What If Everything You Thought About Success Was Wrong?

After years of chasing external definitions of success, I've completely transformed the Successful Life Podcast to focus on what truly matters: recovery from addiction, freedom from limiting habits, and authentic personal growth. This isn't about how much we can achieve or how much money we make—it's about waking up clear-headed, staying emotionally regulated, and building a life of integrity.

My own journey has been marked by struggles with addiction, wearing different masks for different people, and pretending everything was fine when it wasn't. Though I quit drinking nearly 16 years ago, I switched to cannabis until March 2023. Today, two years fully sober, I've discovered practices that genuinely move the needle in my life: rising at 3:45 am when my brain functions optimally, daily gym sessions, ice baths that reset my nervous system, and a carnivore diet that's dramatically improved my mental clarity and physical health.

The carnivore approach—eating only meat, eggs, and cheese—has transformed my energy, eliminated my need for ADHD medication, and helped me shed 12 pounds to reach 8% body fat. But the physical benefits pale compared to the mental clarity and emotional stability I've gained. When combined with recovery principles and consistent self-discipline, this lifestyle has allowed me to show up authentically for myself, my family, and my team at work.

If you're struggling with addiction, poor habits, or feeling lost, know that transformation is possible. As they say in recovery, "You don't walk ten miles into the woods and get out in two"—healing takes time, but it begins with a single step today. Join me weekly as we explore what truly creates a successful life with upcoming guests including bodybuilder Tony Freeman and Jared the Plumber. Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, and remember: if I can transform my life, you absolutely can too.

Chapters

• 0:00 New Direction for Successful Life Podcast
• 6:32 Daily Routines and Self-Trust
• 11:21 Removing the Masks
• 17:12 Carnivore Diet and Mental Clarity
• 22:49 Discipline and Present-Moment Living
• 27:42 Rethinking Success and Future Episodes

Transcript

Corey Berrier: 1:00

Welcome to the Successful Life Podcast, the new Successful Life Podcast. I'm your host, Corey Berrier. We're going to take a bit of different direction with the show. You know if you've been following the show for a little while, thank you. You've heard me talk about sales, performance, business strategy, marketing, and this is really where the podcast started, and you know, all those things still matter, of course, but I want to talk about or I think it's time I should say to talk about what really builds a successful life, really builds a successful life, and for me, I'm talking about recovery from addiction, trauma, from habits that keep us stuck. You know, a personal transformation really is what I'm talking about, and I'm not saying by any stretch that I'm completely transformed, but let's just be very clear. But every day, I try to transform my mind, my body, my spirit, and that's really my purpose, and so this is the new purpose of the show.

Corey Berrier: 2:23

And, as many of you know, uh, I've battled addiction, and a couple of times actually, and coming out on the other side, I realized that, you know, success for me was it was very different starting this show, and it's not about, you know, I thought it was about how much I could achieve, how much money I could make. But it's really about for me now. It's about how I live. It's about waking up clear-headed, it's about being emotionally regulated, having discipline in my life. And you know, for a long time I felt myself in a light, this grandiose person that was doing all of these cool things and written a book and doing the podcast, but really all that was was my ego running wild. You know, I just wanted to write the book so I could say I'd written a book. I just wanted to start the podcast because I thought it was cool and it has been very cool. But I didn't start it with the right intention. I started it to be cool and it didn't. It didn't really work. It didn't really work. Now I will say you know, I've talked to a lot of really cool people, talked to a lot of interesting people. I've learned so much from doing this podcast and that's been one of my biggest takeaways from this has become a bit mundane, from being honest with you. You know, talking about trades and talking about plumbing and heating and cooling and sales and all the stuff that I do on a daily basis, and it's just I feel like this show could be different that I do on a daily basis and it's just. I feel like this show could be different, and it's going to be different because I just decided I want to talk about the things that I do in my own life that move the needle forward, and I just I'll give you an example.

Corey Berrier: 5:23

Like every day, I have a daily routine, and I'll also get into the diet and all that stuff in just a few. But typically my daily routine is I get up around 345 in the morning. I get up early in the morning because that's when my brain is firing on all cylinders. When my brain is firing on all cylinders, I enjoy getting up before most of the world because it's quiet and peaceful and it's just something I really value. I value going to the gym every day. That's really important for me because I was a fat child and when I lost that weight back in I don't know, seventh, eighth grade, seventh grade, I promised myself I'd never be fat again, and so it's been a journey with my health and fitness. I haven't ever been fat again because I've made sure to keep my body in shape.

