We Owe Joe Jackson an Apology (Eric Thomas Goes Off) | S2S 540

The Secret To Success with CJ, Karl, Jemal & Eric Thomas

S2S podcast

Education, Business, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Entrepreneurship

4.9 • 6.6K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2026

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Your soft coaching is killing their future. And you think you're being kind. In Episode 540, ET, CJ, Karl, and Jemal pull up to the table after watching the Michael Jackson movie and what follows is one of the most honest, uncomfortable, and necessary conversations this crew has ever had. About Joe Jackson. About tough love. About why we've been Catherine-ing people when we should have been Joe Jackson-ing them. And why the people closest to greatness are usually the ones being held back by feelings, comfort, and lies we call love. CJ gets cavity searched while ET watches in the distance… Then the crew dives into the Michael Jackson movie and what most people missed. Joe Jackson got them out of Gary, Indiana. From the steel mill to the charts. Six kids. Multiple number ones. And we've been dogging him out for decades without asking the hard question: would there even be a Michael Jackson without Joe Jackson? ET breaks down why he's been doing it wrong as a leader. Why caring about people's feelings has actually been holding them back. Why his mom kicked him out at 16 and it was the greatest gift she ever gave him. This episode will make you rethink every soft conversation you've had. Every time you coddled someone instead of challenging them. Every time you let someone stay comfortable when you knew they were capable of more. Because real love isn't making people feel good. Real love is helping them become who God called them to be. Timestamps: Chapters 00:00:00 Opening: The Airport Security Story - When ET Left CJ Behind 00:01:25 Welcome and Team Introductions: The Pastor's License 00:02:25 Fair or Foul: ET Goes Through Security While CJ Gets Searched 00:10:58 The Michael Jackson Movie: We Owe Joe Jackson an Apology 00:12:28 From Gary Indiana to Greatness: Joe Jackson's Vision 00:18:00 The Catherine vs Joe Jackson Debate: Love or Lies? 00:21:34 Stop Catherine-ing People: Why Feelings Are Holding You Back 00:19:37 The Candy Seller Revelation: When Compassion Becomes a Lie 00:25:25 Real Leadership Requires Losing People: The Mom Story 00:34:00 Joe Jackson Them: Holding People Accountable to Their Genius 00:40:12 The Real Estate Lesson: When Mom Made ET Buy the Right House 00:29:16 The Jalen and Jada Story: Taking Ownership of Your Part 00:37:45 I Don't Have Any More Care Left: The Superpower of Not Caring 00:28:30 The Trauma of Being Broke vs The Trauma of Success 00:44:52 Next Level Speakers Conference Announcement: June 5-7 Atlanta 00:45:58 Why AI Can't Replace Joe Jackson: You Still Need Humans 00:46:50 Closing: Patreon Meetup and Final Thoughts on Tough Love 🔒 This Is What Patreon Members Get... Unscripted conversations. Behind the scenes moments. Live Q&As. ET's speech streams. This is the version of S2S where nothing gets cut. If you want in: 👉 Join the S2S Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/S2SPodcast120 🎤 Next Level Speakers Conference | June 5-7, Atlanta If you know you're called to speak, train, or elevate your personal brand, this is where you need to be. ET, CJ, Karl, Inky Johnson, Jeremy Anderson, and more. Plus a Patreon meetup. Early bird tickets available now: 👉 nextlevelspeakersconference.com 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@S2SPodcastChannel?sub_confirmation=1 📲 Follow us on Instagram: @s2spodcast 🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/secret-to-success/id123456789 About the Secret to Success Podcast The S2S Podcast is hosted by Eric Thomas, Karl Phillips, CJ Quinney, and Jemal King. For over a decade, S2S has been one of the most authentic voices in personal development, not because of polished scripts, but because of real stories, real conversations, and real results. Every episode pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to build wealth, sustain relationships, grow businesses, and become who you were created to be. No hype. No filters. Just four men who've lived it, telling the truth about how they got there.

Transcript

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0:00.0	What did y'all think of the MJ movie?
0:02.3	Was Joe Jackson a good guy or a bad guy?
0:04.5	Here's what I realized.
0:05.8	There is no Michael Jackson without Joe Jackson. That's a fact. He got him out, y'all. Let's go to the end of it, though. He got them out. But if we were to look at their quality of life in totality, they made money, they got famous. But, bro, Mike couldn't sleep. I told Diddy this because Diddy said something similar.
0:20.5	I said Diddy, what about the trauma being broke?
0:22.7	He said Mike couldn't sleep, but that first thing, Mike couldn't sleep. I told Diddy this, because Diddy said something similar. I said, Didi, what about the trauma being broke?
0:22.6	He said Mike couldn't sleep, but the first thing popped in my head, but he was eating good. I told Didi, there's trauma with being broke, but you know what the problem is? So many of us are broke, that it's a part of our culture, and we don't see the trauma that came from it. So what Joe did was put them in a situation to say,
0:37.7	it's going to be some trauma,
0:39.1	but it's going to, some trauma we're not. we don't see the trauma that came from it. So what Joe did was put them in a situation to say,
0:41.3	it's going to be some trauma, but we, it's going to, some trauma,
0:43.8	we don't have a billion to wipe our tears with.
0:47.0	My still question is, is there a balance?
0:48.9	Yep, you know what the balance is?
0:50.5	You got a need that I can take care of. I'm going to take care of.
0:51.2	And that's the answer that I'm looking for right there.
1:25.5	Music and take care of, what's going on world.
1:45.5	Welcome to another edition of the Secret to Success Podcast. I'm your host, CJ. As always, by the Bayesian sensation, Mr. Carl Wesley Phillips. What's going on, y'all? What did you do? Dr. King is in the building. Dr. King, how you feel it? Hey, bro, what's the Michigan State fight song? Go right through for him. On the bank's on the banks of the red seater.
1:46.1	Come on. It's a team that's going to all.
1:48.9	His specialty is winning.
1:51.7	And the Spartans play good ball.
1:53.7	Let's go.
1:54.7	Fight.
	...

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