Alex Bryan
Episode 4

Narrator:

Welcome, friends, to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. Join your host, Japhet De Oliveira, with his guest today, and discover the moments that shape us, our families and communities.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Welcome to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. It is always wonderful to have our fresh guest to join us today. I'm going to introduce the guest in a second by asking them their name. And this is how the entire podcast goes. I have the first 10 questions, then the guest gets to choose between number 11 and a hundred, which questions they would like to address. The real purpose of this podcast is really just to share stories and experiences that actually shaped them in particular.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I hope that you get to enjoy it, because what I'd like you to imagine is just grab a cup of tea, sit down, and enjoy the conversation between two friends sitting down and doing the same thing, as well. So I'm going to dive straight in because we only have a half an hour and this goes by so quickly. It's kind of ridiculous.

Japhet De Oliveira:

So let's begin right away with question number one. What's your name, and do people actually slaughter it? Do they ever confuse it? If they pronounce it wrong? Is there anything about your name that we should be aware of? Sir, your name?

Alex Bryan:

My name is Alex Bryan. Folks do not mispronounce my name, but they call me by my last name because it sounds like a first name. There are people that have known me for 20 years and they're still like, "Hey, hey, Bryan, let's get together." And I'm thinking, "My name's not Bryan, but I like you, so let's get together anyway."

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great. Do people actually think it's a hyphenated name and ask you for your last name after you say your name?

Alex Bryan:

No, they don't do that. Here's the problem. My full name is William Alexander Bryan. The IV by the way, which just complicates it even more, even more. So the problem is try going to a bank and getting money, taking a check-in or something because... William's my first name. My parents went by my second name, Alex, which is short of Alexander. Then my last name's also a first name. It is insane. Don't do this to your children.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Really, don't do this. Okay. All right. We would ask you what your son's name is. All right, great. Alex, tell us, what do you do for work?

Alex Bryan:

Well, my title is I'm the Chief Mission Officer at Adventist Health.

Japhet De Oliveira:

And what does that mean?

Alex Bryan:

That means that I work for a company that has a connection to the Adventist church, the Christian faith tradition. We have a mission, and it is my job to connect everything we do in our company with that tradition, with that history.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Wow. That's great. That's great. How long have you been in this current role?

Alex Bryan:

I have worked for Adventist Health for three years. I've helped them with projects longer than that along the way.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic. So in the morning, tell me this. Do you have water, your drink of choice, green liquid smoothies, coffee, tea? What's your first drink of choice in the morning?

Alex Bryan:

I drink one coffee cup of water first.

Japhet De Oliveira:

One coffee cup of water.

Alex Bryan:

I get out and... Your audience can't see this, but I'm holding... I fill my coffee mug with water and I drink that first.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Okay.

Alex Bryan:

Then I plug in the coffee maker and then I drink two cups of coffee thereafter.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Thereafter, to compensate for the one cup of water.

Alex Bryan:

To whatever word you want to use.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. All right. I love it. I love it. Tell me, where were you born?

Alex Bryan:

I was born outside Washington, D.C., In a place called Takoma Park, Maryland.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Is that where your passion for politics and history came from?

Alex Bryan:

Probably, because my father was also born... and from there and he has an interest in sports politics, church, history, et cetera. So I have acquired those interests from him.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great. Now, when you were a child, did you imagine you would be the Chief Mission Officer?

Alex Bryan:

No.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Is that what you dream? No. Okay. So what did you imagine you were going to be when you were a child?

Alex Bryan:

Well, that's a good question. I thought about certain athletic pursuits, but you have to be like, tall, strong, and fast for those, and I don't possess those qualities.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Awesome.

Alex Bryan:

But I actually kind of thought I wanted to be a lawyer and go into some kind of public service.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's pretty cool. That's great. If people were to describe you as... Would they describe you as introvert or extrovert, and would you agree?

Alex Bryan:

They would describe me as extrovert and they would be wrong.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Because you are...

