4. CrossFit Champion From The US of A!

How many kids do you have, mate?

Me? Three.

Boys. Girls.

Three girls, man.

All right, let's run it. Welcome, guys. Welcome to the Real Dad Movement podcast. This is Big Red, and I've got with me Travis Stetzel, a World Games CrossFit athlete and father of three. As we just said then, three girls. I thought I had it rough, man. This guy's got three daughters. I've only got two, but, nah, it's. I'm sure it's. It's all worth it. Welcome to the show, man.

Yeah, man, absolutely. Thanks for having me on, brother.

Mate, it's a pleasure having you. The time difference seems to work out all right, mate.

Yep.

Yes. Look at. That's pretty phenomenal, mate, with some of the background info, and we've known each other for a little while now, but some of the background that you sent me just to catch up on a few things and your story, mate, and coming seventh, let's start there first. We've got a few CrossFitters that obviously I work with in my gym, but I'd love to start with. What was it like, man, going to the CrossFit Games in the Masters and competing and coming seventh?

It was a surreal experience, man. I mean, you see that right there, that. That's like the. The outfit they gave us, which was really, really. I can't even explain that part of it. Like, everybody got to walk out a part of their country, and so it kind of made you feel like you're in the Olympics or something. But, I mean, it was. It was amazing, man. Like, I've been crossfitting since 2011 was the first year I made regionals. And, you know, obviously you get that first taste and you're like, I want to make it to the Games. And that year I was actually pretty close. I got eighth in regionals that year. They took the top three back then, and then they changed it to the top five and, you know, now the sanctionals and all that stuff, so. But yeah, man, it was a. It was a dream come true. I busted my freaking ass. And, yeah, it was. It was fun. It was amazing. It was a good time.

And to come seventh, what were some of the events that you did, mate? And just touching quickly on some of the other athletes you competed with and against and the whole sort of atmosphere.

So interesting story. Like, Kyle Kasperbauer, he's been back to back Masters champion for the last two years. Him and I, we used to train together all the time. And in fact, because he's from Omaha, so same Same place as me. And 2013, 14. We started training together quite a bit. I actually trained with him, getting prepared, getting him prepared for the CrossFit Games in 2014, which was an interesting summer. I think my wife wanted to break up with me at the time because I was, like, training full time with Kyle. But, no, it's always fun competing with him. And then there's actually another guy from Nebraska, Phil Kniep, who he ended up getting fifth last year. So Kyle got first, Phil got fifth, and then I got seventh. And so, I mean, we definitely have something over here in the water here in Nebraska. But no, it was a great time. And what I found that was pretty special was I started talking to the other guys, and they were dads. Their dads had families. And so we started talking about, you know, kind of their journey, getting to the games and how much of a, you know, actual, you know, struggle it was. I mean, balancing family. A lot of them had businesses like CrossFit gyms and stuff like that. So it's very interesting to be, you know, in that realm with a lot of other guys that were, you know, making those sacrifices, too. But events wise, the events were good. The first one, which I'll always remember this one because you're kind of sizing everybody up, and you're like, ah, how's this guy gonna do? And it's the battleground. And so for the Masters, they had US run, like, 500 yards first. And then you go through the battleground, and then you finish. And I got second in that event. I would have beat Kyle. I would have beat Kyle, but I messed up. So I came over the cargo net, came under these, like, crawled through the sand, under some other netting. And it was the easiest. It was the easiest obstacle within it. It was just these. The steps that you had to run over. But you could only have one guy on the steps at once. And so I was running straight forward, and the guy on the steps, he, like, fell off. And so I was running to his, but he ran around and got back on his at the same time. And then I turned to go to this one, and then another guy came out of nowhere. And so I was literally stopped in my tracks. And so I got through the rest of the battleground pretty fast, and Kyle ended up beating me by a couple seconds on that. But the events were really fun. The final event was a unique one. It was kind of like a blend of Franz. So we had barbell thrusters. It was like a bar complex. And so it went 777, 555, 333 bar, muscle up, chest to bar, pull up and then pull up and then 21 thrusters and then it was 5, 5, 5, 15. So it was a cool little mashup of Fran to finish it out. And probably the, the icing on the cake was my daughter running out on the floor to finish it out. That was pretty cool.