Corey Berrier: 6:33

I haven't always gone to the gym. I guess I've been going regularly to the gym for about 16 years and you know it was for vain reasons. I didn't go to the gym for health reasons. I went to the gym because I wanted to look better. I wanted to. Yeah, really, I just wanted to look better. That's the truth of it.

Corey Berrier: 6:52

The side, you know, the side part of that is it's like I started feeling better and I believe that anybody that goes to the gym and makes an effort to take care of themselves physically, then the mental stuff, the mental benefits happen, they come through, they manifest, if you will, because of these other things that you're doing. And it also helped me to trust myself, because for a long time my go-to was just to tell a lie. And today I don't do that, especially to myself. If I say to myself I'm going to get up, I'm going to go to the gym, I'm going to do the ice bath and I'm going to eat my carnivore diet today, that's what I'm going to do. And bath and I'm going to eat my carnivore diet today, that's what I'm going to do. And I don't do it perfectly, but for the most part I keep my promises to myself and that starts with getting up when I need to get up in the morning, first promise, hitting my knees and praying. That's my second promise to myself. Third promise is I'm going to the gym and really I'm building up a bank account of trust within myself when I keep my promises to myself and then it helps me to keep my promises to you and that's important to me.

Corey Berrier: 8:21

I don't like letting people down and part of that's people-pleasing, part of that's wanting approval and at some point I'll get into all that. I don't know that I'll get into that today, but I've always felt a bit less than I've always felt like I needed to have a mask on. So if I'm talking to somebody on the podcast, you know I may have a mask. For years I had a mask on. I was pretending to be somebody that really I wasn't. Things weren't going as good in my life as I would have liked you to think, and that's really frustrating when you're trying to be you know, when you're trying to be, air quotes authentic, but it's really not authentic at all because it's a bunch of BS. And I'm just being real with you here because I think this is important. I think I don't know if a lot of people struggle with this. I know that I struggled with, like I said before a different mask with different people. A different mask at work. A different mask with a person. I was with a different mask on the podcast, a different mask when I was in a recovery meeting and years ago I took that mask off.

Corey Berrier: 9:44

I did a really long Facebook post I don't know how many years ago. It was about our financial situation, about the things that we were going through. Our house was getting in pre-foreclosure, car payments were behind, I wasn't working, but on the outside I tried to pretend everything was okay and the fact of the matter is it just wasn't. And during that time, you know, I quit drinking almost 16 years ago. It'll be 16 years next month actually but you know I didn't stay sober through that whole time. I started smoking weed around I don't know 2015. I didn't quit until 2022, 23, somewhere in that vicinity. I've been totally sober a little over two years, so I guess it was 2023. I guess it was March of 2023.

Corey Berrier: 10:45

I stopped smoking cannabis and I don't use any mind-altering substances that are not prescribed today and really I don't use a lot of those. To be honest, I do have ADHD. I am prescribed medication but I very rarely take it because I've changed my diet to a carnivore diet. I've cut out all vegetables, I've cut out everything except for meat, cheese and eggs, and it's completely transformed my energy. I've lost about 12 pounds down to about 8% body fat, and I'm not bragging, I'm just telling you what it is. And I'm telling you this because I want you to really think about the success that I've had with this, because it's been really it's been pretty transformative and I want to encourage you.

Corey Berrier: 11:41

If you are struggling, look, here's the other thing. I know I'm going a little off track here, but you know, when I got sober, I ate sugar like nobody's business, because that's what they tell you to do, and it makes some sense at the time because your body's detoxing. You know you don't want to go into DTs and so sugar it's a lot of sugar content in alcohol, a lot more than people think, and so there's uh, there's some validity to replacing that alcohol sugar with candy or chocolate or donuts or whatever it is your flavor of sweet. There is some validity to that. But I would also argue that being abstinent from that sugar is going to help you to stay sober longer and quicker, because you don't crave I don't now. I don't crave that sugar, I don't crave those cookies. I don't crave the garbage that I was eating in private. You know, I would never go to a meeting usually and have stuff in front of people because I wanted people to think that I was eating the right way and I'd just secretly eat it in my car Kind of just like addict behavior really. And so being on this carnivore diet has removed the cessation or it's made me satiated, I should say. I think that was the word I was looking for, so I don't get as hungry, I don't crave the sweets and I would argue that if someone's newly getting sober, transitioning into a diet like this would probably be astronomically successful.

