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Ever wondered how a positive mindset shapes a successful business? In this episode, Dr. JJ Thomas, CEO of Primal Physical Therapy and Primal University, shares her journey from intern to entrepreneur, fueled by her passion for helping others. Find out how she overcame challenges and stayed mission-driven, inspired by the mission of the Few. Tune in for a chat about resilience, intentionality, and building a business.
The official podcast of Few Will Hunt, the world’s largest community of hard workers and Made in the USA apparel brand. Family-owned and operated and headquartered in Philadelphia. We’re on a mission to restore the dignity of hard work and help others live The Rules of The Few to strengthen ourselves and strengthen society. No entitlement or excuses are allowed here.
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Website | https://www.fewwillhunt.com/
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The official podcast of Few Will Hunt, the world’s largest community of hard workers and Made in the USA apparel brand. Family-owned and operated and headquartered in Philadelphia. We’re on a mission to restore the dignity of hard work and help others live The Rules of The Few to strengthen ourselves and strengthen society. No entitlement or excuses are allowed here.
Represent Few Will Hunt and be one of The Few.
Few Will Hunt Apparel | https://fewwillhunt.com/
Get 10% Off Your Entire Order
Use Code: FWHSHOW
Trulean Supplements | https://www.trulean.com/
Get 50% Off Trulean Subscribe & Save Bundle
Use Code: FWH50
JOIN THE FEW:
Website | https://www.fewwillhunt.com/
Instagram | @fewwillhunt
Creators & Guests
Host
Drew Beech
Drew Beech is an entrepreneur and cofounder of Few Will Hunt. He spent several years in the sales and marketing industry, grossing over several million dollars in sales. But his love for the entrepreneurial journey and desire to escape the rate race started with his personal training business in college. Today, Drew leads the Few Will Hunt community alongside his cousin and cofounder, Joey in their mission to restore the dignity of hard work through the highest-quality American-made apparel.
What is The Few Will Hunt Show?
The official podcast of Few Will Hunt, the world’s largest community of hard workers and 100% Made in the USA apparel brand. We’re on a mission to restore the dignity of hard work and help others live The Rules of The Few to strengthen ourselves and strengthen society. No entitlement or excuses are allowed here.
I love the puzzle of getting people better. Like, I love figuring out what's really keeping them from getting better. And to this day, it's still that. Like, off hour. I can't shut my brain off.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I just love I just love it.
Joey Rosen:Welcome to the Fuel Hunt Show. What's going on, Eagles? I'm Joey, and this is the fuel hunt show. Today, to my left, I have Drew, my cousin and cofounder in Fuel Hunt. And to my right, I have a very, very special guest, doctor JJ Thomas from Primal Physical Therapy.
Joey Rosen:We're gonna get into a lot. Also, if I can give you another title. Well, actually, CEO of Primal Physical Therapy, also of Primal U now University, which we'll get into.
Drew Beech:We do.
Joey Rosen:And also OG of the fuel hunt community. Right?
Drew Beech:Yes. OG. Yeah.
Joey Rosen:RG. Since
Dr. JJ Thomas:2019, 2020? It was definitely, like, during COVID,
Drew Beech:I
Dr. JJ Thomas:feel like.
Joey Rosen:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So I don't know.
Joey Rosen:Late 2019, that's what we're gonna
Drew Beech:go with.
Joey Rosen:OG OG, the
Dr. JJ Thomas:community,
Joey Rosen:for sure. So one thing that everyone in the community probably knows because you've been on our feed, you know, before. So, like, they felt your energy more than likely. But one thing if community is gonna feel during this episode is your energy. I mean, that unique JJ energy.
Joey Rosen:There's a handful of eagles in our community that have that energy. And when I say handful, there's probably, like, 3.
Drew Beech:Or people people in the world.
Joey Rosen:I would you know what? I would agree. I would agree. Funny. Right?
Joey Rosen:As you were coming up the elevator
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:We we could hear and feel your presence. And literally, like, Dane was looking at me. I was looking back. We just had a smile on
Dr. JJ Thomas:our face. Oh, thanks.
Drew Beech:Smile on
Joey Rosen:our face, and we're like, okay. Here comes here comes the the electricity.
Drew Beech:I think I vibrate high, and then I'm like, around. Oh my god. Wait. I gotta I'm I'm
Drew Beech:one ball.
Joey Rosen:Makes me like like sad boy, basically. Makes me like sad boy.
Drew Beech:Well, you
Dr. JJ Thomas:guys bring it out in me more. Like, it is true. It is true. I've always been high energy. It's just it is.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I was born that way pretty much born that way, but I also I thrive on it, so I seek it out.
Joey Rosen:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like, I think I feed myself. I'm like, you know, whatever superhero, you know, Mario Brother feeding the things that makes them, like, chomp chomp and feeling better. Yeah. It's that and you guys feed me, so, it is definitely I could feel it coming up the elevator, so I'm glad you could.
Joey Rosen:That's a that's a heck of see, I said heck. I didn't say it.
Drew Beech:Oh, good. Yeah. Watching my mouth.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Okay. You can do what you want.
Joey Rosen:For me, there's gonna be a swear jar instituted. Okay. That we'll see on the next episode. We'll give them a sneak peek during your episode, but I said, heck
Drew Beech:On YouTube, it always asks, like, is this clip for kids? Yeah. And I'm like,
Joey Rosen:no. Yeah. Yeah.
Drew Beech:Like, one day after that. Day might be. Day
Joey Rosen:after that again. But heck of a ride coming up that elevator. Right?
Dr. JJ Thomas:It's amazing.
Joey Rosen:You can feel the work that was, like, done in this space for
Dr. JJ Thomas:You can feel the work. You can feel the foundational work. Like, I think I love buildings too. Like, here goes the energy again, but it's true. Part of the reason I love old buildings is because, first of all, all old buildings were made with intention.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like, they were you know, your your your motto, brick by brick. Right? Like, it's like the old buildings, they're made with intention, and the structure and the the, like, power of those buildings is evident because of that.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And then and it stands. Like, it stands the test of time. Built to life. I'm in or near Mhmm. An old building, I'm like, oh, this is amazing.
Joey Rosen:That's what that's what drew us to this space. I feel like when you build something with intention like that, whether it's a building or something else, a business, a community Mhmm. It stands the test of time and it it, like, retains the energy that you put into it. It does. So when people visit it or join it, they feel that energy too.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. You know?
Joey Rosen:So that was one of the things that that that drew us to this, this space. It's a
Dr. JJ Thomas:It's it's even better in person, you guys. I wanna tell you. Like, it's really cool.
Drew Beech:It's funny, like, when you do go pick people up on the elevator too, like, the first thing Eddie said when you came in was, like, oh my god. This place is awesome.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Yep.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Because it almost I didn't say this on the elevator, but it almost also goes with your with your, mission or message is that like, okay. The elevator's a little rickety, you guys. But it's also, like, how much do you want it? Yeah. Like, how much do you wanna go see this space?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Are you gonna be okay with it ricketing a little bit? Yeah. You know?
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Definitely not a comfy elevator. It's a friendly elevator.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It's a little bit like, woah. Is this gonna be okay? I don't even care. Let's go.
Joey Rosen:There is a sign that says out service. Elevator out of service when you get in. Just it's there. Just so it's just there. I wonder
Drew Beech:how many times Caroline thinks about that when she's on when she's taking it during the day. Like Probably not. Like, am I gonna be safe?
Joey Rosen:Especially when she loads it up like that. Yeah. You know, stuff coming in. Yeah. So one one quick story I wanted to tell about your energy was at BK live.
Drew Beech:Oh.
Joey Rosen:Right? So, we were at BK live together, and I was doing something. I don't know. I was doing Joey things. I was talking to someone.
Joey Rosen:I may have been talking to Dean. I don't know who I was speaking with, at the time, but my back was faced to the entrance to the door. And I could just feel something coming, like, something very positive coming my way, and then I heard you. And it was you. Thank you.
Joey Rosen:The same type of thing. Yeah. Everybody, I felt like the the flip has switched, and now fuel hunt is in the building Oh. As soon as you walked in. So it is a true testament.
