098: Dancing With The Stars, Pride Without Ego, And Earning Greatness - with Valentin Chmerkovskiy

Summary: On this episode of Bucci Radio, we welcome with two time Dancing With The Stars champion, Val Chmerkovskiy! He's not only known for his massive success in the world of competitive dance, but also for his philanthropic work with Children's Hospital and building two schools with Pencils of Promise, which is also how we met. Val is a new dog parent, and we have his puppy here! He also wrote a book that is being published today! We had a long car ride together down in Guatemala and we talked a lot about life and experiences, so I'm very excited to share this interview with you! IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT:  Val's big move to America Adult mentality Val's first job as a 12 year old Reaping what you sow Earning and giving back Val's family opening their first dance studio Going from being the "weird" kid, to being the "cool" kid The ego Fame Parental responsibility Social media controversy Entertainment They way you treat people Gratitude and responsibility Val's brand new book Immigration Patriotism IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ASKED: 2:25 How old are you now? 3:36 What types of advantages and disadvantages did growing up in the Ukraine and moving to New York when you were 8 give you? 8:10 As you're talking about responsibility and accountability, as a 10 year old, how were you acting as a kid when your parents made sacrifices to allow you to take dance lessons? 11:35 How much older is your brother? 15:40 How did you get to that level of champion competition ballroom dancer to getting on Dancing With The Stars? 16:00 What did you think was going to be your profession? 23:43 How did you get on the show, what have been some of your favorite parts and what have been some struggles? 27:21 How come your brother decided to do the show before you said yes? 30:25 What's been your overarching positive of the experience, and how has it held you back in terms of moving forward? 34:07 Can you tell us about why you got sued over a meme you posted on Instagram? 45:12 Where do you think your passion for helping people came from and what is your mission moving forward? 49:55 Your book, "I'll Never Change My Name," what is the main thing you want to pass forward and teach people? 52:26 What are you most excited about this year?