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Hacking Your Health
Hacking Your Health Podcast with Ben Canning and Dave Kennedy - Two guys setting out to hack body, mind, business and beyond. We are here to provide a single source, bullshit free guide to understanding your body and how you can live better, for longer.
Hacking Your Health
My lifestyle was KILLING ME so I made a huge change // Thomas - Digital Interactions 015
What if the key to unlocking a vibrant life lies within a simple shift in mindset? Our guest, Thomas, shares his incredible story of transformation, rising from the depths of despair to embracing a renewed sense of purpose and vitality. Thomas takes us back to a time when health issues and a bleak outlook clouded his life before December 2022, and how hitting rock bottom became the pivotal moment that sparked a profound change. His journey of personal growth has led to improved health, strengthened relationships, and a newfound excitement for the future, all fueled by the power of inner work and self-discovery.
Thomas opens up about his battle with imposter syndrome and the quest to find his true self. Through candid reflection and vulnerability, he has shifted from a place of insecurity to becoming more intentional and assured in his roles as a husband, father, and friend. This episode highlights the transformative impact of inward reflection and the challenges of facing uncomfortable questions. Thomas’s journey has even inspired his partner to embark on her own path of change, emphasizing the importance of seeking guidance and support for personal development. We explore the ripple effect of personal growth on relationships and community and the joy of living authentically to inspire others.
From overcoming gym anxiety to breaking self-imposed limits, Thomas shares how a fitness journey has empowered him to push boundaries and explore new goals. Building a home gym and experiences like a Colorado lifting camp unveiled hidden strength, shifting his mindset and fostering a love for the fitness community. The excitement of potentially becoming a trainer and guiding others on their journeys captures the essence of perseverance and the joy of helping others succeed. By embracing a proactive approach to life and understanding the broader impact of self-improvement, Thomas has not only transformed his life but also inspired those around him to pursue their own paths of growth.
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Yo Right, welcome back to the podcast. We're here, it's Digital Interactions. I'm joined with Thomas and we're in Vegas.
Speaker 2:Not okay.
Speaker 1:Why not? I don't know, man, why are you keeping from moving further away?
Speaker 2:I thought about taking a cab to Defcon and being like fuck it, I'm out why is this worse than speaking in the?
Speaker 1:it's like the same before we came here, I thought there would be quite a few people that I would like to do these with in person, because I feel like it gives a different dynamic of the conversation. Plus, I don't have my notes from the screen, so we're just going to absolutely fuck on with it. Sweet, as always. I think the best place to start.
Speaker 1:We're about 80 weeks in ish give or take yeah um, you also didn't do your check-in this week, so we'll not get into that. Um, I think the best place to start is you before. We had that initial call, so I think it was december 2022 is that right?
Speaker 2:yeah, um, so talk to me about, like thomas, before then, where you were up yeah, uh dark place, so I've talked about it before but um essentially unhealthy way overweight, most weight I've ever been, uh, medical problems galore, um pre-diabetic and feeling like absolute shit all the time, mentally not there, partying every weekend, multiple times during the week, lots of drinking, not eating right, etc. Uh, just all around shit show. Um trying to be better but didn't know how, and every time I was trying to start I would hurt myself and it was kind of starting over again and again and again and got to a point where it just I realized that I needed help, which was humbling in itself and reached out to you okay, we had this, this conversation and I will tag a little bit of this because jen's episode will come before yours um, we sort of spoke about the.
Speaker 1:You almost have to hit that point of like essentially nothing else to lose, like rock bottom, and I think the initial conversation that we had, like you were there- yeah and 100.
Speaker 2:I felt like I was gonna die. Well, you were told, yeah, yeah, like it would not be long, and so yeah, you would die.
Speaker 1:So that was the easy to laugh about it now, but not funny at the time, sort of thing. What did it feel like being told that?
Speaker 2:Terrifying. It was a wake-up call because, realizing I wasn't going to be there for kids and potentially, hopefully one day, grandkids um yeah, that sucked. Or being there for jenny and just moving forward like it just sucked. So it was time to make a fucking change yeah, uh, but it also felt hopeless because I was like I don't know how to not do what I'm doing, like it just I didn't know any other way. Okay.
Speaker 1:So all in all, pretty shit situation.
Speaker 2:Yeah 100%.
