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Meat Mafia friends! Today’s episode is a special one. We’re kicking off a new series of solo episodes with just the two of us. We’ll be mixing these in alongside our guest interviews, and honestly, we’re pumped to dive deeper into our own lifestyle, values, and connect more with our community.
We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you have any feedback, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us on any of our social platforms—we’re always looking to improve, deliver the best content we can, and grow with you. Fired up for what’s ahead!
Here’s what we dive into:
- Personal growth through structured routines and tackling challenges.
- Why managing and valuing your time is key to success.
- Developing discipline—both mentally and physically.
- The balance between personal life, business, and wellness.
- How faith and spirituality influence personal development.
- Transforming by overcoming self-doubt and insecurities.
Let’s keep pushing forward together!
Timestamps:
(00:02) Deep Dive Into Personal Transformation
(03:47) Transformative Journey to Self-Discovery
(07:45) Transformation Through Challenges and Coaching
(19:02) Embracing Beginner Mindset for Growth
(26:02) Navigating Priorities and Challenges
(36:09) Morning Routine for Self-Improvement
(45:05) Committing to Personal Growth
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Creators & Guests
What is The Meat Mafia Podcast?
The Meat Mafia Podcast is hosted by @MeatMafiaBrett and @MeatMafiaHarry.
We're two guys who walked away from the typical path to carve out something different. Based in Austin, we’re on a mission to figure out what it takes to live a fulfilled life in a world that often pushes us away from meaning.
We have conversations with people we believe can help us, diving deep into the pillars of health, wealth, and faith, as the cornerstones of our mission.
Whether it's challenging the modern food system, questioning conventional health advice, or building something from the ground up, we're here to explore the tough questions and share the lessons we’ve learned along the way.
If you're tired of the noise and ready to find meaning, tune in and join us!
361 B&H
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[00:00:00] Long time no see. Dude, it's almost like we see each other every day. No, we don't work together, live together, everything. I feel like people don't actually understand the dynamic that we have, but. It's a special dynamic for sure. It's wild. I think that um, me turning, I mean you turned 30 last September.
And then you're turning 31 this upcoming September, right? I guess so, dude. And then me turning, yeah. What's it, what's your birthday again? 26. I might not know that. It's all good. No, but I think that there's, uh, been this definitely this realization of like the chapter, the special chapter of us being single in the early stages of these businesses doing what we're doing.
It's a really short, beautiful period. And I think that both of us, the last couple months have really been in this mindset of just like juicing every drop. Totally. Yeah. I've seen us both change our relationship with time over the last few months. It seems like just valuing it in a way that I don't think either of us [00:01:00] did like two years ago.
Um, Yeah, there's just like that interesting shift. I feel like that happens as you kind of get deeper into the game where you're, you're kind of like walking with more expectations, more hopefulness that like breakthroughs are going to happen. And I think that just makes you have to value your time more.
You can't just kind of like be saying yes to everything. Absolutely. Yeah. It's been a lot of, uh, Amazing shifts for a number of different reasons and I'm really excited for this episode because we've said this before a few times But we are gonna be consistently getting to the rhythm of just you and me just chopping it up about topics that inspire us We need to and I think we're going through a period of transformation with the show Which I'm assuming you the listener could probably tell where you know Nutrition and health is going to be a massive cornerstone of what we do always But I think we're also realizing that there's this really beautiful blend of topics that we're interested in.
You know, God's spirituality, you know, you've been a big role model to me seeing you go all in on your faith. Um, you know, business, [00:02:00] entrepreneurship, documenting some of the things that we're experiencing from a media perspective, a business perspective. We want to just kind of masculinity. We really just want to blend a lot of these pursuits together.
Yeah. Yeah. I think like with the election coming up to, I've, I'll step back to the election. Everything gets political. No, but like. Just seeing the different talking points that get brought up. It's like the stuff that we've been talking about on the show has kind of been like, it's like a lot of the issues that.
We see in the world and I think like that's kind of where we're interested in pressing in More on and maybe even being a bit more bold than how we set an example like I think we do a good job of it in Austin, but Yeah, maybe just aren't as pointed on how we do it with the show and just trying to like bring people together Digitally, I feel like we kind of had that early on where there was like Really more of an online focus to the things that we're doing I feel like now It's like a little bit more split between in person, which is awesome But yeah, I'm excited to maybe set a little bit more [00:03:00] of that tone With the podcast and with some of the content that we're gonna be putting out there just you know Throwing ourselves out there a little bit more being a little bit more bold.
Yeah, I think Us starting the brand was our act of going from spectator to creator And I think what we're realizing now because we started it primarily as an interview style show because we wanted to pull all this knowledge Out of these amazing experts, but I think we're kind of going through this second wave of spectator to participant or spectator to creator Where it's like yes, there's so much we have to figure out But I think we're figuring out these pillars of living a great life or health god Entrepreneurship.
And I think we want to share a lot of our learnings with people and trials that we're experiencing and successes and just any perspective that we can kind of squeeze out that would be helpful for the audience. I think we really want to just document that and talk through that together as you know, co founders, best friends.
