Episode 062: Brodie Kern - Overcoming Addiction to Serial Entrepreneur, Real Estate Investor & Public Speaker
21 Jun 2018 · 64 min
Podcast episode (Rise of the Young, Ep. 62) featuring Brody Kern in an in-depth interview with host Casey Adams. Brody recounts his progression from a normal Midwestern childhood into severe substance addiction (prescription pills, cocaine, heroin, and alcohol), multiple near-fatal overdoses (including an April 14, 2015 heroin overdose) and seizures, and his path to sobriety through rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous. He explains the mindset shifts — self-awareness, confronting fear, channeling obsessive tendencies — that helped him recover and redirect his drive into entrepreneurship: a residential real estate sales business (projected ~$12M/≈75 deals), multifamily investing, a telemarketing agency (six-figure net in six months), and personal-development coaching. The episode includes practical tips (morning routine, cold showers), a short tax/depreciation example, and contact info for Brody to help others seeking recovery.
Questions this episode answers
Tuesday, April 14, 2015.
.457 BAC.
24 years old.
From Springfield, Missouri; born in California.
About $12 million in sales and around 75 deals for the year.
Chapters
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Legacy of monsters streaming November 17th only on Apple TV. Plus this episode is brought to you by Michigan Economic Development Corporation. In Michigan, you can have both a rewarding career and a quality lifestyle. With plentiful career opportunities in world changing innovating industries from electric vehicles to clean energy to biotech, with room for advancement no matter where you are in your career. Plus, Michigan offers a welcoming, beautiful, affordable and inclusive community for all. Live your best life you can in Michigan. Visit themichiganlife.org that ain't in ease on. That's a McLaren.
That's what I told myself.
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T F and Paolo. That's what I read.
And I made this happen.
What's going on, everyone? Casey Adams here. Welcome to the Rise of the Young podcast. Today, episode 62. We have someone who I'm super pumped up to get on this podcast, Brody Kern. Me and Brody, we've actually been connected for a while, but this past weekend in New York City at the Dream Mastermind, we really got to connect, really got to actually meet in person. So that being said, Brody, thanks so much for coming on.
Hey, thanks for having me, man. I'm very, very excited about getting on. I've been following your podcast and what you've been doing for a long time and it's an honor to be on.
Dude, for sure, man. So before we get into it, man, obviously we've connected. I know a lot of your story, but the audience, if they may not know who you are, what you do, I just kind of want to start off by kind of catching them up to speed where you currently are. Just let them know kind of what you're doing, what you've been working on and then we can kind of get into the details.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So I am 24 years old entrepreneur. I always kind of been in business for myself. I was a bit of a troubled youth which we'll get into and that led me into entrepreneurship. But now I am have a real estate sales business in the Midwest. I also invest in real estate in the Midwest market and I Also own a telemarketing agency. Been building my personal brand here for about a year. Really trying to get my story out there. And, you know, that's kind of synopsis.
Dude, it's so cool because, like, for me, it's like, I know kind of your story. So for the people listening, it's like, all right, this dude's killing it. 24 real estate. But for everyone listening, I just kind of. Before we get into the juice of the entire podcast, I just want you to know that if you're listening right now, make sure you listen to this entire podcast. Because Brody, he's going to talk about his story, he's going to talk about his past, what led him up to this moment. And I know everyone listening will be able to get some crazy amount of value from this, but Brody, that being said, obviously, like you said, do real estate, you're crushing it. But when it comes to the audience, the listeners, like you said, you had a troubled youth, and people may not know what that means, what route you are troubled in or whatever may be. So. But kind of before we kind of jump into the details now, number one, where are you from and what was your childhood like leading up to the point where you started going down the wrong path?
Yeah. Yeah. So I am from Springfield, Missouri. I was born in California. We moved out here. My parents were 17 when they had me, so cost of living in Missouri was very, very cheap. And we happened to have some family out here in Missouri, so we moved to Missouri and I lived a normal, super low middle class Midwestern life. You know, I grew up in a really low ambition area. You know, it's funny, with knowing my story, you would think that, you know, something maybe went wrong, but it was really a pretty normal childhood, man. I played sports, I was a good kid, but I always had this obsessive nature that I have. I always had that for sure, man.
So let's just get right into the meat, man, like for everyone listening, like just before we kind of go into this way and that way and this way and whatever it may be, just like for the people listening, when it comes to, like you said, you're troubled and kind of doing the wrong things, whatever may be, they kind of led you into this point of your life where you're like, all right, I need to change. Just like, let's. Let's kind of just get like a quick 30 second, like, what's the deepest? Like, what was the low point? And then we kind of backtrack so people can kind of get hit with the uppercut and then we can figure out where it all started.
Yeah, yeah. So basically the best place to start that story is at the end of it. And then we'll go back.
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
To give you an idea, it's. Let's take it Back to Tuesday, April 14, 2015. Okay, it's about 6:30am and I'm walking out of the hospital with my stepmother who had just picked me up from the hospital and I had just flatlined from an overdose on heroin for the second time in three days.
Shit.
Yeah.
So everyone listening, I know what we're about to talk about is definitely going to get super in depth. Unhistoric. We're talking a lot about drug overdose, how it led to where he is, all this stuff that if you're listening, if you're going through something in your life, I really want you to pay attention. He's here to really inform people and educate people and inspire people with his story. And that being said, Brody, I definitely appreciate you coming on and even sharing your story, but that being said, obviously people listening, they're like, alright, dude, heroin overdose, walking out of the hospital, what the hell happened? Right? So that being said, my question to, to you for the listeners is when did this all start? When did you start kind of going down that path of addiction and going down that path of being an alcoholic? Really just the points in your life, where did it all start? Is there a certain time or is it just something that stacked on top of each other?
So there was kind of, you know, there wasn't. I can't, I tried to pinpoint it to a certain time and there wasn't, you know, like I said, I was a normal kid. I played sports all the way through high school. But I noticed really early on, you know, when other kids were drinking and stuff, I was the only one really experiment, only one in my group really experimenting with hard drugs, right? So like, I think I started taking Xanax when I was around 16 and messing around with that, messing around with cocaine, you know, and all that stuff was still pretty recreational. And then I decided not to play sports in college and I went to a big university, joined a fraternity and I pretty much just started partying full time, you know. And I think that I always, I always had this very, very obsessive nature. Like I mentioned before, even when I was a kid, I was either, you know, all or nothing. And you know, people always, from a small age, like had to. I always kept hearing this word moderation. They would tell me that, Brody, you have to understand the concept of moderation. And I always just threw that shit out the window. No, I don't. Not a fucking chance. And I still do that. I still do that. I don't think that that's necessary for me now that I do what I do. Right. But I knew that I was always going to have a problem because I heard that so much in my life. Right? And this thing just started to scale. I mean, I had. I made it for a really long time, just kind of getting by. And then it seems like, you know, the year that I turned 21, everything just kind of shit hit the fan for me. I hadn't. I hadn't changed, really. The amounts of drugs that I was doing or how much I was drinking, but my body was just done.
Yeah.
