The Power of Networking: Inside the Rise of 'Raise the Bar' with Nick Lambe and Derek Mendoza

You're listening to the PT Profit podcast, episode number 369. Today we are talking about the power of networking inside the Rise of Raise the Bar with Nick Lam and Derek Mendoza. Are you ready? Let's get started.

Hi, I'm Beverly Simpson, former fitness manager turned online personal training business owner. And this podcast is where smart fitness professionals, including trainers and clinicians, discover how to increase client performance, performance in movement, package and position their products and services, and get out of their own way so that they can increase their revenue to live a life that they love without sleazy sales. Welcome to the PT Profit Podcast.

Welcome back to the PT Profit Podcast. My name is Chris. I'm giving you your intro today. And today's introduction is very special because I have been connected with Nick and Derek on social media since before they created the Raise the Bar event. So I got to see when they were running their own virtual education platforms, I got to see how they both kind of came together and combined forces. And that's a big component about what they will be talking about with Beverly in this episode. They dig back in their experience at Joel Jamison's event where they had initially connected in person, and they highlight the benefits, especially for anybody who feels that they are introverted. The benefits of connecting with people in person, in real life, at conferences, and everything that goes into making a successful conference, from selecting the speakers and how to set people up to get the most out of their experience. At the end of the episode, they're going to be talking about details for the upcoming Raise the Bar event in February in Dallas, Texas. Without further ado, let's roll that episode.

What's up, Derek and Nick? How are you?

What's going on? How we doing?

Doing great. Thanks for having us.

I'm super excited to dive in today, so let's just go ahead and get after it. So right before I hit record, we were talking about the amazing event that you guys put together every year called Raise the Bar event. Can you share a little bit about what caused you to create that event and what's your favorite part about it?

Absolutely. So. So Derek and I, and I obviously won't speak for Derek, but Derek and I are. Are two longtime coaches that have been in the industry for. For a long time. And we actually met and came together at an event at Joel Jamieson's event. I was there speaking and Derek was there attending the event. We connected at this. We connected at this event on something completely unrelated, which was Derek working in professional baseball and me doing some work in the sleep space. That collaboration never actually happened, but we did, we did stay in touch and realized that we had a lot of synergies and a lot of commonalities. And one of those was really a genuine care for the industry and the other was really wanting to create more freedom and more opportunity in our own business and our own coaching and our own career. And as we were both in the process of doing that and in the process of building that out, we created Raise the Bar as, as a space for like minded coaches that, that wanted to do the same. Like minded coaches that wanted to grow, that wanted to learn more about the things that just don't get represented in other industry events. Things like business tactics and marketing and sales and communication and really the things that make a difference in being successful long term. And that we just again, having been in the industry for, for so long and having attended so many other events, just saw that those things weren't really an emphasis in most industry events. And so Raise the Bar was the opportunity to, to create that, that space and to, to create a community of like minded coaches.

Absolutely. I mean you, you summed it up fairly well. I come from a background where I was in sports my whole life, so all I ever knew was being around community and teams and that's how I thrived and worked. Well. Once I moved on and became an entrepreneur, I missed that a lot. And so this is a way where we can continue to help raise the bar of the industry but also get around a lot of like minded people that we can now be. That's like our community, that's our team and that's the people we rely on. When we, when we get a request that maybe we aren't experts in, somebody comes to mind all the time. Nick and I are always talking and he'll, he'll ask a question or one of us, somebody will reach out to us. We're like, hey, we know who, to, who to send them or refer them to, to. Right? Because we built this community and that's awesome. That's what I was missing. And that's one of the biggest things I love about Raise the Bar.

Absolutely, you said you, absolutely you said what are, you know, what's the fate, our favorite part of, of, of doing it, of hosting it and being a part. And it's exactly that. It's, it's having our, our own community, our own space that I think challenges us and pushes us in our own business and in our own endeavors and the things that we're doing and having that support system that's there and being able to see familiar faces every year, as well as some new faces. It also really forces us to keep a pulse on the industry of what people are doing, what great new ideas there are, and we get the opportunity to showcase speakers and give them the opportunity to share their message. People who are doing such great things, we get to do the same within the community and highlight things that people are doing in the community. And it's, it's just, it's served so many incredible benefits for us as hosts, obviously. And we know that in a lot of ways it does the same for attendees, which is, which is special and so powerful.

And I'll say, you know, as someone who has observed you over the years, one of the things that I, I have noticed is your ability to be a really powerful and incredible connector for people in all levels in the industry, whether you're just starting or you are someone who has, has, you know, had built a career and you're really good at connecting people from different places. And what I think in my personal opinion is that is a skill that is developed over time and it's not one of those things that is just natural that comes naturally to you. I'll share for me that one of the hardest things for me has been how you build a community, whether you're building an in person team in a gym. As a former district fitness manager, I notice that some people are super successful and it comes easier to them than it does to others. And as well I've seen that translate in the online space in terms of how do you even build this type of community? So what would you say to someone who's like me, who might feel like this is supposed to come naturally, but it doesn't. What are some of the foundational things that you would offer to someone struggling with building a community?

