David Reid & Brad McDonell: Unlock Vitality - What You're Missing from Earth's Most Potent Substances (Part 1) | MMP #318

David and Brad are the co-founders of MANNA Vitality. MANNA Vitality is a health supplement company, sourcing its high-quality ingredients from the Himalayas and the Dead Sea, including Ormus, Shilajit and ocean minerals. David and Brad embarked on a journey 10 years ago with the intentions for self-actualization, which eventuated in their discovery & creation of MANNA, which combines ancient wisdom with modern science. Their mission is to provide an all-in-one supplement that maximizes health potential through natural ingredients, reflecting their commitment to quality, spiritual growth, and holistic wellness.

Ket topics discussed:

• Integrating spiritual and physical health through high-quality natural supplements.
• David and Brad’s decade-long journey blending ancient wisdom with modern biohacking.
• Rigorous sourcing of potent ingredients like Himalayan Shilajit and Dead Sea minerals.
• Overcoming challenges to leave successful careers for a wellness-focused mission.
• The impact of personal growth and spiritual practices on creating Manna Vitality.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Founders' Personal and Business Development
(10:07) Finding Faith and Fulfillment in Change
(20:58) Navigating Risk Tolerance and Entrepreneurship
(27:54) Living in Alignment With Purpose
(39:43) First Experience With Shilajit
(45:32) Global Availability of Rare Product


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Creators & Guests

Host

Brett Ender 🥩⚡️

The food system is corrupt and trying to poison us... I will teach you how to fight back. Co-Host of @themeatmafiapod 🥩

Host

Harry Gray 🥩⚡️

Leading the Red Meat Renaissance 🥩 ⚡️| Co-Host of @themeatmafiapod

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!

themeatmafiapodcast.substack.com

Part 1
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Speaker: [00:00:00] Gentlemen, welcome to Austin. Excited to have you guys on the podcast, it's going to be great. Yeah, awesome, thanks for having us. Yeah, we're, um, we're excited to have you guys on because we have a few mutual friends and you guys come highly recommended from people like Austin Floyd and Khalil.

So, um, excited to dive into the founder story of mana. Um, understand a little bit more about what you guys are up to. But yeah, the recommendations that we got from the people that we respect most in the industry are just like through the roof. So excited for this combo. Thanks, brother.

Speaker 2: We're uh, we're swiveling mics back and forth here, so.

Though there might be a second delay, but we were, we were talking a little bit, I was talking to both of you guys, both you David and you Brad, how it seems like CPG is becoming the space where a founder identifies like a good opportunity that could be really profitable, and then you just quickly find a manufacturer, get a couple R& D samples in, and then you're boom, you're off to the races, you're just trying to get to that finish line as quick as possible.

And I feel like what you guys are [00:01:00] doing at mana is the antithesis of that. And what attracted us to you outside of the product being incredible, we've used it for the last year. It's truly an unbelievable product. The 10 year journey that you both have been on individually and together, like it literally started in 2011.

Right? So I think that would be an amazing opportunity for the audience to learn a little bit more about you guys. Like, Just detailing some of those steps of that 10 year journey and how you went from zero to one over the last decade.

Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a good question. Brad and I were living together, um, back in 2011.

And I mean the journey really started a long time before that. However, I guess 2011 was a catalyst. For where we are now with mana and, uh, some of it was reading, uh, sacred texts and also, um, books on how to manifest, which kind of taps into that spiritual realm as well. Um, we spoke about it a little bit just before books like, uh, think and grow rich and the secret [00:02:00] and the science of getting rich.

And those books for me are really misinterpreted. What I mean by that is like think and grow rich. You'd think it's all about making money. But it's really about how to manifest and how to manifest is actually going pretty deep inside yourself and Pretty looking pretty deep at the truth of who we are So that kind of really at the time I was working for striker big American orthopedic company And doing really well being really successful.

However it it Made me realize that there's the opportunity to do much more and to create much more abundance and do things my own way effectively. Uh, so Brad and I were inspiring each other a lot through that next 12 months actually, where we, while we were living together in Brisbane. Uh, and then, yeah, I quit my job, um, kind of went on a, on a spiritual journey or also an entrepreneurial journey to find out, uh, what I was most passionate about.

Um, because I [00:03:00] also had some good mentors at the time saying. You know, just find out what you love and then just do that for the rest of your life. And then it's like never working again. So that sounded pretty attractive at the time. Uh, it took me much longer than I thought to find that. However, that journey to find out what I was most passionate about was, um, probably the greatest gift I've ever given myself

Speaker 4: actually.

Speaker 3: So yeah, it's, it's the journey of finding out these amazing substances that we now put into was one of kind of self discovery, if you will. And now the three main active ingredients that we've found that we put in these little sachets, we're just so passionate about them, because we know the effect that they have on the human biology at the cellular level, and potentially even our genetics, our biochemistry, and our bioenergy field, which is something we can, um, If you guys want, but, [00:04:00] um, yeah, that found a story.

