Christian Bishop (00:00):
Hey, my name's Christian Bishop. This is Compassionate Las Vegas, the podcast.
Will Rucker (00:28):
Welcome to Compassionate Las Vegas, the podcast. I'm your host, Will Rucker, and thank you for joining us for our four season. We've had such amazing conversations and today will certainly be no exception. Joining the podcast for the first time is Christian Bishop, and we're gonna get to know him together. So, really excited about this conversation and Christian, really excited to speak with you today. Welcome to the podcast.
Christian Bishop (00:56):
Well, so glad to be here with you today. Thanks for having me. Been a fan, enjoying your content. Glad to chat with you today.
Will Rucker (01:02):
Well, so appreciate that. And I, I first encountered you on a naacp, I'm sorry, n a aacp, we're using the proper way. Phone call. We had our annual meeting and you were there brand new, introducing yourself, just vibrant just ready to be part of a community and I really admired that. And then next thing I know, like you reached out and I was like, Oh, this is perfect. Cause I was planning to reach out. So so glad to make that connection. My first question for you is the hardest of our podcast, and it's, it's easy, but it's complex. And it's simply this question, how do you define compassion?
Christian Bishop (01:40):
Yeah, that's a, a super interesting question and thanks for the kind words will, by the way, I definitely enjoy connecting with you on that larger meeting, Zoom and look forward to chatting one on one. So I'm excited about today, man. When I think about compassion, it kind of goes back to the, the cliche, I think golden rule for me, which is treaty others the way you wanna be treated. And I take that, you know, in stride of the way I live my life every day, the way that I run my businesses my family, my friends, and, and that's trying to put myself in the other person's position and, you know and think about how I can add value in their lives and be a reasonable human being. You know, I think especially today, there's so much that goes on and, and staunch opinions on one side or the other, and things are so sensationalized, but I think if we just drill down to it, we're all humans trying to make it figure things out. And I just try to be positive man and be an example of what I'd like to be, see in the world and treat people the way that I like to be treated.
Will Rucker (02:39):
Yeah, I, I love all of that and my motto is be the change, and that comes from the be the change you wish to see. So I, I love that that resonates with you as well. And I do think just the, the short interactions we've had, you definitely exemplify that. And I mentioned before you started recording, you're like the most responsive person I've ever met. I send you a message, message and it's like instant, you know, response which is fantastic. And it's just, to me, that's a sign of respect but also just prioritizing people above what, whatever else might be going on at the moment. So, I know it's not easy, but you certainly do it well
Christian Bishop (03:16):
And thank you. You know, I, I think for me, I view that I view it the same way, and it's mutual, right? So if someone's reaching out to you, they're investing in you, they're pouring in some of that energy and they're trying to make things happen collectively. And it doesn't take much. But I think to respond and engage that and, and treat that with the respect that I think that individual deserves and frankly, just trying to move things along, right? To try to create and, and do something great to like get together and connect and do it in a real way. So I try to do that, you know, and have, actually have like meaningful interactions with people and get to know them versus some of the basics. Like, you know, Hey, what's up? How are you? How are you? And like, lets really get into it.
Will Rucker (03:57):
Yeah. And I'm an introvert by nature's that surface conversation is difficult and a lot of my podcast guests are like, Wow, you really get right to it. And I'm like, Sorry, trying to do small talk first, but doesn't work well for me. So
Christian Bishop (04:10):
Wells, like, tell me your pain, what
Will Rucker (04:11):
Exactly. Get into it. And that's a perfect segue to what I want to chat about first, which is, as a biracial human in this world that is so polarized, how did you find your sense of self and a community of belonging?
Christian Bishop (04:27):
It's been interesting, man. I've, I've talked about that a lot throughout my life. You know, it's not necessarily fitting in with any particular group, you know, not being black enough, not being white enough the way that I communicate. And it, it was tough. It was challenging, you know, throughout my life and I'm a nerd and a gamer at that. So for me, I, I moved around a lot as a kid. You know, my my father's father was racist, so he wasn't in my life on the white side. And then my mom's a single mom of four kids and I was raised by a, a village and then eventually ended up going to boarding school of where I was, amongst a group of people and individuals that also came from around the world that were Islanders people throughout Asia, Russia, Europe.
Christian Bishop (05:11):
And we were all different. And it was a big melting pot. And then I was able to cultivate and build real meaningful relationships for like, the first time in my life. And like developed a brotherhood and had like great mentors and leaders around me that taught me leadership and compassion and poured back into me and became father figures for me and a lot of the other young people that were there. And that was big and that was big Will. And I just kind of continued throughout my life holding onto that and carrying that with me and choosing to find other great people from different parts of my life and then holding on tight to them.