Corey Berrier: 13:42

Listen, there's studies after studies after studies of mental, of this helping with mental health, this helping with addiction, this helping with losing weight, this helping with autoimmune diseases and I'm not a doctor, I'm just telling you from the people that I listen to. This is the things that are coming out. There's a great, there's a lady and I'm going to have her on at some point. Her name is Dr Georgia Eads. I listened to her podcast with the diary of the CEO, stephen. I can't remember his last name, it doesn't really matter If you look up diary of the CEO. On YouTube you'll find Stephen, whatever his last name is, and if you look up, you know Carnivore or Dr Georgia Eads this podcast will change, I think, the way you think, and I would, absolutely, I would really encourage you to do that.

Corey Berrier: 14:50

I would really encourage you to do that because I want you to have the same success in terms of your life and your body and your health as I'm having. And I'm not saying everybody should do exactly what I do, I'm just letting you know what I am doing. That's working and it's the first real regimen that I've been on that I wake up completely clear-headed, I'm able to sit and deal with my emotions better. It's a discipline. I have peace of mind and I don't think it's all that carnivore diet. I think you mix recovery into the mix of that carnivore diet, and I read a lot of books and I think that's important.

Corey Berrier: 15:35

I think feeding your mind with good stuff is very vital to your growth. It's vital to your growth and personal growth is something that I am a big believer in, both mentally, physically, spiritually, yeah, and it's been the answer, you know, for me for a lot of things and it's really in alignment with my values. It's in alignment with my truth, it's in alignment with Corey, and it feels very authentic for me because it's working, and I'm not taking the credit for this. Like, I just happened to stumble across this podcast and then I stumbled across this movie called this documentary called Animal. It talks about how, you know, eating animals primarily solves a lot of problems health-wise, and it's really the studies they talk about. The health benefits are astronomical and I got to be honest, I feel better than I ever have.

Corey Berrier: 16:54

You know, again, a lot of that has come from a bunch of different places. You know, I have a therapist that I see once a month. I, I just I make sure that, um, that I do the things that work for me, and I'm not saying they'll work for you, but I think it's something to think about, um. And so, look, the ice bath is another one.

Corey Berrier: 17:17

You might be be thinking but, corey, this is ridiculous, I'm not getting into a freezing cold ice bath, but it resets your autonomic nervous system. It forces you in that moment to be present, present like I'm present with you right now. The only thing I'm thinking about right now is talking with you and I try to do that as much as I possibly can, because we're really not promised tomorrow and we can't change yesterday. So what's the point in stressing about the past or worrying about the future? We can't do anything about those two things. I'm not saying you shouldn't plan out things, because you should, but trying to control what happens tomorrow right now is absurd. It's crazy and I find myself even doing that to this day sometimes because it's just automatic with me.

Corey Berrier: 18:20

But I've gotten much better at being present with the people that I'm with being present in my own life, trying to stay off of scrolling through social media, because it's a cesspool of political stuff. It's a cesspool of all the things other people are doing, or all the things they say they're doing, just like I used to. Like you know, it's really easy to get sucked into the comparison game and in recovery, you know, you think, well, I've just got a month sober, I'm never going to get to that guy that's got two years or 15 years. Well, you will get there. But as they say, in recovery, you don't walk 10 miles into the woods and get out in two. If you walk out 10 miles into the woods, you've got to walk 10 miles back. If you've been drinking for 10 years, you've got to walk 10 miles back. If you've been drinking for 10 years, it's probably going to take you 10 years to completely get right. Maybe not, who knows.

Corey Berrier: 20:07

So let's talk about discipline for a second. Discipline's important, and for many, many years, especially when I was drinking and drugging, you know, I didn't have any discipline. My discipline was to get up at 10 o'clock in the morning drinking drug until two o'clock in the morning and then do it all over again, and it's just. It's not really a great life, and you know it's certainly not a great life, and you know it's certainly not a successful life. I mean, I was making a bunch of money and I was miserable, and you hear this a lot of times. You know, one classic example is Steve Jobs that he talks about. You know, before he passed, you know he said I wish I'd have spent more time with my family. I would argue that without Steve Jobs, you know, the world would be a very different place. And and so being being present in your own life, having discipline in your life, growing yourself personally, working on your health and fitness, that's important. It's also a much more successful life than chasing money and running yourself into the ground Now, if you're right now, if you're overweight, if you're having heart issues, having heart issues, you know what good does it?

Corey Berrier: 21:37

Do you to make millions of dollars if your health has gone down the toilet? What are you going to do with all that money? You're not going to spend it. If you're, you know, incapacitated because you've had a heart attack, you know you got to really think about these things. I mean, is it worth putting yourself in the grave to make millions of dollars? And maybe the answer for you is yes, it is. It's just not the answer for me.