It's, uh, um, it's a big journey,

Speaker 4: um,

Speaker 3: as you guys know, and we've just got so much respect catching up with other founders because there's so much involved in not only creating a product, but then having the operational side of a business and promoting it and all of the different aspects that Brad and I look after.

Um, so I know we've, we've, we've known each other for almost 30 years. Wow. We met when we were teenagers. Yeah. Um. That's a superpower. Yeah. Yeah. So, so we're super close. It's like nothing can come between us, but there's just that beautiful trust, loyalty, and respect. Brad still inspires me every single day with things that's happening at Marna.

We work. Uh, for Mana, I'm with Mana, like literally from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed. Every single day. So it's heaps of fun. We're obsessed with it. Uh, and I think that comes through in, um, in the product and the detail of the product and everything [00:05:00] about it, to be honest.

Speaker: One of the things that we have in common is Brett and I have lived together for the past two years as the foundation of our founder story.

Has that helped you guys? I think there's some layers of, like, relationships that you don't really see unless you're, like, living with a person. And then you start a business with somebody. And, like, knowing just, like, how each other operate, like, outside of just a work setting is, I think, an incredibly powerful thing.

Like, people think about entrepreneurship and they think you're just starting a business, but so much of it is just, like, internal work on yourself. So I'm curious, like, have you guys seen the benefits of that, um, through your relationship?

Speaker 5: Yeah, I think we were talking about it earlier. Like, I think like starting a business or being a founder is like the best personal development, um, process you can ever go through because you're not only learning a lot of things about yourself.

You're also learning to your point, learning things about, you know, your partners or, you know, your family. So I [00:06:00] think, um, getting a really good understanding of like my responsibility on, on how I act is really crucial as well too. So we always have a lot of freedom in, in what we do. And I think we were talking about it earlier, like, you know, find out what you're good at.

and just go all in on that. And, you know, everyone's got that inside of themselves. And, and Dave does a great job in doing that as well as giving from a leadership point of view, like the way he's developed the products and, you know, the building aspect of, uh, of, of mana and sort of the sales and marketing aspect of what I do.

So finding out what you're both really, really good at and going all All in on that and really respecting each other and always putting the other person first and I find Because we travel with each other a lot and I talked about that the other day. It's like If you put the other person first when you're traveling together is a really good example It sort of makes things really, really seamless and you try we try and do that in a in a [00:07:00] daily aspect as well.

So you know, we probably spend two or three hours on the phone or in person together whilst managing about 26 people in our team. So it's one of those things that we've got to intuitively know where the, each other is at as well. Not only ourselves, But it really just starts with where am I at right now?

in this whole, you know, is things irritating me or, you know, have I had enough sleep or my biggest thing is getting up in the morning and moving. I don't know if I don't do that, you know, the rest of the day is not going to be as flowy, but as long as I get my movement in, grab a coffee and just like really settle in the day is a really good start for me.

Um, and Dave sometimes does things a lot differently. So when you're away traveling, you've got to sort of just Find that groove of each other as well. But yeah, I think Becoming a founder is the greatest personal development Journey, you can ever go on.

Speaker 2: Yeah, it really is. [00:08:00] And I would highly recommend for the listener If they haven't come across you guys before the first pod, the part one that you guys did with Josh Trent last year was an amazing podcast.

And so we, you guys just went back on for part two in Austin. So hopefully I'm sure that'll come out pretty soon. But one of the things that really resonated a part of your story to both Harry and myself is Dave. I think you were saying when you were working at striker, the pay was really good. You were successful, but you felt like you weren't living up to your potential.

And I think there's a lot of men that have a similar feeling. And part of Harry and I's founder story was before we moved to Austin, before we had quit our jobs, we, we were training for an Ironman race together. So we went on a run in Boston in the Charles River. You know, beautiful river overlooking the entire skyline of Boston.

And that was the thing that connected us as we both just kind of admitted the fact that we felt like there was more potential that we had in store. And we realized that we just had a lot of these commonalities together, a lot of shared passions, and it just made sense for us to, you know, ultimately [00:09:00] start Meat Mafia Noble.

So if you could expand on that feeling of just, you know, how did it, what was that feeling like working that job? Not, not achieving your potential. And what timelines were a little bit different when you both quit your jobs to go all in on this.

Speaker 3: Yeah, for me, uh, freedom, the idea of freedom had always been such a big, like Inspiration and My version of freedom was being able to do whatever you want whenever you want it So if I was working for the man I just always felt like I was Bound Somehow and it was like, you know go do a nine to five job Buy a house start a family.

It just never resonated with me I'd seen so many of my good friends get themselves into that situation And they're unhappy and that would just kind of Um, going through like, uh, um, a [00:10:00] life that didn't seem that meaningful or didn't seem like it was, um, reaching their potential. And I just, yeah, I guess once I read those books on how to manifest, because nobody taught me that.