Yeah, that would have been amazing, mate. And it's funny, I mean those events, those ones sound awesome, but it's funny how what you touched on with other men there, other competitors being fathers and you're in the 35 to 39 category and this was 2018. So just last year when you achieved this, what do you feel it's like. And what was the general feel that you got from the other dads who are competing at that level? Knowing that you've got your business, your family, you've got relationships and your own body and peak physical performance, which I know all about in terms of trying to stay in that top 1%. How do you manage that? How do you stay on top of that, mate?

Honestly? So it was a crazy, crazy year last year for my wife and I. Number one, we had another daughter, so she's now 22 weeks old. We moved into a brand new house, we built our like dream home. And then I went to the CrossFit Games. And so prior to the Open that year, I had the conversation with my wife because I knew about like everything that we were trying to do and like with the business and all that. I had the conversation with her first. I said, hey, you know, you know how much time it took me to train with Kyle. Like back when I was getting prepped for, I wasn't even going to the games and I was just helping him out. And so I kind of got permission from her because I knew how much of a, kind of a struggle that was with our relationship when we didn't have proper communication about it. And so I said, hey, I think I'm gonna, I'm gonna give it 110% go. If I make it, awesome. If not, hey, I gave it my best shot. And so we are in agreeance to that. And so in preparation for the Open, it was like that was at the top priority. So it was training, nutrition, all that type of stuff. And so going into the Open, that was my mindset. And so I just hit it as hard as I could and balanced out my schedules and things like that. I'm blessed to have an awesome team of coaches at my gym that were Able to handle the load and so. But yeah, getting prepared for that thing, I mean it was, it's a full time job. And so between the online qualifier and the games last year, it was literally like, you know, wake up, eat breakfast, go to the gym, hit the first session, have a little bit of food, chill out at the gym, hit another session, eat, train a class or two, and then train a little bit more after that. And I was home and I was like, done. I was like, I'm done, I gotta go to sleep. And so it was that, repeat that, repeat that. And then into this year, I mean we had the conversation, I was like, I'm not going for it this year because I already know like what it would take because now we just got done with the online qualifiers and I mean, business wise, I'm just not prepared to train for the games and balance that. And it's interesting and this is something that we talk about a lot in the forest. Father is periodizing your year, right? So a lot of guys want to max out on everything at the same time. So max out on their career, professional wise, max out on their health, max out on the relationships and all this stuff. And it can be done, but other areas aren't going to be, you know, at the pinnacle, so to speak. Right. And so this year, not making it to the games, I got like 50th in the qualifier. So I did my best, but I already knew coming in, I wasn't prepared, put in the time, but I knew that going in because now the focus is family, you know, business more so and training.

Right.

So it was interesting, you know, having that conversation with the, the rest of the, you know, competitors. I'd say there's just a couple that were, that didn't have kids yet, but for the most part, a lot of them, we were having those same conversations, like, dude, how did you get it done, man? Like.

Yeah, it's unreal, isn't it? And, and you know, it's funny when you touch on that maxing out because one of, one of my best mates told me one thing once, he said, your family, your career and yourself or your body or physical performance. And I remember saying, there's only two of them. You'll only ever be able to two of them really, really well at the cost of the other one. And it's so true, man. It's a really hard thing to juggle. And that's okay. You don't, you don't have to always, I feel you don't have to always have balance in your life, to have a balanced life. But there must be some repercussions or a carryover effect after going to the games. Like, does it drain you, man? Because I know for me mentally, even after just doing regionals, like it took me months to rec in certain elements of my life. Did you feel that as well?