Joey Rosen:I can probably rattle off some other examples too, but that one, really hit me. So we we do appreciate your energy, your belief in everything we do. Probably one of the first members of Fuel Hunt Rise, I would say.
Drew Beech:Oh, okay.
Joey Rosen:She's the very first.
Drew Beech:Thanks. She's always supported us, like, no no matter what we do. Right? She's always had our back, and
Joey Rosen:I'm very grateful for it.
Drew Beech:Mhmm. Seriously. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It's, well, I believe it is believing in the mission. Like, I believed in them. It was almost like you guys the very same beliefs that you guys have bottled up and helped spread the word out to the world, I would at the same time when I found you guys when I found you guys, I I felt like the world needed it. So, of course, I'm gonna support that. Like, it's not about the bad ass year you get as much as it is about the message that the world needs to hear.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So, yeah, I'll always support those that have a great message.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. We we appreciate
Drew Beech:that.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And we and you give it right back. Like, you support your people. And so thank you.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Yeah. We are givers. Like we were saying with intention, when you build something with intention, you can feel the energy in it. And I feel like that's the same thing with our apparel.
Joey Rosen:Like, you can feel it.
Dr. JJ Thomas:For sure.
Drew Beech:You know,
Joey Rosen:when you put it on, you can feel you feel that intention. This was done intentionally to make me feel more powerful and to make the other people that think and act like me feel powerful too.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Do you remember the time I posted about the, when I put the jacket on? When I put the fuel hunt jack, they In the airport? No. Not in the airport. It was the first time I actually the the jacket, which was a, I think, a limited
Joey Rosen:edition. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Awesome jacket. If you guys if they ever bring it back Yeah. They're like, don't bring it up. But but but what I said in the post was it's like a Jeep wave only
Drew Beech:better. Yes.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yes. Is like and not just with a jacket, but, like, with all the gear. It's like when I see someone with the few with anything, the few
Drew Beech:Yep.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It's like it's like a g it's a little bit like a g
Joey Rosen:wave. Yep.
Drew Beech:You don't know
Drew Beech:You know?
Drew Beech:Being in the DMs and, like, my own DMs too, you don't know how many messages or stories I get where it's it's someone saying, I was in the gym or even I was at the bar. Right? And Yeah. Someone came out to me wearing a few haunts. And they're like, oh my god.
Drew Beech:You're an eagle? Like, I'm an eagle too. And there are so many even relationships, like, romantic relationships, friend relationship, business partnerships, something something we get into with, Josh and, Lindsay Yeah. That they were connections built just off of an eagle seeing another eagle in the wild.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Absolutely.
Joey Rosen:I get save the dates to my house all the time. I probably get 2 a month. And I know that's a thing nowadays, like, sometimes if, you know, you have a favorite company or whatever, you send them. No. These are just save the dates.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's so cool.
Joey Rosen:It's like, Joey, hope to see
Drew Beech:you there.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's so cool.
Drew Beech:Just a
Joey Rosen:straight up save the date.
Drew Beech:Because that's yeah.
Joey Rosen:Over the US.
Drew Beech:That's where our first business address is.
Joey Rosen:Save the day for a wedding.
Drew Beech:I'm sorry.
Drew Beech:Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. That's really cool.
Joey Rosen:Oh, it's so it's so wild. It's so wild.
Drew Beech:We cannot confirm or deny that those are weddings for as a result of the one hunt, but they did want us there.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. They wanted us there. So I'm gonna just go out
Drew Beech:on there.
Joey Rosen:I'm just thinking that. I'm gonna
Drew Beech:say I'm
Joey Rosen:gonna go out on
Drew Beech:the limb.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Support that.
Drew Beech:We should start sending back shirts as gifts. Yeah.
Joey Rosen:That's what we should we should do.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Actually a good idea.
Joey Rosen:We should do that. And keep working hard enough that, you know, I can just head to them and pop up.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's right.
Joey Rosen:And I don't even have to crash. I was invited.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's right. I can just get Joe,
Drew Beech:it could be our our designated wedding.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. But
Drew Beech:I feel
Dr. JJ Thomas:like if if you got an invite and then you just showed up, it'd be even cooler on that.
Joey Rosen:Like, if Oh, that is yeah. Right? I would love that.
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:This is amazing.
Drew Beech:It's absolutely right.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Have sort of a Vince Vaughn and Wilson vibe.
Drew Beech:Which one am I?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Because I'm not gonna answer that.
Joey Rosen:I'll take it.
Drew Beech:I'll take it.
Joey Rosen:I will take it.
Drew Beech:You're definitely been torn.
Joey Rosen:I've I I it's been so long since I watched the movie that I can't I I can't put my finger on if that's a compliment or not. It's
Dr. JJ Thomas:a compliment. It's a great. They're great.
Drew Beech:They're both amazing.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. They they both fill the role perfectly.
Drew Beech:Good. Good. Good.
Joey Rosen:So you, we were talking about how you found us.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:I think we found you, but how you found us? How how was that? You found us on social media? Is that
Dr. JJ Thomas:Here's the thing. I remember yes. Okay. Actually, this is the weird this is kind of the weird thing. I remember I was working out in my basement.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It was during COVID. I was working out of my basement, and at the time, I was trying to I, actually, I think I just came across your feed in Instagram. Like, I think it might have been a I don't know if it was an ad or what, but I came you showed up in my Instagram. That amazing algorithm that's got it's so different, but it's amazing. You showed up and I was like, wow.
Dr. JJ Thomas:These guys are awesome. And then I must have ordered gear.
Joey Rosen:Okay.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And then I ordered gear and I put the shirt on and I'm a I'm a texture person and I was like, oh, this is soft. Yeah. You know? Oh, this is soft, and it has a great message. Like, it was like and then random and then I started looking at you guys more, and I'll and I noticed you were Philly based.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And that, you know, I'm such a loyal such a loyal girl. Like, I was like, you're in Philly? Wait a minute. And so then I just that and I DM ed you guys.
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And I when I DM ed you, I was like, hey. I was because I wanted to I wanted to have primal gear. Mhmm. And I was like, hey. Like, I love your I love your quality.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I love your message. I was gonna try to get gear made, but I'm actually wondering if it's something you guys could do. Yeah. And then you guys hopped on the phone with me. You were like, let's have a phone call.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And I was like, okay. You know? And then we all hopped on the phone. It was amazing.
Joey Rosen:And that was before our faces were really on the feet.
Drew Beech:Yeah. We were very off the grid.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Bedros has pushed us to this point. Right now, we have a show, and I'm so glad he did.
Drew Beech:He's so good.
Joey Rosen:But then Yeah. Like, you didn't even see us, really.
Drew Beech:Yeah. You had no idea who you were who you were messaging when you I didn't. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:But when we got on the phone, it felt like I knew you already.
Drew Beech:Yeah. That was funny.
Dr. JJ Thomas:You know what I mean? I Like, I was like, I didn't have faces yet, but, honestly, you
Drew Beech:felt like my cousins. Yeah. Like, I was like, you know Shared family. I remember.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I think I took the first phone
Drew Beech:call with JJ because
Dr. JJ Thomas:we didn't have,
Drew Beech:a a system or process to this yet. We were just figuring it out. And I got off the phone. I was like, Joey, this girl's awesome. Like, we gotta be like, I just wanna work with her.
Drew Beech:Like, do whatever she wants.
Joey Rosen:I I remember our first phone call too. I was I'm a pacer. If you caught previous episode, Drew got me this device I put on, and I put the phone in it. I can walk around. But I do remember our first phone call.
Joey Rosen:I was home, actually, and I was on my front porch. Yep. And I was just pacing back.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And same. I was out with my dog when you and I talked.
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like, we I was out, like, pacing with on the grass with my dog. Yeah. So funny.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Yeah. We had done some well, before we get there. So, fuel fuel hunt and the lifestyle we live, the rules of the few are uncommon, especially nowadays.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I know.
Joey Rosen:I know. So for you to find us or us find you and say, like, wait, these people feel like family. We share the same values and vision, and and this is a message that we both think the world needs at this time.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Joey Rosen:Was that did you always feel that way? Did you always hold those beliefs? Were they
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:Imparted upon you by someone in your childhood or earlier on?
