#108 | Pooch & Tom DeGiuli |

Ever wondered how accurate nutritional labels really are or the hidden dangers in everyday products? This episode kicks off with a bold revelation about the FDA's regulations, exposing how nutritional labels can be misleading by as much as 20%. We also uncover the toxic substances lurking in items we use daily, from aluminum foil to talcum powder, and share a hilarious story about a friend's quirky habit at a wedding to lighten the mood.

Join us as we share our marathon training experiences and the role of gadgets like the Garmin Phoenix in optimizing recovery. Hear our firsthand accounts of the camaraderie at major marathons, from New York to Chicago, and our exciting plans for the Marine Corps Marathon in DC. We also delve into the mental grit required for qualifying and running in international marathons like Tokyo and Berlin. Our fitness journey takes an inspirational turn as we talk about overcoming gym intimidation, discovering CrossFit, and the resilience needed for continuous improvement.

Balancing the entrepreneurial grind with personal life gets real as we navigate the challenges of running a gym in high-cost cities, the emotional toll of financial struggles, and the support systems that help us through tough times. Personal stories of family loss, financial hardships, and the therapeutic power of intense physical training underscore the essence of brotherhood and collective support. This episode is a heartfelt testament to facing adversity head-on and finding strength through life’s challenges.

https://www.instagram.com/john_pooch/
https://www.instagram.com/tomdegiuli/

Transcript

FDA Regulations and Nutritional Labels

Speaker 3 0:00

the fda approved yeah yeah, fda regulated yeah I think labels are allowed to be what like 70 wrong. Is that? Like a thing? It's like something. Oh it's crazy.

Speaker 1 0:18

I don't know why I'm buying organic. Hold on, yeah, right, what would you even say that? What person? What margin of error? Can nutritional labels be incorrect? What margin of error? The nutritional labels be incorrect? Oh my god. 20 inaccurate. Okay, you said 70. Yeah, I knew it was something crazy.

Speaker 3 0:43

20 silk yeah, but I 20 is still. Oh my God, I think 20 is still pretty wild.

Speaker 1 0:48

No, that's insane. That's insane According to the FDA. According to the FDA, nutrition labels can be inaccurate by up to 20%. This means that the amount of calories, carbs or sugars listed on a label could be up to 20% more than what's actually in the food.

Speaker 2 1:02

So they just need cocaine into our stuff and we would never know.

Speaker 1 1:05

I don't think that's what they were getting at. I think they were just saying it might be five extra grams of carbs, not Pablo version.

Speaker 3 1:16

Oh my God, we got what? Five more years. It'll be at 30%.

Speaker 1 1:21

Oh, you think you're giving them five years for 30?. I'm giving them five years for 30?. I'm giving them five years for 60. I'm going right back to where you were at 70%.

Speaker 1 1:28

True, it's ridiculous, man. You think you're doing well, you think you're, I don't know. New studies every other day it seems like it comes out that there's just another ingredient that we've been consuming that is horrific for us and it's not even like even even on a consumption level. That's one thing, but even I think there were reports of uh, of aluminum foil, being horrific for you. Now too, that that had cancer causing. Ingredients like bro, what, at the end of the day? What? What can I use? Bro? That's not trying to kill me, yeah no can we?

Speaker 1 2:01

is it so much to ask for something that's manufactured, that isn't trying to actually decease me?

Speaker 3 2:07

I mean even deodorant now, Isn't?

Speaker 1 2:10

the whole point to have repeat customers.

Speaker 2 2:13

It's everything.

Speaker 1 2:13

You're killing your customers.

Speaker 2 2:14

It's the towels you use, the soap, oh yeah, it's everything.

Speaker 1 2:19

It's the underwear that we're wearing, the microplastics that are in our balls? That is crazy. The microplastics that are in our balls.

Speaker 3 2:25

it's you know that is crazy the microplastics that are in our nutsack. Yeah, it's insane. That's it. We're not wearing any underwear.

Speaker 2 2:30

I can't not wear okay so okay, okay, here we go. We're gonna go on commando, we're going in.

Speaker 1 2:34

We're going in real quick. My buddy sam, shout out sam, he's been on the podcast before. We were at the wedding, my buddy's wedding in north carolina. We're at the wedding, the wedding, the wedding.

Speaker 1 2:43

Mr Orlando, mr and Mrs Orlando, and basically he I forget how we got on topic, but he said that he doesn't ever wear underwear. And my, you know when your brain just short circuits, like I was in the middle of talking and doing something else but you hear something in the background and I just went wait a minute, you don't ever wear underwear. And he just goes no, no, you're not wearing underwear right now in these suit pants, oh god. He goes no, uh, thick linen like that. No, no underwear.

Speaker 1 3:12

I go, don't you chafe? He's like I use a lot of powder and baby ball cream. And I go is that even worse? I feel as though it's even worse. I feel as though that's just gonna make a sloshy mess of everything down there. And yo, he wound up sweating through the suit pants, through the back too, a little bit, because it was a 104 degree ceremony outside in South Carolina technically at the time, but yeah, north Carolina, whatever. But anyway, 104 degree ceremony outside, sweating. I was sweating through the suit out of my back. I'm like, bro, you're nuts, you're nuts are on fire like you're nuts dog, you're nuts are on fire.

Speaker 1 3:50

I know they are. There's no way that you're not going to sweat through the suit pants, and he did sweat through his pants but also putting all those, the, the cream or the powder.

Speaker 2 3:58

That's even worse than wearing, you know, the underwear. All the chemicals, all the shit in the powder.

Speaker 1 4:03

Oh yeah, what was it? It's even worse. What was the chemicals that were found in? Was it talc powder?

Speaker 2 4:09

I think it was talc powder, talcum powder, yeah. I don't know Talcum powder.

Speaker 1 4:13

Yeah, I think that's what it was Really hitting this.

Speaker 3 4:16

This is a whole different animal right now Talking about nuts.

Speaker 1 4:26

Also known as talc, is made from a naturally occurring mineral that's composed of magnesium, silicon, oxygen and hydrogen. Yeah, but like get to the stuff that's actually killing us?

Speaker 1 4:31

Yeah right, because there's something else in there. It ain't just that. Let's be honest for a second. I remember watching a documentary on Netflix about it. It was the same documentary, if anybody remembers. They were talking about gel manicures and how horrible the chemicals are on the gel manicures, that the uh nail technicians were getting sick and getting cancer and fucking dying from that shit. That's scary shit, bro.

Speaker 3 4:54

It's it's, it's insane. Walking into a salon is just nauseating, oh, it's nauseating I can't, I can't go in there no, I go in there.

Speaker 1 5:01

I get the dogs done, I get the hands done, we got the the prettiest feet on the on the east coast for like a day and then they just get fucked up again and then that's it. That's. That's. That's the longest I'm in a nail salon. Yeah, I love those calf massages. Pooch, I could use one, right pooch? Don't listen, man. Don't tempt me with going to get ramen after this and going to get a pedicure, because I will fucking do it.

Speaker 1 5:21

I will have you ever gotten a pedicure? Because I will fucking do it. Have you ever gotten a pedicure? Okay, I'm just making sure I have too.

Speaker 3 5:28

I figured yeah, I mean, it feels good.

Speaker 2 5:30

Which needs all the calf massages in the world?

Speaker 1 5:33

He does. He needs all the TLC in the world. There's a couple of reflexology spots in town that I'm so tempted to just go to on a Friday night, just like hit my calves for an hour. Just hit my calves for an hour. Just grab the dogs and just twist them. I just need something.

Speaker 3 5:51

If there was ever a day I needed a calf massage, it was right now.

Speaker 1 5:53

Is it because of the work that you put in yesterday or the work that you put in today?

Speaker 3 5:55

Yes, absolutely yesterday.

Speaker 1 5:56

Because I saw them squash this morning.

Speaker 2 6:00

That looked brutal Duffel.

Speaker 1 6:01

O'Barr.

Speaker 2 6:05

Duffel O duffel, I finally got it. Yeah, it was good. It felt good, felt good on the shoulders, felt good on the come down and on the way up. But pooch did a lot of plyos yesterday so that his calves with chris right yeah yeah, a lot of work.

Speaker 3 6:13

I'm never doing that, so I mean jumping into that literally no pun intended, was just a whole different animal for me. But it felt good, like it was a great workout. I loved it. It was just like I was not expecting to feel the way that I felt this morning. And then tom is like no, you know nothing against you, this motherfucker. He starts saying we're gonna do what was it? Box step ups. And I was like this guy was watching this video yesterday. He knows I did these yesterday, but I gotta do it anyway. So I mean 15 each leg, so it's going to be four rounds. And then he's like we're squatting today and I'm like, oh, just take the gun right to me.

Speaker 2 6:51

Hey, I deloped it and I benched it. I'm like all right, this just falls on squatting.

Speaker 1 6:56

A hundred percent, no no no, I got to do it. Tom was sitting at home. He always does when he's writing, when he's about to write the program for the day, he's sitting there with his whiteboard and he's just like he's watching social media. He's watching Instagram. He just sees Pooch come up doing all the different plyos and everything that he did yesterday. He just goes. How can I make Pooch look really bad?

Speaker 3 7:14

A hundred percent. I know exactly what we're going to do. One hundred percent.

Speaker 2 7:20

Listen, I could write a 20-round fucking box squat workout. Pooch will do it, he'll do it and he'll go run. He will go run. I don't know how he does it. That is the basis of what we're going to get into today, because I've been training with Pooch for three no.

Speaker 3 7:37

I think it was like two and a half years.

Speaker 2 7:38

Two and a half years now, and I don't know how he does it. It's very admirable. Like he'll train with me, like the shit that I fucking do, and then he'll go run. I can't, like I I think I could do it, but mentally I'm just baked after all my sessions and for the rest of the day I don't want to do shit. But I'm also running the gym, so I guess like that kind of plays into it too. But you know, he's a gym teacher in the bronx. He drives fucking you know two, probably two, three hours a day in traffic and he'll train with me and then he'll go run and he'll do his thing. So that's, that's. It's incredible.

Speaker 3 8:12

I don't know how he does it, so you know just kind of molded into it like it's the same thing every single day. I don't even think about it like that anymore. Um, but also this guy's put I'm not so, like you know, go compliment for compliment here, but like this guy's also put this guy's also putting up like five, six plates on the landmine I'm doing too, and I'm looking at him like how the fuck is he doing this shit? I've never seen some of the stuff, like I mean, I've been around some incredibly strong athletes, this guy, I've never seen the power that he puts out every day. I mean, I know we've talked about on here, you've talked about it in the past, but like he is putting up weight that I have never even seen before. It's really, really remarkable so you gotta.

Speaker 1 8:58

I literally show your page to people. I just go, he's a fucking, he's a psycho. I go, I literally say openly like I'm just like he is a nut job, you got to come train. I go, you gotta. You gotta come try it out. You have to just come hang out and just see in person, because you know, when you're around that type of training and you're around that type of environment, it's not necessarily that you want to compete with it, but you want to match it and you want to. You want to make that person that is doing better than you in that like you want to make them proud to say that you're progressing in a similar fashion.

Speaker 3 9:28

Yeah, yeah and yeah. No, I'm sorry, tom.

Speaker 3 9:30

All right, go right ahead, you're good. I mean, people watch the Instagram, they watch the stories, they watch like and I get it Like you could for anyone the everyday Instagram person they're looking through. They're like, all right, it's the same thing over and over again, but like, when you're there and you're watching someone do this every single day, putting in the work every single day, it's just like mind, like you got to give the guy some credit here, man, it's like it's really really remarkable what he does. So I mean, like I know I do what I do is crazy. Like definitely, I run five days a week. Right now I'm marathon training and I'm going to him five days a week. Right now I'm marathon training and I'm going to him five days a week. I don't know when I'm really resting, to be honest with you, but I mean there are days.

Marathon Training and Fitness Journey

Speaker 1 10:09

I hate to interrupt. Do you wear a whoop or activity?

Speaker 3 10:12

I do. Yeah, I wear the Garmin. I have a Phoenix.

Speaker 1 10:14

What is your recovery like? What does it say?

Speaker 3 10:17

Right now I'm actually really, really good. Only because I'm off right now. I'm a school teacher so I get that extra hour of sleep and then, like midday, I'll take that hour nap about like around like one, two o'clock. So it's actually not terrible from September to June. You know it's not the greatest, not going to lie, but get through it and it's going to be a little bit different in the fall. I'm not going to be doing what I'm doing currently. Right now it's going to be so difficult to run, whatever it is, say six miles and go to Tom, because it's just, with time it's going to be very, very tough. But we'll see what happens.

Speaker 1 10:51

And you said your marathon training for the New York marathon.

Speaker 3 10:54

Not New York. I'm doing the Marine Corps marathon, which is going to be in October. It's in DC. Oh, that's cool. I did New York. What was it two years ago? That was brutal, a lot of fun, probably the best experience of my life. But yeah, we're just trying to do other ones right now. Did Chicago, now we're doing Marine Corps.

Speaker 1 11:12

And what made you land on it? Just you saw, was there like something that you saw in passing that you said that'd be like a fun marathon, because there's so many yeah, no, how many marathons there are. There are so many that are advertised, so sometimes to find like really cool ones, you know through the thick of it.

Speaker 3 11:27

Yeah. So the majors, there's six of them it's New York, there's Boston, there's Chicago, and then the international are Tokyo, Berlin.

Speaker 1 11:36

Oh, Tokyo would be gangster.

Speaker 3 11:38

And London. Yeah, tokyo would be sick, but you gotta like enter them or you have to qualify. And I know Boston I don't know if you guys know it's I believe for my age, which is 33, in August it will be. Yeah, there we go. Virgo season. Come on, baby. Oh, let's go. What day are you 27.

Speaker 1 11:55

Oh, 29. Oh okay.

Speaker 2 11:57

Let's go, let's go. I would have been sick if you austin triff. Yeah, yo this is awesome.

Speaker 1 12:04

We're gonna do it. We're gonna do it. We just gotta pick a weekend yeah, let me know.

Speaker 3 12:07

But, um, I entered berlin, berlin, and I didn't get in same thing with london and I was like I gotta do something. I want to like I've been running a lot, I want to get into something, something different. New york, I want to do new york again. It was just like not the right time for me to do it again, like it was the best thing I think I've ever done, just the atmosphere, I mean. I can go into that for another whole other segment. But like I wanted to do something different, a couple of my buddies they were doing marine corpse and I was like, hey, let's just do it. You know, it's in the fall, it's pretty local and from what I've talked to other people, they said it was an awesome marathon. So why not give it a shot?

Speaker 3 12:44

new york marathon is when usually it's november 5th, 6th, around that time, I feel like I've never heard about it having like pristine weather.

Speaker 1 12:52

I feel like every time I've heard it's like rainy or it's cold or people are like crowding up in the porter potties go home, don't do this, yeah, exactly I had nikki luisi, who was a good friend of mine from rosalind.

Speaker 1 13:05

He used to own rosalind social and rosalind obviously he came through and he talked about his training for it and, um, yeah, he was telling me the that that was like the weather and they were hiding in the porter potties to try to stay warm. And then I heard a similar story from somebody else that went through it and I was like that doesn't sound fun at all, it's not like a good time at all. No, I don't know. I feel like do it in the fall. Do it in the fall, like early fall, so it's warm but not too cool, and or do it in the spring I did it.

Speaker 3 13:35

It wasn't this past, so that was 23. I did it in 2022. It was actually so hot. I think I started. It was like high 60s, which is just miserable, because you know that's our time for the marathon I mean, your start time was like nine ish, for me it was like maybe like nine, nine, 15, and the weather just kept getting hotter and hotter so like when you're at like mile, forget it.

Speaker 3 13:58

Like five to eight, you're like already just drenched and you're cooked, you're cramping up a little bit. I mean, I saw people. It was my first, so I don't know what to expect. I'm just kind of like taking in everything. I'm looking at people I'm, you know, waving to babies, I'm taking bananas from people. I was just like this is like unreal. But like the other thing is like you also mentally got to be like seeing people over here, you, you're like they're crawling right now because they're cramping up. It's like mile 15. You're like, bro, you got another 11 miles to go. You better stay on there. You know what I mean. Like so it sucks.

Speaker 1 14:33

What was that grocery store? Uh, comedy movie, the cartoon where all the all the food starts getting chopped up and they're all freaking out. You know, I'm saying seth rogan was one of the voices for it. Sausage party sausage party.

Speaker 3 14:43

That Sausage party. That's what it was like. That was what it was like. Pooch is looking around after he's waving at the babies oh my God, he's watching everybody start to fall in. It's really, if you guys have never been, I don't know if you ever want to run it Maybe you will one day.

Speaker 1 14:59

But if you got the city I'll go check it out.

Speaker 3 15:01

Yeah, why not?

Speaker 2 15:02

go check it out so, pooch, what your, what is your origin story? I don't think I've ever talked to you about it. What was like the start for fitness, for training? What was like your, your goat, your, your beginning point, wow, loaded question.

Speaker 3 15:21

I'll. I'll give you all it, but it's going to be loaded. You know, when I grew up I was always that short, skinny kid, you know, couldn't put on weight, couldn't gain weight. You know, I belonged to like a Bally's in 10th grade. Didn't know what the hell I was doing. I went with a Bally's.

Speaker 1 15:40

Fitness. It was like a very, I guess, older LA Fitness Pretty much.

Speaker 3 15:48

I think LA Fitness took it over B-A-L-L-Y-S. Is it B-A-L-L-Y-S? I?

