Real Life Investing With Jason & Rachel Wagner
“Real Life Investing” with Jason and Rachel Wagner is a multifaceted podcast that blends insights from real estate, entrepreneurship, family life, and political discussions. Known for their candid and engaging style, the Wagner’s explore how their conservative values shape their approach to both business and life. They often discuss their personal journeys in real estate, offering practical tips on topics like how to buy a house or investment property while navigating a challenging housing market.
In addition to real estate, the show frequently delves into entrepreneurial lessons, highlighting the importance of mindset, perseverance, and staying focused on long-term goals. They are open about the challenges they’ve faced and provide valuable advice for anyone looking to head into entrepreneurship or seek the best version of themselves.
Dinner table conversations are central to the podcast. The Wagner’s discuss their experiences balancing various topics that families face, while often featuring guests who share similar journeys. Political conversations are explored from a conservative perspective, particularly when they touch on how these beliefs influence their business decisions and personal growth.
With a blend of relatable stories and expert advice, “Real Life Investing” is a show that appeals to a wide audience, from aspiring entrepreneurs and real estate investors, to those seeking inspiration in their personal lives.
Real Life Investing With Jason & Rachel Wagner
46. 75Hard vs James and Mhariel Stirgus
Join us as two members of the armed forces, James and Mhariel Stirgus, share their journey through the 75 Hard mental toughness program. They dive into the program's stringent rules and reveal how it helped them reset their routines and regain control over their lives after the birth of their son. The Stirgus’s offer firsthand accounts of how mutual support and persistence were crucial to their success, providing insights and inspiration for anyone looking to tackle their own personal goals.
An extremely engaging and thought provoking episode that you don’t want to miss!
Welcome back to another episode of the Real Life Investing Podcast with Jason and Rachel Wagner. We've got some two very, very special guests with us tonight and we're going deep into 75 Hard, so this is going to be a 75 Hard versus episode. Some of the episodes that we have on this show we kind of talk about a lot of the conversations that would come across the dinner table regarding real estate, personal development, entrepreneurship, politics and just Parenting.
Speaker 2:What else Parenting?
Speaker 1:Parenting, yeah, so just like we try to have like real life conversations of people that are actually out there doing it, things that are kind of current events, and just also, tonight's conversation is all about 75 Hard, which is a mental toughness program that has completely reshaped our lives and thousands of people's lives across the United States, really created by Andy Frisella, and we have two guests here that have committed to the program. Completed it, james, we'll get to you, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you've got a great story, man, and I can't wait to tell it. And just I cannot wait to hear, like, why wait to tell it? And just I cannot wait to hear, like why, why you guys were drawn to the program, and then what was the result. And so, james and marigold sturgis, thank you so much for coming on and sharing with us what you got so thank you for having us yeah, thank you very much.
Speaker 3:We appreciate it sure sure.
Speaker 1:So what was, what was it about 75 hard that really kind of drew you to it. And first off, actually for those that don't know, like what is the 75 Hard program?
Speaker 3:Well, I think so for us to get started. My wife was the one who introduced it to me, so I'll have her kind of kick off how we got this thing going.
Speaker 4:Okay, so I'll explain how we found out about 75 Hard. So we heard it from Jason and Rachel from one of the meetups that we did about real estate, right. And after that I started listening to your podcast. And you know, as you say, you guys talk a lot about 75 Hard. Even though you guys talking about parenting, there's a lot of mix about 75 Hard. So every day that I learn something from your podcast, I always bring it to him right. So for for two weeks I was listening to your podcast and every night when I come home I tell James about what I learned about 75 hard. And I really wanted to start it because I just gave birth, right, and I needed a hard reset for myself. I didn't have a routine for three months, so for two weeks I didn't force him to do it with me, but I kind of knew that I needed him to do it with me. So one day there's a podcast by Jason. He said do the work.
Speaker 1:And the results will follow.
Speaker 4:Yes, that one definitely pushed me. You were very passionate and aggressive on that podcast.
Speaker 2:So thank you very much.
Speaker 4:Just screaming at people. So I told that to James, my husband, and then all of a sudden, after two weeks of me talking about 75 Hard, he said let's start it on Monday. This time it was like Thursday. So I was like surprised that he's like willing to do it. Right, I didn't force him.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I'd say I was probably supportive in the beginning. I wasn't sure if I was going to go along with it at first, but I think her persistence of just talking about it kind of showed me what the benefits could be. And I'm always up for a challenge. I think that just kind of comes from my background and what my interests could be, and I'm always up for a challenge. I think that just kind of comes from my background and what my interests could be, and I thought this could be something different that could challenge me Again. Ultimately I'm like, hey, you know what? No better time than now, let's just get going, let's start it.
Speaker 3:And so I think there are a few rules that kind of go with 75 hard, help me out if I miss a couple. You know drinking a gallon of water a day. Hard. Help me out if I miss a couple you know drinking a gallon of water a day. Two workouts per day, 45 minutes. Each one of them must be outside reading. 10 pages of a non-fiction book. Sticking to a diet no drinking, no cheat meals, no dessert if that's actually one. But it felt like it because we had no dessert what am I missing?
Speaker 2:I think read a book yeah, we got that, oh yeah that picture oh yeah, see here we.
Speaker 3:Yeah, more to come on the picture from my story. Yeah, yeah, and it was. It was definitely a challenge. I think it's a really great reset, though, like Mike Muriel said, she had the baby in November and leading up to the birth, you kind of form some bad habits, maybe with eating, and I think this was a good time for us to just cut it all off and start fresh, and that's kind of what the result ended up being for us.
Speaker 1:Would you say, because what I picked up here is that you guys just decided one day to do it. It wasn't something that was planned and I think majority of people that are. They look at the program or they hear about it and they're like God, 75 days, I don't have 75 days where I can't go without drinking. Like you know, there's so many events.
Speaker 3:There's a wedding coming up or there's, you know, the summer mixer or whatever you know. There's all these. There's all these things. Do you think that you guys did it the right way where it was, just do it. Or do you wish that you would have planned it, sister, and that we didn't plan, for it had nothing to do with us? I had business meetings with clients that I thought would require drinking. I couldn't prepare for that up front. Even if you do try to make the stars align with your schedule and holidays, there's always going to be something that comes up where you have to make a decision Are you committed or not? And that's the question and what it comes down to. And I think for us, we learned that we are committed to what we wanted to achieve with the program, and I think for anyone that is trying to time things so that things align easier with their schedule, we'll find that there will always be another challenge that pops up. And now you have to decide are you committed or not?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I totally agree with that. I mean, 75 days is so far out that it's like impossible to avoid any big event or any social gathering or any holiday or something. That's going to really test you and that's the point, right. It's like that's where it's hard and you decide, like you said, like are you committed or are you not? And I think it's so easy for culture to to just bend the rules. You know, because, for whatever reason, I feel like our culture is so centered around food and drinking. And I want to go back to you talking about like your meetings with clients and stuff, because it is kind of like unwritten rule, that it's your meetings with clients and stuff, because it is kind of like unwritten rule that it's it's food and it's drinks and it's very social and that's just how it is. But so I'm curious to hear more about that first time where you were with a client and you had to be like, well, I'm not drinking. Like what was that like? And did it get easier? Was it harder? What was that like?
Speaker 3:It was hard because it was the first time in my life where I was being kind of resistant to the the crowd. We went to a bar and at a business meeting at a bar, you're going to drink, right, and I'm with my boss. This is a shared client and so I want to look good in front of my boss. I don't want to offend the client and I want the client to feel comfortable as well, and my boss already knew that I was a part of this challenge and had already called me crazy. So, getting in front of the client, it actually just became a talking point and it's like oh, you know, I got a unsweet tea.