I think it'll be really cool. Yeah, a hundred percent. Um, I'm curious what, what realizations you've had over the last like 30, 60 days, just. [00:04:00] Seems like your level of focus has gotten to a new level. You've invested in some coaching. Um, it's just cool seeing like one of your closest friends. I mean, literally my closest friend, this is part one of one, uh, like, dude, I mean, it's cool.
Cause I feel like we understand the nature of our relationship, but it's not necessarily. Publicize too much. Like we don't talk about it too much, but it's like, you know, we're pretty good about kind of going about our own business on a day to day basis and like doing our stuff when we're collaborating on stuff, but then kind of like giving each other space.
I think it's like naturally how we work. So there is actually, I feel like a lot of time to kind of just like observe the other person kind of just like going through a transformation and you know, like we don't work out together. We don't necessarily do every little thing together when we're not working.
But, um, all that to say, like. You've been going through a crazy transformation in the past 60 days. Uh, so I'm curious. What what sort of insights do you have? [00:05:00] What what's been a big takeaway? I really do feel like And I don't mean this in an arrogant way. I kind of feel like I've almost compressed a Year worth of perspective and experiences into 30 days that's kind of like the general feeling that I have my soul and Me turning 30 in June.
I think was a big wake up call because I had a lot of these Transcript Maybe like arbitrary metrics for success that I had in my head of like, Hey, I want to make this amount of money by the time I'm 30 or I want to be able to do this or do that. And it was a really interesting perspective on my birthday of Feeling like feeling this blend of you've accomplished all these things that you never thought was going to happen, but you also feel so distant from certain goals too.
And I think the overwhelming feeling is that when my head would hit the pillow, I just felt like there was so much more of me, of Brett that was still locked up inside of me. And so, you know, living together and working together, you learn so much about the other person and something that I, like, I'm [00:06:00] genuinely not saying this because we're recording, Your discipline with your fitness or just anything you commit your mind to, like you're just, it's so automatic and systematic.
And so I saw you last summer when we had joined the collective, just this like unbelievable drive of just waking up at 4 a. m. every single day. running to the gym, crushing yourself with workouts, one a day, two a day, sauna sessions. And I just saw what that was doing to you as a man and the way that it was impacting you from a business perspective.
And to be honest with you, last summer, I just felt really far away from that, where I felt like I was pushing myself from a business perspective, but my priorities felt like I felt like I was being pulled in a thousand different directions. And I noticed that even though we have a brand that's centered around health and wellness, I didn't really feel like the healthiest and best version of myself, which is like really embarrassing to admit, to be honest with you.
And fortunately, you know, I was, so I turned 30, I was ruminating on those feelings for a month, not really making any changes. [00:07:00] And then there were kind of two things that happened is one, our mutual friend trip, who runs the ADY podcast, ain't dead yet podcast. Unbelievable dude, almost like the white version of David Goggins.
He's white, white Goggins. We got to have him on the pod too. Because he's going to blow people's minds. Dude, that's, uh, that's crazy. I literally didn't even realize that we haven't had him on the show yet. Ned, let's, let's write that down. There you go, Ned. Thank you. Um, so there was kind of two things that happened.
So number one is he did this, um, kind of this 30 day version of 70, 75 hard. And the rules are really simple where it's like you wake up at five or before 5 0 AM every single day. You would do at least an hour of exercise. You stick a dot, you stick to a diet and stay consistent. Um, the entire, the entire month.
Um, you, you, you journal in the morning, you journal before you go to bed, you get quiet time, either in the scripture or praying to God every single day. Um, you compliment a stranger, you call a family member, but you just thank them for being in your life. You don't drama dump on them. [00:08:00] Um, no, no porn. I'm trying to think if I'm missing.
Anything else hug a stranger? I thought it was a compliment because if it was hug, I've already failed We'll just say probably yeah Yeah, so very simple list kind of seems like a lot But it's really very simple and there was something about when I saw the challenge. I just was like I was like, yes, this is, I like, I knew in my soul that this is what I needed.
And I think that's where a challenge can be great. Where I think it just kind of like, it can be your snap moment out of that, like shitty reality that you're currently in. Dude. Yeah. So good. So good. And, and we'll, and your challenge obviously inspired me, which we're going to get into, which I'm really excited to dig into.
Dr. Step ups. But, um, and then in combination with that, uh, Chris Lieto, who is one of our more recent podcast guests, uh, he actually has an amazing executive coaching business. And, um, I always, and I know us playing baseball, you gain so much value from coaches and then you kind of get spit out into the real world.
And you're [00:09:00] like, why does, why do we stop working with coaches? Like isn't right. Isn't learning just a continuous process. And there was just something about him where like, number one, incredible athlete, runner up, runner up in Kona, won a ton of professional Ironman races, amazing dad, great father, um, his built insult supplement companies before.
And he honestly just has wisdom that's rooted in Christ and he doesn't have a P. H. D. He's just got this. I don't know if it's a gift or something he's cultivated, but I noticed he had this incredible ability from the time I met him to kind of crack me open and expose some of the vulnerabilities that I never really shared before.