Speaker 1 15:54

think. Tom's looking it up.

Speaker 3 15:57

Yeah, I think it's Bally's B-A-L-L-Y-S.

Speaker 2 16:01

Bally's Fitness Okay.

Speaker 1 16:05

Bally's Fitness. Bally's fitness saint augustine bally's gym.

Speaker 2 16:07

What was the heaviest?

Speaker 3 16:07

dumbbells went to what was bally's gym.

Speaker 2 16:08

Daryl and david bally have worked together. Yeah, it's like a. It's like a la fitness, like bodybuilding gym, ish. All right, cool, so bally's. So I went to I never heard of it.

Speaker 3 16:17

I went to bally's. I would literally go there probably like four days a week with a buddy and we would just hit machines, nothing else else had no idea what I was doing. I mean like literally, not like no plan, nothing, just kind of like two high school kids just going in there and just fucking around pretty much. After that I kind of like took like a little I don't know like a little break from it and then how to be around like senior high school. You know you're graduating. You don't know what's going on, you're going, at least for me I was going to nassau community college.

Speaker 3 16:48

So it was like I'm staying home, I want to do something different. Like you know, what can I do? So I was like I kind of want to put on some size, I want to do other things, but what gym can I go to? What direction do I have? At the time I was like I don't know about crossfit yet, I don't about anything else. I was still like such a newbie to everything. But I was at Roosevelt Field Mall one day and there was a desk and there was a guy there and they were selling. I think they were just opening Export Fitness. Do you remember that? Okay?

Speaker 1 17:17

I used to go every now and then.

Speaker 3 17:18

Yeah, so again, it was just me. I was so sold on. They had a pool. I think they even sold me that they had rock climbing, and I've never seen it there.

Speaker 1 17:29

to be honest with you, I think it was at one of the other ones. They had the rock climbing wall. I know they had the basketball courts, which were always packed.

Speaker 3 17:36

Yeah.

Speaker 1 17:36

They had the indoor pools and yeah, it was an interesting gym. I used to go there super late, try to like sneak in, because they wouldn't like let you do day passes after a while or something like that. It was weird. And then when you, I did join at one point and when you joined you had to do that stupid cult shit where you mail in your resignation to cancel, bro, bro, I had to go to the fucking gym. I had to go through that too why do?

Speaker 1 18:00

I gotta write a whole essay on why I want to cancel bro I.

Speaker 3 18:03

I don't want to be here anymore. I'm done. Just click the button. That's it.

Speaker 2 18:06

Yeah, that's how they make their money, of course, because they know I'm not going to do it.

Speaker 1 18:10

I'm just going to forget, or they're going to keep auto-dinging me for how much it was. Anyway, continue.

Speaker 3 18:20

Yeah, no, the basketball courts. I was playing basketball a little bit here and there. Horrific at basketball. I was such a I had.

Speaker 1 18:28

No, no, no, no. I'm the quintessential white kid when I played Short and you're white. Oh yeah, I'm the quintessential white kid when I played basketball. I am horrific. My dad played for St John's. None of that talent came to me, no way, none of that talent came to me, no way, really. Neither did the height my dad's, like six foot six one. None of that height hit. When did your dad play? Oh fuck, when he was in college. Oh man, yeah, a long time ago, maybe the 70s, 80s.

Speaker 3 18:56

I don't even know Shit. Okay, yeah, that's wild.

Discovering CrossFit

Speaker 1 18:59

Yeah, none of that. That. That athleticism trickled down to me. I got all of my, my mother's father, stocky italian, you know, bull short range of motion, but like we're, we're compact, we're tight. Pause, no ditty, no ditty there anyway go ahead.

Speaker 3 19:19

No, like I mean I was like I had confidence. I just didn't believe in myself for the most part At that age, going through whatever it was at the time. But I was so scared. So I signed up for Export Fitness and this is a true story. I can't make this shit up, but I didn't go for the first month because I was so scared to go. I just couldn't get myself to go. Intimidation factor oh, completely, and just like again, like I didn't know what I was doing, like I would go in like to a regular gym and just hey, like the first thing I see, I'm just going to start pulling or pushing, whatever it is. So the first time I went to the gym, I swear to this day it was like one o'clock in the morning, yep one o'clock in the morning it was a 24 hour gym intentionally so most

Speaker 2 20:09

people weren't there, 100 and I remember, uh, I used to train at one two o'clock in the morning, yeah, just because of that reason. Well, kind of, yeah, not for that, I mean a little bit, but I just liked that time because nobody was fucking there, right I didn't have to fucking fight people for a bench or like, hey, give this to me, like you know what I mean. Like trying to fucking, are you done?

Speaker 3 20:28

oh, how many more sets you got left, yeah, but not 100, and that's another thing I didn't want to deal with. It was like, yeah, I mean not that I knew what I was doing, but like it was an intimidation factor for me, like again like I had no plan, nothing in my mind. But I remember, like you know, it was like again, like one o'clock in the morning, my dad was like sitting in his office, whatever, and he's like where the fuck are you going right now? I was like I'm going to the gym. He's like now you're going now. I was like, yeah, I want to. You know, try it out. I just signed up for this gym a month ago.

Speaker 3 20:55

So I went in there and again it was like there was people in there, like surprisingly. I was like, oh wow, there's like about like 10, 15, 15 people, but like it was nice and I kind of got into a groove that way. You know, I went maybe three days a week just at night, not at one o'clock in the morning. Every time I went like 11 o'clock, 10 o'clock, whatever it was at night, um, and then from there I had a couple of friends, they joined me and I was like, okay, like now I got a crew, I have a little bit more confidence. I kind of know what I'm doing, you know, by just looking on the internet, going on bodybuildingcom, whatever the forums, and like just seeing, like, what beginners do. It wasn't even like going to like jay cutler's you know routine of what he does, because I was not even near anything like that, obviously.

Speaker 1 21:39

But I was around all those fuckers man I believe it.

Speaker 3 21:41

I know I see your work I was around all those fuckers.

Speaker 1 21:43

Man, it was so crazy to be. Step into an environment where the dudes that are in the magazines are just like lifting next to you and you're just like, uh, okay yeah, yeah, it's, it's wild man.

Speaker 3 21:55

It really really is those guys, that man that you shot or you've been around. It's, it's crazy.

Speaker 1 21:59

I do I'm derailing your story I I I'm sorry it's not at all.

Speaker 3 22:03

When you're saying that, I'm just thinking about it.

Speaker 1 22:04

I'm just like man. It was so crazy being next to these guys and just seeing the size of these humans. And these dudes come in from all over the world and you're looking and you're just like okay, it's crazy.

Speaker 3 22:17

Yeah, no, it was nuts.

Speaker 1 22:19

I'll dive into my story, my first gym story after you're done.

Speaker 3 22:31

Yeah, into my story, my first gym story after you're done yeah, of course I'm almost done, but that was uh, there's no time limit, just hit no. But that was like how, for at least the global gym type life, um, I was going real consistent. I would say like that was around like 2009, I want to say fall of 09. Again, I was a freshman in college. I was there for about a year. I ended up getting mono and that kind of just shut me down completely. I mean, I got mono, what was it? It was June, like middle of June, and I was sick all summer. I mean, I was in bed every single day.

Speaker 1 22:56

Who do you swap and spit?

Speaker 3 22:56

with oh bro.

Speaker 2 22:59

That's how you get it right. That was a time I'm like thinking I'm like is that? I'm like, wait, don't you get it?

Speaker 3 23:06

Well, think what are you? Stopping to spit with 18, 19-year-old kid he was having some fun.

Speaker 1 23:13

Now we just found out one of the sins. Let's go, we're on a roll Only water comes closer.

Speaker 3 23:18

I got a lot of sins. Man, I got a lot of sins, we all do. But, um, yeah, we do, we all do. But that was kind of like I went there and then it was all right, like I'm getting bored of this. Just for me personally and it's not an attack on global I think it's awesome, like, once in a while, whatever you want to go, do what you got to do, as long as you're doing something right, yeah, um, but for me it was just like I need something like new to try. I want to try something. And that's how I really got into CrossFit From there. At the time, around that same time, I should say, I was also working at a pizzeria in Wontore on.

Speaker 3 23:55

Merrick Road and it was called. It's not there anymore. It was Maranello's Pizzeria. If you know where Wontore Park is, causeway Deli, like over there, like it's right there.

Speaker 1 24:05

Gotcha.

Speaker 3 24:06

And one day I remember, like going to my shift, I was making a U-turn and three doors down from the pizzeria I was working at, there was a CrossFit place that was like just opening, and at the time I was like 20 years old, 19, something like that. And I was like, oh, like this is like something here. This is like a sign like I, like I'll check it out, like we'll see what's going on there. So I went to work. I told my boss I was like hey, like if you don't mind, like if I leave like 15 minutes early, I just want to walk down the block and see they're like go, do you gotta do have a nice day. I went in there, I met with one of the owners and there was like two people working out. I'm just watching these people like go nuts. I was like, oh my God, like this is crazy. I see like Just move weight, like. And now you got to like understand, like this is 2000, like 11, 12, like around that range, and like I've never seen anything like that. So like-.

Speaker 2 24:59

That's when it was like blowing up, like yeah.

Speaker 3 25:01

Yeah.

Speaker 1 25:05

It was like like the I would say like the come up. Yeah, exactly, I had done it once in connecticut when I was up at college. There was a crossfit spot down there and I, just when I was in my fitness era, and I was just like you know, let me give it a shot, and I give it a shot, and I was fucking gassed I've never done like a crossfit workout before.

Speaker 1 25:17

Yes, it was tough. It was tough for what it was. I mean, I wasn't used to training that way, so it was tough right and no one was like, especially for your first time.

Speaker 3 25:23

No one is obviously used to doing that, but when you're at the time when I was going there, I'm thinking a gym, like if you were to like just picture a gym in your head that you're thinking like you know, free weights, the machines, whatever. You're going in there and there's like nothing in there.

Speaker 1 25:39

It's just yeah, the racks around the edges, it's like a whole open floor plan. So I'm just like exactly.

Speaker 3 25:45

I'm looking, I see the rig, like you said, I saw rings and I'm like all right, like where is everything? I'm talking to the owner. He's like this is it? And, like you know, kind of gave me like the cliche, like you are the machine, like you are the one that's putting in the work and all that, and I was like, wow, okay, and like he's showing me like the basics, the fundamentals of everything, like and again, I'm not doing, I'm just checking the gym out, just to see how it is. So again, like I'm a broke, like 19 year old kid, like I'm barely making, like forget it like 150 a week and he heard the, so he's like so, yeah, he tells me he goes.

Speaker 3 26:19

He's like, listen, he's like we only have about like eight members right now and maybe not even that. But he's like the first 30 have about eight members right now and maybe not even that. But he's like the first 30 members are going to get it at $150 a month. And I was like $150 a month and he's like, yeah, $150 a month the first 30, and then it's going to go up to $170 after the first 30.

Speaker 3 26:39

I was like, all right, I'm just thinking I'm calculating all this stuff in my head. I'm like, you know, I'm just like thinking I'm calculating all this stuff in my head. I'm like, all right, I'll see if I can make it work. Whatever. I go home I talk to my parents. They're like you're crazy, you know what are you spending. Now it's like $30 a month, if that. I think I had like the student discount, so it was like probably $20 a month. And I was like you know what? Here is like I'm gonna learn all the movements, right, I'm gonna pick it up for one or two months and then I'm gonna go back to export and I'm gonna go do it there and then I'll, you know, whatever I can do, I can do it's so true, but it's the truth.

Speaker 2 27:13

It's the truth a hundred percent. I've said that before. I've been into places where I'm just gonna learn this shit and do it by myself. I can't, I can't and then what happens?

Speaker 3 27:23

you don't do it right, you, you get caught up. Um, that was like the first thing for me, like where I was in a community type base of anything. Like you know, I mean I've been on sports teams like recreationally and had fun with that, but like as far as like a gym atmosphere, you know you're meeting people your age, you meet older people, like it's the community that really really sold me to and it's just easier to be just told what to do, sometimes 100%.

Speaker 1 27:46

You know what I'm saying. I did my own programming and I did Meadows stuff for a long time and it's good, it gets the job done. But at the end of the day it's like you walk in and it's like, all right, what are we doing? And you, or OG, whatever it is, they'll tell you what you, what you're gonna do, and it's just like I don't fucking want to do that, but I'm here, let's get it done, and then you just do it instead of just like if I have to negotiate with myself and I look at a plan and I go, I really don't feel like doing hack squats today. I'll do this instead. I'm gonna. I'm gonna, I'm gonna make some compromises at times when I'm by myself, but if someone's telling me to do shit, I'm just gonna get it done. I'm like, fuck it, let me get it done.

Embracing Challenges and Personal Growth

Speaker 3 28:20

So, and the faster I get it done, the faster I don't have to do it anymore right and like they programmed everything like just it was so much easier and it was one hour every day. And then, like you know what, like as I got maybe a little bit more comfortable, a little bit better, like even probably for you you do jujitsu, like you, maybe you stay after for a little bit, maybe 10-15 minutes, like I want to work on a move here, like if you can help me out a little bit it was the same thing with that I would do like accessory work or whatever. So. And then six months into that, yeah, sorry, I can't just wait.

Speaker 3 28:51

Next to you guys. I love it right now.

Speaker 1 28:52

Actually, he's just being a fucking he's getting closer and closer to me.

Speaker 3 28:56

I love it but six months into it I had the conversation with the owners and they were looking for like just a part-time coach, like two hours a week, four hours a week, and it meant just getting like a free membership and for me at the time was massive. Saving $150 a month was just like the biggest thing. So I got my level one. It was like October of 2012. And it was, you know, awesome. From there there I went with a buddy um and then after that I started coaching. I was at crossfit lighthouse. That's where I was doing all the coaching and I was working out there. I met a few people over there and then there was a new gym that was opening. At the time he was like one of my best friends. He was a main coach over there. He was the head coach there and he opened up his own spot and I kind of follow him over there.

Speaker 1 29:49

Cool, yeah, awesome. It's cool when you get to like click with people and not that you follow them, but you just stick with them as they develop and progress through their career as well.

Speaker 3 29:58

Yeah, yeah, it was just, it was the right time. You know I it was sad at first for me Cause, like I started there and like these two people introduced like just the methodology to me. So at the time I was like I don't know man, like you know, this is also so close to me Like it was in Wanto and I lived in Wanto, so it was like a eight minute drive, if that. And you know, at the time I was working at the pizzeria and now it was three doors down. It was like everything was settled. But like at the time I was like you know, I have my friend who's opened this up. I'm also going to coach there and I know it's going to be a better experience there. Like when it's all said and done, it's just going to be a little bit more competitive and you know, I just wanted a different change at the time. I feel like I'm always doing that too, not with him, but you know, I like to. I like to like get a little bit of everything. Yeah, you know.

Speaker 1 30:46

So it was cool to do that we need something to drive you because if not, if nothing's driving you to just be better and do better. You know, you see, that all the time, with like people that just never start right, never start, because they just have no desire to get there. They don't want to have to be compared to others, they don't want to like have to get through that initial friction point where it's like your brain telling you this hurts, don't do it. This and that to like, where you start to actually see the progress and you go, oh, we got to keep going. Like that's when it starts hurting. Like that's kind of that point where I'm getting better and stronger.

Speaker 1 31:18

And I wrote last night on my story, jujitsu especially and I'm sure Tom can attest to it it's like 10 ass kickings makes me one percent better for the night, right, like you know, over time, you know over a year's worth of 10 a night ass kickings. It's like that's gonna make me in exponentially better than when I was a year prior, and that's what that's all that means. Nobody likes getting choked out. I don't like working on guillotines and all this shit. It fucking fucking hurts, bro. It sucks Someone's choking my neck.

Gym Stories and Training Bonds

Speaker 1 31:46

But you know, at the same time you start to learn different ways of not only how to stay calm, cool and collect when you're in this position, but you also learn how to get out of it and how to actually start to maneuver a little bit more instead of just like, oh wow, someone locked me up, I'm just going to yank my head back and I just actually made it tighter. It's over now. You know, now I'm seeing stars. So to translate that to like the bodybuilding, the CrossFit stuff, like that, when I first started, I joined a gym called what was it? Sparta, not the one in-.

Speaker 2 32:17

Westbury.

Speaker 1 32:17

Not the one in Westbury. Yeah, that's a nice gym, nice gym, I think. Yeah, gene's an interesting guy, the owner. I'll leave it at that I just like yeah jamal's. Jamal is very, very close with uh gene who owns the gym. He's, he's a nice guy, he just he has, he has a, he has his moments, uh, sometimes, where he just feels like making sure you know not to slam the weights on the ground anyway, anyway. So, um, yeah, it was a good story.

Speaker 2 32:39

I'll tell that off camera, but anyway, I mean I get it because I yell at people all the time it was different. Stop fucking slamming shit, it was way different. You know, what's funny is that in the gym there's this one fucking spot, there's this one fucking spot.

Speaker 2 32:53

Oh, the one with the concave like five feet away from the fucking uh deadlift platform and everybody, everybody just decides to sit in that one fucking spot and slam everything. And that's why it's so indented, because I put the concrete mix underneath, like a year ago, and then we put adhesives, we put Gorilla Glue, we've done everything we can with that one fucking spot, but everybody's just like, oh, I'm just going to go up and keep fucking slamming weights on that until Tom gets pissed.