Drew Beech:For sure.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I mean, multiple people. Like, you know, I was raised mainly by my mom. I'm one of 4 girls. And, and she's been a huge influence in my life always. She's, very strong woman, has great values.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I mean, my entire family. I come from a big family. So I said you guys feel like cousins. Like, I have, like, 36 first cousins and then they're married and, you know, so it's
Joey Rosen:We got the bones beat. Yeah. We got the bones beat and that's what I did.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So, and and all of us, like, you know, you you hard work pays off. And all of those all of those values have been instilled. And I think when I when we found each other
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It was though at a time when I was really doubting the world and everyone's ability to stand up for what was right. Mhmm. That's really, I think, why when I saw your fee when I saw your product message on my feed, it stood out so much because Yeah. I was definitely at a place. That's why I remember it was during COVID.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Because I remember feeling like, why isn't anyone speaking up? Yeah. Like, why are we all just why are we all just hold up in a box and no one's saying anything, you know? Yep. So that that's that's when it was.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Yeah. I think, that was a big part of 2020 was really a hockey stick year for us and that was a big part of it. And, you know, I have spoken to some people that said, oh, well, you know you know, didn't mean anything by it, but, like, hey, you know, you were lucky that at that time, you know, you just kind of you were at that crossroad, and you had a message, and it just worked. And it was like, well, you know, what you don't understand is we started in 2,000 16.
Drew Beech:Right.
Joey Rosen:So we did the same thing
Dr. JJ Thomas:No.
Joey Rosen:For 4 years over and over again. Yeah. And because of the the probability, you know, I'm not gonna say luck doesn't exist, but I feel like it's a volume thing.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Drew Beech:Oh, yeah.
Joey Rosen:You know what I mean? We did so much work over a period of time that we made it highly probable that whenever there was an inflection point like that Mhmm. Our message was going to be there to reach out to people that needed it and attract them into our community.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I definitely think that's what happened. Yeah. I mean, and and I
Drew Beech:think and I think it's still true. Like, it's funny. I definitely with with the
Dr. JJ Thomas:community you guys have built, I feel like you know how you said, like, the message that you guys bring and that the community brings through fuel hunt is rare and it is. But I feel less I feel like it's less rare because I'm choosing to spend my time with people. It's more convenient not convenient. It's it's more convenient to find the the people with the shared values because of the community you built. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So it feels less alone.
Drew Beech:Mhmm. Yeah. We're kind of spoiled in our day to day operations because anyone that works for us, with us, or around us is cut from the same cloth, and that's be by design. We set out to build this community and live this way, only associate with people that think like us. So that's what we got.
Drew Beech:And on a day to day basis where even our vendors and our employees are the same they're they're eagles Yeah. Realistically. Yeah.
Joey Rosen:To make to for you to say that it made you or makes you feel less alone, like, that was the intent. Like, we felt alone in the very beginning.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I remember
Joey Rosen:you saying that. We
Dr. JJ Thomas:felt alone.
Joey Rosen:We're like, okay. Wait. This isn't the way the world is. Like, we know that. We had the wherewithal to say, like, there's other people out there.
Dr. JJ Thomas:For sure.
Drew Beech:You know,
Joey Rosen:we just have to find them. I will say that now it does make we're very fortunate that everybody that we, work with and work through, and the community, we're all cut from the same cloth. When I do encounter someone that isn't, it's a much harsher reality. Oh, yeah. Like, it's like a punch in the gut.
Joey Rosen:Yeah.
Drew Beech:You know
Joey Rosen:what I mean? Like, if I'm out on the street, we had a few fest recently, got a lot of love on the Philly streets
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's awesome.
Drew Beech:You know,
Joey Rosen:which is great. But, we also got some comments. And people didn't understand what we were doing or why, when we told them. Like, hey, we're rocking from, you know, a few will hunt HQ to Liberty Bell because we believe in these three things. Right?
Joey Rosen:Freedom, hard work, and service to others. People were just like, what?
Dr. JJ Thomas:I don't
Joey Rosen:And every time I heard that, it was like a
Dr. JJ Thomas:like I
Joey Rosen:got punched in the gut.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I know.
Joey Rosen:But then I rooted myself in the fact that, you know, we we have each other.
Dr. JJ Thomas:You're standing together. Yeah.
Joey Rosen:We still have each other. Yeah.
Drew Beech:We're dealing with normies. Yeah. Normies. That's like a
Joey Rosen:a word now.
Drew Beech:I think it's the someone's like the normies.
Joey Rosen:Oh, normies. Do you know do
Drew Beech:you know people?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Know that.
Drew Beech:That. Apparently, they the people that
Dr. JJ Thomas:don't I know.
Drew Beech:They're apparently people that don't think like us. Yeah. I have a question going back to that 2020 year in in which you found us. Is there, or vice versa, but is there a reason like, do you think there's a a catalyst or reason that you were feeling that way specifically other than obviously, the situation. But, like, were was your business in a in a state where it was like, okay.
Drew Beech:We don't know if this is gonna be a thing forever?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Question. My business was was good through COVID. I have I feel very lucky, about that. But I think what I noticed in my business, although it was pro like, it was still profitable and we found ways to continue to make things work even though I couldn't be on-site as much as I normally would have been. We did a lot of, online stuff.
Dr. JJ Thomas:We did more online programming and we did
Drew Beech:That's right.
Dr. JJ Thomas:More virtual sessions. But but I will say in general, there was such volatility around the, like, around the political things associated with COVID Yeah.
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That I noticed that, you know, even myself, normally, in my business setting, all of a sudden, I was being more careful with careful with the way I was answering question. Like, I just felt like I had to hold back. Yeah. Like, I couldn't my entire life, I've just been, like You. I've just been very forthright.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. Unapologetically authentic. Exactly. And and it's not that I wasn't authentic, but I definitely had to hesitate before I would answer things. And I hated that.
Drew Beech:I hated that.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And I felt like that was coming from this, like, you know, you talk about energy and and how energy is contagious. And I felt like the world had this contagious negative energy that peep was just like, it was just piling up and and nobody had the guts to stop it. And then fuel a hunt. I've and then I came across you guys and I was, like, let's go. These guys got some guts.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I'm gonna go with them. Yeah. You know?
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So I'd say that's, you know, that's kinda the reason.
Drew Beech:It's interesting too that that's how you perceived it or received it. Because when we were posting through that, we were just staying true to our values and our and our core values and our rules. We weren't necessarily trying to be political. We've always our theory has always been to build bridges, not trenches through any kind of political device. And Right.
Drew Beech:We weren't trying to cast out people even though we indirectly are as a
Joey Rosen:As a movement.
Drew Beech:A mission in the movement. Mhmm. But, that wasn't necessarily our our, plan in terms of intention.
Joey Rosen:No. I mean, we're, like, we're first principle thinkers. And, like, no matter what the climate is, you know, politically or otherwise, we're gonna go back to why we chose the eagle to represent, if you will, hon, freedom, hard work, service to others.
Drew Beech:Mhmm. And I
Joey Rosen:feel like if people thought and acted with those first principles in mind that we could see our way through things like what happened. I'm not saying it would be easy Right. But in a much more efficient effective way, you know, that that didn't damage, that didn't damage people as as it did. You know what I mean? Yep.
Joey Rosen:So
Dr. JJ Thomas:It's crazy. When you were saying I forget how you said it, Drew. But you basically said, like, we didn't mean to
Joey Rosen:Cast people out.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Cast people out. And when you said that, what I what the image I got was I don't ever feel like you guys cast people out. I feel like people choose to not belong. Yes. Yes.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And and it's like and the same thing The other thing that comes to mind with the messages that fuel hunt, the reason I'm such a, you know, such an OG, such a die hard. Yeah. Is that the messages carry through to every aspect of your life. Mhmm. Like, you know, I remember my daughter's 18.
Dr. JJ Thomas:She's amazing. And she when she was like 12 or so, she had a problem with some friends for about 2 weeks. She was really struggling and and I just kept saying to her, if they don't understand you they don't deserve you.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like if they don't if they don't, you know, that's it. If they don't understand you, they don't deserve you. And it's the same thing. Like, if people don't understand, then it's okay. They're gonna pull themselves out.
