Brad Lea: From Sleeping on a Beach to Dropping Bombs with the Best in the World | AJ Buckley Show

What happens when a 17 year old kid gets kicked out of his house, drops out of high school, and three days before starring in his first movie gets recast because the producer's son got out of rehab? This week on The AJ Buckley Show, AJ sits down with Brad Lea the entrepreneur who turned rejection into rocket fuel and built one of the biggest podcasts in the world, Dropping Bombs, where the most powerful people on Earth now come to him. Brad opens up about growing up in a blue collar family, watching his dad lose everything when a business partner let the insurance lapse, and the moment he realized the person who signs the checks has all the power. He shares the story of quitting a miserable forest service job after being told poison oak was just part of the gig, walking into a car dealership, getting handed the keys to a brand new Trans Am, and making six grand in his first two weeks selling cars. That moment changed everything. Brad fell in love with sales, mastered the art of closing, and discovered that commission only work was the key to unlimited income. AJ and Brad dive deep into the pivotal moment when Brad auditioned for a leading role in a movie opposite Pam Springsteen, Bruce's sister, directed by Mark Rydell, only to have the part ripped away three days before production when the producer's son got out of drug rehab. That's when Brad made a decision. He wasn't going to chase fame as a broke actor. He was going to get rich first, write the check himself, and come back on his own terms. And that's exactly what he did. Brad takes AJ through the journey of inventing Lightspeed, the first interactive online training platform in the world, back in 1999 when nobody believed online education would work. He talks about the eight years of struggle, being behind on child support, hiding his car from repo men, and refusing to quit even when everyone said it was impossible. Then he shares the breakthrough moment when he realized it wasn't just about delivering information, it was about repetition, practice, and accountability. That's when everything changed. Brad also opens up about the moment he stopped chasing money for himself and started helping other people make money. He talks about teaching a broke Spanish guy in the back of a car dealership how to close, watching his life transform from minimum wage to 20 grand a month, and realizing for the first time in 30 years that he cared about someone other than himself. That shift from selfish to selfless is when Brad went from struggling to making a million dollars a month. They also talk about closing Tony Robbins, Grant Cardone, Zig Ziglar, and John Maxwell on using his platform, the power of relationships over money, the importance of getting everything in writing even with your best friend, and why Brad gave away two thirds of his company to friends who later tried to boot him out. Brad breaks down the super vote clause he put in the bylaws that saved his ass, the betrayal he faced, and the hard lessons learned about trust and business. AJ and Brad also discuss fatherhood, having seven kids from four women, learning from past mistakes, and why the younger generation isn't lazy but lacking real leadership. Brad opens up about his faith, why his North Star is now Yeshua, and how the book of Proverbs is the ultimate business success manual. He also shares the story of sitting down with Alec Baldwin on the set of Knott's Landing, asking for advice on becoming an actor, and Alec telling him to never get out of line, just stand there as long as it takes and you will eventually get to buy your milk. Follow Brad Lea Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therealbradlea/?hl=en Dropping Bombs - The Top Podcast for Entrepreneurs, Sales & Life (https://www.droppingbombs.com/) LightSpeed VT - Create and Launch a World-ClassTraining System (https://lightspeedvt.com/) BradLea (@therealrealbradlea) | TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@therealrealbradlea) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TheRealBradLea/) Follow AJ Buckley IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbuckley/ Fb: https://www.facebook.com/AJBuckleyOfficialPage TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajbuckleyofficial Follow AJ Buckley Show IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbuckleyshow/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/ajbuckleyshow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajbuckleyofficial Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aj-buckley-show/id1885802753 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Em0btYFt8QNKJPX2tFJhq https://www.ajbuckley.com Sponsors: http://www.ghostbed.com/buckley Code word Buckley for 10% off http://aj.purerx.co write "Time to shine" In notes http://www.bornofdiscipline.com http://www.coretrex.com