I would say for me it's, I'm a natural, what I call a natural introvert. That doesn't mean I don't like being around people. I love being around people, but the way I recharge is introverted. I need to have some time by myself. So this never came easy to me. I always loved being around people, but I always needed to recharge. So one of the things that I have done is just like when I feel the need to reach out to somebody instead of the natural introvert part of me that's like, oh well that, that can happen later. It's like, no, just reach out, just reach out to create the conversation. And that's really helped to build the skills that now, like, if I need to reach out to somebody, it's no big deal now. But back in, you know, a couple years ago, that was like, oh, man, I've got to send them a voice memo or I've got to shoot a text or I've got to call them. Like, I'm not scared to do that, but that's just not something I want to do, you know, so that's. That's one of the things that I did. It's just a skill you continue to build.

Just to piggyback on that. It really. It really is. We talked about this in a previous episode about. About speaking and speaking skills. It. It's an intention. It really is an intention. And I always talk about this when you're attending events and you're networking and you're making connections to just be more generous with your energy. And that is whether you're an introverted person. I think I'm probably somewhere in the middle. I can have elements where I'm extroverted and elements where even I'm more introverted. But it, in, in either context, it's being more intentional to be generous with your energy. And when you do that, you'll be amazed at what you get from other people. People can feel that, they can sense that they want to reciprocate that. So it, it really is just setting that. That energy and intention. The other thing I'll say too, because I think this was the harder part for me in starting to develop any kind of platform, whether it be hosting events or speaking, and then also having the opportunity to connect other people and highlight other people. The part that really, I think distinguishes, and it's still something I struggle with, to be honest, is not operating from this place of ego, not driving the connections and interaction and networking from a place of ego. So when you say connecting other people, giving other people opportunities, have that really come from a genuine place and come from an authentic place of just wanting to do something good for someone else or wanting to give someone else another an opportunity and less about how it's going to benefit you. This transactional nature that I think is sometimes human nature, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with that. We all in some way are programmed to think for ourselves and think for our own benefit. But when you operate networking and connection from a place of ego and it. It comes across as very transactional, that's when you're going to get a different energy back from other people. And that's going to discourage you even more from, from doing it and wanting to. But when you just set that initial intention to do it from a good place, be generous with your energy, it creates momentum. Like Derek said of just, just reach out. And when you do that first reach out, it leads to a second and then you get a positive interaction back. It leads to it next and to the next.

So good. So when you mentioned, you know, being more generous with your energy, what does that look like to you and for you? And how does someone know that they're being generous with their energy?

Yeah, absolutely. I think it's, it's giving a little bit more than you typically would. And like Derek said, if you're, if you're somebody who's more introverted by nature, you find the balance for yourself of knowing when you need to recharge. But whether you're even just checking in with someone, you met someone at an event and you're just checking in or following up with them the next day, the next week, just give a little bit more than you typically would. It doesn't have to be drastic. I'm not saying to, if you're naturally a little bit more quiet and reserved and maybe don't give as much energy, I'm not saying to Tony Robbins them in a voice message that you send, it can be progressive. But just giving a little bit more in the interactions that you have. And this is if they're, when we, obviously we see a lot of people come through, raise the bar and show up to the event. And I always say there's a difference between being in the room and being in the room. And that is really just an intention to give a little bit more in. I would say not even give a little bit more just in your interactions that you have. I also encourage people give a little bit more in the preparation and mindset that you put going into an event as well. I think this is one thing, people just show up at events and you, you know the questions that you're going to get asked from other people that you meet, hey, where are you from? What do you, what do you do? And it's this automatic, often, sometimes generic response that, that a lot of coaches will give, actually give some intention before you go to an event. What might be some different unique answers that you would give to those questions or some other unique ways of how you might spurn conversation or. And they don't even have to be professional in nature. They can be getting to know the people in the room on an actual personal level. The most powerful and I Know, Derek will attest to this. The most powerful connections that happen in the room at Raise the Bar, initially, they don't have anything to do with the content that's being discussed. They often have it to do with common values, common beliefs, common interests, just as human beings. And then they realize, oh, these are my people. And there's so many more things that I can. That we can help each other out with professionally as well.