Speaker 1:So talk to me about now, Right now. Maybe not right this second, because I know how you feel, but like, how do you feel day to day now? Like what is the difference between you?
Speaker 2:now versus then, it's not even comparable. It's night and day. It's different worlds Different. I can't even comprehend. All the health problems I've had are gone. Weight is better. I feel better about myself, mental capacity is much stronger. Future is much brighter. My relationships with Jenny and the kids are stronger than ever before, um, and continue to get stronger. Uh, it's just yeah. I couldn't even fathom being where I am today. Back then, like it wasn't even a possibility, I didn't even know that that horizon was there or that potential was there. Back then it was.
Speaker 2:I just want to not die and pretty good and that was pretty much the end of my thought. Over the past year and a half it's been oh shit, I'm not just unhealthy, but my mindset's all fucked up and I I don't have the capacity for this. I need to do a lot of inner work. It's not just the physical stuff, um. So yeah, doing more than I ever thought I could, uh realizing I have a lot more potential than I thought I had. So that that was all. Yeah, it's just unreal.
Speaker 1:We, uh we joked in Atlanta about how you came to me with one problem and then realized you had infinite other problems that needed solved, and we'll talk about that in a second. But you just mentioned, like you know, december that year, just before, like you felt hopeless. How does it feel to know that everything that you've done, to be in the position you are now? What does it feel like to have accomplished that?
Speaker 2:That part feels incredible. I still feel like I have a long road ahead, but it's like, oh, I now see steps and I see the future there, whereas I guess before there wasn't a future, like it was just bleak. Um, the other thing is looking around, knowing what I know now and looking backwards it's like, oh, I didn't know all these things that have enabled me to get to where I'm at. Um, I look around at friends, family and just people on the street. I'm just like man. I wish I could grab a hold of them and be like here's the answer Like you can do this. If I can do it, you can do it Like genuinely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, fair, you mentioned that in the position you're in now, you feel like there's a long road ahead. 80 weeks ago, all you were trying to do is wake up the next day and not die. Yeah, so how does it feel to even be able to have that horizon of like, knowing that there's so much more out there?
Speaker 2:it's a good question, it's I would I want to say freeing like it's exciting, like it's it's just like it's exciting, like it's it's just happy like all right, cool, what else can I do?
Speaker 1:how far can I push this? How far can we go? I think that's the cool thing. It's like you, the more that you do and the more they realize you can do, the more that you then see is available. Do you mean like if I had to say, if I had to be not a nice little call and I had to say you know, in a year's time you're going to be like this and blah, blah, blah? You know, like I can't even, I can't even imagine, yeah, what that's like.
Speaker 1:But now you know, like as we go through the journey, like what is actually, you know what's out there, like what you can do, what, you can achieve what you're capable of and, like you said, it's it's, it's a lot, it's freeing in terms of, like I can fucking do whatever I want, but there's so many conversations about this before, but it's also like what the fuck?
Speaker 2:yeah, that is absolutely and that was more of the mindset stuff of what do I want to do? Like who?
Speaker 1:who am I insert what, the uh zoolander, who am I gift from the fucking, but I think that that's that's an important topic to talk on. So we spoke in atlanta three some weeks ago and you literally like we had that, yeah, my side and you were like, yeah, so you december that year, like how would you have described yourself like who were you then versus who you are now? If I say like, describe yourself then, what were you?
Speaker 2:or who? Were you all negative? Okay, just fat guy likes to drink a lot. My dad, husband, hacker, mediocre, I wouldn't even have said that. No, no, like that's my job. But I, I still have it. But the imposter syndrome to the point that it's like I can't be that I'm not that, I just like to play on keyboard like this guy on a computer. Yeah, right, like that that's my response. Um, no confidence in what I was doing, where I was going, where I was headed. Uh, even like the they say once marine, always marine, it's a big marine corps thing. Um, even though I felt like I can't even say that anymore because I'm not upholding the marine ideal, like the title, the standards, yeah, the standards, like I've given that up, so it's just, it's like who am I?
Speaker 1:I don't know are you trying to figure out who you are also? This guy here, you know yeah, still, still trying to work it out, getting better. It's like when will we find out who we really are?
Speaker 2:I guess, more intentional, a lot more confident in who I am as far as a husband, a father, a friend, finding out what I want to do, what I want to be, how I want to help, what I want to leave behind, that sort of thing. So that's where I'm still working on.