Yes. You know, I didn't have a mentor when I was, when I was younger, um, that knew those secrets to life. So once I actually read it, and I think I consumed Think and Grow Rich. I just couldn't put it down and it impacted me so deeply. I was like, I actually have to try this. Um, and that's what the book's saying.

It's like, don't just read this and put it down. Like read it again, read it again, write it down, write it down, write down your goals. And once we went through that process, um, and we started getting instant results. So then it was, I guess, um, a twist on, um, What did we actually want to use this for? Like we know it works now.

What do we want to use it for? And it definitely wasn't going to be working for someone else.

Speaker 2: Yeah. [00:11:00] It's fascinating. Um, I remember cause I know Bob Proctor has been a huge proponent of thinking grow rich. That's like his Bible. I think he's got one of the original. He had the original copies up until the day that he died.

And he was a big catalyst in, um, in the secret, which is such an amazing book and documentary. And when I searched Bob Proctor on Wikipedia, I think the second sentence was like his, um, his philosophies are dangerously categorized as like pseudoscience or something like that. And I think what the four of us have experienced is like, not only is it not pseudoscience, a lot of what they're teaching in those books, it's just fundamental, like laws of reality.

And it's the ultimate truth too. Um, and we realized that as well, just actually writing your goals down and being able to visualize yourself in that position of success. And then the, you know, six months go by and you can't even recognize who you are and you're proud of yourself. It sounds like that was both really impactful for both of you, right?

A

Speaker 3: hundred percent. And probably one of the biggest things with inside of that book that still remains with me now [00:12:00] is just having the faith. Like faith is such a powerful, um, faith and developing that just into a knowing. And that's what Brad and I have really well now. I mean, being a founder, as you guys know, it's not easy.

Not every day is, you know, selling heaps of product and hearing the ch ching on your phone. Uh, especially, uh, however, understanding that life isn't all rainbows and butterflies, but it is that cycle of ups and downs. It's like, regardless of how we're feeling in any given day, we just have the faith and the knowing that if we put attention on challenges or whatever it might be for long enough, the solutions will present.

And, uh, that's, that's a beautiful bond that we both have. We just know we're going to get the answer. And it might only be the next step. There might still be more challenge to come through before it, uh, [00:13:00] evolves into what you want it to evolve into, but just having that faith and that knowing to keep putting the attention on it, keep putting the attention on it.

And you always get there. So, um, yeah, those universal laws that are in those books, our experience of them is they are timeless and they absolutely work. They're amazing.

Speaker 5: Yeah, and sometimes like we will, we'll get jump on the phone to each other and we'll just start laughing, right? Like without saying anything about what's going on and knowing something's happening So it's almost like that faith component because for me the opposite to faith is pain Like for me and back to my when it was my founders story.

I was in so much pain like unconsciously And I was always trying to fill a void. So I'll know the opposite when I put my attention on what we're doing now to Faith, is the visceral feeling of how much pain I was in during my own journey before I was a founder and, you know, working for the man. So it's really interesting for me, like, It doesn't matter how [00:14:00] hard it gets, like, I know I've got the faith and the belief and the reps as well, like, because we've done thousands and thousands of reps, yeah, now, and that's probably what, like, you guys have done as well, like.

The first couple of reps, doesn't matter what you do, is so hard and you feel like, Oh, I can't lift this weight or something like that. It's like, for me, it's like, I know how much pain I was in. I never want to go back there. So, always having the faith and putting attention on that process is so much more rewarding.

Speaker: Mm.

Speaker 5: Because I know I never want to go back to that.

Speaker: Mm. When you say pain, are you saying Kind of like lack of fulfillment in what you were doing.

Speaker 5: Yeah, totally. Yeah, I was in a situation where I had an incredible partner at the time. I had a condo overlooking, um, the city in Brisbane and had an incredible job, but I was still hollow inside.

There was, there was a question that I was And so I'm, I'm sort of trying to ask myself, like, is this it? And that was the thing that was resonating for me. I [00:15:00] could feel it. And my partner in the time, she just said, you've just got to go. You've just got to like, find whatever you are looking for. And we were talking about it earlier, you know, like if a man doesn't have his why or a passion and a purpose of what he's doing, there's just such a, like a.

a split in his own consciousness. And that's what I felt at the time. And I was, I was feeling it full of like ultra marathons and then doing extreme sports or, you know, um, starting my jujitsu journey. And then, then I'd start surfing and then I would do like CrossFit, you know, training twice a day. And I was always trying to fill it with some sort of movement or some thing to just keep me distracted.

And once I let all that stuff go. And we travelled out into the middle of the country in Australia in a place called Uluru, in Alice Springs, like right in the middle of the country, the most extreme place in the country to go. And all of that space and [00:16:00] expansion, allowed a lot of that stuff to percolate and come through.

