Jesse Chappus Ultimate Health Podcast - EVERYTHING Youve Been Told About Skincare Is WRONG!

Looking for a better sleep? Try Magnesium Breakthrough from Bioptimizers and get seven forms of magnesium in each capsule. Click the link in the description or pinned comment to save 10%. Andy, welcome to the podcast. How you doing today?

Jesse, thank you so much for having me. I'm great. How are you?

I'm doing great. It's my pleasure. Like we talked about before we hit record here, you've been traveling a little bit and getting out and about. So how has that been treating you?

You know, I've been cooped up for a little bit and I've been missing my family and my loved ones so much. And if I get the opportunity to travel, travel and just kind of explore and get those creative juices flowing a little bit and just get back into that creator mode, it's so important to me because, I mean, no matter where you are, I mean, just getting the movement and the daily, just seeing different places and learning new streets and just traveling, I mean, that's, for me, life experience really leads to just opening up that creative mind, uh, which re, for me really helps with the products I create. Just, just switching up my location for me, just really. Yeah. Sets a tone for my creative mind and really helps me create the products that. That I love to create.

That makes sense. And I know you only got back a couple days ago. You're back at home, back in the grind. Do you feel like your creativity has been reset and you're. You're in the flow?

Oh, absolutely. And that's a perfect word right there. You know how it is, just getting that flow state, whatever. Just part of routine. I mean, ever since I can remember being an athlete, it's just we had this recipe that, for me, led to success. I mean, that starts as soon as you wake up in the morning, you know, setting your intentions for the day. I'm a very grateful individual. So I say a little prayer and I mean, take some time for myself, about 10 minutes before I open myself up to the world. I actually learned that from someone from a guest of yours on your podcast, Matthew McConaughey. And it just really makes so much sense. Before you open up your phone, before you turn on your laptop, just make sure that you're ready for the world. And setting that intention for the day for me is so important. And then I go outside and I hop into my ice cold saltwater pool. Ozone filtration, no chlorine, by the way. And I sit in there for 90 seconds. And then I just hop in. Two minute cold shower. And then I'm Telling you about, about 6:30, making my coffee, and I'm good to talking to my FaceTiming mom. And that's just what I do to. To get back into that flow state that you're talking about. But yeah, you're absolutely right. Getting that week with my dad, going on that road trip, me, you know, being around someone and doing something together for the first time, it just really just filled my. My heart and my soul to seriously get me back into that flow state that really I love to be in, you know, I'm sure you do too.

Oh, for sure. That's so great and so necessary. And I'm just curious. We're gonna get into a lot of thethe different things that you do to maintain your health and wellbeing. You just mentioned, you know, getting in the cold pool and then getting in the cold shower. And there's a lot of that we're gonna dig into later on. But I'm curious, when did you first get into health and wellness and fitness? How did that all begin?

That's a great question. So in high school, let's see, I was 15 years old, I had my coach, Stu Peterson, he played in the major leagues for the Dodgers, Blue Jays for a little bit, baseball. And he just instilled a work ethic into me. He challenged me. He's like, there's somebody out there working just as hard as you right now, if not harder. And it instilled this sense of urgency and this fear of being outworked. Right. And so, I mean, the 24 hours in a day, after practice, I'd hit with him for 90 minutes. Then I go across the street to Stanford Stadium and run stairs because they'd have the lights on. Then I'd come home, crush a meal, and then do these little hand eye coordination exercises with baseballs. It's really weird, but the ceiling, I tried to nick the ceiling, and I'd have to get 10 out of 10. It just became obsessive. But that obsessive mindset, I really strongly believe that it just leads to discipline and focus and just expecting that perfection. But if you seek perfection and you, I guess, fall a little bit short, you're still up there in the stars, you know what I mean? And so I really, ever since, yeah, I can remember having that importance of focus on work ethic and discipline. It encompasses all things health. And so it's everything that you put into and onto your body. I mean, that was instilled at a very young age for me. And it led to me that discipline day by every single day, you know, staying in on the weekends and just focusing. I mean I was still am obsessed with sports, been an athlete my entire life. Football, baseball and basketball. Played in the Junior Olympics a year after that, was on one of the top 100, was one of the top 100 sophomores in the country at 16 as a sophomore. And I started to get recruiting letters from schools all around the country. Usc, Miami, Arizona State, all the top schools because of, you know, I perform well in the summer, which is when all the coaches who coach during the spring, they get their chance to recruit potential, you know, prospects to their school and professional scouts as well. And so I really started. You know, you get those victories and you play against the best competition in the country and you start, it starts to build confidence and so then you stay consistent with that routine of just optimizing your health and optimizing your workouts and optimizing your recovery. I mean when I was 16 that led, led to just you know, improving into my 17 year old year, my junior year. And then I started, I knew where I was going to school going into my senior year and signed a letter over intent to UC Berkeley. But then I go into Cal at a PAC 10 school at the time, you know, I'm wearing 168 pounds, I'm 6 foot 3. So I had to put on weight to compete with other, you know, large, you know, athletes, the best athletes in the country, playing, you know, playing a game, in my opinion the hardest game to play, baseball. And you know, when you have to square up a baseball, baseball coming at you 90 plus miles an hour and you know, you want to be able to compete with the best competition. You have to put on weight, get stronger, get faster. And so just with that, you know, just mentality of improving daily nutrition goes hand in hand with that, focusing in on things, putting on good weight, not bad weight. And that's tough to do when you're eating dorm food and you know, experimenting with supplements like creatine and also your hormones are racing and so that's. That also led into some bad skin and so I was putting on weight. I gained 23 pounds, was up to 191 which is great. But at the same time my skin was kind of freaking out a little bit and I was getting cystic acne and that actually led into my interest in skincare. But yes, like you said it just health and wellness, especially when attached to things like athletic performance, I mean they just go hand in hand. And so ever Since I was 15 I've just been obsessed with things like, you know, you go from protein, fat and calories, putting on weight, the main three, but then you want to put on good weight, and then you start focusing on good protein, good calories, good fats to put in your body. And then year over year, it just started to get better with that attention to detail and. And putting the best into and onto your body and in an effort for optimal health.

You mentioned a coach that really instilled that mindset in you at a young age. How old were you at the time when he was telling you, you know, there's somebody out there working just as hard as you? Was that in your early teens? Oh, you're 15. Okay.

Yes. And it. It scared me because, number one. Well, I mean, it. It instilled, like, this sense of urgency. I wouldn't say scared, but it made so much sense to me. You know, someone out in North Dakota right now, he's working while you're sleeping. You know, he would have these talks in my driveway after, you know, hitting for 90 minutes after practice for about, you know, sometimes an hour with the car running in my driveway, instilling this mindset, this athlete mindset of just, look, discipline, focus, and just developing a routine. And then also having that. Just really focusing on a mindset of, you know, just even keel, keeping the highs low and the lows high. Just having that mentality as a baseball player, you feel so much. I mean, if you fail 7 out of 10 times, you're in the hall of Fame, you know, you know, a.300 hitter is very rare these days. And so you, you know, you have to deal with a lot of adversity and a lot of failure. But that, I mean, geez, that just. I wouldn't trade it because that's really helped my mindset with business as well, and also just life.

And do you ever think back to, you know, that coach and instilling that in you at such a young age? If that wouldn't have happened, do you think you naturally would have found your way, you know, to the success in baseball and now business that you're. You're achieving? Would that have happened either way? Or do you think this coach at that time was integral to you being where you are today?

I say that all the time. Every year, every Father's Day, I call my dad and I call Stu about five minutes later. He. One of the most prominent male figures in my life, period. And I, you know, he. That. That work ethic led to success in baseball with. Led. Which led to Achieving my dream of achieving a baseball scholarship out of high school, which, I mean, it was just so far away from reality according to a lot of other people, but, you know, realistic. And I just stayed away from that mindset and that mentality and I just focused on, you know, what I could control in the work that I put into something that I loved so much. And also having that encouragement from a former major leaguer, it's. That's all I need to hear. And if he, if he said I had a chance, that's all I needed to hear. And I just took that and ran with it. And what he said, I did, he had the recipe to success. He had done it before. And why wouldn't you listen to that? You know, and so I, I just, man, I. That's a great question. I would not be where I met right now had I not met Stu Peterson. Yeah, it was really cool. You know what? His son Jock, I would babysit in exchange for him teaching me how to hit. His son Jock is an all star outfielder right now for the Chicago Cubs. I used to babysit his whole, his kids, him, Jock, Champ, Tiger and JC While him and Shelly went out on their Wednesday dinner to his wife. And so it was cool just in exchange to, to, for some, you know, to learn how to play the game the proper way and also just learn the mentality, which is like, like I said, it's just stuck with me since I'm very, very grateful for it. I actually just saw them. Yeah. Recently. Just talked to them. Yeah, it's great.