Oh, yeah. Like, even when I, like just leading up to, I remember we were about two weeks out and I mean, I had multiple training partners and my training partners, they were complaining to me. They're like, dude, I don't know if I can go today. And I'm like, hey man, I feel you. If you can't be here, that's cool. But yeah, I was starting to get pretty run down and it gets pretty brutal here in Nebraska during the summer. Like it's like 90s hundreds like humidity. And so working out, training on top of that, like, I literally, before the games, a good month before the games, I took myself out of the gym and I was basically just kind of running operations behind the scenes. And so it was good to have my coaches in there. But at the same time I knew the gym culture, the community, it was going down a little bit because I was being selfish. I mean, I was getting ready for the, for the CrossFit Games. And then afterwards it was just like, yeah, man, I mean, you're spent training wise, it's just, you know, now on the bottom of the totem pole, so to speak. And so it was like gathering up the pieces and just recovering in a lot of different areas, especially with like the gym and just like, you know, building things back up there because I neglected it for a little bit. But yeah, man, it's definitely an emotional roller coaster. When you get back, it's just like, holy shit, that went fast, right? But yeah, it was pretty amazing, man.

It makes you wonder how some of those guys back it up year after year after year. But it must be, must be elements like you've touched on that maybe aren't higher levels of influence in their life. Like maybe they don't have kids or family like the younger, younger competitors or different areas of their life are. Okay. Like, I've got members at my gym who live and breathe CrossFit and train it, but they live at home or they like different stresses and pressures in life aren't there. Maybe that's how people can back it up. Because yeah, must, must take its toll and be tough, mate. But let's, let's. And thanks for sharing that, Travis. That's, that's an awesome intro into this podcast because I know, like I said, I've got a lot of people listening who are crossfitters and they will definitely or should definitely look you up and see more of your story. But I've just got some notes here as well that you sent me, mate. Talk to me about before we dive into forged fathers, which is your amazing online movement, mate, in helping dads, talk to me about a bit about your childhood and the principles and values that it seems like your father's instilled into you with hard work and that sort of stuff.

Yeah, so I was an athlete basically coming out of the womb like I was destined to be an athlete. But I got involved in football, baseball early on. Wrestling and wrestling was really kind of the sport that I fell in love with, but I wasn't the. I was good, but I excelled at football and baseball. I continued on and played football in college, played baseball for a couple years in college and then stuck it out with football and then tried to get into the NFL. Had that dream of getting into the NFL. I had the speed and the talent, just not the size, man, I'm like 5 7, 165 pounds back then. But either way, growing up, being involved in wrestling, wrestling taught me a lot of lessons. And my dad was the one that really pushed me into wrestling. The lessons that I got from that were just earn it, right? Like you want it, earn it. It's like you going out on the mat, it's going to be you against the other guy who put in more work, who wants it more, right? And so that taught me a lot of lessons about just getting yourself prepared physically, but also mentally. And that was honestly where I was lacking the most, was I didn't have self belief in myself. Like I had put in hours and hours and hours of time of training like that. There was very few guys that I ever wrestled in high school that I can remember that outpowered me or even out conditioned me. It was more so like I didn't have the belief in myself to beat them. And so I literally walk onto the mat already defeated, right? And that's something that you mentioned. I remember before we hit record, like you help men break that, you know, get the belief in themselves. And so I was really fortunate to go through that early because that taught me the lesson. Like you, if you want to do something big, if you want to do something that's going to have impact, you have to believe in yourself first, right? And so I learned many lessons from wrestling, one being the mental side. But then number two, the physical side, just keep yourself healthy. Push yourself.

Man.

