A Spiritual Six Pack | Interview with Talin Mortensen | Ep. 17

That's been the lesson I've learned is that there's a reason that, you know, God puts people in our path, and I really do think it's to model them and to help us get where we want to go.

Welcome to The Rising Tribe. I'm Jared, and I'm Austin, and our goal is to inspire young men to build strong families and discover their potential as men, husbands, and fathers.

And we'll do this by having authentic conversations about faith, family, health, and business as we strive to uplevel our lives and the lives around us. Welcome to our March episode with our guest speaker of the month, Talon Mortensen. Talon is a buddy of mine from BYU, and if there were a couple words that I could use to describe him, it would be discipline and high energy, like, and just contagious enthusiasm. So Talon and I met when we were at BYU. I was a cheerleader and he was a thrower. And you guys had your lockers like right down the road from us. And so that's literally how I met Talon. And, but Talon right now is leading a team with a pest control team with a company called Moxie. He lives in Utah. And he has got a really cool family. So there's so many cool things I want to talk about Talon with today. But I just wanted to give a little bit of introduction there. Talon, hopefully that does you justice. But tell us a little bit about yourself. And first of all, welcome. Tell us a little bit about yourself. If I missed anything.

No, dude, I think you hit everything right on the head. No, yeah, that was very nice of you, Austin. I, I could say the same about Austin. Obviously, yeah, we met back in BYU and the first memory I have of Austin, it's funny, it was, I think you were, it was a, it was a big squat day for the cheer team. And, uh, I think Austin, was it Austin Harmon that you had lift with?

Yeah.

Yeah, dude. There was some, some heavy, heavy back slaps with some very strong smelling salts going down. Um, I won't say how much weight was on the bar. I'll let that up for your guys' imagination. But that was one of my first memories of Austin. And I was like, dude, me and this guy are, I think, are gonna be friends. And it's been, yeah, it's been a friendship for 4 or 5 years in the making now.

So.

So my grandma saw a video of me doing smelling salts before a lift. She thinks I'm dead. Like, she's like, you're gonna die. And, uh.

Probably thinks it's like drugs. Does she think it's drugs?

I had another family message. Are you doing drugs? No, I didn't.

No. Well-defined drugs. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding.

So what's actually in smelling salts? I've never used them, so.

Well, it's just ammonium. So, okay, what they— they're used for when people pass out. And if somebody passes out, they crack open a little capsule and it pretty much just smells like it's ammonium, but it's like cat litter, basically. It smells like— And so it's strong.

The craziest thing, because it— and I'm sorry to cut you off, dude, but it makes sense because it would— a person who is knocked out, it would bring them back to normal functions because you smell that thing and it like travels up into your brain. You're like, whoa, whoa.

Yeah, a little bit of like a little bit of motivation that day. And I just got one sniff of that. And you just totally reset your body.

Like, and at that point you have to hit the rep because it's like, if I just like, if I, if I just took these smelling salts to the dome, like I have to hit this rep.

Well, um, yeah, good first memory, I guess.

Yeah, dude. That was my first memory about, about Austin. Um, I won't, I'm not going to give him a chance to say anything about his first memory of me just for the sake of. Whatever that potentially could have been. But, um, a little bit about me. Yeah, so I grew up in Utah, uh, I've lived in Utah my whole life. Um, through my mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Maryland, and then upon returning from that, I was a student athlete at BYU for 2 and a half years, and then made the, made the change to the dark side, which is door-to-door sales, and And I've kind of been doing that ever since. So I love weightlifting. I love anything that would be considered like that stretches your discipline, anything that's challenging. That's kind of the stuff that I seek to do. And yeah, like pickleball as well, but I'm a pretty simple guy when it comes down to it.

So Hank and Jared and I kind of go back and forth to ask you some questions, but yeah. We're, we're curious to know. What are some of your goals that you have for this year? You mentioned you're, you're working with Moxie. You've grown a huge team. And a lot of the guys that work underneath you are like super privileged to work with you, man, because you're a good dude. You've got great energy. And you're a great leader. But I know some of your goals this year have been really centered around like helping you, helping your team grow, helping guys have a good year, like helping them have a good experience. Like, Walk me through some of your goals, like in the sales side, and then a little bit of your goals, maybe like in some of your lifting right now. Like, we just want to hear it.