So it was kind of both of those things in tandem. like synergized into this august where, like I said, I feel like it's almost been a year's worth of experience compressed into a month. And I'm saying this to where I'm still an absolute tadpole. You know, I want to commit into this a lot longer, but You know, dude, a little shock therapy for a month can be all you need to break out of that routine and feel like a different person.
So just the right gust of wind in the right direction [00:10:00] can totally change the momentum of like where you're at and where you're going. It's so cool. Just yeah. Having a front row seat to it and Chris too. It's like the dude was runner up in Kona, like that guy's mindset is insane. So him to be able to pour into you is just next level in terms of just having someone to spot you while you're making some of these changes.
I'm sure it's been a process of kind of just like getting uncomfortable to begin with and kind of just exposing some of the lies You tell yourself but then the work starts getting fun when you're like, oh, I actually have momentum here Like I literally like waking up early now and I like going to the gym and I like I like this feeling that you know I'm actually being the person I want to be it's empowering That's well said and one of the things he said to your point He told me in the beginning before he started who is he was like The first couple of weeks and maybe even months is going to feel like death because his goal of coaching is not incremental improvements or, Hey, we're going to take you from 50 percent to 75.
He talks about like true transformation, which is funny because that, that the brotherhood, the men's group we've been [00:11:00] doing totally that also talks about transformation too, which I think is, I didn't even think about that. I'm sure that that's been incredibly impactful as well, even though we're still newer into that journey.
But, um, yeah. in order to have that transformation, there's like the death and then there's a rebirth. And I think I'm kind of in that rebirth stage right now. And it just, for, I think what I've learned through this month is that success is not an arbitrary metric. It's just, I think if you have that feeling of your head hitting the pillow saying I incrementally improved today and I could trust that that's going to compound over the next year.
And I really couldn't have poured my heart and soul into my work, the way I interacted with you, our team, you know, my girlfriend, whatever, my God. I think this score is just gonna take care of itself. So that's been like probably the biggest learning that I've had this last year. It takes so much of the pressure off of just that, like life, you know, not having to necessarily focus on each of the little outcomes that you're hoping for.
It's just trusting that the process is going to take care of itself and you're doing the right things and investing time in the right [00:12:00] places. Definitely. And it's one of those things where like, The first two to three days of the challenge, you're just kind of riding off of adrenaline. So you're like, I can't wait to wake up at four 50.
I can't wait to, Oh, cold plunging, get cold three minutes a day. That was another thing. I can't wait to do a cold shower or a cold plunge or whatever. And then like day four hits you. And I'm noticing like day four to day 10, really going through the motions, like the three minutes I would break up the cold plunge, maybe like 45 seconds, a minute at a time, kind of going through the motions, hitting my snooze alarm a couple of different times.
And then I feel like when you start to hit like day 14, that's when like the compounding starts where you're like, dude, I want to go do three minutes in the cold plunge with my arms fully submerged. I want to go to the gym twice a day. I want to hammer on all this work for the business that I've been putting off.
Like I want to be a better friend to you. I want to eat. Like I don't even need this extra meal cause I want to be more of a deficit so I can get more shredded. And then you just start to look back and you genuinely like what you see and you're proud of the way that you're acting. And um, okay. It's pretty amazing.
What can change? Yeah. [00:13:00] I feel like, I feel like there's two sides to the coins with like the grace that you have to give yourself. It's like one afford yourself some level of, um, leniency where like 90 percent of the wind is just being in the right place. So like make sure you're at the gym at five o'clock that's like, that's already your first W of the day.
And then, you know, the quality of the workout is of course important, but when you're trying to just get the muscle memory down, Sometimes you do need to just accept the fact that you're not going to be hitting your 100 percent every single time And that's totally okay. It's okay And then there's also part of me.
That's just like Tell yourself to just get it. Yeah Well, that was one of the things I learned from you last year is that the majority of your workouts last summer this year into the chad Like 90 of them you would crush yourself and get a great workout in and then I would also notice there was like 10 percent of your workouts where Maybe you were just like walking on the treadmill at a really high incline and then sauna cold plunging [00:14:00] But you're still doing it at 5 a.
m You're still building that identity of being a winner and then you leave that experience feeling great And then maybe you come back in the afternoon with a second wind and then crush yourself with that workout That's something I picked up from you, too. Yeah yeah, I feel like you just like even just just collect the small wins of like Doing the easiest thing, which is getting to where you're supposed to be at the right time.
Yeah. You know, being in the gym and then from there, if it's like, dude, I literally don't have any energy, like stayed up late doing work or whatever it was like, I mean, don't feed yourself with those excuses, but like find a way to do something that's going to be productive. Like, I think, you know, a lot of times it's just like zooming out and just being like, dude, this is a compounding game.
I'm in it for the long run. Like if I'm just here, like my goal is to just be here and set myself up for the day. Then it's just very simply just, uh, A product of, all right, I'm going to do something, break a sweat, stretch, do some core, something that's going to be productive. And then maybe I, you know, eat and come back later in the day and just get a great workout in.