So Andy, when you're a teen, when you're early in college, is your plan at that time to make the major leagues?

Yes, absolutely. You know, ever since I can remember, I've been recording SportsCenter baseball tonight and just, just analyzing swings, analyzing mechanics as pitchers, a two way player, as a pitcher and an outfielder. And it's. Yeah, I mean, you have those dreams and I, I had my opportunity, had the private workout at AT&T park with Brian Sabian, Larry Baer, Peter McGowan, two other outfielders, three players total, all the cross checkers at a stadium that I used to go to games to ever since I can remember at, AT and T and park and watching the San Francisco Giants play. But you know, the thing is I just, I had a great career. I love it. But I filled that void with other things that luckily I was able to find something that filled that void because a lot of athletes can, you know, end their careers and I mean, that is hard to replace when you are an athlete or, you know, especially if you're a star athlete or it doesn't really matter. I mean, you're missing that, that routine, that, that work that you're putting into towards a goal. I mean, a lot. And especially if it's your livelihood, it can be, it can be crippling and lead to depression for a lot of athletes. So I'm very grateful that I found something that I'm so passionate about.

Yeah, I can see how that would happen. So when did your baseball career end? Was it after college or did you continue to pursue it afterwards?

Yeah, so after college, get this. So I, Fred Costello came out to my high school. He was a Western Regional cross checker for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He worked me out. I couldn't have performed better. He just thought I was a little old, which I was at the time. And so there I am in Palo Alto, two weeks at home, living with the parents, and I just decided I was a little, you know, I was ready to move on. So I had spent the previous summer in Los Angeles working at Abercrombie and Fitch, just kind of just getting to know the area, living with a friend and he had always invited, he's like, hey, any, anytime, you know, you know, after college or something like that, you always have a place to stay. And so I brought a food town down, down to Los Angeles and luckily I was working for Abercrombie and I just was so scared to not be able to, to afford how to live. And so I just got every job that I could. You know, I was working at catering, I was bartending, I was modeling a little bit, just as I didn't have an agent or anything like that at the time. And also working at Abercrombie, just, you know, just trying to pay bills. And luckily he wasn't charging me rent, so I didn't have that to worry about. But he was auditioning for, he was an actor and he was auditioning for a baseball related film. And I was just out of, fresh out of baseball. And so I was kind of, you know, when you don't care about certain things, you don't really overthink it. And I just was kind of, I was nailing his lines and kind of giving him little nuances of ball players and how to talk. And he's like, man, you ever thought about doing this? And I'm like, well, I mean, I've never, never taken classes, Billy, like, what do you mean? He's like, man, I think, I don't know. I mean, I didn't really, I had neither when, when, when he was saying he hadn't either when he first got into it. And so I, it, long story short, he got me a read for the role that he was auditioning for. I got a call back, another call back. I screen tested and ended up booking that lead role in a feature film called Great American Dream where I, where it was a baseball related film. And we shot for six weeks in Los Angeles. And you know, as a, you know, in, as a lead role in a baseball related film, I got that hunger again and that fire to play baseball again. And so I actually started working out with Beverly Hills High School in an effort to go back and play independent professional baseball in a league called the Golden Baseball League. And so that winter I was supposed to report for winter to winter ball. Think it was January, yeah, late January. And I booked a role, a small recurring role on Days of Our Lives that Friday. Okay. So after, after filming I got representation, got a manager and agent and everything. So that, that January, late January, I booked a role for Days of Our Lives. And so that whole weekend and I was supposed to go off to Palm Springs for Winter ball that Monday. And I just remember meditating out at this, this place called Running Canyon and just kind of decide, trying to decide like, which dream do you do with. Right. And so I stayed in LA. You know, the thought of, you know, 13 hour bus rides and making $850 a month and living with the host family and PBJs and stuff like that didn't really, you know, wasn't that attractive to me. And so I just kind of man, I was like, here's my chance. It was my sister's favorite show, Two Days of Our Lives. And so I, yeah, I stuck around LA and that year turned, turned out to be a really, really exciting year for me in the entertainment industry. And so I, I feel like I made the right choice. But yeah, that's how it's how it all translated from baseball into a career in the entertainment industry for a little bit. Yeah.

Nice. And how long did you stay in Entertainment?

Yeah, in 2011 I had my, my big accident where I was crossing the street. There was a little, there was a SAG. And after strike in 2008, 2009, it started lighting up a little bit. In 2010, work started to pick up. But during that strike there was a big economic kind of depression in the entertainment industry. I mean there was no work. Whole production companies were shutting down. A lot of my friends had to move home because, I mean There was just nothing available, new auditions, but I was still, you know, able to work on the, the little auditions that there were. But then, yeah, that accident in 2011, I mean, I'm just crossing the street as a pedestrian. I got hit by a westbound heading. Vehicle lost consciousness and I got hit in the eastbound lane, run over by a Toyota Tundra. Both cars pulled over, clothes cut off me in the middle of the street. And so that, that put, put a, put a halt on my career for, for a little bit. But that's what got me into everything is my, my hunger to get right back into it. And so that's what I couldn't afford. The creams and the serums that my surgeons were recommending that I used to, to heal the scarring and abrasions that I had. I mean, I, I was unrecognizable. I had massive swelling on the left side, left side of my face. My front three teeth were a complete nut, or they were gone. They were just little nubs and my jaw was wired shut. And so I had to tell my agent that, yeah, it's gonna be out of work for a little bit. But I didn't tell my San Francisco agent and I had a job for Macy's in June. And so I made it, you know, this is March 20th, so I made it a little outside goal of, you know, seeing if I can make it. And if not, if I wasn't even close, I would let him know, you know, a couple weeks beforehand that I wasn't going to be able to. And I'm sure they could replace me, but just staying, you know, extremely focused and disciplined on this routine, every single. And just becoming a voracious researcher on ingredients and blood flow and circulation and exfoliating and nourishing the skin cells that you just exfoliate or the fresh skin that you just exfoliated off and just the whole cell turnover. I mean, I just became obsessed with skincare and accelerating scar tissue, mitigating swelling, accelerating the healing of abrasions. And just naturally, though, without any synthetics, without any, you know, which are now I'm finding out government recognized carcinogens and ingredients commonly located in those scar creams and those serums that are very expensive and have a little bit of an active ingredient. But, man, I just strongly believe they're counterproductive overall to the, the health of your skin.

Well, I definitely want to get into the specifics of what you did to heal. But first, talk about, you said this protocol that you use was natural. I'm curious along your journey. How deep into natural health were you at that point when you had your accident?