You know, like, it's weird, the progression that most alcoholics take in. You know, 30, 40 years I did in five.
Shit.
Right? So, like, you know that, for example, that night, that day that I said that I got out of the hospital, right? That night I went. I decided that, you know, I. That morning I swore off the life that I was living. I said, okay, I'm done with this shit. I can't do this anymore. Right. But here was the problem. I was afraid to be alone with my own thoughts for, like, any amount of time at all. So I decided that night that I was going to go out and have a couple beers with my friends, take the edge off, something real low key. Right.
And this is the night you got out?
This is the night I got out. You know, I just needed to take the edge off and I couldn't be alone.
Yeah. Yeah.
So if we Fast forward about five hours, I'm back in the hospital and I blew a.457 BAC, which is blood alcohol content. And for those of you who don't know what an extreme that is, like, most people will be dead at 0.4 shit. So, you know, and it takes, like, a long time of alcoholism to be able to reach that. And I had done it by 21. My body was just shut down. And, you know, I really had nowhere else to go. I checked. I checked myself into rehab that next day.
Okay, so. So that's. You were 21 at that time, where it's like, you get out of the hospital the same night after you're back in the hospital.
Back in the hospital. That was the third time in seven days.
Okay, so third. Wow. So third time is seven days questions like, what was your family situation then? Like, I know that you. We brought up talking about your brothers, like, what was your state of mind? And obviously looking back, it's different because you can kind of like think back on it. But like, what was it just like every single day you woke up and thought about drugs, alcohol, whatever, or whether did you have a job? What were you currently doing? And when it comes to the family life, were you living at home just so people can kind of understand, like, what your current situation was back then?
Yep. So at that time, my parents had just kicked me out. I was. I was. So I lived in Springfield, which is about three hours south of the University of Missouri, where I was going to school. And six months before that, I had to left school and come down to school in Springfield to try to pull my life together, you know. And whenever I got down here, nobody was doing heroin at Mizzou, but whenever I got down here, all like, my high school boys, they were doing. They were doing heroin. So that was when I started doing that, you know, and my family, I was always real open with them, which is sometimes I wish I would have shielded them because I put my. Dude, I put my family through hell, like I feel through my parents. And like, I'm so grateful that they supported me through that, you know, but they had gotten to the point where, you know, I have brothers who are 8 and 14 and they just, they should. They shouldn't have seen that shit, you know, and they couldn't. My parents said, you know, you can't be around anymore and you're gonna. They couldn't keep taking the pain either. Yeah, you know, I mean, they were just terrified. They knew I was going to die. I mean, there was a time, probably six months prior to that, my dad and I were in Walmart and I hadn't had a drink in a day and I just dropped. Had a full seizure right in front of him. And I'd never, you know, when I woke up in the hospital after that, I know to this day, like, it still like, terrifies my father to think about when he saw that.
Yeah. Yeah. Damn. So. So you got kicked out at 21, and that was like, they're sick of it. And you got kicked out because before we kind of get it, before we get into that real quick, like, what would. What did you do when you get kicked out? Like, did you go to a friend's house or were you homeless? Just what was that situation?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was kind of just sleeping on friends couches. You know, I had. I had buddies who were in the same Shit. And they had apartments. We could just kick it, you know?
Yeah.
I would just, like, try to eat. I kind of had a job. I was working at this restaurant a couple days. Couple days a week. But I didn't really have any money. You know, I was just kind of scraping money to. Scraping money. What money I could to get high and, like, drink, you know, I mean, I remember there was a week where I. A buddy of mine and I, we were dead broke. The only money we had, we needed for drugs. And we straight. I was at his house all week. We straight lived off this huge bag of protein powder that he had. Like, we drained protein powder and water for, like, a week.
Dude, holy shit.
It was gnarly, you know, and it sucks because, like, all my boys been like, dude, that guy's still out there. Like, he'll probably die soon. Really, you know, this shit's the real deal.
Yeah.
You know, and I want to throw in to anyone out there, because we were talking about it. Everyone out there, everyone knows either a family member, a friend, maybe it's them themselves. Everyone knows someone with an addiction problem. And, like, what I have set out to do is bridge the gap between how people get introduced to the idea of sobriety and how it is now. You know what I mean? Because right now you talk about drug addiction, and unless you know someone who has gotten sober before, you don't know what to do. It's such a daunting thought. Right. And I want people to be able to have come close, like, have somewhere to go and have a solution to that problem. Right. Right now it's something that is talked about in such a negative light, and. Because it is a negative thing. Right. But, you know, people have to feel comfortable about being open about that in order to get help. Otherwise, like, they're going to die. And that is what I have set out to change.
That's crazy. So real quick, before we get into the story, I know that we're on this path when it comes to, like, you. You. That's kind of your purpose. I know that we talked about that in New York, where it's like, if you consider this a purpose, it's to help people get sober by helping them get introduced to whatever may be so to kind of. Kind of speed things up, and then we'll kind of go back in reverse. What is that platform that you told me, I think was AA when it comes to, like, the thing that helped you? Because I want people to listen to, obviously know, like, we're talking about the negative side of what you were doing, what led to you, where you are. And we'll get into more about what you're currently doing. But before we kind of get back into the negative sort of stuff that led you to where you are, what was the catalyst that sort of changed you? Because obviously you're on the podcast now. We met in New York. We met at an event, an entrepreneur event. Obviously things have changed and people listening, they may not know exactly, like, alright, like, he's on the podcast. He's. He's on his shit, he's killing it. But, like, what caused that, like, transformation? Because obviously you said there was no, like, point of like, alright, I started here and that's when I kind of hit the fan. Right, but what was the thing that really changed you? Was it the moment in your life? Was it an individual, an organization? What was that thing for you that really helped you take that massive step to getting sober?
Yeah, so here's, and that's a great question, because there was a catalyst, right? And here's, here's what happened, you know, after that. Next time that I was in the hospital, check myself into rehab, right? And that is where I was introduced to the program of AA Alcoholics Anonymous. And for those of you who don't know what that is, it is pretty much the only thing that has been able to keep addicts and alcoholics clean and sober for the last hundred years. And the program hasn't changed at all. These two dudes built this program almost we're coming up on 100 years ago, and it's been the only thing to work. And what it does is it really causes you to look at yourself, look at your character defects and figure out, you know, why you do what you do and how to. And it gives you a toolkit for how to deal with life. Because if you look at it, you know, when you really dig down into it, I just was not capable of handling life on its terms. Right? And you know, before, before this introspection wasn't part of my software at all. You know what I mean? I was really fueled by ego. And because of ego, I was very, very insecure about where I was at in life and that I had these problems. You know, I didn't want to be that guy who went to rehab, right? And now, you know, now it's so different. Like, I'm so grateful that I went to rehab and so grateful that I was born an alcoholic because it's the same shit that fuels me. You know, introspection wasn't part of the software, I started to have to take a look at myself. And then I really started to understand that fear, fear was the thing that was killing me. I was, like I said before, afraid to be alone with my own thoughts. I was afraid of success, afraid of failure. I was just afraid in general. You know what I mean? I was crippled by fear all the time. So then what happened is I started to. After I figured this out, I started to learn how to address the idea of fear. And that is, that alone is the catalyst for everything that I have done. Right. Because now I understand that when I fear, feel fear or uncomfortability, like, I need to hit that head on. Because I learned through aa, I started to notice that when I did things that were uncomfortable, like go to AA meetings or work the steps or take a look at myself, I found that when I addressed that shit that was really uncomfortable, that I became a better person afterwards. I understood that I grew just on the other side of that. Right. So then I started to kind of adopt that line of thinking in everything that I did. And that's what allowed me to really start feeling my way up.