But [00:15:00] definitely, I think it's just, just being in that right place, right time. Yeah. You know, we were,
M2 - Pressure in your 30's as a man
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we were talking earlier about like the changes that happen when you hit this new generation, 29 to 30. And I think there's a benefit to just, I think there is a benefit to it, to you being like, it's just another year.
I have a long time horizon. I'm going to figure it out. And I also think there's a benefit to being like, Hey dude, I'm turning 30. This is like the years that I'm going to get engaged. I'm going to get married. I'm going to have kids. Like life is really short. I need to juice the lemon. I'm curious for you, what would you say motivates you more?
Do you like, is the pressure of like squeezing all the drops more motivating or are you more motivated by the fact that like. I have a really long time horizon and I just trust that I'm going to figure it out. Oh, that's such a good question. It's a hard one. I'd be both. That honestly might be the best question there is on this topic.
It's, it is both the answers both, but I like to look at it through the lens of you're running out of time before anything. Yeah. Like we're running out of time, [00:16:00] but If you're filling up the buckets that have eternal life, like the things that are truly good for you, that give you life, like give feeding yourself the right things, having the right relationships, um, having spiritual practice, these things that actually benefit you over the long run, then you can kind of just be like, I'll trust that this will play out over a 10 year period, but I also want things to happen.
You know, Sooner and there's an element of just like trusting God in that as well. But I, you know, when you, when you are feeling the pressure of like, I'm not where I want to be and I want to be able to provide for a family in the future and I want to be able to provide for my wife so she doesn't have to work like, you know, you're 30, you don't have necessarily the financial resources that I want to have in order to be able to do that.
That's just like the pressure that I want to feel. I want to feel like my back's up against the wall, um, and that things matter. And there's a verse in scripture, Romans five, that I think has [00:17:00] like, hit me, smack me in the face. It's one of the pieces of scripture that like, dude, I don't remember scripture all that well when I read it, but when I read something that sticks out, it's like, it's powerful and stays with me.
And it's really just about the concept of hope and perseverance and how that hope and perseverance. Ultimately lead to better character. And you and I had a conversation a while back, just, you know, honestly being real with ourselves and being like, look, like our bank accounts aren't where we want them to be.
Like you and I have poured a lot of energy into the stuff that we're doing and like those things take time. You're building equity and brands that are honestly like. Challenging industries and you're not necessarily able to like pull stuff out. Um, that's not like, um, yeah, it's just reality. And so, you know, I remember we were just talking and it's like, there's also just this bank account, so to speak, that we should be looking at, which is just the character that we're building and the lessons that we're going to be able to.
And like, in part on other people, our friends, our families, our future kids, like, what are we going to be able to teach them through the challenging hardships that we [00:18:00] went through? And I think about that more than anything, um, in terms of like, not stressing about the future, but also like, dude, every second counts.
Like that clip that you post, what is it? Every second, every second counts, every second counts. And it does. I think that we should really care ourselves that way. Oh dude. I have chills when you're speaking right now. And that clip that you referenced, that's from the bear, which is, I don't, I don't know if you've ever seen the bear before.
It's such a good TV show. And, um, it's based on this one, one of the main characters, Richie, who is like the, it's, it's based on, um, this younger brother whose older brother commits suicide. And he kind of has this like sloppy sandwich shop in Chicago and the little brothers and Michelin star chef. And then after the brother kills himself in his will, the will is for the younger brother to take the restaurant over.
So the whole show is like. The younger brother taking the car, me taking this like ragtag team of sandwich makers and ultimately trying to turn into a Michelin starred restaurant. And so one of the main characters, a cousin, he's [00:19:00] like classic old school Chicago, not really doing anything with his life.
And then in the second season, car me realizes like, Hey, in order for this restaurant to scale, we have to send cousin to a three Michelin starred restaurant to get some training for a week. And he's hoping that that will polish him up and sharpen him up. And then there's a sign on the wall of the restaurant that just says every second counts.
And he, like through the five days, five of the seven days, he doesn't understand what the sign means. And then there's this really powerful moment where he looks at it and you can tell he gets it. And then he just like completely transforms from there. So it's, it's a story, but at the same time, I think that stuff can be applied to your life.
And that's something I think you and I have talked a lot about the last couple of weeks is like, dude, you can literally, like you said that you can take that gust of wind in an instant and just decide to. Act like that person that you want to be. And is there a worse feeling than wasting time? It's the worst.
It's probably the most depressive and embarrassed of myself I could feel is when I'm just sitting there and I know that [00:20:00] I'm wasting what I should be doing. I feel like that's when we were actually first connected. And I, I feel like we've probably talked about this on the show a little bit, but you and I both came together when we were walking on the Charles that one day and we're like, Our biggest fear is not living up to our potential.
And I think that that connection is like deeply spiritual. It's like we're put on this earth. We have a divine purpose. God made us certain ways and we have certain gifts to give the world. And those gifts are ultimately just not even ours. Like those are supposed to be given out. And honestly, then the beautiful part is like, once those gifts are given out, then, you know, we.
We receive, um, we receive from that as well. And like, I just, I know that feeling of being caged up and feeling like you're not living up to your potential and you do too. And it's just, it feels like you're just wasting time. That's, I think truthfully, like what motivates me the most is like knowing that I've wasted [00:21:00] time.