Speaker 3 33:25

Nah, I love it.

Speaker 3 33:26

It's a a good spot, it's like a target, it's like a bull, just paint a bullseye at that point you know, it's funny because now I've been with Tom what two and a half years we said before yeah and it's like I can read Tom, like I'm not a, I'm not perfect with him, but I know like his body, I know his body language, so like if I I know the spot he's talking about. Obviously, if I'm doing snatches right, and it's like the last round or cleans or whatever it is, I'm telling myself before the lift I'm like you better not fucking drop this kettlebell, because he ain't going to yell at you, but I'd rather him yell at me than me looking up and seeing his face like how many fucking times Like when he told you guys to not rip the band.

Speaker 1 34:07

and then you motherfuckers rip the band, I know he was so tight because I know he took that band, he went outside, he's like, he's like, he's like trying to see if maybe it's mendable, like he could use it for something. I just bought bands and he bought them like a fucking week ago and and he just goes nah, it's fucking ruined.

Speaker 3 34:25

It's the perfect spot though. It's the mirror, it's the lighting.

Speaker 2 34:29

It's perfect. Everybody's looking at you. Oh my God, Like he's his last set. Holy fuck, it's ungodly I swear.

Speaker 3 34:37

that mirror is like my, I don't know like that spotter for me, because when you're looking at yourself, like doing these, whatever you're doing, a snatch yeah, we know it's like all right poking through the shirt.

Speaker 1 34:47

We get it. We get it.

Speaker 2 34:49

Pooch it's like all right going shirtless lately oh really yeah, a couple, a couple times.

Speaker 3 34:53

I know I even got a couple texts yesterday a couple of my buddies. They're like you're actually showing the internet. You're showing the internet, your abs, finally, like, what are we doing here? I'm like, all right, listen, it's summertime.

Speaker 1 35:05

We just had the ice mold sticking through the shirt I'm going to start doing. I mean, you made me look good.

Speaker 2 35:09

There's this one picture. I think I have it in my phone or my computer. Al Bellow, Shout out Al.

Speaker 3 35:14

Shout out Al.

Speaker 2 35:30

He's a photographer for the Olympics and of the hottest fucking days in the summer and he has a yellow tank top on and his abs are just like fucking like, just literally, like like indented. It's like it doesn't even look real, it's just like lines and lines. I'm like jesus, fucking christ I blame, that's the shirt.

Speaker 3 35:39

I blame the shirt. I don't have the greatest, I'm telling you. I mean, I see some people I'm like what the fuck? I mean that's a crazy one let me see if that that's. I know that one, that's crazy too. When you sent that I was like, wow, he, that one's crazy I love, one of my favorites.

Speaker 1 35:54

I love, thank you. I love pooches. Faces man though his face. Everybody man, everybody like this one literally oh yeah, that's a good one crazy, that's a good one.

Speaker 3 36:06

Crazy, I don't look happy in that one.

Speaker 2 36:09

That one, I look happy yeah yeah, this one too, yeah, oh yeah, this one's fucking crazy too. Yeah, no, it's ridiculous, yeah, no it's.

Speaker 3 36:16

That's all the photographer for real you're just a freak athlete man.

Speaker 2 36:20

Yeah, dude pooch gets it, bro, like he. He understands like he. Like you know, he reads me very well because he's just an easy guy to work with, because he understands what I'm about and what I do and you know what pisses me off and what doesn't. Like I've never had to, I've never heard him complain once ever ever, not one fucking time, maybe just the bench.

Embracing Challenges for Personal Growth

Speaker 1 36:40

One day we did I hated all the day but that was it. But literally that was it, for that was it. I kept that in the video. I said Rudy O's got a fucking lift.

Speaker 2 36:49

For two and a half years I've never heard him complain once and he is like the prime type of person that I want to work with, because they come in, they see the workout, they see what it provides and what we're doing and he understands why I do what I do. And then he comes in and that's it. That's just workout. I'm here for intense training, I'm here for heavy lifting, to get better, to be in a room of animals and savages, and that's why I enjoy like training him, training with him. You know he's one of my favorite training partners because it's just easy one day, some days, just me and him, and we don't, we do not talk to each other, we just listen to music.

Speaker 2 37:25

We just work we just work, we don't talk, we don't say shit to each other and we just work, we just get it done yeah, without a doubt.

Speaker 3 37:33

And the thing with, like the complaining thing, it's I'm there, like, if I'm there, like what else am I gonna do? Like what am I gonna just start bitching like, oh, you know, like, like today I did plyos yesterday, like we not do these, like no, like motherfucker, like I didn't do them. So I'm gonna do it, because tom's training too right, so I gotta also feed off him. So I mean, like, when people go in there and they're giving him a hard time, it's like yo, like you signed up for this and this is like your journey here, like you gotta start somewhere. So if you're going to keep complaining like this may not be the spot for you, and that's fine, you know, and that's completely fine, you know. Go to the planet fitness, go to orange theory, whatever it is, but this is a whole different environment. So that's just how it is yeah, but it's fun, yeah.

Speaker 2 38:18

And I just started getting to that mentality recently. Like before, I was kind of scared of like telling people oh, you know, like dude, you don't, you don't have to go somewhere else, I'll tailor it down to you. It's like no fuck that, I'm done with that shit. So I'm done dealing with people who just complain and just bitch and moan and it's like listen, you don't want to do this. Go to synergy, down the block, go to la fitness, that's fine. I want guys like him, I want guys like you, people who just get they, just get it. It's not that, not even that.

Speaker 2 38:45

If you can't do the workout, I'd rather you give me everything than not give me what you like, not give me the whole, like oh, let me word that better. I'd rather you give me everything you have than just the little it's the little bits of what you have. You know what I mean. Like I'm trying to word it right. But it's like give me your all. Don't give me your half-assed effort. Give me a hundred percent. If you give me a hundred percent, you can't do it. I'd rather you do that than give me 50 and just slack off and bullshit you know, yeah, it's gonna be over anyway, right, you take?

Speaker 3 39:17

let's just say he has a 515 class. You know you're gonna be done by 6 30, right? I mean like, so just get through it instead of just like complaining or whatever. It is like you'll be fine if you just stay moving, stay at an appropriate weight and do what's on the board.

Speaker 1 39:33

There should be no problems, you know yeah, I mean, that's, that's what you'd hope people get it go into doing. But unfortunately, sometimes, you know, or I'd say a lot of times people let their egos get in the way or they hate that they're not good at something. I always liked that. I always liked not being good at something because it made me better at it. Right, I did when I did paintball when I was younger.

Speaker 1 39:52

I wanted to go against all the guys that were better than me, because by going against the guys that were better than me, I learned what don't do this, don't do that. You know some space between you and the bunker, like the things that you wouldn't know until you started like really, really going. But I expedite the process by going with people that are much better than me, right? So it's like even with jujitsu, the first week that I was at jujitsu, I started going to the mix class. Let's get my dick kicked in, bro. Yeah, bro, it was like crazy dude, I had this, I don't.

Building a Strong Fitness Community

Speaker 1 40:22

I had this one guy black belt. It was my first, like my first time I was about to get submitted. I hadn't gotten submitted in the white belt class yet. It was like I was like two or three days in and I'm rolling with him and I said, yeah, I just started this and that he's going way light on me. He's going way light, but he mounts me and then he starts doing, he starts getting a cross collar in and he starts putting his hands in my gi and I literally went like this to him because he was a nice guy. We were joking around prior as I went. No, no, he goes, he goes, he literally goes. Just let it happen. Let it happen.

Speaker 1 40:50

I was like no and yo, he fucking got me and it was like bro, I learned or don't keep my arms extended, someone's gonna snatch that shit up and hit an arm bar, like all these things that I it would. It would have taken, let's say, two or three months to learn and be put in that environment. I was put in that environment a weekend or two weeks in and I started oh shit, don't do that. And then you start to remember it the more that you do it. It's the same thing with lifting man Right, you start building this, this, this need to just try different things, different styles, harder shit. You know, like the kettlebell stuff is not easy.

Speaker 1 41:23

People look at kettlebells all the time and I know we talked about it briefly. People look at kettlebells like a bitch tool. You know what I'm saying. Not to the degree that you do it, but in general people see kettlebells in a gym and that's not their first thought to go and hit. Their first thought to go and hit is the dumbbell rack or to go hit the squat rack or this. And that they don't understand because they don't realize the utility that they give you. They give you a full body workout. They give you the ability to have explosive strength, functional strength, not just in a very binary A to B movement pattern. You're working so many more muscles and ligaments and tissues and this and that they have no idea. They see a kettlebell and they're just like no, I'm good, I'm going to go hit the dumbbells.

Speaker 2 42:03

Well, correct me if I'm wrong. It's pretty similar to barbell work in CrossFit you snatch, you jerk, you power clean, what else? What else are they doing there? A high pull, mid pull, I think it's what I call. Like mid pull of a barbell, you turn it to a gunslinger. Yeah, it transfers over his crossfit days, transfers over to the kettlebell stuff, because basically the same shit, it's just a different modality. And I'm sure they do. They do sandbags there too. Yeah, I've never done crossfit before, so um let's go for it.

Speaker 1 42:33

We should all go for a class I would go.

Speaker 3 42:35

Hey, let's do it. But I mean with the sandbags. I think in crossfit the heaviest I ever picked up or at least that I saw had to be 150 and maybe, like in other stronger gyms or wherever it was, it was 200, depending on the gym that was, but I don't think I've ever picked anything up over 200 pounds. So I mean, like seeing you know what his arsenal is was crazy yeah completely crazy.

Speaker 3 42:58

I mean going into him. The first time I saw tom's page was with because of um was cello? Shout out to cello um, this had to be like in december of like 20, what is it?

Speaker 2 43:14

22 I think it was 2021, because 22 I opened up the gym yeah, you're right so then 21 was. When did I open it? April, so I think it was 2021.

Speaker 3 43:23

Yeah, and I remember like whether it was cello, so I think it was 2021. Yeah, and I remember, like, whether it was, cello posted it or it was the explore on Instagram, whatever it was. I don't even remember what it was, but I was like what the hell is this guy doing? Well, like it wasn't in a bad way, it was like I am like dialed in. I remember like just going through Tom's page like over and over and over again, like the landmine university stuff just how he used.

Speaker 1 43:47

That's what piqued my interest. When I saw you doing the loading up, yeah, I was like oh yeah, and he was calling them clean and jerks.

Speaker 3 43:53

He was called he was not that he was calling it, but that's what it is and I was like clean and jerk like I do that now, but in a different type of setting, it's in a crossfit setting or olympic lifting setting snatches. Then he had at the time it was you were doing a lot of mace work, you were doing the clubs and I know you had like a couple sandbags at the time, maybe you had one or two and I was just like where is this place? And it was that hit house in garden city. Right, it was garden city.

Speaker 3 44:17

And then I hit up cello. I was like yo, I gotta try this class. I just want to see what it's like, you know, get a feel for it. And I was hooked from there. I mean, it was just so different, you know, and like I think, like that's another thing that people are afraid of is like they don't want to try something that's a little bit different that everyone else is doing yeah, yeah, and literally like well, back then, at the time I didn't have shit, I didn't have anything.

Speaker 2 44:42

I had my maces, kettlebell, sandbags and I opened up the gym, but then I gradually started building from there. Now my arsenal is pretty good, my programming is pretty decent, diverse, diverse, decent and diverse because it's a small spot. But I just got a new rack, I got some new benches and everything.

Speaker 1 44:58

It's good that you have the outside spot in the back too. That helps too.

Speaker 1 45:00

That helps a lot, yeah, I want to try to winter proof that I don't know if that's gonna happen, but we'll tarp or something I don't know, maybe like maybe some shingles, shingles, like shingles, all right, like some, like some, some oh yeah, like a thing, yeah something hard. I? I don't. Obviously shingles are roofing, but I feel like if we put something like that, at least snow will just like an awning or something. Yeah, snow or rain will just kind of trickle down.

Speaker 2 45:20

Yeah, yeah, they're like trying to winter proof that I might. We'll see what happens. But anyway, like people like what he said today, he said the other week, he's like I've never met a gym owner that buys new shit like every other month, like every two or three months. Because, like guys like Pooch that have been with me since I legit started, it's like I want to provide that stuff to him, like to people who are loyal, Because like, yeah, I'm spending thousands and thousands of dollars but I want to provide that advanced training equipment to them because they support me in that sense. So eventually, if I decide to get a bigger spot or if the powers that be grant me the access to do that, then I want to fucking deck it out to where my first time.

Speaker 2 45:59

People like they still stay at the same rate. I still take care of them and the deals that they have while I started and then provide a fucking monolith or provide leg curls, some new benches or the assault runners I know Poots wants to use that. He loves using that. That's the type of shit that I want to provide. You know what I mean. But that's why I just appreciate loyal people and people who get it.

Speaker 1 46:23

You do a great job with the space that you have. I mean, listen, listen, it's not, it's not a closet by any stretch of the measure. It feels that way at times because you have so much stuff, which is a blessing and a curse at times. But I mean for you to be able to do what you do with how many people you see in the space that you have as you continue grow, whether it's here, whether it's somewhere, whatever it might be, whatever the destination is. I mean you're gonna, you're gonna have a quite the quite the space with quite the amount of athletes that are going to be there yeah, man, that's the goal, that is the fucking goal.

Speaker 2 46:52

Like the goal is to. The goal is to just have, like just a whole community, a whole army of just people, of lions. I'd rather I always say I'd rather have 50 lions and 500 sheep. And there's's a lot of sheep out there. There's a lot of gyms filled with sheep.

Speaker 2 47:06

People who just aren't with the shits. They just don't like, they just don't understand what you mentally need to do or how to tap into that stuff. And I had, I had I've had conversations with people and they constantly are trying to give me suggestions. It's like, hey, tom, like you should go on mind body, you should go on class pass, you should promote your shit this way, you should make a shirt like this. And it's like, no matter what I do, no matter what, like what I promote, what free shit I give, people are always, always, always, always, always going to be intimidated, no matter what. It's just a space, it's just a fucking space. Like the floors aren't like perfectly, like, like symmetrically black, you know, like there's, like it's not like a pretty fucking floor, it's not a pretty wall, it's grungy. Like the ceilings are popcorn style. Looks like you're like in a fucking hellhole because like I'm just like how it, how it looks, it's sick, I love it I like it.

Speaker 2 48:02

Yeah, yeah, page it black, it looks sick, but most people be like oh my god, like the ceiling looks fucking scary.

Speaker 1 48:07

It's just like those people need to go to la fitness and your team is not for them, just like every client isn't for me.

Speaker 3 48:13

I don't think I've ever looked at the ceiling. To be honest with you he's gonna go.

Speaker 1 48:17

Yeah, fucking hell, it's cool, I like it.

Speaker 2 48:19

It's cool, it has like it has like the popcorn style shit. It looks like like it's like the king, but it's not. It looks really nice, but little shit like that people are just intimidated by.

Speaker 1 48:28

But that's okay. I have a feeling that's why a lot of people haven't. You know, I've told a lot of people to come through. I'm sure that's a definitely big reason why a lot of people don't wind up following through and coming through, because they are intimidated by that I'm sure they message him all the time too about it.

Speaker 2 48:43

so you know all the time.

Speaker 3 48:44

But you know, like, in a way, like I don't know how to even put this, because I know obviously tom wants to grow a bigger gym or whatever one day, and like that's, I think, every gym owner's dream. Right, you start out a little bit small and you want to be this big gym, but he will at some point.

Speaker 1 48:58

He will no, yeah, you will at some point 100 it's not even a matter of like. If you're going to, as long as you stay in this line of work, you're going to. It's just a matter of when. That's really what happens. Either you either the perfect opportunity comes which I don't even know if the perfect opportunity exists for any of us at any given time or we just see the opportunity or the pathway open up and it's just like well, now it's time we have to. It's do or die.

Speaker 3 49:22

Now that's really what it is no 100 and but the thing too is like the strength factory now as it is. It's like there's something about it like it's 800 square feet and I know like there could be 12 to 15 people in a class, but there's just something about that like it being so close. It's 8 000 degrees in there, you're lifting and someone's in your way, it's sweaty everywhere. I mean right now, right now, if you, if you look at my like, if you look at my videos now, I'm sure maybe tom could test this, but, like in january, your grip is a lot better because it's freaking cold out. It's cold now.

Speaker 1 49:57

It's like oh, is it really? It's cold it's still.

Speaker 2 50:01

It's still hot, though I still put the heater on, so oh, you put the heater on, so oh, you put the heater on. Yeah, you never use the AC.

Speaker 1 50:06

You just put the heater on.

Speaker 3 50:07

You're awesome, the warm-up's starting up and you're still just drenched. I love that. Oh my God, I love that. It's nice, but that's the point.

Speaker 2 50:14

People walking by, outside though they see especially when you open up the doors in the cold and it's all like steamy and just dries up like like, oh shit, they just installed a bathhouse here.

Speaker 1 50:29

It's like ammonia and chalk.

Speaker 3 50:31

I love that when you're just chalking up and there's like an older gentleman just walking by or on his bike and he's like what is going on in there?

Speaker 3 50:39

I'm like it's a gym and he's like trying to take on the layers of hell sir, that's a gym and there's, you know, his heavy metals going off his kettlebells, flying up in the air and like it's just, it's a vibe, bro, it's a vibe it is. It's a vibe that's like what I'm getting at. It's it's 800 square feet, but it's a vibe and it's fun in there. It's always fun.