Speaker 1:I will, and obviously I've seen the journey and correct, correct me if I'm wrong here. But if I had asked you that question even a year ago, you'd have just shut the conversation down. Yeah, like you just would and and I've seen it progress over time. It's like if I, if I asked you an awkward question, you'd just like give me some fucking palm off answer and I'll have to go to the next person. All right, okay, on the next person, but you've intentionally challenged yourself to maybe not answer but at least like explore those questions and like actually trying to work the fucking answers right, because that, yes, I think we can both agree. Like managing your food is easy, lifting weights, if you enjoy, it is easy. Yeah, the fucking other shit is the real difficult shit.
Speaker 2:Yeah which I didn't even know was the thing, didn't even know I didn't even know I had that problem.
Speaker 1:Sign up now you get more problems than you thought you had.
Speaker 2:But yes, yeah, no 100%. I think that's accurate, it was. I would joke, and especially self-deprecating jokes of you know, nah, whatever, just joke it off and move on to the next. I don't want to talk about uncomfortable questions, I don't. I don't even know how to explore those questions and I think, with the work with kira and just really inward thinking um reflection, it's like starting to actually explore those, still not answering all of them, but getting there, getting closer yeah, I noticed as well.
Speaker 1:Obviously, like I said, we were there, um, at your work event a couple of weeks ago and people comment complimenting you. You're much better at even taking the compliments now than you would have been before you're like. You say thanks instead of like just dismiss the fucking conversation.
Speaker 2:It's really uncomfortable so yeah, yeah, yeah, 100. Uh, I've worked really hard to go from self-deprecation like oh no, everybody's like that, I'm not special yeah to like oh yeah, I have done something, um, I can be proud of that, yeah, and I think that's where I'm saying like thank you, you know, because you're recognizing the work that I've put in yeah, not just someone says you know either good, you know fucking happy birthday, awkward as fuck, and then walk off.
Speaker 1:So so obviously a couple of months into your journey I don't know how to call the gen and she signed up. How does it feel to have been a person who has been able to motivate and inspire her to make the change that she has?
Speaker 2:that was so I started with you and I got pretty serious. A few weeks after I started started really eating for myself, making different meals, really focusing, and she started seeing the impact and she started asking questions like well, how much calories should I eat? I don't know, I know a guy. Well, how much protein protein should I eat? I don't know. I know a guy. And it went like this for a month, month and a half, two months even, of just like I don't know these answers, like I'm learning myself, but I know a guy, uh, and eventually she kind of, I think, got to the same point that I got to, as far as realizing she needed the help and I wasn't able to give it to her. So she reached out.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, so how does it feel to have been the person that has been?
Speaker 2:that was your actual question.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because because I think the biggest piece of this is you couldn't have went to her and say I'm doing this thing. You should do it too, especially in a fucking relationship like that one thousand. So the the biggest influence or the biggest motivation you can have on other people is just you doing the shit by yourself.
Speaker 1:And we know like beyond jenny, there's been infinite amounts of people that you've seen, the people around you and whatever, and fine yeah but to have that person who is as close to you as she is, to be able to have that impact on her, just by doing this stuff for yourself so with her it was different.
Speaker 2:um, it was kind of scary. It is kind of scary, uh, in a lot of ways, but it's also like motivating, exciting, um, I guess initially when she started it was like, oh cool, I have a partner in this, we can do it together. And then she also realized she had other problems as well that she's working on, and part of that's like self-identity and realizing where each other's were codependent on each other or were, and kind of breaking that up, not in a sense of like separating our relationship, but figuring out who we are on ourselves on our own, so that we can come back together in these podcasts.
Speaker 1:Separately and not together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 100 which is is valid. Um, that part is challenging, scary, because because we're growing, we're high school sweethearts, we've grown together for 20 years and now it's like we're growing separately but also together. So it's kind of a new journey, interesting, exciting, bright future, but challenging all the same. So with her it's a lot, but challenging all the same. So with her it's a lot of mixed emotions across the board. With other people, um, my uncle and a few others that reached out and actually asked for help or guidance or want to work out together. Um, people in the group that have made comments. You know, hey, I I'm motivated by you and it's like. You know, hey, I I'm motivated by you and it's like shit, that's fucking crazy. Um, I'm just get just a guy uh, doing a thing, I guess, but now I want to try harder and push harder to to do better for them, which so it's more motivating.