Alex Bryan:

Because I love people and love interactions, and just like right now we enjoy one another. But the truth is I get all my replenishment for the most part from those days when it's just me and the books.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great. If you could see Alex right now, you would see that he actually has a part of his library. There's a portion of his library right behind him because he does do that. I'm going to just delve into your habits a little bit here. Are you an early riser or a night owl?

Alex Bryan:

Early riser, early to bed.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Early to bed. All right then. What's the first thing you thought of this morning as you woke up?

Alex Bryan:

I better get ready for that podcast in the afternoon that I have with Japhet.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Sure, you did. Sure, you did.

Alex Bryan:

The first thing when I woke up was... Well, if you have to know...

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes. It would be great.

Alex Bryan:

I said to my English cream golden retriever, "Why have you crawled on top of me and why are you hitting me in the face with your paws this early in the morning?" She wanted her breakfast and so the first thing I thought was, "Why is there a dog that's hitting me in the face with her paws?" Sweetly, of course.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, bless. Oh, bless. Yeah, I know. That's beautiful. Here's a leadership question for you. Are you a backseat driver?

Alex Bryan:

No.

Japhet De Oliveira:

No. All right. All right. That's great.

Alex Bryan:

In fact, to a fault. The team could be driving the car over a cliff and I would be merrily sitting in the back seat, working on a crossword puzzle. I don't like to micromanage.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right. That's fantastic. Okay. We are done. The intro is done. So now, it already begins. The floor is open and you, Alex, get to choose between question 11 to question 100. And remember that question 100 is the hardest, most vulnerable, most open and they progressively become that way. So, where would you like to begin?

Alex Bryan:

Eleven.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Eleven, it is. Tell us about the most adventurous food, meal you've ever eaten.

Alex Bryan:

Next door, neighbors from India. Most amazing people back living in Atlanta. Told them I loved Indian food. They said, "Come on over." I did not indicate a spice level and they chose 99 on a scale of one to five. It blew holes in the top of my head.

Japhet De Oliveira:

You were sweating and crying through the entire meal.

Alex Bryan:

Oh my. It was amazing, but it was a workout.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Sounds fantastic. Did you eat with your hands or with utensils? Did you eat on the floor? Did you eat sitting on the table?

Alex Bryan:

I don't know because the tears were rolling down my cheeks and I couldn't even see what I was doing because I was in such pain from the spice.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Sounds actually like a great meal. All right. So where'd you want to go after 11?

Alex Bryan:

Thirteen.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Thirteen. Walk us through... Oh, this is good. Walk us through the ideal end of your day. Yeah. I know you kind of like this.

Alex Bryan:

A hot shower. An excellent biography. Little, white noise playing in the background. Read 50, 60, 70 pages, and then allow the pages of that book to just put me to sleep.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I can imagine that. That's great. That's great. That's beautiful. That's beautiful. That'd be pretty early because you'd want to get up, like, really early as well.

Alex Bryan:

Yeah. 9:00 and up at 5:00 would be...

Japhet De Oliveira:

Would be the... routine.

Alex Bryan:

... my ideal.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's nice. Good. All right. Where'd you want to go next? Number?

Alex Bryan:

Seventeen.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Seventeen. Share what day is the most special to you on the calendar and why?

Alex Bryan:

Well, my anniversary, my children's birthdays. I'll say this. American Thanksgiving is my true highlights of the year. I love November. I love fall. I love the best of what Thanksgiving represents. So, I'd say Thanksgiving Day.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK. All right. It's because you like the season, you like the community coming together...

Alex Bryan:

The food.

Japhet De Oliveira:

The food, everything.

Alex Bryan:

I love sweaters, even though my dearest friends make fun of me about wearing sweaters. I love the crisp pop in the air that comes in the fall. I love American football. The football, the food, family, friends, the snap in the air, Christmas is coming. The whole package. Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving week itself. Amazing.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's good. That's good. Good. All right. Where'd you want to go next?

