100 Pound Weightloss & Masculinity with Bradley Rancourt

On today's podcast we dig into Brad's 100 lb weightloss as well as his thoughts on masculinity, and touch on what you can expect from The giveStrength Podcast!

Transcript

spk_0:   0:00
I

spk_1:   0:00
was tired of being being overweight. Funny guy. That was in the friend zone.

spk_0:   0:06
You tell lady Yes, I was gonna get always

spk_1:   0:10
so. I was like, you know, 1920 years old. And it was

spk_0:   0:15
late. Welcome. Welcome to the very first episode of the give strength podcast before we jump into our first interview, which is with Bradley, who's sitting across the table from me. Hey, everybody way. Just wanted to give you a heads up that we've got some other awesome interviews coming your way with people like Justine a Blakeney from the jungle. Oh, moo goo Gai Cooper, who is a planetary protection engineer, and Jake Dip. Really instagram sensation. So stick around for those in future episodes. And

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if you listen to this before April 6, that means you are welcome to join our give strength challenge. We're gonna hit all parts of your wellness, including your mind, your body, your finances, connection and contribution.

spk_0:   1:01
Yeah. So every day we'll have a challenge with one of those pillars. So a challenge to help you with your mindset or your physical health, etcetera etcetera will also have derived. We'll also have prizes. We'll have daily workouts for you. A nutrition guide. Zoom connection calls. It's gonna be amazing. What are some of those prizes? Bread. Uh, what, do we have more time with us? More time with us. What else could you want? Some one on one zoom code, one dozen calls

spk_1:   1:33
and a $100 gift card to Lulu Limit.

spk_0:   1:38
Well, who doesn't want that? All right, so join us that that you can sign up via any of our instagrams. Mine is give a sweat

spk_1:   1:46
and mine is hit. Flex and chill with

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two eyes. Or you can go to the give strength Instagram page, and it will be at the link in bio there as well. We can't wait to have you join us as one final note. You may notice that the audio quality of these first few episodes is a little bit different than what you're hearing right now. And that's because we are big fans of just jumping in, getting your hands dirty and executing an idea when you have it. So we had the idea of starting a podcast. We recorded it with minimal equipment. We've now upgraded the setup, but just know that these first view that we jumped into You sound a little different, but the quality of information is there. So we decided to keep him. So without further ado, let's do this. After spending years growing a business rooted in a mission of giving back, Brad and Stephanie are here to give strength Thio all areas of your life. Get ready to hear from experts in every field, from finance and fitness to mindset, relationships and entrepreneurship. This is the gift strength podcast, Theo. The very 1st 1 the very first Gibbs Streak. So exciting, so exciting. Beyond exciting. Your I'm beyond exciting. Exciting. Yeah, we're going

spk_1:   3:08
to mess it up. So where

spk_0:   3:09
we going? 25 seconds in and we quit over. Now it's been a good run, So, uh, no, I'm excited because our first guest is gonna be you. May you wave talked about this a lot. So essentially, our company that we have for a while now give strength wellness. Our whole intention is to give strength. The others give strength to ourselves and highlight people that are doing that. It has been a, uh, studio. It's been a corporate wellness company. And now we are trying to branch out and talk about. All of these are passionate about.

spk_1:   3:48
So what better way

spk_0:   3:51
talk? Awesome. So this is gonna be a little bit of an experiment. My first time interviewing protest. So Stahl star Burger Star, Bradley the star. So I think what we're gonna do two surgeries. I'm gonna ask you a few questions. I planned on doing this with all of our guests. So three quick questions, number one Bradley, what do you D'oh! Oh, sleep e. No. Okay, I guess you could call me a personal

spk_1:   4:25
trainer even though we do own the companies. That feels kind of weird to call myself just a trainer. But I don't have a problem with that. So I do personal training, group fitness stuff, and you and I run this corporate wellness thing where we go into places and get people healthy.

spk_0:   4:42
That's the best system of corporate wellness I ever heard. Yeah, keep it simple. People ask you all the time. Like what is

spk_1:   4:47
corporate? Yeah, After your mo description, no one asked Another

spk_0:   4:50
question. Yeah, that's pretty much all you say. We'll get more into what that means later, but let's move on to question number two What is your favorite book? Podcast? Et cetera. At the moment, at the moment, we're like an evergreen. Awesome. One that you

spk_1:   5:09
love. Um, I like secrets of a millionaire mind. That was a good one,

spk_0:   5:17
that that changed our life. Pretend we'll dig deep on that one at some point.