That's a great question. So my freshman year at Cal, remember when I was telling you I had a. You know, I was starting to break out a little bit and I couldn't. I mean, it. It was kind of crippling. The last thing you want to see when you wake up, you go, you know, you look in the mirror and you have like this. I would get cystic acne. And they're like, they're little sores that they never come to a point of an infection where you can remove it. And those things will stick around always a week. And then you pick at them. And it was so frustrating. I felt like I was looking back even at the time. I'm like, I was eating dorm food, lot of wheat, lot of sugar, dairy. And also with hormones racing, growing into my body and then the supplements that I was taking, it just didn't. It wasn't a good recipe. It was a disaster. The recipe of disaster for my skin, apparently. And so I started studying the products that I was using, which were Neutrogena. Yeah, Clearasil. And their ingredient decks were just thick with things that I. Even back then, I was like, well, it just made sense to me that it just did not sound clean, did not sound right. And I. So I went from. And did a little research on small simply. I mean, I was 18, no, 19 at the time. And I was. It just made sense to me. The less ingredients, the healthier. And so I. I went from Neutrogena Clearasil to Dove. Dove had five ingredients. One of them was like a coconut derived surfactant. And I just reading coconut it to me at 19 years old, it just sounded better, it sounded natural. And the fact that they only had five ingredients, and I use that from head to toe, my skin cleared up a little bit better. And year over year. Well, actually there was this little. There was a sweet herbalist, this lady, she had a little shop on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. And I just went in there, picked her brain. She probably had so many questions, but it was clearly evident that I had a passion for health and wellness. I mean, I just geeked out at this point. Tiny little herbal store in Berkeley, California. Shoot, I wish I could remember, but that's when I found out about things like horsetail for hair and how it's such a high concentration of silica and just building blocks and the hair follicle I just became. Yeah, that's where the passion I Guess started when I was 19 years old in Berkeley, California. But year over year, it just became. Yeah, I mean, that's where it started. But year over year just became better, became better. You know, the products I use became cleaner, became, you know, things like Whole Foods and Air ones local grocery store in Los Angeles. I mean, the health and wellness stores is where I really started to. I mean, it's funny. My family and I have a running joke. I just, I'm at home and, like, really, really good at health and wellness grocery stores. You can find me in a supplement or cosmetic aisle for, I mean, an hour, you know, just kind of just geeking out on ingredients. And that's ultimately. Seriously. It had a large part in how I formulated my products by removing things that I didn't like and seeing what other brands kind of left in and went, man, this would be so good if they didn't. They just didn't have that filler or, you know, harsh preservative or a hint of fragrance or, you know, it's just there's so much out there. And so that ultimately led to isolating certain ingredients and experimenting with certain active ingredients as well and then combining them and ultimately leading to creation of what's now a product. But I never had an intention to. To make a product or anything like that. I just wanted to heal myself. And I use myself basically as my own science experiment.

Yeah, Andy, I can totally relate to the geeking out at Whole Foods. My wife and I are the same way. We just love, you know, getting in there and connecting with the people that are into that same mindset. And just to make sure I have this timeline right, so around 18, 19, you start to have the breakouts, which kind of gets you looking at different ingredients in the products you're using. And it sounds like from that point forward, throughout your, I guess, 20s, you became more and more meticulous and got into the health and wellness space. How old were you when you had that accident?

I was. Let's see, I just turned 29. I was going to turn 30. Yeah. So 2011. So I was. Yeah, just going into my 30th year.

Got it. So that.

Got it.

So that point, you were. You were pretty into health and wellness space. Like you're. You mentioned whole foods. Like you were eating whole foods, and you're. You were embracing the whole healthy lifestyle.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. So get this. So in college, you know, things like Men's Health magazine really help. I mean, that's just one of the things that you read. Eat this not that. And just staying away from grains. It became more. It made sense to me at 23, just, all right, stay away from the breads and that, you know, so the low carb appeal, I mean, geez, I'm 39. 17 years ago, 17 years ago, I was already kind of just interested and made more sense to stay away from grains and carbs. So I would go, you know, my teammates would make fun of me, but I was. I was in really good shape. And so, like, I, you know, at the dorm food aisle at St. Mary's College, that's where I ended up graduating from. You know, I go to the spinach and the tuna and a little bit of fruit at that time and, you know, cantaloupe. And then it's. Because, you know, I read that in Men's Health magazine. And then my teammates, you know, would come over every now and then, you know, because some of them, you know, gave me a hard time about it. But then they go, hey, man, you mind writing. Writing up a little something for me? And so I started to write up diet plans for a few guys on my team. And just, it was kind of cool. It was a little victory that they, you know, that someone would want you or consider you at a certain level to know enough to write something up for them. I mean, you're helping someone and the fact they would reach out, I mean, it really was pretty heartwarming to me at the time. And I mean, look, looking back, it all makes sense as far as, like, what I'm so. So passionate and what my purpose is passionate about and what my. My purpose ultimately is just to help people see, you know, feel better about what they see in the mirror and just feel better, you know, overall about themselves, you know.

So let's Fast forward to 2011. Come back to the accident. I want to talk about the specifics that you went through, you know, internally, externally, how you helped your body heal.

Oh, man. So after my. There was about a week where all my sisters, my, you know, my brother, my. My parents were all in this little 700 square foot apartment in North Hollywood. Well, they left, and I just. It was a little lonely for that first day. But then it's just one of those things where you have to find a way. I mean, I'm not. The world's not going to slow down for you. And I wanted to get back. I wanted to get back in better shape than I was before the accident. That was my. Ultimately, that was my goal. You know, a lot of people told me that I wasn't going to be back in the industry and what, what was I going to do for my career? And I, you know, I just have a hard time with that. I'm just a very competitive person and I really like to challenge myself and work hard to get back. And I don't have a hard time with people telling me what I can't do, can and can't do. And I feel like I, I, I decide that. And so I just really started to research a lot. I had a pre existing clay mask that was the four clays Russell kaolin bentonite and I like clay and then organic kale powder and vitamin C that I would do every Sunday to prepare for auditions throughout the week. And so I knew I had that to create a lot of blood flow to the surface of the skin. And then I started experimenting with certain things like Colostrum American ginseng and freshwater pearl powder that ultimately I would isolate. I did a lot of research on active ingredients. I would just experiment and isolate and then combine certain ingredients together and see if they blended well together, seeing if the emulsion and the particle sizing would disrupt the overall emulsion of what is now the clay mask. But I just, it became a creative outlet for me. I mean I moved everything out of my bedroom into my living room and made my bedroom my little lab. I have a, where I had, you know, maybe, I don't know, about 100, 200 pounds of all my nine raw ingredients, my inversion table. And like it was a corner unit and so I had like a nice view of these mountains and it was all windows. And so I just, I would hang upside down, listen to some comedy music after doing some push ups, waking up and, and then I, after that I'd put on the clay mask and then drink some bulletproof coffee and then just be, and then work, working. Every hour of the day had a purpose to it. And so as far as movement and getting that circulation from head to toe, my jaw was wired shut. And so I wanted to get nutrients into my system. And you know, I was on, when I was in the ICU room and in the hospital actually for a week that all I was drinking. My friends would go out to Air1 and get these cool green smoothies for me. But I was drinking Ensure which is, you know, loaded in canola oil and 36 grams of sugar or something like that. And you know, bless their hearts, you know, it did have nutrients in it too. But I mean that was kind of, that was counterproductive definitely to my overall health. And so as soon as I got back, I became very passionate with. In recent, I met with three different Chinese herbalists. George from Jing Herbs, T Ron Teagard and Herbs Dragon Herbs here in Los Angeles. And then Crosby Taylor was very, you know, instrumental in my recovery. Sage Dammers Truth Calkins. I don't know if you know any of them, but yeah, I mean I just really picked their brain and I was a sponge to everyone just on, you know, people were so helpful by the way. I just, I just wanted to, you know, get my zest back and get back on my feet and, and see how quickly I could recover and get, and ultimately get back into better shape than I was before. And I really, I've always believed in the power of nutrition and something like that. That accident will definitely accelerate your, your interest in seeking the best and recovering as well as I can. And there's just a lot of information out there and I just did a lot of self experimentation in the process. You know, things like, just pretty much everything that, that is extremely popular now and that I still do to this day. Things like red, well not red light and at that, at that point. But absolutely the sauna was instrumental. Sauna, intermittent fasting, very nutrient, you know, well consuming nutrient dense smoothies. At that time, I mean I was, you're going to laugh but I mean there were egg yolks, deer placenta, bison liver, spirulina, colostrum, adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha, gynostemma, hoshu, wu schizandra and then chaga reishi. But I had that and then a little bit of salt to help with mineralization and silica just to help as a building block of collagen during that collagen synthesis process. And as cell turn, cell turnover occurred with the exfoliating the clay mask. And just you know, what I consumed through that little spot at the back because my jaw was wired shut so I could just only drink that smoothie. But it was just something that I could feel, feel the cells of my body just reacting to what I was putting into my body and then also my skin and just overall, you know, staying, you know, after the sun went down, I'd go to Chandler Bike path and I'd walk 3.5 miles there, 3.5 back just to you know, get movement from head to toe. My ankles, my knees, my elbows were intact so I could do push ups. Within a month I was back sprinting up running canyon with my jawboard shut. But I mean it took, it took big time discipline. But I mean you Know, as an athlete, that's all we know. And so I had that in my back pocket. And I just. Obviously, when you are rock bottom and the worst. In the worst shape, I mean, of my life, but I'm lucky to be alive. People, I mean, don't survive accidents like that. It's every time I drive by. I mean, I'm a very grateful individual, and I had perspective before that accident, but that accident accelerated that perspective and increased just how special this life is and how important our body and our mind and how lucky we are to be here. And so I just. Yeah, I absolutely need that accident to rock me just into a focus, and it rocked me right into my purpose, ultimately.