Yeah, so this year it's actually interesting because I was, as the year kicked off, for our kind of job, I think Austin can attest to this. I don't do like New Year's resolutions by January to January. I kind of do them like September to September. 'cause that's kind of the time that our summer ends and our building season begins. So when I was looking into that, it was really important to me that I had a chance to like give everybody that wanted a chance to do this job the opportunity. So my goal is very focused around recruiting when it comes to work. Um, but personally, like this year's been a really big year for me and I want it to be really big spiritually, but then also, uh, fitness-wise. I, uh, I don't know if it's Andy Elliott that's like, you know, manipulating me and selling me on getting in the best shape of my life. But, um, so those are, those are kind of a couple goals I have. So yeah, you're right, Austin. I want to build, I want to have a big organization. Um, I'd like to have 40 to 45 guys, um, out in market this year. Um, but personally though, yeah, spiritually I want to just absolutely make sure that I have a great relationship with God and then Fitness-wise, I'm trying to get the six-pack, man. I've had four, I've had two, but I've never had the six-pack. So that's what we're working on.

Jared, you've had a six-pack before. You have, dude.

Yo, we've, yeah, we've had an eight-pack before. And I'll tell you that much. We do not, we do not have that right now. But dude, I was actually gonna let you know, Austin. I was gonna let you know, dude. I just started a new training regimen. For, it's a Marcus Filly program and he's a, he's a super elite CrossFitter, but like CrossFitter turned bodybuilder. And, and so I've, I've been, I've been following his stuff for a couple years. Cause I know he is also really, really big into the mobility world for like knee health, back, back health. And like he's done, he's done a lot of, a lot of stuff similar to like the knees over toes guys, like the ATG world of coaching and stuff. But he, yeah, he incorporates a lot of like CrossFit conditioning in with bodybuilding. So yeah, so I've started his programs and dude, I am beat this week. So yeah, we'll keep this up, my man, because yeah, we're about to head to the desert later. And dude, I'm stoked to get into the best shape of my life this year because honestly, I was realizing, you know, like I go, I mean, get, you know, get up early, go to the gym and go to work and, you know, basically kind of like sit most of the day. A lot of what I do is behind a desk and over emails and whatnot. Analyzing data and spreadsheets and stuff. And so I realized, dude, I'm just stiff. I'm just so stiff all the time. I go and get a good workout in and then I leave and then the rest of the day, dude, I just feel like I can't move, I can't bend, I can't really anything. And so I decided, one, I need to get my cardio up because my cardio has been basically zero for the last few months. But also, dude, I just want to be more mobile. I want to be faster. I want to get back into into doing sprints and into just being quick and athletic and like agile. And I am not anywhere near that, you know? So that's what I've been up to in the fitness world.

Marcus Villi stuff is awesome, dude.

I don't know if I told you this, but I went to like a conference with Andy Elliott and then I ran into him at the airport and I walked up to him like, dude, how do I work for you? Like, I think it'd be really cool to work with you. And he goes, he just looks at me, he goes, get in the best shape of your life and then talk to me later. I'm like, okay, cool. And then since then he's like blown up super big. Um, and then we took it to another, and then Kaia was like, are you in the best shape of your life yet? I'm like, not yet.

So, yeah, his, his six pack or get fired. I've like debated, just guy sits down for an interview. I'm like, hey, just so you know, like you've got till September to have a six pack or you're not coming back to work with us. Obviously all jokes with that, but his philosophies are interesting. But yeah, his fitness stuff is cool. I'm curious, it seems like fitness is kind of something that all of us are into. Um, I don't know, maybe you two can give some insights. How does that kind of help you guys? I know that big thing for this podcast is like inspiring young men to build strong families, I guess. How has that helped you guys? Because I know both of you guys have families, and I guess how is keeping your physical fitness kind of in check like help that?

Jerry, you want to take this one first, brother?

Yeah, sure. Um, getting workouts in is like non-negotiable. Um, and it's not because, um, it's not because I like, I'm combative at, well, I must go to the gym or else this, that, and the other. It's a part of my life. It's just a part of who I am. Um, it's a part of who I was when my wife and I got married, and it's part of who I still am. There's You know, there's been ups and downs of when, uh, when I'm, you know, actually getting like great workouts in and when I'm just kind of going through some motions. Um, and there's definitely missed days, especially if we're on vacation and whatnot. It gets harder to, to do the traditional going to the gym or doing, you know, the workouts that I want to be doing. Um, but it's, it's just been pretty clear between me and my wife that I, I go to the gym and I work out and I exercise because it's important to me. And I want it to be both important to my wife as well as to my children. It was never really just like a focus in my family growing up. We all played sports and, you know, were active and whatnot. But I really want my children to know that I want to take care of my body and it is really important for them to take care of their bodies. So that's, you know, that's kind of— it's just built into our life.

