Evan Guerrero

Hey, Emerlo, I'm Jason Boyette and you're listening to Hey Emerlo, the interview podcast featuring some of the most interesting people and stories of Emerlo, Texas. This week's episode is brought to you by SKP Creative. SKP wants to remind listeners that the November elections are coming up, with important national, statewide and regional races on the ballot. Every voting is underway, began October 24th, and it continues through November 4th. Election Day is November 8th. In this area, less than half of registered voters typically vote in midterm elections like this one. But that's the only way to make your voice heard of it, so go vote. Thanks again to SKP Creative Online at skpcreative.com. And as part of this podcast partnership with Brick-and-El magazine, I want to give a podcast shout out to Emerlo Performing Art Center online at emeraldopac.com. Read the free e-addition of Brick-and-El's latest issue at Brick-and-Elm.com and stay tuned because our November December issue is coming very soon. Today's guest is Evan Guerrero. Evan is a senior at West Texas A&M University where he's studying astronomy and physics. And that's interesting enough. But even before he's finished his degree, before he's gotten his diploma, Evan has become a rising star in the astronomy world because of social media. Evan has more than 2 million followers on his TikTok account. Evan's horizon. That's @EventE horizon, where he educates people all over the world about physics, astronomy, space, and other topics. I'm pretty sure I haven't done like all the research, but I'm pretty sure he's the most influential local resident on social media. And I bet that comes as a surprise to most listeners, even if you follow Evan already. You may not know he lives here, or that he's a college student. And all of this makes him, I think, a perfect guest for this show. And our conversation was a lot of fun. So here's Evan Guerrero. Evan Guerrero, welcome to the Hey Emerlo Podcast. Thanks for being here. Yeah, thanks for having me, Jason. Yeah, absolutely. I'm honored to have you. I wanted to talk to you, and I want to start with you the same way that I start with all of my guests. And that's just to ask you why you're here in this area. So how did you end up in Emerlo Canyon, WT, all those things? Yeah, so I was born and raised here, so I've been an Emerlo in my whole life. And I'm a WT student now, and yeah, so I've just been here my whole life. Where'd you go to high school? So I actually went to Caprock for a year, but then I was actually homeschooled for the last three years of high school. Yeah. And you graduated. So I actually graduated in 16. Okay, tell me why the homeschool approach. I know a lot of families have a lot of different reasons they might homeschool or choose that. So what was the case with you? Yeah, well, for me, you know, I'll be honest, you know, I didn't do great in the public school setting. You know, I did, I went to, you know, middle school and, you know, we even moved around schools a bit there too. I went to charter school for a bit. Just, you know, I just, I don't know, public school wasn't the easiest thing for me, just socially, to be honest with you. Okay. I just, I don't know, I wasn't really into the whole, I had trouble fitting in as a young kid, you know what I mean? So, you know, I would express that to my parents a lot and I was fortunate enough to have parents that were open to alternative options, you know, and so, yeah, eventually we wound up there. Okay. Apart from the social aspect, which I think everybody understands. Yeah. Were you good at school? I mean, was school something that you enjoyed apart from everything else? Yeah. I mean, yes, it definitely was, you know, it wasn't something where I was like a great student all the time. You know, I never had bad grades, but it just in terms of like the enthusiasm for school. I always enjoyed learning, but it was that aspect of the dread of, you know, having to put up with all of the different, you know, aspects of trying to fit in as a teenager. You know, it was tough for me, so. A lot of kids who are good at learning or enjoy learning don't always learn in the same ways that it's typically taught in the structure of institution, you know, public school or private school, whatever. And I've found out a lot that you have people, I knew people who made bees and seeds and just seemed like they didn't care at all. And then they got perfect scores on their SATs. That sort of thing. Yeah. Exactly. I mean, that's probably kind of my case, to be honest with you know, it was, I like I was a good student. I mean, A's and B's throughout my whole school career, you know, yeah, it was more of so just the other aspects of the whole process, you know, once you got to the end of high school, did you know what you wanted to do? Well, you know, at the end of high school, I had a few, like, you know, prominent passions. You know, I wasn't totally set on one option, which is why I kind of took a little time before I actually went to college. You know, I took, I took probably two years. Okay. Yeah. So during that time I was working, I traveled a lot, I just kind of did a lot of self inquiry, I guess you could say. Was it an intentional sort of gap years? Yeah. I would say so. You know, yeah, for sure it was. Yeah, it was definitely intentional, you know, just because I didn't want to go down the pipeline without a sure reason for why, you know, I've always kind of been that way. It's like, I really have to be intentional about what I'm doing. It's hard for me to just kind of go through the motions, you know. So you thought that maybe college was in your future, you just didn't think it had to be immediately. Yeah. Exactly. Okay. Yeah. You know, really