Speaker 2:It's like the signature 75 hard drink unsweet iced tea please.
Speaker 3:And both of those guys got beers and so they're like, oh, my boss actually said it. He's like, oh yeah, james is doing this program thing. James, what is that? 75, what? And I'm like, oh, 75 hard. And I list, I list everything that comes with it we're supposed to be doing. And he's, and the client is like, oh man, that sounds tough. I actually should be doing something like that too. It's like, man, good for you. And then the night just continued. Like the judgment I thought I was going to receive from that conversation was way more than what the moment actually was, and I think that was something I learned about myself that I needed to get out of my own head and out of my own way when it comes to social pressure and just trying to achieve a goal that I want to. There's no one. They haven't, they probably haven't even thought about me anymore, about 75 hard afterward, but it's me in that moment that think, oh, what would they think? What would they think about me?
Speaker 1:Isn't that weird? Is that we're thinking what would they think about me if I don't drink a beer tonight? Yeah, you know, but it's such a.
Speaker 2:Well, and I think that was such a powerful thing of what you just said is that it was so built up in your own mind and not actual reality, and I feel like that is such a pivotal realization when going through the program is there's a lot of those moments actually, you know where it's really just your own internal mindset that's keeping you from. You know doing whatever you're trying to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, tell us about the quinceanera that you had where you had your whole family, because it's a little different with, maybe with clients and business settings. It's like all right, maybe you know you respect each other. Like all right, you know we'll, we're here for a purpose. We're like we still got to get down to business. But, when you're with family, people will like they'll go after you, right?
Speaker 1:They won't just let you sweep the sun under the rug. You know, hey, we just made this fine cake or all these cookies, and you're telling me that you're not going to eat it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, that's exactly what happened.
Speaker 1:So like, what did you do? Like, what was that like?
Speaker 4:So actually we started monday, and that friday we had family over for dinner, and then that saturday was the quinceanera and then sunday was easter right so when we started on monday I was like, once we get through this weekend, it'll be easier from there if we survive this weekend.
Speaker 4:I mean, I was wrong, it's. It doesn't get easier, right, but that quinceanera, I think, like you said, we're just in our heads like nobody really like looking at our food because there's so many people there's 150 people no one's looking at our plates, right? So we just choose the best, like healthy options, their salad, you know, like the protein. So it was easy, I would say. The dessert there was like homemade desserts. We just like it was in the back of our table, we just didn't like look at it.
Speaker 3:It was easy, right I would not agree with mario saying it was easy, it was hard. Every person at that table had dessert, cakes and cookies and alcohol. Yeah, and I'm like, oh man, this is very difficult.
Speaker 3:It was an open bar and so I'm sitting here with my salad and chicken and they have all the good stuff, and that was that's even worse to be like teased, almost like look at all of this good stuff I have, don't you want this? And I think that was the challenge for me. Obviously, we got through it because I knew that that would be kind of the challenge for us. If we get, I'm like all right, if we get through this weekend. There are no more holidays coming up right now. There are no birthdays coming up. We'll be okay. And ultimately, I think it was good to do it with Mario because we could almost hold each other accountable and in that moment maybe if I was by myself, I'd be like, oh you know what, I'll start next week, but having an accountability partner, that's like, hey, you probably shouldn't get that. We did that so much. Do you think I should eat this? Do you think this would count?
Speaker 2:do you?
Speaker 3:think this would disqualify me like yeah, I think that's kind of towing the line, you probably shouldn't have that, and so that was a really good part at events like this too.
Speaker 1:Yeah who, would you say, was like the bigger accountability partner, who was like the uh the stickler on it more?
Speaker 3:I. I think we might have had moments, times where it was her and where it was me, because I was really big on like I changed the diet. Where I was, I had a very low carb throughout the process. So like no rice, no pastas, no bread, and that's not a rule, that was just my commitment to saying I want to see the results at the end of 75 days. So I'll do whatever it takes. But there was a point where, like, even like protein bars, I was like how much sugar is in this protein bar?
Speaker 3:And so that part I was a stickler about because she would buy healthy snacks and I'm like, let me see the back of that package. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Now, did you ever do that before?
Speaker 4:No no.
Speaker 1:Right no.
Speaker 4:I guess we'll talk about like this one of the benefits later, but I think yeah, yeah, but I think I would say 50-50. Like he hold me accountable with the workouts, because sometimes it's 10 pm and I haven't done my outside workout. So workouts, because sometimes it's 10 pm and I haven't done my outside workout, so I'll be outside and I'll back, like you know, in the backyard raining doing my workout and he's there to motivate me, him. I have to like hold him accountable about the social because he's a very social person. So in the office, if you remember, you guys had like a pizza lunch and the pop tart thing. Like everybody bring different pop tarts and everybody tries it. And they had that and I told him it's like you can't do that because it's 75 hard. But he was like on the edge because he's a very social person.
Speaker 3:Okay, this was another hard challenge for me. We had a team lunch and they ordered pizza and I did not want to sit in a room with my team eating pizza and I'm the guy who walks in with salad and chicken, like that is just as hard as going to a bar and not drinking alcohol, because everyone now 10, 15 people are looking at you like James, you're not eating pizza. What's going on?
Speaker 3:You know, and so that was another really hard psychological challenge and everyone's like, what is 75 hard? Or some people are like, oh, I've heard of that, but what are the rules again? And we had our conversation about it, similar to the bar situation, and then we moved on, you know, and I remember telling Mariel I think today might be the day, and it's because of that social piece of like, not wanting to be judged in that room. But afterward I'm like well, I'm kind of glad that I didn't fall for the pizza, you know, or the pressure in that moment.
Speaker 4:I think it's good to say like we motivate each other, hold each other accountable, but we also have our why. I think my why is I just gave birth. I was off for three months and there's no routine, no schedule. I was working out up to till I gave birth, right With the baby, I get two hours sleep, four hours sleep, and then after three months I went back to work and then I find myself after work just napping and sleeping and not working out for like two weeks and I felt really like not myself. So mentally I wasn't like myself right. So that was like one of the reason why I pushed.
Speaker 4:I needed a hard restart after the baby, like having a baby hormones, as you know, it's just. You know it's hard, it's hard, it's so hard, yeah, so I needed that hard restart for myself, I told myself, in order for me to take care of my son and my husband and the household, for me to take care of my son and my husband and the household, I need to take care of myself first. I need to give time to myself first, before everybody else. And this is what 75 heart taught me. Like I had to wake up at 4 30 to do my first workout and you know, give that one hour to myself right before everybody else, and that that's one of the benefits of an. If I part like yeah, that's why I tell everybody, like you know it's great, like it's a great program. I would recommend it to like moms, like you know, new moms yeah, because you don't think that you have time for yourself, but you do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just gotta prioritize yourself and yeah, so could you, um, if you don't mind, go into a little more detail on what your schedule looks like? Because I think I do hear a lot of new moms like being interested in this and I obviously found it very useful at that time too. But a lot of times I get the question well, what did your schedule? How, how, like you're, you're a new mom, you have a four month old is that's crazy and you're working.
Speaker 2:So how did you fit all that in? And, as you were kind of looking at the program, were there any tasks where you're like man? I don't know if I'm going to be able to make that work.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so when I went back to work I had to wake up at 4.30 and do my 45 minutes and I have to leave 6 am right, and then go drive all the way to Bolingbrook right One hour.
Speaker 2:So I get my work. Oh wow, so you're in Chicago and then you drove all the way to Bolingbrook. Yeah, okay, so sometimes, wow, yeah.