So I would say you asked Talon how it affects me as being a dad. Biggest thing for me is, and it kind of goes to what Jared was saying, is I want our family to have a culture of working out, a culture of being active and moving around. And so we literally converted our garage into a gym and it is so much fun. So I'm in there every day and for me working out in the morning before I get my day started, it just helps me start the day with a win, but it also just gets me in a better mood. Like in our house, if I'm grumpy, it's probably because I didn't work out that day. So we, we just make sure I get a workout. Otherwise I turn into like an angry Hulk. So it's not fun. So, but it just, I think exercise is really interesting. I heard this once where like in the beginning you get huge returns from it. And even if you do it only 3 times a week. You get massive returns from it in energy and how you feel, like mood, all of it. And then once you start doing it every single day, it's almost like a drug that you've just got to keep doing to just feel normal. And if you miss a day, it's like you totally just fell off the rails sometimes. So it's just interesting to me how something can be so— like the returns can be so big up front and then the returns are still huge, but it's cool. It's really cool how it and it goes to show how much our bodies need it. We really do function at an optimal level when we're actually moving our bodies. We were meant to move. I really do think we were, we were not meant to sit down. That's why, you know, Jared gets his workout and, you know, it feels better to move around. It's hard to feel sad when you're moving a lot.

Yeah, dude, it's super hard for me to feel sad when I'm on like 300 milligrams of caffeine and hitting some bicep curls. I don't know, man. You throw on some, you do some, you know, 3, 4, 5 sets of side raises with some pre-workout in, and that's an antidepressant if I've ever heard of one, for sure.

So you, uh, we, we like to ask, um, you're, you like guys like an Andy Elliott, you like guys like a Goggins, like you definitely have that hype side to you. What's your view on that? And Because Jared and I, I feel like sometimes we feel like we've mellowed out a little bit. It's like, no, like we just like the, you know, a little bit more, like I love Ed Mylett and I know you do too, but I almost don't, I don't even listen to like Frisella or Goggins anymore. I'm like, it doesn't fit my wavelength. But like for some reason when I hang out with you, like I get that intensity, but it's like, I'm like, I could, it's, it's so, it's so fun. So I think doses are incredible. I don't know. Do you know where I'm going with it? Like, how do you, how do you decide like, okay, these are the guys that I really vibe with the most. And actually, I think I know my, I think I might know what you're going to say, what one of your answers might be. And I, I don't know, I might throw Casey Bough on there too. Like you really look up to that guy a lot, but help us walk through like how much do you actually subscribe to like a Goggins mentality versus Casey Bough? Like walk me through that.

Dude, that's a really good question actually. So I'll be honest, like Goggins, I haven't listened to anything he's done in a long time.

Okay.

So basically, funny enough, ever since, and this is 100% honest, my production in regards to like, and my income has went up substantially since I stopped listening to Forcella, Goggins. Like, I'm not kidding. It's like, it's been like a triple. And income.

Okay. Why, why do you think that? Cause, cause that's when I think me and you would kind of talk about a lot of that stuff and you still have like, we still joke around, we have fun with it, but you're still really peeping high energy. But dude, you're like, for me, it's like, you're like my friend that's like Jocko reincarnated.

I'm like, yeah, I'm going to clip this, that, that clip and, and, and save it on my phone. That's like the greatest compliment I've probably ever received.

So. Walk me through like, okay, why did your income, why did you stop listening to those guys? What was the shift that happened and who do you mainly subscribe to now and try to model your life off of?

Yeah, so I think it was, I'll kind of, when I really got into like those, those guys, like the, the big broad spectrum influencers, right? Like Goggins and Foursquare. And I'm actually going to exclude Maillet from that and I'll explain why after. Those guys are all just hype, man. That's all it is. Like the views are, it's just straight hype, right? So there's not any, very rarely is there tactful stuff. And I think there comes a point when you're like needing motivation, I think that stuff's great. But when you're trying to actually progress in whatever field it is you're trying to do, very quickly those guys lose any sort of value because it's like, dude, I don't need motivation today. Like I actually need something to model. And, and the way that I want to live my life, man, like, I don't want to be sitting at a dinner table and like, I don't want like threads of Andy Furcella at my dinner table conversations with my wife and kids. Like, I don't want that. Or like, I don't want to be like the David Goggins guy at my kid's soccer game someday. So I just very quickly realized I'm like, this is motivation, but this is not what I want to model whatsoever. Right., and so that's like where I phased away from those guys. Um, but honestly, Austin, to kind of make a point, I think I did listen to those guys for so long. Um, and I don't want this to sound in a boastful way. I think I've kind of created my own versions of like, like the—

like a Momoza, Talon?

Well, kind of.

Yeah.

And like my different like sayings that I like to say and my different like motivations that I like to do. Like, You know, the little injections of talent I try to give guys, right? Like when I'm with you, Austin, my whole goal, I'm like, dude, I want this guy to just be fired up.

And so I think it's been an accumulation of those, but, um, I get like random voice messages from him, uh, Jared, and he's like, mama said, mama said it's time for leg day, baby.