prominent passions. You know, one was astronomy, one was fitness actually. Okay. And so they're kind of, you know, you don't really see that as I was at the same age. Exactly. Nobody's thinking of the really buff as ex-professional as I know it. Exactly. So yeah, you know, that was my thing. You know, so I definitely just took my time to figure out what I wanted to do. I ended up getting certified as a personal trainer. I traveled around the country, went to Canada, just solo traveling, went all to all these different national parks, just really trying to understand who I am, what I stand for. And before we actually take a direction in life. Okay. So do you feel like you accomplished that? I mean, did you lay like the, I guess a good foundation for what was going to come next? Yeah. Absolutely. I think I really did. I did accomplish that. Yeah. You know, during that time, that gap year, you know, I did a lot of different jobs to, you know, just to kind of figure out where my strengths lie. And I definitely came to the conclusion of, all right, yeah, this is something that I'm enthusiastic about. This is something worth pursuing for me, you know, and so I've always been really passionate about nature in general, you know, so doing all that traveling and really exposing myself to the world more, just, you know, really had an influence on what direction I went. So as a kid who is home school, especially during, you know, the later years of high school, that's a time when if you are in science classes, you get those opportunities to be in the lab to do some of the more advanced things, like were you still able to do those things? You know, it wasn't really hands-on, you know, the way I did it. Yeah, it was mostly online type of resources, stuff like that, you know, so yeah, I mean, it was kind of a, you know, when I did end up going to college, I was, you know, I did feel like I was starting at a bit of a deficit, you know, in terms of what everyone else has already experienced and whatnot, but, yeah, you know, it's just something that I had to deal with and, you know, we, we recovered from the deficit. Okay. And if you were interested in astronomy, like, that's not a lab sort of thing. No. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Where did that interest come from? So yeah, that is actually a result of one of my first jobs, actually, I would say. So I was a grocery sacriot market street for a bit. Okay. And as word, yeah, a lot of kids. So anyways, yeah, so, you know, that was the first time I actually had money coming in and, you know, I had some money to spend on whatever I wanted to, right? So, you know, one of my first purchases was an online, just on eBay. I just decided to buy this telescope that was on sale, you know, and I was like, there was no particular reason for it, you know, and I mean, it was just like, oh, this seems like something that would be cool. And I really looked through the one of these, so I ordered it and, you know, that first night, you know, I would look at the moon and I was, I was pretty blown away. And then there was a, you know, a subsequent night where I actually saw Jupiter through that telescope. It was like the planet Jupiter. And that it just blew it knocked my socks off like blew me away. And so I would say that was probably the inception point of, all right, let's start exploring this path because I was just absolutely an awe of seeing another planet in real time. You know, it was just insane. So, yeah. And that's, I mean, that's still a pretty unique teenage passion. Yeah. A lot of people, they get, you know, worked their first jobs, they get some money, they want to buy a car or, you know, they buy clothes or whatever. And for you to have gone in that direction, that seems unique. I mean, did it feel unique to you? Did you think, okay. I'm just weirdo buying a telescope off of eBay and, yeah, yeah, like I don't think at the time of buying it, it felt unique, definitely when I started to entertain that path, it felt unique. You know, I'm like, I don't know anyone who's ever done this. Your friends didn't care. No. No, no, no. No. And actually, like when I would show my family this stuff through my telescope, I'd bring them out. They weren't nearly as enthusiastic as I was, you know what I mean. So, I think it's definitely something that does have an end-to-nate, you know, sort of aspect to it. So, it's like, all right. Yeah. But you owned it. I mean, you didn't stifle that impulse or anything. No. I mean, I think that's important. I love when people find out what they love, and they just love it, and don't worry about whether other people love it too. - Yeah. - So you go through this gap period before enrolling in a university setting. Did you know that you wanted to come back here and like go to WT or was that a given? - Yeah, I always kind of, I was open to the path, like I thought I would start locally and maybe go wherever and that's probably gonna still be the path after a bachelor's degree. But yeah, like I was open to where I'd go. And, you know, yeah, I ultimately kind of thought that I would probably wind up at WT for undergrad. So yeah. - Did you know anything about the science department at WT? I mean, WT is known for agriculture, for business. It's got a pretty good engineering program now. But like not a lot of people think, all right, I'm gonna follow the tried and true WT astronomy path or anything like that. - Yeah, you know, no, like I didn't know a whole lot about it, you know, and that is probably, you know, one of the, one of the downfalls, right? Like so my path in physics at WT has been one of, you know, you can take your basic physics courses at WT, but once you get to your upper level actual specific major courses, you have