spk_1:   5:24
Um, other than that favorite podcasts. Right now I'm in Africa with the rich roll podcast. It's just so good for, like, long cardio sessions because the last, like, two hours so

spk_0:   5:37
do that on purpose. Two hours

spk_1:   5:40
alone. Yeah, they're really long,

spk_0:   5:42
but it's great for a long round for cycling. We got it. We couldn't get him on here. All right, Ritual. And then number three, what is the most recent time you can remember that you gave strength to someone else for yourself? Both are equally important. Wow, it's just coming hot, everybody, she's coming in hot. Oh,

spk_1:   6:11
let's d'oh others, because myself is more scary. So while now you're gonna dig on that anymore. So recently, you know, we decided to give away a lot of fitness programming stuff free because right now we're We're recording this on march 16th 2020 where the world is in a little bit of a weird place. It's only been recording videos and stuff and giving them away for free stuff that we normally would charge for just saying, Hey, we know the world's craze. You can't go out, You can't go to your normal fitness places. Let's just give it to you for free on and keep people active Also, three

spk_0:   6:53
questions don't. Oh, and that's our phone. No, dig deep a little bit. All right. Well, Brad, I know that you have a really interesting story that you don't tell you enough. I think, um, about your weight loss and your fitness journey, because if you know Brad, you know that he is an iron me, and he's an endurance athlete. Last year he read his first ultra marathon for charity. Um, this year, he's planning on cycling across the United States, so he's pretty crazy. You goes far more cardio that I do. But it wasn't always that way, right?

spk_1:   7:32
It was not no

spk_0:   7:34
s. So sometimes we do things. And, oh, yesterday you were hiking and some girl was walking down and she's running other arms out, and she was like, Do you guys. Remember when you were little and you would run down a hill with your arms out and pretended you were an airplane? And I didn't know this girl, but I just raised my hand was I guess I d'oh. So I turned around. I said, Hey, did you know your little he said? No, that kind of thing happens all the time. You had a very different childhoods than I did.

spk_1:   8:09
Yeah, I was overweight, all growing up, different stages of overweight, but overweight the whole time. I kind of peaked right after high school. I actually don't know the official top weight because I didn't have, like, that day that I decided I'm gonna weigh in, and this is gonna be my new life. But the highest way I ever remember seeing on a scale was about £250

spk_0:   8:39
And tell her

spk_1:   8:40
you, uh, 57 and a

spk_0:   8:43
half. You guys, I'm getting half used to tell me he was, like, back dead. No, she never happened. No, She's a crazy person, despite so far. Have 218 50 £50. That's it. That's a big fight.

spk_1:   9:00
Yeah, and

spk_0:   9:00
that was the highest

spk_1:   9:01
number I saw. I feel like I got heavier. But if anybody struggles with their way, they understand. Like you typically don't way. Or so very often. So on lease. Unless I'm asked you to weigh in to start, you're finished dirty. You probably aren't gonna know your exact weight, but that is I remember standing on the scale and saying to 50 at one point. Okay,

spk_0:   9:23
So you know how you started. Like and we know that now you are an iron man. Ultra marathoner, et cetera, et cetera. Um,

spk_1:   9:32
what happens in between? Oh, you're asking that question?

spk_0:   9:36
No. No. Why?

spk_1:   9:38
Because, um so my motivation just started. Losing weight isn't glamorous. I was tired of being being overweight. Funny guy. That was in the friend zone.

spk_0:   9:52
You tell immediately. Yes. I was gonna get always

spk_1:   9:56
so I was like, you know, 1920 years old. And it was a later time.

spk_0:   10:01
What's the lady? Time's up? That sounds like good motivation. Great motivation. But now So that was 19 in your 33 Wow. Gonna be 33 next week. This week. Holy cow to this. You forget. I do every year. Um, you'll learn that Brad is actually their army and take out the two of us. But you know, that's fine. So that Waas have been over a decade, treated with it all at once.

spk_1:   10:33
I did not. I lost like I lost most of it. And like the first year and 1/2 Um, and then after that, I started getting a little bit more like into, like, longer athletics and stuff, and then the rest kind of gradually came off after that.

spk_0:   10:53
That's awesome. And its state off?

spk_1:   10:56
Yeah. I mean, I do eat pizza sometimes, but also proposed to you that, you know, come from a weight loss background. It's never really over like I put on weight, so usually like a joke. Like if I look at doughnuts, I'm gonna gain weight, so I don't necessarily think it's done. But I'm not trying to lose weight.