Will Rucker (05:46):
Wow. Yeah. And you just give me flashbacks of my boarding school experience. Went to a boarding high school and had that same thing where folks from all across the world came together. Each one of us was very different from the other, and yet we found ourselves in community with, with your sense of belonging. You mentioned the gaming, and I definitely wanna talk about that, cuz that's new to me. I don't, I don't quite understand eSports and all the, you know, I know there are fantasy leagues, I think that's about us to date as I am as like fantasy football. But how does that factor in? Did, did being different kind of lead you towards this virtual world, or tell me that, that connection.
Christian Bishop (06:23):
Yeah, look, absolutely. Video games played a critical part in that because when I played games, it wasn't about my race, my gender, sexual preference none of that. You were a gamer and you were playing games without those bias against you. And you could play your avatar and character and build relationships genuinely in these worlds. And I loved that about video games. And then I had an opportunity to, to build relationships with people all around the world and connect with them. And that was special for me too. So I loved it, I enjoyed it. And now it's been a big part of how I've been able to, to kinda take care of myself, my family, and build a career.
Will Rucker (07:01):
Nice. And the gaming side seems to be far more friendly than like social media tends to be, there seems to be a lot of bullying, particularly among youth with social media. Why is eSports and gaming, and I think it's Twitch, how is, why is that so different?
Christian Bishop (07:20):
Yeah, look you're being kind and you're being nice about it. I think that the gaming space has its challenges as well. And I think frankly it's youth culture. So I think youth culture has a problem with bullying. And social media, what's gone on has continued to exacerbate things of the haves, the have nots, and the way you look. And this real focus on the exterior, you know, and, and video games can also be toxic. It can, we haven't made big enough strides will, like, I'm one of the few people of color in leadership roles in video games, that industry, you know, it's a male dominated, right? There aren't enough women. And it's certainly very dominated by Caucasian folks as well. So it's, you know, and, and the things that people say man on some of these game lobbies too, you know, on comms, you know, is really, can be very vile.
Christian Bishop (08:13):
So it's not necessarily the best place and we have a long way to go on a gaming front. So like, I've worked hard with that, with different organizations and groups to try to lead by example there and condemn that type of behavior, right? Too many people laugh and let it go and make comments, you know, towards women and it makes it hard for them to be comfortable. And it, it stems from the same thing, man, of these keyboard warriors on social media. People say whatever they want to try to get like up votes or likes or get laughs out of the audience not taking into account the pain that they could be causing the person. So and you still, you see similar components of that in the gaming space still. So we have a lot of work to do.
Will Rucker (08:55):
Wow. Well thank you for sharing that cuz I I have not, again, you know, anyone that watches the podcast knows I'm, I'm not like hip . That's, that's not my superpower. But I do have friends, especially, you know, as I've been working with more youth and college age folks that, you know, gaming is their thing. I went to a, a eSports conference at the city hall and I was just blown away by all the things that are happening. So thank you for sharing that. This is something we've been have to deal with in this emerging space.
Christian Bishop (09:25):
Yeah, look, absolutely. I went to one too at city hall, so I'm curious what, which one you went to. And I want to hear Bob, your superpower then. So, Oh, , I think we all gotta hear that one. Well,
Will Rucker (09:36):
Well offline, we, we'll talk about me. Whoa,
Christian Bishop (09:38):
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. That's not fair. That's not fair. Come on. You gotta share. Well, come on, come on.
Will Rucker (09:44):
So, no, my, I, I like to say my superpower is compassion and just belonging with people, helping them to feel comfortable in their skin. That that's really what I try to do. I believe that each person is of infinite value and worth, and I think diversity is beautiful and our differences actually are something I admire instead of allowing them to create division. So that's my short, you know, 32nd elevator pitch.
Christian Bishop (10:09):
All right. I love it. I love it. Okay, cool.
Will Rucker (10:10):
So I wanna ask you a little bit about politics. So this is our focus for the season. We've had judges on and folks running for Senate and Congress and all kinds of folks. You're not running for office that I know of. And you're still very engaged. So tell me, just high level, what, what is your sense of politics in Nevada right now? And if you could wave a magic wand to change one thing, what would that be?