Yeah, dude. That's, so that's, I, I think, uh, part of having like a very, very, high-functioning ADHD personality is I catch on to sayings and I'll say 'em for like 2 or 3 months at a time. And so yeah, right now is, uh, is Mama Called and then you just kind of say something motivating after that.

So, dude, that's awesome. I like that.

I think, I think it's good to just, I think it's cool to see how you, like, it, it's cool to see how you definitely have taken on, uh, taken after like Casey Ball. You do your Sunday planning religiously. No, I think, I think it's cool that you left like Ed Mylett out of that because he does give a lot of tactical advice on how to do things. And he's somebody that for the most part, I like to model a lot of how I approach things after how he approaches things as well. I meet him tomorrow. So that's exciting. I get to go to a conference and we paid to have front row seats and meet him at lunchtime and take a picture with him. And I have a little— here, check this out. A little thank you card I had written to him, just hand it over to him. And pretty cool.

Dude, that's awesome.

That—

where's the conference?

It's in Sandy Springs. So we will drive down to there, drive— we're leaving our house at 6:30 tomorrow. And then we will get there at like 8 AM. And it's till like 5:30. But we get to meet him at lunch, hear him speak. We get to hear Jesus speak. Not the real Jesus, but the Chosen Jesus, right? The Chosen guy is speaking there. Talon, you're muted, I think. But one second. So, but yeah, it's going to be a fun time and I'm excited. So I'll let you guys know how it goes. Jared, we could probably just do a whole episode on whatever I learn there. It might be fun.

Yeah, dude, that would be awesome. If you ever need a returning guest to talk about Ed Milei on that, I would totally be down to listen to that because I Yeah, he's, uh, he's someone I followed a lot, so.

That's cool. Well, hey Jared, what, I'm sorry, um, Talon, when it, one of the questions we had for you was tell us a little bit about your family and then a little bit about your dad specifically, if you could. Cause we, we'd love to know like what, what family does Talon come from and what about his, what about dad?

Yeah, man. So my family as a whole, I think one of the things that you're probably asking about, 'cause what you do know. We have a, we have, we're all very close in proximity, right? So for example, Payson is about 25 minutes from Provo. And of all my siblings, I live the furthest from, from my mom and dad, right? So 25 minutes is the, is the furthest away. So we're all, we're close in proximity, but we all really, really like taking care of our bodies. A lot— most of us go to the gym pretty regularly. That's one of the things that, like, our family is trademarked for. There's 5 boys and 1 girl, and even my little sister can— she can hang with the best of them in the weight room as well, which is cool. So that's one side of my family. But the other side is, you know, it's cool to have a support system like I do in regards to my family. I mean, none of us have had any quarrels. Like, you know, I don't, I don't have the, the sibling that I haven't talked to in 2 years. Like, I don't, I don't have— I don't— luckily enough, I don't have to experience that. And, um, yeah, in, in regards to connection, just very, very close. And we see each other typically once a week on Sunday for Sunday dinner. Um, but then, yeah, just all really close and, and very connected. So I feel really, really thankful for that.

So, and then your dad has, is, is just, uh, like a stud. I know you sent me some like videos about him and everything like that that you guys did for, was it his birthday?

So what is, what's for Christmas actually?

Yeah. Okay. What type of impact has your dad had on you? 'Cause one of the things that we do in this podcast is talk about, you know, Jared and I, I lost, I lost my dad and Jared's dad is no longer in his life, so it's like, We try to find like other dads out there too that have had huge impact so that we can build a community and of, of men. Yeah.

Right.

And so I know your dad, you speak, you speak so highly of him. Tell us a little bit about him and tell us about like his impact he's had on your life.

Yeah, dude, that's a, it's a really good question. So the thing I love about my dad is he's like now being in, in leadership positions. He's like the ultimate leader because he doesn't say a word with really teaching, but he just leads by like example. So a big phrase, especially in the industry that me and Austin are in, and even just in leadership, is like leading from the front. Um, my dad just does that. Like, it's just what he does. And so I think any attributes that people may think like come naturally for me or any habits that I have, they've all just come from him. Just doing them. He didn't ever ask me to start taking care of my health. He didn't ever ask me to always be the hardest worker in the room. Like he just was that. And so naturally I just, I just, that's all I knew, right? My proximity was like, this is what we do. And so we did it. And I think the impact it's had for me is, I mean, every single thing in my life that I've, I've ever accomplished or even experienced has been because of the example that he set. I mean, there was not a day where he wasn't up before sunshine getting a workout in. And there's probably very few days, and I mean this wholeheartedly, very few days he was in the house before the sun went down. He's a schoolteacher by trade, but he's like, he's actually like a handyman and like a grinder just by personality and by who he is. So projects around the house, he's always working. Um, you know, whatever remodel my mom needs done, he's always doing that. And, and if there's not something to do, he'll find something to do. So I think that ultimately the impact is, is whatever you're doing, just give it your absolute best. And I think that's one of the best lessons that he's given me.