to go through this online process now. So it's like you take your main courses online when you're at WT, which isn't optimal I would say, but you know, we're, you know. - But again, it's still just your bachelor's degree. And those who really want to drill down and get a lot of other options once you get to that. - For sure. - Yeah, absolutely. So that's kind of been the plan all along, you know, let's get this undergrad done. Let's assess our options, you know. - How has that college experience been for you? Like has it met your expectations? - Yeah, I mean, I would say so. It, you know, it hasn't like, it's not been something where it's like, you know, been wowing me or anything. Since I am passionate about the topic itself, you know, I think that helps. I'm just passionate about learning, right? So, but in terms of like the actual whole experience, it, you know, it could be better, you know, at WT, just. - And that may be, it's not one of the most prominent things that the university is known for, you know. It's a direction that is maybe less funded or less highlighted than some others. - Yeah. - Tell me, you know, the reason you ended up on my radar is because of social media, your presence on TikTok and Instagram, tell me how that maybe first began to happen. Because I know it doesn't happen all at once. - Yeah. - It happens in a lot of weird ways, but tell me, tell me how you initially got started doing what you do. - Yeah, well, you know, I have always wanted to be a public educator in some capacity, you know, like if there's anything that I feel like I do have some sort of natural inclination toward, it is through teaching and sort of like exciting people with things like this, you know. - Or personal training. I mean, it's just a safe concept, yeah. - Absolutely, yeah, so, yeah. So, you know, I've always wanted to do this, you know, and some of my heroes were actually guys like, you know, Neil DeGrasse, Tyson, Carl Sagan, guys who hosted, you know, these popular science TV shows and programs. And so, you know, it's always something I wanted to do. And, you know, I didn't think I'd be doing it this soon, actually, you know. - Oh, you're supposed to graduate first, right? - Yeah, exactly, you know, that was kind of the plan. But, you know, as it actually happened, I had a semester, I actually had to take off, just due to some like health reasons. I was having this chronic pain. And so I had to take off a semester. And it kind of, you know, it was tough on me. You know, like I didn't want to do that, but it was kind of something that was necessary. - Where did this fall within like the COVID timelines? - Well, it wasn't online school, all that kind of stuff. - Yeah, it was actually during, yeah, but it wasn't due to COVID or anything. Yeah, it was, yeah. So it was just this thing I was dealing with. And, you know, so, you know, I decided to kind of make the most of that time, you know, and I was like, well, TikTok's all the rage right now. Let's see what the deal is here. You know, let's give a shot at this. And so that's when I started, you know, just during this downtime period. And I just decided, hey, let's try to make like a video a week maybe. And the rest is kind of history, you know, it's like. - Were you on TikTok already? Like, no. - I know a lot of kids, they get on it. 'Cause the friends are on it, college students, high school students. And it's goofy stuff until they kind of figure out what's my thing. And then they get rid of all that goofy stuff. - Yeah, yeah, exactly. - But like, did you start with, I'm gonna do some, some science educating, is that like the first videos you started to get? - Yeah, those are my first videos. 'Cause that was always my intention. Yeah, so I always wanted to just educate people, you know, through the platform. But no, I didn't have it right away. I actually didn't know what a whole lot about TikTok. It was actually my sister who told me, hey, you should try this out. And so I downloaded it, started making videos on it, you know, and those old, old videos were pretty rough. Just 'cause I had no idea what the platform was all about. And so yeah, it was just, you know, let's try to make a weekly video and let's try to get better with every video in terms of, you know, what's gonna get people engaged, what's going to, you know, result in the best results in terms of the platform itself, you know, so. - But the education was there from the beginning. You wanted it to be not just a silly dancing sort of TikTok thing, you wanted it to be educating people. - Absolutely. - The topic that you were interested in. - Yeah. Yeah, you know, that's kind of what I find meaningful. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, like I wouldn't have done well just not doing anything in particular. It definitely had a purpose from the start. So. - I'm always interested in when people have social media accounts, there's often sort of a steady growth period. And then there's a moment where something viral happens. That you can't anticipate, you can't plan for, you just had to like grab that whirlwind and ride it. I mean, was there a moment like that for you? - Absolutely. - Okay, what was it? - Yeah, so, you know, I was making these daily videos, sometimes multiple videos a day, just really trying to find what's gonna work here, you know. - When did you switch from weekly to daily? - I'm going into it. - Well, no, I would say at the very start, it was all about quantity for me. So it was just, let's just experiment with tons of different ideas right now, you know? And so I would just, yeah, two to three videos a day. And then, yeah, once I started to kind of pick up a little bit of traction, I was like, okay, so maybe that's worth putting a little more effort