Let's talk about how you're doing mentally at the time, physically, your jaws wired shut, you have broken bones, and you're going. Going through deep healing at rock bottom. And you're talking about now, you know, the. The mindset of. Of, you know, seeing the whole perspective and. And being, you know, grateful for what you have. But at that time when you were at rock bottom, what was it like.

Mentally at that time? It, you know, walking out of Cedars Sinai Hospital with. My nurse was a former Marine. He goes, hey, it just so you know, anytime you can walk out of a hospital, that's. It's a good day. He's like, good luck on your recovery. And I went, man, I mean, that. That set the tone right there. I got in the car. I'm like, man, he's right. I'm walking out. I'm not getting carted out. I mean, yeah, my jaw is broken. I have seven broken ribs and a collapsed lung, and sneezing is excruciating, but I can walk. My elbows, my knees, and, you know, I'm. I just. I felt like I got lucky. Extremely lucky. I had this. I don't know if it's like a. A part of the trauma with that your body goes through, like, the fight or flight. Like my. As far as, like the. My. The endorphins rushing. But I had, like, this really weird excitement and zest. Well, not. I wouldn't say zest, but this excitement to challenge myself, to see how if I could get back. I just. I felt like I had everything I needed as far as just with movement, exercise, staying extreme, extremely disciplined with. And I'd find a way as far as on the skincare side of things with mitigating that swelling. But as far as elbows, ankles, knees intact, that's movement right there. And I quickly just wanted to put together a plan and A recipe to heal as quick as possible. And I did that.

One thing I'm gathering from your story.

But as far as. But you are right, though. I mean, there were. There were just mechanisms that I used. Healing music. You're going to laugh, Sade. I mean, no ordinary love. Listening to that seven minutes hanging upside down, talking to my mom. After that, it's just music to me is medicine and just looking out in horizons, looking at that mountain, you know, clearing my thoughts and just reminding myself how lucky I am to be here. I mean, these. My bones were going to heal. I'm. I was just extremely grateful. Luckily, I lost consciousness, so I didn't have any, you know, traumatic. Like I don't wake up and snap, you know, up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. I'm so lucky and I'm so grateful. And I'm like, I have nothing to complain about. And so with that, you go back and I have nothing but love and support and family to help me if I needed it. I just had everything I needed to recover and I got lucky. I got a second chance in life and there's absolutely nothing to complain about. You take that and it motivates you to move forward at an accelerated speed. I'm just so happy to be alive. And I was. I didn't wallow around. I mean, I was a little lonely for, like I said, about a day or two. But hey, you know, we got a chance. I can. I can talk. Well, kind of my jealous words, but. So I couldn't really talk that well, but. But I could move. I just found. I found a way to focus on the positive, you know, and rather than what I didn't have, I focused on this happening for me, you know, rather than to me.

One thing I'm really gathering, hearing your story is all the different support you've had in your life. You've mentioned before. We got on the call, like you just got back from spring training with your dad. You talked about hanging upside down and then calling your mom. And you mentioned the friends that would bring you smoothies when you're in the hospital. Talk about the support from others and how important that was, especially at that time when you were really down.

The support from others was, oh, man, that gets me a little emotional. I mean, I had friends come over, bring me the smoothies that I used to drive over the hill, 30 minutes there, 30 minutes back. It was just part of my day that I enjoyed and looked forward to doing. Just going to get. Getting my smoothies. I mean, well, they would bring them to me. Who does that? I mean, how sweet is that? And just. Just drive, popping by, giving me support, because I didn't really want to leave the house. You know, I mean, we start, you go to Trader Joe's, you go to Whole Foods. My little grocery store routine, you know, once you open your mouth or try, you know, hey, how's your day going? And then, you know, they look you in the eyes and they look down, they see your. The swelling in your jaw. And then when you try to talk or smile or something, you're. Your teeth are gone. It's. Yeah. I mean, especially, you know, I used to. Before that, I walked the Runway for Calvin Klein, you know, worked for Abercrombie, Levi's, Coppertone. So, yeah, I mean, that was. Was, you know, difficult to be completely unrecognizable to look in the mirror. But, you know, you check your mind, you remind yourself that, hey, you know, you're alive. It's not. That's, you know, it all. It really takes away from the ego. Very humbling. And just you focus on what's important, and that's just, you know, life, movement, you know, community, connection, music, food. I mean, I. I just. Things that really are important to me. And so now, that's a really good question. I mean, that looking back, it was. Yeah, it was very hard, and it was extremely hard to. To especially. How about this? I severed a nerve on the left side of my face that controls communication from your brain to that. Those muscles. So, like, if I smiled at the time, they could. They reattached the nerve, and it was a little fuzzy, but it wasn't guaranteed that I would get full function back in that muscle. And so imagine this. When you're in a moment where you're out with friends and you want to smile, I want to mitigate that because only one side of my face was showing up. And then also I had three, you know, front teeth missing. That was the hardest part for me, Jesse. It was just, you know, in a moment where you want to show elation and, you know, happiness and smile and laugh, and I was so insecure about smiling because one side would only show up. And luckily, over time, I don't know if you see it, I would try to cheat it a little bit and for a little bit. And luckily, I mean, years later, it's gotten better. But, you know, I'll never be the same. But I mean, I'm. Geez, who wants to be the same? I want to keep growing and getting better and just evolve but and geez, I've changed so much and I for the pot and the better after that accident. But that's a really good question and I, I think you can see how, how crucial that, that, that you know, human emotion of just kind of embarrassment, you know, can, can stick with you for a little bit. But I just, you know, you can trick your mind. You can, that's what I would do. A lot of self talk, A lot of self talk. I've met with a lot of mentors, done a lot of meditation, breath work. Perspective is huge for me. I focus on what I do have rather than what happened. I just a positive individual. I really am.

Well, it's interesting specifically for you Andy because at the time of this accident you were making a living based on your looks as an actor, as a model and you know, to be physically, I'm sure you're going through a lot of pain at the time too. But physically what you relied on to make your living was disfigured you, you didn't have, you know, your looks which were paying the bills. So talk about, you know, you specifically how that that was, you know, maybe an extra layer on top of that.

It's one it led to when I got told that I, you know, well, you're never going to model again. I know a specific client who I was wearing their leather jacket that I'm, you know, it was one of one. It was a prototype for a shoot that I did for them a few weeks earlier while I was wearing that jacket on the accident, on the night of the accident. And I went back to get another one because it was my favorite jacket. And he, he actually charged me for it and then said well you're never going to model again. What are you going to do? And I went just in my head I just went well don't, don't tell me, never. But I, I needed that because that was honestly that was a catalyst. I mean I, I, you know, I do thrive off motivation and, and I'd be lying if I said that didn't highly motivate me to prove them that I would be back in the game. And get this. So to the day. March 20, 2012. I shot a five page spread for Entertainment Weekly with a cover option as Christian Gray for a story they did with E.B. white, I think is the author. Anyway, yeah, it was really cool. To the day I'm at Smashbox Studios shooting up for Entertainment Weekly. I mean if that isn't serendipitous I with arts shoot, what's his name, he's a celebrity photographer. I'm just sitting there and I'm going, man, if this isn't serendipitous. It's like I, you know, man, it's just, I'm getting chills right now thinking about it. But that set the tone. And then that fall, I'm a guest star on a pilot called hello Ladies that ended up getting picked up by HBO and I'm back in it. I'm shooting national commercials. And then, you know, that momentum and those victories are, were absolute catalysts and just getting back. And it's like I was working more than I ever was before within a couple years. And that it was through insane discipline and insane work and just a routine that it was obsessive for sure. But I mean, the happiness and the quote unquote accomplishment that led to confidence and led to me getting that zest back was, was worth it. And yeah, that's, that's pretty much how I did, you know what I did. Just some mechanisms and just, I mean, 24 hours in a day, it's, and also just the motivation was, was constant just to, just to get back in, into an industry that I, number one, I loved so much. And I just really felt like, you know, I was getting those, those little victories. It's like, hey, you know, because that's when you're unrecognizable and you're kind of deformed and you're not, you're never going to be the same. Yeah, sure, there were, there were, there were doubts, but I mean, let's just, let's leave that up to other people to decide. But I'm going to put in 110% of everything that I can do to get back. And then either way, if I, if I, you know, don't reach the goal, I know that put everything into it, but I'm so glad I did. And yeah, that brought a lot of happiness back, which is just one of those things. It just led to that momentum of, of getting back to where I was.