Didn't he recently have like a job switch or something like that? Like he became.

Yeah.

What, why am I thinking this?

So he, that's a good question. He's currently kind of debating, um, he's kind of getting to the end of his teaching career and he's debating if he'll have a second career or what's kind of that, that's gonna look like. So that, that's probably maybe me and you have discussed that, I think.

But, okay. I know for some reason I thought you said your dad had had some sort of epiphany recently or something like that. But that's cool that he's like getting—

he's—

I think that's probably what it was, like he's getting towards the end of his teaching career. That's exciting, man. That's like super, uh, that's super cool. But yeah, your dad's freaking shredded. Every— every— Jared, every Thanksgiving and Christmas and holiday, uh, the Mortensen family gets together for like a, like a gigantic lift and they just lift weights.

Oh dude, oh dude, I love that.

And it's funny, it's funny to see over the years, like the pictures have transformed. Um, yeah, like I used to, maybe I used to, depending on the year, I was probably, there was maybe one year where I was kind of like the bigger, maybe the best in shape, maybe. Um, but yeah, dude, I'm third on the totem pole now. Like I got my brother Trenton, who's just a dude, he's a brick house. And then, uh, my brother TJ as well. He, uh, he spends a lot of time in the gym as well. But yeah, but all of us are just trying to keep up with my pops. My dad's like in his upper 50s right now. Um, still shredded, dude. 6 days a week, 5 days a week he's in the gym, dude.

I love that. That's, uh, like being that kind of dad is like in one aspect is exactly what I want, what I hope to be when I grow up. It's like, yeah, dude, like a dad who, who pushes and challenges their kids by example. To get in shape and, and to be in the best shape and, you know, to have that friendly competition amongst each other. Um, yeah, which, dude, that— yeah, that's awesome. Uh, so one of the, uh, so I guess one of the questions I'd like to know is what was it like for you, um, watching your parents' relationship growing up? And both, you know, you know, before you're 18 and then once you've left the house and now, you know, as a grown adult.

Yeah, so just kind of what I've noticed about it. Um, what specifically are you asking?

Um, just like what, like how, if there's any, any lessons that you have gleaned from watching your dad interact with your mom in the way that, um, in the way that they, whether it's the way they have arguments, the way they resolve them, the way that they talk to each other, the way that they interact with you specifically, with you and your siblings. Or even more like more temporally, like how they manage the affairs of the house, how they manage the affairs of the family, how they come to make tough decisions together as the, you know, as the governing unit of the family.

Yeah, totally. So two of the biggest things I've really gleaned from like watching them, the first one is like I've never seen them, I've never seen my mom and dad like openly argue in front of me. That was never That's never been a thing. And so I'm thankful for that because in my relationships, whether it be, you know, friends or coworkers or even romantically, like, that's just not part of them. And it's because I never saw that happen. So I would say that's the main one. But the other thing is, I just, my mom and dad, like, they just do everything together. Like, they're, you know, my mom goes to work, my dad goes to work, but outside of that, like, they're always, I mean, you know, they're always doing whatever they're doing together and, just always, I feel like they're always happy. Like I don't, I don't view marriage one day as like a grudging thing because that's just not the example I've seen from mom and dad. Like you can tell they love each other. They respect each other in the highest form. And yeah, there's, there's no open quarrels. I'm sure there was discussions and heated arguments when I was younger, but I never heard them.

And so I'm super cool. It's really cool.

I love that because, um, In the, like, in the social studies and the family relations, like, academic literature, psychologists talk about the most important thing that you can do as a married couple is for your children is to treat each other and to love each other openly and with respect and to make it clear to your children that they are safe in their home because you know, their parents love each other and are working together on the same team. And when children see their parents not on the same team, combative, working at odds with each other, then it sets a foundation and a precedence for both for contention and discontent, but also of instability and lack of, like, lack of a sure foundation for the family. Um, because, you know, day in, day out, your children see you. Like, when they're babies— they know Austin— when they're, when they're babies, when they're toddlers, it is like you two are the world to them. Yeah. And so to continue to grow up in a place where the two most important people in your life are not on the same page, um, it kind of starts to tear at, at the children on an individual level of, you know, whether it's alliances or taking sides or this, that, and the other. And it's not to mean that there aren't you can't have discussions, debates, arguments as a married couple, but your children need to know that you two are on the same page and you are working towards common goals for, you know, for each other and for the family. And to show your children what it means to love somebody else, because ultimately that's what they're going to do, right? That's what— that's what you're going to do. Like, as children, your job is then to, you know, to grow up, to leave the house, and to find a partner, um, and to love them completely., and if you don't have a strong model of that growing up, then you're gonna have to find it somewhere else, or you won't develop that, and that's going to lead to rocky relationships and instability in your life.