Dr. JJ Thomas:They choose.
Joey Rosen:Sure. Yeah. I I that's the way we've always tried to run it from the beginning. You know what I mean? And we're very open about that.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Look, like, you your choices are your own. So if you don't want to excel Yeah. You know, I I can't even say it that way. If if the road for you isn't climbing a mountain, it's just more of a slow incline and that's the way you wanna roll, like, we're cool with that.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Totally.
Joey Rosen:But if you have high aspirations, big goals, you're choosing to excel Right. We're your people. Like Yep.
Drew Beech:You know
Joey Rosen:what I mean? Come on in.
Drew Beech:That's it.
Joey Rosen:Going you know, because it's gonna be a hard road.
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:You're not gonna be able to do it alone.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And here's the other thing, like, from my company standpoint, our pay our patients are the same way.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like, you come to primal, you know, you put in the work. It's Right. It's literally the same thing.
Drew Beech:No magic pills. And when I was this you know, this thing, I fought the stupidest.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I mean, right. We'll facilitate. We'll support. We're gonna give you everything you need, but we also like, we're gonna give a 110%, but if you're not giving the same back, we're not gonna pour our energy into that either.
Joey Rosen:Reciprocity.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. We'll recommend someone out. Like, we're like, if you're okay with this, that's okay with us too. But you probably don't need to spend your time, energy, and money here.
Joey Rosen:Yep. Exactly. Yeah. Exactly.
Drew Beech:It's so funny we talk about this too because I always say what when I was doing main hustle to side hustle to freedom, that that objective, I would hang I hung my, our 1st fuel hunt champion banner in my office at my old job. And the amount of comments I would get on that thing was crazy. And it it wasn't me saying like, oh, you can't Right. You can't Yeah. Wear our t shirts because you're not like us.
Drew Beech:It was them saying to me, like, oh, you're weird because you think like that or you wanna hang that in your office.
Joey Rosen:Number one misconception, I think, of Fuel Hunt that it's, the community and the apparel. That it's some type of, like, Hardo, Alpha, and it's whereas it's just the opposite. Like, our community members are at many different parts of their journey.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Joey Rosen:Really, what we're saying is, you know, we're we're that beacon, that that siren that says, like, look. If you're if you think this way, regardless of how consistently you are acting this way, you're our people.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's right.
Joey Rosen:So come on in.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Joey Rosen:And if you really have this dream, this aspiration, this goal, we can help you get there. Because there's people that have crossed the bridges you're about to cross that are more consistent than you are at this time because they've been doing it longer, and we're here to serve you. Freedom, hard work, service to others.
Drew Beech:Love
Drew Beech:it. If you're willing to hunt, you can eat with us. Yes. I like to say it.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's cool.
Drew Beech:Does Joey wear shorts all winter? Yes.
Joey Rosen:I do.
Drew Beech:But you don't have to be a hardo. I promise. Yeah.
Drew Beech:Yeah. Yeah.
Joey Rosen:That well, that's just that even on even on the other show, you said that. You're like, that's gotta make you feel like a bit. I'm like, it doesn't. It makes me feel like I'm a consistent person.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Joey Rosen:And that's what I enjoy most. Mhmm. Consistently. Consistency. Yep.
Joey Rosen:You know what I mean?
Drew Beech:Yeah. And that's what differentiates us from people in the entrepreneur space or the business space or in life just in general is we're showing up every day and doing the work no matter what is happening in life, in society, or at the time. Right? Like, it's every day the work's getting done.
Drew Beech:It's a rule
Joey Rosen:of fear. Effort choose effort over excuses and emotion. Yep. And, you know, we did a show with Eddie, with Eddie Alvarez, and he he mentioned it. He said, like, I reached a point in my career where my effort was completely delineated from my emotions.
Joey Rosen:Like, my emotions were the last thing.
Drew Beech:He's almost to a fault. Almost to a fault. Which I we I feel like we could all agree that that hap like, being a highly driven entrepreneurs. I mean, that's just what happens. Like Yeah.
Drew Beech:Other people's
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Drew Beech:Feelings and emotions, even your own, get put to the wayside because nothing matters more than the mission. And that's what I tell a lot of my family and friends. Like, they get they have gotten upset with me. I maybe still be upset with me to this day because I've put a lot of things
Joey Rosen:How but on
Drew Beech:the back burner.
Joey Rosen:Think about it, though. Like, in life, when we're doing this, Right? Whatever it is, the few.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:How many times do we get it right right out of the gate? Right. Never. Right? It's a process.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:So the way I look at it is, yes. Like, I'm going to be, like, heavily skewed towards the effort side and not enough emotion while I figure this out. Right?
Drew Beech:I mean
Dr. JJ Thomas:I don't know if you saw the post I put up not that long ago because it was related to my primal foundation course.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:The, there's a study where they looked at babies from 12 to 9 19 months old as they go to walk as they're learning to walk and they studied the behavior. And what they found is that in 1 hour, they took greater than 2,000 steps and they fell and got up 17 times in 1 hour.
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And so, like, we like I like to use that analogy with patients. I'm like, look. In 1 hour, babies fall and get back up 17 times. Yep. If you don't get this exercise right in this next hour, it's okay.
Dr. JJ Thomas:We're gonna try it again tomorrow. You know?
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Like, even yes. And even greater than that, they did that
Dr. JJ Thomas:at Walmart. Yes.
Joey Rosen:Like, when they were having You
Dr. JJ Thomas:did this. That's right. Before.
Drew Beech:And you
Dr. JJ Thomas:didn't, like you might have cried a little bit, but you didn't get yourself down about it. It. You just got back up, and then you tried again. Yeah.
Drew Beech:And then you
Dr. JJ Thomas:got back up, and you tried again.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. The smarter the smarter we get, the more we become our own enemy. Mhmm. You know?
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Joey Rosen:It's it's the truth. It's the
Drew Beech:truth. I do have some questions for JJ. I do wanna hear more about your entrepreneurial journey and and your how you became, JJ, the CEO
Joey Rosen:and founder of Primal Physical Therapy.
Dr. JJ Thomas:This thing, I feel like I'm on this big freaking wave that I didn't mean to be on, but it's amazing and and exciting and fulfilling. So
Drew Beech:because everyone who's anyone who in the area is going to you for guidance.
Joey Rosen:Defending the few.
Drew Beech:Defending the few. Athletes
Drew Beech:to all
Dr. JJ Thomas:levels. Like, that is right.
Joey Rosen:What do we do before the show? That's Like, it's kinda rude. We come into our home. We give you a gift, and then we're, like, let me ask you some questions. Right.
Joey Rosen:True. Let me just ask you some questions.
Drew Beech:We're actually interrupting our our, lessons or treatment for the podcast.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I know. I did not. I loved it. Like, I was actually I was thinking. I'm like, I should've done it before.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. I'm gonna look at these guys later. I should've done it before, but then I might have let go of all their bodily secrets. So maybe it's better I didn't. So this is kinda so it's it did spiral.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I mean, when I was when I was in the insurance based world as a clinician, I'm gonna try to make this story not too too long, but, essentially, I was I I wanted to get people better. Like, I got into PT because I just wanted to help people, and the environment I was in wasn't allowing me to give a 100 and 110%. And I just hated that feeling. And then I would come home, and I had so much paperwork that I wasn't able to give my family a 110%.
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So I just hit a point where I was like, this isn't working. Like, I need to figure this out. So I opened my my shop actually, first, I did, I rented space. I just kept it the business model really simple. I rented space 2 days a week and 3 days a week.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I teach dry needling. So 3 days a week, I contract worked with a friend of mine, their office. They had a lot of therapists. So we taught them how to dry needle, and I would allow them to shadow. So anyway, I built my business that way.
Dr. JJ Thomas:The first two years, I didn't have a brick and mortar shop. And then I got my brick and mortar shop, and then it just grew. But the funny thing that I wanna share is I think the reason it grew goes back to the mission still. Like, the mission is still to help more and more people. And so when I first opened my Cashbase practice, there I had the time to spend with people and really get them better and give them what they needed.