Well, it seems like at the time of the accident you had three key things going for you. One being the mentality you gain from sports and the drive. Two, you already had a baseline of health and wellness and you were in that world and you probably had a good baseline for your own health and knew what you could do to help heal quicker. And three, like, we already talked about the support from family and friends, so luckily you had a lot of things going for you. Obviously still a very traumatic situation for anybody but luckily, you. You had a lot in you. You know, it helped pull you back out of it.

Absolutely. It, you know, having that. That court, but also silence and solitude, Jesse, for that, really. I mean, it just clearing out my thoughts and being alone in my thoughts and just. It led to a. I mean, serious intrinsic motivation. You know, it's like all the doubt that I experienced in baseball. I mean, really, it's like I didn't get to where I was. I mean, I would do a lot. That's what I'm talking about. Like that. That inner self talk that really kind of just put, you know, pours a little gas on those. That internal, you know, those embers and turns it into an inferno daily. I mean, I would just, you know, that music. I mean, it just. And then working out and then going, man, it's like I'm alive. I'm, you know, just staying focused, getting that momentum every single day, and then focusing on the positive rather than wallowing. I mean, I just can't do that. And, yeah, having that support. But also, though, a lot of it came from within. A lot of it came from within. I mean, it really did, you know.

And at the time of the accident, you were just making. Was it just the mask at the time, and that was just for your own use? Right, Right.

Yeah. So I'll never forget this. So Christina Rodriguez, a neighbor of mine, she had seen me in the icu, and I picked her up from the airport two weeks after the accident, and she did a legitimate double take. And I. And that. I needed that at the time. And my teeth, obviously, once I smiled and started talking, that was what it was. But in. My abrasions were completely gone. My scarring, obviously, you can't mitigate scar. I mean, there was a very. It was a road rash, like. Or not road rash, but it was kind of like a, you know, emergency room kind of chop job. It looked like railroad tracks right there on the side of my face, probably about two and a half inches and. But that right there, she's like, what do you know? I was a little hesitant to tell her what I was doing, obviously, being a male and, you know, kind of while I'm making this mask. What do you mean, this mask? Well, because it was one of those things that I definitely kind of kept on the back burner as a. As a. As a male in skincare and also interesting. Interested in cosmetics and just looking and feeling good. You kind of. It. Well, at the time, it was one. It was. It wasn't talked about that much. Between my friends and I. But I mean, so what I did is I went over there with a little backpack and a bottle of apple cider vinegar, lavender oil, and I mixed up clay mask for her and her friend. And at that time it was a little earthy. We had twice the amount of kelp powder. And but they, it's so, it's, you know, it had a earthy aroma to it, but they, the results were undeniable. And so they started telling their friends. And so I would, I would drive around Los Angeles for about, you know, I had nighttime work on the weekends. And, and so before I'd go to work, I would, I mean, friends of friends, people I didn't even know. I would just show up with a little bamboo bowl and just handshake a clay mask in a plastic container and then mix it up for them all. And then all I wanted was just some feedback and a picture and I would share that on social media as my little thing. I mean, it was a, I didn't have a name for it, didn't have a. Definitely didn't ever think this would be a product, but I did. It was a little victory. And also I just wanted to see if other people were experiencing the same results that I was. And they were. And so in doing that, it was kind of like my little beta testing. And I would just post the pictures of friends and using the mask. And so people would ask, and a friend of mine, Mary Halls, owned a med spa in San Diego. And she goes, what's this mask that I want to try this out. And so I drove down, she loved it. And so she tried it out on a few of her clients and they loved it too. So they brought it on with no name, but as a nutrient dense, mineral rich clay mask. And so just to have a product on a treatment list at a med spa, that was very cool. So that was a. Just, just getting, just lining up those victories and it kind of leads to validation that you may have something. A year after that, I reach out to a troubleshoot, Dave Asprey's email address. Because I wanted to work for Bulletproof at that time. Their contact, their support contact was infoulletproof exec. And I just, I went, well, his name's Dave Asprey. So I went d. Asprey. Dave Asprey. David Asprey. David at. I mean, 10 different combinations, copy pasted the exact same email with the before picture of me in the ICU and an after picture of me working again, just going, hey man, like I'm back doing what I love because of your products. Thank you. I wanted to work for Bulletproof. Well, one of those emails went through his. His ambassador manager gets back to me, Jackie. They bring me on board as a Bulletproof ambassador, which is cool. I mean, I, at that time, I could barely afford the products as it was. And so here I am getting, you know, some products for free, and all I had to do was take a picture of it. And that was a little victory. You know, just like I said, just adding, adding those up gets you back and feels good. And so about three months after that, they reach out and go, we, you know, we love your story. We'd love to have you on as a guest at Bulletproof Radio. And so I go, I mean, because at that time, it was like the number one podcast on iTunes. I think Jillian Michaels had one too. And I mean, there I was, you know, sitting in Malibu on Skype with Dave Asprey. I mean, someone I still do. I mean, I really look up to him and idolize him at the time. And. And so I was a little nervous, but I just kind of had a little man that was fun that we, we shot a podcast and pretty much much just talked about how bulletproof products accelerated my healing and really led to motivation to get me out of bed. Like, I hadn't drank coffee before. And then here I am mixing in cacao butter and cocoa powder and chocolate powder and cayenne and Ceylon cinnamon and stevia and grass fed butter and MCT oil. And it just, I mean, led to an inferno of motivation and just energy to just knock blast right through that hesitation that. That's near the surface. You know what I mean, of going forward with. With what you want to do in the day. I mean, it just led to a ton of energy and motivation to. To knock things down at an accelerated speed. So I am eternally grateful for bulletproofing the product and especially Dave Aspreed. And so by the last 10 minutes, he goes, this video podcast, I'm sure people out there will want to know what you did for your skin. How did you heal your scar? And then I went, oh, no, because I didn't. I didn't, you know, want to let millions know that here I am working on this skincare product out of my house as a male. But luckily, split second, I just went, all right, here we go. Maybe you can help somebody out there. And then just started going in on the ingredients and why I use them and how I combine them and how I isolated them and why I chose Certain ingredients and, and how I, you know, went about the emulsion and, and why, yeah, why I chose what I chose. And he got such a response from. We both did. I didn't have a website up, didn't have a name or anything like that, but we both got such a response from that podcast. He flew down to Los Angeles and we met@air1 at that same grocery store that I was telling you about where we get our green smoothies, which is kind of serendipitous too. And on a napkin, we're just sitting there crunching numbers. How much does it cost to make this mask? And I didn't, I didn't, you know, have my cost of goods down or anything like that, but he just, we went back and forth. We ended up partnering up and June 26, we had the altar clay mask on his bulletproof website, which was pretty. Oh man, that was pretty special. But I mean, what led up to that, Jesse? I mean, I'm telling you, I just had a surge of adrenaline because when you're given an opportunity, I mean, I, I just had a dead, a deadline to hit and, and I just found a way. I mean, I got a 24 foot U haul, rented a mud mixer, bought a horse trough, bought two different kiddie pools. I mean, up in Malibu, I mean, it just, I didn't really know how to put together this product that I was making out of at the time, an apartment. But if we have to scale up to thousands of units, it's like, all right, well what do we do? Because I couldn't find a co packer that wouldn't radiate my clays. And so I just wanted, you know, I had to do what I had to do just to, to get a product to Dave. And we did that. And the response was luckily very good. So traffic was driven back to. Finally we had a website, but man, it's just been organic. And I just stayed in the moment and kept that adrenaline to move me and scare me through to this day and listen to customers. We kept it simple. You know, we just, just, you know, get the order out is that day, have it show up a little bit sooner than they expected. Hopefully the response, you know, to the product is positive. But man, I mean, just, I mean at that time, before we had packaging, I would just drive around to Whole Foods with, and you know, the little clear plastic containers that are meant for olive oil, peanut butter, almond butter. Anyway, they, they, they don't even sell those. But at the time I needed packaging and So I bought 50 bottoms, 50 lids. The manager came over, he's like, sorry sir, we don't sell those. We came up with the price, 15 cents each, went over to Kinko's, typed out my in times New Roman Alatura and then I typed in single space a page long of directions like in very specific and then sent that off to Sweden, you know, where. I mean, here I am filling up those little plastic containers which are 16 ounces, which is twice what my formula is. And then I'm, you know, charging half of what I'm charging now and then sending to Sweden, which is $23 a ship. I was losing money, but at the same time I just, I was just in a moment and so happy to have a customer. And I, I think that's real. There's something to be something to say for that, you know, and that hasn't left. I mean, just keep it simple. Treat your customers as a reflection of yourself. Get the order to them as soon as possible. Just make it right. As business owners, we have a, we, you know, we have that capability. And then also with the product formulation there is, especially back then, there's a way to stand out, you know, just by going a little bit above and beyond with your ingredient deck.