So that was part of my journey to sort of almost let a lot of that go and just have the time and space to be able to listen and be open to those answers that, what am I doing? And so, yeah.

Speaker 3: I just want to mention there as well, when we say faith, it's not just like faith in nothing. It's like faith in the truth of who we are.

understanding that we are like these infinite eternal beings. Yes. And it's faith in that whatever we put our attention on, we will get the answer because it's there. It's just got to actually, we're just going to actually get it out of the field where it is.

Speaker: Yeah. One of the thoughts that I was, I was thinking about this yesterday, faith is more of a range than a like certain point.

And so you said turning faith into knowing and [00:17:00] I was thinking about this the other day, like, when you have full conviction in something, you're going to get the most honest information back, even if it was like, I had full conviction that that was going to work. I did everything in my full, to my fullest abilities to figure out if that was going to be the right thing to do, and then you acted on it, and maybe it wasn't the exact outcome you thought, but the conviction isn't the variable that was off.

So I think that when I was struggling the It sounds like we kind of have a similar story. It was when I was I had low conviction on basically everything I was doing. So I wasn't getting any information back on like what I needed to be doing to create the changes in my life to start living the life that I wanted to so Where i've gotten to now is like a totally different place like starting these businesses.

It's like You have to have conviction around everything you do Otherwise, you'll be out of business pretty quickly. So it's like, you know taking that faith And knowing that it's there's a starting point. It can be like an ounce of faith You I think they call it a [00:18:00] mustard seed in the Bible, but that can grow and expand into everything that you do.

And that conviction is just like the ultimate superpower.

Speaker 3: Beautifully said. Yeah, I love that. Yeah,

Speaker 2: it's well, it's well said. And so, so Dave, you, um, you, did you quit Stryker in

Speaker 3: 2011? Uh, I actually hung around for a little bit longer. Um, yeah, it took me. uh, a while to develop the courage to leave that salary behind

Speaker 2: and the commission.

Yeah. Courage is a good word to describe that. How long, how long did it take you? What, what year did you finally decide to pull a cord and go all in?

Speaker 3: Yeah, it was about 12 months and then I actually drove out to the center of the country as well. Um, for whatever reason, I was just drawn to get into the desert.

There's not much in the center of Australia. Um, it'd be the equivalent to driving out to Denver, but kind of having Nothing between San Fran and New York.

Speaker 2: Yeah. So, so it took you about 12 months, Dave, and then Brad, how long did it take you before you [00:19:00] finally pulled the red cord?

Speaker 5: It was a couple of years, it was a couple of years because I got so heavily into that CrossFit world as well.

And I had that feeling of belonging in that because it was a community. Um, but yeah, I still had, it would have been two or three years after that.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 5: Um. Because the same thing, I lack the courage to actually pull the cord. Yes. Because it's like, we're not really taught to go into the unknown. And for that safety, it's like one of the things that we laugh about often, it's like, no one actually teaches you to take that leap.

Everything's sort of like, let's keep everything safe and in a box. Yes. And that unknown was the thing for me as well, and having the courage. Um, I think it's important to take those steps to, you know, to get to go on that path and, and truly find what I love doing. So

Speaker 2: I love that. That's well said. Yeah.

Part of why I was asking that question is I think it's cool to understand that you both have different risk tolerances, different timelines. It's actually the story is very similar to Harry and myself, where I think. [00:20:00] One of Harry's superpowers is like his power of faith, not just his belief in God, but just belief in himself and his potential.

So before Meat Mafia was even a figment of our imagination, he realized that private equity wasn't the right path for him. So he literally quit and moved to Austin. where for me in my consulting job, I needed like about a year to really see the success of the business to see something tangible before I was comfortable making that risk.

And I think it's really interesting to hear how you both in a similar way had your own risk tolerances too. And I think it's a really important exercise for someone to just kind of get that stillness and understand how you're wired. Because I do think on social media, there's like this allure of, you know, Just quit your job and go all in on it.

And for some people, that can be amazing. We had Wyatt Ewing on, who's the founder of Ice Barrel. You know, they're a hundred million dollar company now, but he literally quit his sales job when the idea of Ice Barrel was in his head. And then there's people that need to fully supplement their income. But I think understanding what your risk [00:21:00] tolerance is and who you are as a person is really important.

And there's not, you know, it's funny. We're all talking about working, working for the man. And if you're working for the man and you're comfortable and you're happy, you're truly happy doing that. That's beautiful. But I think if you realize that there's this misalignment between what you're supposed to be doing and your profession, that's really like a sign from God that you should do the difficult thing and figure out what you're ultimately meant to be doing.

Um, do you both agree with that?

Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's so well said. It's yeah. To just quit your job, um, and go out into the unknown is really, really hard. Like that's the hardest thing I think you can ever do. Society's not set up to support that. You'll have people that care about you like questioning things and thinking you're crazy, which is also natural.