Dr. JJ Thomas:But then the more the busier I got, the more I realized, wow. If I actually train other therapists to do this method that I'm doing that's really working for everyone, then I can help even more people. So it's that's how it's it's it's grown. And so now we have 3, full time therapists and 2 part time therapists at our, Bryn Mawr office and, looking for another location because we're just busting at the seams. So In
Drew Beech:Bucks County, hopefully.
Dr. JJ Thomas:What's that?
Drew Beech:In, hopefully, in Bucks County.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Ah. We'll we'll get there. We'll get there.
Drew Beech:It's awesome. We we're just talking about how if you do what you love, you never work a day in your life. And from the outside looking in, it seems like you are you guys are you and doctor Eric over there are just, like, thriving
Dr. JJ Thomas:every day. Fun.
Drew Beech:All of us. It's a fucking party.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It is. It is. Oh, I wish I had the chart.
Drew Beech:It is.
Dr. JJ Thomas:No. But it is a party. I do love it. And it feels like, even off hours, like, it's like it what I loved this is funny. My entrance exam into PT school
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:The question was, like, why do you wanna be PT? And the answer then for me, this was so I graduated PT school in 2000. So this was, like, I, like, probably 1997 or so. But the answer was, like, I love the puzzle of getting people better. Like, I love figuring out what's really keeping them from getting better.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And to this day, it's still that. Like, off hour. I can't shut my brain off. I just love I just love it. Yeah.
Drew Beech:We're gonna talk about my hips.
Drew Beech:It's it.
Drew Beech:It might have even been my hips. That's the problem. I have clicking. That's the thing. I do a lot of hip mobility.
Joey Rosen:I mean, you saw mine. We'll talk about it. My mobility's pretty good.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Your mobility's good. It's probably I mean
Joey Rosen:Something's clicking.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I wish I had a band. We could do it live right now.
Drew Beech:Oh my god. Imagine. Joey's going first.
Dr. JJ Thomas:We'll do it.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. I got it.
Drew Beech:Joey's going first. That's my rule. Joey.
Joey Rosen:I mean, yeah, it's the shoulders and the, the abductors or whatever they are. They're they're they're problemers. But anyway Mhmm. Would I when that's a great question that you asked, and I I could have bet the farm on your response, which was basically a purpose rooted in the service to others.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Drew Beech:I
Joey Rosen:mean, this is what it is. And, like, when entrepreneurs come to us, like, the the bit of coaching that we do now, you know, when an entrepreneur comes to us with what I will say the wrong reasons
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:I tell him straight up. Yeah. Like, look, like, this is a very hard difficult road
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Joey Rosen:That you're going to embark on. Mhmm. And if you're not doing it because you genuinely wanna see you genuinely genuinely want to leave people better than you found them Mhmm. It's gonna be a hell of a road.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So I,
Joey Rosen:Hell of a road.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So right before Christmas so my mission my like, I was tested because, you know, it is hard. It's a lot of work. Like and you know because you've done it. You guys I I feel like I've been sort of following their trail a little bit
Joey Rosen:We're in there. Through my We're in.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And so I'm like, I can see them. They're like they're like up over the hill. I'm like, Joey Drew, are we close? Are we getting there? But, but I'm hanging on and but I right before Christmas, my mom was in an accident.
Joey Rosen:I don't know if
Dr. JJ Thomas:I told you guys that. No. No. And, and it was hard. Like, she's gonna be fine.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Okay. But it was but what was but but it definitely, like, all of a sudden, my already packed schedule of trying to get everything, keep everything moving that I needed to keep moving to keep building the business and supporting the businesses that I already had. Now I'm flying down there to make sure she's okay. I was down there every week, you know, staying overnight in the hospital.
Drew Beech:Where is she?
Dr. JJ Thomas:She's in Florida. Sorry.
Drew Beech:Okay.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yes. So, that's where all that was all the all those posts actually when I was in the airport. I was back and forth to see my mom and one of them was with my sister. So I was like, ah, video me. It was, you know, we made the best of it.
Dr. JJ Thomas:But the point is
Joey Rosen:You you know what you really did because your energy in the videos was it was there. Yeah. You know?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Well, because I believe in the mission still. Right? That's my point. Like, I I have of course, I had moments where I was like, I'm fucking tired. Yep.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like, I I'm tired. And I'm like, why am I doing this? I know why I'm doing this because the world needs more better therapists. Exactly. More better.
Dr. JJ Thomas:We need more better English too. Yeah. But the girl the the world
Drew Beech:needs that. Way which you said it though was was It
Dr. JJ Thomas:was right. It's true.
Drew Beech:More, better. That.
Dr. JJ Thomas:But it sounded funny. But yeah. So so in a way, you know, you guys always talk about how, like, struggle is something that is almost, required Yep. For victory. I mean, I don't know if you have a particular phrase that I can think of, but, like, it's definitely in your messaging.
Joey Rosen:Struggle yields strength.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And and I I feel like that time of struggle for me helped even more so solidify solidify the importance of my mission because I was tired. And I and I wanted to be there for my family, but I also was like, you know what? This is important. I'm gonna make I'm gonna make them both work.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Talk talk about reframing. It gives you the opportunity to question yourself and what you're doing. Exactly. Most people avoid that like the plague.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. You know, I'm gonna stay positive. I'm not gonna, but the truth of the matter is, like, you need to do that.
Drew Beech:You need
Joey Rosen:to question yourself. You need to question what you're doing and
Dr. JJ Thomas:Come out on the other side.
Joey Rosen:You double down
Dr. JJ Thomas:on it. You know? Exactly.
Drew Beech:I wanted to ask a follow-up question just because I know I said it seems like like a party over there at Primal Physical Therapy on a daily basis. And that's a part of the problem of social media nowadays is that we only post our highlight reels and and good things in our life. Yeah. And, I like to ask entrepreneurs and people that have accomplished great things in life, like, was there a period in time in the journey of coming up as building your brand and your personal brand and becoming a great physical therapist that teaches other physical therapists how to do the job well? Where it was, like, really hard.
Drew Beech:And you were like because I'm trying to show the world and our our community that, like, there's gonna there's gonna be dark times Yeah. And you have to be willing to overcome them. And and that's question. A good part of a big part of entrepreneurship.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. Really good question. I'll say, there's I feel like there's 2 different things I can unpack there. 1, in terms of was there a time when it was hard to to make it? I think part of so also during COVID so when I graduated PT school, all of our, degrees were master's degrees.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And then sometime after that they became doctor like their standard to be doctorate degrees now. And when that happened, when they became standard so when PTs were coming out as doctors of physical therapy, I was already, like, really into the dry needling education. Sure. So and I was also doing legislative work for dry needling across the country. Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So I was really busy with that. Couldn't get my doctorate at that point. Plus, I had kids. You know? Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So event so when COVID happened, I was like, you know what? I'm gonna go back and get my doctorate right now. I'm gonna get my doctorate. I'm gonna finish I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna continue to grow my business. I'm gonna, you know, I
Joey Rosen:know this I know
Dr. JJ Thomas:this all happened. Yeah.
Drew Beech:Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So Yeah.
Joey Rosen:Really true.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So it was a great idea, and I'm glad I did it. But the struggle was, like, getting I really was getting up at 4:30 every morning to, you know, work out and get all my my reading in for for my education. And it was really the grind. Like, so and when I but again, like
Drew Beech:Later in life too, which you're not expecting. Right? Like
Dr. JJ Thomas:I mean but I I've always loved to grow. Like, I don't mind the hard work. I think you mentioned something earlier. I think it's actually harder on those around us sometimes. Like, I'm really good at getting my head down and being like, let's go.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I'm gonna just alarm goes off. Let's get up. Let's go. I'm mission driven. And but sometimes it's our families that, like, I think there were times where my husband and kids were like, oh my god.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Mom, you're still on the computer.
Joey Rosen:Or Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:You know? So I think that was hard. There were times during that where I was like, is this am I doing the right thing? You know? But, but again, I just saw how we were able to help people.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Sure. And so it was worth it. I guess that's really actually, I guess that's both that's both things I wanted to unpack.