Speaker 1:Um, and also humbling to to be in a position where I guess people are looking up in a sense I think, if you think back, like it wasn't that long ago, do you mean 80 in the grand scheme of things? You know, 80 weeks a year and a half, whatever it is, yeah, isn't that fucking long so if you think about the position of you.
Speaker 1:You didn't know anything. You had tried. You kept, I imagine, going back to what you used to do whenever you're in the means, and that's why you kept fucking yourself up. So, like relearning what you needed to do for you now to now being in a position that people are coming to me like, well, whatever you're doing, I want to do that too. Yeah, so it's not a huge amount of time to to see that change no, it's bizarre and I don't.
Speaker 2:At first I was thinking it was physical, like, oh, you lost a bunch of weight, I want to do that too. Um, and it's not just the physical aspect aspect. I think people recognize the work across the board and like, oh, you've really got this kind of nailed down. I want to know what you know, I want to know what you, I want to do, what you do, uh, which is crazy. Um, yeah, because I'm like, I'm still learning, I still have long road I think, again, it's back to the point.
Speaker 1:You know you, you're not doing it for that reason, you're doing it for yourself and I think you can't force it on anybody. And yes, we can record these fucking podcasts all day long but, like, unless someone is listening to this and they go. Do you know what that's me? That's? I'm at that point like that's fine, it's all just fucking mental masturbation about fucking. Like that sounds class, whereas to be able to actually be in the thick of it and see the change and you know the conversation you know you and I have had recently about wanting to essentially just spread the fucking message, do you know?
Speaker 1:I mean, I think for you specifically and why I enjoyed us speaking so much whenever we were in atlanta is you know, I can talk from the coach's perspective and I have seen the time and time again, we're like, oh yeah, it's easy for you because you know you're fucking born that way and obviously I wasn't. But that's what they see, whereas, right, they know you, they have worked with you, they have seen the change and one of the biggest things that you said to me just, I think, just before we started, when everybody came in you're like I don't I want to like really pinpoint that. It's the physical change, is such a small part of it. It's the, the mental change and everything that comes after that. Yeah, not everybody come in fact, like 0.1 will come knowing that they have the fucking.
Speaker 1:I need to change this mentally. It's the physical change. So it's like you, you come. One thing the physical team. Obviously mental change comes along with it. I think one of the biggest, the pivotal moments on our journey was the colorado lifting camp yeah, that was wild I didn't.
Speaker 2:I didn't recognize it at the time. Um, stepping back real quick with the the talk in atlanta, to your point, I got at least two people that I recall specifically made that comment of. I'm really glad you spoke about it, because if it was just been up there it would have been like, oh, just another fitness talk. Yeah, but because I know you and because I've seen it, understanding what you're going through, um made more of an impact for some.
Speaker 1:To your point initially like if you can do it, anyone can do it. I mean you're going through um made more of an impact for some to your point initially, like if you can do it, anyone can do it. Do you mean you have the same struggles, the same problems. You're in the fucking trenches doing the work, like you have the lack of knowledge at the time or whatever it is like it's. They can relate to you a lot more than they can relate to me. So I think that's an important part of anything that we're doing yeah%.
Speaker 2:And then what was the second part? Colorado, Colorado, yeah. So leading up to Colorado I'd never lifted, never really been officially in a gym.
Speaker 1:I'd gone to. We were about. Sorry to interrupt, but it was May, so we were about five months in. Truthfully, yeah thereabouts.
Speaker 2:I'd built the home gym In part specifically because I was so afraid of going to a gym. The home gym, yeah, uh, in part specifically because I was so afraid of going to a gym that was. I was like I don't want to look like an ass and a fat ass with my pants hanging down trying to lift up weight, um. So I was like I'll just build it at home, like that. Uh, and in the marines I had worked out in a gym maybe five times with different marines randomly, just like, hey, we're gonna go work out, okay, what are you doing? Oh, we're gonna go do this, this and this. And it's like, okay, I have no idea what that means, but sure, yes, yeah, whatever, like, we'll just go with it. Um, and never was comfortable in a gym and I remember several of the marines were big lifters and enjoyed going to the gym and they went to la fitness specifically because that's where the beautiful people went. I was like, well, I'll never go to la fitness because, fuck, that, that's not me, nope, um, and I just kind of felt that way about a lot of gyms. So, colorado, not only did I feel that way about gyms, but I was very nervous about lifting and weightlifting in general. Because of injuries and all the horror stories of like, yeah, just injuries, lifelong injury. I was like I don't want to be like that, so I never pushed. I didn't understand how to even push or what pushing looked like.