Christian Bishop (10:36):
Yeah, that's a big question. You know, I think I'm still working through the collective process to get a better sense myself, and that's why you see me being, getting involved. You know, I've been outdoor knocking, supporting different assembly folk, people running for senate, getting to know people on our, you know, leadership side of things across the state, not only just in Vegas. And listening to also other people who live here, you know, raising their families about their concerns. So like participating in panels and in different groups and chats on the business side. Meeting with principals and people from the school board and, and different groups that just try to understand better because I, I moved here four years ago, so before the pandemic, I came from LA like a lot of folks. And it still is new for me and the world now, coming back and waking up, it, it's changing and it's different, especially now with the landscape and what's going on with the economy.
Christian Bishop (11:26):
Like things are still really, you know, up in the air. We'll see how things go the next 12 months. But it's a big part for me. You know, a lot of what I care about, and you talk about compassion is also like truly getting involved and doing something about it, right? It's like, you know, like i, I try to act with like, with purpose, right? So like, when it comes to like, even engaging with you and responding and like, and communicating like quickly, it's like for purpose, like showing up and being here today with you and chatting it's for purpose and getting involved and in my community and not just talk about things that, that bother me, but like, be about it, right? Like, let's get involved if that's the case, especially for people of color, right? Like, it's just it's something that I think is really important.
Christian Bishop (12:09):
We don't see enough of and I'm trying to, to walk the talk and get involved support candidates that I think deserve to be supported and learn as much as possible and try to find a way to add value. That's the big one for me. So I think, you know, if we can continue to work collectively to bring people together uplift one another that have compassion and positive energy, and I believe that it can amplify and that it can spread. And the same goes with hate in dividing. So, you know, I would love to see more of the latter.
Will Rucker (12:46):
Yeah, I, I hear every word of that. Absolutely. Was there a moment or a particular event that really caused you to step into action? Because it's, it's one thing as, as you mentioned, to, to notice an issue, to say, Oh, something should be done and it's something entirely different to actually put yourself out there to make a difference. So was there a moment for you that caused you to, to step into action?
Christian Bishop (13:12):
Yeah, I think it's a, I think it's been a long time coming for me, you know, frankly, of just growing up of just dealing with the frustrations that I've dealt with personally in my life. Things that I think should less, there's been less diversity, I think less perspective on other people's lives and the challenges that they go through. And that lack of perspective, I think impacts a lot of policy making and decision making in a really big way, right? Of people's lives and young people. And I've seen it and, you know, from all the way from the west coast all the way to East coast where a family in Florida. So for me, it's been something where it's, I've always had in my mind, I want to contribute and I want to get involved and, and find a way to make an impact.
Christian Bishop (13:59):
And then just going through the past years that we've had, right? It's been traumatic for everybody. And, you know, the pandemic has been brutal and rough supply chain issues, you know, through the os election and just, you know, the divide and what we've seen that's gone down. And I've got friends in Ukraine, right? That I know I visited Keve, I was there, you know, years ago before things really got rolling. And I was in that city. And then like, even now seeing what's happening there and like my friends that are disrupted, you feel real things can really be right. We're pretty protected here and isolated in our bubbles, but it's serious man. A lot of these decisions and things that are getting done. So, you know, as I've matured as an adult and been in a better place with my career it's really got into the place where I feel like, okay, now you're ready for shin where you can try to really make an impact here in your life in a big way. So it's, it's kind of feels like now's the time.
Will Rucker (14:57):
Mm. Yeah. So it's been a lifelong journey for you to this space.
Christian Bishop (15:01):
Yeah. And I gotta be worthy, you know, worthy to, to kind of really be involved to try to help, you know, like I've, I've sat on boards and stuff as well throughout like my twenties and things like that, and contributed and worked on different campaigns. And now I'm just at a different stage of my life where I feel like I can give even more value.
Will Rucker (15:19):
And you used the big word worthy. What does that mean to you?
Christian Bishop (15:24):
Yeah, so there's been a lot of you know, self, I think development reflection that's gone on through my journey as a young man, you know, especially someone that didn't necessarily fit in with that in coming, not feeling like, you know, you're good enough, right? When not my dad's side not being in my life. And it, it, it puts a lot of internally within me it almost goes so far to have the internal racism discussion, right? And think that you're not good enough, right? And, and start to think through that. So you want to be a people pleaser and that can be painful. And, and going through that route, right? And not feeling good enough. So having to work through, I think that process of development and comfort within myself to be in a good place as well as with my education, you know to be able to feel like, okay, you've, you know, you've got a good understanding of how different things work, you know, in different industries and business and whatnot. On the mentorship front and as a leader, you know, as well, just kind of giving back and contributing as well as to others. Before you lead, you need to be able to follow. So I've had to go through my path of, of following and putting in the work and it's all collectively, you know, led up to these moments where I think I'm in a better place.
