In episode 13 of Wake Up to Wealth, Brandon Brittingham welcomes Adriano Almony, best known as Bubba Almony - Celebrity bodyguard, Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Martial Arts Hall of Fame, Advocate, awareness raiser and giver. They share their experiences in overcoming struggles. Bubba mentions his involvement in community work and volunteerism since a young age, from volunteering at events to bringing the Ali family into the community to speak about bullying prevention and more. He also discusses his work with nonprofits, mentoring at-risk teens, and providing support to the homeless.
Tune in to hear about his journey and his dedication to making a positive impact in his community.
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SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Brandon Brittingham
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mailboxmoneyb/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandon.brittingham.1/
Bubba Almony
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bubbaalmony
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bubba.almony/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriano-almony-b46b13178/
WEBSITE
Brandon Brittingham: https://www.brandonsbrain.org/home
Bubba Almony: https://www.bubbaalmony.com/
This is Wake Up to Wealth, a podcast dedicated to helping you change the way you think about wealth. And now, here's your host, Brandon Brittingham.
All right, what's up, everybody? We are in the wake up to wealth studio today, and I've got a really special guest, also very interesting guest. And, you know, it's just funny how the world works. You guys know I believe in law of attraction. We're sitting here talking about. Just a couple things and find out we both went through the same struggle of autoimmune. So it's just wild how some of that stuff happens. So today I want to welcome a very special guest today. Bubba, thank you for joining us today and thank you for taking the time to come in here.
Yes, thank you so much. You know, I appreciate you having me on this platform and also would like to give a special shout out to Brandon Hudson, who I know he connected us. Yes, sir. Thank him so much.
So, man, So just looking at your social media and just talking with you over here, man, you've done a lot of really cool things But man, I saw like you got a word from the White House recently Like tell me about that. Like how does that even happen? Like that's I mean, that's amazing. I
Thank you. And, you know, so since a very young age about, you know, since a teenager, I've been, you know, involved in the community works volunteerism. You know, I started, I'm sure many people remember the Winter Fest of Lights in Ocean City. Yeah. You know, just volunteer my time there at the hot chocolate stand all the way to now to You know, being able to bring the Ali family into this community to, you know, speak about bullying, prevention, manners, etiquette, kindness, respect, you know, visiting Stephen Decatur High School, Middle School, you know, Glen Avenue School in Salisbury. And, you know, just a lot of different things, you know, with working with nonprofits and, you know, troubled and at-risk teens, mentoring them. Um, and you know, just, you know, doing a lot of community outreach, uh, you know, helping the homeless, you know, giving out meals, uh, you know, uh, winter essentials, different things of that nature. And, uh, you know, just being, uh, somebody, uh, you know, being the best leader I could be. And, uh, I was able to accumulate in that span from a teenager to now over 4,000 hours community service in my lifetime. and was recognized by the President and received a, they call it the President's Call to Service Award or the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for my leadership and my over 4,000 hours community service in my lifetime. And that was in December of 2022. So that was a really big honor and some most notable people that have received that award, because very few Americans have received it, are most notably the founder of Make-A-Wish Foundation and also the founder of Chick-fil-A.
That's awesome, man. So, you know, another really cool thing, lots of cool things, just looking on your social media. So you're a celebrity bodyguard, right? A lot of cool celebrities I saw, like, how did, you know, was that like, that was your dream as a kid? This is what you wanted to do? Like, you know, did you just say one day I want to do this and then how'd you get there?