Speaker 4:So I wake up 4.30 in the morning and then sometimes, when I know some, it's like a friday night, right, or friday I have to read my, my book during lunch, my 10 pages, and then, as soon as I get home, we mostly walk together with our baby. So it's our quality time. Yes, that's, that's actually probably my number one benefits is walking with my family and just quality time. No phones, no destruction. This the most quality time we've ever had, like every day, almost every day, for 75 days. It's like I would do it again for that moment, like yeah, so, yeah, yeah, that's great you.
Speaker 1:Honestly, maryl, you gave me chills, uh, just the way that you were speaking about that, because the one thing about this program is that it's very selfish.
Speaker 1:And you know, you said you said I have to do this in order to provide for my husband, provide for my son and to be the head of household that you want to be and be the best version of yourself, that you want to be and be the best version of yourself.
Speaker 1:And a lot of us we seem to think that we'll we have to sacrifice our own, like health and wellbeing, in order to serve the others or to be the people that we want to be. But in I think what you learned from this challenge is that you don't have the same energy. Yeah, you know, if you, if you forego your own health and wellbeing and like your own personal commitment towards what you want to accomplish, and you realize that, hey, when I work out every day, like I feel better and we go on these walks daily and that helps us connect more, and like you know, but if you weren't doing that and eating right, you wouldn't have the same energy to put into the others that you want to, and so it's a totally selfish program, but it's the most unselfish program that you can get because of the result.
Speaker 2:Well, that's a really good point too, because you said you had gone back to work and you'd come home after work and you're really tired, so you were running to sleep, but then you just committed to all these crazy tasks that you now have to add. Did you feel like an energy boost? Or did you feel I'm sure it was day by day, but did I mean what jason just said? Was that accurate for you too? Or you felt like you had more energy and you felt better?
Speaker 4:yeah, definitely. I used to exercise a lot before pregnancy so I knew I needed to work out to get get energy right. So, yes, after work I wasn't as tired as before when I wasn't working out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, isn't that crazy? Yeah, like I feel like that was like a big thing for me. Where it's like this, it doesn't make sense. If I'm going to add an hour and a half of working out and all these things that I have to do, I'm going to be more tired. No, but you're not you're not.
Speaker 3:It's the opposite of what you think. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I I think that too. With our scheduling, there were definitely some challenges where you're gonna have conflict. As mario said, there were many, many nights probably at least between eight and ten nights where she was in the rain. It was a joke. We had, like you, literally pick the raining night to not do your workout so that you can go outside.
Speaker 3:It happened so many times. But she was so committed that she's like I got to get it done. She's out there doing lunges and doing squats and walking and whatever she has to do to get her 45 minute workout in and it just it really showed that when she had made up her mind that this is what she wanted to do, that it was going to be done. And I'd also admit that those walks home, those were really great quality time for us and we've had some really interesting walks as well. One night we had tickets to go to the Cubs game and I worked that day, she worked that day and we're like all right, how are we going to get our workout in? We?
Speaker 3:I don't know why we did this in the beginning, but we knew we needed to check off the box and we chose to park 45 minutes away from the Cubs stadium. I love that. How about that? We literally timed it, yeah, and then we walked from the car to the Cubs stadium. We did not drink. We ate peanuts and drank water. Yeah, which was hard when everyone around you is so drunk. Yeah, but we enjoyed the game. Yeah. And then we like took the yeah, but we enjoyed the game yeah.
Speaker 3:And then we, like, took the Uber scooters back to the car, which was still a fun like little date night thing.
Speaker 4:Yeah, on a Tuesday.
Speaker 3:Yeah, scooping along the road to the car, got in the car and went and picked up our son and we were just like, look at us out here walking, yeah, look at us out here walking, yeah, but to the car or walking to the game from the car, just so we can get our 45 minute workout in. And it ended up benefiting us anyway, because parking is cheaper 45 minutes away from the stadium I imagine it is oh man yeah we did it for the deal.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly, yeah, that's hilarious, yeah, so that was. We did what it took to get it done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean you talk about the connection that you guys had just on the walks but obviously, like that moment is something very memorable and like that's, that's a deepening of your relationship. I mean, I think it's very obvious, but like you guys grew as a couple, like after this program and during it, would you say oh yeah yes yeah, yeah, I think it's just one.
Speaker 3:Like we mentioned, holding each other accountable was it was a good one, but then on those walks we actually would talk about our finances and that would be.
Speaker 1:That's a no-no we don't talk about finance on a sunday.
Speaker 3:On a sunday that we're like, hey, let's make use of this time. You know how's the budget going, what are things, what do we need to improve? And like it was just like Mariah said we wouldn't use our phones, she would get upset. I'd pull out my phone. She's like what are you doing? This is our time. And so it was. It was really a good time to commit to us, because when you come home from work and you're trying to cook and get all these things done, you can get lost in the day and not really sitting across from each other and listening to, truly, how was your day, what happened. And this committed to give us 45 minutes to just listen to each other. So, yeah, that moment helped us to grow closer together, for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah were there ever moments or a moment where you're like I'm quitting, I'm not doing this anymore?
Speaker 4:I think I think that's hard. I I don't. I mean, of course we say like it's 10 pm, 11 pm, right, it's like how am I going to do the workout? It's raining, but I feel like the why is so much bigger than the tiredness right. So I don't know if we have that really, really hard moment, it's just the tiredness. But after that I knew I was going to be energetic or have some energy after the workout or stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So you were fully committed to seeing who you were going to be on the other end. It was no question. I'm getting this done.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'd say there was never a moment that I said I'm done. There were many moments where I said is this the day I could be done? But only because of what was scheduled that day. Right, I got work, we got to pick up the kid, we got to do this, we got to do that. I'm like I don't know how we're going to get to workout 10 today. What are we going to do? And that is the bigger challenge of like, how do you figure it out? I never once said I no longer want to do this.
Speaker 1:I never once said I no longer want to do this.
Speaker 3:It just some days it gets hard and it's like, can it be figured out? Today and a lot of days we did, I just had sorry. I had a moment where I remember we did a ruck march.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Back in May and this was like 17 miles. We went for this ruck march and we we're like does that count as our two workouts today?
Speaker 4:yeah, that was. Was that six hours?
Speaker 3:yeah, six hour walk six hour walk.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I would give that to you I, I think.
Speaker 4:So I think I burned like 2,000 calories, I mean technically, we didn't do it for six hours straight because we stopped and had lunch.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4:And then we started four hours, oh well then yeah.
Speaker 2:Definitely worked out. So yeah, I think that counts yeah.
Speaker 4:We had a lot of moments.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you just figure it out. Yeah, we have a lot of, we had a lot of moments, and you know.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you just figure it out. Yeah, that's awesome. It takes a lot of planning, coordinating the day before, the week before. Hey, what you guys, what you got going on tomorrow, like.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know what. One thing we didn't mention too is after after Mario had the baby. We had days where we were like we don't know how we're going to work out because we have one car and we were working out together at the gym. And after the baby we're like how are we going to work out? Because we still cared about fitness, but we're like someone needs to stay with the baby. We had not figured it out and literally 75 Heart made us figure it out, because we knew we both needed to get the workout done and that it was not until 75 Heart that we figured out how both of us could work out on a daily basis.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really big. It kind of reminds me of you put the pressure on yourself and it forces you to execute, to find a way. Yeah, right, so bring the pressure right, because then you start to what is it that I have to do in order to get this done? And there's a lot of people that really excel. Rachel is like a she's's fantastic. Under pressure I kind of crumble. But this type of pressure is one of those things where, hey, I've already gone 14 days and now you're telling me that all of that work is going to be lost If I don't take this picture tonight. I'm getting my ass out of bed and I'm going to go take this damn picture because I know I didn't do it Right. Yeah, oh shit. Should we All right? Did this just lead into the story?