Speaker 1 50:58

So I love how pooch knows the exact square footage, but he has no talk about it all the time. He's never looked at the ceiling no, never looked at the ceiling.

Speaker 3 51:05

You know, I'm always looking at spots. I'm like tom.

Speaker 2 51:07

Yeah, this looks good right here I was about to say he texts me. He texts me spots like once a week, like are any of them?

Speaker 1 51:12

are any of them closer to me, or are they all by you selfishly?

Speaker 3 51:15

selfishly.

Speaker 2 51:16

They're on the south shore by me location is, location is um is the factor too. Baldwin Baldwin's good, but if I did open up bigger I would push more towards like go on in the middle, like in the middle, where is the middle? Wait is, wait is is is south shore. Yeah, it's just east, so it's like it's where Baldwin is, but just like east.

Speaker 3 51:40

So then, what's in the middle probably Bethpage Elmore Merritt.

Speaker 2 51:43

Farmingdale oh, you want more north.

Speaker 3 51:45

You're saying yeah, yeah, okay, bethpage, I would say yeah. Bethpage would be fine. I would take Bethpage tomorrow, man, let's do it.

Speaker 1 51:55

Oh, how generous of you.

Speaker 2 51:56

You know I'll take it.

Speaker 1 52:02

Bethpage is used to live. Yeah, plainview's 15 minutes from me.

Speaker 2 52:04

Yeah, but yeah, that's the goal I just want to keep providing to people that support me, people that believe in me. You know what I mean. Like it's just providing a better space, providing better equipment. I'm on LoopNet right now. The first thing that comes up for me on LoopNet is like 40 000 square feet yeah, buildings, are you doing warehouses?

Speaker 1 52:23

is that why?

Speaker 2 52:24

uh, no, I think I type in industrial, industrial areas, yeah, but they're like all right, here's the warehouse, here's this for like fucking five million dollars.

Speaker 1 52:31

Okay, cool. Yeah, sorry, I'm not microsoft, I'm not shipping out computers and shit, right exactly back then.

Speaker 3 52:37

We're just trying to throw kettlebells around. You know sandbags I just want a monolith you really want that?

Speaker 2 52:43

huh yeah it's cool, it's fucking I mean, yeah, they're dope.

Speaker 1 52:45

Hold on, I'm looking for I never use one. I want to try one really yeah, no, I never use it. Profi, I'm pretty sure profit has one oh, dear park, yeah nice pretty sure profit has one. I could be wrong are you looking? Oh, here it is all spit. Yeah, now look how space is on yeah, we'll find something.

Speaker 3 52:58

We'll find something.

Speaker 1 52:59

Yeah, how big do you want?

Speaker 2 53:00

uh, no, diddy, how big are? How big are crossfit gyms? How big is the square footage?

Speaker 3 53:08

I mean they all vary um huge though. Yeah, I mean some fast lift heavy is huge.

Speaker 1 53:14

That's a big one yeah, I don't know, all the way out east. Yeah, that's chris's gym.

Speaker 3 53:18

Yeah, that it's like 20 bucks I don't, I don't know all the way out east. I don't know what the uh square footage is.

Speaker 2 53:25

I don't get I don't get how gyms make money doing that, like if it's a crossfit gym or if it's like regular gyms. Like you have a fucking 5 000 square foot space and you're only charging people 30 a month like an open gym, but they're not well, no, crossfit, cross or not they're charging.

Speaker 1 53:40

They're charging anywhere from probably two to three hundred bucks a month.

Speaker 3 53:42

Yeah, crossfit. I want to say, oh, I thought they were, oh, okay, and then think about and then think about.

Speaker 1 53:47

Think about, you know, if they have 500 members.

Speaker 3 53:50

Yeah, paid Nah CrossFit right now. I would say like the average is like 180 a month, $200 a month.

Speaker 1 53:59

I mean $200 a month when I was younger, Not just because of money. I couldn't understand the thought process of like back then my Audi was $400 a month, uh three, uh no, 350, 350, but my audi was that much back then. So it was like I couldn't fathom spending like what? 200 a month on a gym membership. I used to pay bevs. I used to pay 500 for the year yeah, they got that deal out right.

Speaker 3 54:26

Yeah, once a year special they used to do it.

Speaker 1 54:28

They used to call it, and then it was like the september special and I don't know. They used to give it to me whenever. That was my home gym for a long time.

Speaker 2 54:35

You're still looking at spaces, yeah.

Speaker 1 54:40

Hey Tom, what can we do with 125,000 square feet? Jesus Christ.

Speaker 3 54:43

Oh my God, I think we'd be able to park like six cars in there. Yeah, literally, jesus fucking.

Speaker 2 54:47

Christ, yeah, that's what I'm saying Whenever I look shit up. They're just like all right, here's a building for sale, oh that's.

Speaker 1 54:53

Gold Coast Studios. Oh, that's a filming studio. That's a filming lot for movie theaters, like for filming movies. I don't need that shit. I can't get my customers to pay for a regular little small-ass commercial where I go to them. Are you kidding me? Yeah, I just rented a space that's 125,000 square feet. What's the video cost? 900 grand. Yes, sir, we can't do it. That's a shocker. I wonder what that would be a month? What are they charging a month?

Creating a Gym Business Model

Speaker 2 55:19

But that's what I'm saying Like like big, big space gyms, even like regular, like fucking commercial gyms like LA Fitness Energy, I mean dog, that's the, that's the but it's like how, but it's like how, the fuck like, how, how the fuck like when we're younger, like you, look at these gyms with all these fucking machines, like I could go on fucking Rogue right now and I could look up a leg press and it's fucking $7,000 like leg press, right, rogue Fitness, let's see it, rogue Fitness, leg press All right, let's see. Yeah, plate loaded leg press or whatever Peak strength, and it comes out to like that much money. So, yeah, you see all these machines in these gyms. They're fucking like lined up one another. There's an upstairs, there's a downstairs, there's a huge fucking space. It's like how in the fuck does stuff like that get started.

Speaker 1 56:05

Yeah, gyms are not. Gyms are generally not profitable. Generally your business model makes them profitable. But if you were to just have like an open gym, generally like a Bev's or an LA Fitness, that wasn't a chain like that. Let's say, LA Fitness was just one location. Right, gyms are generally not profitable because you need a lot of members to clear that overhead and then make money Because the startup costs are so astronomical. It's crazy. I mean it's probably like 500 to at least 600 grand to really start with good equipment. Yeah, equipment, yeah, unless you purchased a gym which a lot of these spaces have. A lot of these spaces aren't brand new. No, yeah, they just so.

Speaker 1 56:42

A lot of these spaces like profit just purchased, um, an old gym in ronkonkoma. It's now the second location for profits in ronkonkoma. I don't know that. So, but when she bought it, she got it with all of the machines in it already. So then it's not as bad like it's bad. I mean, if you're gonna, if, unless you have that money to begin with, or unless you know the loan, whatever you wind up doing financially, but to have most 99 of the machines that you need and then maybe, like you want to upgrade a leg press or you want to upgrade a squat rack or this, and that then it's the 10 grand or the five grand or this, and that it's. It's not. It's not as um hard to swallow, like at that point financially, because you got so much in the deal of just buying the location. I'm sure that's how. That's why a lot of gyms have old machines that have never been updated right you know, when I went down to north carolina there was a gym called.

Speaker 1 57:33

What was it called? Oh, it was so dope. It was the gym I trained. I don't know if you guys saw my story when I was down there. It was super cool, was there a lot of green?

Speaker 3 57:43

no, I think I did see that actually, now that you're saying it, yeah, sick, it was um.

Speaker 2 57:47

Oh, the different spot okay yeah, no, no like the the sphere lighting that was yep you went the hexagons yep that was when you had the wedding right.

Speaker 3 57:54

Yeah, yes, I do vaguely know what you're talking about. I'm going to find it.

Speaker 1 57:58

Anyway, that was a brand new gym that's expensive. Yeah, that was a brand new location. Now, obviously, real estate down in North Carolina is a lot different than what we pay up here in New York, but still it was a brand new. It looked like a brand new renovated building, like totally gutted, they painted all the walls black. They had their own artwork brought in. They got a gold statue of Arnold Schwarzenegger, like right at the beginning they had an LED Bro dude. It's like how they had an LED hallway leading into the Arnold statue. And then it was all brand new arsenal. Yeah, brand new arsenal, oh arsenal strength Dude they're expensive.

Speaker 1 58:40

I mean, oh, arsenal strength, dude, they're expensive. I mean, when I was with flex back in the day, when I was doing some video work with him, he owns that, right, he owns. I don't know if he still does, I have no idea, but he was talking to me about all the stuff that they do, like that they were coming out with and that they were going to be customizing gyms and this and that, bro, it's a lot of money, bro. Elite fts does the same thing, they'll. You can send them square footage of the gym. You can tell them exactly what pieces you are mandatory for you. Sorenx does it as well, rogue does it. Yeah, and they'll actually build the gym out for you and show you. This is where the squat racks are going to go, this is where the legs, this is where the leg equipment's going to go. They aren't you know, and they'll put all of it on pen to paper right there for you a lot of the universities do that right.

Speaker 3 59:13

the colleges, the colleges. I see like Rogue doing it. Sorenix does an unbelievable job.

Speaker 1 59:16

Yeah, yeah, yeah, they have some of the best strength equipment out there. I mean you talk about Rogue versus Sorenix. They both make their own power bars, they both make their own racks. Truth be told, if I had the money, I would have preferred to have bought a Sorenix rack when I was buying that rack from my home gym. Yeah, that thing is so sick man they may. Have you ever looked into sorenx? Yeah I've.

Speaker 2 59:36

I've looked at their prices. I went with rogue just because I don't know. I'm very anal when it comes to things like I like fucking pause. Um, I did. I like everything like from the same company, like that's why, yeah, no, I get it. I bought some things from rogue. I'm like, fucking, let me just go with rogue.

Speaker 3 59:53

Yeah, fuck it all I knew was rogue. I mean, as you know, in the crossfit life I was always just surrounded by rogues. I always thought that that was like the best equipment. But then I went to, like just like you were saying, like I went to a gym in florida I forgot what it was, but they had a sarnix rack. I think I actually texted tom. I was like this rack is like dope insane. It's similar to what he has, but again, like the prices are, it's crazy. Was it red con, the red con gym you went to? I went to record. Oh no, you know it was atlas. Oh where?

Speaker 3 1:00:23

uh, gabriel, is yes, gabriel is awesome, awesome spot, really really fun spot. Um, but they had one of the sorenix uh racks and I was like at the time I knew tom was looking for a rack I was like, check this one out see what it is for.

Speaker 1 1:00:35

that's what it was called Core 24 gym, Bro. That was the gym when they started it.

Speaker 3 1:00:41

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2 1:00:42

Like what the fuck See? I look at that. I'm like how the fuck, like how, how, how, how do you make something like that, the whatever to make that happen? To me, that's mind-blowing.

Speaker 3 1:01:00

There's got to be like investors for days in that one.

Speaker 2 1:01:03

That's crazy.

Speaker 3 1:01:04

There's got to be multiple people.

Speaker 1 1:01:05

I mean there's got to be multiple investors, multiple business partners, which obviously make the logistics side of things a lot easier. When you can depend on people, the three of us opening a gym together is a lot easier than just tom doing it, just I, just myself doing it, and unfortunately that's you know where I bottlenecked my own business? Because there's only if I'm not out shooting, if I'm not editing in my business model, I'm not making money. So that's a problem in my. But if I'm out shooting and I have a business partner, he's editing for me. Now I'm still making money. Now we're good, now I'm not going to be behind x amount of days.

Speaker 2 1:01:35

So the same thing goes for any other business model in that, in that sense, yeah, but did you ever want to like make coaching like a career move for you, or you just? Oh yeah you had it like set in your head you're going to become a gym teacher no, I mean like gym teacher.

Challenges of Entrepreneurship and Attention Span

Speaker 3 1:01:48

Is that I I gotta be correct here physical education teacher. I'm sorry, people listening, I don't want to be saying gym teacher, they'd be hating on me. Uh, no, I mean like listen, that was like my path. It was always something that I enjoyed. I love being in phys ed class, um, and I always wanted to be a teacher, but at the same time, like when I was into crossfit and when I was like head heel into it, I was like I want to open up my gym one day.

Speaker 3 1:02:12

I'm you know, at the time I was a coach and I remember when I made that transition from that one crossfit gym to the second crossfit gym, I saw what went into that and I kind of shied away from it. It was just like it's more than just, you know, opening the doors and have people just work out, and I'm sure you see that on a daily basis. It is not easy. Um, the second crossfit gym that I was at, it was in oceanside and that was 3 000 square feet and it's a lot.

Speaker 3 1:02:39

It's a lot of work because it's not just turnkey and go do what you got to do. There's a lot of things on the back end that you don't even realize just buying toiletries this thing breaks. You got to do that like any business owner, what they go through like I just had that thought. It was like I'm not ready for this right now, maybe down the line like it could happen, but like let me stay in my lane, let me focus on school and then, who knows, maybe one day I'll do it. But you know, right now I'm kind of in a different zone you could do your thing.

Speaker 1 1:03:08

Man, it's tough. Entrepreneurship is not. It is not, not necessarily not for everybody, it isn but it's a very tough road that requires a lot of resilience, right, and I don't think a lot of people understand how difficult it is until they actually get out and start doing it by themselves. I mean, I've had a lot of people message me and they're just like yeah, nick, we're going to go out and do our own thing. You inspired us and I'm flattered, I appreciate you, and I'm just like just get ready for the peaks and valleys, because they're there, right, and you have to. Unfortunately, you have to prepare yourself mentally for those valleys, because the peaks are fantastic. You feel like you're on top of the world. You got tons of clients, nothing is broken at the gym, everything is great, this and that. Then maybe 10, 15 people decide to pause their memberships or leave, or, you know, one of the racks breaks or motherfuckers keep breaking their bands.

Speaker 2 1:03:59

Oh, I'm going to break my fucking sandbag games trophy. Wait, that happened, damn it. Yes, oh, I did not know that. Yes, my fucking trophy that I went to Atlanta for, oh God, I drove four hours there. Well, ramon did Shout out. Ramon, he drove me four fucking hours to go there. I competed for like five hours. We drove another three hours back. Yeah, awesome, but you didn't break that day, right?

Speaker 3 1:04:23

No, oh okay, no, I broke yesterday. Yesterday.

Speaker 2 1:04:25

Oh, this is fresh. Yeah, they knocked it over. I thought it was when we did my dad's like oh you know, you could buy another one and just fill it up. I go no, it's not the same, it's not the same.

Speaker 1 1:04:37

Now you gotta go do it again. Yeah, yeah, yeah, now you gotta go win it again.

Speaker 2 1:04:40

I came and shout out Dr Sandbag because he deleted his Instagram. But yeah, he's just now. He fell off the face of the earth, their own fucking thing. He said. I think I heard him say or somebody said it, I forgot how I heard it but he said that, um, you know he doesn't ever want to do that again, because it is such a fucking nightmare to set everything up like and like an event like that, like a competition, like your sponsors, the equipment, the sandbags, getting people together, organizing everything on iron podium, like like you're right, people don't see what type of fucking work it is to run your own anything.

Speaker 1 1:05:21

They just bitch that you don't have a cotton candy. Stand at the fucking event.

Speaker 2 1:05:23

Yeah, it's sad and now that I, like I said before, what's the matter?

Speaker 1 1:05:27

No live music, no this no that it's like yo, bro, appreciate what was put together today to have everybody come through.

Speaker 2 1:05:32

You want live music.

Speaker 1 1:05:42

You, everybody, come through. Yeah, you want live music. You know how much a dj costs for fucking 10 hours, oh, like five, ten hours. Dude's got blisters on his fingers by the end.

Speaker 2 1:05:44

He's like this.

Speaker 1 1:05:44

He's like I hope that shit clears.

Speaker 2 1:05:45

Yeah, it's crazy, it's funny. Yeah, it's funny that people don't. Yeah, they don't see that.

Speaker 1 1:05:47

But yeah, my fucking trophy constantly man or or nick buying nine thousand dollars worth of lenses, and then it's the slowest two months of his career.

Speaker 3 1:05:55

You're in an industry I'd have so much anxiety because there's just so much shit around and if that breaks and like you go through it every day, you're like and listen.

Speaker 1 1:06:03

Gear degrades over time, like things. Think you buy, it's an electronic, you buy something. It works one day and another day it may last forever or it may just stop fucking functioning and then you have to either address it or just buy a new one. And unfortunately, I'm in an industry that, although the barrier to entry is very low because camera costs have come down substantially, I know the gear that I like, the lenses that I like, the look that I try to go for is more just realistic. I'm not the guy just trying to pump out just like a bunch of graphics on top of videos, and that I want the video to speak for itself. I want the work and the sweat, especially when I'm filming this type of stuff athletic videos the sweat, the resilience, the hard work, all that. I want that to be the center focus, not how many overlays I could put on the video or how many flashing transitions or whip pans I can do. Do I do them? Yeah, because people's attention spans are shot for the most part, but with the long form videos that we were able to do just recently and I have another episode coming out this Friday for Road to Natural World's Strongest man, for Tom, love you too, baby. Like, that's what I. It's not meant to be. A quick little fucking. You watched it. A 15 second recap. That's not what this is. Little fucking, you watched it. A 15 second recap. That's not what this is.