Will Rucker (16:39):
Mm-Hmm. . So some people listening to this would likely not imagine that someone like you could have any sense of insecurity or lack of self-worth, or have to do any development or self-talk to feel stable. Can you share a little bit more about that?
Christian Bishop (16:57):
Yeah. You know, as a, as a part of I think as a part of my ambition, you know, pretty ambitious and driven to try to, to be great and live up to my potential comes with that being very critical of one's self, right? And holding yourself accountable. And it's a fine line to make sure that that's healthy. And, and you can do that and continue to push. So like, even me now in my thirties, you know, I've, I've, I've really have embraced this new movement within myself of looking at the back half of my life and being like, I don't want to have regrets. You know, like when I'm an old man and now my dying days of being like, you should have went for more Christian. Like, you didn't, you didn't push and live up to your potential. So like, I've been, you know, I, I went back and now I'm a one L in law school, you know, it was one of my goals to go finish up that because it was something i I didn't do in my twenties and I couldn't get it under control.
Christian Bishop (17:52):
So like, I, you know, sold my last company in December and had my first exit, got a dis director role at Amazon and Twitch, and I was like, Look, let's put in the work to study for the lsat. Amongst of everything else I have going on, did well my, my first scholarship ever, you know, 40% off and got into law school. And a lot of that is driven by the fact of not wanting to have regrets and pursue these dreams and these things that I wanted to do to live up to my potential and frankly be better informed as well and be better prepared for challenges that may come to me in the future. So it's this interesting kind of motivator and thing that holds me accountable as well. And I try to make sure that it stays healthy. But it's, it's an interesting double edged sword sometimes.
Will Rucker (18:43):
Yeah, we definitely need two hours. Because you just mentioned law school you just exited a business, like there are so many different facets. And then you also just, and correct me if I'm mis mislabeling this, but you just started a new business here as well, right?
Christian Bishop (18:59):
Yeah, yeah, I did. So we just launched a health and wellness company. So like, I'm a serial entrepreneur, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I, I actually met my partners at my MBA program at U N L V, so you know, wrapping that up and I got connected with some of my doctors and we decided to, you know, start this health and wellness business because I've been a customer of these Ivy therapy sessions for years. Because I'm always looking for ways to feel better and get more outta myself and more outta my day. So I, you know, if I'm feeling sick, nurses come over, they'll hydrate, provide vitamin C, you know, maybe b12, me, me knows whatever you need, whatever's lacking. And it's helped me a lot to kind of stay at my best because of how much I have going on for like losing a day or two and not filling optimal has meaningful, you know, cost for me. So was a customer and decided to roll it out. And yeah, we, you know, we got 40 nurses and we had a great launch event and partnerships developing with, you know, clubs like Dres and different gyms and, you know, we're servicing the valley.
Will Rucker (20:03):
I love it. And so I'm excited to, to become a client as well, cuz you're absolutely right. Just losing a day means something different when you have a lot on your plate. And we, we definitely wanna make sure we're adding value to the world as much as possible. And if there's a little boost, then we gotta take advantage of it, right?
Christian Bishop (20:22):
Yeah, look, totally. You know, and sometimes, you know you're just drained, you know, majority of our bodies are made up of water. It's funny, 75% of people are chronically dehydrated. They don't think about it. And here in Vegas it's, it's tough too, that dry heat. So, you know, just simply fluids, fluids alone, I think can be a wonder for many of us.
Will Rucker (20:43):
Yeah. All right. I wanna switch directions here cuz we are coming down to, to the last few minutes together. And I just wanna ask, what are you listening to? What music are you listening to to keep you motivated right now? Hmm.
Christian Bishop (20:54):
You don't want me DJing your party will . I listen, I listen to a ton, man. It just depends on the mode I'm going into. So like, if I'm, if I'm at the gym, I'm trying to get after it, right? So I'm definitely listening to some, some hip hop. I'm definitely trying to get rolling. I'm big on Spotify, so like if I'm working throughout my day especially cuz it's busy, like I'll like listen to things like happy hits, you know, and, and play a ton of different music. You know, I'll bust off Celine Dion, so it don't get me wrong, man, it just depends on my moment. I included my and my energy, listen to the fray listen to all kinds of, of, of, of music and that's just part of my background as well. Just friends all around the world in different cultures. Really it just depends on my mood and what I'm trying to do, but I try to stay upbeat and positive when I can and music's super helpful for them.