Speaker 3:Yeah you, yeah All right, you alley-ooped that one Okay.
Speaker 1:Not intentionally, but let's talk about it All right. So, Mariel, you did complete it.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you can say 100% to yourself that you didn't have a single moment where you like no, I didn't do this one day. Or? Or do you feel like yeah?
Speaker 4:I definitely completed it, that's 100%.
Speaker 1:That is awesome. Good for you. Congratulations. That's amazing. Thank you and James, can we say the same? Or like let's, let's talk about you and like what happened, james can we say the same?
Speaker 3:Or like, let's talk about you and like what happened? Yeah, we can't say exactly the same, so we must have been maybe a day or so past. But I made it to day 70 when I realized I did not take a picture. And that was one of those moments where, when you're committed to something like this, like you kind of wake up and know I forgot something the day before and I was startled. I went back, I checked my list. I'm like, oh, let me look at my pictures and sure enough, I missed a picture On day 70.
Speaker 1:On day 70. It just like drops my stomach for you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't see you. Yeah, it feels like I just got punched in the gut right now and like it was so hard to be in a position where I committed to everything else my physical fitness, my diet, us walking and the one thing I miss is the picture that no one is even going to see Not even my wife has seen my pictures. And that's when I really got into a tough spot of like testing myself and what do I do in this moment, because it took me a day or two to even tell my wife, because I was a little bit ashamed to have come this far and failed over something like a photo, and ultimately I ended up making the decision to tell her. But then it was hard to tell Jason because throughout the 75 days, jason would check in how are things going, what are the challenges, and I was super excited to tell Jason would check in how are things going, what are the challenges. And I was like super excited to tell Jason too, like man, this is something that happened today. I told him about the bar situation and he's like man, you're growing, like that's what you're supposed to happen. So it's really like encouraging throughout the process.
Speaker 3:So it was kind of like letting him down to not complete it and I'm like should I tell him or not, or should I just keep it to myself and complete the program?
Speaker 3:And ultimately I was like I am not the type of person to walk around as if I've completed something that I know I technically did not, no matter how small it may be, and so it was a part of my character where I'm like I have to be honest, I did not complete it, and that was a very challenging piece. To admit to other people that I failed. And I think that was a growth moment for me, because I think it's very easy to talk to other people about your successes, what you did, right, look at all the good things I've done but to tell someone else that you failed and no matter how big or small and this to me being small, but that honesty I think really goes a long way and kind of said a lot about who I am as a person. Oh, a thousand honesty I think really goes a long way and kind of said a lot about who I am as a person.
Speaker 1:Oh, a thousand percent. I mean when you told me that I was like dude. Your integrity shines through like no one I've ever met before, you know.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like that was. You said it was tough to tell, to tell me, and I actually feel honored that you said that because that means that you know I kind of had like an impact on you and I you know, and I and I really really appreciate that comment but literally for you to act in a way that you weren't lying to yourself is you talked to nine out of 10 people?
Speaker 1:No one. I mean, they would all just say, nobody's going to see that, like you were, you were a very unique and special person and I and I just think that we can learn like so much just from this moment where you were 70 days in. You had five more to go. Anybody would have said no one's going to see this. But you're totally right, man. I mean, your integrity shines through and that is just like that's pure leadership, that's that's pure truth telling. That is like the exact type of person that we should all be like, listening from and following, because that's just great integrity, man, and I feel like the world today we've lost just great integrity, man, and I feel like the world today we've lost. We've lost integrity, we've lost the ability to tell the truth, and that's a, that's a big moment, and I think I just wanted to emphasize that because I think I deserve all the credit in the world.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you, I agree, thank you I think that, and you know we we had moments too where we go through and sometimes people change the rules to 75 hard, 75 soft.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there are some 75s, 75 not so yeah, very easy yeah.
Speaker 3:And so it's like when you're committed to something and you hear how other people are kind of approaching the same challenge that you're committed to, it kind of make you feel that they aren't as committed to the actual rules. Or you know, people try to find well, is it the gray and white? Or you know where can I toe the line on this? And it still be okay. And it's like, well, I think it's pretty clear, this is what we should do and what we shouldn't do. But sometimes people don't play the game that way. So, yeah, it was. It was a learning moment in multiple different ways and growing opportunities for us, both mentally and physically. That I just didn't expect.
Speaker 1:What was your reaction, Mariel, when you heard of this?
Speaker 4:I didn't feel bad for him, you didn't. No, I told him it's like that's the first thing you should do when you wake up. But yeah, you definitely. You know you definitely didn't complete it. You know it's a very small right. You think, if you look at the list, that's probably the easiest. But then I guess when you say, like putting your mind is the easiest task, you forget about it. I think that's what happened.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I got complacent. Okay, I got this. It's day 70. I've been knocking this out. I don't even need to track it on my phone anymore I do my checklist every day and yeah so you used you bought the app too, jason what happened?
Speaker 1:what happened? You saw andy's face? Yeah, it's a scary face.
Speaker 3:Yeah, very scary face and it has like this thing that says like admitted you quit, or something like that you failed, admit it.
Speaker 2:Press here if you failed yeah, if you do like, if you hit continue, like if you just forgot to check it off the night before but you actually did it and you go to continue. He gives you one more prompt, are you sure?
Speaker 3:you're only cheating yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah. What is he? What is he?
Speaker 1:called. It's the bitch voice, or something yeah yeah, it's, it's funny, he's just such a such a hard guy right, so he uses the profanity in like perfect ways to make you feel very small. Well, thanks for telling the story, guys. Let's see what was your favorite task, I guess. I mean, well, we know kind of like the walks, what was like. Well, I guess, what was something that actually doing that you're still doing?
Speaker 3:yeah, that you're kind of like incorporating post, post the program so I still try to drink my gallon of water a day and I think one thing it's been it is a challenge to do to work out today, but I committed to knowing like I can at least do one a day and I call it like 75 hard, a myth buster, because before I thought like there was this myth that you needed rest days. And when I started doing 75 hard, I'm like, well, I don't get rest days anymore and for 75 days we worked out twice a day and we would either like fitness doesn't always have to be the most intense workout you can think of. I could burn 200 calories on a 45-minute walk. That's exercise and it's not intense. And that part was like a game changer for me to say every day I want to do something.
Speaker 3:I walked home from work today, like every Tuesday and Thursday I walk home, take the train and I walk home and that's my like exercise for the day, still, even after the program, and I think that's I'm still going to the gym on the weekends, during the week, and we just make it work for our schedule to make sure we get some type of fitness in every day. I think that's that's the one thing that's stuck. Maybe not the two, but at least some fitness every day yeah, definitely before 75, hard I think.
Speaker 4:I do like two, two days or three days a week working out. Now it's like five to six days, right after seven, five hours. So that's thick, like consistently working out right. And I think the food thing that we talk about, like being checking the, the food or the label, like you know. So yeah, that's thick. I was.
Speaker 3:I was at work today literally looking at calories. They brought snacks to work and I'm like what? Two pieces of candy for 150 calories? No way I'm eating this yeah, yeah right, I'm like that's not even worth it. I will wipe out my entire walk, you know. So I'm like really into like tracking my calories and making sure I'm in the deficit and stuff like that, because that's what it took in order for me to cut the weight that I wanted to, or just to hit the goals that I wanted.
Speaker 1:What was the result for you, if you don't mind sharing so.
