One Story Can Change Your Life
One good story can change your life.
Take Bert Kreischer.
In college, he was just another party animal, coasting through classes at Florida State University.
Until one trip to Russia made him “The Machine.”
And that story turned him into a world-famous comedian.
Here’s how:
🧵👇
Bert accidentally ended up in a Russian language class to fulfill a foreign language credit.
He wasn’t a great student. Barely tried. But he stuck with it because the professor didn’t push him too hard.
Eventually, the class organized a trip to Russia.
Bert went.
The trip was supposed to be about “immersing in the culture.”
Instead, Bert made friends with two chaperones who just so happened to be connected to the Russian mafia…😳
One night, they were drinking vodka together.
They asked his name.
Bert panicked.
He didn’t know how to say his name in Russian.
So, he blurted out the only phrase he had learned:
“Я машина.”
(Ya mashina = “I am the machine.”)
The mobsters laughed. They loved it.
From then on, they called him The Machine.
Later on, Bert and his classmates took a train across Russia.
The mafia dudes invited Bert to party in their private car. (Of course he agreed)
That’s when they dropped a bombshell:
They were planning to rob everyone on the train.
And they wanted “The Machine” to help.
Drunk and caught up in the heat of the moment, Bert agreed.
He walked through the train with the mobsters as they robbed passengers.
When people asked who he was, the mobsters introduced him with pride:
“This is The Machine!”
Even his own classmates weren’t spared.
One girl, horrified, asked:
“Bert, are you robbing us?”
He grinned and said:
“Yes. I AM THE MACHINE.”
The heist ended without much trouble. The mobsters treated Bert like family.
He went home with the wildest story of his life.
Years later, Bert started telling The Machine story on stage as a comedian.
It went viral.
Millions of views.
It became the story that defined his career.
And in 2023, it was turned into a movie starring Bert himself.
One good story.
That’s all it took to turn Bert Kreischer from an unknown college kid into a household name.
His secret?
He didn’t just tell the story. He made it his BRAND.
And audiences connected with it.
Your story is your most powerful tool.
Tell it. Share it. Let people connect with it.
Because you never know…
It might just be the key to building your audience, your brand, or even your career.
What’s your “Machine” moment?
In my tweets and newsletter, I share my story of starting, buying and growing businesses as a full time cop, husband and father of 3.
Follow along.