Speaker 1 1:07:18

Bro, sit down, watch the video if you're interested in it. See what goes into the training. If I cut his training short, like I'm already condensing it, but if I cut it even shorter to appease the general masses lack of attention I'm doing him a disservice and I'm doing the work that he's put in a disservice. He works his fucking ass off every single day to get to this point. Right, it's a 15 minute video, 20 minute video, maybe 10 minute video for the next one, who the hell knows? But if you can't sit and watch, if, especially if you're interested obviously if somebody's not interested you're not gonna watch it anyway. But if you're, if you can't sit and focus on watching the video, being present and and taking in what you're actually seeing and viewing, I can't help you. Bro, like you're shot, you're shot. You know you'll be on TikTok the rest of your life just watching 15 second reels.

Speaker 1 1:08:04

Okay, enjoy that. Yeah, I mean, there's people lack of satisfaction every single, every single day. And, dude, I'm guilty of being caught in that that trap of just like the next, next, next, next. While I go to myself, I go okay, five more, because you can't like I actually said myself five more, five, four. That's an ad, does that count? Yes, three, two, one and then I'm done. You just, you know, you have to just be able to get that attention back. A lot of times, like last night, I was watching um, this is totally off subject, but I was watching house of the Dragon, the new Game of Thrones spin-off that they're doing now, bro?

Speaker 1 1:08:39

both of my phones were in my kitchen charging on. Do Not Disturb, I want to watch, watch, focus. Yeah, it's so easy to see, especially when I play video games. Sometimes, too, I play video games and I die in the game.

Speaker 3 1:08:53

Yeah.

Speaker 1 1:08:54

Eight seconds until you revive Eight fucking seconds. You can't wait. I gotta, I gotta check. What am I checking for? Yeah didn't ring, not talking to any girls. No one's hitting me up. What gives a fuck? Yeah, just chill out. Kenji's in the kenji's laying next to me like we're good man, everything's here he's moving, he's good so it's just like you know you have to.

Speaker 1 1:09:17

We went from, like you know, to attention, but anyway, you have to just be able to be present. Do your thing. I did want to show you one more. Yo, look at the dumbbells at that gym, though.

Speaker 2 1:09:28

Are those the chrome ones?

Speaker 1 1:09:29

Yeah, with their logo on it it. I like that smiley picture too dude, I'm telling you, man, that that gym was getting little pieces at the gym too crazy, but a couple, two, three pieces, yeah, the core babes, right, right, um, I'm trying to find that. I mean that's, that's the entrance oh my god, yeah, that's not.

Speaker 2 1:09:50

You imagine going through that every day that's a tom right. Enjoy your fucking workout no, I wish, I dude, I wish I could have something like that but you can.

Speaker 1 1:09:58

You're young. How old are you? How old are you? I don't have access to no matter over time, dollars over time of shit for a time you may find partners. How?

Speaker 3 1:10:07

28.

Speaker 1 1:10:07

Okay, it'll happen dude, just give it time. I know you market yourself the right way on instagram. Just take, just do, keep doing your thing. Yeah, keep doing your thing. I'm trying to find that arnold statue though. The arnold statue video is sick yeah, the video looked awesome. Oh, I guess that's what it was. Yeah, there's the arnold statue. That's crazy, all chromed out. Well, it's all gold. It's like I don't I don't.

Speaker 2 1:10:28

I'm sure it's plated, because like when you're younger you're like unbeknowing stuff, all that stuff. But when you walk into a gym it's like, oh you know it didn't cost millions of dollars to fucking. Oh yeah, we have no idea.

Speaker 1 1:10:37

You know you have no idea what things cost. You know I just knew that I got a job when I was super young. I was working at best buy. So I was like one of the only friends at the time that was really making money. So I understood to a degree of what went into actually make money. But then you know, as you progress you're just like, oh, like that's what this costs. And then the bills start to increase every year. You know I'm saying like every I started buying my own groceries when I was younger. It's like, oh, that's back. Then it was like 80 bucks, 60 bucks. It's like that. You're like okay. And then car insurance oh, that's a, that's 150, 200 a month. And then the car payment. And then college, and, bro, you start realizing I look around every month I go, wow, I made a lot of money when to go.

Speaker 3 1:11:20

Where to go. Your life starts to happen when to go Life in New York, that is.

Speaker 1 1:11:24

Yeah, but you know what? And I agree with life in New York, but I also think that everywhere is difficult right now. I mean, listen, I move to North Carolina. I got another buddy that's trying to get me to move to Florida, another buddy that's trying to get me to move to Texas. I get it Texas. I know, dude, I mean that'd be great we're going to do it.

Speaker 1 1:11:42

Yeah, we all went to Austin. That'd be sick, dude, but you know, and I want to go. It's tough for me to just uproot and leave my complete support circle of my mom, because she's my world when it comes to my family. You know I don't speak to my dad, so it's like that's mom, is it so? And grandma. But grandma's getting older and you know she's had a couple of surgeries here and there and you never know how long you have with your grandparents.

Navigating Friendship and City Life

Speaker 1 1:12:12

So you start thinking about these things and you're just like I want to be somewhere where at least I have a couple of people that I can depend on, because at the end of the day you will move to, you uproot and move to a new city If you have nobody there, just you know you left New York, let's say, cause this is where we're from, to try to be happier. Are you actually making for the right choice? Then we have nothing. Yeah, because there's so many people that move back, if I'm making sense because you move away and then you feel lonelier than ever.

Speaker 1 1:12:41

You felt lonely in New York, but at least you had friends and family, but then you move somewhere else and you feel really fucking lonely because there's nobody. The grass ain't greener, it's not. It's not always it, it really isn't. Like I said, I've had a lot of friends that have moved and come back, and not that there's anything wrong with that. I just I've always been under the belief that New York was worth the price that we paid, and it's starting to get to that point where I just go. I don't know about that.

Speaker 2 1:13:06

Pooch owns a house, so he probably knows fucking all that shit, bro, it's nuts.

Speaker 3 1:13:11

I mean my situation's a little bit different than everyone else's, but it's crazy. It's like even like what you were saying before like everyone moving back. Or if you switch cities, it's like you want to be around people that you love and whatever. If you just go from like here on Long Island to Queens or I don't even know Jersey, it's like you moved across the freaking ocean. It's like you're never going to see those people again and it's so hard to keep everyone intact. But sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

Speaker 1 1:13:41

And I got to be honest with you, man, I already feel like I'm paying city prices for a lot of shit at this point. There used to be a big difference between the city and the prices that you paid in the city, and then obviously Long Island, and it does not feel that way anymore. I mean, at almost three thousand dollars a month for a one bedroom, one bath, you know, with no washer, dryer, and I'm doesn't. I'm in prime location. I mean, I'm in the village, it's a great location, so I can't take that away from anything. But when you start to look at other rents, and I just I, every time I do this it's just, it's just, it's fucking insane, no it.

Speaker 1 1:14:15

I start looking at other rents in the area especially. Has anybody had a conversation with landlords and told them you know you don't have to keep raising prices, Just so we're all clear, we chill out a little bit, you don't have to keep raising it. I just want to make sure we're all aware that you don't have to, although you feel like you should, you don't have to.

Speaker 2 1:14:38

Just letting you know. It's funny that he said that. Like it's true, when you move to jersey or queens, like you feel like you're on the opposite side of the fucking country with somebody I've been trying to link up with west before he goes to texas, shout out west, he's moving to texas.

Speaker 3 1:14:43

Yeah, congrats on working yeah, awesome stuff west for real, that's yep, congrats on partner up with jason.

Speaker 2 1:14:49

Um, yeah, I've been jason soul fit, oh sick. It's a predator. I call him the predator because he looks like the predator, because of his dreads sexy mexican he like. I literally try to make plans with him for us to hang out and it's literally like even like driving to jersey, like where he is, or just like him coming to long island. It's such a fucking hassle like you have to plan your whole day, probably two days, of just fucking traveling just to get to the person you know it's actually easier if you just get a blade and you just get a helicopter, because it's just so insane.

Speaker 1 1:15:20

Yeah, if you leave at any point after I would say what, what is the what? 1, 1, 32 pm and after isa nightmare. And then before then anything before 9, 30, 10 o'clock is. So you have a two-hour window that you could drive and maybe it's not horrific.

Speaker 3 1:15:39

Yeah, we had the good window here of getting here. We had a nice window.

Speaker 2 1:15:43

Yeah, it's perfect yeah.

Speaker 1 1:15:44

It should still be good. Well, we're going to get food after you guys might be fucked. Yeah, you have class tonight.

Speaker 2 1:15:50

No, I'm off. Okay, good, good.

Family Housing and Financial Struggles

Speaker 1 1:15:57

No Wednesdays. I need one fucking day, one fucking night, one night just to myself. By the way, let me run down some of these prices One bedroom $38.45. Two bedroom $43.50. One bedroom $3,500 Studio $2,600. Studio.

Speaker 3 1:16:10

You're not fitting.

Speaker 2 1:16:11

Four bed.

Speaker 3 1:16:12

Four bed, two and a half Bath, I guess it's a whole house, but $5,000 a month Ridiculous.

Speaker 1 1:16:14

Four bed, two and a half bath I guess it's a whole house, but 5,000 a month, ridiculous $2,650 for a two bedroom, one bath. It's in a shithole. $3,400, one bedroom, two bedroom, $3,500.

Speaker 2 1:16:28

Yeah, that's nuts.

Speaker 1 1:16:28

It's just insane, man, and you know it's tough because I'm single, I'm by myself, I don't have a partner that I can split the cost with, and it becomes increasingly difficult. For now, yeah, oh, I can't wait. Oh, I can't wait to be like hey, baby, I haven't paid this shit by myself for too long. Just pay for the internet. Just pay for the internet, just something, anything will help Pick up the whole food bill for the month.

Speaker 2 1:16:52

How's Lex, dr Lex?

Speaker 3 1:16:54

Lex is good. How's uh? How's lex? Dr lex lex is good. She's gonna be finishing up clinical next couple weeks.

Speaker 1 1:17:03

Yeah, august 16th she'll be officially a physical therapist. Nice, oh yeah. Oh wow, there's your help. Yeah, I'm a gym teacher and physical therapist.

Speaker 3 1:17:09

You know we all live under the same roof right now. It's a big ass house yeah, we have for real. Yeah, we have my mother in the basement. She has like a little basement apartment. And then it's me, lex, my brother, and then my brother's friend who, you know, he's families now because he's living with us. But yeah, it's crazy at times, but it's fun, you know, and it's probably the most economically best choice Does that make sense. It's crazy, but like it's the best way that we can afford everything else.

Speaker 1 1:17:40

Yo truth be told, man. I've seen videos on TikTok about families getting whole plots of land together. They get whole plots of land and then they build. Everybody has their own little house on the land.

Speaker 2 1:17:52

How is that?

Speaker 1 1:17:52

possible, because the land is not, is not what it is here. How do you just buy a land?

Speaker 2 1:17:56

back. I'm gonna put a house there, yeah, because it's not as expensive.

Speaker 1 1:17:59

Think about in the midwest bro but think about building a house.

Speaker 2 1:18:02

How much is it to build a house?

Speaker 1 1:18:03

yeah, but or or you know.

Speaker 3 1:18:05

If you're all pulling your money together, though, that's true well, that was the thing with us, like so called down this road here. Um, find a video on a while. He's telling, yeah, no, in 2021,. My father passed away.

Speaker 3 1:18:16

So it was my parents' house and you know, we were, I mean, in a difficult situation financially just for a long time and me, my mother and my brother, we just had that conversation. It was like all right, like what are we doing here? You know, like, are we going to be able to afford the house number one, or do we go our own separate ways and kind of like what you're saying right now, like with these prices that you just listed off and I mean this was three years ago, so maybe it was a little bit better but like, if I got a one bedroom, let's just say it was $2,000. My brother got one, it was $2,000. My mom got one. That was going to be more than what the mortgage was for my house that it currently is right now. So I just said to them both I was like, hey, listen, like what if we all just came together here and we just held onto the house, you know if me and my brother.

Speaker 3 1:19:07

Like you know, my father, my mother families used to live, though.

Speaker 1 1:19:10

This is how it used to be. Everyone was able to count on one another and you know, oh, to look after the dog. Yeah, I'll be home. Yeah, just have the dog, come upstairs and hang out with us. It's like, dude, that's how families used to be. It wasn't like, oh, that's it, get the fuck out, like you know, kick the kids out and then they're. You know, they move across halfway across the country and they see the grandkids once every three years. Yeah, it's not how it used to be. Family used to be very close and connected. Yeah, and that's kind of not how it used to be. Family used to be very close and connected.

Speaker 3 1:19:35

Yeah, and that's kind of like how it's been. I grew up in Queens so I was like in an apartment I had, like I don't know if you're familiar with, do you know, utopia Bagels.

Speaker 1 1:19:44

I do know Utopia. I've never been there, though. Okay, so I used to live-. I heard it's fantastic.

Speaker 3 1:19:48

And fantastic. I lived literally right behind it, so like it was like apartment, like co-ops they're called, so like I lived downstairs, me and my brother we shared a room. My parents had their own bedroom, we had a small kitchen and a living room and that was it, and a bathroom, obviously. But like we were so crammed, like we were always so close, and then, like my father, one day my mom was like hey, like let's you know making money, like let's move to the island. That's what we did when I was like around 11, bought this house and it kind of got like a little crazy. Like ever since that we moved to long island, it got like a little nuts, just like my father losing his job, he getting sick and like what did he do originally?

Speaker 3 1:20:29

my father. He was a. He worked like on wall street. He was originally with merrill lynch. Okay, like when we moved to long island he actually had just gotten, uh, laid off at merrill lynch. He was there for like 23 right when you right when you bought the house.

Speaker 2 1:20:46

That's when, yeah, I'll never forget. Always the most, almost the most opportune time always happens.

Speaker 1 1:20:51

At the worst just kicks you right in the cock bro and my mom wasn't work.

Speaker 3 1:20:55

My mom wasn't working at the time, she was like the stay-at-home mom did a great job. But my father, he worked at merrill lynch like 25 years and we moved to long island. I'll never forget it was july 1st 2002 and we were actually driving, like you know, packed like kids in the car, like we're going and like we're going to our exit now, which is 28, and but he's like hey guys, I gotta tell you something to me. My brother, like I lost my job, like I was just like a 10 year old, 11 year old kid, like what, like, what are we gonna do? So it was tough. He ended up getting a job pretty quick after that one, you know, he got one at like the end of august. He ended up working with lehman brothers, which we all know about Lehman Brothers, I think, and what happened in 2008. And that kind of went downhill, I'd say about six years later I was going to Google Lehman Brothers.

Speaker 3 1:21:44

Let's just put it this way they're like the New York Yankees of banks at the time and they shut down in 2008. L-e-h-m-a-n Brothers.

Speaker 1 1:21:56

Lehman Brothers. Lehman Brothers, lehman.

Speaker 2 1:21:57

Brothers. Lehman Brothers collapsed. Okay, what happened? File for bankruptcy, september 15th 2008.

Speaker 3 1:22:08

Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:22:09

And what happened with them.

Speaker 3 1:22:10

They went under.

Speaker 1 1:22:11

They went under during the whole housing crisis and all that shit that was going on during 08.

Speaker 2 1:22:18

Is that what there was like a stock the?

Speaker 3 1:22:20

stock went down, the stock market, everything Like the whole stock market, crashed in 2008.

Speaker 1 1:22:26

Yeah, nuts Completely. I remember my mom my mom's a mortgage broker. She was going nuts in 08.

Speaker 3 1:22:31

Yeah, Wow, I remember that conversation, I'll never forget oh man.

Speaker 1 1:22:34

Tough conversations to have when you're a kid and like see your parents just in actual agony, yeah, of not knowing what to do.

Speaker 3 1:22:42

Yeah, and that was like my mom at the time. So like when we moved here she actually got like a part-time job. I mean she was working the hours, but it wasn't like anything crazy. But I remember in 08, it was September Like I was crazy. But I remember in 08, it was september, like I was just in my senior year and I was getting ready for school. It had to be like 6, 6, 30 am. My dad comes up and he's like this is gonna be like one of the biggest days of our life. Right now I was like what are you talking about? He's like lehman brothers is going bankrupt and like from that point on it was just like I'm gonna lose my job any day, dude.

Speaker 1 1:23:16

No wonder all of us are so fucking stressed on a daily basis. We had to deal with all this shit the last I mean that's a huge thing. The last, the last 20, 30 years of our lives we've just dealt with like tragedy after tragedy of just pivot after pivot yeah, and went through that the rest of his life.

Speaker 3 1:23:34

Um, he ended up never getting a job ever again after that really yeah, from 2008, because what ended up happening was, um, a few years later. Like you know, he ended up getting sick and this is like a crazy, crazy small story. I'll leave it, but my brother is like a diehard. At the time they were new jersey nuts a pooch right, yeah, a pooch. Shout out a pooch. Yeah, there he is the homie. Uh, obviously now they're the brooklyn nets, but at the time they were new jersey nuts a pooch, right, yeah, a pooch. Shout out a pooch, there he is the homie.

Speaker 3 1:23:59

Uh, obviously now they're the brooklyn nets, but at the time they were new jersey and he happened to be buying like merchandise, like it was his birthday. So my mom, my dad, were like, hey, like, let's buy you a jersey, like whatever it was. So my brother is actually buying a jersey and you know, like the halftime shows, like where, like they do, like whatever contest it is, someone went up to him and was like, hey, like do you want to do this? You know around the world contest where you shoot free throws and three pointers, whatever. So, as far as like, just to you know, fast forward the story. Like he ended up doing it. He was like, I don't even know what age he was, but he crushed it like, won it, like hit every single shot, whatever.