Yeah, so since I was young, I had three dreams when I was growing up. I either wanted to go to college for basketball, or become a police officer, or become a bodyguard. When I was younger, I started very young. It's not typical that many people start at 17. I started at age 17 in the security industry. I started at the Dew Tour. I'm sure many of the listeners remember that was a major BMX concert and skate venue on the beach in Ocean City. I just got an opportunity and it was strange. Right away I was just able to discover that was what I wanted to do in life. Um, and it was early in my experience within the first day or two, you know, I worked like 20 hours straight. And, uh, you know, I just remember my sister picking me up from there and I just fell asleep in the backseat of her car. And, uh, you know, cause I just, I was so passionate about it and, you know, God just put something over me that, you know, that was going to that was going to be my passion, purpose and divine calling in life. And, you know, when you can discover that in life, especially at a young age, it's a very beautiful and powerful thing. And, you know, above just as important as protecting people and property, I understood at that age as well, a very mature mindset of, you know, I can make a difference. You know, I could show people that, you know, oftentimes, you know, sometimes maybe security might have an ego, but, you know, just show people you have a heartbeat. You know, just just humanize yourself, even if you're working in security, because, you know, life is all about people. You know, they won't teach us that at, you know, Harvard or anywhere fancy in life. But through everything, whether it's investors, clients, you know, relationships and life networking, you know, teammates, whatever that is, you know, you have it's all about people and it truly matters how you treat them. And yeah, so then my first bodyguard experience was about at 19 years old, Vinny Guadagnino from the hit show on MTV's Jersey Shore. And I was the security manager at the Princess Bayside next to Secrets. And I just remember him like walking through our parking lot. And in my mind, I'm like, oh, wow, that's Vinny, you know, and then I came up to him, introduced myself, you know, and then I noticed like the lobby he was getting ready to go into in the hotel on our south building on our Bayfront, you know, it was a lot of people coming out of secrets. And I said, hey, you know, I have the keys. I can get you up the stairwell, get you to your room. And he, you know, he appreciated that. And just off of that, every summer when he would come back to the to Ocean City on vacation, you know, him and his entourage would reach out to me to bodyguard him. And, you know, so that was a blessing. And then a little bit after that, I found myself in the New York, New Jersey area and came across Cardi B's music producer, Swift, from Love & Hip Hop New York. And within just literally the first day I met him, within minutes, within probably 10 minutes or less, you know, he was like that he wanted me to work for him. And the first day I had already went to the mall with him to start bodyguarding him and his girlfriend. And so that was a blessing.
Yeah. And then, so where did it translate from there? Like, I think I saw one of your memories, Grant Cardone at Live. A bunch of other ones I saw, like, you know, so did it just spiral from there? You know, you just got, you got into this world and then more and more people start asking you to help them.
Yes. You know, in that industry, it's a lot about word of mouth, you know, especially when you're around people with, you know, large followings, influence, you know, that, you know, different things of that nature that, you know, when you go above and beyond for them, they'll recognize it. And to tell you a little story about how I ended up working with Grant, so I reached out to him because I'd seen like just different opportunities that were coming up for his 10X, you know, conferences. And you know, things of that nature. And I had reached out and, you know, submitted like a 60 second video about myself and what I felt the value that I could bring to him. And, you know, I just, you know, I just wasn't, it wasn't even about the money for me. It was about the opportunity I saw. I saw the value that could be brought to me as well, being around somebody of his caliber. Long story short, they replied back to me, either his assistant or the COO, Sherry Hamilton. Eventually, I found myself having a meeting with her, Ms. Hamilton. Um, at his, um, offices and I believe it's Aventura and, um, you know, like came in and everything with myself and another bodyguard. And, um, just remember, like, you know, we walked into her office, like, um, as we're walking through, like, she just like, um, she said everybody welcome Bubba and you know the other person I was with everyone like started clapping and just like it felt very welcoming and and you know we're in a we're in a career respectfully that is like thankless you know yeah um we're often the times uh we're the first looked at if something goes wrong and we're the last thanked if everything goes right respectfully and I just sat down and had a meeting with her. Before you know it, I was able to be the head of security for the 10X Growth Conference while I was in Miami. I believe that was a few years back. It just shows that when you see opportunities in life, you got to be, you have to reach out, you know, like there is absolutely, you know, like I'm a firm believer in stay prepared. So you don't have to get prepared. And, you know, anytime you feel that, you know, like I pray often. So like, it was just in my prayer channel, like something, you know, I asked God to bless me, the opportunities there, you know, you got to pray and go get what you pray for, you know, and, Um, you know, through that, um, in a few days was able to make over $12,000. Um, you know, with working with him and his family, it was able to be around him, Elena, the children. Um, and also was able to be around these powerhouse Titans, you know, Alex Rodriguez, people from shark tank, uh, you know, uh, female billionaires and you got to go to live. Yeah. It's a pretty cool place too. And yes want to live with him in 50 cent. Yeah You know things of that nature so who's you know? Got to be on a yacht with him at that Joe and all these just different experiences and again You know because I saw an opportunity I reached out, you know There's opportunities in life. They're not always gonna come knocking at your door though You got it.