Yeah. And I would say something you can do to be a little bit more generous with your time, something that's probably pretty weird that I do, that people would think is weird, is I. I put stuff on my schedule, on my calendar to reach out to friends even, because I don't want to go months without reaching out to somebody just because life happens. Right. So I'll put it on my schedule and just send a voice memo or voice text and, you know, just continue to connect. And what I've started to do also because of something that I really like, that like Andrew Coates does, is when somebody reaches out for, even whether it's for my personal business find your prime, or for. When it's for Raise the Bar, I try to come back with some kind of voice note or something that's more than just answering their question. And I've gotten so many responses back that are like, oh, thank you. That was awesome that you voiced. Thanks. It was good to hear your voice. And so it's like just doing something that's going a little bit above, and it doesn't take that much effort. Doesn't take that much more effort. And it's that little touch that helps to build those, you know, those. Those communities, those relationships that to me is. Is everything.

It's powerful, you know, and so, you know, one of the things I'm noticing you talking about, especially as someone who facilitates events as well as goes to events, is this, this powerful connection that can happen when, when you're an attendee. You know, if someone's never been to an event before, maybe this is your first event and you might be scared to go. And, and, and Nick had mentioned, you know, be prepared in terms of, you know, being prepared for how you can be present and connect in the. In. In. In the actual event. What would you recommend people do in order to facilitate these types of connections, especially if you're new? Because what I see a lot is people. Repeats want to go and spend time with people that they've already connected with. So how do you break in? And would you say that that's a combination of how the host is or how the event is facilitated as well as how you show up at the event. What would you say?

Yeah, I think it's. It's definitely a combination of the two. They're one of the things that we really strive with Raise the Bar is to create a welcoming space and a welcoming community. And there's, of course, a lot of things behind the scenes and a lot of considerations that. That go into that. And all those things will dictate the energy that's in the room, the quality of the people that are in the room. And all of that creates just this more welcoming environment and this. This welcoming nature. We are very intentional and selective with who we even have on our support team and support squad. We. This is Raise the Bar is we. Derek and I always say it's a. It's a. It's a family business. We have above all else, the people who work more in Raise the Bar, in addition to Derek and myself, are our own families, are our wives, Derek's daughter. Mine are way too young to help and participate just yet, but our. Our own family, some of Derek's closest friend, people that are just really family to us, that are a part of the event, and then other people who have been with us from. From day one in supporting the event. We're incredibly selective with the speakers that we bring to the event, knowing that these are not speakers who are just putting themselves on a pedestal and just coming in and giving a talk and leaving. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with that, but the speakers we make very clear, they're there to immerse in the event. They're there to actually be a part of the community we have. For example, last year we had Jonathan Goodman at the event going to Whole Foods with attendees just there and being one of the community, being one of the attendees. And the goal is really to take down some of those walls that sometimes exist between attendees and speakers and hosts. We're all on the same team. We're all playing towards the same goal. We're all trying to help and support one another. And when you can feel that, it encourages you to feel like you can give more of yourself, like you can share more about. About yourself. And the other part, like you said on the. Your own self and your own preparation. I really do emphasize that that preparation piece. I'm not saying you need to have a binder of materials that you've prepared and. But it. It goes back to even one of the things I talk about with public speaking. The. The best public speakers when they're on stage when you see a speaker and they're. Oh, they're so charismatic and they just interact with the audience so well, and they're so connected. That's because they're prepared and allows them to really be present in the moment. If you are really prepared to come to an event, prepared in knowing more about the event prepared in some of the things that you might say, some of the things that you might want to talk about, you can just focus in the moment on being present. And when you're able to just focus on being present in the moment, that's where a lot of the real magic and connection actually happens and takes place. And once you get a. Once you get a taste of that, if it's your first time attending event, once you get a taste of that type of energy and connection, you'll be hooked and you'll want to continue to come to events, I promise you.

Yeah. One of my favorite stories, we have countless stories of people coming and connecting with people. And they didn't know anybody from the community, but one in particular, I can think, I won't name her name, but this was a couple years, not last year, the year before. And she heard a trainer talking about it. And that trainer didn't even end up coming to the event, but she just on a whim, bought a ticket, came, and she sent us a message after about how awesome it was because she met so many people that were just. She didn't have to talk to anybody. They almost like there's people who just naturally are includers, right? They see somebody who may feel, they think that, oh, they're over there by themselves. They may just be afraid to talk to people or something. There's those natural includers, and I mean, we have quite a few of those just naturally that have come to raise the bar. And you'll. Before you know it, you'll just see groups of people that'll be talking that never knew each other. And some of those are going to be super introverts that just got talked to by, you know, somebody who is really good at talking to people. And then we also facilitate it in. In between. Sometimes we'll. We'll have like, hey, in between this break, what we want you to do is we want you to connect with somebody. We'll give them a couple of questions to ask each other about what they do, how they, you know, what they're looking to get out of the day and stuff like that. That creates dialogue. And then now they automatically have a little, a little bit of a connection. And it's just we do it in groups of two, three or four. So it's not big groups where it's overwhelming. It's like two, three or four people. And now they have at least a connection to somebody or somebody they know. And we do that early on in the event. So it's just a couple of ways that somebody who doesn't really know anybody or is coming in and is a little intimidated just show up, get in the room and I think you're going to walk away. Really surprising with some, some colleagues and people you can collaborate with and some people that you can, you know, live life with.