Uh, and for certain people or certain personalities or in certain people in different stages of life, [00:22:00] it could actually be the worst thing they could ever do. I'm not sure. Yes. For us, it turned out to be super powerful and the best thing we've ever done, but it is very individual to your point. Yeah. Um, so yeah, it's, I love the way you articulated that.

Um, and I wouldn't necessarily suggest to someone to quit their job and just go and find what they love. Uh, however, I would suggest to them. To try and find out what they love. And like start setting goals and you know, if that path becomes such a, um, or that goal or that passion becomes such a fire inside of them, I think they'll organically move towards that.

However, to just go all in, um, can be terrifying.

Speaker 5: Yeah. Yeah, and sometimes people have got responsibilities that you just can't be doing that like yeah You know, I didn't same a day. We didn't have a wife or children any of those or how any of those householder Um, [00:23:00] responsibility. So like Dave saying, I wouldn't recommend it like to everybody.

And like you're saying, and it's well said, it's like some people going all in and doing that it's really extreme and that's part of their nature. But for some people it's like save up 12 months of, you know, buffer and you can have 12 months of living a certain way. I reckon that's a really beautiful way of doing it and giving yourself some freedom to make mistakes.

You know, and I think depending on like how you're programmed as a child and some of the experiences you have will really set you up for that too. Because for some people like they could be listening to their, their families or their friends too much and that clouds their decision making process. But I think really getting, I think finding out what you love doing.

Um, and then also getting still somehow. And if it's meditating, if it's praying, if whatever it is, or just going on some little trips by [00:24:00] yourself and actually spending time with yourself. That's probably one of the things that I highly recommend because we're so inundated by things these days. Yes. I think subtracting a lot of things from your life is a really good opportunity as well.

Speaker 2: It's so funny that you mention that stillness because You know, in full transparency, the last year for both of us has been the most rewarding year, but there's so many inputs and there's so many things to do constantly that one of the things that I realized I kind of picked my head up and I was like, I'm not doing that many things that are actually restorative for me.

I'm not, I'm praying a little bit, but I'm not really meditating. I'm not really reading materials that are going to make me feel really good. I'm not necessarily getting all that time by myself. So this last weekend, I literally just put nothing on the calendar Saturday and Sunday. You, I mean, you did the same thing too.

And I actually felt this weird feeling that I should read Think and Grow Rich again. And I read like the first six chapters of the book and just was like getting coffee outside in [00:25:00] the sunshine. And I, I don't know, there was just something about the ethos of that book that hit me differently. And it gave me this incredible clarity of like, I know exactly what we need to be doing.

And it just like took all the pressure off of how I was feeling. So, Yeah. I completely relate to what you were just saying.

Speaker 5: Yeah, I just, I've done that recently in the last couple weeks. Just before we come on this trip to the U. S., it's like I went to a place called Tasmania, which is like the last land mass to the Antarctica.

So it's like, there's, yeah, it's brutal. Yeah, it's brutal, right? So it's a beautiful spot in Australia, um, and we love going down there as well. And I was down there with my partner and just those first couple of days, I was like, oh, Still checking my phone like the inputs that you're talking about and Dave's just it was the first time I've actually had some space for a couple of years and Dave said I'll take care of things But you still like you're plugged in in a way.

I think it was the third day that I just went Oh, I'm just gonna turn all the notifications off And when I got back to Brisbane, I was [00:26:00] like, Oh the gears were just moving so much slower and I've gone. I've got to, then we've got to come to the us and the gears move even faster when we come for a year too.

So it was interesting, but a lot of stuff was coming through as well, like the path that we're on, the direction we're heading in will become really clear on some pieces that just fell in when, when I was away. Um, So, yeah, it's so important and we talk about it often, like, through this whole experience through mana, the elements have been the greatest teacher.

So if we've ever got anything going on, getting back into the elements, jumping into the ocean and having those little micro breaks is really, really important just for that, that psyche because it's getting smashed 24 seven. Totally.

Speaker: It's such a great point. We've both experienced that. Like in its fullest, just having those moments where you're like, personally travel for me is something that I've realized over the past few months that I love doing.

It gives me a ton [00:27:00] of creative inspiration. It lets me think differently and get outside of my normal patterns. And then I just like stopped doing it this last year. And I was like, why am I not operating the way I normally operate? And I went on like one trip and just had all this like, Resurgence of this energy and that to me was a sign that I need to just spend a little bit more time incorporating travel into my You know monthly or like quarterly flow of things just to get outside of the the bubble that we're in just trying to build stuff Um, because it makes you I think it fills your cut back up So i'm curious for you guys like with the travel piece.

It sounds like you guys have both used that as a tool Um even before starting mana Like with some of the questions that you guys had about like who you wanted to be and what you wanted to do How would you recommend that for someone who's maybe about to start their journey into entrepreneurship?

Speaker 5: Yeah, it's a good question I always Go by the thing.