You got to go out and get what yours, you know, so you've been I'm a huge, I'm a huge believer in like getting around people like that.
Right.
That, you know, let me learn from somebody that's farther ahead of me in life than, than I've, than I've gotten to. So you've, you've hung around a lot of famous celebrities, a lot of wealthy people, a lot of people that have done some really cool things. Like it's probably a ton, but if you could give us like what, what's one lesson you think you kind of gleaned from being in that circle of like what you've picked up.
Yeah, I would just say, you know, something I learned from the Ali family is just like,
And this is Muhammad Ali's family.
Yes. Yes. From from his former wife and the mother of his four children. Dr. Khalil Ali is just pray every day. And also, you know, just just to be humble, you know, like, you know, you know, when you when you are humble in life and you help others and you are inspiring the youth and just different things. I mean, that's like you're opening yourself to a world of, you know, you're opening yourself to so many blessings and, you know, the right people will, at the right time, will see those things. And most importantly, God will see those things. And, you know, just every day, just, you know, like I said, just pray and be good to people, be kind, you know, be kind always. And, you know, the universe just has a way of, you know, what you're putting out, it's going to come back to you in tenfold.
So I'm correct me if I'm wrong. I think I saw something else You're also in the martial arts Hall of Fame.
Yes. Yeah, and how did that happen? Yes, so I was recently honored with that in December of 2023 and Kind of how that came about I've been training for approximately two decades in American Kenpo Taekwondo and the art of the ninja I'm advanced level in those and I'm also a three-time national martial arts champion in sparring weaponry and forms and And, you know, I was reached out to one of my close friends, Mike Tyson's trainer, Aaron Snowell. And he was like, you know, that, you know, he was recommending me, you know, for the Hall of Fame. And, you know, that meant the world, you know, to for him to, you know, say I was a champion. And most importantly, I was a Hall of Fame person, you know, that. is something that, you know, I'll forever be grateful to him for. And, you know, kind of how that came about is, you know, mostly as a martial artist, like I really stepped up on the leadership side of, you know, like going out to speak to tens of thousands of children from private schools, public schools, sports programs, national nights outs, and instructing them about bullying prevention, personal safety, situational awareness, things of that nature, to really just also important to their dreams, you know, like that same kid I visit, you know, that could be a white belt today, but that could be a master in, you know, 15, 20 years. They could be the next UFC fighter. They could be the next, you know, president, whatever it is their heart desires. And, you know, it's very important.
Man, to get to the Hall of Fame of anything is remarkable for a couple of reasons. Number one, you only get there if you're one of the greatest. And number two, it's forever. Yes. I mean, it's forever once you're in it. And that's remarkable. You've had an incredible journey in a short period of time. Like, what do you think, you know, it's something you're doing, right? What do you think just one thing you think that has helped you along your journey as to how you've gotten here? Because you've done a lot in a short period of time and you've done it at a really high level.