Yeah, totally, absolutely. And that's— my parents have been a really good example of that, and I feel like it's bled over in my siblings' marriages and in my relationships as well.

How many, how many siblings do you have, and how many of them are married, and kind of where do you fall in that lineup?

Yeah, that's a good question. So there's 6, 6 of us total, including me. Um, I'm the third youngest. So my little sister is about to go on her mission, uh, to— frick, I forget where she's gonna go. I believe it's Peru. I think it's Peru. I always get like Peru, Chile, Brazil. They all, in my mind, they all— yeah, I'm like, yeah, she's speaking another language, she's going down south. Um, so she's going on her, she's going on her mission and the rest of my siblings are married, man. So all the other brothers are married.

That's cool. I just think about, you know, I, I, I've never seen you upset, Talon. I'm like, well, maybe that does come from like a house where you guys got along pretty well. You guys loved each other.

Um, no, that's, that's exactly where it came from, dude. I'm sorry to cut you off, but like, I have to magnify that. 100% where it came from. Um, maybe once or twice did I see my dad get frustrated or, or kind of hotheaded, but even then it wasn't, it wasn't, uh, like knockout drag out like I've, I've heard of some people. So I'm very fortunate for that. Like I would 100% agree that that's, that's where it came from.

You'd be scary if he got mad, man. I, I would not wanna be in your way.

Maybe that's why, maybe God just blessed me and my siblings with that cuz he knew that we're like, we're, he also blessed us with like pretty strong frame, so maybe that's a blessing for sure.

Large in stature.

So some might, some might say large in stature, and I would say born of goodly parents. I'll take that title for sure.

Farm reference. Well, yeah, I want to hit you with something. Me and you, we have, we done 2 or 1 Cracker Barrel breakfast? We've done it. One, dude. We've done one.

I think we've done two, haven't we? Or was it one and then the two? We haven't had the second yet.

Well, Talon, Jared Talon and I at the end of the summer, we always meet at Cracker Barrel and I always want to go to Cracker Barrel because that's where I like didn't get a job. So it's kind of fun and their food's really good. So, but I think a couple of years ago, man, you were talking to me about What it was, was before we— this was before you actually started hiring coaches and everything, or it might have been after, but you talked about the importance of some hiring some coaches to just help you evolve and help you grow. What was the impact on some of those coaches you worked with? And then how have you changed over the last 3 years? Because you have, like, you're You've always been high energy, but I've seen you're, you're more fulfilled, like internally, like I, you feel you, you're happier. Like, I don't know, not that you were super unhappy before in my eyes, but you talked to me like that coaching really helped you evolve. Like what's the biggest change that you felt that through that?

That's a really good question. Um, thanks for saying that, by the way. I'm glad that you've seen growth over 3 years. I feel like there has been that too, just. Because of the situations I've been in. But the kind of two points on that, number one is I learned a principle that I think is very important for people who want to change and make improvements. And it's who, not how. Right. So I think sometimes in self-development, we always are wondering, okay, how, you know, for, for Austin, it's, you know, how do I go get my, my second golden door, right? Or for me, it's how do I go recruit, you know, 10, 15 more guys this month? But instead of asking how, you just go find who's done it and you pay them and then they help you do it. And so for me, that's after my first, after my summer that I made like a, what in that point a substantial amount of money was, I was super unfulfilled, Austin. I remember, I think we talked about it at Cracker Barrel that day. Like I was like, bro, like, If this is what this is, I don't want to do this anymore. Um, and I had already been in the process of it. So for that, right, it wasn't, it wasn't how can I fix this feeling of, um, basically like emptiness and lack of fulfillment. It was who can help me to, to get out of this. And I hired a, he's a neuroscientist slash therapist. His name's Cody Haas, who's helped me. Um, but also after that, there's been a string of either therapists or sales coaches, or I'm working right now with a mentor. As well in regards to leadership. And the biggest thing that I've learned, Austin, honestly, in the transformation, it really is that idea of, um, of who, not how. Find somebody who is doing or has the things or the tools to help you get where you want, and then find the resources to either pay 'em or to shadow 'em or to spend time with 'em. And that's been the lesson I've learned is that there's a reason that, you know, God puts people in our path and I really do think it's to model them and to help, uh, to help us get where we want to go.