Alex Bryan:

19.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Nineteen. What is your exercise routine?

Alex Bryan:

I walk four miles a day and I do 30 to 40 pushups in the morning. That's my routine.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great. That's great. When you're walking, do you listen to music? Are you listening to just the sound of nature?

Alex Bryan:

I either listen to nothing and it becomes my meditative devotional time with God or I call someone like yourself and I chat. I often call my parents, or I'll call one of my brothers, or I'll call a friend somewhere and I'll have a conversation.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's nice. That's nice. Connecting. All right. Next one for you.

Alex Bryan:

Twenty-three.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Twenty-three. Tell us about the most outdated piece of technology... like complete escape. Tell us about the most outdated piece of technology you still use on a regular basis and just can't let go of. I can't believe you chose this one.

Alex Bryan:

Oh man. Welcome to my whole world, man. I would say that... Well, I drive a truck that's 21 years old. That's an old piece of technology.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes. It's beautiful.

Alex Bryan:

So I guess that would be the case. My goodness. I don't know. I've got a television that's 20 years old, sitting around here somewhere that has horrible resolution. You couldn't even think about it, Japhet. Yeah. Truck, television. I have some friends that keep me updated technologically...

Japhet De Oliveira:

No, that's great. That's fantastic. All right. What's next?

Alex Bryan:

Twenty-nine.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Twenty-nine. Share three things that make you happy instantly.

Alex Bryan:

Fresh blueberries. I have five or six friends that we get together from time to time and when we start laughing about something, it is sheer joy. And throwing a football with my son in the backyard.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic. That's good. That's good. All right. Now...

Alex Bryan:

Thirty-one.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Thirty-one. All right. You can go back down towards the tens if you want. But 31... All right. Tell us about someone you'd love to eat dinner with. The sky is the limit.

Alex Bryan:

Oh man. Living?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Your choice. You can readjust the sky's the limit to anyone.

Alex Bryan:

Ulysses S. Grant.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Because?

Alex Bryan:

He is one of my favorite presidents. And I... As you are aware, I have read a biography of every American president and then additional biographies about presidents, and Ulysses S. Grant is just remarkable, incredibly humble, determined. He was flawed. He struggled with alcohol. He wasn't a particularly good president, actually, but he was a brilliant general. He just had this can-do spirit. He's the quintessential American. I would love to sit down and talk with him.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic. That's great. Good. I like [that] you went for a historical figure, as well. That's fantastic. Good. All right. Next number.

Alex Bryan:

Thirty-one.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Thirty-one. Tell us about someone you... No, you just gave me that.

Alex Bryan:

I gotcha. Oh man, that was awesome. 

Japhet De Oliveira:

We just did that.

Alex Bryan:

Thirty-seven.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Thirty-seven. What do you like most about your family?

Alex Bryan:

They're adventurous.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's nice.

Alex Bryan:

Yeah. They're always up for a trip and experience. We talk a lot about that. We're always thinking about what's the next adventure kind of thing.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's nice. That's great. That's pretty cool. That's really cool. All right. So other than 37, what's your next number?

Alex Bryan:

Forty-one.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Forty-one. What are you excited about in life right now?

Alex Bryan:

I'm excited about... the possibility of changing the world. Because the place I work... we always talk about that. "I'm going to go change the world." And you know, when you graduate from college, "Go change the world." And of course it's a lie, because nobody can change the world. But I feel like that I'm involved in something that's just simmering right now. It's percolating on the stove and it's getting hotter. It's the possibility of making a meaningful difference in the lives of millions of people by impacting their sense of peace and well-being and sense of purpose in their lives. I'm pretty excited about that.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic. That's really good. The idea that it's percolating, as well, means that there's just the unbounded possibilities. It's really good. That's really good.

Alex Bryan:

Yes. Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I'm glad. I'm glad. That's pretty good. Good. All right. Where'd you want to go next?

Alex Bryan:

Forty-three.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Forty-three. Oh, tell us about the best gift that you've ever received.