Will Rucker (21:46):
I love it. Love it. And I always put on a song, it's a different song every time. I can't say I have like a podcast prep song, but that's what I do. The five minutes before I log in, I put on something and just get, get that music in me. And I'm a, you know, I grew up doing music, so it's a part of my dna, but it, it makes a difference for sure. Mm-Hmm. . All right. Number one recommended book. If you, if you could make everyone read one thing, what would that be?
Christian Bishop (22:13):
Oh man, that's a, that's an interest, That's an interesting question.
Christian Bishop (22:23):
Probably go with Matt. The B becometh. I think that's pretty important. And it's a book by Peter Thiel that you can check out, and I'm pretty big on mindset and what you choose to set your mind on and energy in the way that you choose to focus and the things that you prioritize and allow to dominate your head space, hopefully not live and free up here will be a big part of determining your life and trajectory and the path that you go. So I'm pretty big on thinking through that experience and process and that me staying positive and some things are outside of our controls and, and letting go of that. But I think having control of your mind and your focus is pretty powerful, especially in a world where advertising and attention is traded, it you feel regularly and social media alerts and notification it's been, you know, it's been monetized and that that attention is powerful. So maintaining that head space and putting it, you know, on a, on a trajectory that is actually gonna benefit you and work towards your goals on a day in, day out basis is really important.
Will Rucker (23:30):
Do you do any mindfulness activities, meditation, anything like that?
Christian Bishop (23:34):
You know, it's something that I need to embrace, you know, so that's, when I think about your, like your passion as well, like what you're interested in, it's something that's very interesting to me to develop and that's an opportunity of growth for me. You know, I've downloaded like the calm app and some stuff like that and I'm always working towards that. Like, one key critical word that I try to work on is peace. You know, people's like, What do you want? I'm like, peace, peace, peace. It's self-inflicted because of my ambition to drive myself and push myself to do a lot of things. And you know, you get a lot of responsibility when you take on more. You've got teams of people you manage, so, you know, it's self-inflicted wounds, but it's something I'd like to work on.
Will Rucker (24:15):
Got you. Yeah, I, I remember when I was your age and but now I, I start my day with intentional focus on nothing and just absolute silence, absolute peace. And I love the Winnie the p quote. People say Nothing is impossible and I do nothing every day. And it's become such a game changer for me personally. So offline, we'll have a conversation about it.
Christian Bishop (24:43):
Yeah, it's funny you mentioned that. So I was able to hack that for myself by swimming. So in the morning these people will talk about, like, don't check your phone first thing in the morning right when you get outta bed. And I think it's along those lines, but swimming forced that, that force that upon me where it's like in your mind it's now clear and it's quiet and you don't have phones and you don't have distractions, so you have to clearly just be here and like, we don't do that often. So and kind of, you can kind of similarly get it when you're running, but something about being under the water, there really is no visual distractions. And it gave me that, but yeah, let's do it offline.
Will Rucker (25:20):
Yeah. All right. Last set of questions. And this is just you finishing a sentence, don't overthink it is just whatever pops into your mind, just, just fire it right out. The best things in life are
Christian Bishop (25:33):
Family.
Will Rucker (25:35):
What matters most is,
Christian Bishop (25:38):
Oh. I would hit that with family again. Family and love, loved ones.
Will Rucker (25:41):
Nice. I am
Christian Bishop (25:45):
A work in progress.
Will Rucker (25:48):
Progress means
Christian Bishop (25:52):
. We'll want another cheesy quote, Pursuit of happiness every day. , love the quote.
Will Rucker (25:58):
All right, last one. Compassion is
Christian Bishop (26:02):
Caring about other people and being willing to put someone else before your immediate gain as well.
Will Rucker (26:08):
Beautiful. Christian, thank you so much for joining the podcast. It's been an absolute pleasure. I'm looking forward to many, many more conversations to come and to see in you rise here in Las Vegas cuz you definitely are someone that's, that's got the right heart for what our city needs. So again, thank you for joining. Is there anything you wanna leave our audience with?
Christian Bishop (26:29):
Oh, look, pleasure, pleasure. Really appreciate your time today. We definitely gotta support you, my man in the big run here for the campaign. How's that going, my man? It's out there fighting Assembly District 13. Assembly district 13. We gotta support our boy Will . Yeah. Appreciate that so much. Appreciate that. All
Will Rucker (26:49):
Right folks, well thank you so much for tuning in to Compassionate Las Vegas, the podcast. I'm Will Rucker and as I always remind you, you are not just a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop and what you do matters. So live compassionately. I'll see you on the next episode.