There's a season for everything Um, and I [00:28:00] feel like there's been times with mana That i've just gone all in and that's all i'm worried about And that's like 24 7 from the moment I'm waking up to the moment I'm going to sleep. That's all I want to focus on. Like, and sometimes your health. And sometimes your, you know, your, your family and friends and relationships get neglected.

But I feel like for me, the way I live now, it's just like moving with the seasons of what a business and what it takes to be successful in that space. And then, you Always listening to people that are closest to you as well, like, Oh, I think it's time for you to like, take a break. But I know I've got family and friends that sometimes go, Oh, you're just going to have to slow down, you're working too hard.

But I don't ever feel like what I'm doing is work.

Speaker 4: Mm hmm.

Speaker 5: It's, and you guys could probably relate to, and we talk about it often, like it doesn't feel like work to me. Um, Um, but yeah, for me, the things that I do during the [00:29:00] week are important as well. You know, eating right, drinking the best water I can find, but I love Jiu Jitsu.

And I know when I'm rolling on a mat for an hour, I'm not in my mind, you know, like I'm actually viscerally feeling what I'm doing and actually in my body. And that's really, really important. And those little micro breaks, uh, like something that I sort of hold dearly as well, because I know there's no other inputs, but what's right in front of me.

So yeah, that's, and taking short breaks are really important every quarter, like you're saying. Um, but yeah, a lot of freedom. We've got a lot of freedom to do what we want. That's the way we've designed what we do. Um, yeah, that's how I feel about that.

Speaker 3: Yeah, I guess a big part of MANA for us is it's coming from a place of service

Speaker 4: as

Speaker 3: well.

So there's not, we don't have a business plan, we don't have goals of where we want to get to. Um, we do have some goals actually, but they're not kind of, uh, [00:30:00] from my perspective necessarily like, um, strictly where we need to get to or anything like that. It's just more intentions and we've got such a, well I'll speak for myself again, I've got such a.

a deep relationship with God and with source that it allows me just to kind of surrender the process a lot. So I spent heaps of time in nature. I live near the beach. So I'll go for a beach walk every morning, weather permitting. Um, and often in the afternoon as well, I'll try and watch a sunrise or a sunset.

And that really resets me because I go into that relationship that I have with the elements and with God. and just being gratitude, understanding that life's going to present everything to me. So just dealing with that in the moment, my ability to respond to that in the moment. And then while I'm walking, so the vision for mana, I'll think about that every day at multiple times.

I'll just see it as clearly [00:31:00] as I can and like expand it out as clearly as I can. And then the rest of the day, um, you know, because we probably have, I have, have probably three or 400, um, messages come at me a day. So we'll get through a lot of those in the first few hours. And then there's meetings and different things like that.

Uh, but we have such a beautiful team and coming from that space of service really allows us to surrender, um, a lot of the, I guess, complexity and big decisions. We just make them on the, on the go with, with the best of our ability. And however that unfolds for us is fine because. Kind of outside of the busyness of Marna and the project itself.

We're super, like, comfortable without having any of it. So that was the greatest thing from my perspective of us actually taking that time and getting used to being by ourselves. Being used to being quiet [00:32:00] was that all of this is a bonus. And, like, that's it. That's true for us. Like we, I mean, we had nothing when we started this.

Even though I went from striker earning great money to then starting a business, there was years in between that where I was wandering around the planet with nothing except for my relationship with God and the elements and miracles were happening day after day. And so that's also where a lot of that faith comes from.

And I have a knowing that I'm okay and looked after regardless of mana or, uh, finances or anything like that. Whereas the fear for a lot of people of not having money is terrifying or not being able to pay the bills. So I feel like, um, we don't have that and, and even though, um, you know, like not having money will put a lot of people into depression.

So it's [00:33:00] back to that thing again. And it's like, I don't necessarily want to recommend to people like just quit your job, don't have a plan to make money and see what happens because for some people that could be really scary but also put them into a very difficult situation physically and mentally. Um, but that's, that's one of the greatest things like I'm saying with Brad and I is it's not that I don't want to have any money ever again or don't want to have a roof over my head or be sleeping in the car again, however.

If we do we're just as happy.

Speaker: Yeah I mean that that is a the ultimate place to operate from I think being able to It sounds like your relationship with fear is Something where you can recognize When you see it, but it's not going to necessarily affect how you operate your life. You have that trust element with how you're you're rooted and the way that You You're designed to make decisions and you know that it's all going to work out.[00:34:00]

So I think again, like for people listening, that is like an amazing place to be able to operate from. Cause you're never operating from a place of fear of losing money. Cause I think that's when people get in trouble. They start getting that scarcity mindset, like, Oh, we're going to lose money. And then they start lowering their thinking instead of thinking we have so much that we can access.