into. So I would say, let's try to do at least maybe two videos a week of just that, you know? So maybe two videos a week. And then, you know, once I had that first viral video, which was probably, let me think, probably three, four months into TikTok. - Yeah, four months into making content. - What year would that have been? - It was 21, 21. - Yeah, so about three to four months in, I made this one video just about, you know, the speed of light and it was the format where I was like kind of talking to myself. - Yeah, like a self-interview. - Yeah, exactly. So one person was the guy who didn't know anything and one person was the genius, you know? And so that just resonated with people, that video took off right away. And so I think now it's almost at 20 million views. - Okay. - Crazy. - So, but no, like overnight, like literally, I remember posting that video didn't do well during the day and I just, you know, went to bed and woke up and my notifications were insane. It was like literally five million views overnight. It was insane. - Do you know why? I mean, there are elements to the algorithm that are mysteries and then there are some things where you know, okay, these are the kinds of things that might start the ball rolling. Did you have a sense of what it was with that specific video? - Looking back now, yes, I do. Yeah. - Or is that a secret? You don't wanna show it? - No, I totally, I'm totally open, yeah, no, no. So at the time, you know, I didn't really know a whole lot about why it did so well, you know, but looking back now, I definitely understand why. And, you know, basically what I found is that the videos that do well are the ones that can, and you know, this is no secret, right? But it's just the videos that can captivate people immediately. I would say within the first two to three seconds and then can hold their attention as long as the video, you know, progresses, right? So it's all about, let's capture you with an initial, they call it hook statement. And then, you know, don't let two seconds go by without another thing happening. That's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, you know what I mean? So it's either the video editing is very engaging. Things are coming in and out or maybe you're saying something that's really enticing, you know what I mean? So it's just about capturing the attention and then keeping the attention throughout the duration of the video, yeah. - And then once that one happened, did you say okay, this is the formula? I've gotta keep doing this thing and maybe change the topic but do the same sort of format. - For sure. - 'Cause it worked. - Yeah, absolutely. So I saw that and yeah, I totally just analyzed, you know, what is it about this particular video that did so well? And so yeah, like I would just do the same format of the whole self interviewing thing and then I would also branch out with other styles of content but keep those same principles in mind, you know? So it's just about, yeah, let's make sure people are engaged throughout the whole video. That's really the biggest thing, so. - I know that there is an element of going viral. You said you woke up that morning and your mentions and notifications were crazy. That's really, really exciting. And there's another part of that that is almost terrifying because all of a sudden, you've got these millions of people who know you or know your account or have opinions about you and you can't control that. And that can cause a lot of anxiety. I wonder if that was the case for you. - Yeah, I mean, in some regard it was for sure. I don't think it was as bad as I've heard a lot of people kind of get that right. right? Because I've kind of like been prepared for it in a way, you know, because I've actually tried doing this in the past through different platforms. And, you know, it took me a long time to build any sort of traction. TikTok was the first platform where it really blew up. And so, to be honest, what it felt like for me was, all right, finally. Okay, here we go. Well, you've been trying to get you what you finally got there. Exactly. Yeah. So, you know, that's, that's the biggest thing. Other than sort of figuring out, this is the kind of content that works. So, these are the types of videos that will gain an audience. Did anything else change about how you looked at that? Like, did it change your focus? Did it change? I mean, did you start thinking, okay, this might be a serious thing. I need to maybe shift to another level in how I think about it. Yeah, for sure, you know, that's always kind of in the back of your mind. It's like, well, you know, maybe this could actually turn into something someday, you know, something that I could actually, who knows, like make a living off of, you know, that wasn't like the first goal, you know, the first goal was just to, all right, let's, let's have this mission statement of inspiring people through the wonders of the universe, you know, that's, that's my main goal. And, you know, eventually if that rubs off on enough people, maybe I can start to pull a little bit of something out of this, you know. And so, yeah, like definitely, the progression nowadays is, all right, how do I improve each video? How do I begin to expand on this and look at my different options in terms of, you know, what are the, what are the things I'm leaving on the table right now? You know, so yeah. Was there a point where you started to think, okay, you know, if I'm looking at this as a way to build a platform, to establish a career, to make some income, like where, where do you start to introduce that? Because it's a hard decision for a lot of influencers. Yeah. You want to monetize your audience, but then also monetizing your audience is saying, all you people who come to follow me, I'm now going to take advantage of you. You know, it's, it's tricky. For sure. How did you like, wade through that as you decided, okay, how am I going to do this? Yeah. Well, you know, that's something I've kind of struggled with, honestly. I'm not the greatest salesman, you know, to me. I think, yeah, I think everybody. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, because you don't want to, you don't want to come off that way, you know, because it's a lot of the times it's genuinely not your intention to be, you know, this person who's just trying to take advantage of people right or leach off of them. Right. But then you also have this, this deep resource, and you don't want to ignore that either. Yeah. Like people work hard to get that. And when it happens sort of accidentally or faster than you imagine, then you don't want to take it for granted either. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, a lot of the times people are happy to support the creators. They really enjoy, you know, and so that's something we have to realize too. But yeah, you know, like, I've started to look at the different options and, you know, luckily for me, I've started to have just companies reach out to me about, hey, can you just promote this thing that we have and we'll pay you for that? And, you know, so that's an income stream there, just, you know, advertisements and videos. And, and I've been able to, to format those in a way where they're, they're not necessarily hidden within the videos, but the videos themselves are valuable in that I'm teaching a lot. And then maybe at the very end, you know, I'll relate this product to what I've been talking about, you know, but it feels organic. Absolutely. Two-year followers to your audience. Yeah. And that's important to me, you know, I wouldn't want to just hop on and say, hey guys, here's the, yeah, you're not selling orange juice. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. What are some of those companies? I mean, can you talk about any of them? Absolutely. Yeah. So I would say the biggest one that I was really thrilled to be working with was Northrop Grumman, actually. So they are a aerospace engineering company that helped develop the new telescope that just went up in the space, the James Webb Space Telescope. It's already producing amazing images. Crazy images, right? So yeah. So they help develop the sun-shield on that telescope. So it's this huge tennis court-sized unraveling shield that just basically shields it from the rays of the sun for both heat purposes and to not, you know, mess up their images anyway, right? That's a pretty significant solar flare. Exactly. So yeah, no, that was amazing. So I got to work with Northrop Grumman on that stuff. And so they just basically, you know, had me promote the telescope a little bit, you know. I think the word was that, you know, we just need a bit more awareness of the fact that Northrop had a hand in this. And so I was happy to do that. And yeah, I mean, talk about an advertisement that just falls right in line with my original content anyways, you know. So it's like, absolutely. Did they come to you or are you at a point where you've got an agent for some of those kinds of things? No, yeah. So I don't have an agent quite yet. I mean, I've looked into that. But no, they actually, they came to me, you know, and typically how it goes is that you're approached by like a marketing agency that has the company as their client. And so they'll reach out to you and be like, "Hey, we'd like to connect you with this company." And here's the details. If you'd like to do this, then reach out and, you know, so. Does that happen like all the time for you at this point? Are you saying no to a lot of things? Yeah, I mean, here and there, you know, just things that, yeah, one, just don't fall in line with what I do. And two, you know, I do try to be careful about not becoming this creator that's just constantly advertising, you know. So I'll do maybe one a month, you know. And so yeah, I've turned down a few at this point. I would say that I get offers maybe like once or twice a month at this point. Yeah, so. And then I know you've also created, you know, some merchandise for your followers, you've got t-shirts and stuff like that. Is that a pretty common way for creators to start to draw some income, I guess, from their audience? Yeah, I would say so. You know, I think it's one of the first steps is just, hey, maybe I can make a little merch that people would enjoy. I mean, t-shirts are pretty easy. Yeah, exactly, wear some. Exactly, right? So yeah, that's something I decided to do as well. People seem to really enjoy them. Yeah, because, you know, if they're really liking your creator and what they stand for, it's like, yeah, they want to wrap this stuff. So yeah, I think it's a first kind of logical step as to, all right, how can I sort of make some products with this, you know? So. I wonder if given the, number one, given the popularity of your TikTok channel and also you've expanded, you know, into Instagram and you've got an audience, you're teaching, you know, these concepts of physics and astronomy and all those things. And you're still in college, which I think is super cool. I wonder if anybody's like, who's this guy to do this stuff when he hasn't even gotten his degree yet? I mean, does that ever like feel like it holds you back or does anybody care about that or is it? Well, totally, you know, this is something I think about a lot, you know, because it is one of these things, it's, you know, you face them yourself, you know, or I do, right? So it's just about like, you know, am I even worthy of giving this information out? I haven't even got a degree yet. So I think about that a lot. I mean, I say that as somebody who's written a lot of books about subjects that I don't have an education in, you know, I'm a good researcher, I'm a good learner, but like I don't have the paper to back it up sometimes. And I think that's the case for a lot of people who are good at teaching, yeah, who have a mastery of a subject, but maybe don't yet have the official stamp of approval. For sure. Yeah. And you know, actually, so a great insight on this that I really live by right now, there's actually a book and I guess I could just say it. So there's a guy, have you ever heard of Austin Cleon? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So he's wrote a few books. So what is it? Artists, and show your work and stuff like that, right? So yeah. So we had one piece of advice that really hit home for me on this. And it's really silenced that critic in my head that says that I'm not worthy of doing this yet. And it's really just, you know, the student actually has an advantage when it comes to teaching things in that they are pretty fresh in understanding the material that they've learned, right? And so they understand what it's like not to know, you know, in conveying this information to other people, you know, they can come from this place of understanding of, you know, of empathy, of here's the ways that helped me understand this, whereas I think a deep expert in the field can kind of forget what it's like not to know, right? You know, and so that's really, I think there's an advantage to being still fresh in the process yourself. Obviously, it's important that you understand what you're talking about, right? Like that you gain some sort of awareness and mastery of the things you're going to be teaching, but I don't think it's any reason not to to teach. I think everybody's had those teachers who are so smart in terms of the subject matter that they can't really communicate it very well, because they can't put themselves into the minds of those people who don't know it yet. Absolutely. That's a really good point. Yeah. As you look at not just your online work, but also your, you know, your education, your senior now, what's the future look like for you? I'm open to the journey right now, you know, the goal has always been to go to grad school eventually get like a PhD, right? But, you know, in terms of where the path may lead, you know, to mean in terms of maybe it's not a straight shot, you know, maybe there's another gap here. Yeah, exactly right. So maybe it's a bit of a winding road, you know, we kind of do some more exploration because yeah, like now that I have this audience and I'm starting to gain a little traction on social platforms and whatnot. Yeah, you know, it's something worth exploring in terms of what could I do with this? You know, where could I go here? Because it's always been my ultimate goal, you know, to be some sort of public educator, you know, so yeah, like I would say that I'm not really married to a particular path, you know, let's say. You haven't you haven't enrolled in any grad schools or not yet? No, not yet. There's always a sense and I've had conversation. with some influencers about social media because it does go in these cycles. And all of a sudden TikTok is everywhere. Everybody's on TikTok. And then like next year people could hate TikTok. - Yeah, yeah. - How do you feel about having established a platform and then knowing that society changes so quickly? So how do you think about that? - Yeah, you know, I think it's important to diversify for sure online, right? Because you can't really be one stop shop on social media because you're right. Like these things do fluctuate. They come in and out, you know, who knows where TikTok's gonna be in a year or two. That's also the reason why you're not just gung-ho reckless about throwing everything out the window and focusing on this. - Yeah, like I do think about that a lot. And I think in terms of your online presence itself, it's important to diversify across platforms. So it's like, hey guys, go over here too. Just make sure you're well-established everywhere. And so that's something I'm looking to work on. Yeah. - There's also a lot of conversation about creators and the need to constantly be online, to constantly be producing. - Yeah. - That there's a real danger of burnout. You know, whether it's psychological burnout, just running out of time, your content starts to fade because you know, you're trying to finish school. You're also trying to do this. Like is that something that maybe you're intentional about that you try to create some limits or set some boundaries or? - Absolutely. This is actually pretty like, this is a big thing in my life right now, is I think this last year has been pretty transitionary. And I think, you know, honestly, it's been kind of a maturation process for me because yeah, like I've always been this personality gung-ho, let's load the world on my shoulders and pick it up, you know what I mean? I'm young, I've got energy, I can handle it. - Exactly. And I actually did face a lot of burnout, you know, not through social media, but actually through school. You know, that was part of the reason why I had to take that little bit of time off was, I was doing so much at once, just all at the same time, you know? And so I got to this point where that was the first time I experienced burnout in actuality. You know, we think we've experienced burnout before, but that was the first time where it's like, whoa, this is crazy. It's affecting my physicality, it's affecting my, you know, mental health. So yeah, like definitely, it's come to this point where it's like, all right, we don't have to churn out so much, let's be, let's take a measured approach to life, you know, in terms