Speaker 3:I ended up dropping 20 pounds.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I was really surprised by that to drop that much weight in 75 days, but slimmer. I know I had gotten lean, but I could clearly see the result when I look back 75 days versus that last day, Because I did go to the 75th day. I just knew that I hadn't technically completed it and so at the end I was like, wow, this is like a huge difference. I felt stronger, which was crazy.
Speaker 4:That's so crazy.
Speaker 3:Well, it was not what I thought the result would be from a strength perspective because of less rest, but I just felt stronger, I felt healthier, I slept better, yeah, and I think I was really happy with the result of dropping 20 pounds. I wanted to drop more, but you know, we'll see if I can kind of get things going again soon. Yeah, oh, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:That's awesome.
Speaker 2:I love that you made a. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:Go ahead.
Speaker 2:I love that you made the comment that you know working out doesn't have to be super intense every time, Cause that's one thing that I hear as a criticism of 75 hard is that's too intense. Nobody should do that. You shouldn't do it for that long, and it the program is so scalable, right, and I feel like it actually taught me to do more active recovery days instead of off days.
Speaker 2:Cause we talked about that too, of like you're taught you should only work out three days a week because you got to have rest and it's like well, actually, maybe you stretch on those days or maybe you do two walks to allow, like, your muscle recovery from lifting.
Speaker 2:It's just like, I think, such a healthier way to look at fitness actually. So I'm glad you shared that, because I I hear that a lot of it's too intense. It's too intense, it's like it, it's what you make it actually, you totally can create the program however fits for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah I agree. Would you consider doing a live hard year, which is the three phases after 75 hard?
Speaker 4:I gotta do my research and find out do the research? Yes, yeah, so I can't answer that right now. Yeah, so for the, for the live hard year let's just kind of break that down.
Speaker 1:so so it's basically your 575 hard tasks. So the two workouts, one of them outside reading a book, taking a picture drinking a gallon of water following a diet, and then you throw on five minute cold shower, 10 minutes of visualization.
Speaker 2:Three additional powerless tasks.
Speaker 1:Three additional tasks of your choosing, anything else.
Speaker 2:Not for phase one. I think that's it for phase one.
Speaker 1:So that's phase one for 30 days. Then you go. Then you're forced to take 30 days off and he calls it Andy's just so brilliant with this he calls it the slide. When you take that 30 days off after you've completed phase one, you slide back into your old ways. And it's amazing what happens between that phase one, where you feel just really on fire and then you go back to like, well, this is how I used to feel, and then he forces you to do another 30 days of regular 75-hour without the additional tasks, and then the third phase, which is my favorite another 30 days of all the things we mentioned before. Plus you have to have a conversation with a stranger every single day, Do a random act of kindness, which is like amazing. So there's more to it, which is extremely tough. It's extremely tough. James, is that something?
Speaker 3:that you would ever consider. I don't know, jason, that's another level.
Speaker 4:What would be the hardest for you?
Speaker 3:The cold shower the cold shower. For sure. Yeah, to sit in cold water for five minutes, it is the most uncomfortable place for me to be. Yeah, I take my shower steaming hot, so this would be the complete opposite of that. Yeah, I'm a social person. I would rather go and talk to strangers every single day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, than take a cold shower. Than to take a cold shower. Are you the same way, mariel, or what's?
Speaker 4:the. I can do the cold shower, but talking to stranger is just not every day, it's not yeah, yeah, we're like the opposite I'm saying I think it's hard.
Speaker 3:Yeah, depends on a person huh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, rachel was kind of the same way, right yeah, the finding someone to talk to was so hard for me, especially nowadays. Yeah, yeah, well, I found it challenging, like sometimes I would get like the courage to like talk to somebody, but they didn't want to talk to me you know, it's like they were in a hurry. There's something going on, or maybe I was awkward, I don't know you were probably awkward but yeah, that was.
Speaker 1:That was the hardest task for me or like they didn't hear you or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I'm like, yeah, the cold showers I grew to love really yeah, it takes some time, like there's an adjustment period and so, like every cold shower, I feel like the first 90 seconds is brutal, it's so hard, like it's painful. It's painful, you know, but then your body adjusts and like those last few minutes of the cold shower are okay, like your body temperature has regulated and like it's okay and I feel like a week or not, probably more than a week, it's probably like two weeks in. I grew to find them very like therapeutic. It actually like felt good on my muscles and like from the walks I don't know about you guys, but like I felt those in my hips and my back, like you're just walking, but like my hips and back hurt from all that walking, and so that cold water was actually really nice I don't know.
Speaker 3:I've heard nothing but great things about cold showers, cold plunges, how it's a great way to start the day to kind of just I don't know, something mental about it.
Speaker 3:So I've heard nothing but great things. I've also heard really good things about the challenge of meeting someone every day in random places where you are. Someone else had mentioned to me outside of 75 Hard. They were like, hey, I challenge you to just go to the grocery store and just start up a conversation with someone, and you can meet so many wonderful people by just doing that on a regular basis. And so for me it's one of those commitment things. When I'm in, I'm in, and that's why it's hard for me to say right now, yes, I do live hard, because I'm kind of like a switch. Once I'm committed, I'll commit. But if I tell you yes right now, I'd just be saying it because it's the right answer to say.
Speaker 2:So I guess let me ask this would you guys do 75 hard again, not the live hard year, but would you go through the 75 days again?
Speaker 3:Oh 100%.
Speaker 4:Yeah, okay, all right, I like that confidence. That's cool.
Speaker 3:I told him I was already planning to do it before my 30th birthday next year, so let's do it again yeah, and I haven't completed it yet, so it's one of those things that I still have to check off my list to get done. So it'll happen again.
Speaker 4:Just gotta pick a good time day no, you can't never pick a good time.
Speaker 3:Pick a good time, you just gotta do it, I just gotta get it done, then yeah yeah, yeah, thank you so many benefits of the program though yeah, can I ask?
Speaker 2:so I don't remember if you mentioned this at the beginning, but you guys were both in the service you're. Are you both veterans or are you still in?
Speaker 3:I am a veteran, I'm still in, she's still in yeah for 11 years yeah.
Speaker 2:How do you think this program compared to what you've had to do in the service or to get in the service like basic training and stuff. Do you think that helped you or do you think this was harder? Do you think that was harder? How did it kind of compare?
Speaker 3:This is not close to basic training, in my opinion. I mean, I barely slept during basic training, probably four hours a night, five hours a night sometimes. From a physical standpoint, we just worked out every day, all day, but this is no different than doing some type of physical fitness every day as well. It's just you don't have anyone yelling at you telling you you need to work out.
Speaker 2:Basic training is like 12 weeks. It's 12 weeks, so it's longer, right.
Speaker 3:It's very close to being the same 30, 60.
Speaker 3:I guess 90 days-ish is basic training, so maybe a little bit longer. But you have to be committed there too, right? Are you going to eat? Right, are you going to do your physical fitness and take it serious every day? What are you doing when people aren't watching? You know drill sergeants are accountability partners as well, and so it can definitely be more intense, but they ease up on you Maybe once you get to week eight. You know, hey, you've been doing this for a while, you know the standard, so we'll take it easy, easier on you, but now you still need to hold yourself accountable at that point. So I would say, nothing for me compares to that experience. But it was 10 years, over 10 years ago for me to go through that physical fitness, so this was kind of the most recent challenge to myself physically and mentally. So I definitely put it up there like I never had to be challenged with, with social aspects of drinking or social aspects of eating, so it just challenged me in a different way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 3:And so I grew in different ways, also because of this. Yeah, that's a really great question.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think for me, if you would relate it to the military, it's like the discipline, right, your thought discipline in the military and routine for 12 weeks during basic training. You do the same thing every day, right. And routine for 12 weeks during basic training. You do the same thing every day, right. So it's kind of like the same thing as 75 hard. So in that way maybe it's related right. So discipline and the routine of doing something every day.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I think that was. That was the part I enjoy from that. From the military, you get a routine and because of this program is very routine, you know the expectation, you know what you got to do. Just get it done and if you do that, you can go and do whatever else you want to do for the rest of the day, and so that's how. I agree I've compared it to that's cool.
