#197 Bob Parsons - Vietnam War Veteran / Founder of GoDaddy & PXG

Bob Parsons Grew Up In a Struggling, Gambling-Addicted Family

Bob Parsons shares a candid look into his formative years in East Baltimore, painted by financial hardship due to his parents' gambling addiction. This addiction meant frequent bets on horses, sports, and lottery numbers, leaving the family perpetually broke. His father's reliance on credit, coupled with steep interest rates, only exacerbated their financial woes, often leading to restraint in their purchases.

Childhood: Bob's Lemonade Stand Failure

Parsons recalls his first venture into business at the tender age of eight or nine. In an attempt to capitalize on a hot day, he set up a lemonade stand, but his lack of culinary knowledge led him to mistakenly use vinegar instead of lemon juice. The result was so unpalatable that an insurance collector spat it out in the street, and a neighbor’s mother demanded her money back after her child tasted it. Although his mother stepped in to salvage the lemonade, Bob's initial failure had already spoiled his business reputation in the neighborhood.

Bob's Early Entrepreneurial Drive Amid Challenges

Despite his ...

Bob Enlisted In the Marines At 17 and Was Deployed To Vietnam

Bob Parsons, who joined the Marine Corps at the tender age of 17 during the height of the Vietnam War in 1968, described his eagerness to join the war effort. His mother signed his enlistment papers because he was underage, and Bob and his friends harbored hopes of seeing the war before its conclusion. Parsons', given the military occupation specialty of a rifleman (0311), swiftly found himself in Vietnam's Quang Nam Province with Delta Company, 26 Marines, as a replacement for Marines killed or wounded just days before his arrival.

Bob's Unit Suffered Casualties; He Experienced Close Calls and Witnessed Ambush Aftermaths

Upon his arrival in Vietnam, Bob was immediately entrenched in the reality of war, encountering the smell of rot and witnessing the aftermath of violent ambushes. Parsons detailed his experiences such as seeing a fellow soldier severely injured by a grenade, throwing a grenade that did not harm his unit by chance, and escaping a friendly fire incident during the night. The brutal nature of combat and the loss of his fellow Marines deeply affected Parsons.

Bob Embraced Mortality to Manage Combat Threats and Uncertainty

Within this hostile environment, Parsons contemplated mortality. While setting up an ambush in a historically fatal location, he acknowledged the likelihood of death, a terrifying yet inevitable reality he had to accept to manage his fear and focus on his responsibilities. The immediate presence of danger, from narrowly-missed explosives to intense firefights, forced Parsons to live in the moment with the acknowledgment that each day could be his last.

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Bob Parsons transformed his life from a veteran returning from Vietnam into a tech magnate and philanthropist, continually pursuing new ventures and technological breakthroughs.

Returning From Vietnam, Bob Pursued Education and Found His Passion in Tech

After serving in Vietnam and coping with PTSD, Bob worked various jobs before using the GI Bill to attend the University of Baltimore. Despite his poor high school grades, Bob was granted a waiver to attend the university. He chose to major in accounting spontaneously—a decision that would prove fortuitous as he found his passion in the field.

Self-Taught Bob Grew Parsons Technology Into a Multi-Million Dollar Business

Bob taught himself programming from a book on BASIC during a business trip in the 70s, which led to his switch to Pascal, the sale of his Apple computer for an IBM, and the start of Parsons Technology. He developed a home finance management program called Money Counts that saw immediate success. Further, he left a lucrative job to develop tax software for his own company, sometimes working up to 60 hours straight, leading to exhaustion and hallucinations.

Despite initial struggles to find a profitable venture in tech, Parsons mentioned his company's significant growth and recalls hiring hundreds of employees. He also created one of the first software programs that could generate websites based on user input, called Website Complete.

Bob Founded GoDaddy, a Successful Domain Registrar, and Sold It for Billions

Bob Parsons is the founder of GoDaddy, the world's largest domain name registrar. He chronicled his journey, from realizing every website needs a domain name to becoming a domain registrar himself. The eventual success of GoDaddy followed a memorable company renaming and came after weathering a challenging financial period by using his personal funds.

Bob's Market Opportunity Exploits and Work Ethic

Bob shares how he initially struggled before an advertisement in a magazine led to a flood of orders, earning him $20,000 from that single ad. This was only the beginning, as he reinvested in direct mail, achieving an impressive 30% return. After the dot-com crash, GoDaddy continued to thrive, turning cash-flow positive ...

Bob Parsons has become a significant figure in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy, finding profound personal transformation and advocating its use through hefty donations towards research.

After Decades of Psychological Struggles From Wartime, Bob Discovered Psychedelics as Therapy

Bob Parsons discusses his experience with psychedelic therapy many years after serving in the Vietnam War, which he started after being inspired by Michael Pollan's book "How to Change Your Mind." Bob's psychedelic journey began in 2017, when his wife arranged for him to meet with two underground guides.

Bob Overcame PTSD Through Guided Psychedelic Journeys With Ayahuasca, Psilocybin, and LSD

In Hawaii, Parsons underwent psychedelic therapy using ayahuasca on the first day and magic mushroom tea on the second. He also took LSD, which resulted in his wife noticing significant positive changes in his behavior. Following these experiences, Parsons made a sharp turn away from the PTSD he had endured, a change that others recognized as well.

Psychedelic Experiences Helped Bob Heal Childhood Traumas, Improving Personality and Relationships

Not only did psychedelics assist with Parsons' PTSD, but they also helped him address his childhood traumas. He recalled specific vivid memories during his psilocybin sessions that brought clarity to his early experiences, even though he reported less vision during his lighter-dosed ayahuasca journey. This therapeutic process enabled him to reconcile with his difficult past and become more emotionally available and less angry, leading to a more peaceful existence.

Psychedelics Made Bob More Emotionally Available, Less Angry, and at Peace With His Past

The change that psychedelics brought about in Parsons was not only noticed by himself but also by those close to him, including his wife, who saw him become easier to talk to and less temperamental. He also engaged in an inner child workshop that might relate to this period of psychological exploration. After a profound emotional pu ...

Bob's encounters with psychedelic substances have triggered a profound personal transformation, ultimately leading him to embrace Christianity and impact his approach to philanthropy and life.

Bob's Psychedelic Journey to Spiritual Awareness

Bob Parsons embarked on a spiritual journey under the influence of psychedelics, leading to his discovery of faith and a renewed worldview.

Psychedelic Journeys Deepen Bob's Sense of Interconnectedness and the Divine

During his psychedelic experiences, Bob Parsons felt an overwhelming sense of interconnectedness with the world around him. This sensation was so intense that even while playing golf, he felt as if the fauna was conscious of his presence and even lent their support. He described how the sense of oneness with the grass and the environment appeared to help him improve his golf game, which he saw as a tangible benefit from his newfound spiritual awareness. Furthermore, Parsons speculated that psychedelics might serve as a bridge to a spiritual realm that he had only begun to explore. Though not explicitly stating it, the implication was that Parsons believed love to be a significant outcome of his psychedelic journey, potentially touching upon a spiritual dimension.

Spiritual Awakening Led Bob To Christianity, Finding Solace and Meaning In Its Teachings

Shawn Ryan, the podcast host, shared a similar transformative experience. Like Parsons, Ryan found that his spirituality expanded during the psychedelic journey, leading to improvements in his family life and business, and eventually guiding him to Christianity. Both men’s explorations into various spiritual elements, including notions of guardian angels and the universe, culminated in their acceptance of Christian faith. Parsons revealed t ...