THE REAL RECAP: LIFE BEEN LIFE’ING LATELY

The last couple of weeks have been brutal.

I lost my grandmother.
And not just in the sense of “she passed.” I mean I lost a part of my foundation.

She was going to be 82 in August, and yeah — her health had been declining, we saw the signs. But none of that softened the blow. If anything, the anticipation made it worse. When she left, a part of my world collapsed. And it’s not just grief. It’s legacy grief. It’s identity grief.

See, I don’t have a traditional family tree with branches going every which way. I’ve really only had three parents in my life: my mom, my grandma, and my grandpa. Now two of the three are gone.

And watching my grandfather — a man who shared his entire adult life with her — now sit alone in silence… that broke something in me. I’ve seen heartbreak. But this is different. It’s the kind that echoes in your blood. My blood pressure spiked. My body shut down. My emotions weren’t just sad; they were loud. Nausea. Restlessness. Irritability. Like grief had moved in and started renovating every corner of my being.

What hit the hardest was this thought:
“I don’t have a mother anymore.”

Read that again.
That’s a statement you don’t ever expect to say out loud, let alone feel deep in your soul. And as a man who is a parent, the weight of that sent me spiraling.

I looked at my kids — especially Lincoln — and something shifted.
I must do better. I must be more present. I must be the soft landing and the strong foundation. I must carry everything she gave me and give it back to them — multiplied.

But life doesn’t pause for healing, does it?

Right in the middle of all that grief, Lincoln’s soccer season came to a close. And what a wild season it’s been. No wins all year. Just a couple ties. But then — at the last tournament of the season — something clicked.

Game one, they had just 10 players (9v9), lost one to injury, and played the second half with no subs. Lost that game 2-0, but played with heart.

Then something even crazier happened — they won the next three games and finished 2nd in the entire tournament.

Pride. Resilience. All of it.

But it didn’t stay sweet for long.

A few of his teammates got called up to the 12U squad. Lincoln didn’t.
No heads-up. No conversation. Just confusion. The “why not me?” question hit hard. And as a parent who’s been in those shoes as an athlete, I felt that disappointment tenfold.

We reached out. Asked for feedback. Eventually we got some clarity — apparently, they had expectations they never actually told him. How can a kid improve if he doesn’t even know what he’s being judged on?

Then came “Bid Day.” And let me just say this for the record:
Bid Day is complete chaos. Unnecessarily stressful. And borderline ridiculous.

But here we are. And Lincoln — despite being one of the standouts in the spring — was officially demoted. Gut punch. But here’s what I love about this kid: he’s not running from it.

He’s locked in now. He’s carrying the sting, and turning it into fuel.

There’s something powerful about a child learning how to stand back up.
He’s got a chip on his shoulder now. And if you know anything about us Halls, you know that chip? That’s where the fire starts.

So yeah… these past few weeks have been full of loss, growth, and uncomfortable truths. But that’s life, right?

We grieve.
We get gut-punched.
We still show up.
And we rise again — a little more cracked, but somehow stronger than before.

CURRENT REALITY CHECK: THE FED, INTEREST RATES, AND YOUR LIFE

So Wall Street’s been buzzing about the Federal Reserve hinting at a rate cut in Q3. Stock market cheered. Talking heads started forecasting a “soft landing.” You know the game.

Here’s what the media won’t tell you:

This only matters if you’re borrowing money or investing with intention. Period.

Lower rates can mean:

• Cheaper mortgages or credit card rates

• A nudge for businesses to hire and expand

• A potential rise in stock prices

But let’s not get it twisted—if you’re still drowning in high-interest debt or can’t build wealth because your wages are stuck, a .25% rate drop doesn’t change your real life.

This is why wealth-building is about ownership and strategy—not waiting on economic crumbs.

Ask yourself: Are you moving like a wealth builder right now, or are you waiting for someone else’s system to get better?

OUT THIS WEEK: CONTENT WORTH YOUR TIME

Podcast Episode 131: “Why Equity, Salary & The Money Game They Never Taught Us”

• Apple: Listen here

• Spotify: Stream now

YouTube Drop: “They Want You to Stay Confused About Wealth”

There’s no Let’s Get Real video this week—I needed space to grieve and breathe. Thank you for allowing that. But next week? We back. Stronger. Sharper. Louder.

THE SOUL CHECK-IN: YOU’RE ALLOWED TO BREAK

If you’re reading this and carrying some weight right now—grief, loss, disappointment—I need you to hear this:

You’re allowed to break.

There’s nothing weak about falling apart when life guts you. What makes you powerful is not pretending you're fine—it’s choosing to get up again, one step, one breath, one choice at a time.

We live in a world that glorifies “grind through it” culture. But the real flex? Is healing without shame.

And for those raising kids, building legacies, or trying to rewrite generational narratives—you don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be present. Even in pain.

You got this.

FINAL THOUGHT

They’ll try to sell you a blueprint for success. But your story was never meant to be a copy-paste of someone else’s. Keep showing up as you. Keep asking the hard questions. Keep building wealth on your terms.

Let’s get real.