More than anything. So it's almost like you're a little bit more, it's interesting. I didn't expect you to say this. You're a little bit more. Uh, stick than carrot because the stick would be like, why? Why are you wasting time versus? Yeah, I think that's super powerful. It's like a dark horse versus the light horse almost.
Yeah. I think just for myself, I, I'm like, I'm definitely, I'm hard on myself, but I also, I feel like I, I can be a good coach to myself. Like I know when I need to be like, all right, dude, like you're actually just like kind of being, yeah. Neurotic or like, no, like you actually really need to push yourself harder.
Yeah. Um, and I think it's a good feeling being able to do that on your own, but it's also like what I've been feeling more recently is pouring into groups where like, I'm just like, I'm like definitely the lowest on the totem totem pole, whether it's like fitness. Business, uh, you know, whatever the challenges like faith, like the [00:22:00] men's group that we're at, um, in on Thursdays, totally challenging, right?
Like those guys have all been, uh, in the word for a long time, discipling people for a long time. Um, we're both like pretty, pretty new to the game. Um, and it's awesome. Like, I like that feeling of being like, I'm so far from what these guys are where these guys are at. Um, but you can also see a path towards getting there and being around those people just makes that change happen so much faster.
I think one of your superpowers is, um, whether you're conscious of it or not, I think you really chase the feeling of being a beginner. Like you signing up for jujitsu three years ago doing a tournament after rolling for a couple weeks Just competing in it winning three or four matches that day Just deciding to write on Twitter or go to a men's group lead a men's group go on a hunt when you're still new in Your hunting process.
It's like there's so much gold in that seeking the beginner feeling and the thing is is that I think it will I think it [00:23:00] will always feel uncomfortable But that's actually where the gold is. And the only answer is like, you just have to do it. There really is no hack. Um, have you, have you felt any, is there anything that's helped you continue to maintain that beginner mindset?
Because I do think that's such an unlock for people. Or do you not over, maybe you don't overthink it, but is there anything that you consciously do where you're like, this really helps me put me in that arena where I need to be? Or maybe it's uncomfortable. It's, I think the faster you can just like, Cut the ties of doubts and insecurities and things like that.
Like no matter what, like you can train yourself to overcome those immediately, but like as a beginner, you're always going to have those moments of just feeling slow to really go all in. So I think it's just a matter of like tricking yourself to really go all in, like truly go all in as fast as you can.
So like the jujitsu is actually a really good example, like sign up for the tournament on day one and then put the pressure on yourself to go to two classes a day. And you're training, like you're going to be going up against someone who's [00:24:00] trying to like beat you. Yes. Um, so just the mental trick there is really showing up and being like, I'm going to go all in on this and not like pretend like I'm doing it.
Cause I've, I've gone through that too, where it's like, you kind of like have a little bit of a, um, you know, identity issue where you're like, I'm not really like fully in this yet. I'm not, I don't really necessarily say that I do jujitsu yet. Cause I've only been to a few classes. It's like, nah, dude, like.
Like you need to today just start telling yourself that you're that you are like that you do do jiu jitsu, you're, you're a white belt, you do jiu jitsu, but you've like, you need to build that like confidence up in yourself that like you identify as that person who's going to be on the mat in 60 days competing.
Um, so I think it's like pulling that future into the present and just identifying with it as soon as you can. Like, Oh yeah, this is like a part of me. Um, even if it's just a trick that you're playing with yourself. Definitely. Yeah. You reminded me of like, it's really important to. Figure out the things that you should be a [00:25:00] beginner at and I think people also struggle with like I want to load more on my plate, but I don't want to overload my plate, too Like there's like priorities that I need to lock in on which is something I think you and I have been really conscious of It's like what truly?
Where do we want to be in a year from now five years from now ten years from now and then what if you work? Backwards like what should those priorities look like to help you achieve those goals? And that was something that I really struggled with and our mutual friend and mentor, uh, Garrett Unkleback, who's a former Navy SEAL investor.
And then he's a, he runs the, um, Mighty Men men's group at Life Church in Plano, Texas. And we met him last year. We were blown away. Like right. The definition of a man type in Garrett Unkleback on Instagram, or we can link to it in the show notes. Cause if you want to get hit with like real wisdom and truth, I don't know if there's going to be the end of the show for most people.
They're going to go check out Garrett and just leave this. He's such a stud. But I had a, I had a call with him just to check in and he was noticing. He was like, he was like, Hey, do you, do you notice like he got, he got on the whiteboard [00:26:00] and he drew me in a circle and then a bunch of these other items and priorities like being pulled in different directions.
He's like, is this how you would explain that you feel? And I was like, dude, 1000%. I feel like I can't fit enough into the day. I feel like I'm getting pulled a thousand directions. I feel like I'm not giving my best energy towards certain things. He's like, that's beautiful because this is how I live my life and you drew a triangle.
And on the left side of the triangle was him, Garrett. At the point of the triangle was the kingdom of Christ and God. And then the right was his three priorities, which was his family. So his wife and his kids, and then like two or three of his business, his biggest business priorities, and then like family and friends.
