A True Turning Point – Impacting a Generation for Christ and Country – with Brett Galaszewski – [Ep. 269]

P101-ep-269-podcast-transcript

Linda J. Hansen:  Welcome. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Prosperity 101 Breakroom Economics® Podcast. My name is Linda J. Hansen, your host and the author of Prosperity 101, Job Security Through Business Prosperity, the Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck® and the creator of the Breakroom Economics® Online course. The book, the course, and the entire podcast library can be found on prosperity101.com. 

I seek to connect boardroom to breakroom and policy to paycheck. By empowering and encouraging employers to educate employees about the public policy issues that affect their jobs. My goal is to help people understand the foundations of prosperity, the policies of prosperity, and how to protect their prosperity by becoming informed, involved, and impactful®.

I believe this will lead to greater employee loyalty, engagement, and retention, and to an increased awareness of the blessings and responsibilities of living in a free society. Listen each week to hear from exciting guests and be sure to visit prosperity101.com.

Thank you so much for joining with us today. It is a pleasure to have you in the audience, we appreciate whether you're listening or watching. Thank you so much. We have so many things to be grateful for in this nation, the freedoms that we share, the opportunities that we share. And as you know, we have recently gone through a turning point.

Before we get into that discussion, however, I would like to say thank you to our prosperity partners, those who help us keep the podcast on the air with their financial gifts. So thank you to every prosperity partner. We appreciate you.

And if you would like to become a prosperity partner, please go to the website, prosperity101.com, hit the prosperity partner link and join with us with whatever you can afford, however often you can afford it. We appreciate your engagement, involvement and your support. We also have strategic partners, other businesses and organizations that are like-minded and really want to help the freedom economy grow.

So please visit the website and our show notes for the list of strategic partners that you can support to help not only keep this podcast on the air, but to help support the values that made this nation great. And now a turning point. As we know, America has gone through a very deep loss recently.

Not only did we lose someone who was very instrumental in educating and guiding young people and really people all over this nation on the principles of freedom, but we lost someone in such a horrible way. It wasn't a plane crash. It wasn't a car accident. It wasn't an illness. 

Unfortunately, we watched a really wonderful man be killed, be assassinated for his speech, for his words, for the love and clarity and communication and dialogue he hoped to bring not only to college campuses, but to people everywhere. So we dedicate this episode first to God to say, may all glory go to God who's doing a great thing in America and around the world.

Really a turning point spiritually for so many people. But we also dedicate it to Charlie Kirk and his family and the beauty and truth that he brought to the conversations and to college campuses, to people all over America. So whether you agreed with Charlie Kirk or you didn't agree with Charlie Kirk, you had to respect him for the way in which he chose to dialogue with people with whom he disagreed.

It's a lesson for all of us. My guest today is a repeat guest and a very, very dear friend and someone who I have loved watching grow up in the political movement. My dear friend, Brett Galaszewski is back with us today.

Thank you, Brett.

Brett Galaszewski: Thank you, Linda. It means so much to me to be on here right now and get to talk about my mentor and friend Charlie with someone that is so special to me. And that's you, Linda.

You were at my wedding this summer. You've been a big guide for me in finding my feet in Wisconsin politics. And I just… words can't describe how grateful I am for you.

Linda J. Hansen: Well, thank you so much. I will introduce Brett with his title, too, which I didn't. But he is the National Field Enterprise Director for Turning Point Action.

And when he mentioned that he's grown up in Wisconsin politics, I think I met you as a college student and then have been able to watch you grow. I remember meeting you, Brett, and saying, I've hired and worked with a lot of young people in my life, and I can always tell when they have it.

I tell a lot of people this story.

I can always tell when they have it. And I remember telling you, you have it. I can't tell you what it is, but I will help you develop it.

So it has been my joy to watch you grow in your role and to see how God is using you mightily, not only here in Wisconsin, but around the nation. And you know that Turning Point has an international impact, too. So your work, Brett, is really amazing.

And you mentioned your wedding. It was a joy to be at your wedding. And now you barely can be home with your new bride. You're on a plane more than you're not, and you haven't slept. And it's just been a crazy time. But even just trying to get this scheduled has been a little nutty based on flight schedules and everything else.

