their trajectories and accomplishing their dreams, the easier it is for you to get the goals that you want to accomplish. Cuz karma is a beautiful thing, what I alluded to before about your energy and where you focus your, your energies. If you do that consistently, you show up, you think positive, you change your personality, you change your personal reality. Get ready. Cuz those serendipities will start coming in, in, in a multitude of experiences and you won't know what what hits you. And that's what's been happening to me. I've been, I'm being blessed on a daily basis. I don't have to go out and look for stuff. It's coming to me now. So it, it, it's just, it's just quantum physics. When you think about it. We're all energy. What you put out is what you're gonna get back. Just people don't wanna ignore it. Everyone thinks it's woowoo and all this nonsense, but we are, if you look our hands under a microscope or energy, Gary, you, you and you, you talk about energy all the time. So I'm probably preaching to the choir here. You know, you don't wanna walk into a room and be like, yeah, well, you know, I got Manny coming and he's a good guy. He was on the voice. You know, you come in here, you do your knowledge, you introduce me. You know, we have a great heartfelt dialogue. We serve our community with things that have worked us, and, and we're just gonna walk away with a great, great interview here. And you gotta put in the work, man. Before this interview, I was actually somewhat nervous. I'm like, wow, Gary. Gary's interviewing me and, and I have some amazing people, Gina, who I love dearly, who got me into this, uh, of this community. You know, we talked about Steve and Lubna. Everyone in this room has a Michael Jordan ability or a gift to offer this world. We just need to dig deep and figure out what the hell that is. And that takes work, that takes commitment. You have to be patient. You have to let go of the ego, forget the end result and focus on the now. Just show up and be consistent. The word I'm gonna tell you, and I'll leave you with is discipline. Without discipline, anything that I'm telling you means nothing. So once you're discipline to do the work and to follow through, whenever you find out what that internal gift is, I'm telling you, man, anyone can be a force to be reckoned with.

Gary Henderson: 50:19

Well, Manny, as you were talking in our chat here, we do these recordings live in Discord, and Manny and I are here live and we've got 33 people listening with us. Live creators in our community can come in. And as you were talking, Manny, and as you said that you wanted to impact a billion people in the world, we have people in the chat saying, start the count on me. Manny, number one, someone else say,

Manny Cabo: 50:39

love that.

Gary Henderson: 50:40

I'm one of those million people that Manny's affected Count man in Someone else says Manny is a beautiful soul. So your dreams, your mission of impacting a billion people. Your will on your way to do that. So as our podcast listeners, Manny, is they want to connect with you, what's the best platform to connect with you so they can like stay up to date with everything that's going on, um, get all into Manny's world. What is that?

Manny Cabo: 51:04

Listen, the easiest place to go is manny cabo.com. Everything and anything that has to do with, you know, my book, my photography, my podcast is all in one location. I even made it simple for everyone to find me on all social media handles. It's at the Manny Cabo. That is it. So mandy cabo.com if you get lost and it'll guide you on all of my paths on the creative level. There's a different level of conversation when you know the creator. I've had the honor of getting to know Manny over the last couple of years. And. Got to go on this journey with Manny, through launching his token and. You know, watch him and go out on tour and watching him work construction on the side of the road. I've had lasts with Manny whenever he was on the exercise bike in the morning when we're having our morning coffees. I've just got to build an amazing relationship. And I think it really shows in the conversation. Manny had a lot of takeaways, but I think the one that really sticks with me with Manny is just don't give up. Look, we'll hit highs and we'll hit lows. We'll hit moments where things are going great. And we'll hit moments where it may not seem that they're going so great. But whatever it is, don't give up. You know, focus on your future. Focus on being the best you can be. Focus on doing your best. If you're a creator and you want to join a community with Manny, with me. And with about 2,500 other creators that are fighting the same journey as you they're on this same path. They're not going to give up just like, you're not going to give up. I would invite you to go to gary.club/discord. So gary.club/discord, join our community. It's absolutely free to you. We have 2,500 creators there. You'll get to see all my upcoming guests. You'll get to introduce yourself. I'll get to say hi to you. And I'll even give you your first Gary coin for free. When you get in there, just open up a support ticket, tell them you were listening to the podcast and I sent you. And our concierge will take great care of you. So, thank you so much. Hit the follow on the show. And if this is helping you, why don't you go ahead and hit the share button? And I want you to go to Facebook. Or Twitter. Or even better than that, I would love it. If you would open up your text messages. And I would love it. If you would send a text message to one of your friends. Or one of your clients. Maybe your spouse, right? Someone. And say, I've been listening to this podcast and I really enjoy it. I think you should check it out. Maybe you have an email database, right? If you have an email database, maybe in your next email that you send out. Drop a mention to the podcast. That would mean the absolute world to me. And if you do that, make sure you let me know inside of our discord server, gary.club/discord