Speaker 2:I feel like I could sense that when we asked if you guys ever had a day where you were thinking about quitting, you're both kind of of like no, I got to do my task.
Speaker 1:I was like oh wow, you guys are unique people. Yeah, I was just like.
Speaker 2:I wonder if this comes from your background. You know what?
Speaker 3:People at work said that Whenever I would say we were doing 75 hard, it's like oh, you know, james, you were in the military. We expect that because of, like, the training you went through and like I don't think, like I do think that coming from the military gave me a different structure. My determination did not get created through the military my determination came from within.
Speaker 3:the military is just a channel that I get to use my determination with. Just like 75 Hard, this is just a way for me to use my determination. 75 Hard didn't create me. Part of me is what makes 75 Hard.
Speaker 2:So where do you think your determination came from?
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is really good man. I want to go deeper on this. Tell me, where does this come from?
Speaker 3:You know, I just think, just wanting more, that drive. I'm the oldest of three. I kind of grew up the man of the house at a young age and I don't come from wealth and I had to figure it out because I was the first to do a lot of the things that I've achieved in my life and so that grit and that grind and wanting more for myself came from within. I had to create it, the want for more, and that's why I went to the military, because I wanted more for myself. That's the reason why I was okay with doing this challenge, because I wanted more for myself. It's always digging within myself to figure out how can I be better.
Speaker 1:Because you knew you had the ability to do it. That's it. There was nothing holding you back, it was just yourself. Yeah.
Speaker 3:It starts with you. So the military I love the military. You know it's part of who I am as a person, but as the drive to be the best that I could be within the military, that started way before I even got there and I think that's just part of who I am in life as well. So I think that if people can dig deeper and figure, out what this means to them.
Speaker 3:As Mario said, your why, figuring that out is a very important part to be committed, and I think that's maybe some obstacles that people might have with 75.
Speaker 1:Hard is they haven't found that determination switch yet yeah, because once you, once you figure it out, it makes it a heck of a lot easier going day in and day out doing the same exact routine because you know that it's on your path. Yeah, to get you what that, that why is? Yeah, and people have a really hard time even thinking about it, like why do I do the things that I do? Why do I work this job? Why am I working for this boss who doesn't respect me? Why am I still working at the same wage that I've been working at for the last five years? And I'm just not seeing any type of result. And I'm working really hard, like you know. I think you got to ask yourself why are you doing that?
Speaker 1:Well, one for a lot of people who, I think a lot of people can switch the way that they think about their job and their work is by if you have a family, and if you, I go to my job every day because it's for my family, because I'm here to provide, and I don't care if I've been in this position for the last five or ten years and I'm still making the same amount of money. It is something that is for my family and I bring it home every single day and it's for them. And like, once you make the switch of you figure out why the heck you're doing what you're doing, it's just things become a lot easier and a lot more clear. I think a big thing from 75 hard for us was it was just clarity. There's a lot of clarity that comes from the program.
Speaker 1:For those that haven't really like figured that out, you may have figured out your why early, you know, before doing 75 hard, but it's as you, as you do, complete the program, there's a lot of soul searching that happens and the clarity becomes very crisp as you go through it and you learn a lot about yourself and you learn about a lot about the people that you want to surround yourself with, who are also, you know, struggling with the same things but finding solutions to get past them and not just sitting complacent in certain positions and not, you know, saying up. This is that, this is what I'm destined to be Right.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I think, really great stuff, man, really really great stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what was your favorite book that you guys read Just out of curiosity?
Speaker 3:Probably the one thing Was it really good, ed Milet? Yeah, yeah, oh no, the one.
Speaker 1:thing. Oh no, the one. Thing, oh the one. Thing. Oh sorry, Jay Papasan.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, jay Papasan, yeah, that book. It really just challenged me to focus on that one thing that's important to me, and how the myth of multitasking as a skill is not actually that good of a skill. If you can commit to just doing one thing, you can actually get way better results, and so I don't know it was. It was enlightening to see that as a as a growth book what about you?
Speaker 3:I read that one thing through, but atomic habits I think so james clear yeah, yeah, that's a great people's favorite, so I like that one too, but yeah, just building habits right.
Speaker 4:This is the first book I read because it would help me create habits that I needed for seven, five hard right so it was a great book.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a great book to do in tandem yeah with the program. It's like literally perfect. It's like, how do I, how do I make this? Well, yeah, what did you? What were some like let's go into like the details of, like, maybe, what you learned from the book and how you kind of incorporated it into your life. Was there something that you kind of remember that like, oh, I set the coffee every night before I went to bed, or like, was you know, or something kind of silly.
Speaker 4:I mean, I like the example that he gave the first one right. If you change something one percent every day, you will see the difference right, like it's compounding interest. I would say that's probably the one that's thick. You just got to do something small every day to make yourself better or progress in life every day, and you would see that in the long run so, and then you would build that habit right. The habit would come from it. So that's the one from that book. But I read like four books during the 75 hard so I was proud of myself on that one isn't that
Speaker 1:awesome, yes, yeah yeah, were you much of a reader before that?
Speaker 4:no, yeah but a lot, a lot of benefits. I don't know if like 75 Hard, aside from the quality talk we have during our walks, that would be my number one, but 75 Hard. I've always wanted to get my MBA and 75 Hard kind of pushed me that I have the time and the energy. So I'm actually like applying for MBA for the fall.
Speaker 3:Oh, I love that. Congratulations.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so I would give a little credit 75 hard that I'm like finally applying for mba, because now I'm gonna do one workout a day. I have that another hour right or an hour and a half to spend time studying. So during our 75 hard we probably turn on the tv like less than five times yeah right, because that's the time that we're wasting.
Speaker 4:I mean, you know, watching tv is it's fun, right, but that's the time that we can use to better ourselves yeah, you realize you didn't need it and you know you want to be doing other things yeah, so instead of watching tv every day, I'll I'll be studying for my mba so that's one of the benefits that I would say from 75 hard you just get a, just find another way to move forward, I guess to make myself better every day.
Speaker 3:I think that's one thing I like about the program yeah, you definitely have to prioritize, yeah, what is important to you and with you know you have so many tasks and we have a son and we got to work.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you guys don't like, don't do anything.
Speaker 3:You are the busiest people that you can get right, yeah, and so TV is not on the list.
Speaker 2:It doesn't make the cut. No, it does not.
Speaker 3:So that was a huge shift and once you get done with all of the stuff and let's say you got some tv time, you're so exhausted you just want to go to sleep yeah because guess what?
Speaker 3:you got to do it all again tomorrow exactly so, yeah, I'm really proud of my, my wife and that her growth from that perspective. There were maybe a couple of years she was talking about getting her mba and she actually executed on that process after 75 heart and so I can definitely see her growth after after completing the program. So just want to give her her flowers here thank you.
Speaker 1:That's amazing, honestly, that's amazing. That's what you want to see. You want to see your partner being the best that they can be, the best version of themselves, and you know, as, as husbands, a lot of times like, we really want our wives to be as confident, as you know, as always, and like, but there's only so much that you and I can do personally to help them, and sometimes they just got to find it from within. Yeah, right, and if you don't know how to do it, this program is a great place to start.