Um, and if it all goes away, you're still the

Speaker 3: same. Yeah, it's a really beautiful point. And as even as you're saying that like one of the things that we're super proud of at Marner is we just won't compromise on quality. So if we wanted to make money we wouldn't do a lot of the things the way we do them.

In particular where we get our Ingredients and nutrients from. It cost us a fortune. Um, and the way we package it and all that cost us a fortune, but we won't compromise on that. Because our total mission is to get those out to people and make them available for people. So, regardless of how much of that is sold, [00:35:00] or how much profit it makes, we actually don't care.

Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2: It's, uh, it's, uh, It's the advice that a CFO would shudder at. Yeah. It's just, but it's, it's like there are a few CFOs

Speaker 5: just yelling at the screen right there.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And, and that's why, so I'm the

Speaker 5: CFO.

Speaker 3: Beautiful. For that reason. Yes.

Speaker 5: Well appointed. It's the best appointment we've ever made.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love it. I love that. That's a great one. Chief Faith Officer. That's awesome. Yeah.

Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. But I think there are these, um. These certain principles that like a business book or a CFO just can't quantify. It's just, they're just your values. And I can tell very clearly that if you were compromising at all in terms of quality by a percentage, I don't think either of you would be comfortable putting your names in front of mana.

And Brad, I think what you'd said about the work that you're doing now, as you said, it doesn't feel like work. And then Dave, you said it feels like your mission. [00:36:00] And it's really around these like ancient minerals. I feel like that's your, your mission is like bringing the educational awareness of these ancient minerals to the masses.

So even though you both are responsible for Shilajit becoming much more popular the last two years, these minerals have been around for thousands and thousands of years. So for the listener that maybe hasn't heard of Shilajit or has heard of it, but doesn't know what it is, Maybe you could just explain what it is and what was it about the, those minerals that made you realize, wow, we really want to dedicate our life to building a company around raising awareness for this.

Speaker 3: Yeah. And again, as you're talking, I'm just feeling, one of the reasons why we are of service at Marner is the relationship that we have with the elements, which are really the creators of these sacred substances that are in the product. Yeah. So because we've spent so much time in nature and so much time deepening our relationship with the elements and these substances, it's like [00:37:00] for us to try and adjust that or make huge profit from that wouldn't be right on any level inside of us.

Like it's just not something that would, uh, resonate for, for me personally. Um, and Shilajit is It's the most concentrated form of nutrients that I've found during that 10 year journey. So it has everything in it that our body needs to thrive. Um, but the mineral component, it has all of the minerals, uh, what has, let's say 90 of the minerals on the periodic table.

Um, it also has vitamins, fulvic acid. Um, Uh, all of the amino acids has, uh, tritopines, um, and the minerals themselves, it kind of gets a little bit esoteric from the relationship [00:38:00] we've developed with them, um, but all those minerals on the periodic table, they're actually, uh, vortexes of energy and, uh, they're the building blocks of life itself, so everything's energy.

And then energy transforms into matter or form, which is what we get to experience. But the first iteration of that from the subatomic world is the atomic world. And that's what the periodic table is. It's all of the different atomic structures, whether it's gold or magnesium or hydrogen, all of the protons science says are the same.

All of the neutrons and electrons science says they're indistinguishable from each other. Um, but they're not particles or waves like science currently says, they're all little vortices or little energy fields or energy centers and they're alive. So um, [00:39:00] for our bodies to have access to all of those and then the intelligence of the body to decide what it needs is another deeper reverence of who we are and what life is.

And so many of those energy centers or little vortexes or minerals, whatever we want to call them, are no longer in our food because they're no longer in our soil. So if our body doesn't have access to them, it's going to be compromised in some way. Uh, there's a lot of research now that shows if we don't have access to all those minerals, that's where a lot of the illness and disease is actually coming from because our body's starving.

for listening. For those, uh, frequencies for that energy.

Speaker: Mm-Hmm.

Speaker 3: Yeah.

Speaker: Can you guys talk about your first exper experience with Sheila G? Like when you first tried it, was it just something that was like, this is incredible. Like when you take, like, for us, it's like when you have liver for the first time, like, I remember Brett and I [00:40:00] recorded a podcast, we had some liver and raw milk, and both of us were like, felt like we were on some sort of drugs.

I'm wondering if you guys felt the same way with like, with she.

Speaker 3: Yeah. So my first experience with it, cause the first thing you do is stick it in your mouth, right? Was this is disgusting because it's so intense and it was in a, in a black resin form. Uh, however, then yeah, cause the biogenetic stimulant, um, it, it, it, it will actually like it has nootropic effects and, and upregulation of energy.

So it will actually give you a similar experience to what, to what you said. Um, So yeah, my experience with it was definitely could feel the energy, got a buzz from it and was really intrigued like, you know, what is this stuff and what's it going to do to me because it is just such an intense experience to have.

Speaker 5: Yeah. It's almost like a light switch that goes off. Like it's the first time the intelligence within the body knows that it's getting [00:41:00] like it's turned on so that the light switch just goes on. So, because like what Dave is saying, like the lack of micronutrients in all the soils these days, like it's crazy.