Speaker 3 1:24:36

But he won a trip to the Dominican Republic, oh shit. So, and it was for him and one of the guests and he was underage and I was I don't know how old I was at the time but my dad ended up going. This was in 2009. So, yeah, I was like in my senior year and they go to the DR and my dad came back with autoimmune and he was just completely— it was from the trip. Yeah, like I don't know if, like that exact moment in that trip happened, but he came home from that trip and he was like my stomach hurts, it's this, it's that, like I don't know if it was like something prior, because he always had like complications, like little— what did he pick up? Because he always had complications here and there.

Speaker 1 1:25:14

What did he pick up? What did he have?

Speaker 3 1:25:16

It was some type of hepatitis. I don't know what exactly it was.

Speaker 3 1:25:20

to be honest with you, and you can get that pretty easily from anything, right, yeah, oh yeah. And it could have been him eating something, he drank something. It's scary. It was a wild time. It was during my Thanksgiving break, so he ended up getting that, and During, like, my Thanksgiving break, so he ended up getting that. And then he was kind of just shut down and, like, when he did recover, he was always trying to find another job, like where he was working, and it was tough because he turned 50.

Speaker 3 1:25:46

And who wants to hire someone at 50 years old making what he was making? You know, when you can get someone who's fresh out of college and at the time they could probably be making forty, fifty thousand dollars, um, and you know, you fell into a real bad hole, like you know, and it's not his fault, it was just shit happens. You know what I mean, like everything. It's like it was a tough, tough road man. It was. It was a lot, a lot, a lot of stress, but get through it. You know what I mean. And then you know the past four years. You know not, I should say the past four years but like in 2019, 2020, it started like ramping up again and it was affected, like his liver and he ended up having like liver disease and shut down from there, yeah yeah, it was's your background, Like what's your ethnicity.

Speaker 3 1:26:36

I'm Italian.

Speaker 1 1:26:36

Sicilian, so Southern Italian. Have you ever gotten your iron levels checked?

Speaker 3 1:26:43

I think I have and I was pretty good. I did it like two, three years ago Actually, right after he passed. I got like a checkup and I made sure, like I got tested for, like everything like that he had. So Did everything like that he had. So you get a genetic test for hemochromatosis?

Speaker 2 1:26:59

I'm not sure.

Speaker 1 1:26:59

Check that all this stuff is I don't know what hemochromatosis.

Speaker 2 1:27:01

I thought I had I learned something new, like when I talked to nick like every podcast because he'll bring up something and I'm like what the fuck is that?

Speaker 3 1:27:06

but I remember like telling like the doctor, like I'm saying the liver issues because he had liver disease?

Speaker 1 1:27:10

well, yeah, but was he a drinker?

Speaker 3 1:27:12

no, not at all smoker.

Speaker 1 1:27:13

Did they say that he had cirrhosis at all?

Speaker 3 1:27:15

Yes, had cirrhosis.

Speaker 1 1:27:17

Okay, so that could actually be in part. Now I'm not a doctor, so this is not medical advice. That could actually be. Yeah, that could actually be in part due to not having any, um, alcohol reasons or, you know, alcohol induced reasons of cirrhosis. That could be in part due to high levels of iron in the blood. Yeah, and most European men have high iron levels and they don't even realize it and they get diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver as like a terminal fate. Obviously, unless they get a transplant they die and they don't realize that it was actually just because they had too high iron levels. They either had hemochromatosis or their iron levels were just never put in check. They never donated blood.

Finding Strength Through Adversity

Speaker 1 1:27:57

You should get checked yeah, no, it definitely will no like seriously, I'd say that's it, because that's the book I bought when I thought I had it. The book I bought talks specifically about that. So many people are misdiagnosed not misdiagnosed because they have cirrhosis, but misdiagnosed because they said the cirrhosis never came from lit drinking, right. So where the fuck does it just come from? Yeah, heavy taxation of the liver and the iron.

Speaker 1 1:28:19

When the iron is too high on the body, it deposits in the heart, the brain and the liver yeah and at some point it becomes too much damage in causing cirrhosis I gotta get on that then, yeah you may want to just check it out I know I got checked for something.

Speaker 3 1:28:32

They were like you're clear, like because I did tell him like what?

Speaker 1 1:28:35

the diagnosis of what he had and everything they don't even know exactly, they don't see it. They used to call it um. They used to call it bronze diabetes because, uh, people that had heavy uh source of uh, heavy iron uh in the body, they'd have that, um, that like bronze tinge to the skin tone as well with the and the eyes. Yeah, yeah, jeez, bronze diabetes. They used to call it Very crazy shit. It sucked so definitely. Oh, there's Karen, is everything okay? I'm on a podcast. Hi, karen, what's up? Tom and Pooch say hi, hello, boys.

Speaker 2 1:29:16

She says All right, I'm hanging up on you, karen, love you, bye so it's like what you, um, what you said, right, I was gonna say that's probably why we all fucking train the way we do, because how, like tragic tragedies of life happen. Like training is that outlet that, you know, helps us forget about it for a short amount of time oh yeah, I mean I've my brain turns off when I train.

Speaker 3 1:29:42

Yeah, forget it. I mean I have so much in my life that I know that has affected me. That and like I I do it to myself too, like I'll make myself the underdog, where I'm like, fuck you, I'm going all out here because you were this in high school or this, like at this age, and like you to make this team, and like you just have that chip on your shoulder and like when I go into your gym or anywhere, I am like I kind of like give myself that reminder. But I mean all these events that I'm telling you, like whether it was, you know, losing my dad.

Speaker 3 1:30:14

It was being in the financial crisis for like forget. I mean it was like from 2008 till covid. You know, like covid was probably around that turning point because he was also at that stage of like when he was gonna pass and all this and um, there was just so much built up in the past over a decade and with running for me, like here's like a quick I don't know if it's a quick story, but I would say it had to be during COVID. It was 2020. I was going through a lot. I was, you know, my father was like at the peak of everything going on. My house was in foreclosure you know my again like bills weren't being paid, like, and this isn't like a sob story, I'm just saying it's like.

Speaker 1 1:31:05

This is what was going on like this is like we all go through.

Speaker 3 1:31:08

This is like what has been in my head and like you know. You just see how it is every day and at the time I'm not a full-time worker, I'm a part-time worker. You know I can't get a job. It's just like you feel like just everything is going against you and like you're not hating the world or anything, but it's just like what the fuck? Like when is my chance coming? You know what I mean.

Speaker 3 1:31:29

When am I going to get a break? When am? And like the only thing I had was training. It was working out, whether it was CrossFit or whatever. It was like when I was in that zone. That was like my time, like you know what I mean, and at the time when gyms were closed in 2020, I actually was doing a thing that so my old CrossFit gym they shut down due to COVID and other things, whatever, and I was doing their program. That was through Zoom and it was like you literally like logged onto Zoom and you worked out and then you were with other people. It was people.

Speaker 3 1:32:01

I knew Did a couple of those. It was fucking brutal. And listen, it was great for like what it was.

Speaker 2 1:32:07

Yes, what we needed it for I am yeah.

Speaker 3 1:32:10

I'm not hating on it. It was brutal, yeah, hating on it like it was brutal, yeah, but like there was. I'll never forget this one day. I was like trying to set it up, I made the mistake I did not charge my computer right. So I woke up, I logged onto zoom my thing is dying and like there's a coach, like on the zoom, obviously instructing you what to do like whatever, and that goes like completely blank. And then I go like maybe like eight steps to my left and I'm working out my basement so keep this in mind and I have a barbell, I have a bench, I have a squat rack, whatever it is, and there's just a puddle of like water. I'm like what the hell? And I know, like I knew it rained like the night before and I just see my ceiling just like dripping down and I'm like what the hell?

Speaker 3 1:32:53

and I know, like I knew it rained like the night before. And I just see my ceiling just like dripping down and I'm like mother, I'm like I gotta get the wire now to charge this. I gotta clean this up. And now I'm in the basement and now my dad, he's in his bedroom and he's in bed and I end up here in like a thump, like a boom, and I'm like, oh my god. And I'm just like what am I doing here? Like you know what I mean. Like, so I go upstairs, I run up, I'm like you all right, I see him on the floor. I'm doing the whole, like you know, picking him up, getting under that. So I'm like are you all right? Like, are you good? He's like yeah, I'm fine. Just, are you good? I'm like, yeah, like I'm fine. Like I'm just like I got 8 million things going on at once. Like you know, I'll be fine, though I promise he's like you, sure. I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm like, if you need me, like, let me know.

Reflections on Loss and Grieving

Speaker 3 1:33:41

So I go downstairs, I'm cleaning this up, I'm trying to find the wire. It's like you and I was like you know what. I'm just not gonna do it. I'm done. I'm like I need to just sit down and not do anything and I like had like a mental breakdown at that point. I was just like I'm losing my mind, like I can't get anything right. I see these forms here about my house. I have my dad who's like literally like on his limb here. I got I'm trying to work out something that I actually like doing. I can't even do that. I also got a flood in my basement. I'm like you know what? Like I need to get out of the house. Like I gotta get out. I gotta get out. I put on shoes, right, and I go outside and I just start running. And this is where this is all coming from. Here I just start running. I don't run at all at this point at all. Like I mean, if I did like 400 meter runs at CrossFit, 600, whatever it was 800 meters like that was like the most of it and I was like I'm just going to go as far as I can and when I want to turn around, I'll turn around. So by me.

Speaker 3 1:34:50

I live in Wanto and what I usually do is I make a right onto Wanto Avenue and I end up being on Hempstead Turnpike and that's about like two miles in. And I got to Hempstead Turnpike and, like you know, in that like eight, ten minutes, whatever it is, you know you're just thinking about everything that's going on, so like it's not just one sole thing. But I remember, like to this day, like true story, like making that left on Hempstead Turnpike and just like breaking down, like I mean, like breaking down Full-blown, like tears coming down my face, cars are just, like you know, coming through probably looking at me, like what the hell is going on with this guy, like he has a story, there's something going on, and I just kept running, crying, running, like thinking about everything, like everything, and I just kept running, crying, running, like thinking about everything, like everything's unfit, like not blaming everything, but I'm just like yo, like I can't like again, like back to that, I can't get a break with anything. And you know, on that, like on those runs, like I would do it, so like I finished that run of six miles, whatever it was, and like that was the most I've ever done in my life, but I would come home and I had like a just a better feeling and like this is where this all comes from. With the running thing, it's like I finished that run and like, even though those problems were still there, I had like that hour or whatever it was, to just kind of sort it out for me. It was like this sucks, but we're going to get through it. Whatever it is like, we'll get through it.

Speaker 3 1:36:16

And you know, I had a lot of those same runs like over the course of like the next few weeks where I would like start crying, like and it was mostly because of my dad, like you know, like I knew like a job would happen, like listen, it's gonna come. I knew, like the gym situation, whatever it was gonna happen. But, like you know, I honestly thought and like it wasn't that I ever lost hope. I was just being realistic and like sometimes you just need to be realistic and maybe like people who listen to this or they watch this, whatever it is, but like I knew my dad was gonna die right, and like there's people in my family, there's friends, there's a bunch of people out there that would probably be like how could you say that? Like, how could you like lose hope on when you are looking at someone that you know and you've seen for the last 30 years of your life, and like they are struggling. They can't even get up to go to the bathroom or whatever it is.

Speaker 3 1:37:07

I like plant, like this is a true thing, man. Like I planned his funeral in my head like on those runs, like I let it all out, like on those runs and you know it's hard to say, but it was the truth like I would look at him after those like days. I'd be like it's gonna happen, like not, I would say that to him, but like in my head you're just like you have to get yourself ready, and like I'm sure we've all lost someone that's super, super important to us. And it's like you don't ever, ever want to believe that. But like I mean, like I remember like even going to the hospital and he would be in there and me, my brother, would leave, and I would look at my brother.

Speaker 3 1:37:47

This was, this was end of august. So I would look at him. I'd be be like aunt, I just got to tell you something and I'm only telling you this. But like you don't have six months, I'm like it. This could happen next week, this could happen three months, this could have like, but I just want you to know, like we're like entering that zone and he's like no, you're right, like I'm not gonna tell mom that because you know like I don't know, you know, but you know everybody knows she's gotta, you know, hold the fort down.

Speaker 3 1:38:17

But like, this is what I'm going through right now. This is what's in my head, you know, and like when he did pass, it wasn't that. I mean, obviously you're super upset and emotional and stressed and you're thinking about the house and you know where are we gonna live, and like there's eight million different things going on. But, like I was, you're not ready for it, but you just like it's like, yeah it, this has been planned in my head for weeks, man you accept it?

Speaker 3 1:38:43

you know I've had this right yeah, and you want to talk about demons, that I mean, that was a big one. For me, that was a huge, huge thing and I think about that a lot, like I think about those runs and like yo, like you know, you went through it, but it gets better.

Speaker 1 1:39:01

For anyone that's listening.

Speaker 3 1:39:02

It does get better.

Speaker 1 1:39:03

Yeah, I was going to interject and I didn't want to stop you, but that's the biggest thing is that it does get better. And it's tough, man. It's tough to accept things when they're happening and it just seems like shit's hitting the fan. And you know, I've had I've lost my, my uncle a long, a long time ago. I lost my uncle, who I was very close with my grandfather in 2019, who I was very close with my dog in 2019, my childhood dog and um, we hung on to her for too long. We should have put her down a little sooner, but it was.

Speaker 1 1:39:31

It was one of those where you knew she was dying slowly. She couldn't walk anymore and obviously a dog to a parent is very different, but still family in certain ways for those that are like super close with pets. And I remember that it was a morning my mom and I she would have seizures and she would have like things, you know, towards the end, which we didn't really know they were seizures. We just called them like little episodes. We just thought she was acting a little off and she used to.

Coping With Loss and Trauma

Speaker 1 1:39:57

She had like a tumor in her shoulder so she used to drag her paw so she'd like hop into like room to room and she'd go and lay down. We had we had blankets all over the house, so she just lay bed to bed, bed to bed, bed to bed. And then one morning she woke up 2019. I think it was in June yeah, it was in June 2019 and she just like threw up projectile everywhere and you just saw she was like keeling over and my mom and I were just like okay, it's time, it's time and then we called the place to come and do the euthanasia there, the euthanization and they came and just you know you're sitting there and you just realize it, and they're giving us timeization.

Speaker 1 1:40:35

Yeah, and they came. It came over love, oh yeah, and just you know you're sitting there, you just realize it, and they're giving us time with her and they're cutting some of her fur off and giving it to you and making a paw print and make everything and you're just like it's becoming real, like this is your childhood dog and this is something that you've cared for for years.

Speaker 1 1:40:49

And, truth be told, like I was close with cookie up, nowhere near kenji, and I because kenji's with me everywhere I go, so eventually it'll be horrific when he goes, but it's, you know, it was like a really shitty feeling. And then when they which, when she just says, okay, like I'm gonna administer the first shot and the second shot, and then once, once that second shot goes, the dog is gonna be is, she's gonna drift off to sleep and then I'm gonna do the third one and that's it. Yeah, so we're just like okay, and you're just holding the dog and you just feel that last breath, just that last exhale, and you get the chills thinking about it. But you feel that last breath and you just go all right and like you feel okay in the moment, and then they take her away and then you're crying and you're upset, but then, like, as the days go by, you know, you start remembering the funny parts of things, that experiences that you've had with with the family member, the dog, whatever, and then you, as the weeks go by and the months go by the healing. It kind of comes full circle and complete. Yeah, and you could think about them without being totally upset and devastated.

Speaker 1 1:41:51

Um, but it sucks, man, it's no matter what. It sucks leading into things like that. It sucks when you know that somebody or something is not going to be there anymore and you have to just take that harness, that strength that you've had your entire life and just be like all right, I need to be there for the family, I need to be there for myself, I need to just keep myself distracted and busy and get back to my schedule in some ways, without obviously mourning the proper way. But you have to be selfish in certain ways and you have to just prioritize yourself, because there are too many people that get into a rut. You get into such a mental hole that they're just so depressed and so upset that they're devastated and it's like you've just stayed in a place of sadness for too long. You have to just kind of claw your way out a little bit.

Speaker 2 1:42:33

You guys ever see the anime Naruto?

Speaker 3 1:42:36

No.

Speaker 1 1:42:36

I haven't watched it. I've known about it, obviously, for years and years. I want to watch it though.

Speaker 2 1:42:42

So that and Dragon Ball Z is one of my favorite shows ever. I grew up watching them and I broke down recently. And my trauma and where I get my mentality from is from when I was bullied as a kid and everybody would look at me like I'm some kind of like fucking monster or some like fucking alien. And I said recently like you know, I'm bald now I have tattoos. Everybody looks at me like I'm fucking scary, but you know I have everybody's best interest at heart, but whatever, like sometimes it gets to me when people tell me, oh, he looks crazy, he looks too angry, he looks intimidating, like most of the time I brush it off, but sometimes, yeah, I mean it gets to me. But that's like being bullied as a kid, like that was. That's where my like traumatic like thing in my brain switches on and I'm just like alright. This is why I train the way I do because, like what Pooch said, I have the chip on my shoulder.