And what we've learned too is when you know, all those things happen and you feel encouraged and you feel supported, it, it creates a better energy for you. And when you have that, you get a lot more out of your time at the event. And if you, or maybe someone who hasn't been a first time event goer, but you've been to multiple events, you know how fleeting events can be and how fleeting the information at events can be. Even though it's very often great information, great content, you go back and things very typically go back to status, status quo. And there's a lot of reasons for that, of course. But one of the big things is I think genuinely if you're not as well connected to the room, to what's going on in the room, to the people in the room, you're missing out on some of the takeaway. And so again, when you feel connected, when you have good energy, when the energy in the room is good, you're more focused, you're more attentive and you're absorbing more of the information. And we just, in doing this, year over year, we've, we've learned that. So for example, we always do an attendee social where we invite and get everybody together. We do some type of fun activity. We've done bowling, which is a combination of football and bowling. We did topgolf this past year and it's just to bring, bring people together. And now for the 2025, eventually we're actually doing this the night before the event even begins. So we're doing this on the front end so that people can actually show up on day one of the event, whether they're new or repeats. And they feel like they already have their people. They feel like they already are more connected to the community and we know that that's going to get them a lot more out of the event itself.

Yeah, you know, that's that's super fun. So I'm also curious, you know, when you first started raise the bar, and I'm sure you even also have this as well, even with momentum. But what we're. Some of the things that you did to help encourage people to buy their ticket, travel, come to this event, and actually, you know, see the value in what an event can actually do. Especially when you were, when you first started and created this event, like, what were the things that you did to build momentum around it?

Yeah, I would, I would say, and I'm sure we probably have different answers to this or in different perspectives. I, I would say in the beginning, going back to the first year, our number one intention was the quality of the speaker lineup. And don't get me wrong, like I said earlier, we are, we're very selective with the people that we, we have involved. We get even more, I would say we probably get even more selective every year. We want the right people for the community. So the, the, the quality of the speakers matter, the, the content matters, the substance, all those things matter. But we have learned that, like you said, in order for people to get out of their typical routine, in order for them to take time away from their business and their family content and information. And just the speakers alone is not likely to do that. They can consume information already. They can already. You can just go find podcasts, you can attend virtual summits, which we also both host, and you can find lots of ways to consume knowledge and information. You have to really highlight and emphasize the things that we've been talking about so far and what going to events can create for you that you can't get anywhere else. And that has really been the biggest shift is that Derek raise the bar itself doesn't even exist. If Derek and I are not going to and regularly attending events in that particular event. This was back in 2019, there was even more special opportunities that were created in the room. Someone who else who's become a great friend, who hosts me in Costa Rica regularly. But all these opportunities, I always say almost every meaningful opportunity that's been created in my business has been generated as a result of an event in some way, shape or form. Either being there, speaking at the event, meeting someone else at the event, and these are things that you cannot get elsewhere. You can replicate the information, you can replicate the content. You can't replicate being in the room. You, there's nowhere else that, that you get that. And so whether your, your goal is to educate more in the industry, your goal is to. We often find it's just this need of being reinvigorated. You get to a point where you get, you get stuck. Even if you've been in the industry for a while, like Derek said, that that transition to being an entrepreneur or being on your own and being in your own space, it, it can be lonely, it can be challenging, it can be, it can be tough. And just to be around like minded people and to have a support system is so, so incredibly invaluable. So the, the shift was really in more of these other things that you get at events as opposed to just the speakers themselves.

Yeah. And our, I feel like our two big focuses, or my two big focuses at the time was number one, the speakers. But we were intentional about the topics that we didn't feel got enough, you know, spoken about enough. So how to collaborate with people, how to communicate effectively, those type of things. And so we looked at speakers who were good in those areas. We took first, we took seven. We took it out as far as like 12 different skills that we thought were needed and missing that you don't get at the normal fitness conference. And we started looking at people who are really good at that. And that's how we formed the speaker lineup. And we're like, okay, now we feel if we go out and tell people about this and we know how it can directly affect their coaching, they'll come. Right now we got to do the marketing and stuff. But then the second thing we did was reached out to our communities. I'm like, who are the like minded people that I can reach out to that I know that are in my, my circle already, that can even tell other people. Right. So the people closest to us. And that's kind of where it started to expand. Keep. We had. I, I was thinking, hey, if we can get 50 people in the room on our first event, that's a win. We were having it at a small gym in Orlando, beautiful gym, Biofit gym. And we had a max of about a hundred people. Well, we end up selling 120 tickets. So we, we sold the place out and we were kind of in awe. We're like, I don't, I mean we, we were thinking 50, 60 people, we'd be ecstatic. And because of, you know, obviously speakers and the intention we put behind finding those speakers, I think it turned out way better than we, we expected. And, and so yeah, that's what I would say.