of school, work, social media, you know, your creative life. So yeah, definitely taking just a moderate approach to everything, so. - How does the faculty at WT feel about, you know, your science channels online? Are they aware of everything that you're doing? Like does that come into conversation? - Not a whole lot. I mean, I've talked to some of my physics professors about it and they think it's pretty amazing. They think it's cool. - They're probably jealous, the same thing. - Yeah, so yeah, I mean, that's what I mean, I encourage everyone to do some sort of platform, you know, and make some content, but not everyone's into that type of stuff, but no, they think it's really cool, you know? I don't know if they understand it too much, you know, 'cause it's just, yeah, like, I didn't understand TikTok at first. - I mean, I barely do. I've got kids who are better than I do, but. - Okay. - The last thing I wanted to hear from you is, you know, you talked about going to WT, which isn't known as a school for aspiring physics professors or PhDs in astronomy or anything like that. That's not a specialty. - Amarillo, Texas is probably not known as a hotbed of, you know, the space engineering world. - Yeah, yeah. - But you have been able to grow up here, to go to WT on purpose, you're still pursuing that degree, and you've got this outside influence in that world right now, and I wonder if that tells you anything about like where we live, you know, about how the culture has changed, that a kid from Amarillo, you know, who just on a whim bought a telescope, you know, can become the science educator with this online following, is that say something about where we live, maybe? - I don't know, you know, what's cool is that, I think my generation is one of the first in that online resources have really played a role in maybe what direction we take, right? So it's not necessarily just about your geography where you live, right? - You've grown up in that world. - Yeah, for sure, right? So even though I've been here where it's not necessarily something where anyone's doing or is enthusiastic about, I was heavily influenced by some online careers that I enjoyed, you know? And so, yeah, like maybe it's a bit of doing this stuff in spite of where I am, you know? But I think that the web has made it so that, you know, that's possible for a lot of different kids who don't necessarily fit in with where they are. - This episode of Amarillo is supported by Texas Tech Physicians of Stetrics and Gynecology, which has just brought its expert-driven care to Canyon. This brand new clinic right across fourth from the first United Bank Center at WT includes six comfortable patient rooms and provides care for patients in all stages of life. Services include annual checkups, minipause management, contraceptive counseling, prenatal care, and a lot more, all from the most experienced obstetric and gynecologic specialists in the region. So 806-414-9944 to schedule your appointment today. That's 806-414-9944. Amarillo is also supported this week by Lazy Boy Home furnishings here in Amarillo. Now, you probably know Lazy Boy is a national brand, but its Amarillo store is independently owned and operated by the Hawkins family and they live here in town. Almost everything they sell is American made and they offer a lot more than just recliners. Amarillo's locally owned Lazy Boy Home furnishings has a ton of products and stock right now and they're ready to take home or deliver today. Go visit the showroom at 3636-sons. Okay, and back with Evan Guerrero. Evan, this is the part of the show I call Eight Straight. Eight Straight, a sponsor every week by Panhandle Plains Historical Museum in Canyon on the WT campus. I presume you know about it and have seen it. It's the largest history museum in Texas and its fossil collection includes the skulls of giant dogs known as bone crushing dogs because they had blade like teeth for cutting flesh, which is fairly terrifying. The first North American fossil of these ancient apex predators was found actually here in Randall County. You can see those skulls. You can learn more at panhandleplains.org. Okay, so you've grown up here, you attend school here. When you think of the Amarillo Canyon area 10 years from now, what do you hope for? - I think I just hope for continued improvement on the area. Like I think that Amarillo and Canyon have been continuing to grow in the businesses that are popping up, the entertainment resources that we're getting now in terms of places like synergy and all this different stuff, right? So that's what I would say. I just hope for continued improvement. Like I think we're headed in the right direction. I think Amarillo is growing. That's what I hope for. - Okay, other than wind, what does this area have too much of? - Yeah, so I would say maybe just, yeah, like things like the weather, right? Like as a personal trainer, I hear it a lot from my clients is just a, the weather's changing all the time. My allergies are acting up this and that, due to just environmental factors. So I would say that, just probably the sudden change in weather, the really hot, the really cold stuff like that, so. - And that's also something that draws people to this area. It is unpredictable. It's not 70 degrees in sunny every day. - Yeah, it feels great but can get boring, I guess. - Yeah, for sure. - What does this area not have enough of? - Going back to the previous example, we're growing right now, right? But I would say yes, stuff like different outlets of entertainment, things to do, stuff like that, right? So I would even say selfishly like even more like cafes or like coffee shops or stuff like that, things to places to study at, to hang out at. - And we've had more of those in the past