Speaker 2:Colorado changed that. So one it was very refreshing to go into a gym with a bunch of people where I didn't know, but it was like we were a part of the group and I completely ignored everyone else, like I didn't even register that there were other people in the gym. It was like we took over the gym. So it made it really comfortable because we were hanging out with ourselves, more or less um, but also learning how to properly use the equipment. And then adam's power lifting clinic, like lifting heavy and understanding how to safely lift heavy and then having people there to motivate and support, but also like if I fail, they're there to help lift up. So I was like, oh, I can push, I can push hard, let's see how far I can go. Uh, and lifting more than I thought was humanly possible. I was like, oh, wow, I'm actually kind of strong here, let's fucking understatement.
Speaker 1:Specifically, remember we were doing, um, we were doing dumbbell bench press, or I think we're doing dumbbell bench press and, uh, you're obviously limited by what you had at home in terms of you were like, oh, you think 55 points, yeah, like I do 55, and it's like fuck off, right, let's go. And we kept just going up and up and up. You're like I can't believe that I'm actually fucking. You think we ended? Up doing like 75 points or 80 points or something like that.
Speaker 2:You were like you can, were like you can keep going.
Speaker 1:I was like I can, but even that, like you know, being limited by what you have available at home, and then actually seeing okay, right, I can actually do this, I can go a lot further than I thought possible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was a game changer, that was a total game changer, Because then it was one I really enjoyed lifting heavy, because it's like, oh man, I feel strong, I feel good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's fucking awesome.
Speaker 2:But it was also like how far can I go? How much heavier can I push? Because you hear people you know, oh, my one rep max is whatever. I don't know what mine is Like. What does that even mean? All right, I want to find that. So that was really, really fun, uh, and changed the game for jenny and I. I think we just kind of fell in love with that aspect. For me, I think now it's like what can't I do? Let's just keep pushing. So I like I've told you I want to try the high rocks and I'm like I want to try everything, I want to see how far I can go, um, whereas I think Jenny's more like I just want to lift heavy maybe she's not there yet, though maybe she's not at the stage that she wants to do it.
Speaker 1:We'll see with the uh so let's let's take it back to Colorado, um, which was May last year, pretty much. So someone who literally was going into that like with a complete negative outlook on gyms like don't like being in gyms. I've just avoided as much as possible to this week. I let you coach some people in orlando. You coached the fucking lifting camp. Literally I pretty much the year to the date you were taking the lifting camp that adam did the year before your. Multiple times you have done an off-piste dmv iron meet up with clients and other people, like that's only a year yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2:I like seek out gyms now. Uh the more grungy like rusted more of a shit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like the more of a shit old dive gym I could find, the better. Uh, it's just a lot of fun. Um, still, some of the people in there scare the shit out of me. I'm like, fuck, but it's a lot of fun. So now I walk in and I'm more confident in what I'm doing. I feel like I can belong there, um, anywhere I go, and it's a lot of fun for me bringing other people, or being around other people that are pushing themselves and literally just watching them like break their ceilings. Oh, I didn't know this was possible. It's like, yeah, I remember that.
Speaker 1:That's fucking awesome but I think that's the thing and we've spoken about it before like that's literally what my job is like. That's my favorite thing about my job is like showing people they can do more than they thought they ever could yeah, so you get to see a bit of like this fucking class, yeah and it's like the same situation that I had with you, that that in Colorado.
Speaker 1:So it's like it's just cool to, if we take it back to self-belief, you didn't believe that the way you were able to lift, even back in Colorado, was possible. Yeah, so just me believing that you can do it, you're like, oh well, I mean, if he thinks I can do it, I'll give it a fucking go, but you doing that for other people, do you know what? To me, that's how this whole thing evolves, and I've said this time and time again.