So when you, when your body actually gets the nutrients that it actually needs, it's probably what, like what you guys have got from a macro level. We've got it on the micro level. Those micronutrients, the body, they're the building blocks, as Dave is saying, or I like to call 'em the raw materials of all life.

And if you're not having that, it's almost like you're constantly lacking those micronutrients in your diet. So for me, it was the first time I had it, I went, it was like a light switch went off. well went on and I'm like, oh yeah, nah, this is it. This, this product is incredible. So yeah, it's an interesting, it's an interesting experience and it did taste like crap the first time I tasted it.

And that's the, it was like a two fold, it was like, oh, it just tastes like crap. Oh, something else is happening. So it was like a double hit. So yeah, it was an [00:42:00] interesting experience. That's for sure.

Speaker 2: Yeah. And I find that. when you're on a more, you know, conventional ultra processed foods diet, things like chili G, liver, et cetera, your palate isn't adjusted to the taste.

But when, because our taste buds have really been manipulated by a lot of these processed food companies. But then the more that you lean into eating these single ingredient natural foods, it's like the beautiful taste of a steak with just salt on it. Like you can like the, the senses, like the, the way the palate lights up.

It's amazing, and I find that over time, those foods, not only do they not taste bad, your body almost craves them in a lot of ways, too. So, clearly this is something that's very personal to both of you. And you have a unique way of getting the Shilajit, right? Where a lot of people get it from the Himalayas, aren't you?

Are you initially getting it from the Dead Sea? Is that where the minerals are coming from? Is that right? No, so there's

Speaker 3: two substances within mana. Uh, there's minerals that we get from the ocean and the [00:43:00] Dead Sea. So that's kind of the ocean mineral component. And then there's the Shilajit, which we do get from those high mountain tops.

Got it. Um, mainly through the Himalayas. We also get it from Siberia as well.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 3: Yeah.

Speaker 2: And you guys, I think I've heard that a lot of places, the Shilajit, they get it from like 5, 000 feet above the mountain where you guys are, is it 16, 000 feet? Is that where you're getting it from?

Speaker 3: Yeah. So we get it from above 16, 000 feet.

Yeah, I mean, it's because it's expanding quickly now and it's, it is such an expensive substance. Um, I've been saying to people recently, you know, you can get it, um, for 20 a kilo from China with a, in a powder form with other fillers in it, or you can buy it from like a royal family in Tibet and it'll cost you like 2, So there's a huge variation, like that's a hundred X, right?

Speaker: Wow.

Speaker 3: Um, So, yeah, we spent a lot of time doing our due diligence on, uh, where the best stuff comes [00:44:00] from, checking that in laboratory, um, good way to check the quality of Shilajit is its fulvic acid component, um, its amino acid component as well, um, its protein content, like it's got 32 percent protein, which is pretty high for, for plant based, um, yeah, so, um, It's really important where it comes from the nutrient density density is really important and then checking that there's no nasties in it It's really important as well.

So yeah, we've gone over and above and really happy with our supply now where it comes from Last year, we employed about 600 people to go out indigenous people through the Himalayas to go out and collect shilajit and Yeah, those altitudes you can only get it for about eight weeks of the year because the rest of the time You Um, it's under the snow, so there's quite a bit of logistics behind it.

Um, but again, like once you understand what it is, you just want the best version of it because that has its [00:45:00] own life force. People are going to be attracted to it. Like you said, even though on its own, that straight resin tastes pretty average, there's something inside the intelligence of the body that knows that it wants more of that because it's got all of those things that we've been starving for.

Uh, and that's definitely the case with Shilajit. The amount of people that come back to us and say, you know, the first couple of times we tasted mana, it was pretty funky, but now like our body's just craving it. We've just got to, we've just got to stay on it and they've been subscribing for, you know, six months, eight months, whatever it is.

Speaker: Yeah. I'm envisioning like a bit of a gold rush with this product. Like it seems like the sector's blowing up. Like I've seen a lot of products come to market. Um, and you said there's such a wide range of where people are getting the product from. But are, are you guys concerned at all about just the availability of getting the product?

Speaker 3: No, only because we understand how big those regions that it's coming from are. Um, you know, it sounds like when we're saying we get it from [00:46:00] above 16, 000 feet and these mountaintops that it might run out, but those regions are huge. Like the Himalayan mountains is massive. It also comes from, uh, like through Kashmir, Mongolia, Russia, China, Siberia.

So we're talking like half the planet just in those regions. Um, like just the region through Russia and Siberia is probably that there's a mountain range up through there, which would be equivalent of like LA to New York and back. So, out of all the shilajit we've taken out of the mountains across all the brands, it'd be like, less than 001%.

There's, yeah, I wouldn't say it's as abundant as seawater, but it's very abundant.