I love that story. Love the grind. Let's talk about the early days, Andy, when, when you get your product up on Dave's site and you know, you're trying to figure out all the logistics. You know, I'm guessing it's just you behind the scenes. What were some of the greatest challenges getting that business off the ground?

Finding a co packer. Finding a, finding a trusted co packer for my clay mask. My clay mask is everything to me. And you know, I went to, ended up going to 14 total. There were times where I would be in a room of white coats and I go, wait a minute, something's off with, with this formula. I, you know, dip my index finger into the pearl powder, lick it and I'm like, this is not, this is not Jing. You know, I use Jing pearl powder. And I was like, can you show me the pearl? And of course they, you know, found a knockoff that was. And that, that combined with the radiating of the, of the formula, basically zapping it, taking all the life out of my formula and then also not trusting the sourcing. My ingredients are extremely expensive. The four hour grass fed colostrum has to be from Cheyenne, Wyoming, has to be from my source. Non negotiable sourcing, I mean is everything. And that's the thing with manufacturing is I Understand, it's all a business. But man, I'd rather do it myself every single day and have that trust knowing what's in my product than not. And so without question, finding trusted manufacturers for my children, I mean for my babies, for my formulas, for my emulsions. I mean you have to go in there, you have to meet them face to face, they have to feel your passion. And I do that with every single one of my manufacturers. We have seven different manufacturers by the way, for our products which is that, that's also, you know, causes some problems because of, we have a lot of customer supplied ingredients. I order my ingredients from all around the world and a lot of them have different lead times. A lot of them have different. Our essential oils have a curing process, sun drying process. I mean our essential oil blend that we use for our pearl cleanser is from the Amazon and it takes 12 weeks to make. And so if we get a surge of orders, it's. And we're out of stock. I mean that's been an issue and. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm not going to change anything just to streamline production. I just can't. I mean these formulas are sacred to me, you know, and I, yeah, it's just staying on top of lead times when you, you know, when you want to go outside and above and beyond and when you go, want to go outside the box and go a little bit above and beyond with your ingredients and you search for those diamonds in the rough located all around the world that people haven't heard of just yet. I mean the creative process of that is what fires me up. I mean that's, that's what I, that's what I love. And also you meet so many interesting people in the process of doing that from all over the world, like I said. So I mean that's, yeah. That it's a little bit more difficult in the, in the, in how I do it. But I mean you create something that is just, you can sign your name. I mean that's a work of art. It came from a blank canvas. I didn't have predetermined ingredient decks. I didn't just roll out a full line of products that you know, somebody had already signed off and tested for and boom, now they just put alotur on. No, these were one by one our moisturizer took 22 tweaks to make. That's 21 phone calls, I mean 21 revisions to finally get it down. I mean and the only reason it took so Long is because, I mean, I said that, mentioned this to them from the beginning, that I want it to be USDA certified organic. And then there were some certificates that they couldn't get. And so we had to start all over again after, like revision 11. And so that's the only reason why it took so long. I know that may sound like. And it normally doesn't take that. That many revisions, but. But it's just what you. I mean, I definitely know what I want. I have a, I guess, obsessive attention to detail, some would say. But it ultimately shows in the products that we make, and that's. There's no better feeling. You know, we have that control as business owners and as formulators. Why not just go above and beyond total integrity?

I love it.

Oh, my gosh. Yeah.

And Andy, how far into the process? Like, again, since the beginning, when you start really churning product out, how long does it take you to bring an employee on?

An employee on?

Yeah. Like, when do you start bringing other people on to help you with. With, you know, manufacturing and distributing?

Ooh, that. That's a great question. I mean, we have a staff of four right now, including me. I, you know, Jesse, I. If I can do it, I will. You know, I just, I had. It was me. And I finally brought on an employee in 2000, late 2015, and then 2016, Mitch, and then another one. So Rex came in. So we had three employees all the way through. But those were. Those are, you know, Mitch handled orders. Rex helped me on the tech side with customer service. And then I handle, you know, pretty much everything else as far as streamlining production, supply chain orders, all of that, packing orders, helping with orders, assisting with customer service, FAQs, all of that, website development, emails, content creation, you name it. As far as. With manufacturers that, you know, some of the med spas, you know, when you start to develop wholesale relationships, you get certain estheticians that have worked with different formulators. That's how I met Susan Raffi, who comes from highly recommended, and she helped me make my pro cleanser. And so you get, you get to know in the industry, certain formulators, certain trusted formulators and manufacturers. I just have been fortunate enough to just, you know, you have to meet them face to face. You have to see their operation, you have to know their track record, who they've worked with. You have to love their story, obviously, the consistency. You have to trust them. There's so much that goes into it, but the consistency of the product and their turning of that product in lead times is the most important thing to rely on, obviously in a physical product business. And you need to know, but it does take a very long time to find that manufacturer who really does get. Because we don't do things like every single person that we've gone into just, that's why it has to be face to face. They have to just understand the non. The why, number one. And just non negotiable means non negotiable. Like this ingredient deck does not change. These sources cannot change. And I, and I have to trust you. Like looking at. I have to trust you. You know, I have to trust that you're not going to change that. And they have to see you face to face in person. And so that's, that's how I do it. It does take a little bit longer. But I mean, they, they ultimately we're friends now, you know, because they, they've been on those calls. They, they hear that non negotiable, just passion. I mean, this is what, what I want as far how to be known. That's how I want to be remembered and how I want my legacy to be is just. Now, this guy's weird. You know, he's just, he just, he's obsessed with. And he won't accept anything less than perfection. I mean, I know that sounds kind of obsessive, but I mean, it's just, it's all in our control and it comes down to detail and doing your job right. And also caring. I really, you know, that's why you explain the story. And a lot of people, you know, once you explain how special this is to me, and I mean, just the, It's a lot different than just a business. And they have to see that. And so the manufacturing part, because you're passing on a formula that you worked so hard on to develop to someone else who may or may not. I mean, it's not theirs. And so, man, if I could, I would. And who knows, maybe down the road we'll have a big plant where we can oversee all that. That's actually a dream of mine. And so, but yeah, you're right. It's. It's. It's a very difficult process. And it's like, I don't know, like handing off your kids to a babysitter. You don't really, I mean, you know, you hope they're doing a good job, but I mean, you just hope that they care. And so that's why they, you have to get to know them and you have to really. They have to see your passion and they have to see your why, you know.

Yeah. As a CEO, founder, you're never going to find somebody that cares to the same level you do. That's, that's got to be an ongoing challenge.