I remember doing push ups before bed since the fourth grade. I don't do it anymore, but I used to just be relentless with that. Like 100 pushups a night. Boom. Got to crank them out. I would go run hill sprints. I remember like summertime in high school. My friends, I remember this one time, they knew where I'd go to run sprints and so they'd want to go to the pool. And so they know I'd be at the, at the, you know, football field running sprints. And so they'd pull up in the parking lot and then go against the fence and like, shake the fence and be like, dude, get done with your sprints. We gotta go to the pool. And so I was just. I loved it. I loved it. I didn't look at it as a chore. It was just a part of like who I was. I wanted to go and just be active and train. And so that was a part of me like growing up and then getting into college. I played football and then played a little bit of arena football. But that's what really got me into the training side of things because I was like, I had to come to the harsh reality of like, hey man, you're probably not going to get paid to play football for the rest of your life, right? And so I was like, I want to go on the other side of the coin here and I want to start training athletes to get them prepared for the higher level. And so that's who I originally started, started training in my gym. So I started off in like a big globo type gym, but then ended up breaking away from that and built the forged athlete. And this is the 10th year of having the forged athlete. And so when I originally built that, I wanted it just to be a place for like high end, like high caliber athletes and just the badasses like the Navy Seals and just the bad mofos. Little did I know at that time that's like the 0.001% of people and you're probably not going to be able to pay the bills. Trying to go after those people really started to build up my clientele. And what I got most fulfillment out of, and I'm sure this is similar to you, is watching somebody come into the gym that isn't that.001%, but it's like, you know, just the Joe Schmo guy that maybe he's never been in shape his whole life and just watching that person change physically but mentally Too, like just becoming a whole different person. And that was like what really got me hooked. And it slowly, over time, just transformed into the movement that it is now. And after I became a dad, you know, five years ago, I was like, I started to relate more with the fathers that were in the program already. And so that's when the forged father.

Kind of came around.

I was like, this is what I want to do. I want to lead dads towards becoming better men, becoming leaders and role models. And I mean, this day and age, it's like, Jesus, people are just letting themselves go. The dad bot is acceptable, right? It's like, oh man, I go against that. You can't accept average, you can't accept mediocrity. It's like rise above and beyond. And that's why we were put on this earth, like we were put on this earth to grow, to ascend, to continue to expand and get better. And we do that through just being a leader and a role model and obviously taking care of ourselves physically, you know, should be just a no brainer, right? So absolutely being able to lead guys forward with that is all, you know, every, everything, right?

It's awesome. And especially what you touched on there, mate, with having your everyday people and helping them rise up. Because that's the greatest transformation, isn't it? It's nothing against elite athletes and elitism in that respect. It's about looking at what sort of impact can we have and what sort of growth can we help with within ourselves through helping others as well, mate. And it goes hand in hand. Doesn't it seem like a mum or a dad or someone do a double under for the first time or get their first pull up or all these things like you said, they've maybe never experienced it, which is. It's pretty crazy, mate, isn't it? When you look at that side of things and so you have your gym and you've got this amazing platform from which your own life experience and values have built you to be someone who lives and breathes the standards that they instill and help promote and push onto others. Talk to me about forged father man, coaching fathers and your movement. Talk to me about it.

Yeah, man. I mean, like I mentioned, you know, once I became a dad and you know, started experiencing how life, you know, changed at that point and seeing the impact that I was having on, you know, a lot of the guys that I was working with, knowing, you know, what they had gone through and you know, the different things that they struggle with, I was like, this is who this is who I want to lead. This is who I want to, you know, surround myself with. And yeah, man, it's turned into a great movement. Gosh. Well, you know, obviously the physical side of it is, you know, a big piece of it and, you know, more so, like the mindset, like the big thing that we really push, especially when a guy first comes in, is like, obviously we got to start rebuilding the body. We got to start getting active and building the foundation there and making it a part of your lifestyle. Because a lot of times we got guys that are coming in that maybe they were never an athlete in the past or they just weren't somebody who just went to work out because that's what they like to do. And that's the whole mental shift that we go through first is who do you need to become to become this best leader and role model for your family right now? Because the guy that you are right now, that's not the guy that you want to be, right? And so it's. It's oftentimes, you know, facing that harsh reality of what is, you know, in the here and now and, you know, owning up to that truth, you know, and then taking full on 110% responsibility and who it is you are and what. Who you need to become, that's like the first step, right? So there's an actual identity of what the forged father is. And it's interesting that this right here is like our codes, right? And so it used to be the forged warrior before, and then it morphed into the forged father. And so these codes right here, these codes, like, help, you know, mold who we. Who we are.

That.