So good. So you had mentioned, Nick, you mentioned that you attend events regularly. What are some of the, do you go back to the Same events. Do you pick new events? What are some of your favorite events and takeaways and things that you learn and things that you, that you, you know, lessons that you're like, oh, glad we don't do that.

Yeah, no, really, really good question. I, I have gone through, I would say, multiple waves of attendance, attending industry events. I would say the first wave earlier on in the industry, it was where I think a lot of coaches tend to fall. It was very much a knowledge consumption. I felt like I had, I felt like there was this secret information of knowledge, this gap that I hadn't quite got yet. And I thought if I just went to enough events and just kept going and kept going to more courses, buying more courses and events, that I would find that magical piece of information which, spoiler alert, I never, I never found.

I'm laughing because my husband, every time I leave to go to event, he always says like, okay, hope you get that secret magical question answered in this one. And like, oh, yeah, it's coming, I'm coming, I'm coming home with the magical question or magical answer or the magical formula that this is the event that they're holding out.

Well, if you, if you found it, we'll, we'll talk offline. You can, you can tell me, but I, I never, I never found.

I'll bring it to raise the bar. They have to come to raise the bar. I'll share it there.

We'll play, we'll play telephone around the room and everybody will have a different interpretation of that message. So that, that was the, that was the first phase. And the second phase was when I got to the point in my career where I realized that it wasn't so much about acquiring new information, it was more about acquiring the right people in my circle. And it really just became an emphasis and focus to meet more people. And so that just was really diversifying the types of events. And then the third wave, which has been, I would say where I am now over the last maybe three, four years, has been a combination of speaking at events, as obviously that is a big part of. I teach public speaking skills. So of course that's a, a big part of, of what I do, but it's also been attending events with the lens of an event host. And that's where, you know, again, being at these events and speaking and Derek knows I'll obviously messaged him quite often after an event or we'll get on the call after an event. And like you said, it is sharing those things of, hey, here's a really great thing that I think this other event did, or here's some things that I definitely don't want to do or some things that you just, you're observing it from a very, from a very different lens and really just looking at it with the intention of how do they develop connections and community in the room. What is the, the, the logistical structure of the event itself. And so I, at this point I've been fortunate to either attend or speak at most of the major events. So the larger scale events, a lot of the, the middle tier events and obviously raise the bar in terms of size is maybe in that more middle range. And so our focus is how can we make the best possible event in that middle space. And in that middle space, where I think the, the most benefit comes is that you're still getting exposed to a lot of people, which is the benefit of some of the bigger events. You're still getting exposed to lots of people, but it is still this intimate type of event. Derek and I always say, I think Derek used would say this first, but I'm stealing it, which is that we want to, we want to have obviously growth of the event, but we want it to be where, if it's day two or day three of the event, we're not seeing a face that we don't recognize, that we haven't already seen, where there's still a personal feel where we know the name of the people in the room, they know us, they know each other. And that can be a delicate balance to walk. Because if you look at these larger events where more is not always better and bigger is not always better, everybody is very, I don't want to say disconnected, but in some ways you have just these groups of people kind of doing their own thing. Another piece of what was really important to us it was to not have multiple tracks, which is also very tempting. And I definitely get the reasoning behind that. And there's a, a place for it and many great events have that. But we wanted the dynamic of everybody being in the same room, always together and sending the same talks together and really just being able to have that, that cohesion.

Yep. And one of the ways that I choose events now is, is just a little bit different. I, I go for more. So the community, you know, I've been in the space for 20, almost 20 years, so 19 years, a little under 19 years. And, and you know, I look for the smaller, the smaller events. I don't want to go to event that has 500 people. I want to go to an event that has 200 or less and even smaller if I can find. Right. So what I tend to do is I love going to friends events, friends in the industry is I can catch up and also find the one, two or three things that I can take away that I can implement in my business right away. And then I love going and I been coached, I. You get coached all the time. So I love going to other like masterminds outside of the industry events outside of the industry. I was just at 1 on Friday of one of the speakers that actually is going to be speaking at our event. So I like going to those type and getting maybe some, some ideas and some frameworks and some structure. I'm all about structure and, and systems and that's how my mind works. So. And then how can we use that in the fitness industry? How can we change that to use it? Because there's a lot of people who've come up in the fitness industry and maybe they hit some things that were the new thing at the time and that worked for them at a grand scale, but then it doesn't work anymore and they're still teaching those things. And a lot of the coaches that are learning it, they're getting frustrated and they're leaving the industry because they think I can't do it. It's not that you can't do it, it's just we just need some new fresh ideas all the time of what's happening in maybe parallel industries or other industries that we can bring over and use as a framework to use in the fitness space.