But we just thank you for taking time, especially as you're still grieving yourself. I mean, you're all drinking water from a fire hydrant, trying to figure out how to make sense of not only what happened, but how to move forward. You have a roadmap.

I know that Charlie left a very detailed plan, what he hoped to see, what his goals were up through 2030. Erika has talked about that. What a great example for anyone running an organization or a family.

What a great example in terms of just planning, prayer, being able to see a vision forward. So for those who are left behind, there's a roadmap. What can you say about the future of Turning Point now that Charlie Kirk is gone?

Brett Galaszewski: Yeah. I'm feeling the same emotions that everyone else is feeling. You know, anger at what happened, grief, heartbreak, sadness, somberness.

But on the other side of the coin, I'm so grateful for the outpouring of love and support that everyone has shown me and our team. It's really helped me and our team get through some really difficult days. That's half the battle, first and foremost, is that we have a community around us that has embraced us in a way that I never thought was imaginable.

That's been a huge uplift for us. And the second half to it is, Charlie believed that leadership is creating other leaders. And that's something that was evident in his coaching style, his leadership at Turning Point, was that we now have a wave of young conservative leaders that are ready to step into this, that didn't even realize that they were ready.

And I think the case in point was the event that we put on in Arizona last week. By all accounts, it should have been a failure. We had six days to put it together, level five security, just unbelievable logistics.

And we pulled it off for Charlie, and that's a testament to the leadership that Charlie provided. So I'm thrilled to be able to tell everyone listening that Charlie's vision of having a chapter at every single school in the country and seeing the Turning Point brand and name thrive in evangelizing people is far from done.

In fact, I think that it's on a whole new level now of work. And I'm excited to help drive that.

Linda J. Hansen: Well, you'll be such an asset to not only Turning Point, but really in the lives of other people as you move forward. You have no idea. I was just reading a story about the gentleman who started the Christian school where Charlie went when he was young.

And it was such a great story of how they moved to a community and they just felt like there needed to be a Christian school. They started a Christian school and it was very small at first, but there was this fifth grader who attended. And during one of the invitations to receive Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, Charlie Kirk went forward in fifth grade.

So I just want to encourage everybody listening, and I've mentioned this on social media posts, is that you never know the power of your life, of your testimony. You have no idea when you're praying for people, when you're sharing truth with people, whether it's truth scripturally, truth from the Bible, or whether it's just common sense, truth politically, truth about our Constitution or truth about how the world works. We never know the effect that we can have on people.

So someone poured into Charlie Kirk's life, and now Charlie Kirk has been able to pour into millions of people's lives. And so, I just want to encourage everybody, I want to encourage you, Brett, and others, because we never know the reach.

We have no idea. I just want to encourage everybody, ask God, do what Charlie Kirk did. Give your life to Jesus Christ, give your life to Jesus Christ, and then see where he takes you, because it will be amazing.

Brett Galaszewski: Yeah, someone brought this up to me about a week ago. He compared Charlie to a modern day prophet, and I firmly believe that Charlie was that, the way that Charlie spoke, he epitomized evangelical passion. He was chasing something bigger than himself, and his role on this earth was to communicate it and spread it.

I'm just so privileged that I got a chance to work for him for six years, my first job in politics. I'm always just going to be so thankful for that example that he set, so Christlike, so much of a leader. And now hopefully a million Charlie Kirks come out of this movement.

Linda J. Hansen: Absolutely. As you said, it's your first job in politics, and who knows where you'll end up 20 years from now, what will Brett be doing?

We don't know. But we do know you are already influencing young people. You are already helping people grow in their faith and in their walk politically and their understanding of issues.

I mean, what a great legacy. I had no idea when we first met, the very first day that we met and kind of hit it off. I had no idea that later you'd be calling me your political mom. Isn't it great? And I'd be calling you one of my political kids. I love it so much.

It's just such a blessing and an honor. But this is true not just for organizations such as Turning Point, or even in the evangelical space of sharing our faith, whether you deem yourself an evangelical or you go to another church or whatever. It's all about knowing Jesus.

