Brian's Pansophical Syllabus

"I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up." - Brian.

As humans, we roll with the punches and keep looking for somewhere to roll. Brian has a mind like a sponge, box like there's no tomorrow, and once made beauty products in his own bedroom to sell. He's a lawyer, by the way. In this episode, we'll hear a Spanish intrusion, plus peals of laughter. Join and eavesdrop with us.
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Transcript

Wish 00:00:02
Human Thesaurus is an intersection between vast lexicon that best describes human nature. It's our conversation to highlight people like you and me doing what they do best while equating them to their own own synonyms. If you want this kind of content, subscribe now. Episodes are released weekly. Hello, dear humanity. Welcome to Human Thesaurus. I'm your host-slash-rhythmic, Wish Ronquillo Peacocke. 

Wish 00:00:02
Brian is a global executive and international intellectual property authority with 17 years of expertise in general administration, in multinational organisations operations, contract negotiations and investor relations. He has advised and scaled startups at an executive level around the world. Brian has an international MBA from the Instituto de Impresa and LLM or, I've researched this Legum Magister, meaning master of laws from George Washington University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Davis. An avid traveller to nearly 80 countries, he was also a professional pianist and competitive Muay Thai fighter. So I met B: I call him B. I met B through a common friend in Manila, who's a crazy party guy, which I was when I met him. Greggy. Hello, Greggy. We met because I left the Philippines back then when Brian moved to Manila. And then I go every six weeks. And then Greg told me, oh, I've got a house party. I'm celebrating the birthday of Brian. You have to meet him. He's a cool guy. So I was looking forward to it. And then we met and then we started talking. And I think we're both very talkative and talking about everything, especially like books and movies. We have the same very sarcastic humour. So we just went on and on and we've been friends ever since. My synonyms for Brian are kite as a noun, searching as a verb and variable as an adjective. Within this conversation, you'll further understand why I describe him as such. So here he is, Brian Perley.

Brian 00:02:48
Hey, my name is Brian. Same as the words piano as a noun, lionise as a verb, and cogent as an adjective. I like the word chaotic and I dislike the word nasty.

Wish 00:03:05
Nasty?

Brian 00:03:06
Yeah.

Wish 00:03:08
Really? I thought you like it because you're sometimes kind of naughty.

Brian 00:03:14
Yeah, it just doesn't roll off that well. How are you doing, Wish?

Wish 00:03:19
I'm very good. I'm a little bit at peace now. I was telling you that I have a chronic migraine, apparently my entire life, right. Like, for 32 years, out of my 42 of my life that I've been suffering a migraine, apparently, I was misdiagnosed. And yesterday I found out that I don't have a migraine. I've got a rare form of headache. Let me just pull that up. What's the name? Because you're the right guy that I would talk to about these things, because you absorb everything like a sponge. So the name is Paroxysmal hemicrania.

Brian 00:04:01
Oh, that doesn't sound too good.

Wish 00:04:02
No, it's not. But at least it's treatable. I mean, there are several treatments. [Doorbell rings in the background] Do you need to get that?

Brian 00:04:13
Just a moment. Okay, just a second.

Wish 00:04:45
Okay. I love listening to Spanish right now. [Spanish conversation in the background]

Brian 00:05:01
So I'm staying at a friend's flat in Madrid right now, and he's receiving a package down in town.

Sound FX 00:05:01
A few moments later. 

Brian 00:05:01
All right, now back to the place.

Wish 00:05:17
Oh, my God. I haven't really heard you really speak. I know you can speak Spanish, but I haven't really heard you really talk in a practical mode like that. It's sexy.

Brian 00:05:31
Oh, thank you. Yeah, you acquire skills when you travel like I have, and languages. It's a necessity. So I spent the last year and a half in Colombia, and I spent a year in Spain back in 2014 when I got my MBA. So you got to pick up the language. It's just one of those things.

Wish 00:05:58
Yeah, but it's easier for you than most people. I don't know. You've got this I don't know, immense brain from the get-go. That's why I was so compelled to be your friend, because I know that we're not going to be bored if we're stuck in an elevator and we can just talk for hours and we would forget that we're in elevator. You know what I mean?