Yeah, I think that was one of the, one of the goals that we've continued to have with raise the bar is being able to in the speakers that we bring in the things that they have exposure to, the things that we ourselves have exposure to is to take things beyond the fitness industry that we absolutely know coaches need, but also have this still be a fitness centric event so that it's also a space that they feel comfortable in because that's, you know, I encourage, we encourage coaches all the time. You need to go and learn outside the industry. But then you miss out on that part sometimes of finding your people and your like minded people and so really trying to blend those two things together because the reality as we, I mean as we know, if you want to learn about customer service at the highest level, you want to learn about business at the highest level, you want to learn about communication at the highest level, the fitness industry probably isn't the best place to do that. If you want to learn about fitness specific topics, programming and things that are fitness specific, then absolutely that's where you want to really emphasize. But for all those other things that dictate a success of a long term success of a business, you're probably best to look beyond the fitness industry.

And that's why we're bringing it into the fitness industry. Right. So you don't have to try to figure out, okay, so where should I go? Right? No, we'll, we'll go figure out the things and we'll come back and bring it back to the community. Not just at Raise the Bar, but in our Facebook group and in all the different avenues. Right. It's not just, hey, come to Raise the bar to learn or else we're not going to teach you. Right. We want, we want this industry to grow. This is an industry that we both love. We've put our hearts and souls into it and we see how hard it is to make it. If you think that coaching is the only thing that's important, or the skills going out and getting certifications, if that's your mindset, you're going to run into a lot of those roadblocks that we have already ran into. And we know, like, hey, that's not everything. You got to start learning all these soft skills. You got to learn all the missing links, what we call the missing links.

I think that's such a good point too. And this is not to like, you know, it sounds kind of corny or cliche, but it's like, really? Derek and I genuinely care about this industry. We're both at a place in what we do and the skills that we focus on. Myself, public speaking, Derek, in building your email list and building out digital products and things for yourself outside of just typical coaching, like, those are both areas that we can take well beyond the fitness industry and focus elsewhere. But we're still in this space. Like, we still have a love and passion for this industry. And I think that's where the root of this comes from. That's where the root of hosting Raise the Bar, which anyone who hosts events, it's not something you're becoming a millionaire with. It's not something that you know is providing any of those more superficial, tangible things. But it's why we continue to pour into it every single year, is out of that genuine care for the industry and those that are in it, those that might have been in similar situations that we've been in or still in in some ways.

Honestly, me too. I mean, I'm laughing because I'm Listening to your stories. And you know, my dad, I'm very close to, who also builds businesses, but just on the food industry side, he says to me all the time, you're so skilled in how to look and develop a business, why are you in the fitness industry? Like you could go and do this in any other industry. And, and the answer comes back to because I love the fitness industry. Because. And, and for me, you know what happens to a lot of the coaches that I get the pleasure and privileges, privilege of working with is that their context box of what they're exposed to is like the top 1%. Where I'm like, go and look at Pinterest. That is where people are still getting their fitness information. Like every time someone says, I don't, you know, what am I, I can't contribute to the space, I'm like, go to Pinterest even now. Go to TikTok, go and look at TikTok. And some of the stuff that people are, this is where people are learning about nutrition, about their movement. And I'm, of course your, your work is needed. And that's why my heart is in the fitness industry too, for the exact same reasons you guys are sharing. And I also. Yeah, go.

No, no, go ahead.

I was going to say, and also events specifically right in that vein, in that context box that people get into, like, oh, I can't go to this event because I have nothing to contribute. I can't go to this event because I'm not going to know anyone. I can't go to this event because I'm not ready. These are some of the things that I know go through people's minds and I'll just care. For me, going to an event was one of the most powerful things I ever did. Because one you I get, I'm an extrovert, so I get creatively inspired by hearing other people's stuff. I process externally. I'll have full on text messages by myself in someone else's text message and they're like, you got it? Like, yeah, I got it. And then not only did I get so creatively inspired, I also saw how much I take for granted in my own skill because I would just turn to someone and be like, oh, all you need to do is. And they're like, you can't see me. But my face was like, they get blown away by what you have to share. So it just speaks to the fact that most people, in my opinion, the coaches that we work with are the ones that take for granted what they actually can contribute because they're just always high achievers and setting the bar for the next goal.