Speaker 1 1:43:32

It's like repressed thought or feelings.

Unlocking Potential Through Life's Challenges

Speaker 2 1:43:34

Exactly, it's like fuck you, you know what I mean. And like I realized that you know people. I had a conversation with one of our friends and he was just anxious about you know, like his heart and like just like something. That's like making him going nuts, whatever. But I asked him. I was like yo, it's probably a trauma that you are secretly suppressing, subconsciously suppressing. That's what's making you bug the fuck out in a way. He realized that.

Speaker 2 1:44:03

But going back to the show, in the show there is a clan, the Uchiha clan. They have the ability of the Sharingan. It's their eyes. So you can read people's movements, you can create fires with your eyes, you can reverse time. It's a crazy fucking thing. It's a crazy show.

Speaker 2 1:44:16

But the way they gain access to that power is by traumatic events. So when you start to go through things in life, the tamui, like the little spheres in your eyes, there's three. You start out with one, you get two, and then you get three. On that third one, you're fully, if you're fully evolved a two and then you get three. On that third one, you're fully, if you're fully evolved. Now, in order for it to advance further, for you to become more powerful, you have to go through a very traumatic event in your life, whether losing your best friend, losing a parent, um, you know, losing your arm, whatever, like, something has to happen in your life to where you unlock that potential.

Speaker 2 1:44:54

So, if you lose a loved one or if you lose a friend, there is a scene in the show where one of the main guys, itachi he loses his friend Shisui. Shisui gives him his eye because they could preserve eyes in that realm. Right, I'm pretty sure you could do it whatever, like in the real world you could preserve, like body parts, was he gave him his eyes, he still has the power. Right, gave him his eyes. He said. He said, itachi, you're my best friend, I love you to death, but I have to die, like this is my time.

Speaker 2 1:45:27

He falls off the river, he dies. In that moment he starts to cry and then his eyes change and he unlocks the power of his ancestors, which is pretty fucking sick. But it's crazy that, like the events that we all go through right me, pooch you. It turns us into.

Speaker 2 1:45:46

It's like a switch that turns on in our brains that unlocks our potential, like pooch, the fact that he's a fucking marathon runner but he's also strong as shit as an elite CrossFit athlete and that elite you know, elite with what we do now too like unconventional stuff. That moment where he was in so much pain, in that scenario in his mind, in his head, that actually opened up a floodgate into another realm of potential being able to train with me, with us, and do what he does, but then also at 6 45 tonight running a 5k, 5k, like that's insane, like that. But that's that ties into like how, like those events really unlock something within us to be more of a fucking savage and just be more of a of a monster, of a human being. It's crazy to think about experience.

Speaker 1 1:46:38

One of the quotes that I love from kingsman, the movie was experiences make the man. Yeah, it's true, it's true, man it's that's fucking.

Speaker 1 1:46:45

I got into weightlifting because I was bullied for being fat yeah, that's I was bullied a long time for being fat and heavy and this and that, and I came back. I was too 270 back then, 10th grade, I was 270 and I came, yeah, man, I came back 190 in one summer, 11, uh, 10th to 11th grade. And then I was like, going up to all the dudes that were bullying me, I was like, oh, you had a lot to shit to say last year. What's up, man, like now I'm in shape, now go. And I, yeah, in some ways I became a bully to some, to a lot of those guys, because I was like that chip on my shoulder. I was ready to go, ready to go.

Speaker 1 1:47:17

I was fiery at that point and then, just like I would say, the next distinguishing moment in life that flipped, another switch for me was like I was with my ex for a long time we were almost four years and the second that we go away to different colleges I deal with her cheating on me. And then I got into my bodybuilder era. Hoodie up, I was away at college. I really didn't party at all, I really didn't do anything. I hooked up with no girls, none, my goal was bodybuilding and that was it. I was at the gym hoodie up summer, no matter what. I'd wear two hoodies sometimes during the winter and I would just head down bodybuilding and I went from. I went from two because I went back up to 240 at that point. I went from 240 to 150 to compete a year later, 240 to 150.

Speaker 2 1:48:05

That's right.

Speaker 1 1:48:05

I stepped on stage at 150.

Speaker 2 1:48:08

Yeah.

Speaker 1 1:48:08

So like this is. I mean, these were the switches and my mom had my mom had said it too. She had said, after that breakup she said you were different, you came back different. She's like you came back a little bit more, not mean or anything like that, but a little bit more cold and jaded-ish Because I realized that somebody that I put a lot of faith and love into fucking hurt me and I was like we promised to be with each other and all this shit and it just went to crap in a month, a month, three and a half, almost four year relationship. So that fucked me up.

Life's Shifting Fitness Journey

Speaker 1 1:48:42

And then, listen, man, I'm sure that that has played into some part where why I've been in and out of relationships, in and out here and there. I just have to. I have to find balance in my mind and learn and get to the next part. But COVID was the next one Starting my business getting shut down to zero. That was the next flip switch, switching up my training and doing more functional stuff the cardio stuff last year with OG, now strengthening and conditioning, now with you and the jiu-jitsu. I never wanted to do jiu-jitsu, I mean I wanted to back when ironically, I told Matt. Back when he first opened up the school in huntington I came for a trial class.

Speaker 2 1:49:16

This is in like right after he fought gsp, oh wow oh shit, so you went and tried it before you started doing it now years ago.

Speaker 1 1:49:24

Yes, wow his brother gave me the, the, the lesson, the one-on-one. I just didn't like it. Wow, yeah, this is like that's crazy. Yeah, I might have. I might actually be a blue belt by now.

Speaker 2 1:49:35

When did he fight GSP? Fucking long time ago. When did Matt Serra fight GSP?

Speaker 1 1:49:40

Yeah, so anyway. So I went, I took a trial class and I said, you know, because I wanted to do it, so bad at that point watching him fight. And I said, eh, whatever, it's not for me 2008. Oh man, that's a long time.

Speaker 2 1:49:51

Yeah, fucking black belt by now, how old were you?

Speaker 1 1:49:54

Wow, oh my God, I must have been in like 08. I graduated 09. So I was like 17, 16.

Speaker 2 1:49:59

Holy shit, so you did a trial that fucking long ago and now you fell in love with it. Now that's cool.

Speaker 3 1:50:04

Can you imagine doing kettlebells since 2008? You've been doing it for, like what? Five years.

Speaker 2 1:50:10

Oh, my God.

Speaker 1 1:50:11

They didn't make $300,000.

Speaker 2 1:50:14

I wish I started jiu-jitsu when I was younger, like I was 10. I did karate when I was 10.

Speaker 1 1:50:18

I'll put my kids into it one day.

Speaker 2 1:50:20

Oh my God, if you put kids into jiu-jitsu, holy fuck. They're young, bro. Think about it this way Like they're five fucking years old and then by the time they're 18, they have 13 fucking years of training over anybody. So you're only 18 years old. You don't know what the fuck is happening at 18 years old. You're a fucking kid at that point. Imagine putting your kids into jujitsu at that young. Holy shit, that'd be fucking insane.

Speaker 1 1:50:42

So yeah, so it's just you know now, and I told Matt that and he was like holy shit man. I said yeah, because I was asking people at was upstairs Cause his the way his studio is, he's got the top, but then it goes down, sloped around the back, so it's like on a hill, that's.

Speaker 2 1:51:01

Huntington.

Speaker 1 1:51:02

Yeah, and his and his and his mats are all on the bottom. Gotcha, His mats are all at the Everyone's like. No, I don't remember that, I don't remember that. And I asked him and he goes yeah, rizzles. He's like, yeah, they were up here. At that point I go, I thought so that's crazy, that's wild, that is very, very wild.

Speaker 3 1:51:19

That's so cool.

Speaker 1 1:51:20

So, yeah, so now I'm doing this and I'm a year and two-ish three months into it now and I just I love it. It's so crazy how just these things just shape us to want to do different things and experience different things. And listen, man, the bodybuilding thing was cool for a long time. I loved it, I loved it. It was great. It was great for what it was. But I'm not going to. I wasn't going to take gear, I wasn't going to. You know, I wasn't going to go compete in a natural league because the natural leagues were shit. No, no, no, no, no Natural League, natural League. I hate on naturals, bro. Yeah, no, no, no, no Natural League.

Speaker 2 1:51:56

Are you going to get what I'm saying? Don't hate on naturals.

Speaker 1 1:51:58

I know because you're doing Natural World's Strongest man as long as you got it. No, natural League for IFBB is different. It's different. You actually have to perform.

Speaker 3 1:52:15

These guys.

Speaker 1 1:52:16

It's a that funny, though like something that, like you, were so invested in, like you don't even have the desire to do it anymore.

Speaker 3 1:52:18

Now I've been zero, like I even like with crossfit for me, like I did it for 10 years and it was like I mean, I did it every day, like I lived it, I breathed it, I slept it, whatever, and like I can't even think about going back to do it like not even like a little bit. Like you know, I take the class here and there, like with lex. I'll go with her, like she goes, and or whoever's gym. It is like just to get a workout in, but like to do it every day and like live it and breathe it the way I did, I just have no desire at the time I thought I could do it.

Speaker 1 1:52:45

Man, I've said it multiple times on this podcast. I thought I thought that I could do an hour on the stairs every single day, eat my, eat my fish and my meals my six meals a day, every single day. Eat my, eat my fish and my meals my six meals a day, every single day, for the rest of my life. In that moment I thought I could do that and then, as I guess, my frontal lobe developed as I like actually learned and figured things out. Yeah, exactly, I just I realized that that's not the life that I want, because I started looking at a lot of the older bodybuilders that have been, that are stuck in that loop of like. You know, I, just a couple weeks ago, I just saw a 50 50s he's gotta be like in his 50s and I saw him. He was talking to one of the gym owners and he's just like hey, he's like got third at nationals. He's like, so next year is gonna be my year and I'm like jesus christ, bro, just fucking hang it up yeah I don't know.

Speaker 1 1:53:35

You're putting yourself through another prep more drugs, more suppression of, like, all your food and you're gonna be a crab to everybody around you put that fire into something.

Speaker 2 1:53:44

Just go do something else.

Speaker 1 1:53:45

Man, at some point you have to be even the guys that are in their late 30s. I've had this conversation with guys before. So you're just gonna abuse yourself with drugs to just maybe get a plastic trophy. Maybe get the pro card that then says IFBB Pro, jerk off. Okay, it used to be something. They used to issue out those IFBB Pro cards far and few between like twice a year. Now they dish them shits out, as long as you're willing to pay that annual fee.

Speaker 2 1:54:14

That's why I love what I do now, because it shaped my whole. I've been into fitness since I was fucking 10 years old, doing all this shit, but it wasn't until honestly, it wasn't until a year ago that I really found my groove and I met everybody that I know that's meant to be in my life you guys, people from all over the country. It's my business model, it's how I make money, it's how I make a living. So, like putting, like like the guy saying that he just got his third, like he just got third, oh, it'll be next year, it'll be next year. It's like all right, well, maybe you should take your efforts and your fire into something else, cause maybe that you'll get first, maybe that you'll build what you really want to build. And that's what happened with me. I strung away from everything and I just said fuck it, let me just do what I do now. And it stemmed, stemmed to what? Everything that I have today.

Navigating Fitness Journey and Lifestyle Adjustments

Speaker 1 1:55:00

So, yeah, it's not to discourage anybody. I think it's great that you're still trying and aiming for something, but at some point you gotta be realistic. You have to be realistic. Switch it up. Yeah, that's like. That's like living in a failed business and just like, without ever switching the business model and pivoting with times. As it goes on, he's going yeah, next month I'm going to make money. It's like, dude, you haven't made money for the last two weeks. In his case, you haven't made money for the last 20 fucking years, 30 years of training Dog. Switch it up, man. Do something different.

Speaker 3 1:55:27

Stubborn. What are they?

Speaker 1 1:55:27

going to give you. What's the feedback? What's the feedback they're going to give you? Coming harder, coming drier, coming bigger. It's like the same shit every year, bro.

Speaker 3 1:55:36

Yeah, something's got to change.

Speaker 1 1:55:37

The top 10 guys in my class. I was men's physique, class A, which is up to 5'7 in height. There was no weight limit. The top 10 guys in my class were 215. That is up to 5'7 is the cap for that class, and they weighed 200? 215. I weighed 150 on stage. God, how in the fuck am I supposed to compete with that?

Speaker 3 1:56:00

You can't.

Speaker 2 1:56:01

You're 5'7", 215 pounds. Yeah, that's physically fucking impossible, Bro. They look like monsters.

Speaker 1 1:56:07

Yeah, that's crazy, my mom literally sent me a picture when I was backstage. She goes I think we got a problem because of me next to everybody. Yeah, that's not good, dude, I looked great. Yeah, for a natural guy, right, didn't look great standing next to them. And then what was the feedback backstage? Yeah, coming harder, coming drier. Okay, so you want me to just take more diuretics and you want me to take more shit?

Speaker 1 1:56:29

No, listen, I've always been very vocal about it. I think that if you want to take juice and you want to take steroids, take it. I'm all for it for you. If you believe that you need it and that's something that you want to put in your protocol, do it, but do it healthily like, do it with health in mind. Don't do it to just abuse your body and get a plastic trophy. That is not worth it. No, hell, no. Because the same dudes and I've said so many times, but the same dudes that claim I'd rather live 40 years as a lion than 60 as a sheep.

Speaker 1 1:56:59

It's like, bro, they're the ones that are on dialysis because their kidneys shut down from all the gear they've been blasting and they're like please, someone help me. And they're, they're. Oh, what happened to that mentality a couple years ago, bro? Right, yeah, now you're realizing that this all wasn't, wasn't worth it. So we get into this sport, we get into this lifestyle to be healthy, to live longer, not cut that shit short. That's what it comes down to. Well, that's what you hope it comes down to, but there are people that just, you see 16, 17-year-olds blasting shit now nowadays, and it's just. It's disgusting, bro. It's disgusting. You haven't even hit your pinnacle. You haven't even hit the amount of testosterone that's going to be flowing through your body naturally in what it needs to be. Yeah, what do they say? The male brain doesn't finish developing until 25?, 25? And you're going to blast gear at 17?.

Speaker 2 1:57:50

When does the male brain?

Speaker 1 1:57:53

Fact check me, mr Google. No, fact check me.

Speaker 2 1:57:56

I wish I had a computer. I would late mid to late 20s. Yeah, yes.

Speaker 1 1:57:59

Wild man. Okay, yeah, I think I think mine just finished, I think I just woke up and you know this is one of the reasons why I decided to, like, cut the drinking last year. Yeah, you know, I don't have a problem. Do I have a problem? Do I want drinks? Yeah, like every now and then I want a beer, I want a little sake, I love sake, but at the same time, I just knowing and and and understanding the research that has come out in health and in what alcohol does to your brain and all this stuff. I'm good man. Yeah, and the longer the street goes, the longer. I don't want to, I don't want to break it.

Speaker 1 1:58:29

so I'm just kind of like yeah, I'm just chilling right now yeah, no, I pick and choose battles with it, yeah, and that's not just specifically about sobriety, that's just about health, right, of course you know the bodybuilding wasn't serving me anymore. I started training with Tom. Then, a year ago, evan came on the podcast and he has a more cardio-based type training style and I said I need to drop a good amount of weight, let me try the cardio stuff, stuff, and I did it for the last year and it was great, served its purpose. But now I wanted to go back and I wanted to, like, put some strength in again, yeah, along with the jujitsu, and I wanted to train more functionally like that. Yeah, I miss doing the kettlebells, I miss doing the sandbags, I miss pushing myself, I miss that environment, the heavy metal, the fucking villain arc, feeling of like hoodie on and just getting shit done great analogy of it.

Speaker 2 1:59:11

You know what I'm saying. Like the villain art feeling just like, oh, I'm coming out different, like this is good yeah so like I missed that training, so you know I took to ev.

Speaker 1 1:59:19

Still, I'm just like it just wasn't for me anymore for right now. Maybe I go back at some point, maybe I don't, I don't know, just not for me right now. Yeah, the jujitsu I'm focused on.

Speaker 3 1:59:27

Tom stuff I'm focused on right, that's it, and there's nothing wrong with that. Like you said, you can always go back to whatever it is. Oh point of life, man, you pivot, you like things.

Navigating Life's Challenges Together

Speaker 1 1:59:34

You don't like things. I hated video games for six months. Then I started playing video games again recently. Like you're a human man, we are all over the place. Nothing is linear. Nothing is like the. This is where we're. This is the only way to get to success. This is the only way to get to health. There's like mountains, there's zigzags, there's shit that that obstacles that get thrown our way. There's loss of life in our, in our that is close to our inner circle. There's listen, man, when I got the dog did I think he was gonna have seizures at two years old? No, bro, but you know, there's obstacles that we all have to deal with. Yeah, it just is what it is and that's what we do in life. You pivot, you learn, you adapt, you get stronger. You get those little eye things from naruto that's it man, shot and gone baby.

Speaker 3 2:00:15

And also these experiences. It makes a bad day a little bit easier. It's just if I'm having a rough one. I say this in my house all the time and there's no bad days ever. There's no bad days.

Speaker 1 2:00:32

I've heard that somewhere multiple times, but when you really think, about it it's so tough to remind yourself of that when it's happening, though. When it's a when it's a shit day, it is so exceptionally hard to remind yourself, like I've been here before. Tomorrow is going to probably be a better day. You just have to just get through it just get through it exactly.