Brian 00:06:20
Yeah.

Wish 00:06:21
How do you store so much memory in your brain? Let me understand that.

Brian 00:06:26
I don't have a clear explanation for that. It's just I just kind of remember things. There's poems that I read when I was 15 years old that I remember verbatim.

Wish 00:06:41
Wow.

Brian 00:06:42
And dates and music notation. I can't remember everything, but there's just certain things that I had a knack for.

Wish 00:06:51
Is it like a visual memory for you, or is it something like there's a code? Because I am a visual learner, so all the memories, like pages in the book that I remember, it's very much visual to me. That's why I could remember them. How about for you?

Brian 00:07:07
Not necessarily. Sometimes dates passages from books, but for example, when I'm playing the piano, I'm not seeing the notes on a page in my brain. I'm just playing. They're just coming through.

Wish 00:07:24
Wow. It's very interesting. You're one of those people that who are very sharp, like the details. Sometimes when I watch something, I may have forgotten the name of half of the characters or more, but when you describe to me, like, what you've watched and everything, it's so, like I am watching it right now because you absorb so much more details than most people that I know.

Brian 00:07:51
Yeah, well, I don't know if I'm really into something. I'm into it, and I'm absorbing, for example, a film. It's not just the dialogue. I'm looking at the cinematography, listening to the music, fully getting into what I'm doing.

Wish 00:08:09
So what are you so into right now when it comes to Netflix or whatsoever? What are you watching right now that you're so into? Because I always love this when you get excited. Oh, my God. What are you watching right now?

Brian 00:08:24
I'm not watching so much. I've been reading a lot of books, mostly on some tech startups and late 90s, in the 2000s. But I just read this absolutely fantastic book.

Wish 00:08:36
Okay.

Brian 00:08:36
And I took a break from the startup reading and it's called Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. And it's about the making of The Godfather.

Wish 00:08:47
Wow.

Brian 00:08:47
And this book was just absolutely fantastic. First of all, it's my favourite movie. Right. But to hear the backstory on how this thing was made is a movie in itself. I mean, this is an epic saga that's more dramatic than the actual movie.

Wish 00:09:09
Wow.

Brian 00:09:10
It was hilarious. You can't believe some of the things that happened in order to get this thing made. There's many things that I knew. First of all, for example, Brando, at the time, he was a washed-up actor at the age of 47 and no one wanted to work with him. He was completely difficult. So he wanted to do the role. He actually had to do a screen test. And he didn't look like the Godfather. He looked like a young man of 47. And so he took this shoe polish and he slicked his hair back with it and then he stuffed like kleenex into his gum. So he had these jowls and in an instant, he just transformed. He just became the godfather. And no one doubted him after that.

Wish 00:09:59
Wow. So that's what you can see. You really wanted it.

Brian 00:10:03
Oh, yeah. And it's amazing. The book was a massive sensation. And then when it became known that the film was going to come out, everyone wanted to be in this movie, including actual mafiosos. So there are a few characters, major characters in the movie that came straight from the mob.

Wish 00:10:27
Right?

Brian 00:10:28
Yeah. It's amazing.

Wish 00:10:30
Who was the author for this?

Brian 00:10:32
Well, Mario Puzo wrote the novel.

Wish 00:10:34
Okay.

Brian 00:10:34
And then I think the screenplay was both Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. And Coppola, by the way, was 29 years old. He thought that he was going to get fired basically every single day from Paramount. He wanted to cast. Al Pacino was an unknown stage actor who is completely broke. Coppola wanted him and fought the studio over, over and over again for, I think, months until he finally got him into the role.

Wish 00:11:03
Right.

Brian 00:11:04
I like these stories. Number one, it's a fantastic movie, but it's also about people who have just put everything on the line that have just went for it. It produced a spectacular work of art.

Wish 00:11:18
Yes, absolutely. And it won't go away. It's timeless.

Brian 00:11:22
Yeah, 50 years later. Came out 50 years ago. A couple of months ago, yeah.