Joey Rosen:The you you I think you're about to say I love a good grind.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I do.
Joey Rosen:And, boy, so do I.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I do. So do I.
Drew Beech:Love a
Dr. JJ Thomas:good grind.
Joey Rosen:But but how hard is the grind? This is one of the things that I don't I think it doesn't get talked about enough in this. I admire what you're doing by trying to I don't know if normalize is the right word, but, like, show that side of entrepreneurship because I I am not good at it. Yeah. And I've totally
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like the struggle, you mean? Or why?
Joey Rosen:I'm not good at being vocal about the struggle Yes. Like the dark times because I feel as though and this is something that, you know, I probably just need to work through and understand a little more. But, like, I feel like it's not anybody else's burden to bear.
Dr. JJ Thomas:100%.
Joey Rosen:But how am I gonna Yes. Like, if I'm going to sit and bitch about a a path that I chose
Drew Beech:Yes.
Joey Rosen:To people that are trying to do the same thing, I'm I'm kind of, like, bringing them down.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I'm like,
Joey Rosen:oh, wait. Don't don't go here because there's flames and smoke. Yeah. It's like but so I'm trying to find that balance. So I I I appreciate what you're trying
Drew Beech:to do.
Drew Beech:Yeah. They're great on entrepreneurship on Instagram is looks
Joey Rosen:like the coolest fucking thing you'll ever see. Yeah. I know.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I know. The other thing though, but what you just said, I I I see that in myself, but I think that also for me comes from, I don't wallow in the hard. Yes. Like, I'm it's easy for me to forget it. Yes.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It's easy for me to move past it because I just see it as a stepping stone. Like, I'm like, this is hard now. That's why the grind is easy because I'm like, I'm gonna grind through this and I'm gonna get on the other side. I'm gonna be happy. I'm gonna finally be up there with Joey and Drew.
Joey Rosen:That's great. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:You know what I mean? So it's not It's a great point. I I had to I have to think hard about the struggle because for me it's not always a struggle even when it is a struggle. Yes.
Drew Beech:Do you
Dr. JJ Thomas:know what I'm saying?
Joey Rosen:No. I get it. I get it a 1000%. Like, I feel like I need to actually, I'm I'm great at sitting in the sock, like, that's that's the grind. Right?
Joey Rosen:But I feel like I have to sit in it a different way
Drew Beech:Uh-huh.
Joey Rosen:To be able to articulate it to other people. And for me right now, that's just too much too long of a sit for me. Like, I need to keep going. You know what I mean? Like, I need
Dr. JJ Thomas:to keep going. Like, I've I think I'm also afraid if I wallow in the sock It'll then I right.
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:He's scared because he's
Joey Rosen:scared too long into the dark abyss, you become the darkness.
Dr. JJ Thomas:To be honest, this is the first time I talked in public about my mom's accident.
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Because we're I feel like we're through it now. Like, I feel like I feel like she's on the other end of it. But when I was still stressing about it, I wouldn't have I wouldn't have brought that.
Joey Rosen:Yep. It's
Drew Beech:also as entrepreneurs and and one of the few, like, we grow too. Like, we've been through even hard times as a business recently. And I've told my wife, I was like, man, like, this could be the hardest thing we've ever had to go through. And I feel better now than I ever did. Like, I'm not even trust at all.
Drew Beech:Like, it is with it. Like, we're
Joey Rosen:just gonna
Drew Beech:we're we're
Drew Beech:just gonna fucking figure it out. So I didn't put another coin in the first one.
Joey Rosen:Dude, we're putting twenties. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's it. That's it.
Drew Beech:I might
Joey Rosen:as well get the name of the swear jar out now because I'm not gonna be able to do it on the episode. It's called the fuck it bucket. And it's literally right there. It's a stainless steel bucket.
Drew Beech:It's called
Dr. JJ Thomas:the fucking bucket.
Joey Rosen:And I'm gonna put 20 in it.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I love it.
Joey Rosen:And every time I close,
Drew Beech:I
Joey Rosen:have to, man. It's look. All in.
Dr. JJ Thomas:All in.
Joey Rosen:All in. I'm putting twenties in it, and the twenties go to consequence of it.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I love it. Love that. That's great.
Drew Beech:Love that for us.
Joey Rosen:Donations. And I haven't even told Josh about
Drew Beech:that. Oh.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's great.
Joey Rosen:We might we might, like, level up consequence of habit. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:They don't need me on the road.
Joey Rosen:They just need
Dr. JJ Thomas:my I know.
Joey Rosen:They need my, my twenties from the fucking population.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Pete, that's such a good name. I just wanna say it now. Yeah.
Joey Rosen:I Fuck it. Fuck it.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Fuck it.
Joey Rosen:Fuck it. Fuck it. That's part of the thing here. That's part of the thing. So there's gotta be a little temptation involved too.
Joey Rosen:You know what I'm saying? Make the work harder.
Dr. JJ Thomas:He's so good.
Joey Rosen:But you you talk about the grind and, like, loving a good grind. And I think one of the hardest parts about entrepreneurship is when you're in that grind Mhmm. And there's no progress.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Joey Rosen:Like, the grind isn't like, oh, well, it's like a week of staying up late. Like, the grind could be a very long time. Months, years. And you have to get up every day and do the same exact thing Mhmm. Over and over again until you see just a just a shred Mhmm.
Joey Rosen:Of progress. But then it starts to compound. Yes. Right? It does.
Joey Rosen:But during that grind, that's the one thing I don't think it's solved bad enough.
Drew Beech:You're right. You know what I mean?
Joey Rosen:And everybody's looking for progress doing it, and sometimes there is none.
Dr. JJ Thomas:There's so much
Joey Rosen:is you getting more consistent doing the same thing over and over again until you see the progress.
Drew Beech:It's so crazy for us as a business to even speak about it too because the 1st 3 years, Joey and I did the same thing we do today almost. Like, every single day with another job
Dr. JJ Thomas:So fun.
Drew Beech:And with absolutely no sales coming in. So fun. We were we were literally working 2 full time jobs, and there was no no success we had. And we had a serious conversation one time that we've told before, but we were like, we're gonna have to do this or die trying.
Joey Rosen:And that's when we thing. Die trying That's it. Is my thing.
Drew Beech:And we we we were like he said that to me.
Joey Rosen:And I
Dr. JJ Thomas:was like, alright.
Drew Beech:I'm in. Well, let's go.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Let's go. And we
Drew Beech:buckle up. And we committed
Drew Beech:as we committed, got locked in our houses for 2 years, and and we fit. And then the then the sales started coming.
Dr. JJ Thomas:The thing you say about, like, continuing with and being consistent for, like, a shred of of of evidence of improvement.
Joey Rosen:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's also, like like I said earlier, there's so many parallels to just life and and what we do in rehab too. Rehab, like, therapy.
Drew Beech:Mhmm. The
Dr. JJ Thomas:same thing happens with our patients. Like, I have to help them find the celebrations in their progress sometimes. Mhmm. Because sometimes they've been, you know, quote, grinding so much with an injury. Yep.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And you're like and if they're not sure, they need to know. They need to see that. Like, okay. But now you were able to sit an hour and a half before your symptoms came on rather than a half hour? Sure.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's amazing. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, those little things as an entrepreneur, it'll help it'll help.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Showing showing them the milestones, you know. Yeah. I mean, showing them what they're crossing. Yep.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Yep. Yeah. We gotta
Drew Beech:smell roses more for ourselves. It's it's always our challenge. We just always
Joey Rosen:That's been a that's been a a challenge for sure. There's no there's a reason why roses show up in the fuel hunt designs often, you know. It's a pain and power thing
Drew Beech:but it's just a pain. About them.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's cool. I like it.
Drew Beech:Pretty
Joey Rosen:much. Pretty much.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I love the depth to the designs, I gotta say.
Joey Rosen:You're, you are on EOS now? Yeah. Yes. Right? With Brian.
Joey Rosen:Right?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:Okay. So you're probably not as far along as we are.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I told you I'm at the bottom of the hill.
Joey Rosen:Oh my. Are you with the have you you haven't had an ad boy?