And he was like, if everything I do furthers the kingdom, which of Christ, even in my business, which immediately centers me. And then on the right side, if it doesn't fit into one of these priorities, then I don't make time for it. And I just thought that that was such an interesting, um, like mental model that really struck me.
I feel like it's an amazing visual [00:27:00] representation of how to spend your time, but I think both of us struggle with this for sure, or just learning how to get better at it because yeah, it's, it's an interesting arc that we've been on. And I think like kind of unpacking it a bit too is important because both of us left jobs that we had been trained and we're comfortable doing.
And then we kind of were just in no man's land, like floating in the middle of this massive ocean of. Opportunity newness. Hey, we moved to Austin. Hey, now we're in the health and wellness space. Hey, now we're doing a podcast. Hey, now we've got a supplement business. There's so much newness there that you're trying to, you're basically, um, have vision, but the vision is so wide and well, we knew where we were going, but I think that like, We were new to the skills that we were working on.
We were new to the industry, new to everything, that it made it really easy to just want to say yes to everything and basically, like, break the system as we were going up. Definitely. And so, yeah, I think it's just, [00:28:00] uh, honestly, it's a place that gives me a lot of, um, discomfort, like, knowing that I really need to and want to, Just get better at that muscle memory of knowing how to exactly confront saying no being a natural people pleaser, too it's like Yeah, just like being ruthless with that and I feel like that framework that Garrett laid out is honestly like so perfect.
Yes. I can't wait for us to eventually get him on the podcast. It's going to be incredible. His podcast, the impossible life. He's an incredibly spiritual Christian man. His, regardless of where you're on the spiritual spectrum, I would just highly recommend following him on Instagram and listen to the impossible life podcast, because it's not, His podcast isn't overtly faith focused.
I would say his Instagram more. So is his impossible life podcast is more of just a life improvement podcast. So definitely check that out.
M3 - Chad
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But [00:29:00] one of the things I wanted to ask you cause we have about 15, 20 minutes left at the time of recording this, you are, are you 74, 000 steps deep? 76, 000, 76, 000 steps deep into the Chad challenge.
And I remember last year we did a high performance lifestyle training HPLT, which is run by Brian Mazza. Who's been on the podcast. Great athlete, content creator, overall great dude, guy that we admire. And we didn't get to do the part of the weekend, which was the Chad challenge, the chat a thousand X challenge.
Cause we were prepping for the speaker event, but I felt like there was something in your brain where you really wanted to do it. And I had seen you separately do it yourself. And then I saw you buy the Rogue Box, I saw you pull out the Weighted Vest out of storage, and then you just got this gust of wind of like, I'm gonna do a thousand CHADs until a thousand people do it.
People, people need to know what's going on. What was the inspiration? So, I did the CHAD, you mentioned we did HPLT, we missed the CHAD during HPLT. I did it like [00:30:00] a week later. And you love this thing is this thing's awesome. Uh, just an incredible way to get into a flow state is doing something that's relatively mundane, but just hard enough to like, really keep that difficulty threshold high.
Um, it sounds as the, the mind. So I personally feel like I get into a place where like, there are some deep thoughts. And so like, I love that it's like similar to running. Yeah. And so I remember that feeling of doing it. I did it twice at collective last year and loved it. And then there was just a moment this past summer where I felt like we were in a place of transition.
We had moved, we'd moved from our, uh, apartment to an Airbnb. I was feeling, um, a little disjointed. And I was just like, I need to create some surface area for myself [00:31:00] to like, put some structure in place. And so, you know, coming, moving again to our spot that we're in now, I was like, this is beautiful. We're close to a gym that I love going to.
Um, I love morning routines. I love getting in the flow of the day and just having like, Two or three things to get a win in early. And I like the, my physical stuff early in the day. Like if there's extra work to do in the afternoon, that's great, but like I truly just think about my early morning workout as getting ready for the day.
It's like putting my pants on, like just do something that's active, that breaks a sweat, that pushes me to a point of feeling fresher than I am depleted. And I'll be like, I feel ready to go for the day. So. The idea was really just to like start setting the new tone for a new chapter. And that, like, when we moved into the new spot, I was like, dude, I'm not where I want to be.
It was like a lot of the stuff we were talking about at the podcast, not where I want to be. We've done a lot of cool stuff, done a lot of great stuff. So many good [00:32:00] things coming into our lives. So many blessings to be grateful for, but I just felt like, you know, we're both just at this point where we can truly unleash our creative energy into the things that we're doing.
We are no longer like these guys who. Or like only a few months out of like, you know, working these corporate jobs, doing whatever it's like, no, dude, like we're in it. And, um, you know, we have a few really cool opportunities that have just blossomed up through us putting ourselves out there more. So I was just thinking about it as a way to just, um, you know, document a season of life and just try to show one of my, um, strengths that I feel like I hope it inspires.
at least one person. It's inspired. Like, I think, you know, 80 something people have done the Chad with me so far. But all I'm really hoping to do and get out of it is just inspire that, you know, nudge to just accept the challenge and go after something hard. And I think that that stuff is contagious.