Wish 00:11:27
My gosh. Wow. So have you finished that book already? Are you on your next one?

Brian 00:11:34
Yeah, I inhaled that book. So now I'm reading something about the birth of modernist art. It's called In Montmarte. And so it takes place, the first decade of the 19th century and the usual cast of characters. It's Picasso and Braque and all these artists that preceded Paris in the 20s. But this is also cool. Nice one. So I'm kind of inhaling that I'm in Europe right now, so getting back into the groove of museums and being surrounded by all this culture. And so I thought I'd hit a few books on art.

Wish 00:12:18
Yes, that's good.

Brian 00:12:19
Yeah.

Wish 00:12:20
So tell me about that. Are you still jet lag? You arrived in Madrid from Colombia, right? No, from California...

Brian 00:12:31
Actually, no

Wish 00:12:32
Ah, from Mexico! Yes. Sorry, I can't keep track of you. Can you tell me again your journey before you got to Madrid?

Brian 00:12:41
Yeah, three is the charm. So I left Colombia. I was living in Medellín. I left there about four weeks ago.

Wish 00:12:49
Okay.

Brian 00:12:50
And first I went up to California, where I'm from, to see some family. And then I spent about ten days in Mexico. I was there for a wedding in Toro Santos. And then from there I flew to Madrid. And I've been here for a couple of weeks. And shockingly, I'm just over the jet lag.

Wish 00:13:12
Have you been exercising like I told you to?

Brian 00:13:15
Yeah, that was rough at first, but when you have jet lag, you're neither here nor there. Yes. You're in some kind of nether world.

Wish 00:13:27
Exactly.

Brian 00:13:28
And you might wake up after sleeping for a couple of hours, and your body tells you, yes, that was a nice nap. I've read, I think, five books in the last two weeks.

Wish 00:13:45
Wow.

Brian 00:13:47
Yeah, because I don't know, I'm kind of sleeping kind of not. But, no, I'm finally over it. And also, my buddy who I'm staying with, he's got this gorgeous flat, and he's got the best coffee maker I have ever seen. 

Wish 00:14:05
Really? I really need to visit.

Brian 00:14:06
Yes. It's like my new best friend. It grinds the beans. It does everything. It grinds the beans immediately before making the coffee or the espresso. And so it's lovely. I'm very caffeinated right now and feeling good.

Wish 00:14:25
Are you an espresso/ cafe con la crema guy since you're there? I mean, that's what I love there, cafe con la crema.

Brian 00:14:32
I'm just straight-up black coffee. That's from a long time in Colombia. But occasionally I have the espresso.

Wish 00:14:40
Yeah. Fantastic. Okay, let me just veer a little bit. Okay. Because since we're catching up right now, I wanted to unbundle a little bit more. I love our conversations and being in each other's lives and how our lives are evolving in so many different ways, completely different from what we're planning. If you can remember, I described you as a variable, as an adjective. Right. It's because of your very deep, exploratory, dark, bright, promising. I've got so many adjectives and synonyms for you when it comes to your journey, post your international MBA, because I think you have a little bit of time to reflect on all of these. Right. So can you debrief me about your reflections of your present life, lifestyle, if you may?

Brian 00:15:41
Well, do we have all night? Just as a bit of background. I've been a lawyer for almost 18 years now. That brought me around the world. I was doing contract work and international negotiations, doing these crazy contract negotiations in China, Taiwan, India. And then I landed a job as global general counsel for a multinational. And I became very intrigued with the other aspects of the business, all of my dealings with the heads of finance, that's marketing and business development, et cetera. So I decided to go back to school. I got my fourth degree, an MBA. I did that here in Madrid at the Instituto de Empresa. And then after that, I became a startup founder, and I started out by doing a tech startup in the Philippines for a few years. And then I did a couple of other startups in which I was in executive roles. Yeah, I mean, for the most part, I brought those companies to profitability. But the experience as a startup founder is a painful one. You basically say goodbye to the world for a few years and you go deep. I had the full startup founder experience in which you're spending 110 hours of the office every week, you're wearing almost every hat that exists. You're having to perform the work when you might not have the skills at that moment.