Awesome. I, I've had a huge return on coaching and I think people, not everything in life has to be a financial return. You don't always have to put money into something and then see a rise in income if the happiness and lifestyle is better. I think me and you, when we had that breakfast, it was when I had had my first really big years. It was the first year before I got a Golden Door and my backend check was over $100,000 and it hit my bank account. Like I had a kid on the, I had a kid on the way or I just had our baby and I was like so lost and like so sad and it like, it just goes to show like money. It's not like when money hits the account, you just instantly become happy. Yeah, there's got to be, there's got to, you've got to find out what really makes you happy. And that's not to say I wasn't really happy for having my family, but that I was not, I was not finding my identity. I didn't put my identity in my family at that time. I put it all in work, work, work, work, work. Really? Yeah, it was really kind of a dark place to be in when that's all I cared about. And I think it's something that a lot of men run into. One of the common things, like even with buddies at my church, it's like, yeah, like I have insecurities about my income, or I don't know that I make enough and all this stuff. And it's like, no, like, you are enough. And I think that's one of the messages I'd like to give to the guys that listen to this is there's so much more to life than your income. I do think God has put really big dreams in our hearts so that we can accomplish really big things. I enjoy hitting big goals, but your income is not who you are. And so it's, it's just cool that you had that experience where you've started to find fulfillment in what I've seen, helping other people and impacting people. Oh, that's cool. I'm really proud of you, man, for making that shift and like hiring people and, and, and to work with. It's, and it's, it is totally cool to like work through those things.

It's awesome.

I think it shows a lot of strength. Yeah.

Thanks, dude. Well, you, I mean, you were the one of the ones who kind of pushed me to do it. So I, I guess the, the appreciation is, should be extended to you.

Yeah. Didn't you hire like a bodybuilding coach recently? Did that, how'd that go?

Yeah, yeah, I've done it all, man. I've paid, and by the way, like, he didn't teach me that much I didn't know. I'll be straight up. In the most humble way, I was like, hey man, like, if you're coaching guys to, I don't wanna throw him under the bus or anything, but I learned, right? So when you hire somebody, you learn one of two things. You don't know anything about this sector, or if you hire someone to be a coach, sometimes you're like, okay, I actually know more about this than I thought. And that's what I found. Yeah, I hired a kind of a fitness guy and I realized, I'm like, dude, a lot of these coaches make money because people just don't do the things they already know how to do. And that was one of them. But yeah.

Like having somebody to hold you accountable. Did you find, would you see the benefit in just having somebody to hold you accountable to a plan with your goals there? Because my wife, like, I've hired coaches in the past to work with on sales. And she's like, well, you just got to do this. This is what I always tell you to do. And it's like, no, like, I want to work with my coach, not my wife.

That's fair. Maybe your wife could be your coach. Your wife's strong enough.

Well, not, I mean, for, uh, for sales stuff, right?

So, oh yeah, that's true. That's true. I think the accountability thing is, that is a big, like, yeah, that's a huge thing. Now I'm, I'm fortunate the accountability in my space comes because like all of my friends are doing the same stuff I'm doing. So like. Inadvertently, if I show up and I'm the one that's out of shape, like I'll be held accountable to it, right? Like in regards to fitness or inadvertently, dude, if I'm the lowest performing sales rep, like the accountability comes with that. And so that's one thing I've learned a lot of is the accountability comes through your tribe, right? Through who you're around. And so, but yeah, I do think coaching is valuable always. Even if, yeah, it is just strictly an accountability thing. And that's why I send Austin hype-up messages about every 10 days just to make sure he's in line and hitting his squats.