That those codes mold identity. So it's like massive action. Take massive action daily. You know, discipline over motivation. Live with integrity. You know, own up, be the cause, not the effect. And so what's most fulfilling with this man and what. What gets me freaking jacked is, like, the guys that are in the group right now, like, we got right around 60 guys in there right now. It's just. It's so much bigger than just, hey, here's your workout. Here's your nutrition. It's like we all move kind of as one. And you start seeing the changes that guys go through, you start seeing the accomplishments that they have outside of their life with things that they wouldn't have ever done before. We actually got a Spartan race that a bunch of us did last year together, which is really, really cool. We actually had a guy fly out from Australia. We had a guy fly out from Ireland to Meet up with, you know, the local guys to run this spartan race out in Colorado. And for some of those guys, like, you think about it, it's like a nine mile race. It took, it took me almost three hours to run it. And for some of these guys, they, you know when they first sign up that there's no way they're going to do that, right? But then it's like we talked about building that belief in oneself and then starting to make the changes physically. I used to joke about this with all my younger athletes in the gym. Like, I still have young athletes that come in to the gym and train wrestlers in particular, but it's like a kid will come in and he's almost like a baby deer. When he first comes in, he's like, you know, wobbly, but then he starts building his strength, he starts talking more, he's got more confidence and he's got this swagger about him, right? And so it's funny, I used to joke about that with my younger athletes. I'd be like, what's this new swagger you got going on, man? And then now we joke about it in the group with the fathers. It's like, yo, Joe's got his swagger. And I make the guys check in, live in the group. And that's another thing, is like, Guy's first check in is just like mumbly, very quiet, very short and to the point. It's not very deep. You know, fast forward a month, two months ahead of time, and it's like, now he's getting it, he's getting, he's digging below the surface and we're seeing these changes in confidence and, you know, just, you know, being the leader in the role model, man, it's pretty cool.

That's awesome, mate. And with, with getting the fathers and getting them initiated into moving forward and changing their life, what have you found is the biggest roadblock that they've put up themselves that's stopping them from getting that result or that reward or becoming who it is they truly can become.

I still believe it always comes back to us, right? Because these are things that I still deal with from time to time. It's like just that disbelief in yourself. Whether it be something that externally triggers you or something happens that's out of your control, that just makes you think twice, oh, is this what I'm supposed to be doing? Or am I good enough to be doing this? That's when these codes, you got to be living by these codes every single day and pushing forward and just being that guy. That you say you want to be and sticking to it, taking, committing to the process. And that's another thing that we always talk about is like, it's not a two week journey, it's not a 20 week journey, it's not a two year journey. It's a freaking forever project, right? And so one of the guys in my father's group, he actually coined that term. He came up with that term inside the program is like, he was a part of the initial beta group that I brought on a couple years ago and after that first year, all of them were still there. And he's like, this is the forever project, like it, own it, you know, and so I think one of the biggest roadblocks is just, you know, retaining that belief in oneself. I think the best way that a guy can get through that is, number one, expect it to be hard, expect it to take a long time, right? And so when those expectations are, you know, specifically set up from the get go, when they hit those points of doubt, you know, self doubt or of failure or whatever, they understand it's a part of the process, right? And so they just keep on pushing forward versus, you know, the old, the old selves or, you know, the old person, they run into that first sign of resistance or whatever, there's that self doubt coming in again, there's those stories and it's all rooting from self, right? And so the biggest barrier, man, it's not the workouts, it's not the nutrition, it's the person, right? It's the self, right? And so, and I'm sure as with what you're building as well, that's what we're trying to create is the connection is the community for these men to be a part of. And so they don't fall off out of the circle because we know that's where they lose. So keeping them intact in that, because even myself, that's what I need. That's what I need. Even making it to the CrossFit games, there's no freaking way. There's no way I make it to the games on my own. There's no way I get there doing the workouts on my own, coming up with my own workouts. And that's an interesting point right there is like this last year, well, the year that I made it to the games was the first year that I said, you know what, I'm going to pay somebody else to write my workouts, right? And I remember telling my guys that inside the group, like I was doing like a revelation in There I was like, guys, it's such a stress relief taking that off my shoulders because now I know what they were going through. Like they're trying to come up with their own workouts. Well, guess what? You show up to the gym and now you're second guessing shit, changing it and you don't stick to it. There's no accountability, right? And so last year, I had been working with a nutrition coach for years. Him and I kind of got started at the same time in the online game. And so he was kind of my coach to keep me accountable. And so I had him, I had a nutrition coach, I had a coach writing my workouts. And then of course, we have a business coach, right? And so there's no way I'd be where I am today without my team, right? And so something that we talk about in the Forest Father, are elite relationships, right? Like your relationship. Like, you are where you are right now because of a lot of the elite relationships that you built over time. People that have helped, you know, push you forward, have nudged you forward, have shown you the way, and there's nothing wrong with that. Like, you know, like, here I am, you know, CrossFit Games athlete. And shoot, if you look at it, any of those top athletes, they all have coaches, they all have teams. Like, they're not doing that shit on their own. And I think that's a common misconception is guys think that they need to do it on their own, right? No, it's weak if I get help, it's weak if I get a coach, right? Or I'm just throwing money away. I'm throwing money away when I can do it on my own. It's like, okay, that's fine. But you're paying for speed, right? You're paying for, you know, leverage and pressure, right? So a lot of interesting stuff to talk about there.