Wish 00:17:21
Yes.

Brian 00:17:21
So you simultaneously need to scale up while you're doing the work. So, for example, financial analysis, operational analysis, data science. I had to learn that on the spot. For one startup that I did, I was a chemist and, like, a mad scientist in the middle of the night, I was inventing cosmetics. And this is so antithetical to what I was doing before.

Wish 00:17:50
That should be illegal.

Brian 00:17:52
Yeah. So I was an entertainment lawyer in LA. And then only a handful of years later, I was inventing cosmetics in the middle of the night in the Philippines. Life is funny.

Wish 00:18:07
It is.

Brian 00:18:08
But it's been an amazing experience, although these start-up experiences are very trying, and there are certain things that you have to give up. I mean, like much of your social life, several of your passions. For example, I love to box, I love to do Muay Thai, and I just kind of gave it up for a while. You have to make sacrifices. The benefits are very tangible in that you acquire a skill set that you didn't think was possible, that you had you learned everything the hard way. Nothing came easy. But what I learned, let's say, for example, finance, right? I took finance courses in my MBA, and I'm like, all right, I got to know I have to have a general appreciation of this. But it's much different when the life of your company depends upon the financial analysis you have to do tonight, right? You have to understand burn rate. You got to do marginal analysis. There's numerous things that you have to learn. And for me, I saw this intellectual ring of fire, and it was a matter of had to force myself to jump into it or jump through it.

Wish 00:19:22
Both.

Brian 00:19:24
And once you've done that several times, you start to have the confidence that you can pretty much do anything if you really devote yourself to it. So it's okay. I got to invent some cream tonight. All right. Where there's a will different way I'm going to do this, I had to learn about agriculture in Columbia. There are just many different scenarios that you find yourself in which you might have no experience through your experience in acquiring new skills or devoting yourself, gaining new knowledge, like, all right, let's do this.

Wish 00:20:15
Right.

Brian 00:20:15
So I was doing that until fairly recently, and I decided to take a break, and I'm visiting friends around Europe right now, and I've fallen back into what I know best. Practising law.

Wish 00:20:30
Yeah.

Brian 00:20:31
For me, I enjoy the work. I'm not a litigator, so for the most part, I advise over the phone. I write contracts, I file intellectual property applications and help companies expand internationally.

Wish 00:20:45
Right. Which is something that you really do best. But don't you think that lawyering leaving it for a while and going back to it, is that the full circle? Do you consider that as a full circle? And is it worth it to do it that way? Well, in hindsight...

Brian 00:21:07
I don't know what's going to happen in five years. I never really knew. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

Wish 00:21:12
Yeah, me too.

Brian 00:21:13
With various interests, you try different professions.

Wish 00:21:18
Yes.

Brian 00:21:18
The thing that is really working for me now is that now that I've had a significant amount of experience as a startup founder and as an executive yeah. It has modified the way in which I can advise clients.

Wish 00:21:34
Yes.

Brian 00:21:35
Because, number one, I can have an appreciation of the company full circle.

Wish 00:21:41
Yes.

Brian 00:21:41
And I might ask questions about operations or about finance, or they might present a situation to me immediately. Boom. I know what that's about. That's recruitment. That's a commercial issue, et cetera. But also, there's a certain amount of empathy for startup founders, because I've been there. If they sound exhausted, I understand.

Wish 00:22:03
Yeah.

Brian 00:22:03
Right now it's working. I'm really enjoying practising law again.

Wish 00:22:07
That's great. So I think having been there throughout your journey, which is really up and down, I celebrated with you. I cried with you. I worried for you. I have some sleepless nights thinking with Karla, how are we going to help you? And things like that. But I think what I really respect a lot about you is that apart from being a sponge, it's because a part of you keeps on learning. You also respectfully know how to listen to the people that you trust. You know, sometimes it's hard to help a friend because you feel like everything that you're saying is just falling on deaf ears. But what I really respect about you is that you do listen and try to crunch it down to consider if it's good for you. Even though you will choose at the end of the day which a real friend should achieve to support what I've seen you, is that you gain all of this wisdom along the way because there are lots of, like what you're saying, a lot of trial and trepidation when it comes to these new industries and new businesses in startups. I'm looking forward as well for you to have this new journey with all of these amazing learnings, because I think it's so valuable, like what you're saying. You're multilayered now, and then you will feel more satisfied and more confident, and I think it's a great path for you. I'm just very proud of you right now.

