Protected and Purposeful
Stagione 1
di Samuel Griffin III
As head of security for a well-known public figure, Samuel spent months preparing for a 30-mile Atlanta march in the mid-1990s — coordinating police, SWAT, and hospitals along the route. When a man broke through three security layers with a bag, the team intercepted him flawlessly; the bag held only a bottle of liquor. The lesson is "Practice, practice, practice": rehearsal under real conditions builds precision under pressure, reveals gaps while they're cheap to fix, and turns excellence into worship. Music: Empire, produced by Tim Byrd
The founding story — in 1996 Samuel left employment to start Griffin's Executive Protection Agency (now Leumas Security Services), growing it to 50+ staff, with his wife Imani Harris-Griffin co-running it since 2011. Built on his line "Do work that you love," the episode traces the calling from the scared 12-year-old who watched The Bodyguard to the builder who invests his talents rather than burying them. Leaders learn to turn passion into provision, build with their people, and take one committed step at a time. Music: Empire, produced by Tim Byrd
Anchored in Samuel's line "Bad fear is most likely the result of bad training," this episode retells the black-shoe story — a club parking lot in the late 1990s where a man claimed he was going to his car for his gun, and Samuel held his fire until he saw it was only a shoe. Fear is information, not a master: trained fear responds to facts while bad fear reacts to the story in your head. Leaders are challenged to rehearse their own "parking lot" moments, verify before reacting, and let prayer turn panic into focus. Music: Empire, produced by Tim Byrd
On his third day leading security for a presidential candidate, Samuel faced a hate group that declared "Judgement Day" for his client in Iowa. He prayed on his knees in his hotel room, then acted decisively — bringing in state and local police, extending the perimeter, and canceling the rope line — so the group never got its opportunity. The episode teaches that courage is a decision made in advance: define your "not on my watch" lines, change the conditions, and call for help. Music: Empire, produced by Tim Byrd
A slower, reflective episode for the 25-episode milestone, opening with the December 2019 pharmacy story — expensive medicine in hand, Samuel giving his church offering to a man leaving a food pantry with "Keep your head up." Marcus and Darius contrast the highlight reel with the valleys: temp receptionist jobs after celebrity protection, the scared twelve-year-old still checking he's breathing fresh air. Galatians 6:2 and Matthew 7:1 anchor the close: look for the story, tell your story, be someone's "keep your head up." Music: Empire, produced by Tim Byrd
From chapter four of Rent-A-Cop Reboot, Samuel's case that the customer pays for your judgment, not your compliance — illustrated by the canceled rope line during the Iowa "Judgement Day" threat and a quiet hotel change on a show with a promoter he didn't trust. The episode walks through death by a thousand yeses, two-directional trust (honesty with clients and with staff), and learning from mistakes without repeating them. Proverbs 11:3 and Romans 12:17 frame integrity as the business's navigation system and its true asset. Music: Empire, produced by Tim Byrd
Samuel's 103-degree fever in Chicago and collapse in a bathroom on a protective detail becomes the episode's center: a guard who collapses endangers everyone. Marcus and Darius work through his book's warnings on pills, energy drinks, and burnout, reframing sleep, food, and movement as professional duty rather than self-indulgence. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and Mark 6:31 carry the theme of rest as stewardship; includes an explicit lived-experience-not-medical-advice framing. Music: Empire, produced by Tim Byrd
Marcus and Darius trace Samuel's path from a mid-1990s Black Leadership Conference lobby in Colonial Williamsburg — where he introduced himself to security chief Carl Redding — to Reverend Jesse Jackson praying over him during his 2021 cancer recovery. Along the way: rooms with Presidents Clinton and Carter, Winnie Mandela's hug and kiss in Richmond, and twelve-to-fifteen-hour days on Magic Johnson's detail. Romans 12:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 anchor the message: gratitude is leadership, and no leader climbs alone. Music: Empire, produced by Tim Byrd
Scales the Safety Seal children's book (Samuel + Theresa Caldwell, illus. Janae Matthews) for adults — little Safety confronts the whale bullying polar bear Alex with words, then sends his buddy for Miss Denise: courage to confront plus courage to get help. Applies it to workplace, community, and online bullying, anchored in Proverbs 31:8 and the Good Samaritan, with the leadership kicker that culture is what the leader tolerates. Brief, warm mention of the book as source, including the dedication to his daughter Bella. Music: Empire, produced by Tim Byrd
The shady promoter story — short-notice show, bad instincts, quietly moving the artist to a different hotel via a trusted associate. Frames backup planning as wisdom-driven discipline vs. paranoia, ties to Field Notes #1's "know exits before you enter," and builds the faith case through Proverbs 22:3, Noah, and Joseph in Egypt. Gives leaders four backup plans to write (mission, money, team/succession, mouth) and resolves the shadow side: the plan serves the mission, not the reverse. Music: Empire, produced by Tim Byrd