It's not about the denomination. But it's if we say, OK, how do I want my legacy to continue forward? Charlie has really given us a great roadmap for that, like I mentioned.

So business leaders, if you're listening, my whole point is getting people to educate their employees in the workplace. I believe that that really helps to open conversations so the employees understand you care about them. And then you can, if you're a Christian employer, then you can say, hey, I'm praying for you.

Are you interested in this information or that? You never force it on anyone, but it's there. And you begin to create that communication.

I think that that's so important. And as business leaders, we need to make sure there's a way to have the legacy of our work carried on. And that's something that Charlie has done so well.

Can you talk a little bit about the legacy of Turning Point moving forward, basically?

Brett Galaszewski: Yeah. I mean, the great part about Charlie is he wasn't just a leader. He was a visionary. He had this incredible ability to see what others didn't. And he took this simple idea of open dialogue on a college campus and turned it into a movement.

I mean, it's something that started by him setting up a table at the University of Wisconsin-Madison 10 years ago, that exploded into a national force. And the idea has never stopped. I mean, the work never slowed.

We would always, the people directly under him, we'd clear a major hurdle on something or we would catch up, catch our breath on something. Or we thought that we really accomplished something great and we were in great shape. And then Charlie would always be the first one to come in and say, OK, now let's build upon that and do this, this and this. Or that's great. Let's parlay that and turn it into something bigger. Or let's become the best in the conservative movement now at this, this and this.

So the work never slowed. That was Charlie. He was relentless. He was inspired. He was always thinking three to four steps ahead. In one of my final conversations with him, we were talking about the 2032 presidential election.

So he had the building blocks in place and we still do for what success looks like, not just in the next election cycle, but in the next four to five election cycles. And then from there, I firmly believe that Charlie's voice is rooted in all of us leaders. And we're going to be able to live up to the dream that Charlie had for the conservative movement.

So I'm pleased to report that even still today, we have over 50,000 students that have made requests on our website to start a chapter at their high school or at their college campus. We have somewhere in the ballpark of over 20,000 signups off campus for people to get involved in that Turning Point brand and name. Over the weekend at Penn State, for lack of a better term, there was a revival that took place.

5,000 students waiting in line to see our booth, have those conversations with us, registered to vote. So you're now seeing this awakening take place, not just in the youth movement, but among the young at heart as well off campus. I firmly believe that that is a flame that will not die.

And Charlie won't let that die. So with Erika as the new CEO of Turning Point USA, I think that we are just in fantastic shape to carry on that torch. We have a newfound excitement taking place in the movement, and we're certainly in good shape to keep it going.

Linda J. Hansen: Well, most definitely. I'd encourage everybody in the audience to pray for all the Turning Point team. I've gotten to know so many of them personally.

And, you guys are exhausted. I mean, you may not even know it yet because it's so soon after the event and grief comes in waves and it's a roller coaster. And just when you think you're fine, then you're not.

Or you get exhausted and something reminds you and stuff. So it's going to be hard and it's going to be hard for a while. So I really encourage everyone, pray for the Turning Point team, pray for unity, pray for clarity, pray for healing.

And also pray for provision because it would be easy for the donors or activists to walk away and say, OK, we got through this and we got through America fast. But what about 2027? What about 2026, 27, 28?

And like you were talking about, even into 2032, this is something that cannot go away in terms of really training young people and people of all ages, young at heart as well, on how to actually have these dialogues with others, how to present constitutional America first principles, common sense principles, and as well as spiritual principles. We need to be able to do that, whether it's the workplace, whether it's the town square, whether it's in our family, we can all get better at that. So I hope that Turning Point will continue to grow in that and that. Really those who are supporters and board members, you stay with the organization and keep it growing, keep that legacy moving forward.

Because like you mentioned, there's a lot of, no one can replace Charlie Kirk, but there's a lot of people that have been taught by Charlie Kirk on how to move forward and use their gifts and abilities to keep this going forward.