Brian 00:23:52
Sorry. I didn't catch that. I wasn't listening.

Wish 00:23:54
Oh, wow. Wow!

Brian 00:23:57
I'm joking.

Wish 00:23:59
You a*hole! 

Brian 00:24:00
No, thank you. I appreciate the kind words. Thank you, Wish.

Wish 00:24:08
Damn it, I miss you. We have to have sangria there or something.

Brian 00:24:12
Yeah, well, just pop on over.

Wish 00:24:15
Yeah, I wish. I can. I still have a sick cat.

Brian 00:24:18
Oh, no.

Wish 00:24:19
Anyway okay. He's one of my hot friends, and he's single. So what are you looking for? Because I think you're searching also. You deserve a very good partner. How do you see yourself moving forward, relationship-wise?

Brian 00:24:35
Well, I'd like to settle down. Are you talking about the type of person that I'm looking for everything?

Wish 00:24:43
Yeah. What are you looking for in a partner? Or what are you looking for as an ideal, like, for you? Because you've also been through a lot of heartbreaks before.

Brian 00:24:52
I want the whole thing: settled down, kids. I see that as our purpose in life. That's what we're meant to do. In terms of a partner, I like someone who's intelligent, who can have similar conversations to what we're having now in terms of whether it's business or art or history, travel, whatever. I also like a certain degree of independence. That's about it.

Wish 00:25:20
So if you're interested, anyone who's listening, you can email me my website. Oh, my God. I'm Pimping. Oh, my God. Is this illegal in a podcast?

Brian 00:25:32
Yeah.

Wish 00:25:35
Okay. As a whole, right? As a whole, because you're now on a new path. What does B want ultimately?

Brian 00:25:43
Well, that's an enormous question, Wish.

Wish 00:25:46
It is. I think you're one of the only guests that I will ask you this very big question because I am confident that you can kind of break it down.

Brian 00:25:56
Well, I think that it's complete self-actualization and how we define I think self-actualization is different per person. For me, you've got to get through the basics. You need to have general stability in your life, general security, whether it's financial support systems from friends, et cetera. And then as you go up the triangle, fulfilling your days with whatever gives you meaning. For me, personally, it's enjoying my hobbies. I love to travel. I love to box, to do more time. And being in a situation likewise in which you're capable of indulging in these things, all the while maintaining your stability, that's the key to me. And of course, there's many other people that are involved here. It's about spending time with friends and family that are positive influences in your life and you're a positive influence in theirs. I think that's it.

Wish 00:26:59
That's really wonderful. Have you noticed how far you've come?

Brian 00:27:04
I suppose you can appreciate certain things that I've accomplished, but in the end, we're on one big journey here. It's where I'm going. I can stop and smell the roses every so often, but it's always, what's next? What other mountains are there to climb, books to read, places to visit, skills to learn? And how coloured is it going to be by the wonderful people that you meet?

Wish 00:27:31
Yes, this is another good question to ask, because I would ask this to myself as well. Of all the very interesting people that you've met, very colourful people, let's say, are you able to forgive and forget?

Brian 00:27:51
Yes, I would say so. That's a process. Certain people don't always act in the way you would hope them to act or expect them to. And the more you travel, the more business that you do, you're going to find some characters that you just don't agree with. You don't agree with their ethics. That's a big thing with me, by the way, is always maintaining your integrity, your ethical backbone.

Wish 00:28:23
Yes, absolutely.

Brian 00:28:25
Because particularly in startups, you're going to get tested. That's the key. But also, it's kind of in relation to what I just said, it's about moving forward. If you maintain resentment or animosity towards someone or something from the past, it's going to be like an anchor just weighing you down.