Speaker 3 2:00:48

And like when I was going through what I was saying before, whether, like the three components, you know it was family death and you know financially and all these things, it's like you've been down even a darker path and like, if you're going through something that's so you know, in my mind that's more minimal. Like, listen, your, your problem that to you is so big, might be, like yo, to me it's really not that big of a deal, but like and vice versa, right, like my big problems to you might be small, but like they're gonna go away eventually, whether it's gonna be that day or a few days from now, it's gonna pass all right. You just gotta keep on going, keep on trekking and things are gonna turn out.

Speaker 2 2:01:26

It always goes and it's cool, because people who listen to this type of stuff like if they hear guys like me, you nick like breaking down like I, like I said I broke down fucking, so I'm dying Listen, man, it, it, it gets, it gets to people, it gets to me, and it's like people listening to that guy. Like you know, if Tom feels that way, then it's okay for me to feel that way. Or if Tom and Nick and pooch can get through all this shit that they got through, then I can get through whatever I'm doing.

Speaker 2 2:01:49

On brotherhood, I'm big on providing what I can to you guys, you guys being my homies, like that's, because that's how I fucking get better too. Like I'm not bulletproof, I'm not fucking whatever proof, like you know, it's like it's just literally the trials and tribulations of life and people just listening to stories and, you know, just all feeding off each other as a collective. Because that's what, what? That's just what we're here for, whatever fucking divine powers or with god and everything that has put us on this earth and to live and what we do. We're all here as a collective, we're all dealing with it together yeah, nobody knows what the fuck's going on.

Speaker 1 2:02:27

I have no idea what the hell's going on. I'm still trying to figure out this life. And guess what? When I'm, however old I am, until my last day, I'm still gonna be to be trying to figure out life it just when it comes down to it, nobody wants to feel alone. That's why stories like this and just talking openly about things like this it helps others from listening. Like Tom just said, it helps them listening and viewing, because they go, oh shit, I'm going through it, or I've been through that, or I'm in the beginning stages of feeling like something like that is coming on you. I'm in the beginning stages of feeling like something like that is coming on. We all have those days where we just break down and we just can't take it.

Speaker 3 2:02:57

Sometimes you got to cry Not to cut you off man Sometimes you got to do it.

Speaker 1 2:03:00

I was crying a lot when Kenji got sick. Man, I was crying a lot, dude. It was like right, when I just got my first apartment, I was so excited to move out. Everything was going great. Everything was like, oh man, I just like I'm on top of the world, yeah, and then he starts getting sick. I feel like I can't leave. Then he needs medicine every 12 hours and this is like listen, I still get stressed out. There are days where I'm just like there's so much to handle in a single day and I just I can't deal with it. All Right, and it's just people hitting me up to get edits done or edit a podcast episode or bills coming up or this, and that you want to talk transparently.

Navigating Work-Life Balance and Creativity

Speaker 1 2:03:38

When I was working with Monster Energy and Rain for the last two and a half, almost three years and then when they decided that they were doing a lot of the stuff in-house going forward and they didn't want to do monthly stuff anymore, that sucked. That was a very large amount of my monthly income. There's no bullshitting, it just is what it is. So for a month or so, that was like very stressful to try to find new business to to unfortunately do what I should have been doing the entire time as a business owner, championing my business and getting five monster energy contracts, instead of just banking on the one, because nothing lasts forever doesn't last forever. Yeah, true, so I and and that was something, because it was such a large, it was my first large contract ever. That's why something like that was very stressful for me. I used to every conversation that they wanted to have every little bump in, I always thought, oh, are they getting rid of me? Like what's going on? Like, do they not like what I gave them?

Speaker 1 2:04:30

Like, and pausing myself yeah, yeah and it would be a perpetual motion of just like uneasiness, like this is like, this is my, my thing right now, like I, I can't lose this, yeah.

Speaker 1 2:04:39

And then, by that, you know, because I was stressing so much about it for the entire time, and duration of the contract and everything like that when the conversation actually did happen, they were like nick, it's not us, it's like the powers that be, it's like it's the corporate, it's the people above us, they just want to do more stuff in-house and this and that. And I just, I literally just went okay and they're just, they're just kind of like, oh, like we appreciate you, you know, we know you, you know we love you and we love your work. This doesn't mean it's an end to us. We could, we may do more stuff in the future. I was just like it's cool, like I'm not gonna argue with you guys, like this is the choice you made. And, although it sucked at first, because I was just like, okay, what day is it? Okay, we got three weeks, we got to get the rent and this and that, and you start like looking at things, although I was like that, at the same time it was almost like a fucking relief.

Speaker 1 2:05:19

It was like, oh, thank god, like I don't have to go do the same fucking shoot over and over again because I wanted to do other things. They just didn't want to do them, so it's just like all right, so I've wanted to do other things. Now let's do it and then that's like some of my spec work stuff with, like Tom and other things. I wanted to start getting back into doing things because I wanted to do them. The podcast, too, like I wanted to. The High Rocks podcast that I did out there, right, I wanted to push myself to do that because that's really what I started the video work for. It wasn't just to be a slave to companies, it was so I can create my content and have fun doing it. At the end of the day, that's what you want, right? That's what I wanted. Unfortunately, at some point it pivots and it turned into a business where I worked for others as opposed to working on my own. I work in my business. That's not scalable and I've learned that over the last three years. Especially what is scalable is working on the business. So if I get people that handle different roles and whatnot kind of like what we were saying before with the gyms if you open it by yourself, you're shooting yourself in the foot. It's over. But as you want to scale and get to that next level, you need people around you. So I need an editor. I already have somebody that handles my books. Now I need somebody that also helps me on shoots.

Speaker 1 2:06:36

This is gradual because I can't do it all. No, I can't take all the meetings. I had a three and a half. I had a three and a half hour meeting yesterday. That's from noon until almost four o'clock in the afternoon. Shot my day, yeah, shot. I can't get any more. I mean, I can get edits done, but they're not going to be like the love is not going to be in it. Yeah, you can force an edit out, but like you're not going to really enjoy doing it. Yeah, yeah, it's art. At the end of the day it's art.

Speaker 1 2:06:58

Of course you know I'm saying like I'm not, I'm not and I'm not comparing myself to pablo picasso or like a famous artist, but it's like at the same time, you know, imagine if he had to get his painting done and somebody just went. It's due tomorrow yeah, it's due tomorrow, get it done. Now I don't. I'm not in the mood. Yeah, I gotta really. I gotta really want to just be in the present moment of just doing it. I don't want to be told I gotta do it.

Speaker 3 2:07:22

It's a weird feeling yeah, and I have a hard time with that staying present not to like pivot. But, like you said, it's like I think you put it was yesterday you posted something and I messaged you. It was like, yeah, you did. Thank you for that what was it?

Speaker 1 2:07:32

I don't know I forget something.

Speaker 3 2:07:33

I forgot what it said, but I have. I have a hard time every single summer being in the teacher life and, like my mind is always go, go, go, go. Like everything, like no matter what, like even alexis she's like oh yeah, allow yourself to rest.

Speaker 1 2:07:48

Remember that you are human and that you need to rest too.

Speaker 3 2:07:52

Being always productive can sometimes harm your mental health yep, yeah, no, I read that and I was like screenshot it. I was like just remind yourself this like you need it. But like I was saying every summer, like the first two weeks of summer break, you know, for teachers and everything I have a hard time with it because I can't transition into just being off right like I'm used to, waking up at five o'clock making my coffee at 508.

Speaker 1 2:08:20

You know, it's like groundhog day. It literally is. It feels the same and then weird, it's a weird type of like. It's a weird negative feeling actually in my mind.

Navigating Work-Life Balance and Business Challenges

Speaker 3 2:08:28

Yeah, I don't know about for you guys oh no, I go through it and like I get out at 250 and then it's like as soon as that bell rings, I'm like all right, I gotta get to tom's class. I get home, I change, I go to tom, I cook dinner, I go to bed or shower, then go to bed, whatever it is. It's just like I'm in that cycle for 250 days, whatever it is. And then it's like june 27th and it's like okay, you're now off, right for the next the train.

Speaker 3 2:08:51

The train screeches, halt right and what I like to do is I like to train at seven o'clock with tom and then I'm done at 8 30 and it's like okay and like not to like put it like this, like oh, he has all day off, but like for me it's like I gotta be doing something right and I'm in my bed at like nine o'clock in the morning, just, you know, watching television or catching up on something. It's sunny outside. I'm like I should be outside right now. Yep, right, like why am I not at the beach? Should I go for coffee? Like should I go for a walk?

Speaker 1 2:09:22

And there's almost too many options and things to potentially do, that you handicap yourself by not doing anything almost, and then you feel guilty that you didn't do anything oh I go.

Speaker 3 2:09:34

That's like my biggest weakness and to this day, like it takes me like a few weeks, like around this time, like I'm kind of my groove, but like still, like if it's a nice day outside and I'm inside and I see like blue skies and like kids are out, what I'm like what the are you doing right now? Yeah, like let's go go in the garden, like clean something up, like whatever it is, but sometimes you got to just chill out. You got to watch some television here and there, yeah, or you want to read a book or hang out, like it's okay, yeah, it's cool.

Speaker 1 2:10:04

It's cool to not do anything. There's been plenty of times and I still feel that way, especially because I don't have a girl and you know I train hard in the mornings and this and that, and you know I'll be laying on the couch. On the weekends, especially, I'll be laying on the couch. It'll be like 11, 12, you know 11 o'clock or something like that, and you go, what are you doing? Like, yeah, go do something. And I go nah, bro, you're just chilling, man. Well, you should go. You know, then, that that inner dialogue you should go out to a bar, even though I don't drink anymore, but you should go out to a bar, you should go to find an event or just do something, because you're never going to find anybody if you are just staying in the house. And it's like this inner conflict dialogue. You just go. Oh, my god, I'm so fucking exhausted, can I just? I just trained my balls off for the last two hours at.

Speaker 3 2:10:41

Jiu.

Speaker 1 2:10:41

Jitsu or with Tom. Can I just like chill? I just want to relax. I don't want to have to think about doing things without a doubt.

Speaker 2 2:10:49

Everything happens, stu. That's what I believe in, like recently to be. Also. For me to be transparent, I lost all my personal training clients literally the past month and a half two months. One guy didn't have the money, he lost his job. Another guy lost his father. He's moving to Florida. Another guy is going to summer camp. He's young, he can't come to the gym at certain times. Um, I lost a couple of my really good clients that were my friends for a year or two and they just take advantage and they just think they can fucking walk all over me where.

Speaker 2 2:11:17

I am not that type of person and that's why, after watching the the uh, the West side barbell documentary, you know he lost a lot of his best guys world record holding people and there were times where he had nobody in the gym but he stuck to his principles and he stuck to things that he knew and that was. That's another big reason why recently I'm like all right, I want to change up my shit, I want to buy new shit, I want to redesign the gym, I want to redesign my programming a little bit, just tweak it a little bit, and I want to focus on getting in people that that want to be here, that want to fucking show up with me every day, cause I'm putting my fucking all in for people that don't fucking appreciate it. You know it's like, oh, like I'm paying you this much money but you don't have a sauna, you don't have a shower, you don't have this. Okay, how about you go fuck yourself? Cause I put all my fucking time and energy and heart and soul into this fucking place. I could have bought a house by now.

Speaker 2 2:12:08

I put $150,000 into this fucking place the past three years because I work every fucking day. So it's like I'm putting all my energy into that shit and you're going to bitch about shit that I don't fucking have. Oh, I pay $200 a month but you don't have a fucking shower. Okay, cool, that's another 10 grand that I'm putting into the fucking place and you might just fucking up and go, because I'm respecting myself, I'm sticking up for myself and you're not even fucking paying me. You know what I mean. It's a fucking hassle for you to have that exchange with me, like I'm a business and I fucking provide a service and you're not paying for it. You know what I mean. Like I get, like you know I can help people out in a sense, but it's like, dude, I have shit that I got to fucking deal with too.

Speaker 2 2:12:47

But that's why recently I just changed up my mindset. I want to appeal to people that actually want to fucking be there. I'd rather have the lions 50 lions, and not 500 sheep. That's why opening up a bigger gym I mean, yeah, would it be cool, but it's a lot of stress, it's a lot of shit that I would have to deal with and it's like I want. I want people in there that are actually going to hustle, not people that just come in and want to come for photo shoots or want to come just to fucking talk shit and not train. It's like, you know, there's a lot of different factors in it, but everything happens when it's supposed to and that gears you into propelling you forward, to be in the next state of life, because it's everlasting evolution with what we all deal with.

Speaker 1 2:13:26

Yep. Constantly, constantly changing and adapting and pivoting and learning different things. And weird man Yep, Weird little thing we deal with. At the end of the day, you got things. Weird man Yep, Weird little thing we deal with.

Speaker 3 2:13:36

At the end of the day, you got to have fun, man. Whatever it is, you have to have fun.

Speaker 1 2:13:40

Unfortunately, you lose sight of it sometimes, especially when you're running a business, because the monotony of just the bills and just the business side of things they just get in the way of, why you got into it in the first place.

Speaker 3 2:13:52

Let me ask you something you, you got into it in the first place. Let me ask you something like you love going to jujitsu, right, love it, and like it's you're training, you're doing everything and it's like that's just like the bonus of it. It's like yo, like I'm doing all this amazing stuff health reasons but like I'm also like having fun, right, like I'm going to his gym every day, whatever it is, I'm running whatever, but like running is more of like me clearing my head and like doing other things. But like when I go to his gym, it's like I'm doing all this crazy shit, obviously, and you see it, but I love doing it, it's fun, it is I have fun doing it. And when I did CrossFit, I had fun.

Speaker 3 2:14:27

And when I my last years at CrossFit, I was solo doing it. I ended up joining a gym, like it was post COVID, like you know, when gyms are starting to open. I ended up training like by myself at a CrossFit gym and I hated it, like I would just do my own programming. I knew what I was doing, but like I wasn't having fun and I knew at that time it was like I know that I was going to him at the time when I was doing all that. I was going to him at the time when I was doing all that. I was just saying I was going to him once a week, I was going to him on Sundays.

Speaker 3 2:14:57

And then he opened up his gym and at first, like I was like how am I going to make this transition? I've been doing CrossFit for 10 years. I'm now going to leave that completely and do something that I do once a week. I know it works, but like that's a big jump in my mind right to anyone else it's not a big deal, but like for me it was like all right, like you, ready to make that leap, and it was probably the best decision I could have made because there's so much more enjoyment and I enjoy going to his classes. Obviously they're crazy and like you know you see what you see, but like it's just if you're not having fun wherever you are, if I'm not saying you gotta have fun work, but like you have to enjoy what you do too, because you're not going to get through the next 30, 40, 50 years, whatever it is that you're doing. So it's the same thing with fitness as well.

Speaker 2 2:15:44

Yep, thank you for making that leap with me, my friend.

Speaker 3 2:15:46

You got it.

Speaker 2 2:15:47

You did because I opened up my gym. That was a fucking leap for me. Yeah, no, I'm just saying but that's what it is, man. I appreciate him because it's like I've he's been with me before I fucking my own, my own spot, you know. So it's. It's just taking those leaps and just hopefully fucking shit just turns out good.

Speaker 2 2:16:06

Yeah, man, it is weird how one door closes, another one opens always like I said it always, it all happens how it should, when it's supposed to happen. Yep, that is life. We are all just a little fucking brain machine just operating a human skeleton machine in like a weird fucking society, so strange.

Speaker 1 2:16:25

The more you think about it, I'm going to get stressed, I think. On that note, we should go get food. Yeah, we'll do a part two. I would love a part two. This is great.

Speaker 2 2:16:34

This is awesome. This is awesome. I think we'll do a part two. I would love to do more of these. This is great. This is awesome. Yeah, this is awesome.

Speaker 1 2:16:37

I think we'll do more episodes. Uh, mr, it's, it's all. It's over two hours that we've been going. That was great. Oh wow, mr mr pooch, that was two hours, that's all. Yeah, two hours and 15 minutes, right, jesus mr pooch, how can people uh, follow the psychoticness of your training?

Speaker 3 2:16:51

I have nothing really to plug. I have an instagram. It that's enough. J-o-h-n underscore P-O-O-C-H.

Speaker 1 2:16:58

He thought I was looking for an OnlyFans plug.

Speaker 3 2:17:02

Listen, you hear these podcasts. It's like, hey, you could buy this product.

Speaker 1 2:17:06

Shouts to sudscom for keeping me clean.

Speaker 3 2:17:08

Bro, I'm not sponsored at anything. I got nobody out there for me.

Speaker 1 2:17:12

What the fuck was that sponsor?

Speaker 3 2:17:14

Yeah, instagram John Pooch.

Speaker 2 2:17:17

As usual Tom plug. Tom to Julie. T-o-m-d-e-g-i-u-l-i Strength Factory thestrengthfactory, two weeks free, still going on. Baby, come down, don't be a little bitch. Don't be a little bitch.

Speaker 1 2:17:29

Come by and train with us. Come through, pooch. I appreciate you, dude. Thank you, bro, you are the man.

Speaker 3 2:17:33

Yo, I had so much fun.

Speaker 1 2:17:34

And I hope people enjoy it. Oh, they definitely will. I really, really hope We'll break some clips up. It'll be a good time, yeah, man. As for everybody else, continue to share the show like comment, subscribe, do all the fun things to help grow the show. I appreciate everybody for fucking with us.