ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I hate these things because I always forget too many people. Let me start with my agents at United Talent Agency: Brent Weinstein, Jay Sures, and Byrd Leavell. They are the very best and have always believed in me, even when I didn’t. Thanks to Tyler Cardon, a miracle worker, who saw my vision, didn’t try to change it, but instead made it better. Justin Haskins and Donald Kendal, who have rocked this book. It has been a fun journey. I have learned a lot. Thanks for making me look good:) Stu Burguiere, whose contributions were brilliant, as always. Here’s to another twenty years! Pat Gray, here’s to another thirty! We used to laugh so hard we’d pee our pants. Just think, thirty years from now, we won’t need the laughter to pee and crap our pants. Alexander Somoskey, who was mocked relentlessly in college because he had the balls to say out loud that his goal was to work for me someday. They mocked, I hired, and I’ve enjoyed our creative collaboration ever since. Thanks to Bryndon for the illustrations and Jake for the design work. Thank you for putting up with the insane hours and never bitching when we didn’t get to sleep.

Thank you to my radio team, TV team, and the entire Blaze Media family. Rikki, Booey, Sara, Sarah, Marissa, Adam, Kase, Clayton, Kyra, Jay, the social media team, you all rock! To Rob and the floor crew, producers, and directors, who always make me look good even when I change everything at the last minute. Thanks to all of the Blaze Media talent. I am honored to call you coworkers and friends. Together, we truly are greater than the sum of our parts. Together we can change the world. Thanks to all of my writers and researchers: Jason, Nathan, Larry, Justin. You guys are the best. Thanks to my social media team. Thanks to Chelsea Cardon, whom I first met as she worked on my “Man in the Moon” stage show in 2013. I almost killed her with work. Thanks for never giving up and always overdelivering.

Thanks to my family for never saying a negative word when “I have to go off to write” every year for weeks on end. Tania, Mary, Hannah, Raphe, Cheyenne, Tim, Lorelei, Coen and Uno, I love you. Tania, I need you more than ever. Bishop Lance for keeping me from going too far off the path. Your friendship has saved me from myself. Robert, Colleen, and family. Matthew, thanks for asking me to officiate at your wedding. It meant a ton — you bum:) Mark and Rick of Gavin de Becker & Associates and my detail Chad and Caesar (good with a gun, but deadly with a hair dryer). I will never understand why you would take a bullet for me, and let’s make sure we never have to see if you actually would. Thank you to my Scottish Executive Assistant at MRA Craig Poole—yeah, yeah, the Scots invented everything, including freedom, apparently. But it took Americans to get it done and our leader didn’t need face paint or a skirt. Long live the queen.

Finally thank you to Carolyn Reidy and the whole team at Simon & Schuster. Thanks for believing and pushing me over the years. 14 years and 13 #1 best sellers and, what, 7 or 8 others in the top five? I have lost count…. It has been a great run. Thank you for the support.

See, you have been scanning for your name and it isn’t here. “That bastard! He forgot me.” I know that’s what it looks like but your name isn’t here because I didn’t want to embarrass you with my fawning. You are far too modest and humble :-) Finally, dear reader, thank YOU. You have changed my life. You are part of the best audience one could hope for. Stay strong. Have faith. He is in charge.