Definitely. Yeah, it's. It's spot on, mate. Because people look at that and it's so funny when you've got people who are already high performers, like the top in their field, they're investing in coaches and teams and whatnot, and people who need to raise their standards and will always be our own, our biggest limiting factor, like you touched on, and people who aren't even, they haven't even got the runs on the board to be up near that 1%. The everyday athletes, so to speak, they're not even investing in that. And it's funny when you look at the high performance who can already get the job done 99% of the time, they're doing that. But these other people in general aren't investing in themselves and their health. And because we'll always be our biggest limiting factor, what that means is we're not going to vests, we're not going to put ourselves in an environment. We're not going to be in a position where we have someone who can guide us, structures, other like minded people and all these different things play a role. And eventually people tend to settle for this lackluster or low level way of being or even mentally their beliefs, you know, they can, they can train and eat well and this, that and the other. But we can all be better, can't we mate? And that's the really big thing that comes into coaching. The environment, the team and things that you touched on, it's, it's a must, mate. Like I couldn't see it any other way in those different areas of life, like I said, business, nutritional, wellness and having, having that right environment of like minded people, especially with fathers and like you said with men, breaking that misconception of it's weak or I got it alone. I don't believe in self made mate, to be honest, because everyone's had their ass wiped at some stage of their life, haven't they? You know, you don't come out of the womb walking. So regardless of how much time you spend alone, there's definitely a period of having other people help you shape them off.

Yeah, I'll add into that like the self made. That was me. That was me years ago when I first left the gym, left the Globo gym and started my own. I initially got started with the coach and that's what pushed me out of the gym. And then once I got to that point, I was like, alright, cool, I'll be a lone wolf. I know it all. Like I was young and I thought I had all the knowledge you needed. I thought I had everything I needed to, you know, grow and just blow this gym up and all this stuff. And I just found myself stuck and I was just kind of going around in circles, going around in circles, going around in circles. And it wasn't until I was like, alright, okay, I need help, right? Like I'm done being a lone wolf. Let's, let's see what a little bit of assistance can do again, right? And then that was the start to multiple groups. Like I've been a part of so many masterminds and I can't even tell you how much money I've invested back into myself to create. Like I said, create that Leverage create that pressure, but also force growth. Right. And so yeah, it's interesting because every time I've put more money into myself, it's come back via growth and you know, me being able to have more impact on people. Right?

Yeah, it's awesome, mate. That's good. Well, a couple of. It's been awesome having you on here, Travis, and appreciate your time, mate. But just a couple more things to finish with mate, as I'm sure the guys would like to know. First one is food, mate. What's your favorite meal or cheat meal or favorite splurge that you like to indulge in?