Speaker 3:Yeah, at least you know, did you all have a favorite book?
Speaker 2:I probably atomic habits too. I really liked that. The second time I did it, I read the 12 hour walk by Colin. Is it Colin O'Brady? Yeah, colin O'Brady, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then I did the 12 hour walk by colin.
Speaker 3:Is it colin o'brady?
Speaker 2:yeah, colin o'brady yeah, and then I did the 12 hour walk and I love that book and I love that whole process.
Speaker 3:So I gotta check that out yeah 12 hour walk yeah, 12 hour walk.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's one. That's one I have not done. Rachel was actually can't hurt me.
Speaker 2:That was really good too oh, david, yeah david goggins yeah, I love that book that was really good, yeah, yeah there's, I don't know, there's so many yeah, talk about determination.
Speaker 3:Oh my god, that guy is crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, I mean yeah, really cool he's coming to chicago.
Speaker 1:I. I've been getting instagram advertisements for david goggins yeah, it's like him and cody sanchez is coming really yeah I know it might be fun, kind of fun to go. It's called a, a spire, or inspire or something.
Speaker 4:You need to go. Yeah, yeah, no yeah.
Speaker 3:We need to talk about this yeah.
Speaker 2:You can walk there 45 minutes away.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, it's, it's. You know, after doing some of this stuff, it's kind of like, boy, I want to be in a room with like a lot of other people that are just like motivated as hell, because the energy you kind of get from that is just it's really fun. Yeah, so, like, one of the things I would love to do is go to who's like the guru of personal development. It's the big, muscular guy.
Speaker 3:Ed.
Speaker 1:Milet. No, he's Ed Milet's mentor.
Speaker 3:Tony Robbins. Tony Robbins, sorry, all right so.
Speaker 1:Tony Robbins. I would love to go to a Tony Robbins just to just experience it Right.
Speaker 2:And it's just.
Speaker 1:I kind of love the idea of, just like you know those motivational speakers and they, just like they, know how to get the fire lit under your ass.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you kind of talked about the one episode that I have which is like I did that hoping that somebody would listen to it and be like this is exactly what I needed to like kickstart something, because sometimes you need to be yelled at right, you need that drill sergeant. That's like telling you like, dude, this is the standard. You're not even close to it, right, and somebody needs like, sometimes you just need a reality check of yo, this is where you're coasting, but this is where you really should be and you should like push yourself a little bit you know, and sometimes we get into the zone of like, oh, I just need to be comfortable, and comfort is like sometimes a poison.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, what Is that too much?
Speaker 2:No, I love that you pointed out that episode, because I have actually only heard from people who didn't like it. Oh really, they're like. I didn't really like the one where Jason was yelling. I didn't really like that he was yelling at me, so I love that and that's okay.
Speaker 1:Not everybody likes that. Not everybody likes that.
Speaker 4:I think I liked that episode and it pushed me because I was ready to hear it. Yeah.
Speaker 2:You got to be ready to hear it.
Speaker 4:That's very key yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well said I like that. You gotta be ready, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of great stuff out of this conversation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you guys are great deep talkers. Yeah, I told, I told that to Rachel coming into it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he did really good at like going deep and and no, you guys did not disappoint. This is awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel like I even hesitated on questions cause I was just like mesmerized. I'm like you're right, you're so right.
Speaker 3:No, yeah, we appreciate it. I think it's. It's good to be able to reflect. You know, I think again one of those things where we get so caught up in the day-to-day that we don't get a chance to look at what we've achieved, and taking a moment like this to just kind of talk about what we achieved sometimes what we failed could kind of help you reset and think about what you need to do going forward. I think that's kind of what this opportunity presents for us. It's just a really good way to reflect.
Speaker 4:Yeah and it was really beneficial. So like when people ask about it, like jason, now I endorse it to people to you, yeah, I mean I talked about it at work, like you know, because it's just beneficial, like I know the benefits of the program and what it kind of did to me and you know, james.
Speaker 4:So there were several people who started yeah, at work well, maybe they didn't start the program but, like your dad, for example, now they're walking too, because we keep saying about how the quality time I love the quality time while walking.
Speaker 3:Now, they walk on a daily basis. Yeah, because we would go over to my parents house with our son and we would like take him out the car, hand him over and say we'll be back in 45 minutes. Yeah, and go and walk, yeah, and we did that a few times.
Speaker 4:A few times they saw that we were committed and we talk about how. You know the quality time and you know the benefits of it and they keep hearing it and they're doing it now it rubs off.
Speaker 1:I mean, people recognize what you're doing. They wish that they could be doing it, but sometimes and then when they're around it or if it's someone that's close to them and they're like boy, look at all the benefits that they're talking about. I think that we should do this. My parents, they never were really big workout people. You know, it was just recently. My dad was like yeah, you know, I'm working out like five to six times a week and I'm like holy smokes, like that's amazing man.
Speaker 1:And like I'm, I'm super thrilled for you and happy for you that you've you know, you've made that commitment to do something like that and I want to say that, like just me talking about some of this stuff at like, like it it helped and like it helps the people that, like you said at work, like you talking about it and endorsing it, it helps people recognize that and so I think it's great to promote it and people are.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of people that ask me. They're like, do you get paid for it? Like no, no man. It's like I wish That'd be great, but literally zero. But there's a lot of satisfaction of just seeing people you care about just all of a sudden elevate their level and they're just like boy. You can just tell that someone's on fire the way that they walk into a room. Because they just got all this confidence, because they've been working out six, seven days in a row and they're jacked and they're like or they cut all this weight, and the confidence just beams, and they're fun to talk to.
Speaker 4:I mean the physical aspect of it, yes, and mentally too, it helps you be confident, right? You walk in the room and it's like you can't tell me nothing.
Speaker 3:I'm hard or this and that right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:So it's just like my inside voice at work right, so it gives you confidence mentally definitely.
Speaker 1:So good.
Speaker 2:Can I ask another question?
Speaker 4:Sure.
Speaker 2:This is actually kind of like a group question, because you said something early on that I really resonated with too, something early on that I really resonated with too, and you were the one who had kind of decided first that you wanted to do 75 hard and you were kind of, you know, telling James about it along the way and you were not necessarily on board right away.
Speaker 2:And that was like the exact same story for us and I've heard that from other people too where it was actually the woman who was like I want to do this Right, and the guy's kind of like, oh, okay, and I'm just curious, I want to do this right, and the guy's kind of like, okay, and I'm just curious, like Andy is such a very like masculine, aggressive voice and presence. So it's kind of always surprising to me that I hear that it's a woman who wants to do it first. I'm just curious kind of what everybody's take is on that or what your take is as far as like, well, why? And I'm just kind of surprised, right, because true, for us too, you did not want to do the program for a long time.
Speaker 1:No, I already thought, is as far as like well, why and I'm just kind of surprised, right, Because it's true for us too you did not want to do the program for a long time.
Speaker 2:No, I already thought that I was like hard and I'm like, yeah, that's what he thinks too. Actually, that's what he said too.
Speaker 4:Like I don't need no challenge, I'm already working out.
Speaker 1:Boy, were we wrong?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't know, maybe it's just a yeah, that's kind of a manhood thing, it's. Yeah, I guess you're not gonna tell me what to do. Yeah, yeah, exactly, I could come up with my own fitness plan yeah, I go to the gym already.