spk_0:   11:23
That's it's so interesting because we come from very different backgrounds a spar. Their bodies go like I come from an eating disorder background and lots of shame on my body, and you come from shame in a different way, way. We've both kind of met in this place where we want to eat pizza sometimes Hey, we're just not as concerned about abs as we are. How about it feels, Yeah. Yeah, which is pretty. Grab it. So still journey. So we both have our days, I think where we feel. Like who Maybe I do want that six pack, but,

spk_1:   12:04
you know, there's a pressure.

spk_0:   12:07
Doesn't have him too often. Cruel. So what? I mean, I'm trying to think of someone out there who wants to lose weight. Who wants to keep it off? He wants to feel good in their body. It's probably a pretty big ask, but do you have any tips that have really actually worked for you?

spk_1:   12:26
Um, yes. So I started off by just making, like, kind of simple rules. And the first rule I ever made is actually the only rule I've ever kept. I decided in the ground, August, Uh, what was that 20 like? 0708 Whatever. It waas that I was never gonna eat at a drive thru restaurant again. And then this year will be my like 12th anniversary or whatever it is. I can't do math right

spk_0:   13:01
now, but

spk_1:   13:02
it's been a long time. I have never since that day had any kind of drive thru McDonald's Jack in a box, anything like that.

spk_0:   13:11
And that's what's funny is, um, we have clients tell us all the time like whoever and at the time. And I had to direct a McDonald's. And since meeting Brad, that's a very non valid excuse to us. Like before. Uh, hungry. And we're out of time. We pop it usually Trader Joe's or Whole Foods and get a quick treat. I remember when we first started dating. I think we've been after a game. Probably drinks so much wear for saving me drink a lot. He wasn't too much of it was not. It was not me, but I think we're not drinking in L. A. And I really wanted to go to Taco Bell. He would have let me he would not let me go to Taco. Well, even when he was trying to woo me, Yeah, it was a test. You passed your fast sense that I haven't I haven't had fast food, which is great. So fast food, Anything else? Any other tips that have helped you stay on the story for so

spk_1:   14:16
long? Yeah, whatever. Big thing with the have another goal. That's not weight loss you, because if you're only ever turn to lose weight, you're not gonna lose late in a straight line. It moves and curves. You might gain way at some time. You might be eating poorly. You might slip on. Your exercise might get crazy at work. Life happens and he might gain £10. And some people, that's their only goal only gained £10. That's so hard to come back from. So I always say, like, have another goal. So for me, it was to run a five year. I remember when I was first starting to lose weight, I couldn't run down the block without getting winded. And I mean block, as in like, five houses down block. Um, so I had that goal of running a five K and took away from the Weighing in so much because that wasn't the only goal. It was just something I was monitoring. But my goal was to run a five. We're more of

spk_0:   15:21
ah, performance school rather than a number of all What? Something I think you and I both try and stress on people is that number on the scale truly does not matter truly, Truly. I know that sounds like something we're supposed to say, but unless you're a boxer or a wrestler or some other professionally have to weigh in, I weigh probably £15 more than I did in college. And I am stronger than I've ever been where the same size pants really that number doesn't matter more about higher body feels. And if you want to go vanity like that's going to more about how about it looks and sometimes it looks great and I wait. Yeah, yeah, it's

spk_1:   16:07
just agreed to go

spk_0:   16:08
so good. I love that I've trained him well, all right, so have a performance. Cool. Tell me acid

spk_1:   16:18
don't fast food and really delicious. Take a convenience away from food, because if your food is very convenient, usually it's not very good for you. Um, it's a different decision making process to Oh, it's late. I'm just gonna stop at fast food versus oh, it's late. I have to go into a restaurant, order something that's bad for me. Get it, bring home, then eat it. You just have way more time and steps in that scenario to make a good choice where it's fast food almost becomes like autumn back. I'm hungry. It's late. I have no time. Fast food.

spk_0:   16:59
Yeah, if you like that decision and then may decisions that have gotten us where we are, um have been acknowledging where we fall short because some of any shortcomings in so many ways we fall off the wagon as faras productivity. You're eating well or exercising. Um, what? We heard a business, and we have to stay on top. So I know we've done a lot of work with, like, habits and continue to do so. Uh, what's that? What's that book?