Dr. JJ Thomas:We had b b 1. No. Oh, okay. Just having
Drew Beech:a minute.
Dr. JJ Thomas:For b b 2 in a couple weeks.
Joey Rosen:Okay. So there will be a point in time where, Brian, I think during the annual where he challenges each, member of your team
Drew Beech:Uh-huh.
Joey Rosen:To basically come up with a way you could be better.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Oh, wow.
Joey Rosen:And it it's it's interesting. Yeah. It's an interesting time. So
Drew Beech:being transparent. There was a a a hard year for us where Joe was, like, showing up to the office, and he was in, like, attack mode, you call it?
Joey Rosen:Yeah. So I
Drew Beech:He was just like I'm like, that that's that whether it stands
Joey Rosen:for sorry. So that's one thing that I had this conversation with somebody last week. So, community member that came in for power hour, like, I'm I'm very intense. Yeah. Like, it's very intense, and I don't think a lot of people intense in a way where I can be very, like, sit down, shut the fuck up, let's go.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. Like, very and not a lot of people see that. In the 1st year full
Drew Beech:time,
Joey Rosen:I had not figured out how to meter that yet with a new team even though it was my family. And I was like I was like a barbarian,
Drew Beech:basically. Yeah.
Drew Beech:We were shocked. I was like, what the
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:I was a barbarian.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's hilarious. I think that you and I are kindred spirits, actually. You wouldn't know it by my, like, big smile and but, yeah. Yeah. I think sometimes I come off a little hard on people.
Joey Rosen:So when, Brian will bring you to a point where, you will have to come up with that type of thing for all of your teammates. That's awesome. You will have to accept your own, and mine was to smell the roses more.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's awesome.
Joey Rosen:Because it's just something that
Dr. JJ Thomas:I might as well buy some fucking roses right now.
Drew Beech:Yeah. I know.
Joey Rosen:I know. More roses coming on the apparel. Don't worry.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It's funny.
Joey Rosen:Any other questions? You you you are coming with hard hitting questions today? No.
Drew Beech:No.
Joey Rosen:We'll talk about, quickly. I know we touched on it earlier, but that collaboration project that we did. Right? For your apparel. We had done some projects before that mainly with, like, I think CrossFit boxes
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Joey Rosen:Where they were coming to us and they were saying, hey. Look. Like, we love you, Will Hunt. You know, it's Yeah. The most comfortable gear to get uncomfortable in.
Joey Rosen:Luck team. Could you just put our box logo on the sleeve? Like, let's do that.
Drew Beech:In a different color.
Joey Rosen:In a different color way or something. So they were pretty straightforward for the community. But the project that we worked on together for primal was the first time that I really felt it was a from the ground up project.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Joey Rosen:And I really felt that it was the first time that, like, 2 communities
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Joey Rosen:Fused together and 2 community members or 3 community members, like, actually fuse together to create something really great.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. That was incredible. In fact, I'm glad you brought that up because I think that is like, the minute I talked to you guys on the phone and I could feel your energies, I was I was confirmed that everything I thought the company would be was. Mhmm.
Drew Beech:But
Dr. JJ Thomas:then when you and I had that conversation, brains we were like, we got on a call just to brainstorm Mhmm. What it was gonna look like.
Joey Rosen:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And you were so it was very clear that your purpose was really, really pretty selfless. Like, that your purpose was really to help others produce things that have that follow the same mission. Because I remember feeling very shy about the fact that, oh, I left this out. In in when I first started my company, the when I first started primal physical therapy, my sort of my target market, if you will, was really only people that wanted to get really wanted to get better. Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like, I wasn't gonna I don't want this to sound callous but I could smell some roses, but I didn't wanna waste my time Yep. On or anyone's time on people that weren't gonna be committed. Yep. I wanted and so the the concept of the few. Yeah.
Drew Beech:It's a small target market. Right? It is.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Well, it's bigger. It's getting bigger. Yeah. Yeah. But, but at the time, it probably was fairly small.
Dr. JJ Thomas:But it was like, look, I'm gonna show people what I am transparently and if they're on with that, great. And so I knew that it was sort of the few.
Drew Beech:K.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And so when when you and I were talking, I think it came to me on the phone but I was like almost embarrassed to say to you like, what about like I would love to say something like defending the few. And I felt when I said it like, I feel like that's their motto. Can I say that? You know, this whole, you know Sure. Crazy thing was going on in my brain.
Dr. JJ Thomas:You were like, I love that. That's amazing. Let's do it. And then not only that, but at the time, you were working on the hard hands and hard work.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And you were like, I've got this image that I kind of like have been conjuring up and maybe we could do that. And then and I was like, I really like that. We decided not to do it, but then when that shirt came out, I was like, that's so cool. Like, he was gonna give me something he was already working on. Like
Joey Rosen:I had I felt your heart on that call, and I was like, this just fits.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That was so cool.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. But I
Dr. JJ Thomas:I just I had to go back to that because I remember I never I don't think I ever reached out when I saw that shirt come out, and I'm like, he was already like, that thing was basically drafted.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. I remember sketching it. I was
Dr. JJ Thomas:actually on a train, right, or something or a bus plane.
Joey Rosen:Plane. DMV. Trains. Yeah. I was going out to see bedrooms.
Joey Rosen:And I remember sketching it, and there was a girl sitting next to me who actually ended up following fuel hunt. So she's in and out, but because she saw me sketching it. And it was it was the heart similar to the one from hard hands and hard work. I point over there because it's over there on a board, on a, you know, big, what would you call it? One of these.
Drew Beech:Backdrop.
Joey Rosen:Backdrop. Yeah. Backdrop. Thank you. It was the it was the heart.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. But then I believe that I had more, like, there was, like, vines and
Drew Beech:things around it.
Dr. JJ Thomas:About the nervous system being The nervous system and all the stuff.
Drew Beech:How to wet. Yeah. Yeah.
Joey Rosen:It was dope. But it was a little I think it was a little too intricate. Yeah. And then, your idea and your vision for it, of course, I was, like, a a 1000% on on board. I'm like, this is amazing.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It was amazing.
Drew Beech:Was the wolf J. J. Idea? Yes. Why the wolf?
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Just I think because we're pack. Yeah. Pack. I just, yeah.
Drew Beech:The primal
Joey Rosen:nature of it. We were definitely looking for an animal.
Dr. JJ Thomas:We were looking for an animal.
Joey Rosen:We were looking for an animal. Yeah. So that heart peeled off out of those original concepts Yeah. And then became
Drew Beech:I was gonna say I do I'm glad we've been with the the wolf and the fighting of the few because I've when I think of primal, I don't that hard hand, the hard work image, does it?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. Well, I think that's what happened. I think I loved the the cut the words behind defending the few. Mhmm. And the heart, while I love the image, I was like, I feel like I want something to to reflect like, something to reflect Defending the Few.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Drew Beech:And I
Dr. JJ Thomas:was like, a wolf is gonna do that.
Joey Rosen:A wolf on
Drew Beech:a stalk. Yeah. It's so funny when I hear your business name. I the do you use the wolf as your low your main logo now? It's like, okay.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. It's awesome.
Joey Rosen:All I can hear is my is me saying woof and you two saying woof. And there it's different. And I at home, like, my family wrecks on me for
Drew Beech:it
Joey Rosen:because It's like
Dr. JJ Thomas:Wolf. I think it sounds great.
Joey Rosen:Wolf. There's no l. I know. So it's like
Dr. JJ Thomas:But I didn't notice. Yeah. I didn't notice.
Joey Rosen:I said, we
Dr. JJ Thomas:love you anyway.
Drew Beech:Down the Philly's on the Philly accent.
Joey Rosen:It is. And I've, like, I've tried to really navigate, like, my Philly. But you know what? Now Yeah. Where's the bucket at?
Dr. JJ Thomas:I know.
Drew Beech:I know
Joey Rosen:you're Now I'm like, fuck it.
Drew Beech:Are you from Philadelphia or the surrounding area?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Originally from really born in Delaware.
Drew Beech:Okay. Del like Delco?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Not Delco. Delaware. Okay. Yeah. The first Family's from New York.
Joey Rosen:The first okay.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And then but I was born and raised in Delaware, and we moved up here, like, 14 years ago.