Speaker 3:Why do I need someone else's structured plan? And yeah, to Jason's point, I was wrong. I think it just helped me to grow in ways I didn't expect. But yeah, I don't know, maybe just getting out of my own way in that moment too, of it's okay to, you know, take advice from other people or do something that you know maybe it wasn't your idea in the beginning but it can still be beneficial to you in the long run. And then just going with it, see where it takes you. I think that was what helped me to get on board. It's like, well, mario's doing this thing, it looks beneficial, let me just get on board and see where it takes me.
Speaker 3:And I think once you start, you kind of start seeing the results. And I remember at first I was, I wasn't supposed to do low carbs the whole thing. I was only going to do that for 30 days, and then I got 30 days in and I was like I came this far, why stop now? And so I just kept going with it. I think it's kind of like just one of those things of like, once you get on board and you start seeing the results, it's like I don't think that there's one way to do things, but sometimes you got to challenge yourself to do things in a different way, and that's how you grow, right? That? That part you've mentioned about comfort. We can get into our own routines and be like, okay, this is how I like to do things, I'm going to just stick to my way. But if you get out of your comfort zone, you can actually grow a lot more, and that's what I think came out of this I hate getting comfortable.
Speaker 4:I feel like yeah, yeah, I'm just living day by day yeah yeah yeah even at work it was like okay, okay, I feel like I know, like you know, I'm comfortable at my job. I think, you know, maybe it's time to see what's next you know stuff like that, but yeah, yeah, there's always.
Speaker 1:It just sounds like you guys have figured out. There's always like there's always just something else, right, there's always something else that you can kind of go after, that kind of like that you, the excitement, or just like you know, keeps you going. Yeah, the motivation, yeah, that's good. Well, why do you think? Why do you think women are maybe more prone to jump into it than men, right?
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, like I'm kind of like analyzing that I feel like I think being postpartum probably has something to do with it. I've known a couple of women now who did it postpartum and I think that there's such a shift that happens when you have a baby that is so new and different that you're like wait a minute, wait a minute. Like I kind of want to like revert back to how I was feeling before, while also loving this moment too. You know, I don't know. So that's the only experience I guess I have of it is because I was also postpartum, but I'm still analyzing, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think it's interesting yeah, well, I think you got a point yeah yeah cool, yeah, well, should we wrap yeah, this was so good yeah this is really, really the way that we kind of wrap up our conversations is just kind of what's the biggest takeaway that you kind of learned from tonight's conversation. And maybe, if you want to, you want me to go first. You want to go first?
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, there's a lot. I was. I don't know if this is a takeaway, but just a reflection. I was very moved by your honesty and integrity and sharing the story of having failed and the hardship that came with having to tell Mariel, tell even Jason, you know, like it wasn't just being honest with yourself but with other people and I was just very like that is something I want to strive to be myself and would love to see everybody strive to be that honest and have that level of integrity and commitment to yourself, Because that's what it was right. It's like literally nobody else would have known, but it was about your commitment to yourself and that's the whole point of the program and I just thought that was so monumental and it takes a lot of courage to share that too.
Speaker 1:you know, not even just that you failed, but like the story behind it and I thought that was really cool yeah, my biggest takeaway is just like seeing you guys as a couple. I think that you guys have really like we haven't known each other like that long but I can tell you have a very like tight knit, thriving, very close marriage. And when you talked about the quality time and like that was super important with you, right, and you were like we're going to do this and this is our time, I think those are just such great family building bonding moments and, you know, for busy people it's just it's so easy to overlook that stuff and I actually kind of miss going on the walks with you because we haven't done it in a while.
Speaker 2:I was thinking that exact same thing Honestly, yeah, I was like man, I miss that yeah because it does.
Speaker 1:It brings you so much closer as a couple and in which you know marriage is hard, marriage is insanely hard. But when you can commit to doing something together like that and then you have something memorable where it's like you guys are walking to the Cubs game and like coming back Like those are great moments, right.
Speaker 2:They're things you probably wouldn't have normally done either. You know, it's like you gave yourself a brand new experience.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And so there's so many takeaways from tonight's conversation, but that was one that was just kind of like sticking out to me at this time where it was just like, boy, you guys are like, you guys are really thriving and I and I can feel that energy and I just love it. So, anyways, thanks for sharing your story, but what would you say is your biggest takeaway from actually reflecting on tonight?
Speaker 3:I think the biggest takeaway is just me and my wife haven't really had this in-depth of conversation about 75 hard, so I think it's learning how strong we are together and when we are committed to a task as one, we can get a lot of things done. I think that when we were trying to figure it out as individuals before, we didn't know how it would work out, but together we were able to achieve this goal, and so I am very excited and optimistic about our future, because if we can figure out things like this on a daily basis hard, you know, with time and family and commitments I just think that as we continue to grow together, you know I have a partner that's going to help me figure it out and I can help her figure it out too. So I think that's through reflection. I think that, um, I know we have so many more things that we can get done together.
Speaker 4:Yeah, definitely how'd they go after that?
Speaker 1:I don't know it was so good.
Speaker 4:It was so good I think for me it's just I'm not a very social person. I think from takeaway is just be out there like you, Jason, and you, Rachel. Just when there's something that benefits you in your life, just say it to people and it will rub off on them. It's the same what you did. You talked about 75 like almost every day and kind of rubbed off on us, and we did it and then now we're kind of rubbing off on our friends and family and it will benefit them, I know it will.
Speaker 3:So just be out there and if anything's great happening to your life or you know you're doing something that works for you, just, you know, share it share yeah, that's huge that is a great point yeah, I second that it is because I think sometimes we can be close to the chest with some of the cards we're playing and what? What are we doing? What are you trying to achieve in your life? And we might want to hold that to us and I think, sometimes sharing your journey, sometimes not even the end result, but when you're in the journey and you share where you are within that journey, I think that's really helpful for a lot of people to understand and see what's achievable, like, wow, how are you doing that? You know there are a little bit more questions and I think people can reflect a little bit too and see the inspiration within you and like, wow, maybe I can do this too, you know. So I think that's a really, really great point.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, I love sharing. Obviously I do it a lot. But to your point, james, there are a lot of people that keep things to their chest and you know, and sometimes that's like you know, they don't want to be boastful about things and and I get and I get that point too.
Speaker 1:I try to not lean towards that but at the same time, like when you're always talking about like hey, these are some great things that are happening and it's because of x, y and z or the, the things that we've been doing, like I want you to, you guys, to try too, if it's working too, if it's working for you?
Speaker 1:Hey, it's working for me, you know, is it working for you too? And that's what I think that most people need to remember is like, don't be afraid to share, and you know, because more than likely, your journey and story is going to inspire somebody. And when that person tells you that because there's never really an intention to inspire somebody, you just kind of do. And then when that person comes to you and says, dude, I really related to what you said that makes you feel good, yeah, and that's, that's, that's good, we just need more of that stuff you know.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, all right. Well, this was a fantastic episode. I'm so glad we were able to do that. Thank you for inviting us to your home thank you for having us.
Speaker 3:You guys have your own little studio it totally is, yeah, yeah yeah, appreciate you, uh, having us on, yeah, giving us the opportunity to tell our story. So, yeah, yeah, we thank you, yeah, yeah of course I should be so proud yeah, you good.
Speaker 1:You totally should be so proud. Yeah, you guys are champions, both of you.
Speaker 2:Can't wait to hear about the second time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yes.
Speaker 1:All right, all right, well, cool. Well, that's a wrap. So if you enjoyed tonight's show, please, please, share it. There's so much inspiring details and stories in this one and these two are really the best. I mean, you guys just did it so well, and so thank you again for sharing your story, and so please share the show and we will catch on the next episode.