spk_1:   17:31
But have it, we'll

spk_0:   17:32
have it real, which I think I've read the 1st 3rd a few times, but I don't think I finished it you guys. But if you read it, biggest takeaway from that was what do they call it? Like the cue in response? The reward? Yeah. So, essentially every decision we make in life as a Q. How's the response and has a reward. And it's all about changing the response in the reward, right? So instead of eating fast food that just become super habitual, you change your response and set it going to McDonald's you go to Trader Joe's. The reward is you still have a delicious meal, so you just have to do it over and over until we figure it out Here it becomes habit.

spk_1:   18:14
Yeah, you know, let's be really sometimes I I was out late doing on healthy things,

spk_0:   18:23
and it

spk_1:   18:23
would be super easy at that point. Thio say like Okay, well, I've already been doing non healthy families. Might as well just go finish it off and get something to eat, talk about or wherever in a drive through and then go home and pass out. Because remember, I waas in my twenties when I was doing all this. So there were times where I did not plan accordingly, and there were times that Trader Joe's was not open. But you just have to stick fast with some of the rules, and I would just go home and not he, which sounds awful. And I'm not advocating, not eating

spk_0:   19:05
well. You probably don't have to eat. Don't have todo still drinking out. You don't have to

spk_1:   19:11
be after a whole night of drinking at that point. It's a decision you're making, and sometimes you just have to sacrifice to make those decisions. All

spk_0:   19:21
right, I feel like we're getting on a health tangent, which we always do. Um, but do you feel like there's other areas of growth in your life that you are proud of? That you're still working on anything else that is lighting you up right now or you feel very accomplished. And I feel like you have so many other facets to you that I'd love to know. We don't get to talk like this were pretty open. But this is a whole new

spk_1:   19:49
rule rule.

spk_0:   19:50
Get riel. But I would just like to know, Like, what? Other accomplishments? Our thought process, Caesar.

spk_1:   19:56
Okay, let's see here. What are we gonna come up with for you? Um, one thing that I have been working on not related to fitness is just general communication. Um, that was tough. And now you're gonna make this face, and now you feel like you did not

spk_0:   20:18
can I made a face to face. So you have

spk_1:   20:24
a tendency to, like, not communicate at all times. That's certainly something I've been working on and improving on progress. Close, you know?

spk_0:   20:35
No, that's good. Like any other. Like Juries. You're on, but I want you obviously want to get me to that one just a little bit. You know, that Simply gonna jury we've had to go on as a couple, Ivan over communicative person. Like you know how I'm feeling at all times. And you're also very intuitive. I think you sense, huh? Feeling even before I tell you. Um, but you're her, much less so. When we first started dating, I I felt like you were just hiding this from me all the time. Yeah, well, what do you think? That some from what iffing. I mean, is it or is it a protection thing? Is it,

spk_1:   21:23
uh, through my reflections, I feel like it does tie closely with the weight loss thing. Same like mind. Hey, where it's ah, fear of looking bad. And so if it's a sense of topic that I don't want to discuss or a big bite, we're on the risk of me not having the right answer. It's easier to like, hide from it and avoid it. Then it is to be out there and potentially look bad. Because I grew up quote unquote looking batteries, in my mind, looking bad. Um I feel like a ties to that. What's

spk_0:   22:10
interesting? That's it's funny things in our relationship. I remember many days where I was like, Just tell me what you're thinking. Just talk to me right now and you just wouldn't which I think we can say from a distance like escalated No, some of escalation. So I feel like that's That's interesting. I guess we haven't postmortem to that kind of thing. We've done that. We did a couple safety.

spk_1:   22:40
Yeah, it was great.

spk_0:   22:41
Oh, right before we got married and it was so good.

spk_1:   22:45
Um, our therapist, Juicy all know, had Stephanie read a

spk_0:   22:49
book for training Doc and I was supposed to help with our relationship. You just literally a dog training book. And he suggested I take those exercises in, uh, applied And Mister, it wasn't a relationship. They're used dogs as an example. It's like the dog on the Clinton was a dog training book, but it worked. Wow. I learned Brad needs his rewards of his affirmation

spk_1:   23:21
of my

spk_0:   23:21
permission. Okay. Talked a lot about us for the last few minutes, which I'm sure we'll get so much into, um, couples therapy should probably a whole lot pass on its own because it's phenomenal. It's wonderful, but I want to get back to you. What do you wish people knew about you that you don't think many people?

spk_1:   23:43
That's a huge question.