Speaker 1:there's absolutely no number that I can put on what WeHackHealth as a community or cult can help. I can only help so many people individually, but how that sort of impacts the people around you and then the people around them just by you doing the fucking thing. Yeah, I think that's one of the coolest things about it. It's so cool, it's motivating, humbling, exciting, like many mixed emotions so you're at the point now where you're like, right, you know, anything's possible in terms of the gym, like what we did.
Speaker 2:Next type situation, yeah, yeah like I mean the goal with uh the 1250.
Speaker 1:I want my t-shirt, it's 1250 all of this for a t-shirt, but that's, it's like I think we did. We did 325 in colorado. Uh, 315 okay, three plates, yeah, so 315 in colorado and then a year later in orlando, where we're, or phoenix, even phoenix, it was, it wasn't even a year later it was about yeah, no.
Speaker 2:Nine months later, yeah, 585 uh.
Speaker 1:Which is a full rep.
Speaker 2:Ridiculous. It was awesome.
Speaker 1:So being able to see that progress. What does that feel like?
Speaker 2:Surreal. Yeah, yeah, I don't. I don't really know how to describe that one. I don't like being the the special guy where, like oh wow, you went 315 to 585, uh. So it makes me uncomfortable talking about it, but at the the same time I'm like fuck yeah, I went that far Not to bring you down a bit.
Speaker 1:It's not that you're special, you did do it. We're not fucking saying any lies here.
Speaker 2:You were at 315 and now you're at 585. Yeah, I don't know, I was very proud of myself, but internally and very like uncomfortable externally, if that makes sense, whereas like I could have done it in a closet with nobody watching and I'd be like fuck. Yeah, I'm happy with myself, but externally it makes me feel different.
Speaker 1:But you're not doing it for everybody else. You're doing it for yourself, because you want to. How does it feel to be able to say that you're proud of yourself and you can tell that?
Speaker 2:I've been.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a new feeling, that's a fucking Keira question.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a Keira question. That's different. I haven't been proud of myself in a very long time. Something I was actually talking with Keira about is kind of along those lines. For a long time I had set myself goals, more or less, because either that was the thing to do or the script of life, whatever. So it was like getting degrees, going to the Marine Corps, have a wife and kids, get the white picket fence, all that stuff, and it was like ticking boxes and I ticked all the the boxes but then there wasn't really any boxes to tick and I didn't set new boxes for myself because I didn't think it was possible or I I don't. I don't know where that fell off. There's new boxes to tick, which that's. That's pretty powerful but you're doing.
Speaker 1:The boxes you're not picking are the ones that you're picking for yourself, not the society set boxes, which is crazy yeah, and coming from a different place and a lot more motivating. I think you're more attached to actually doing it. Then, yeah, you're not doing it for the sake of doing it. You're doing it because you fucking want to do it.
Speaker 2:And I think that's where I'll be more happy as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cool, that's where I'll be more happy as well. Yeah, cool, let's take it back to the work situation, because it's a conversation you and I've had recently, so you know before, with work like a highly stressful job, just fucking shit, to a situation like almost just on survival mode getting shit done. Yeah, compared to now, like what is the comparison to sort of how you operate or how you show up in work specifically?
Speaker 2:I recently told uh I think I spoke about this on the talk we gave is like I was pretty sure I was going to quit or leave, or like I wasn't able either that or I was going to get fired just because I couldn't keep my head above water. I was dropping on every ball, left or right, just all around. Not good, um. So now, like I feel much stronger in what I'm doing, it's like okay, I've got a grasp of this. I can, I can move forward. I don't have an unending list of uh tasks that I've procrastinated on. Like I'm caught up to the work. I can move forward rather than just reactively. I need to get the next thing, you get the next thing.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, I guess being more proactive with work and intentional is that's why I can say it I think that the point of that is, like I would imagine, nothing's changed in terms of the work that you have to do, yeah, it's just you've actually been able to execute on it. Yeah, and if anything, you technically have less time because you spend more time in the gym and doing other shit.
Speaker 2:Ironically, yeah, there was a client you had before that I remember you talking about on a podcast, where it was like oh, they only have 30 minutes available. And then after a couple of weeks they were like you know, maybe I have an hour, and then it was two hours and three hours and I felt very similar. Um, I know, I told you at the beginning I was like you tell me, I'll put whatever you tell me to do, um, but in all reality I felt like I have no time for this, um, but I just made the time and then the capacity increased and so I got better and better and then that's translated into you actually ability to do more other cool shit, a lot more which is a lot more fun cool.