You know, I'm a creature of habit and actually one of my favorite meals is it's a pretty healthy meal. Like it's usually my dinner. It is a cup and a half of white rice. So I cook, I steam that up. But I get this thing, it's like, it's actually a sprouted grains. Like it's supposed to be a pizza crust, right? So you're supposed to make a pizza out of it. But I always fold it in half. And so if you can imagine like a huge like burrito type thing. So I'll take that, I'll cook that in coconut oil. So I'll melt some coconut oil in a big pan and I'll kind of brown it on each side. And there's just a certain taste that the coconut oil gives. It is phenomenal. And so I'll have that and then I'll take the rice, I'll mix up some mixed greens, some kale, spinach, stuff like that into the rice. I'll chop up some. Either my go to is either chicken, I'll chop some chicken up in there, throw it in there, or I'll cook up some bison, ground bison. I'll throw that in the rice, I'll mix it all up and then I make kind of like a big ass burrito out of it. So I'll top it with something, whatever I'm feeling like some hot sauce or mustard or guacamole sometimes. But that's like my go to meal. I can eat that every single night. There's like different things, combinations. But beyond that, my wife and I, funny, I think it was almost a year streak where every single Friday as I'd come home from the gym, because I would train Friday evenings at my gym, I would stop by Cheesecake Factory, we'd get a couple slices of cheesecake. I would get and I'd still get the salad and people are like, oh, that's still Healthy. But I would douse that thing in their ranch and I'd get the sweet potato fries, put the sweet potato fries in the salad, mix that up, and it was just phenomenal. And then I'd eat my cheesecake, and I'd usually eat the rest of my wife's cheesecake because she only eat half of it. So I'd eat that.

That's amazing.

That's my go to, man.

I love it. Cheesecake Factory. Geez. They're portion sizes. It's unreal, isn't it?

The style, that salad with, like the ranch is somewhere around like 2,500 calories, or I think the meal as a whole, you're looking at like 2,500 calories.

Unbelievable. That's unreal. That's awesome, mate. And finally, mate, just everything up until now, your entire life, all your experience, how have you transferred that into fatherhood? And those three little girls of yours, being the father of them and raising them up.

I guess one of the big things that I think about is like, they're watching me all the time, right? Like, even. And this, this was a big eye opener. When my oldest daughter was younger, we hadn't had our second or third yet, and I was like, still in, like, hustle mode. I was like, I gotta build this stuff and I'm trying to do all this stuff on the phone, right? And I remember my daughter was like, daddy, are you working again? And that was like, just. And so I'm like, all right. They're constantly. They're watching me. And it's about being the role model, the leader, right? So just leading by doing, right? And if I'm going to tell them to do something, if I'm going to tell them to eat healthy or something like that, then I bet I damn well better be doing it myself, right? And so I think that's one of the biggest things that I've taken from it, is just be the best man I can be and lead by example, right?

Yeah, it's awesome, mate. And yeah, you can't fault that, you know, leading by example, because it's. People tend to forget and they think that parenting or influence over others comes straight down to language and the words we use. That's like maybe I think 7 or 13%. I remember seeing some stats on it. It's your body language, your charisma, your presence, your actions, the energy you portray, and more importantly, day in, day out, the actions that you're doing by leading by example. So that's awesome, man. Well, look, thanks again for jumping on our podcast today, mate. Really appreciate your time. And look, guys, I hope you had an awesome experience as well, getting to hang out with Travis World Games, CrossFit Games athlete, father of three, business owner and the forged father. Forged Father's online coaching group. US Based.

Yep, we're based in the US and interesting enough, though, we got. We got guys from. We got a couple guys from Australia, actually, a couple guys from Ireland. There's a guy from. There's a whole handful of guys from the uk. Yeah, I mean, all over the place, man. It's pretty cool. And as you know, it's pretty damn awesome to be able to connect with so many different people and, you know, help. Have a. Have a little bit of a, you know, help in their life, you know, changing their life, pushing it in the right direction, so.

Absolutely. That's unreal, mate. Doing. Doing great things. Thanks. Thanks again for your time and thanks again, guys, for tuning in. And we will see you next time on the Real Dad Movement podcast. Appreciate time as always, and if we don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night. Thanks, guys. Cheers.