Alex Bryan:

I think I was 13 years old. Speaking of old technology. My parents got me a Sony... A boombox is too glorious to describe this thing. A little Sony cassette tape player. That allowed you... If you recall, to record the radio onto a cassette.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. It was genius.

Alex Bryan:

And I recorded all of my favorite '80s rock and roll under this cassette and built my own playlist ... That gift just stands out. I remember the feeling on Christmas of getting this little Sony player. And so... Anyway, that'll be my answer.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That was a big deal. That was a big deal making our own playlist. Those were amazing days until the tapes didn't work. All right. Which number now?

Alex Bryan:

Forty-seven.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Forty-seven. You just met someone. What would you want them to know about you and why?

Alex Bryan:

I would want them to know that I was interested in them. That I was curious about their life. That I was someone who was curious, that I didn't have just something to say, that I was curious at finding out more. Now, is that true of me? Probably not as often as I would like. But the question was, what would I like? I would like someone to hear in my voice that I'm interested in what they have to say.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I think that's actually true of you, Alex. I think that you're a great person for that. You do connect really well with people and truly do care so that's fantastic. I like that. I like that. That's beautiful. All right. Where do you want to go now?

Alex Bryan:

What was my last number?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Let me see.

Alex Bryan:

Was it 47?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes.

Alex Bryan:

Fifty-three.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Fifty-three. All right. Can you tell us about at least one important person in your life?

Alex Bryan:

Well, my wife. Why not? She's a marathoner. We have this in common. You and I are not marathoners.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Okay. I was going to say...

Alex Bryan:

But our wives are, in fact.

Japhet De Oliveira:

They are, indeed. Yes.

Alex Bryan:

Yeah. She does yoga all the time. She loves all that. She makes fruit smoothies and vegetable smoothies, all into the health stuff. She's helped me think about those things in a different way. She's adventurous of some sort, so she pushes me towards being that way.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic. Hey, it's good. Glad you chose Nicole. That's great. Well done. Well done. All right. Good, good. That's cool. All right. Where'd you want to go next?

Alex Bryan:

Fifty-nine.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Fifty-nine. In your opinion, what subject would you add to... Oh, as I read this, I realize because of your academic world, you're going to love this. In your opinion, what subject would you add to a school curriculum? And what age would it be for?

Alex Bryan:

Oh my goodness.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes. I know. So you can think about college, you can think about high school. You can think about primary. I mean, whatever age, and what subject would you add to that school curriculum?

Alex Bryan:

So I'm going to pick two and I know that violates the question.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, that's okay.

Alex Bryan:

I would have public speaking taught beginning in kindergarten and I would not let up all the way through university, and I would require it constantly. Because I think the ability to communicate in the environment is essential. I think that would be one. Secondly, I would require a home maintenance course every single year from kindergarten, all the way through university. Because for the rest of your life, you're going to be like, "Do I call somebody or do I fix this?" And if you knew how to fix your refrigerator, and the dryer... If you just fixed everything, it would be awesome.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That'd be genius. That'd be genius.

Alex Bryan:

So those are the two courses that I would get.

Japhet De Oliveira:

This is very practical. Very practical, very useful. Can you speak and can you fix it? I like it, love it. That's great. And all the way through, from kindergarten up. Alright, great. Where'd you want to go next?

Alex Bryan:

Sixty-one.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Sixty-one. Tell us about a time in your life that required incredible, incredible courage.