People Can say [00:33:00] what they want, but like, there's definitely people out there who see people challenging themselves and want to be a part of it. And yeah, I think it's awesome. And yeah, it's been a great ride. It's been an amazing ride. And there's a lot more to come. Yeah, we need to, how many more people do we need to do it?
Including my latest guests. I tell that to someone the other day. I was like, yeah, Brett hasn't done it yet. I got to get them to do it. No, it needs to happen. We'll get it done. Well, in full transparency, it's like, dude, when you started, I just didn't have the willpower to want to do it. And now it's just this 30 days.
I'm not saying this is an excuse. I just started feeling so good in that routine. I was like, let me just press this like blackjack, but it needs to happen. Well, that's like, I think this is actually a good, uh, lesson in like the feel that we have for each other at this point where like, I literally see the momentum that you have.
I'm like, dude, I'm not going to. That's like going up to a pitcher. So like, you're the most dialed in I've seen you since we've started doing everything. And that's like going up [00:34:00] to a pitcher. Who's throwing a perfect game and be like, yeah, it's not a perfect game. Yeah. You know, I'm like, I'm not going to distract you're doing your thing.
And like, I just think it's so awesome that yeah, when you, when you're around people that are pushing you, like the energy that I feel getting home and or dude, even just waking up and you're up. You're doing your thing like, all right, let's go, let's get it totally. I think the beauty of a partnership is there's so many benefits of it, but I think one of the real beauties is like, if Harry's on his game and Brett's not on his game, it allows you to pick up the slack, right?
Or vice versa. Totally. But the real beauty of a partnership is when you're both, when you have this insane velocity in the same direction, which I think this is the first time probably since we started the show where I think we're tapping into that. Momentum. Yeah. And I do think an interesting thing with you and I didn't think about this until we started the podcast is like that morning routine for you.
And it's a very simple [00:35:00] routine. But when you were in Boston and you started going paleo and you lost all that weight, that was a morning routine. Like there's so many different arcs of your routine that it makes so much sense. We're in a period of maybe disconnect a little bit. You were like, I'm going to run back towards that friction and I know what's going to fit for me and I'm going to do it a slightly different way with the Chad.
Right. Yeah. And like, dude, every time we're in public, someone comes up to you and comments on it, like, I know you like technically 80 ish people have done it, but it's an, I would say that it's probably inspired hundreds, if not thousands of people that see you from afar too. Yeah. I appreciate you saying that.
Yeah. I think that, yeah, I can look at, look back on my own life and just like see the seasons where I've gone through some sort of change and immediately gone default mode for me, which is just like pouring into some level of like a serious routine. Yeah. Um, like when I moved to Amsterdam, I just got.
Wired towards like early, like, and that was cool because I went from, it was a totally different lifestyle change. I was living on my own for the first time, dude, honestly, like the first time since [00:36:00] the beginning of college. But that, that was truly on my own, on where I was like, dude, I didn't know anybody.
So I was like, what do I do with my time? So I just started getting really dialed in and it was great because it was just, it showed me who I was when, um, I would go through those periods of, uh, flipping over to a new season. And then the same thing kind of happened when COVID hit, like when that new season of going to, from the office to being working from home, I immediately, without even literally going through much thought process went to immediately leaning into routine and just like getting really not obsessive, but like, I don't feel like I'm being obsessive when I'm doing it.
It's just like, it's such a. just compounding. They're like, I just feel like there's momentum and I feel like there's so much life in that routine that I almost need it. Like the same way, like food, like I'm eating food, you know, it's nourishing to me. That's really well nourishing to you. It's almost like I think obsessive is, Hey, you're [00:37:00] doing these things that are pulling away from these other buckets that maybe you should be doing where I think the morning routine for you is additive.
And it makes so much sense because if you're waking up at 4 a. m. from 4 to call it a 30 when you're in the office, those are like God's hours that, and that's Harry's time where you have four and a half hours to work out, think, reflect, plan your day, do anything you want to do. Like you're just like, you're almost like adding an extra time versus obsession of like pulling away time from maybe things that you should be doing.
You think that's fair to say? Yeah, definitely. I also like, I don't know, maybe I'm crazy dude, but like my thinking is Like, I basically want to think that if I'm disciplined enough to wake up at four, I've earned for the rest of my life, hopefully I've earned like two hours to myself at least. And this might be, this is probably totally unrealistic.
Once you, like, once you start having kids [00:38:00] and like that whole season of life is just kind of going to be more chaotic, but I'm at least in the back of my mind thinking. I'm training so that I wake up at four every day for the rest of my life. So I earned those two hours to just do the things that are most filling for me, which is pretty simple routine, um, fitness and faith components.
And then, you know, everything else from there is just like attacking the day, starting off with a few wins. But I like, I want to earn that and like, feel like I'm training myself for that forever. You're buying time back. Yeah. Yeah.
M4 - Morning Routine
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One, one of the things that I wanted to ask you in the time that we have is, um, basically as long as you and I had been really close, we have five minutes by the way, which is beautiful.