Brett Galaszewski: Yeah. What I'll never forget is Charlie's ability to turn every single moment into a coaching moment. I was constantly learning from him. He didn't just lead, he mentored, he shaped people. And because of that, I can confidently sit here and tell everyone that what Charlie built will outlive all of us. He changed hearts. He changed minds. He reshaped the conservative movement.

He was a patriot in every sense of the word, but he empowered that next wave of leadership that'll carry on far beyond his wildest dreams.

Linda J. Hansen: I think I shared with you at other times too, that the first time I ever met Charlie Kirk, he was 18 years old. And it was in a meeting with Gary Rabine in a donor pitch meeting. I was there pitching something.

I don't even remember if we got money for what the project was or not, because I was very impressed with Charlie. He was there talking about Turning Point. I had seen him on a couple of interviews prior to that. And I thought, whoa, there's a young man to watch. So here he is in person. I left that meeting and said to my colleague, that young man is going to be president one day.

So it has been a joy to watch him grow, watch your organization grow, to work with so many of you at different times and things. And it's just a joy to see because when you see anyone taking the gifts and abilities that God has given them and using them for positive purposes to give honor to God and to really help build up others, that is incredible. And it does change the course of history.

I do want to touch on something that Charlie has said. Talk about history. The arc of history always lands on truth. But he talked about the importance of building the right kind of organization. And he talked about the anti-fragile organization, the anti-fragile person, the anti-fragile organization. And he talked about how there can be fragile organizations and people that they're fine and they'll come and go. But then when the heat gets turned up a little bit, they run for the hills. 

Then there's the durable, that they may be around longer and they may have a lot more stick-to-itiveness. I'm really not quoting him well. So listen to him talk about this, not me. But they might not be able to go that extra mile to get it all over the edge. And then there's the anti-fragile, the ones that see it through to the end, that lay it all on the line, that get stronger under stress.

But some people and organizations, I mean, that's what we're made to do, is be anti-fragile, really be able to sustain that level of pressure and activity for a long period of time to achieve the goals that God has for us. So I appreciate that. I think you're in that category as well.

You've certainly been through it, some already. And you're still young, but I see so much potential. I know that I and I hope many in the audience will be supporting you in prayer. I'll be here for you, Brett. But thank you.

Brett Galaszewski: Thank you. Yeah. Everything that you just described, this is what I believe Charlie instilled in all of us at Turning Point that has put us in a category of its own in the conservative movement.

And that's our three culture pillar points. And this is something that Charlie took a lot of pride in and something that every single person that ever walked through our doors at Turning Point, whether they were someone who worked for us for years or just weeks, they epitomized that. And it's the three culture pillar points of warrior spirit, persistent innovation, and grassroots humility.

And I think that that's what really sets our organization, besides the genius and likeness of Charlie Kirk, that it's that grit. It's that attitude. It's that mindset that will truly keep this going long past Charlie.

Linda J. Hansen: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, we're going to be closing the interview soon.

So before we do, I want to say thank you also, not just for the interview, but I thank you for the kind words that you have shared with me regarding my work. And for anybody that has not seen Brett's testimony on the prosperity101.com website, I invite you to go because I do talk to Brett a lot. We talk frequently or text frequently.

And I love his perspective because we're obviously not of the same generation. I'm a little more seasoned. I really appreciate his input, his aerial view of things.

I mean, I think it's important for us as leaders to keep an aerial view of sorts and see not just details of things, but see the broader picture and be able to see how it fits into a whole movement or into decades of things that we want to do for our nation or for our Lord. And so I really appreciate what you've said on the website about my work. And I just want to say thank you.

Brett Galaszewski: You're absolutely welcome. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Working for the off-campus arm of Turning Point has allowed me so many opportunities to travel the country, see what other groups are doing, see what the conservative movement looks like in all four corners of the country.

There truly is no other group, no other person in the conservative movement meshing the conservative movement and the workplace in the way that you are. And I think it is such an important part of keeping the movement alive and well is making sure that those conversations never stop in the workplace. So I just cannot talk more highly about the work that you're doing through Prosperity 101.

It is valued. It is desperately needed. And I hope that it's taken now to a new level with this revival taking place, especially among the youth arm of the conservative movement.