spk_0:   23:45
A lot of people, many people see Brad Triathlete Brad who's don't drop it but never had, uh, I would like

spk_1:   23:58
to show more A like you could be a man's man and also be kind, well, four. Because, you know, it's easy to fall into one of the other, and it's easy to be bulls. But also like people, certain people see you as a man's man in certain people. See you kind. And I just have to figure out how those two things can connect with everybody. Um, which is tough. Um, so I kind of just rewriting that masculinity thing because a lot of what us men d'oh are programmed to do with pretty silly, um, like, strong, like, be more of an example in that round of things.

spk_0:   24:43
Yeah, that's interesting, because people often tell me how lucky I am. Said Data guy. Yes, for merry way. We still date, though, but do you have a man in my life who is kind and knows when to be soft. And to me, this silly. This man should be like that. Um but I get it. Society doesn't always put an emphasis on being kind. And being masculine, you have to be soft, which is more feminine. Or for NASA will waive a very decent cuss like you're to say, That's where you say cuff word

spk_1:   25:42
in my room.

spk_0:   25:43
No, no, no. It's asking

spk_1:   25:44
because you're from hats House. It's where

spk_0:   25:47
is it different? You say curse. No, I see. Swear

spk_1:   25:50
you six Where? Yeah, this wayward for both. Watching the curse

spk_0:   25:55
of scum in the middle. Um, I truly

spk_1:   25:59
remember what we're talking about.

spk_0:   26:00
That's our very own masculinity and not being a ass hole. Right? But don't you feel like as you get older and more in touch with your humanity, you know it when men are overt with their masculinity and toughness doesn't read. I almost read those people being less in touch with themselves. Unless, I

spk_1:   26:32
mean, I feel like it's depending on who's doing it and doing it. So if you have no like as a man, if you have no perspective of what's possible or no one's modeled to you that you can, you know, big, caring, soft, kind and drink whiskey. Then you have to feel like you're gonna fall into a category. You're gonna be the dude that, like, screams and slams weights or you're gonna be the dude that does yoga. And I like to scream Sign ways. And you know

spk_0:   27:09
that's true that this is where Brad balances, you know, I'm I'm incredible black and white person. I'm trying to live more in the great I think I'm doing that from, But I sometimes observe people and put them in categories where Brad is a little bit better about noticing, especially with men. I think,

spk_1:   27:30
What do

spk_0:   27:31
you do? Yeah, knows a woman. I think I've grown up men in certain categories, but when we first met you, so

spk_1:   27:37
when you put them in a covered or

spk_0:   27:38
I'm doing exactly what you are, totally Oh, it's it's wrong. So I have to. I think the masculine we founded the conversation is something that we all need to continue to have. But it is interesting that when we first started dating, you would say things like I forget what would even bring it up. But I'd say something like, Hey, how do you feel about that? You'd say I'm fine. I'm a man. You were joking, but not Yes, yes. Yeah.

spk_1:   28:14
The man part was the joke. But the not want to talk about it with the other sense

spk_0:   28:18
here. So well, it's interesting. That is an age of same thing. So learn about you know, about you that people might not know My cool. This is your first interview. This is you probably Have you been interviewed? I had experiencing interview. But you never

spk_1:   28:37
just go.

spk_0:   28:38
You D'oh! All right. Do you feel like there's anything else you wanna add about you?

spk_1:   28:42
That's it. I share too much, but it's all good

spk_0:   28:46
now. It's not so much. It's perfect. Do you have any like hopes for this cloud cast? What do you think it? What would you like it to give

spk_1:   28:55
people? My hopes for this podcast is that we can have equal parts fun and equal parts real ms, because like, you know, we're fin is people at heart. So we're so used to being Robert raw. Everyone's excited, Everybody's fun. That's easy for us. But not everything is always excited. None of the things that we spun. So I'd like to kind of talk about those things as well.

spk_0:   29:22
Yeah, when people often tell both of us how fortunate we are to be actually Happy way. Just giggle about that. It takes a lot of work. Well, yeah, we'll definitely get into those other things. And let's get some awesome guests on here. We've got some really cool guest in mind. We can't wait to record those for you guys. And if you have any topics you'd like to hear us talk about, we're guests. We should interview.

spk_1:   29:52
But there's no

spk_0:   29:53
people that gives strength to themselves or others. We've loved Thio. Talk to them about it. I thank you for listening to the gifts strength podcast. You can give strength to our mission of bringing you valuable and interesting episodes by rating reviewing and subscribing