I think that is so spot on. Yeah, that's so spot on. Of. I mean, Derek and I always emphasize this with our community, which is trying to find or really lean into your own unique skill sets. The things that you have the ability to be world class at, that other people don't have. And often, until you get out of your own internal bubble and until you start to share that with other people, you don't realize how valuable those things are. We have a tendency to think that just because something comes natural to us or easier to us or that we're good with it, that it's of less value to other people, when in reality, more often than not, those are the things that are the most valuable that you want to lean into even more. And you realize that other people might not have that same perspective or that same, same skill set. So being in the room, regardless of where you at in your. In your journey, you. You have those unique abilities. And being in the room and really discovering that I, I think, is also an element of. If you're. You're talking about, oh, I haven't gotten far enough along in my career. I think all three of us would attest to the fact that attending events and being around the right people and learning the right things is going to expedite that process for you, and it's going to dramatically increase your progress overall. It's the. The old cliche of if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. And I think there's. There's so much truth in that.

Yeah. And the beauty of it is the more people you are around, the more your skill gets. This is probably not the right word to use, but. Right. Exposed. That that's your skill, that's your. What you're really good at. Because it keeps coming off as, like, so natural to you, and you have no idea. And then the other person's like, oh, I never thought about it like that. Like, oh, that is awesome. And you hear that over and over again, and then the light bulb goes off. You're like, oh, maybe that is something I'm really good at. That I didn't even know. You know, that's a blind. A blind spot in my own coaching that I didn't even know was maybe one of my superpowers. Right. And so that's what I love about getting in community. There'll be times like, Nick is so stinking creative, and so there'll be times where we're just talking, and then I'll come up with an idea, and he'll be like, dude, that's a great idea. I'll be like, you know what? I am creative. Even though I say I'm a systems and framework guy. Okay, you know what? I am? I am creative. But to hear it from somebody like him who's like, to me, this dude can come up with a million ideas on anything, you know, that's like a huge compliment that I don't even see that I am a little creative when I think, you know, that's maybe not what I do. So, yeah, the power is being around people. And when you're around the right people that are positive and that are always looking for the good, they're going to start pulling that out of you because that might be their superpower. They don't even know they're pulling it out of you, but they're just complimenting, asking the right questions. Before you know it, they just made you a better coach and helped you recognize that you're not leaning into something that is your thing.

Yeah. And you. You find and develop your network to fill the voids, too. And you learn like. And when you're able to fill some of those voids, you can lean even harder to the things that you're best at. When you're only by yourself and you don't have other people in your network, those voids become more glaring, and it takes you away from focusing on the things that you're. You're best at. Like Derek mentioned, with me being more creative, which of course I always appreciate. Appreciate that. But with me being more creative in my own isolated bubble, it ends up being a million ideas. And all of those don't come to fruition and they don't get executed on. But like, the way why, reason why Derek and I work well together in the context of raise the bar is maybe my natural tendency is to be more creative, and his natural tendency is to be more logical, more systematic, and more execution driven. And so it balances those things out. And when I know that Derek is thinking in that way, it allows me to be more actually creative and focused. And, you know, even though, like Derek said, he of course is creative at many points, he knows that he can really focus on the more logistical parts of the delivery.

And the other thing, too, that I want to just highlight that I think Derek and you know, you both said this is that. And it's something I share with my clients too, is that you get to live in the end, it's not like you arrive at your expertise and then all of a sudden you're the expert and then there's no more to go. Which I think is, is, is powerful both as an attending and even as a speaker. Is that when you can go with that open mind of like, hey, I'm sharpening, I'm an expert here and now I'm going to get inspired at this event and learn something more that just grows. My expertise doesn't get to take away from your authority and expertise. It's only going to grow it when you're in the room with people that you're helping and learning from at the same time, it's so powerful. I just think it takes, it takes perspective to get there. I know for me, I would live in a, I used to live in this like scarcity mindset of like there's never, there's not enough. Even though I thought I worked on it, you know, there's just new level, new layer. And I think that, you know, constantly being okay with living in the. And takes work and you can't do it without support. Which is the power of events, in my opinion.

Absolutely, absolutely. Your first, your first step is. Got it. You gotta, you gotta be in the room. You've got to be in the room. There's, there's nothing that can replicate it. I, with speaking, I talk about, there's nothing that matches the attraction and influence of being on stage. When it comes to connection and community and all the things that we've talked about, there's nothing that matches being at an in person event with the right people. There's just you, you can't, you cannot replicate it anywhere else. You can't rep. There's lots of tools and resources and softwares and AI and things that are out there that make a lot of aspects of what you do easier and that you can substitute, you can't substitute this one.