It's. It's the number one challenge. But I know there's someone out there that can get up to 80 or I mean dream scenario 90. I mean, I, I just, I know what's been put into this and the why behind it. I just want Alatura to, To reach levels where it can, it can go as far as in the industry. You know, the, the brands that I see, the Burt's Bees, the Paul Mitchell, the Lemaire, they all started out of necessity. There was a why to their initial movement and, you know, which ultimately led to a founder story. And I just, I feel like we're in a similar boat and this, there was a, you know, a need for this. There were, you know, necessities of mother of invention and it led to something where, especially with the clay mask, which. It just creates such an elation for me, just removing a lot of that congestion, not even outside of skin care, just making you. Just opening up that nasal cavity, opening up that congestion around the T zone and you feel brighter, you feel more awake. For every situation that you approach daily, personally and professionally, you can have a nice. I mean it just. I know what I'm getting every single time and it's just such a part of my, my lifestyle that. Yeah, I mean you. The. The number one most important thing is just getting. Finding the, the people that not only believe in me and believe in the, in the mission and the, of the brand, but just. Just having that relentless work ethic to, to continue to pursue just, you know, being a shorter, smaller staff business. And I mean it takes a lot of work. So you have to have people that just will go to no end to, to bringing just all of our offerings to the public and our why and just, just being there for you. So. Yeah, I mean finding that, finding that, that that level of energy to my 100 is. Has been a challenge, but I know they're out there and. Yeah.

Well, somebody who is so passionate as we can clearly hear and see you are and who is so on the ground, you know, you getting your hands dirty building this company, blood, sweat and tears. How do you protect yourself through that whole process and even today against, you know, pushing even that perfectionism, like you have so much drive in you. How do you prevent yourself from going too far and burning out?

I never thought that was possible until Q4, 2020. We had such a rush. Our website went down for a few hours on Black Friday. And, you know, the influx of customer inquiries, it's one of those things where you feel it start to raise up a little bit. As far as just the stress and the anxiety of just disappointing people and letting people down, letting customers down that want to take advantage of a, of a good sale that we have going on and just managing everything, managing supply chain, staying on top of copy for emails, writing those emails, staying on top of copy for ads, managing landing pages. I still do all of that. I'm telling you, Jesse, it's getting very hard. It's getting, I don't want to say I, I'm burnt out, but I, but it just comes down to a routine where, I mean, I'm talking every single day. I, the cold plunge, sauna, working out, intermittent fasting between peptides, between therapy, between breath work. I take two to three cold showers a day. I mean, I do my best to control what I can't control. You know, I, I realize I may be doing some detriment to my health, but I, I just, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. I, I, I'm curious if, and I, you know, I, I pay attention. I have a lot of mentors and there are a lot of people that I like to look up to. And that's how I get a lot of these mechanisms like the, the breath work and the cold plunging and the cold thermogenesis. Thermogenesis combined with the, the infrared sauna and the red lights all day. I have things. But the number one thing that I have to do more of is taking time for myself. And that's why the traveling that I've done and being around people that I connect with and that I love is so important because it really does. You feel renewed coming back and just with a hunger to pour that, that energy and the creative energy back into your work. But it's getting more difficult as we grow. But I mean, luckily, I mean, I'm okay with that, you know, because, I mean, you have to. I mean, I know it's cliche, but I mean, I really do love what I do and it's so rewarding. That really carries me through. But let's just put it this way. We're looking for some more help right now, and, and I'm, I'm looking forward to, to that. So. Yeah, but it's, yeah, it's, it's, it's, it can be draining, but there are mechanisms, there's a Lot of technology out there and the mind is a powerful thing and sunsets and sunrises are very powerful things. Sunlight, very powerful. I mean, I just, you know, it's, it's not impossible, but it's getting very hard.

Are you still into the bulletproof coffees?

Every morning. Every morning.

What's the recipe looking like these days?

So I, I have a, A blend of mushrooms, cordyceps, reishi chaga lines, Lion's man, cayenne, Ceylon cinnamon ghee. I go ghee now. Bulletproof brain octane, obviously. Bulletproof Mentalist coffee. I don't know if you've tried that, tried their mentalist blend, but it's unreal. And I think I'm missing something. A little bit of stevia, gelatinized maca chocolate powder blended up. I'm telling you, unreal. The cayenne, really? It sounds, sounds a little gnarly, but yeah, the cayenne kind of activates it a little bit.

And is that the only thing? You mentioned intermittent fasting earlier. Is that the only thing you're having until you break that fast?

Yes. And the fast is getting. Yeah, 18 to 20, 20 hours. I mean, usually I would. 16, 18, 18, 20, 22. I mean, because I would have probably so say if I ate at 8pm, probably wouldn't eat until say 2, 3 or maybe 4. But now I'm going till 6, maybe even 8. Just, just. I mean, because your body, it turns into a different source of energy if you just kind of ride it out past that noon, do you? Intermittent fast?

I do. During the week I do. And it's, it's constantly evolving. Right now I usually stop eating. I would say maybe 7pm and then usually around noon the next day, I'll have my first meal.

It's just, I mean, you're just. Your body starts burnt, you know, using fuel, burning that body fat as energy and the cells start to clean it, clean themselves out. It's one of those things, it's just undeniable for me. I'm not carrying around. I used to have these big breakfasts, go on this run, which. Well, I go on a run and then eat this big breakfast and then by 10, 11am you're just dragging. I have less in my stomach, less energy is spent towards digesting my food and I can just lighter on my feet. I just feel much more locked in when I'm intermittent fasting.

And when you do break that fast, what does that look like?

Oh, let's see now. I'm big on elk. Elk, beets, broccoli, Avocado, fermented vegetables. I'm talking. I could eat that every single day. Yeah, that's, that's my go to meal right there.

Where do you get your elk?

So I have this, this butcher right down the street called the Butcher Block here in Henderson, Nevada. And yeah, that's where I go. But US Wellness Meats is another good one that, let's see, butcher box. What they have a, they have a lot. There are a lot of really good wild exotic meat online stores that can send. Just ship it to you overnight and dry ice. And so I used to do that, but luckily I have a good butcher right down the street from me right now. I mean, he's got, he has ground camel, he has ground camel, wagyu beef, elk, venison, wild boar. I mean, they have everything. So, yeah, nice. I got lucky.

And within that new narrow eating window, how many meals will you eat?

I mean, here's the thing, and I feel a little bit better about it now because I watched George St Pierre, he's a UFC fighter on Joe Rogan. And I eat late. So say if I eat six, I mean, and say if I'm still working, I'll have a little late night snack sometimes. So I'll switch it up with a little bit softer protein. I'll go eggs, always avocado and maybe some brussels sprouts after that. But that could be sometimes, you know, 10, 11, sometimes. But I'll, I'll have one large meal and then a smaller one. So. But sometimes I'll skip that smaller one and just have that one large meal and then supplement in between with things like collagen. Collagen protein. It's just so rich in those amino acids and has a little bit of protein in it, which is debatable on whether or not that's absorbed as well as something like a whey protein. But I, I love it. I love the mineral density of it and also the amino acid profile and the collagen protein. So between that big meal and the collagen protein and stay mineralized with salt and, and also having my adaptogenic herb tonic, I feel my blood is getting circulated from head to toe light on my feet, and I'm nourished with the food that I eat. And so I'm good. But I'm also always seeking what other people are doing as well. So if you have any tips, I'm all ears. Wow.

I want to keep picking your brain here a little bit. You talked about all the ingredients in that bulletproof coffee, the collagen Is there any other specific supplements you take on a daily basis?

Yes, so I take krill oil, curcumin, Max, a vitamin A, D and K supplement which is crucial right now. B12. I take an Oyster capsule. I take like 10 of those because oysters are, I mean there's somewhat so much out there that I think is, is. Is still like on unearthed as far as like what, what, what, how rich oysters are in nutrients and. Yeah, so I, I have about 10 of those. They've O3 oyster and so you have about 10 of those. I. Let's see what else. I big on gut health. I take a prebiotic and a probiotic from bio optimizers and that's pretty much it right now. And then if I work out, I have a little bit of a amino acid tonic that I make with citrulline, arginine, glutamine, a little bit of salt and schizandra and cordyceps before I go hit the gym. So yeah, it's yeah, a little bit of a supplement geek. But hey, you know, it just makes you feel better. I mean it, it, it definitely does have an effect on my workouts, in my performance both physically and mentally. So yeah, I like it.