Damn. So right when I didn't catch that. What's the name of the organization again?
Alcoholics Anonymous.
And that being said is that like, do they have, like, obviously it's like you won't really know about that unless you have someone that has an addiction. Do they have a website, like, just so we can kind of give some people some, like, details when we're talking about it?
Yeah, yeah. So like, if anyone ever has issues or they know someone with issues, like, you can totally find someone. But like, if you just Google like AA in your local place, like, dude, I live in a town of, you know, my Metro area is 300,000 people and there's probably 75 meetings in my area per day. Like, this shit is everywhere because there's. Addicts are everywhere. You know what I mean? And if people don't know what it is. Yeah. They just go to, you know, they just Google Alcoholics Anonymous and like, their town and like, if they'll figure it out.
Okay, cool.
How to be. You know what sucks is, like, a lot of people are afraid to do that because it is very, very uncomfortable. So, you know, it helps to have someone.
Yeah.
And again, just if someone out there, like their family member themselves, anyone they know is struggling with that shit, reach out to me. I'll help them get to the direction that they need to go. Get them into treatment if they need that, whatever.
Perfect. Perfect. So that Being said, man, I kind of want to backtrack because, I mean, for me now, it's like I'm in high school right now, 17 years old. I. I come. I come from a community where it's like a lot of people are doing a lot of drugs, popping a lot of pills, don't really have that retrospect, like, all right, I want to go here. They don't have goals, they don't have things set in stone. They aren't really ambitious. And obviously that comes from taking that characteristic of being addicted to something and transmuting that into real estate or whatever it may be you're doing. But for that being said, when it comes to just you as a high school, I know that we talked about when you're 21, that's when stuff really, like, hit rock bottom for you. When it comes to, like, your high school days, what was your current day to day like? I mean, obviously I told you said that you were playing sports, you had this normal life on paper, but in the back end, you were doing a lot of drugs, you were depressed, you didn't know what you wanted to do. So with that, just kind of bring me back, like, what was your high school like? 9th grade to 12th grade? Did it start at the beginning of high school, end of high school? When did this really start? To the point where it's like, it was just like a normal thing to do? Because where I'm from, it's like popping pills isn't bad. It's a normal thing to do according to the people that are doing it. Right. And obviously that all comes from the back end of your mental state. So with obviously, the question I want to keep it simple is like, was it just the normal thing to do in your community when you were in high school? Was it just like people were doing a bunch of different drugs or how did that kind of look like coming from your city?
So, you know, I do live in an area where there are a lot of drug users. Right. You know, there's not a whole lot of, you know, things to do here.
Right. So people.
People get. People get fucked up, you know, and I get that. But, you know, my day to day, I. During baseball season, I always toned it down a lot. Not my senior year because I was worse at that point. But, you know, through high school, I was pretty stable through baseball season. But I, you know, I started popping pills at about 16, and I started take. I was taking Xanax, right. And yeah, I was, you know, I was. My mother and my friends Mothers had prescriptions and I was feeling them.
Yeah.
And you know, it's funny you said that all starts with the mental back end. I totally. Everybody justifies why this is okay.
Yeah.
In their head. You know what I mean?
Exactly. Exactly.
Thinking like you justify. You can justify anything in your head if you want it.
Yeah.
You know, and that's kind of how that started. But day to day, you know, I would. I see I was the only. And other people were maybe taking pills on the weekends, whatever. But like I was always doing drugs at school. That was my thing.
Really.
Because like.
Yeah.
And I don't know why, but you know, that was always my time. I would always do drugs at school. And there were other, like some other burnout kids who were like doing that too. And that was, that's how I really, you know, understood, like convinced myself that it was okay to do things day to day. Because I would be like, okay, I can do drugs and just kind of like zone out for the whole school day and then go home and be all right.
Yeah.
You know, and that's, that's when it started to, you know, because it would have been different if I was just doing it on the weekends.
Yeah. Yeah.
You know, because it would have been like spread out and shit. But that was when I really adopted that it was like okay to do day to day. Then that's kind of how things progress.
Do that. That's crazy. So when you say, like you kind of have that tolerance of like saying, alright, like this is okay to do because anything, like you said, it works with anything like people, literally. I saw this thing in the news right before we did this podcast. Like there was a school shooting in Texas today. And it's like that person had to justify it to themselves. Like it's a realistic thing to do something that terrible, whether that be to other people, to yourself, whatever it may be. So when it comes to your, I would say acquaintances in high school, moving forward in life. 21. Just so people can kind of understand, like, who were you surrounding yourself with? With it? Positive people, athletes, who was it? Because obviously you hear the quote, like, your network is your network. And for me, even like I have a lot of friends where it's like three, three years ago we were best friends and now they may not be doing the best things. And the more I distance myself, the more I've kind of like been an oddball, but for better, for worse, whatever you want to think. But it's like, what was your kind of network with? Who are you hanging out with what kind of goals did they have? Did they have goals just so we can kind of understand like that situation back then?
So, so I. Man, I wish I would have had the foresight to understand that, or I wish I would have started reading because I was hanging around, you know, kids who just wanted to do what I wanted to do. And I think I, somewhere in my head knew that.
Yeah.
But that's what I wanted to be doing. I wanted to be hanging around people who weren't going to be like, dude, stop doing that. Why are you taking. You know, I didn't want to hear. I didn't want to deal with that shit.
Yeah.
You know, and my friends on the baseball team, they were like good kids and they, they would say that shit, you know, like, why are you doing this? Please don't do this. So, you know, I started to distance myself from them always and started to hang around kids who didn't give me shit, you know, for sure. I wanted to pass. I wanted the path of least resistance to what I wanted. You know what I mean? And you know, it's just crazy to think about now if I would have distanced myself earlier because, you know, I was always so obsessive in nature, I probably would have always been destined to be an addict. But, you know, maybe because, like, the science behind it, like the way they classify addiction as a disease, like, you're not really even people who are predetermined to be an addict, they don't really until they become physically dependent one. Like once they do it once, they're fucked. But like, so like, let's say both your parents were addicts and you were really inclined to become an alcoholic, Right. Well, if you only like drank once a week or once a month or whatever for all of your life, like, you'd be good. You probably wouldn't get hooked. But at the point when you drink like every day for like three, four weeks, and then you started to need it, like once it clicks, it's clicked, you're done.