Linda J. Hansen: Well, especially and to those who are young at heart and more seasoned, we need you to step up and talk to your employees, because if you don't, who will? I mean, not everybody is coming from a college campus environment. They're already in the workforce, and they have been indoctrinated or taught so many erroneous principles about our nation, and it's up to us.

It's up to us to speak truth so we can really have truth in the marketplace, truth on the college campuses, truth for families, and people then can decide what they want to do, but at least they will be exposed to truth. So I thank you for that word of encouragement, and I appreciate it more than you know. So do you have any other closing comments before we say goodbye?

Brett Galaszewski: No, I would just really love for everyone listening here to really recognize and understand that Turning Point is not going anywhere. Turning Point was more than just one person. It was an entire army, and we've all stepped up in such a big way.

I can already hear Charlie in my ear telling me, don't be sad. They tried to silence me, but now you need to parlay that into getting involved, into being an activist. So really my ask, and really this is Charlie's ask, is to take what you've learned from him, everyone has learned something from him, whether it's watching his videos, meeting him in person, or just knowing about the effect that he's had, and turn it into action.

If we do that, we'll see a million Charlie Kirks rise up, not just across Wisconsin or Iowa, but all over the world. You're seeing that impact right now in all these different countries that are holding vigils. And so I want everyone to recognize the different ways that they can get involved.

tpaction.com/getinvolved is the number one way that you can do that. If you have a young person in your life and you'd like to get them started, that is 100% the website where they can start that. We'll get you in touch with your local field representative, the person that's now wearing the patch for Charlie Kirk, and help you get on board in the way that you see best fit.

There's a job for everyone in the conservative movement, and Charlie would want you to get involved. So if you'd like to honor his legacy and honor what he started, help us at Turning Point finish that job.

Linda J. Hansen: Oh, so true. And as you were talking, it reminded me of something, maybe not all the listeners, but many of my listeners know that I worked closely with Herman Cain for so many years, for like 12 years, worked with him on many different things, was Deputy Chief of Staff for his presidential campaign. But I actually spoke with him just a day or two before he went into the hospital, and I did a podcast interview with him.

And right after he died, it was shocking. I mean, it was another death in the conservative movement that spread and people grieved, and it was very, very hard for so many people. And I remember once the dust kind of settled and things were quiet, the news was quieter, people weren't gathered together anymore to deal with it, and it was quiet.

And I actually just wanted to hear his voice again. He was such a great mentor to me, a friend, a mentor, and I turned on the podcast that I had recorded right before he died with him. And I forgot that I believe the title or the main thought of it was Stop Dreaming of a Better Yesterday.

And that is exactly what he would always say. It was a phrase, Stop Dreaming of a Better Yesterday. I opened that up and all I could hear was his voice in my brain going, Hansen, focus. You need to focus. Don't let this be a distraction. Focus.

This is a distraction. Focus, you know, and I would hear him say, Stop Dreaming of a Better Yesterday. Didn't mean we didn't grieve or anything, but I could hear him just like you guys feel that Charlie would be pushing you forward.

He's pushing us all forward. That whole legacy that he left and the legacy that Herman Cain left and others, it's just thinking that we can carry it forward. And yes, yesterday, our yesterdays are hard, but we can focus forward and make a difference.

So thank you, Brett.

Brett Galaszewski: Oh, you're welcome. Charlie will be missed more than words can say. Absolutely.

The mission will live on in all of us. So thank you for giving me that opportunity to talk about that today.

Linda J. Hansen: Absolutely. And just say the website one more time.

Brett Galaszewski: tpaction.com/getinvolved I look forward to meeting you if you sign up.

Linda J. Hansen: Okay, sounds great. Thank you, Brett Galaszewski. We look forward to having you back again.

Brett Galaszewski: Thanks, Linda.

Linda J. Hansen: Thank you again for listening to the Prosperity101® podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share and leave a great review. Don't forget to visit prosperity101.com to access the entire podcast library, to order my newest book, Job Security Through Business Prosperity, the Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck®, or to enroll you or your employees in the Breakroom Economics® online course.

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Please contact us today at prosperity101.com to let us know how we can serve you. Thank you.