I love all this. What about organ meats? Do you take any organ capsules or do you incorporate organ meats into your meals?

Oh man. So in my fridge right now, big I, I'm a big fan of bone broth. So I have a few pounds of bones in there with the marrow. I mean always look for the ones with a thick marrow. I have, I have veal brains, beef, liver. I just, I'm fascinated with organ meats. That's such a good question. I'm glad you brought that up. I mean between, I mean, you know the stories of the pack of the wolf. The wolves, the, the alpha of the pack, when they take out their prey, I mean they'll go after the, the organ meats first. Kidney, liver, brain, heart and then the last, the just leave the rest of it for the, for the pack, you know, as far as that. And so I mean there's something about just the high nutrient, the highest nutrient density in things like liver. I mean you can have us Wellness Meats has this liverwurst which actually it's. They have a little coriander, cumin, sea salt, garlic and some beef in there. So it makes. Doesn't taste as bad as some people think liver does. I mean believe me, liver is kind of a chore, especially if you, or throwing it in your smoothie raw like I did in 2000. What 11. But yeah, it's, it's, there are ways to make it taste great and it, the feeling you feel after consuming liver is undeniable. I mean, would you agree it's, I mean it just sets your levels. I mean it is, I mean from A, from vitamin A, B, it's just full spectrum in my opinion. And it, it, I think, have you ever seen those studies comparing liver to the vegetables? And as far as nutrient density, I mean loaded in vitamin C as well, I mean it's yeah, very, very mineral rich and the nutrient density is, is something that yeah, I can definitely feel. So I try to eat that at least once a, once a week. Organ meats, you don't want to go over overboard on liver because of the vitamin A content but, but yeah, at least once a week. Once a week. I would recommend consuming liver. So good for you. And you know they have those liver pills, I'm not really sure how they compare. You know, I like to eat beets rather than consume beet powder. I like to eat liver rather than consuming liver powder. I just, I feel like it's different. So. Yeah, but that's a great question. Glad you brought that up because organ meats, I swear by bone broth too, I mean just so healing, so nourishing, it just sets you to a different level. You can feel your body just absorbing all the nutrients inside of it.

And when it comes to specific foods for the skin, are there any recommendations or specific things you're making sure you get in on a daily basis? I mean there's your products which I use and love myself and I'm sure we can all see and hear the passion about, you know, the quality that you're putting into these. But that's from outside in. So when it comes to, from inside out, what specifics can you recommend?

I would definitely recommend a good collagen protein because the glycine, proline and lysine, those are the three components of the building blocks and collagen. And so consuming that collagen protein, especially taking care of your skin from the outside, it's just going to help build that thicker collagen layer during the collagen synthesis and cell turnover process. I would definitely recommend consuming collagen protein, a good amount of quality fats. Grass fed butter, grass fed ghee, avocado, good quality organic olive oil. I like cassandrinos, they're great. A blend of adaptogenic herbs to maintain that good circulation from head to toe. To me, you know, it Just helps with the brightening complexion. I just, I feel like getting or getting those stagnant capillaries moving from head to toe can help with appearance and skin health overall skin health and hair health as well. Adaptogenic herbs like Hoshu Wu Schizandra spirulina supplements like astaxanthin are great. Silica, silica jarosil silica drops cell food is another great. I know I'm getting into the supplement. Okay so. So as far as foods, I always go back to the big fatty meats. I just swear by those good omega fats located in things like a good grass fed grass finished ribeye. I strongly believe in a good consumption of animal fat just to help maintain the collagen and elastin and that good, you know, just thicker layer that helps can help fill out those minor wrinkles and crow's feet around the eye area and maintain a good supple appearance. Good fats are essential for that. Let's see what else I would. Staying away from sugar, that's, that's a big thing for me. You know, mitigating alcohol obviously not smoking cigarettes, Staying away from grains, dairy, processed foods overall, just staying away from all. I mean you just what you know, you want to just feed your. It just made so much sense to me in the beginning to just put so many superfoods in my system, so many nutrient dense supplements. Foods, I mean it's got to be broccoli. I mean one of nature's highest sources of vitamin C, Brussels sprouts and broccoli right there. Beets can help circulate some of those nutrients from head to toe. So if you combine those with say sweet potato which is loaded in vitamin A, beta carotene, a little bit of vitamin C and also a very high source of hyaluronic acid which is a building block for a nice supple skin as well. And so what you put into your body and then also things like maintaining good gut health with fermented vegetables. I mean kimchi krauts. So important for that. Gut health is essential and so important for healthy skin. I really like. Yeah, I mean just supplementing with probiotics and prebiotics is also very important. I get colonics probably once every three months just to maintain a good digestive tract. And obviously the products very. Are important what you're putting on top of your skin. I mean that's, that's obviously one of the most important things. But diet goes hand in hand and just staying on top of it. If you want to go to if you have a sauna around you once a week, I'd recommend just to kind of change the oil and also tone the skin in the process. Those are probably my biggest tips for healthy things you can control outside of the products.

A lot of great stuff in there. And what about hydration? What about water? I know you're drinking a carbonated beverage there. What does your hydration protocol look like, Mike?

Oh, man. So I'm. That's the thing. Gerolsteiner and Pellegrino, number one, they come in glass bottles. Now the dissolved mineral particles, parts per million, located in specifically Pellegrino and Gerolsteiner is amazing. I mean, in this milligrams per liter, total mineral content in this 25.3 ounce bottle, 2500 milligrams per liter. 1800 of them are bicarbonate. I mean we have potassium, sodium chloride, sulfate, magnesium. Pellegrino is just as mineral rich as well, I mean, I wouldn't Perrier a little. Very low mineral content. I like to reintroduce minerals because as we age we're depleted of them. And so you can supplement with minerals. I mean our body needs those minerals. It is vital for our health, definitely vital for our skin. And so I like to reintroduce those naturally. I mean these are naturally derived minerals from spring water and a little bit of carbon, natural carbonation added. I swear by what. I mean it's what we're composed of. Right. And so we want to introduce. I mean I would. Oh, big thing. Shower filter, wherever you're located. Absolutely, get a shower filter. They have some good ones now that can help with the hard water with actually some of them even in infuse a little vitamin C and other minerals as well. I use one from Aquasana that I like, but that's good just to help remove some of the heavy metals and obviously the chlorine that's just so damaging for hair and skin overall. But yeah, I swear by drinking Gerol Steiner and spring water in general.

Well, Andy, I really appreciate you just dropped so much knowledge on us there at the end and your story is just so inspirational and, and I wanna thank you so much for coming on the show and I know you're offering the listeners a generous discount of 20% off by using the code Ultimate Health on your website. So thank you so much for that. And say there's a listener out there that is intrigued by hearing, you know, the passion and these different amazing products that you're creating. Where would you recommend somebody start?

I would recommend Starting with the clay mask, pearl cleanser and gold serum. I would recommend cleansing and then using the clay mask and then following up with the gold serum and just staying consistent with that routine. Three times a week using the cleanser daily, every other day using the clay mask or every other two days using the clay mask. You're going to watch your skin and the stagnant capillaries in your face are going to become circulated around the T zone face, neck decollete. It's one of those things that brings a lot, so much blood flow to the surface of the skin. And then you just. And it has a mild exfoliating effect as well and really just gets that cell turnover process started. And then you heal it with the gold serum which is loaded in copper peptide plant derived vitamin A which acts as a retinol alternative. We have other actives like CoQ10, astaxanthin and marine collagen and a blend of organic botanicals like frankincense and sandalwood beeswax. It's just, yeah, I would recommend starting there, but yeah, it's just, I mean, it's a system. It's one of those things. I know what I'm getting every single time. And yeah, we look forward to how customers feel about our products. And the collective response has been overwhelming in the best way. I just, I love what I do and I promise to stay the course.

Well, I've been loving your products for a long time. After going deep with you on the story and hearing that passion again and that perfection that you put into everything you do, I love them even more and I want to thank you. Andy, thank you so much for coming on the show. This was, this was a lot of fun.

Hey, Jesse, thank you for having me, man. It's an honor. Thanks a lot.

Thank you.