Damn. Is that something I want to kind of get into those questions for sure. Because I mean, obviously you've seen the best, you've seen the worst, you've been through hell, you've now you've progressed. So, like, when it comes to. You always hear the thing, especially like when you're going through, like when you're younger, it's like one thing leads to the next, leads to the next, leads to the next. It's kind of like you're chasing that high. What's your thoughts on that, is it like, did you start smaller? Whether that be just smoking weed, just drinking alcohol, then it led to bigger things or like, how did that kind of go with you? Because I think everyone's kind of different on that track. You know, it's like some people will stick to one thing and they'll be cool. Or some people tend to increase, which. What was that sort of route for you?
Yeah, see, and some people do kind of stay stagnant. And I tend to see that those people, like, you know, don't end up as bad. But, you know, for me, I was always progressive and it's like, I am.
Now, you know, but same characteristic.
Started smoking weed at 13, you know, always wanted to keep doing more. More and more started doing hard drugs. By the time I was, you know, in college, it would be like, okay if I did gram of coke last night. I can do two grams tonight.
Yeah.
You know what I mean? Like, I was always trying to, like, compete with myself and one up in everything that I did. And like, just unfortunately all that I did was drink and do drugs.
Yeah, yeah, right.
But, you know, I do the same thing now. If I made X amount last year, I want to double it this year.
Yeah, yeah. Same characteristic, different. Different focus.
Yeah, yeah, dude. It's just progressive nature.
Yeah. Yeah. So with that, would you kind of say, like, obviously you wanted to keep doubling or getting to that next thing, so would you kind of say, like, one thing for you did lead to the next. Did lead to the next. Just so, like, people understand. Like, was it something where, like, obviously you weren't, you weren't like, just like, I'll stick right here. It was like you always wanted to do more, do more, do more. Until the gaps, the point where, like, shit like this is not, like, it's not okay, I'm dependent, I'm almost dying. Like that sort of thing. It wasn't. It just got that deep.
See, so most. Most people do kind of draw the line somewhere. They'll be like, you know, I'll never do heroin or I'll never use a needle or I'll never do whatever. Right. Most people draw the line. I just straight, for some reason, never had any fear. I always just wanted the best ride that I could get, you know, the most intense thing that I could do. I wanted it. And you know, like, at some point you just end up maxing out. And here's the thing, most people break their thing of I'll never do this.
Yeah.
Anyways, you know, they still do it, but, like, I Never even. I never even went through that phase. I always just was, like, down.
Yeah.
You know, it's. It's a weird. It's a weird deal, you know, But I'm lucky. I'm lucky that I was that way because, dude, if I were to spread this thing out till I was 30 or 35, I wouldn't even. I would be a loser for the rest of my life.
I'm glad you brought that up because, like, it makes total sense. Like, you. It's like, if you were to just have a slower conda than a Lamborghini, it's like, how many laps does it take and how fast can it go? Right? So it's like, was that something? Can you hear me?
Yeah, I can hear you.
My bad. Yeah. So that being said, though, was it. Would you consider it? Like, obviously I want to get into, like, the more when it comes to what you've learned from it, how it's really impacted your life, how it's kind of diversified into different avenues, but real quick, like, from everything that's happened, from almost being in the hospital, almost dying, beyond that, like, level of like, oh, my God, like, I could kill myself at this point, for the people listening, just so that we can kind of, like, hammer this real quick, like, what do you think has been, like, the biggest kind of takeaway if you had to simplify things for people, like, obviously, you've been through hell. You've. Now you're having success. Like, what's just been that one thing, one sentence that you just fucking took away from, like, everything you've been through, through since 2021 now leading up to where you are today.
Oh, that's such a tough question. You know, for me, and this is for me, it's different from for everyone, you know, but for me, just the idea, like, understanding that my biggest takeaway was understanding that my biggest character defects could also be my biggest asset.
Right?
So the thing that is typically wrong with people, you know, they try to shy away from that or they try to get rid of that. Right. But what they don't understand is that oftentimes that can be channeled into positivity.
Yeah, okay. Shit, that's. That's super good. So. So with that, like, obviously it's all mental. It's all a mindset, because obviously you're the same person. People still see you out from the outside as the same. But, like, what changes? Obviously, the mindset, it's your habits, it's your thoughts. So, like, you had to kind of, like, kind of give Someone, whether that be they're an addict or they've never had an addiction and never done drugs before, like, when it comes to even just, like, changing as an individual, because everything's mental, everything's changing on the inside. Everything's. What kind of thoughts are you thinking of? Like, what would you say is, like, the catalyst of thought? Like, changing your thoughts so massively? Because, like, one thoughts like I'm an addiction. One thoughts like I'm addicted to real estate. You know, like, what is that level of, like, separation? Like, is there something that if you had to tell someone, like, this is how I did it, or, like, this is how I was able to, like, break off. Like, what was that little, like, spark? You'd say?
Self awareness is the key. Because if you can't change your mindset, if you do not understand it, right?
And that.
That is the sickening thing about society is that, like, you know, especially where I live, I feel like people just kind of shut off at 20, and then they wake up at 40, and they're like, oh, fuck, like, there goes my whole life. You know what I mean? Because for me, I was so, so lucky that I had to get sober at 21 because it caused me to have to look at myself. And because of that, I started to understand who I was, for better or for worse, and how to change that into something positive. If I never would have, like, let's say I never. Or let's say I kind of would have just been, like, a weekend drinker, right?
Yeah.
I could have made it through college. I could have gotten a job, and then I could have just been, like, a weekend partier, and I would have just. And I have friends who are doing okay. You know, they have okay jobs and shit, but they don't understand who they are, and they're not doing the right things. They're not reading. They're not, you know, working on personal development. And because of that, like, I am light years ahead of them because I am working on growth. Right. In order to grow, you have to understand yourself for sure.
I love that you bring that up because, like, literally, like, for me being in high school, like, that's just, like, not taught in school. Like, zero. Especially where I come from or where you come from, I'm sure. It's like. I think the biggest thing for me is, like, really the main point I want to get to people sort of like you said, is like, everyone acts based on emotion, everyone thinks based on emotions, based on their habits. And it's like, those are the only Things you can control, right? It's like you can't control if you're going to die tomorrow. It's based on the habits and the things you build up into yourself, what you're thinking about, who you're surrounding yourself with. But like that kind of like. Because obviously everyone's heard some sort of debt before if they're listening to this podcast right now. But for you and like your story, obviously I want to kind of bridge it into real estate now because people may be listening and be like, shit, man. Like, I'm going through that negative situation or, oh, I have that same sort of addiction but into different areas of my life. Maybe, maybe that's just completely never listening to my parents or never listening to myself. But like, based on what you said about self awareness, what do you think is like the key to self awareness? Because I think everyone can have kind of have a different outlook on this. Meaning, like, how do you talk to yourself? How do you ask yourself those questions? Is there questions that you think people should ask themselves when leading up to that point where they should? Because I totally agree with you. Like a lot of people that I come from around my community, it's like they just don't ask themselves questions. Like, the same way that we're speaking right now, you should be speaking to yourself. You know, it's like you need to be asking yourself, what do you. How do. How have you overcame your own situation? Right? So what would you say to the people listening? Like, what's maybe like two questions or two things people should do to become self? Aware?