Speaker 1:Uh, let's talk about your family. Um, again, how this conversation. You know as someone who felt like they were hopeless and didn't really know how does it feel to have your kids want to be involved, like show them the way this is where you're gonna make me emotional.
Speaker 2:Man. Good, um with the kids it is. Um with the kids it is, they would say, pretty brutal things. Kids are honest and they're they're uh, quick to put up a mirror against yourself. Um, and show you who you really are and before, really kind of take care of myself. It was not pretty and I felt like shit. I knew I wasn't a decent father, even. It was just all around ugly. I couldn't be there for them. There was a situation that happened six months ago. My daughter was at the park and rolled her ankle and called for help. Before I started, I wouldn't have been able to be there for her. I was able to go down to the park, pick her up, scoop her up, take her home, without any worry of like oh, my back, oh, I'm going to need to call an ambulance because I can't For yourself.
Speaker 1:Yeah right.
Speaker 2:So that was awesome. So that was awesome Having the kids, being able to give the kids what I never had as far as guidance and education around, like hey, here's a blueprint of something that actually works. I can speak from a place of knowledge and experience versus oh yeah, here's somebody's Instagram that says this might work, sort of thing. That's really powerful. I think what's been the most incredible thing for me is having the kids kids say that they were proud of me, which, right in the fields, yeah, yeah, good, so being able to give them what you didn't have.
Speaker 1:I think again it's to the point of just actually by doing this stuff for yourself. Do you mean that, yes, you went into it with the fact that you need to be better for yourself because you want to be around for them, but you weren't necessarily thinking of if I do all this stuff, that will change how they sort of live their life and do theirs?
Speaker 2:yeah, I have no idea the impact it would have on the people around me I mean not just myself, but jenny, the kids, my uncle, for um direct impact, uh, but several others as well and never would have thought, good, yeah, and now it's just like I want to help more and, like we said you know we've spoken about this before it's like this is where it becomes like how far can I take this, or how can we take this.
Speaker 1:And it is like this is where it becomes like how far can I take this or how can we take this. And it is just by talking about it like this, do you know? I mean, it's like we're not here. I've been like you have to do this, you have to do this. It's like this is what we've done and this is what I've done, and this is how it's helped me.
Speaker 2:You can do which a year and a half ago, this wouldn't have happened, nor would the talk in atl Atlanta. Yeah right.
Speaker 1:Talk to me then about, like, I guess, what's the most unexpected thing that you've gained in the past year and a half?
Speaker 2:how do I word it? Like the fact that I don't have limits anymore, like self-imposed limits. They're going away left and right because I keep breaking through them and I'm like okay.
Speaker 1:I can do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, can I do this, Like how far can I go?
Speaker 1:And what do you think that's come from? I mean, I have an answer, but I'll let you answer first.
Speaker 2:I think Kira would say the evidence of doing it, an understandable stack of evidence from actually doing the stuff. Yeah, yeah, actually doing it.
Speaker 1:WeHack Health. What does that mean to you, wehack?
Speaker 2:Health. I mean, initially it was like the whole science-based approach to fitness, data-driven, all that stuff, and now it's family. It is what's given me my life back. So it's yeah means everything.
Speaker 1:How does it feel to be such a fucking big part of it and I know you'll not recognize that in yourself, but I can recognize it for you Humbling, yeah, surreal. Nice for you humbling, yeah, surreal what one thing do you know now that you wish you had known two years ago?
Speaker 2:one thing I would. That's a hard question. What's one thing I would? They should?
Speaker 1:all be hard. What's that? They should all be hard questions, yeah, yeah without thinking ahead um, it really is possible.
Speaker 2:Like I truly believed it wasn't possible, like I was like, yeah, I'm gonna sign up, I'll do what, whatever he, but it's not going to work. I don't see how this is possible, or to see where it could go.
Speaker 1:It's hard to pinpoint one thing, but just knowing that it is possible, you can do it, it's really, really it okay, um, we've spoken about before in terms of like the, it's hard I mean, it's not fucking easy to do this stuff. Like what? What would you say the biggest struggle has been for you over the past year and a half or so? It.