As long as I've known you, your ability to wake up at 4am, 5am, when that sacred hour, like it's pretty damn near automatic. And I think there's so many people that they either say, Oh, I'm not a morning person. Or deep down they wish that they were morning people and they know that they could do it, but [00:39:00] something's off or multiple things are off, which is why they're not doing it.
Is there anything that you've done that's really helped you just like pop out of bed with that vigor at 4 a. m.? Ah, man, I would say I was not always this way. So it's something that should and can be trained and you should think of it that way. So except the fact that. You need to disassociate with the idea that you're a morning person or a night person.
Like it's just training yourself to get in the mindset of getting up and getting excited about getting up. So I'm someone who's like, dude, I'm like a lab rat. Um, like tinker treats, treats and little rewards like work for my brain. So like when I first started getting up early and getting to the gym early and doing things early in the morning, um, I would set my coffee up the night before I would put the grounds in the coffee machine.
I would literally have it sitting on the stovetop so that [00:40:00] when, when my alarm went off, I was legitimately excited to get out of bed and turn that knob because I knew once I turned that knob, I could check something off my win list and just put points on the board. And then having that coffee, I really enjoyed the cup of coffee in the morning, like first thing before going to the gym.
And so that was like a ritual. And so I think creating. Like a space for that, like ritual component of the morning. Like you need to have a reverence for that time. If you want to do it consistently, you need to love that time. Like I love the time between four and 8 a. m. Yes, it is. Such a great time period.
And like, dude, I love every hour of the day, but 4 to me is just like God's time and it's working on the temple, working on my bot, my body, my mind, my spirit, like that's when I go in and invest time into myself and then I just take that what I'm investing into myself and then pour it into other areas.
You know, other [00:41:00] people, businesses, things that we're working on throughout the rest of the day. Working on a temple is a really good way to put it. I also noticed with you too, that when you started sleeping with your phone outside the room, that's something that's so simple. It's like Goggins talks about the one second decision, how there are these one second decisions throughout the course of your day in your life that ultimately determine your level of success.
And the snooze button is such a dream killer. And it's like I think about how much of my day is reflected on me making that one second decision to either snooze or just get up and go to the gym. And if you have to wake up to get your alarm and you're like, I'm up, so I'm going to just shower. I'm going to go to the gym and have a great day.
Versus like keeping that phone next to your bed. So you can just kind of like pop over, press it and then go back to sleep. How it's so simple, dude, but it's so impactful. Yeah. And it's also, I think the framework there is incredibly important to realize when you're actually putting the points on the board with that process.
So at night, you're choosing to have your phone next to you in bed. You actually put an L on the board [00:42:00] for you. The night before for the next day. Why would you do that to yourself? Yeah. It's like literally self sabotage. It is. So you're making a choice to start off the day with a loss. Yeah. So it's like when you frame it that way, it's like, dude, prepare yourself to have an early win.
That's it. Like get something small that you could, I think dumb as it sounds, like make it super, like make it as dumb as possible. Make it something where it's like, I'm going to draw a circle on a piece of paper and fill it in first thing in the morning, and that will be a win. And then you just keep seeking those wins.
Yes. You know? Yes. My last thing to you is, um, so we're entering the back half of 2024, which is really exciting and years absolutely flying by. Is there a word or a phrase that you really want to define the way that you finish out the year and close it out strong? I
think controlled, controlled. Yeah. [00:43:00] Like, Controlled in the way that we spend our time. So we're forcing ourselves to work as hard and smart as we can at the same time or maybe not even controlled, measured, measured. I think control is not the right word measured and just being measured in the way that we approach every single relationship situation, business opportunity.
It's really easy to get ahead of yourself and say yes to things that you don't want to be necessarily doing. And, um, I think just having a measured. Um, prudent approach to the rest of the year is going to be the most beneficial and fruitful thing that we can do. And, you know, I've, I've just been trying to challenge myself more, um, with just being like a true operator, um, like seal, like operator, you know, it's really easy.
Like I've listened to the opinions of a lot of people, even people who are super close to me, family, like things that they've observed in me. And it's really easy to kind of just like let [00:44:00] that become like a bit of a tattoo on you, a little bit of a, like a, a brand on who you are. And I just, like, I believe that those types of things are worth like completely dismissing and just like accepting them.
And then also being like, I am going to change this. Like I have this part of me that isn't good at X, Y, and Z for me. I think a big part of it is like organization. And with that, it's like, how can I become an organized person? We actually talked about this the other day. It's like, you're just like ruthlessly decide to be that person.
Yes. It's like seeing a fit person. Yeah. Like taking the feedback, like really take it in. You're like, okay, is there truth to this? Yes or no. And if there is truth to it now, how do we just put the right pieces in place on the chess board to make sure that that turns from a weakness to a strength, which is possible for everyone.
Totally. Yeah. I love it. Dude. Dude, I'm pumped to do more of these one on ones. I know. It's going [00:45:00] to be really good, man. Yeah. I appreciate you, brother. Well, we're going to dive in deep, uh, next time I'm here. So yeah, let's rip. Cool. Love you, brother. Love you too.