Well, here, here I think is the first thing that happens. Even when someone sets out to work on personal development and self awareness, the first obstacle that they're going to overcome, always whether they are, you know, egotistical or not, is ego is going to get in the way. Right? No matter what, your ego is going to get in the way once you start looking at yourself. Because you're going to look at something negative and your ego is going to say, no, that's not negative. You're right. You know what I mean? You have to understand that at all times. Like, I operate under the line of thinking that I know nothing, right? So whenever I, you know, start to listen to someone speak or I hear another opinion that doesn't always, you know, align with what I think, at first my ego's like, nope, that's wrong. That person doesn't know what they're talking about.
Right.
But once I was able to set that aside, I started to really listen to what people were saying. And then I started to kind of battle that line of thinking against my own. And, you know, I found that a lot of times I've ended up adopting others line of thinking rather than my own because I didn't actually know, you know what I mean? My best, my best way of thinking gets me addicted to drugs and alcohol, right? Yeah, but you using other people's thinking, I've been able to become very successful, you know, and do all of these things. But, you know, and I think a lot of people need to understand that because, like, let's take, you know, let's just like let's take a normal podcast listener of your podcast, right? Maybe they're young, they're an entrepreneur, they're trying to see, they're trying to meet better people, right? But if they start to, you know, if they don't listen to what other people say and apply that, then all they're going to do is stay where they're at because that's what has got them up to where they are. Now. Nobody autistically becomes the most successful person in the world, right? All they do is take everyone else's thinking and apply it in their own life.
Yeah. Damn. So it's pretty much just like you would say from your perspective. It was like, I love how you said, like your best way of thinking was what led you to an addict, right? And it's like once you started pulling little pieces from everyone and actually like letting them hit your consciousness and actually like settle into your mind and not blocking them out and pushing them away and having that egotistical sort of mindset. That's when you say, like, self awareness, really just like flourish for you, you'd say, totally.
And then I think you know another way. Like, and then the next step, once ego is out of the picture, the next step to becoming self aware is building a practice that allows you to become self, aware, right? So then you start working on things like meditation and, you know, putting in a strict morning routine and, you know, challenging yourself. I think challenging yourself in things is very important mental toughness, because when you start to, and I found it and you know, you had a situation when you hurt your neck that, you know, when you go through hardship, you start to learn a lot about yourself going through that shit. I know what I'm made of. But I even see it in small things, like, let's see when I'm working out or I like to cycle. So when I'm cycling, let's say I'm starting to reach a Breaking point. And I'm tired, but I haven't hit the amount that I said I was going to hit that day. You start to learn a lot about yourself whenever your brain starts telling you, oh, it's okay to stop or you don't have to finish this. Right. Understanding what you're made of matters and you have to understand, like, so for me, I know that my personality type, I'm naturally insecure, right. And it's because I'm afraid. It's because I'm afraid of the failure that I'm insecure. So I know that I had to build a morning routine that allows me to boost my confidence before my day even starts so that I can crush for sure.
So right before we get into morning routine, obviously everyone has their different tactics, and I definitely want you to share with that. So before we get into that, for real estate perspective, obviously people listening, they want to know what kind of real estate you do, how long you've been doing it, because obviously we've talked about your past. Let's just catch them up to speed real quick and kind of dive into a little bit more about what you do, what you've been able to build so that people can kind of get these good takeaways from that as well.
Yeah, yeah. So let's talk real estate. So I have a residential sales team in the Midwest, right. And I've been scaling this for a couple years now. And so we should do about 12 million in sales this year. And in the Midwest, you know, that should be somewhere around 75 deals, you know, so we're churning. We're churning shit out here. And I really. I really enjoy real estate because it was the vehicle that took my life from not good to good. Right. So I really have a passion for that. Last year I started a telemarketing agency about halfway through the year. We netted six figures in six months. So that is kind of. That kind of catches you up to speed on the two things that I'm doing. Those are my two vehicles for income. Right. And now we are. We've just launched the personal development coaching. We're going to be launching some real estate coaching. Some more things coming along. I'm starting to do speaking gigs.
Hell, yeah.
That kind of stuff.
Yeah. So for everyone that doesn't know. So we've been. Me and Brody have been connected for a while, actually, and then we actually met in person at this event up in New York City called the Dream Mastermind. We really got to chat and it was super cool. I interviewed him On a panel. It was amazing weekend in New York City. But for that being said, when it comes to real estate, how did you kind of like, why that, like, obviously there's a million opportunities. A lot of young listeners, they're like, they're so overwhelmed with so many stock trading and this and drop shipping and real estate and this and this and that. Right? There's so many options nowadays. If you actually, like, if you're actually listening to this podcast, I'm sure you're aware of all the different opportunities. So for you, like, why real estate? And how did you kind of get involved with that?
So here's, here's how it got started. And that's a great question because so I got out of rehab, right? And then I was serving tables at this restaurant and I, you know, it's just making minimal money, trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life. And I understood at that point that I had all of this. This energy inside of me, right? This raw obsession that like, obviously I didn't have for serving fucking table.
Yeah.
You know, and I got into real estate because there was a super low barrier to entry. Yeah. I still had a very traditional mindset then. I didn't know that you could make money online. I didn't know that you could build a personal brand. I didn't know that. I know all these things that I know now, right. All I knew is that real estate, you just had to go to class for a week and pass a test. And I thought, oh, yeah, I can do that. Right. So I took a loan out for the money to get to class and get my laptop. Right. And I just went to the class. Super low barrier to. Barrier to entry. Right. And then I, you know, I did that on recommendation from a friend. He's like, you could try real estate. I think you could pull that off. And at that point, it was just like anything that I get my hands on, I didn't know. And it seemed like the only option. So I did that. And I was so fucking hungry, man. I just, I hit the ground running, got my license in April of that year, and I ended up doing 46 deals that year.
God damn. One year, your first year?
Less than a year from between April and December, I did 46 transactions.
God. So that. So what is that for people listening? Like, is it you fix and flips wholesales? Just like, what kind of real estate is it exactly?
Well, this was all real estate that I'm selling.
Okay. So are you the brokerage on deals, for example? Or what's like your current.
Then it was the brokerage and now my sales team, you know, I have the brokerage that has the sales team. But now I also do investing myself.
Okay.
So all of the investing I do now. So like I just acquired, you know, for example, I just acquired 12 multi family units with some commercial space below it. I'm acquiring the 4 Plex right now. I like multifamily in midwest smaller markets, you know, in that kind of stuff. I do buy and hold. I would do a flip if you, you know there's 50 grand. Meat on the bone.
Yeah.
And I know that it'll sell quick. I'll flip them. But I really like real estate in the sense that I can buy it and hold it. And it saved me a ton of money on taxes.
Hell yeah.
Also cash flow, like real estate is my favorite investment vehicle because of what it does for my taxable income.
So question coming from that, for the people listening, maybe they're doing real estate, maybe they want to. What does it do for your taxes, for example?