Drew Beech:Okay.
Drew Beech:To the surrounding area?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
Drew Beech:Yeah. Very cool. Yeah.
Joey Rosen:So I wanted to to touch on that defending the few. And we we touched a little bit on you working with so many, fuel hunt community members. You know? Which some of which you're working with before Mhmm. Probably fuel hunt was
Dr. JJ Thomas:Gosh. I don't even know, to be honest. I don't think. But it all just kinda happened together.
Joey Rosen:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:We all found each other.
Joey Rosen:It's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing. So you have, you have some some new stuff going on. Yeah. Right?
Joey Rosen:So you have your own show Mhmm. Which is epic. Right?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Thank you. I'm having fun with it.
Joey Rosen:You're working with b.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Working with a.
Joey Rosen:With Vagos. Right?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Did the domination year. We're actually coming up on the end of the year, but we've accomplished a ton. March, that was our last call.
Drew Beech:Quick.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That was fast, wasn't it?
Joey Rosen:I would say so. I would say you've accomplished a ton.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. I
Joey Rosen:would say so. Just from, like, an outside perspective, and I know that's probably only a fraction of what's going on behind the scenes. Yeah.
Drew Beech:He's just another level of human being
Dr. JJ Thomas:and Totally.
Drew Beech:And business mind and entrepreneurs. I mean
Dr. JJ Thomas:I feel like I liken him to like, when I now no one's gonna wanna walk in front of me. It's true. My family doesn't like to walk in front of me. But, like, when I watch somebody walk down the street, I can pretty much usually pick something up. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And, like, I feel like, B, I you say, like, 5 words about your business, and he's like, here's what you gotta do. I'm like, okay. Yeah. Here we go.
Joey Rosen:Yep. Yeah. He'll do rapid fire q and a's, you know, on his show or even if he speaks in Rise, rapid fire q and a's. And he's just he's like an Oracle. Yeah.
Joey Rosen:I call him a Sherpa on the,
Drew Beech:previous day of
Joey Rosen:the show. So, like, I'm coming up with all sorts of creative ways to describe
Dr. JJ Thomas:the genius. Yeah.
Joey Rosen:The genius Oracle's great. The genius and the generosity that has been
Drew Beech:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:You know? He's pretty awesome.
Joey Rosen:He's he's definitely awesome. So tell us a little bit about, before we tie up here, tell us a little bit about, what you got going on us.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Thank you.
Joey Rosen:That's out of your show. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Alright. So so really out of the out of the the realization that we need more more PTs that are doing things well. You know, not accepting mediocre anymore. Getting patients really what they deserve above average. We started primal university which is really just a series of 3 courses.
Dr. JJ Thomas:But they the courses are integral to teach to teaching therapists how to treat the body as a system. Like one of my biggest things is we're we're we're really a system. We're we're the whole. We're not the sum of its parts. Like too often what I kept seeing patients were coming to me from other places and in those places defense in a lot of structures of physical therapy, they're not really set up.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Their infrastructure isn't set up to spend the time with patients to really do a whole body approach.
Drew Beech:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:But patients were coming to me and the reason they didn't get better is because people had this like tunnel vision and they would only look at whatever body part they were complaining about and then they couldn't get people better that way. And so primal foundations is our first course and it it really integrates a systematic approach to, to treating the body as a as a whole as a whole system. And so teaching them evaluative skills and application text techniques to get them to really get them better. And then from that we go into more detail in the in the success of courses. So that's really the big thing.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And then and then I'm using the podcast as an avenue also to level up therapists education and exposure to other great, like, for therapists who wanna go into cash based practice on their own. So primal physical therapy is a, out of network, physical therapy office. Meaning patients pay at the time of service and then they can get reimbursed for out of network, coverage on their own. So other therapists that wanna do that I'm bringing in, you you know, a lot of my speakers are people that can help them, in in those ways. Either business like these guys are coming on my show in a couple weeks.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And so I think it'll be really cool to hear the entrepreneurial side of your company and how you grew that because as a physical therapist growing a cash based practice, you also have to think of those things. Whereas most PTs, you know, have just been focused on the clinical side of things.
Drew Beech:Yep.
Dr. JJ Thomas:But the podcast also has clinical corners and episodes circled around leveling up their clinical skills as well. Okay.
Drew Beech:So
Joey Rosen:As like a compliment to the university or a a lead in maybe to
Dr. JJ Thomas:the university. Yeah. I realize people need to understand what I do is definitely out of the box for a lot of therapists. To me, it makes it makes
Drew Beech:complete sense to me.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It doesn't feel out of the box to me. But Sure. When I explain it to people, they're they're usually look at me like this at first.
Joey Rosen:We know that's not.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Second. You know what I mean? And, and so I'm putting more and more content on there, and and that's been great. Like, watching, I feel like therapists have really they're starting to get it. I'm getting a lot of great feedback with that and seeing more, more interest in the courses.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So
Drew Beech:Excellent. Yeah. You're doing a a good thing too because I cannot imagine how hard it is to start a cash based practice. Right? Like, how many people want to come and pay for physical therapy out of pocket when, like, it really is what they need.
Drew Beech:They just don't know it. Right? To the to the average person, they wouldn't understand. Like, I understand or Joe understand. Mhmm.
Drew Beech:Because we we do research into that holistic body approach Yeah. Rather than the give me the this medicine. So
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. It ends up being I think well, my niche is really, like, help therapists be freaking awesome. Mhmm. And then the business model falls from that. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Because it doesn't, like, it there are other cash based practice, like, entrepreneurs that will help a physical therapist. Like, here's how you send your emails and here how you do this. And really that's not my niche. My niche is like, I'm gonna make you an amazing therapist and you're gonna I'm gonna help you get people better so fast that the word is just gonna spread.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. And your your business will benefit from that.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Exactly. Yeah. So that's Makes sense.
Drew Beech:Yeah. There's no there's no better marketing than a good product. Like That's right. If you're if you're providing solutions to problems, then the the customers will come. Absolutely.
Joey Rosen:And when we come for your show, you're going to provide us solutions for our problems so that we can, you know, continue our journey on the mats. Mhmm.
Drew Beech:Yeah. Mhmm. I got my knees to my chest better when I'm in bottom side control side mount. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Let's go.
Joey Rosen:And the clicking. Yeah. You're gonna address my click.
Dr. JJ Thomas:I can't wait. We'll put the mics on.
Drew Beech:Like a
Drew Beech:crunchiness too.
Drew Beech:Like, right here. Is
Drew Beech:that arthritis?
Joey Rosen:Like, it was like Crunchiness, man. Crunchiness is that sounds like
Drew Beech:that's No. It's it's not good.
Joey Rosen:That's next level clicking. Yeah. Yeah. Crunchy.
Dr. JJ Thomas:We'll look at the crunching.
Joey Rosen:In in, in all seriousness, we will. But, in all seriousness, thank you so much for coming in today. Not just that, but for literally believing in us in us from damn near day 1. You know, everything we do and spreading the good word of the rules of the few.
Dr. JJ Thomas:You guys.
Joey Rosen:You know? And, we will we will always have your back as you defend a few. Mhmm. Always. And, we're excited to see you in 2 weeks.
Drew Beech:Oh, yeah.
Joey Rosen:Yeah. For your show.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Me too. Thank you so much. Thank you for what you guys
Joey Rosen:do. The
Dr. JJ Thomas:world is definitely a better place because you guys did this.
Joey Rosen:That's the goal.
Drew Beech:Mhmm. That's the goal. Change the world one hard work at a time.
Joey Rosen:That's right. That's right. I think you you wanna sign off after that?
Drew Beech:I think
Joey Rosen:you sign off. I think you sign
Drew Beech:off. After
Joey Rosen:that, you sign off.
Drew Beech:Thank you to JJ and my cousin cofounder Joey. Remember, always choose hard work over handouts. Always choose effort over entitlement. And remember, no one owes you. No one owns you.
Drew Beech:You're one of the few.
Joey Rosen:Let's hunt. Let's hunt. Let's get it. Let's hunt. This is like a this is this cross thing is like the way this is how this is how I go.