Corey Berrier: 22:09

Do I want to make millions of dollars? Of course, but I don't want to die an early death trying to do it. And so do I work hard? Yeah, of course, but I also make sure that I take care of myself. So that way, when I'm here at work I'm here right now at the Zoom Drain headquarters in Raleigh, southeast we're in Smithfield, north Carolina, as I'm recording this, and you know, I'm able to show up today. I'm able to show up for my boss, I'm able to show up for my employees, and everything is flowing in my life in a way like it never has before, in a way like it never has before, and so that's what I want for you.

Corey Berrier: 23:04

I want you to have a more successful life, and again, for me, you know, success is not how much money is in my bank account. Do I want to make sure I can pay all my bills and have money? Of course, because it's very stressful when you don't have money, but it's really stressful when you're drunk and on drugs and don't have any money. That's a place that I hope I never get back to, and so I don't know if this is the kind of podcast you want to listen to. Look, there's a lot of sales and business podcasts out there. Go listen to those to. There's a lot of look, there's a lot of sales and business podcasts out there. Go listen to those.

Corey Berrier: 23:40

But from here on out, we're going to talk about the things that I think leads to a successful life, and right now, that's my health, my mental health, my emotional health, and without those things, I'm just not as happy of a person, and I want to be happy. I think you want to be happy, and I just got to tell you, if you are listening to this and you're stuck, you're not. You know you're not a lost cause. Look, if a guy like me can get sober and stay sober and turn his life around. Believe me, you can do it too. It may not seem like it right now, it may not feel like you're going to be able to have a successful life, but guarantee, if you keep drinking and drugging, your life's not going to be successful.

Corey Berrier: 24:34

You know, I was listening to a show earlier and then alcohol consumption, over since I think the study was in 2023 is down by 25%. That's pretty amazing, because people are starting to realize that alcohol is poison and our food is poison, the food that we eat every day. That's touted as this whole diet, this whole healthy diet, is a load of shit. You know, you don't need to go by the food pyramid. If you look at the food pyramid, it's disgusting and it was made up from the people that sell you cereal and made up by the people that sell you bagels and sugar and the people that tell you not to eat fat. That's because they have an invested interest in some company that's got. You know that makes something with sugar. So it's this is important to me and I I hope it important to you. But from here on out, you know this is going to kind of be the show. It's going to be talking about these things and I'll keep you updated.

Corey Berrier: 25:45

On the carnivore diet, I can't promise you I'm going to stick with it forever, but for right now the results are undeniable. I can't argue with what's happening. I mean, I look at the difference in my body of how I feel, how I'm sleeping, my energy level, the lack of having to take medication for ADHD and being focused. It's just nuts. It's really nuts. So if you're struggling with alcohol, if you're struggling with food, if you're struggling with some sort of addiction maybe it's even pornography, who knows? There's a better way those things get a hold on you and you start down this rocky path. And it's hard to get off that rocky path. But if I can do it, you can do it Because I'm nobody special. I'm just another dude trying to live the best life that I can, the most successful life that I can.

Corey Berrier: 26:54

And so if this is you, welcome to the new show. You're in the right place. If this is not you, you're welcome to keep scrolling. But do me a favor Think about the things that I've said today, think about the things that I'm doing in my life, and if you can take something from it, then you should. But I encourage you that you know now's the time for you to start losing weight. Now's the time for you to stop drinking. Now's the time for you to stop doing drugs or smoking weed or whatever it is you're doing. Tomorrow's not the day. You can just start now. You can just start today. You know, they say the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. So I appreciate you guys listening.

Corey Berrier: 27:50

Next week you're going to hear from Tony Freeman, who's a good friend of mine, used to be a bodybuilder of the most I guess the top level and we're going to talk about some things with him that are going to open your eyes about how the diet can affect your personal health and some of the things that he does that are probably going to blow your mind, because this dude is jacked.

Corey Berrier: 28:24

I mean, he's huge and he's had a total transformation and I can't wait to have him on and we've got Jared the Plumber the following week. But this is the new podcast and I want you to you know if you've heard something you like today, if you know somebody that needs to hear this, I would encourage you to share it with them. I would encourage you also, you know, to leave us a review. Tell me what you like and what you didn't like. You know I'll take a bad review. I'm cool with that, like I'm really cool with that today because I'm cool with me and I want you to be cool with you. Sometimes it's really hard, and so I appreciate you listening. I appreciate you listening on this Friday and remember, next Friday, tony Freeman will be on the show. Following Friday it's going to be Jared the Plumber, but we're going to talk about these things. All right, guys, I appreciate you, we'll see you soon.