Right. So here is, here's how depreciation works. And depreciation is God's gift to earth. Okay? So like for example, let's say that you have million dollar property, okay. You cannot depreciate land. So let's say the land it's sitting on is worth a hundred thousand dollars, right? So depreciation term of real estate is 27.5 years. So we're sitting at $900,000 with the property value. You divide that by 27.5 and that is a $32,727 taxable write off every year. Every single year, just on that property alone. You can write that off on your taxes. And here's the deal. You can show a bigger loss through maintenance expenses and all of that. Like none of my properties make money.
Okay. On paper.
That right there is just every year 32,000 Scot free write off. And that's for the one property. The one property.
Okay. And then obviously once you do more of those, it's like the write offs just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
Yeah, yeah. So like, I mean I know guys who own 250 units.
Yeah.
And they pay, you know, and they make two, three million dollars a year and pay almost nothing in federal tax.
That's crazy, bro. It's just so funny because like for me, like I don't come from an entrepreneurial family. So it's like, oh, I think damn taxes. F you like taxes are the worst thing in History, but it's like you don't know what you don't know, right? It's like there's these vehicles and like real estate for example, that's just like, God damn. Like people complain about taxes, but they don't complain about them not having the knowledge to know how to handle their taxes. Right? So it's funny, you know.
So the rich pay less percentage of taxes because they understand tax law.
Yeah, yeah. That's crazy. So it's crazy for me because like as I'm kind of asking these questions, it's like we talk about the super negative mega drugs and now you're, you've accumulated all this knowledge and you're doing what you're doing and crushing it. You know, it's like people listening, maybe they're crushing it as well in real estate or maybe they're just starting. Obviously you've had a massive transformation in your life and that's why I'm interviewing this podcast. But what would you say when it comes to obviously with personal branding now and social media and building a brand like that to you at 21 or how whenever, completely like never on the radar, never would have listened to people. Gary Vee never would have been on this podcast. And for me, it's like a lot of people that know me personally in my friend group, it's like, who are these people? You know, why are you following these people? Like, people just don't know what they don't know. So like when was that transition for you of like, like from just. You said like real estate was brought up to you, you got a loan out and you did it because it was just like straight in front of you. When was that sort of branch out opportunity of like, oh wow, like people are actually building their brands, People are utilizing social media not just to post them partying. Right? Like, because I feel like the more I talk to people around my age or your age is like there's just, there's a mental switch where it's like you looking at whether that be social media or whatever it may be like when you start following people, not just like taking the information but like mimic what they're doing and kind of see why they're doing it. Like there's obviously a reason all these mega successful people are using social media, creating content. It's more than just they want to get that like on Instagram, right? It's the impact, it's the value, it's what they can provide. It's obviously monetary reasons for the future. But like when did that come because, for example, we're on this podcast. If you were just doing real estate in your hometown, never on social media, we would never be connected. You would never have met Brian. We wouldn't have met at this event. So, like, when was that kind of transformation in your life?
So here, here's what happened, right? Started crushing it in real estate that, you know, I was enjoying myself. It was nice to make, you know, nice to make money for, you know, the first time in my life. But I wasn't totally fulfilled. Right. I knew that that wasn't it for me because I understood that, you know, real estate, residential real estate is relatively a rookie business, you know, with a lot of moms and a lot of housewives, every. Everybody just kind of doing okay, right? And you know, there's agents out there who crush it, and that's when it becomes a business. But last year, you know, I mentioned that I started my telemarketing agency. I took a break from real estate because I wanted to see what else was out there.
Okay.
And I built. The reason I went into the telemarketing business is because one of my first mentors that I actually met through AA was really, really, really big in the telecom industry. And I was always really fascinated by him and what he did. And, you know, I kind of just went out there and learned a lot from him and kind of mimicked that. So then what happened is I started to understand business. You know, learning the telemarketing world, you know, helped me realize that I could go bigger than just being a real estate agent.
Yeah.
So then I built that and I noticed that this was all really, really fun and a lot of adrenaline and shit like that, but I still was missing something, right? So then I took. Dude, I straight took like three months where I didn't work at all. And I was just trying to figure out what the hell am I going to do to be happy. Yeah, right. And what I noticed is I was only feeling truly fulfilled whenever I was helping other alcoholics achieve sobriety. Right. That's what kept me sober. That's what made me feel whole as a person. And then I noticed that I also started to feel similar fulfillment when I was helping other entrepreneurs accomplish their goals or whatever obstacle was in front of them, Right. So at that point, whenever I understood that, and this was in that three month period of really, like, I took three months to just understand myself.
Okay?
During that time is when I figured that out. And that's when, boom, I started my Instagram. I started to feel obligated to push my message out there. I thought, you know what? I'm gonna get out there, I'm gonna share my story. And I had a lot of fear doing this. I'm sure you had fear whenever you started your.
Oh yeah.
What are, what are people going to say? I mean, do people in my hometown, they're like, fuck. Another, like, motivational. Who the fuck, who the fuck does Brody think he is?
I got that 100%, man. Like, even like, people close to me, whether that be family or like close friends. It's like when I first started especially, I used to do like a lot of Snapchat marketing. It was like, why the hell are you taking pictures of your books and putting them on your Snapchat story, right? Like, we don't want to see this shit, right? But it's like, it brings me back to the point of like, obviously you are who you surround yourself with, but it's like, obviously if you go to this event that we went to New York City, you do that and it's like, oh, shit, bro, like, keep building your brand. It's like the positive influences and like, I think a lot of people, like, they aren't willing to jump that gap of like, handling the negativity, handling the backlash to get to that point of going to an event, right? Some people let it cap them off and they just say, fuck it, I'm not gonna put out any more content or I'm not gonna do this. Like, people are hating on me. I'm just not gonna do it, right? And that's when they let outside voices get into their head, right? So for you, like, that, three months of like, alright, you found your purpose. You're like, alright, I'm making money. It's not fulfilling me, do you think? Because it's just like, it's so dope for me to hear. It's like you were in this like, fucked up situation, no idea what you wanted to do, like, literally on the verge of possibly dying. So now it's like, you're making a lot of money and you're like, shit, I'm still not happy. So, like, that to me is super interesting because, like, I've met a lot of amazing people, I've had great people on this podcast and like, I feel like it all comes back to that core purpose, right? Like, a lot of people listening or people that may be following us on Instagram, whatever may be. It's like, people obviously focus on money, but they aren't, they don't have a standpoint on Their impact. And obviously, people like Grant Cardone, it's like, focus on the money, but they have that subconscious of knowing their impact, right? Like, Grant Cardone puts out content because he's impactful, right? And he talks about money, right? But, like, to kind of wrap the question up and simplify, it's like, do you think you making that money to get that impact was like, obviously, it's all meant to happen, but it all goes back to, like, your negativity, right? It's like you're now promoting in a positive way how to help people get from where you were to now where you are. But you. You've kind of had that middle jump of, like, making money and had you having your, like, self confidence, being able to, whether that be get a place to live or whatever it may be. So, like, how. Why do you think that's important to you when it comes to, like, figuring out your why? Like, it. Has that been just monumental for you?