So true, so true. Okay, so I want to be mindful of your time. So with that said, thank you so much for pouring into me and the community. I'd love for you to share with us. We've talked a lot about Raise the Bar. So can you just tell us a little bit about like what to expect for February? How can we get tickets? What would you say to someone who's sitting on the fence, like, hey, I don't know if I'm ready. Like, just give us the full details of what Raise the Bar is about.

Yeah, absolutely. So what you can expect with, with Raise the Bar is Is like we've mentioned, this is with, with both Derek and I's time in the industry and really the intention that we've, we've given to this and attending so many other events and even now in the, what will be the fourth year of, of Raise the Bar, we above all else, what we've, what we've learned is really how to create a welcoming, safe and supportive space. And so above, above all else, if you make the decision to come to Raise the Bar, you are going to be in the right place and you're going to be in the right place. You can have different goals, you can be at different places in your career. We have brand new coaches that come to Raise the bar and we have coaches that are 10 years and beyond, but you'll still be in the right place because of all those things that we've, we've talked about today and the speakers that are there who are genuinely immersed in the event. This is not going to be an event where you just, you see speakers come and pass by. You will legitimately get time to pick their brain. You will legitimately get time to get to know them. You'll legitimately get the time to know us and to get to know other people in the room. You will genuinely walk away with a greater sense of purpose. You'll walk away with real connections, with real like minded people who genuinely want to support you in your journey, who want to see you succeed as much as they want to see themselves succeed.

Yeah. So there's, there's a reason why when you think, even think about going to an event or puts up, there's a reason why. And so get yourself in the room. The reason, the reason why, it doesn't matter at the time it'll come. But at that point it's like Tony Robbins talks about how you build momentum. Right. It's like you got to make a decision first. A decision doesn't make like, oh, I think I'm going to go somewhere and I'll go at some point. It's like, no, you don't actually decide till you make that decision and you take action. So when you make that decision, you take action. You get in the room, you put yourself in proximity of people who can help you in every step of the way. Doesn't matter if you're trying to build a business, doesn't matter if you're trying to scale the business. Doesn't matter if you're trying to take your business online, if you're trying to blow up your brick and mortar business, your Gym. Just put yourself in proximity of the people because I guarantee you you're going to find somebody who can help you in a lot of different aspects. And it only takes that one person to help you go to the next level. Right? We've had people who have signed book deals, John Goodman signed his book deals. We've had people who collaborate with each other now building, doing coaching together and building products together. So just get yourself in the room, make the decision, say, hey, something came up that brought this on my radar. And I'm like, now I, I'm thinking about going, well, there's something there. Make the decision, buy the ticket, come out. We promise we're going to deliver in every way possible. We're going to give from our hearts. And we have speakers that are coming on that want to be part of the community, that are part of the community. They're not just speaking and leaving. So just put yourself in proximity, put yourself in the room and I promise you won't, you won't regret it.

Okay, have you shared the dates and speaker lineup?

Go ahead.

No, sorry.

Go.

Yeah, no, no, I was gonna, I was just going to say, I always say with speaking that you're, you're one talk away from changing everything. And I always say with events, you're one event away from changing everything. And that sounds over the top, it sounds cliche, but like Derek said, we, we've seen it. We've seen the magic that happens in the room when you create the right environment, you have the right people there, speakers and attendees alike. Magic happens. Real growth, real change happens. And until you put yourself in that space, you're not giving yourself the opportunity for those things. Things to happen. We've seen so many amazing collaborations happen. We've seen businesses created, we've seen businesses re. Envisioned and reimagined in, in different ways. And so until you take that, that initial, initial step, and what I'll say too is we, we have a good time. It's a, it's a hell of a time from, from, from start to finish and attendee socials and the, the interactions that happen in between it, it's, it's just genuinely a really great time as well.

February 21st and 22nd Dallas, Texas. A suburb of Dallas, Plano, Texas at the break Free Academy. You can find us at raise the bar2025.com.

So cool. Have you announced some speakers?

We have and we have a couple more to announce, but we have 12 speakers as of now and we're working through some logistics with two others. And should be able to hopefully announce those here soon.

Well, that's exciting. Okay, cool. And we'll make sure that we link all of that up in the show notes. February is right around the corner, but what a great time to have an event.

Absolutely perfect time, especially in Dallas. Starting to get warm, but not too warm. It's not cold.

Too cold. So Dallas is. Dallas is nice and easy to get to. Two major airports, nice central location. We provide lunch both days of the event. Make it easy. You, you fly in. There's hotels within less than a mile right there. Got the event space right there. And you don't need to go anywhere else. We'll take care of you.

Us east coasters are going to be freezing. We're going to need some warmth.

Enjoy it. You enjoy it. Keep the cold to you though, when you fly out.

That's right there.

Okay. Well, thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I really appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

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