few years than ever before. - Yeah. - And it still feels like it's not always enough. - Yeah. - It's full, right? - Yeah, for sure. - How do you describe Emerlo or Canyon to people outside this area? - I just say that it's a great town. It's just a manageable place. The roads aren't too crazy a lot of the time. I think people are starting to complain, maybe nowadays about the traffic sometimes. But I think it's good. I was very grateful to grow up here too. I think it's a great place for a family, raising a family and all that stuff. So it's a great town, you know? - What's your favorite local neighborhood? - Probably just the one I grew up on, you know, client by a Lamar Elementary School. - Okay. - Yeah, it's just, I don't know. It's just nostalgic, you know? - It's a quiet, you know, fairly older neighborhood. Kind of a working class area, smaller homes. And yeah, I grew up with friends around there and my mom taught at that school for a long time. - Oh, that area well. - What's your favorite local restaurant? - Well, I don't know if it's totally local to Emeryllo. I think it might have popped up here, but I'm a pretty simple guy in terms of like restaurants that I like. So it's all about just like a good steak for me, you know? So I would probably say like Hofbrow would be my favorite place, you know? - Hofbrow is locally owned. - Okay, amazing. - There are Hofbrow restaurants elsewhere in the state, but I think it all started from here. - Oh, that's amazing, okay. - It's a great option. What's your favorite local coffee shop? Definitely proud. Alice Coffee. Okay. Yeah, palace coffee. And my favorite one is the one on Georgia. I think the newer one. Okay. Yeah, it's a great spot. Just amazing. It's great for, you know, parking. It's nice and spacey. You can always find a good spot to sit down, study, chill. It's great. You said that most of your classes are online now. Are you actually on campus very often? I go up there here and there. Yeah, just to kind of talk to some professors or whatnot, but yeah, like mostly I can just go wherever I want. So you're going to college from palace. Yeah, exactly, exactly. All right. And when was the last time you visited Paladur Canyon? Probably about like four months ago. I got a Paladurra a lot. Yeah. So like I mentioned previously, I'm a big national park guy. So I've been, you know, it's the closest one here, you know, in state park. So yeah, I've been to Paladurra many, many times. So that concludes the eight straight questions I like to close by asking my guests to endorse something. So what's one thing that you would like listeners to know about or to experience? Well, what I would say is as a, as a personal trainer, right? I, I see great improvements in people's state of mind when they're moving around exercising. And I think there's a lot of great local gyms here in Emarillo, such as the one I work out, which is Verger fitness. It's a beautiful gym. There's contagion athletics that just popped up, stuff like that. So I would just say, you know, visit a visit a gym here. If you're not already moving around and being active, I think these last few years have been pretty hard on people's psyches for different reasons, right? So that's what I would endorse, you know, try to pick up an exercise routine and maybe do it at a local place here. Tell me about the value of using a personal trainer. There's an intimidation factor for a lot of people. You go into a gym. There's all this gleaming equipment and yeah, people with all these muscles and it's hard to know where to start. Is that, is that where sometimes you come in for clients? For sure. You know, I think it starts out maybe as this idea of I don't know enough. Can you teach me how to work out and do these things properly. But I think the ultimate value of training for most people is, yeah, it's just about the relationship built with the trainer. Because a lot of people aren't intimidated by the gym environment, you know, they they're not comfortable being there. They don't feel like they're maybe, you know, fit in or whatnot. And so what a trainer can really do for people. And I would say the vast majority of my clients have stuck with me for so long, just because yeah, it's just one of those things, you know, let me guide you through here. So it takes that weight off your shoulders, you know, like you don't have to worry about not knowing what you're doing, feeling, you know, a certain way, you know, just let me let me take care of this for you and guide you through the process. So. Okay, Evan Guerrero, thank you so much for being on the podcast. My pleasure, Jason. Thank you for having me. And that concludes the episode. I want to say thanks to Evan for the interview. You can learn more about him at event horizon.com. That's Evan T. Horizon. And be sure to follow him on TikTok and Instagram at Event Horizon. Thanks to sponsors, the Texas Tech Physicians obstetrics and gynecology, SKP creative, who reminds you to vote lazy boy home furnishings and panhandle planes historical museum for sponsoring the show. Thanks also to Angelina Marie for editing this episode. This podcast exists on a weekly basis because people listen to it. And if you're one of those people who listens to it, I appreciate it. I'd also appreciate it. If you want to go write it and review it on the podcast listening app of your choice. That helps people find the show. Also, I want to say thanks to the local people who support the show financially through patreon.com/hameralo. Hameralos executive producers include Jess Heredia, Corey Burns, Katie Linger, Jason Burr, Josh Wood, Wilson Lemieux, Patrick Burns, Wes Reeves, and Barbara and Jim Witten. This has been episode 271. My name is Jason Boyette. And I'll see you next week. [Music]