Yeah. Yeah, it was. And, you know, that was like a necessary stepping stone because, like, in the area that I'm from, the way that you are conditioned to think is that, dude, if you can make $100,000, like, you're good. You know what I mean? I thought that all I wanted was like, a house In Missouri, a hundred, 100 grand a year. And I thought, boom, I'm done. Right? And then I hit that point, and it was almost like I was hitting a midlife crisis at 22. I was like, oh, fuck, dude. Like, what? This is nothing. Like, this is not even close to what I thought it was going to be. Right? So then it really hit me in the face like, dude, you're gonna have to achieve at a very, very high level and also impact lives if you even want to stay. Fame.
Yeah.
You know, But I would have never encountered that if I wasn't. Because in the beginning, I was totally focusing on money.
Yeah. Hell yeah.
Nothing was like, fuck yeah, dude. Like, let's go get that check.
Yeah, yeah. 100% now.
Now what I understand is that, you know, it's funny, in that three months and I was just looking at myself, and I noticed that whenever I started focusing on adding value to people and working on myself, my income grew with that stuff, you know, more so than when I was just chasing the check. Because here's the thing. Like, if anyone who's dialed in a law of attraction at all, whenever you're thinking about, okay, where am I going to get the next check or I need more money, you're. That's the same thing as saying, I don't have enough money, Right. And you're pushing negativity out into the world, so it's bringing more negativity back. Right? When I'm thinking in a sense of abundance, I'm grateful for my life. I'm practicing gratitude. I'm out there helping other people. That's pushing out positivity, which in turn attracts more positivity.
Oh, damn, bro. I think people just don't understand that simple concept, man. Like, that literally, that entire last sentence, like, that's just the truth, man. Like, and the more I interview people and talk with people, like, it's just reassuring to me for what I'm doing, right? And it's like, for the people listening, I'm sure it's reassuring to them as well. So to kind of bring things together, because I know we've. We've jumped here, we've jumped there, we've talked about your past, talked about the now. When it comes to you coming from somewhere where it's like, you didn't really have plans, you were just doing your thing until you hit the rock bottom to now, what do you think has been, like, three biggest takeaways? For example, like, if someone's an alcoholic listening, what would you want to say to them right now?
If someone was an alcoholic listening? Right.
Yeah. I want this to be, like, a question that's just, like, super impactful for that one person.
Dude. What I would say to someone who. Because I know if someone's out there and they're listening, they're an alcoholic right now. Like, they're suffering. You know what I mean? Like, that shit is miserable. And what I would want to say to that person. I'm so glad you asked me that question, because what I would want to say to that person is that they're. Is a life on the other side. Like, you do not have to live the way that you're living right now.
Damn. So with that, though, like, with. Because I think that question, like, I wanted to ask that because obviously that's like, a main question where, like, you coming on this. I can't really hop on a phone with a bunch of people and, like, are you an alcoholic? Let me get you on my show. Or were you an alcoholic? And let me try to get your story out there. So, like, I think it's super unique to have you on the show because, like, you've seen the worst and, like, not everyone sees that. Maybe they're. Maybe people still go out weekend to weekend and drink and, like, they still have their stuff and they've accomplished all these things, but it's like, there's levels to it. And I think I've learned that definitely a lot from you because, like, people, like, it's a casual thing, social thing, but it's also like, if it gets too social and too casual, it can bring you down and just like, tear you and rip you apart, sort of like just when it comes to your story. But so for the people listening that I'm sure there's a lot of young people, people that are. Aren't addicts, never tried drugs, people that use drugs regularly, and then even addicts. So with the question that I just answered to kind of like bridge that between everyone, whether that be just something negative people are just attracted to, maybe it's just like people, obviously, if they hit the gym, they're going to get good results. But there's also the same, like, not going to the gym, not exercising, not focusing on your health. What's that one sort of tip or three tips that you'd give to someone that's just, like, addicted to something that's tearing them down?
Right? Right. So you, you have to get uncomfortable, right? Whether you are eating shitty and you're, you know, you're pissed at yourself because you've been eating bad and not working out, or, you know, you're scared of getting out there to start a new job or start a new hustle or whatever that thing is that you want, but you're doing the opposite. You have to get uncomfortable. That's the number one thing to everyone. And this applies to the addict question as well, because getting sober, super comfortable. Right? But you have to get uncomfortable to grow if you want to advance your life. I don't care if you are making, you know, $10 million right now and you want to go to 20, you're going to have to get uncomfortable. Right. The only way to move forward is through hardship. Right. Because you have to to get to the other side. There's always a hill in front of you that you're going to have to climb.
Yeah.
Nothing is free. It's all going to be hard.
That's facts, bro. So I got like, two or three more questions to kind of wrap this up to kind of, like piece everything together. Number one, when it comes to just what you've learned so far when it comes to, like, mentors, obviously you said, like, you know, people in your area that are just crushing it. How has the people around you influenced you since that point of, like, actually doing what you're doing now? Because obviously you're hanging with different people. You're going to different events. Like, what's your mindset on just your network? Because I think everyone has a. Their different opinion and how has it impacted you?
Yeah, yeah. So my network is. Your network is very, very important. And I realized I didn't like actually realize what I was doing until a certain point. I found that I was doing it subconsciously. Right. And because I had been reading the right books and you know, like, where I live, if you don't have a lot of people in your area you can learn from, take a hold of books and content on the Internet. I mean, dude, when I didn't have anyone else around me, I was listening to Grant Cardone. I was first trying to get my money, right? I was listening to Grant. Dude, you know, when I have different people that I like to listen to now, I like to listen to Gerard Adams a lot. He really is on the path of like what I wanted in part terms of adding value to individuals.
Yeah.
When I was my money, right, dude, I was listening to Grant. There was no one in my area that I could listen to. And you know, now finally, when I didn't have anyone in person, like, now I'm traveling to events, meeting people like yourself, other guys that we talk to. But when I didn't have that, I just found the people on the Internet. Like, if a year and a half ago you would have asked me like, who my network was, I would be like, really? Well, the only, like people I take a look into their mind are Gary Vee, Grant Cardone, Tim Ferriss as my ultimate idol, you know, Gerard Adams. Like, I didn't have anyone in person. I found it through the Internet, dude.