Wish 00:28:46
Right.

Brian 00:28:46
And I'm not saying you can't get pissed off, you absolutely can sound the barbaric yacht, you're allowed to get upset. But in terms of holding a grudge forever no.

Wish 00:29:07
Yeah.

Brian 00:29:08
It's just life short. There's just too many things to do, there's too many positive things to focus on.

Wish 00:29:14
Yeah, absolutely. That's well said. So, B, in closing, what's the word or phrase that you can impart to our listeners in reflection to your story? And why?

Brian 00:29:32
Another big question. I mean, let's go back to the Greeks.

Wish 00:29:38
Okay.

Brian 00:29:39
What did the oracle Delphi say? Know thyself. Ultimately, you need to really understand who you are, what you want. It's a big game, this life, and who do you want to be? What do you really want to do? There's one path that you can take that's very conventional and it might be stable, it might be secure and terrific. If that's the path, then absolutely more power to you. But if you want to step outside conventional, go explore, do something completely wild, and that's what your calling is, then have the confidence to take the leap, jump through the ring of fire.

Wish 00:30:26
Yes, very beautiful.

Brian 00:30:28
Why thank you. Wish.

Wish 00:30:29
My gosh, we're growing up! 

Brian 00:30:29
Amazingly. 

Wish 00:30:29
What the hell is going on? I mean, you just made me remember. I was like, oh. I think what solidified our early friendship is that I think I've proven to you that I'm a good friend because I saved you from a psycho person. I can't remember much about it, though.

Brian 00:30:53
I remember that's a saga in itself, but, yeah, you stepped in. In the end, I think that we connected because of a mutual appreciation of good art and literature and films and philosophical topics.

Wish 00:31:14
Yes.

Brian 00:31:15
But in the end, though, the reason why you and I have remained such close friends is that if the shit hits the fan, like, I know you're there, and vice versa.

Wish 00:31:29
Yes.

Brian 00:31:30
And we could not talk for months, but if something goes down, you're there instantly. And I think that I'm the same to you.

Wish 00:31:39
That's true, that's true. And that, my friends, is what real friendship is. It's unconditional and it's reliable in some ways. It's not high maintenance, but it's reliable. Am I right?

Brian 00:31:57
Yeah, indeed.

Wish 00:31:59
I appreciate you. Thank you for hanging out with me and finally saying yes to be guesting on my podcast. Thank you so much.

Brian 00:32:11
It's my pleasure.

Wish 00:32:13
I just wanted the world to know about these wonderful people, and you're one of them. So thank you so much for indulging me and it's always nice catching up with you. Can you please? I have good pintxos for me, in honour of me, in Madrid.

Brian 00:32:32
There's no question about that. Today is going to be pintxos and sangria at some point. Sounds good. All right, thank you. This has been fun.

Wish 00:32:48
From this episode, one of the most important words about life is full circle. It is through a series of developments that lead back to the original source, position or situation, or to a complete reversal of the original position, usually used in the phrase "come full circle". It's similar to words pass, circuit, orbit, go round, revolution, round trip and cycle. John Bon Jovi, an American singer-songwriter, quoted: "You just take a course and do what it is that you do and grow while you're doing it. Eventually it will either come full circle or at least you'll go to bed at night happy." Sometimes it's just easy to quit, easy to escape something very difficult that you're going through in your life. But that's not reality. The reality is you have to see everything through so that you can learn from it. That journey, that difficult journey to failure, to heartache, may come to victory, may come to fruition, but don't you think the what ifs would be set aside or you don't need it because you can see something through and most of the time it really comes full circle. That's the adventure of life. That's how we savour victory, that's how we savour, that's how we know that we're very successful in our lives and we can move on. So when push comes to shove, just keep on doing it. Go ahead, have a good support system and see something through and find something that will fulfil you, give you wisdom and find something that's going to be okay for your journey. 

Wish 00:32:48
Thank you for listening to Human Thesaurus. Rate and subscribe and follow me on Twitter or Instagram. Your support is highly motivating for an indie podcaster like myself. Trust me. Join me again next week for another episode.