Yes. Thank you. And, you know, I would just say, you know, for me personally is having a strong faith and also, you know, just being good to people, you know, like, you know, being good to people and going above and beyond, you know, like, whether I'm training or whether I'm, you know, bodyguarding a client, like, you know, those relationships will forever be, you know, like, money spends once, but knowledge and connections monetize forever, you know, so we can go into the gas station and say, hey, I pulled that out as a clip. I won $20, you know, on pump two. You know, we can never get that money back though. We can't go in. Say that one more time. Cause that's, you should quote that. Money spends once, but knowledge and connections monetize forever. So, you know, like for example, you go into the gas station, you pay for $20 a gas on pump two. You can't pay for that, pump the gas, and go back in and say, hey, can I have that $20 back, even though I filled my tank up? But knowledge and connections, nobody can take them from you. They will always work for you. The only person that can ruin those connections is you, if they're strong enough. And I'm just a firm believer in that. And really, too, sometimes You know, I can't always even explain how good God has been in my life. Like, you know, you know, to be around certain people and things of that nature is just is really just his goodness. You know, it's like it's I'm just using the tools, resources and skills he gave me. And really, he belongs with the glory.
So I'm going to ask you two more, two more questions. I don't you know, we don't call it a favorite, but you've hung out with a lot of celebrities. You've bodyguarded a lot of them. Like what? What's one of the ones that you just really enjoy being around?
Yeah, I enjoyed, uh, there's a couple of them. I, I really enjoy Grant Cardone, you know, just to be around that knowledge and energy. Yes. And like, he's the type of person he's in, in, uh, I say this respectfully is like, my mindset is kind of like his, in the sense, you know, like I remember he talked about a story one time, like he was doing an event during Superbowl weekend. I don't know. You may have heard this if you keep up with him or other people may have heard, like, And they told him like, don't do that. You're competing with the Superbowl. He ends up doing this event, sells out people from all 50 states, over 60 countries come to this event. And I'm the same, you know, like I could have people tell me like, there could be dream stealers, haters, naysayers, but you know, whatever your dream is in life, you got to hold on to it. Whatever your aspirations and ambitions are in life, hold on to them, protect them and never let them go. Like that's yours for a reason. It's not those people, you know, like, and only have people around you that love you, pray for you, inspire you, empower you. And, you know, that whether whatever your dream is, even if you say, I want to be governor, I want to run this Fortune 500 company, whatever it is, you know, that they believe in you just as much as you believe in that dream. And don't just be around good people, be around great people that are, you know, phenomenal people.
It's funny you say that because I was having this conversation with somebody the other day is like usually it's the craziest people until they're not you know, and it was You know the the people that change the world are the ones that invite you into their dream and what I mean by that is like Elon Musk we all we all drew a Version of the Cybertruck in school, right? And this guy went out and created it and how many you know, you can't start a car company You can't send people, you know all the crazy things that he's done I'm glad you made a point of that because that that is so profound and powerful is a lot of times a crazy idea Sounds crazy until you prove that it's not right and how many crazy ideas have shaped and changed our world So that that's profound statement that you made another question. I ask everybody is We call the show waking up to wealth That has nothing to do with money. Yeah, it is just I just believe we've been taught a lot of things wrong in this world about education You know what to do with money just things of that nature So my question that I ask every guest is like what is waking up to wealth being to you? And that has nothing to do with money. It's just your version of it
Yeah, I will say, you know, waking up to wealth means to me is a great question. You know, your mindset, like your discipline, you know, your health, your, you know, just, you know, just, you know, going to sleep in prayer, waking up in prayer, linking your subconscious mind to your conscious mind. And waking up to wealth is like you're awake and you're the type of person that you could dream a dream, you vision it, and you go after and you chase that dream every day, no matter what cost. And eventually one day you'll wake up to that wealth. And like you said, it's not always just about the money. It's about saying that you did something that nobody could ever take away from you. When you fulfill those goals and those dreams and those ambitions, And that inspiration goes to our children and it's a powerful thing.
Powerful, man. Well, we'll wrap up with that because you dropped a lot of good stuff today. Number one, I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to be here with us today. And number two, thank you for pouring into our audience and giving us the knowledge that you did today.
Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you for having me.
Thanks so much for tuning into this episode of Wake Up to Wealth. We sure do appreciate it. If you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show wherever you consume podcasts. This way we'll get updates as new episodes become available. And if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and tell your friends about the show. It is how new people find us. Until next time.