Speaker 2:It's changed the struggles have changed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the struggles definitely changed. Initially it was okay going to the gym on a regular basis or lifting weights and then being sore and still forcing myself to go back. I did not want to go back and building out habits for that. But then also tracking food and understanding what calories and macronutrients and all that shit was and how to add that up and why it matters, um, the continual tracking like that, was the secondary struggle. Um, after that it was okay. I've kind of got these two things on lock. Uh, now it's. Oh, there's mental struggles, like there's blockers in my head that I just can't articulate. I don't understand what the struggle is. So, working through that Now it's, I guess, not overloading capacity. I have so much excitement and want to do everything all the time and know that I have to piecemeal it and just kind of one step at a time, one day at a time. That's my current struggle, so it's changed over over here.
Speaker 1:Your struggle is knowing you have the ability to do so much stuff and just want to do it all.
Speaker 2:Right, I want to do all today, tomorrow, and I want the results right now, um, and I know that's not possible so what's next?
Speaker 2:yes, I guess training, um getting more into that aspect I had asked I like I had expressed the interest of wanting to be a trainer myself. Uh, because I I genuinely, truly I enjoy watching others um better themselves, like it's really, really cool and being a part of that is amazing. Um, so, getting better in that. I'd asked you to if I could train this week, or rather, I asked if I could shadow and he threw me in the fire, but I think it went well. My initial thought was more just think this is what I would do, let me see if it aligns with what Ben does, and maybe ask some questions. And you just basically flipped it on me and said all right, do what you think you should do and I'll tell you if you're right or wrong.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to kill anybody. What's wrong?
Speaker 2:and I'm not really killing anybody, yeah any day and I gave feedback where it was needed and I thought it went really well. I had a lot of fun with it. I thought it was really cool. The the lifting camp thing, uh was pretty awesome and really fun to share the knowledge and like see the people get amped up for it. Um, so that was really cool. Where's next? I will see.
Speaker 1:I don't know I think the thing about it is, and whether you like it or not, people look up to you in terms of the, the progress that you've made and the ability of the stuff that you have, whether it's strength, whether it's a physical transformation, whether it's seeing the mental teams like people look up to. So you have, by default, you have an authority within the community for that and I know you'll not recognize that and that's okay, and I think for me you know. In asking, can you come on in like a more of a hands-on training role, because I know you're doing it from a place of actually giving a fuck about the other people. It's a no-brainer and I think that one of the biggest things as a coach and this is me now offering the this is the wisdom piece it's like just actually give a fuck about the person. Yeah, and if you don't know the answer, be willing to be like I don't fucking know this, but I'm gonna go find out and that's like you know we talked about doing the qualification. Whatever else, like the qualification is just a fucking paid certificate. It's just adult learning that if you get the questions wrong, you just fucking do it again and then you get the certificate, right. The real knowledge comes from when you have a client turn up and they've only got fucking one arm and you're like what the fuck am I gonna do with this person? That's where the real knowledge comes and the real experience comes, and it's just like going away and being like being okay with not knowing everything, being okay with having to go and sit down and do the research and actually just giving a fuck about the person overall.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, good, thank you. Well, like I said, thanks for joining us. Um, I know you didn't want to do it and you didn't want to speak in atlanta, but you know we've done it here. We are fucking public speakers a couple of public speakers here, um, but thanks, you know I've said this time and time again like there's a huge difference from the people who sort of like dip their toe and then again just here to you know, I want to lose weight or whatever to people who actually actively show up for themselves, for the people around them, for the people in the community, on the calls, at the events, whatever it is, and you have absolutely done that.
Speaker 1:I laugh because there's a handful of people within the community that I have seen more of the world with than I have any other person in my life, and you're one of those people and I think being able to show up and being able to do that and be such a big part of it has helped me, because without people like you, you know, inspiring and motivating other people to do the stuff, they don't necessarily get, number one, the same experience and number two, the the same sort of progress that they would. And again to the point of, like you're the person who's done this stuff, I'm just the fucking guy on the internet, do you?
Speaker 2:know, I have the information.
Speaker 1:I have the information, but you have the lived experience like recently, like this, is what I've done, this is how I overcame these challenges and just being able to share that. And I think without you know people like yourself and people like jen, you know the this is, it wouldn't grow to what it has now and it wouldn't continue to go the way it was. So thanks for that. Thanks, man, appreciate it like follow, subscribe or whatever del wants me to add here at the end I gotta say you're totally blowing my mind right now.