Alex Bryan:

In my preaching life, there have been two or three times where something need to be said up front to a large group of people that was going to be very difficult to say. And you can understand this. The process of that, the prayerful, humble, thoughtful, hard work of crafting what the right words were in a given moment. I don't know if I would consider myself courageous, but I think it took tremendous qualities of courage to not just back off and go. I'm just not going to say anything. Sometimes that's... And often not sometimes, almost always. In fact, now I'm going to say always, that was in defense of somebody or some group who were being wounded in some way and stepping up and being willing to speak in their defense on their behalf, knowing that it was not going to be popular, it pushed me. I'm proud of myself in those moments for not backing off.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I don't know if... I guess all know this, but you're an international speaker, renowned global speaker. One of the things that I've always loved about your voice is that you are a prophetic voice. You have this ability to speak words of depth into people's lives and at a cost to yourself. I think Alex says, that's very true. I think your answer is a great answer, but I've seen deep courage inside you when you speak, so thank you for sharing that. That is good. That is good.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right. We have time for two more questions. Where do you want to go with the last two questions?

Alex Bryan:

Sixty-seven.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Sixty-seven. All right. This is incredible. This is the question you chose, because I know you do this all the time. What is the best picture you've ever taken and why?

Alex Bryan:

What is the best picture I've ever...

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh man, you take pictures all the time.

Alex Bryan:

Yeah. I'm kind of a hack iPhone photographer. I use it for presentations and things like that. The best picture and why? I'm trying to scroll through all my iPhoto, and try to recall. So I... I don't know. When my son was a year-and-a-half, he used to drive his tricycle. You may have seen this picture. He used to drive his tricycle. He's like one-and-a-half, two years old through the house. A little boy on a tricycle. One day, I walked into the kitchen and he had parked his tricycle. Pulled out a deep drawer in the kitchen and gotten into the drawer to read a book. And I caught this picture of him where he had parked his tricycle, climbed into the drawer, and he was reading and I got a picture of it. It's one of my favorite pictures.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's beautiful. That's beautiful. Does it make you think of yourself or does it make you think of...

Alex Bryan:

Probably so. Yeah. Probably so.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Does it make you wish that you could get into the drawer, as well?

Alex Bryan:

Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira:

With him and read?

Alex Bryan:

That would be such a good thing. There's a whole new product line for you. Big drawers with Christians in a minute.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Sitting there with your daughter, with your son and read. Yeah. I love that. All right. Last question that you get to pick, what number do you want to go for?

Alex Bryan:

I'm going to go for number 71, which is the last of... Every single number I've chosen has been a prime number.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Okay. All right. I like it. I like it. I like it. There's a thinking behind it. I love this. All right. Describe a time when your life took an unpredictable turn.

Alex Bryan:

I took a job one time and there was much to like about the job, much that was attractive about it. Moved my family a long way across the country and knew very quickly that I'd made the wrong decision. And the experience of uncoiling that whole thing and getting life back on track where it needed to be was... It was huge. Two little kids at the time, and it was unexpected. It was an unexpected detour for someone you've been interviewing, who likes to be very planned and control and thoughtful and kind of map things out. It was a major curve ball along the way to make that kind of a radical swerve in the road.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's really good. That's really true. And that was a major change, mid change. So I have a question for you that's not on the list. Just a bonus. What would Alex say to a 21-year-old Alex today?

Alex Bryan:

Take more chances. More risk. Not for selfish reasons, but more risk in the service of other people. Don't hedge so much, don't calculate so much. Be willing to take some risks, even at the price of creating some noise in the ecosystem in order to help other people who are hurting.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic. Beautiful. Well, Alex, I want to say thank you so much for your time. It's a real privilege to be able to have you join us on The Story & Experience Podcast and to share honestly, for your prime number choices in the list, as well. But also for your courage and for the honesty inside that, as well. I do believe that you have a prophetic voice, a voice that you speak for those who don't have voices. I've seen you do that on many occasions, and I wish that you will continue to do that for this company and for many generations, for others, as well. Thanks for being part of this.

Japhet De Oliveira:

And for all the listeners, I just want to encourage you to continue sharing your story and experiences with your friends and community because by doing so, you transform yourself and you transform the lives of others, as well. God bless you.

Narrator:

Thank you for joining us for The Story & Experience Podcast. We invite you to read, watch and submit your story and experience at adventisthealth.org/story. The Story & Experience Podcast was brought to you by Adventist Health for the Office of Culture