Right, Me too. Really? I think that that's the main point that I want to get to people because, like, even for me, it's like if people know my story, it's like I started following Gerard and then Gary and then Ty and all these, all these people that people listening, I'm sure they're aware of. And it's like if you don't have people to listen to, your house or your family, if you have a cell phone, if you have a laptop, if you have something that you can literally go on social media, like, you can start changing your habits just on the intake of content, right? Because I mean, obviously there's a shit ton of negative stuff on social media. You can listen to the terrible people and they're just spitting negativity through you 24 7. But if you Follow them. It's like, that's an attachment of you, right? So, like, I think based on what you said, it's like there's no limitation to change, only by changing your actions. Because, I mean, people on social media, they can either follow the Tim Ferriss, the Gary Vee's, the whoever, or they can follow just people that are around them talking shit and negative and harassing each other and all that stuff. And like, I think that's super important. Especially, like, you coming from a small town and me as myself, where it's like, you may not have positive role models around you necessarily, but, like, it's only based on the fact how deep you go, right? It's like on social media you can follow someone, but it's like, are you really listening to them? Are you really doing what they say? And like, with that little change of uncomfortable ability, it's like, I think that's where the changes, where it's like you don't know what you're doing. Like, when I started following these people and like going to an event, like, holy shit, like, why am I speaking on stage? Right? But it's like putting yourself in that position to get that opportunity, I think is the most impactful thing. So to kind of wrap it up, I know I was just kind of rambling there, but I really want to take the time really to address certain things. Obviously, like when I'm doing this interview, it's like, I think there's just like, there's ups and downs, right? You talk about the success, you talk about the negativity, then you've made it and then, boom, you're not fulfilled. Boom. Now you take those three months off to think about what you're doing. Boom. Now you know your why. So it's like for people listening, like for their daily tips of advice. I wanted to kind of wrap this up to talk about your routine and just like the habits that you've instilled into your mind. What has been some, like, core beliefs and I'm sure everyone has heard of, like, all right, write your goals down and do this, do that. But like, for you as an individual, like, what's been sort of your, like, daily goals or objectives that like you said, just make sure you get done on a daily basis. Coming from Brody.
Yep, yep. So, you know, like I talked about before, it started with self awareness and I understood that I was very insecure. And whenever I, like, started to figure out my big why, it was, you know, it is that I am enough, right? I need to feel that what I am doing is enough, you know, because I'm always insecure about the fact that it's not. So I, you know, I applied that to. Okay, well, I can't roll into every day where I'm trying to crush with this feeling of insecurity. Right. So I needed to build a practice in the morning that helped me forget the fact that I am fearful. Right. So that is what my morning routine is about. Forgetting the fact that I'm afraid of all of it.
That's good.
So I rise early. I'm up at 4:45. Yeah. I'm at the gym by 5:15, get my workout in. Then when I get home, the first thing I do is a 10 minute meditation. Nothing crazy. I do a 10 minute guided meditation on the Headspace app just to create some headspace. Right. Give me some silence. And then after that what I do is I write five affirmations. Just quick affirmations. And this is what worked for me. I tried a ton of different, you know, routine.
Yeah.
Before I found one that worked for me. Right. I write the five affirmations that helps me boost confidence. And then the last thing, my favorite part of my routine is I start getting ready. Whenever I take my shower for the last 45 seconds, I crank it to cold.
Hell yeah.
Right. And you know, people, other people do this too for different reasons. You know, there's improved alertness, there's a lot of health benefits from it. But here's why I do it, okay? If for 45 seconds the only negative side effect is that I'm cold and I can't handle that, then I'm not equipped to handle life.
Damn. That is the truth. Actually, I did a podcast on cold showers, like one of my first early episodes because I was doing it where it's like, you just turn that shit on cold and just like boom, couple minutes of just freezing ass water. I've kind of started to do what you're doing now where it's like you. The last minute 45 seconds is like just turn it cold. And I'm kind of trying to get back into it because I kind of took some time off with it. Been experimenting different things. But damn bro, that is the truth. And like so with that like last question, cuz number one, my MacBooks about to die. And number two, we've just dropped so much value so far just for the people to know, like one thing from Brody Kern, like from the alcoholic to now real estate. Obviously there's an array of topics that we've covered. What's just one thing you want. You'd want to tell someone that's going through something, going through their negativity. I know we've kind of briefed and touched on this a little bit, but what's just a broad statement that you'd want someone to know coming from you that's been through all this negativity and then also upside in your life?
Dude, the number one thing for anyone to know whatever they're going through is that there is always something else for you on the other side. Wherever you're at right now, I promise you that it can get better if you want it to.
Damn.
Addiction. That goes for depression, that goes for anxiety, that goes for being stuck at some dead end job. It goes for everything. If you want it, there's a better life out there.
Damn, bro, that's the truth, man. I definitely, I want people to obviously follow you because I know that your biggest thing is like you want to talk to people. You want to actually if people have questions for you, like, don't be afraid because I think the biggest thing I got from you was like when it comes to addiction, people that just uncomfortable with like telling people obviously you have family, you have friends and people may not know about places like aa. Right. And people listening if they may have that thought process or even if they're. They have an addiction. Like obviously you have Instagram and social medias but what's the best place for people to connect with you?
Yeah, so the best place for people to connect with me is at my Instagram. It's at Brody Kern. B R O D I E K E R N. I'm sure you'll tag.
Yeah, for sure.
And you can also find me@brody Kern.com. i've got a submission form where if you want to, you know, just reach out to me. You can DM me on Instagram, reach out to me on my website. I respond to them all. You know, I want people to feel comfortable because a lot of times people aren't going to be comfortable talking to their family or their friends or letting them know what's going on if they've been doing it. Yeah, right. Come out to me. You're safe with me. You know, any information that you tell me stays there. I am set. I have set out to help.
Damn, bro. Well, dude, that being said, I kind of want to end it with that because obviously for people listening, like I know your why is to help people kind of go from where they are when it comes to an alcoholic or whoever's Going through that path that you happen to fall into. I wanted to really make this little ending part of the podcast. I kind of just let people know, like, dude, like, you're there for them. You know, it's like, we don't. People that are on this podcast, people that are listening right now, it's like they may be listening, whether that be to Grant Cardone or to Gary whoever, but, like, do people give a shit, bro? Like, the people that care give a shit, you know, so if people are listening right now and you want to reach out to Brody, like, don't hesitate, you know, like he, like he said, like, he will keep things private. He will talk to you, he will communicate with you. And that being said, I will make sure that all his social medias are down in the description. I definitely want you to reach out to him, even if it's not something you want to just talk to him about. If you're an addict, but just want to connect with him, I'm sure you guys can really find value in him. I know his story is super beneficial. And if you listen this far to the podcast, I know you're someone that's gonna go follow him. So that being said, Brody, I very, very much appreciate you coming on. I really appreciate you really just getting down with your story. You know, it's like not many people that have gone through that, maybe they're low key, they don't are there. They don't want to share. Their story, still has that part of them that really just makes them feel insecure. So I really just appreciate you coming on, actually sharing with us because I know it's been hell, it's been heaven, you know, you've been through it all. So that being said, man, I really appreciate you coming on. It's been a pleasure. And for everyone listening, make sure to drop a review on this episode. Go follow Brody and keep listening to the Rise of the Young podcast. I'll see you. See you on the next episode.
It's hard to stop my movement When I'm already in motion this ain't luck this is by design I hadn't worked.
In the dark for my light to shine A lot of people are dope.
They just quit too soon A lot of rappers, a lot of rappers they got rich too soon. Legacy of Monsters An Apple Original Series the world is on fire. I decided to do something about it on November 17th. This place, it's not ours, Believe me. The most massive event of the year arrives. If you come with me, you'll know everything I promise.
Oh, my God. Go. Go, Go.
Monarch. Legacy of Monsters. Streaming November 17th only on Apple TV Plus.
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