Dude, well, that notion of proximity, of having, being surrounded by people with similar goals, or maybe not even necessarily the same goals, but the same trajectory, the vision, the direction of life that they want to be headed in. Having those kind of people around, I think, is so important because there are like— you, you just, you kind of fall into naturally different circles of friends and colleagues and co-workers and everything. And, um, and a lot of us will latch on to everybody that we, that we interact with just because they're, they're next to us. Um, but if you could flip that on your head, on its head, and go bring people close to you or put yourself close to other people, other circles of friends who are who are motivated and driven and have big goals and visions and dreams and are trying to take care of their bodies and their minds and their health and their families, their children, their spouse, like you can build that intentionally. And I think the output, which is just so much greater, so much higher. I know Austin and I've talked about a lot on the podcast, but when I did my stint of solar back in, back a few years ago, it was the first time I met guys who had really big dreams. Like, yeah, I just, I didn't know anybody. I, you know, you just don't know what you don't know. And you just, you think that the world operates a certain way because everyone around you is acting in the same way. And, you know, going find, trying to find a good job that pays well and spending your money on fun things and maybe saving some money here and there preparing for retirement. And you climb the corporate ladder wherever you're at. And that's like, that's just kind of how life is. That, that's the life that we've all been given. So make the most of it. But I stepped into this world, dude, and these guys are, these guys are crazy. They're insane. Like, that's what I'm thinking. I'm like, holy cow. And I remember thinking like, what if, what if, what if I could do something crazy, you know? And I went and talked to one of the guys. I was like, hey, I kind of, I think I have this goal. I don't really know what's going on here, but I think I have this goal. And he was like, all right, well, the numbers say if you take this many, you'd have to knock this many doors, this many sits, this is how many doors you'd have to knock every every day. And I was like, that's it? Like, that— you just— I, I just came to you with like this, you know, in this, in this moment of like, here's this like tiny little dream I have, I don't know what to do with it. And he was like, oh, not a big deal. This is what you'd have to do. Now you'd have to do this, right? You'd have to do this every day, this many days a week, for this many months, etc. But like, this is how you reverse engineer this goal, and here's how you achieve it. Because— and the reason is those guys They believe they can do these things because they also have a bunch of evidence behind them that suggests that they can do crazy things. They can do, they can dream big and they can reach incredible goals and live a different life than everybody else. And just being able to be with those guys for the summer was just life-changing in the most genuine sense. Because now, like, I've, you know, in many conversations I've had with good friends of mine, like, they're good friends and I don't plan on abandoning them and never talking to them again. Talking to them again, but I've asked a couple of questions here and there to kind of gauge, you know, where do they— what they think about their own potential, what they think about life, what they think they could be doing, and just realizing that there aren't as many people out there with large, large dreams. Something that kind of— that makes you— that kind of makes you want to throw up inside a little bit, you know, something that kind of like makes your stomach churn. Like, dude, is that even possible? I don't know. Like, but that's— those are the kind of big, hairy, audacious goals that like I want in my life because I'm like genuinely just want to know what's possible. Like, I'm really curious just what could we do if we got ourselves in order, we put ourselves in line, we put our money and our resources, our time and energy, if we funnel it all in the same direction, it's not scatterbrained and kind of just getting lost left and right. But what if we channeled it and focused it? What could we be capable of? And I think the answer is we could be capable of a whole lot more than we currently are.

Dude, that's a mic drop. That could end the podcast right there, dude. Jared's out here spitting. I think that's the greatest gift that I received when I transitioned from athletics to, uh, direct sales. Because all of a sudden it was so cool because I started to realize, I'm like, okay, I'm not the only one who thinks like this. It was like a basically a confirmation bias that who I am is okay. And I mean that wholeheartedly because I, on the, like, when I was an athlete, I kind of had these, um, I'm curious, Jared, do you read any of Patrick Bet-David's books or anything?

Oh dude, I haven't, I've, I've read, uh, um, Choose Your Enemies Wisely, um, but I like devour his podcast, dude.

I love it. Big Hairy Audacious Dreams, the BHAGs or whatever. Is that a reference from BHAGs goals?

Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's a reference to him, but he gets it from— what's it? Jim Collins. I think Good to Great is the—

It was Jim Collins.

Yeah.

So that's where I just had— I heard you say that and I was like, dude, I know that that's a Pat Vett thing right there. Yeah. But no, the BHAGs, man. So I started to realize that I had some of those.. And I was finally in a place where like, okay, other people think this way too, and we're going to go do these things. So that was like the greatest gift that I, that I received from being in, in door-to-door. And that's why I love Austin. Like, dude, we talk about the crazy things we're going to go do, the, the consulting programs we're going to coach one day. Like, it's fun to be around people who want to be a part of the movers and shakers, right? But that's the thing is it doesn't, there's no prerequisite to get into the group, man. You just got to actually be exposed to it. Um, and then, I mean, that's your, that's your barrier of entry is just exposure. Cause I don't think a lot of people even think about, you know, what their potential is in regards to their, their life and their career.

Yeah. And that's, that's something we were talking about Andy Elliott earlier. Um, and I've been, I've been watching more of his stuff lately and Well, you know, Austin, I think you had said after you'd gotten back from one of his events, you're like, dude, a lot of people get turned off by kind of his tactics, his antics and whatnot.

Yeah.

And at first, dude, I was too. I was like, man, this dude's just a little too intense for me, man. But after kind of watching some more of his stuff, while there is still a part of me that's like, I don't really know, like, how I feel about, you know, that one statement or about this, but But instead of saying like, no, this dude's just like nuts, like instead of, instead of just like turning him off, I've been trying to figure out what it is about his message that is making me feel a little uncomfortable.

Like why?

And the answer is, dude, you said, you said movers and shakers. Like maybe it's because I could do, I could move a little more. Maybe it's 'cause I could shake a little more. Like I'm not vibrating at the frequency I could be. And that's why this is sitting a little hard with me because You know, the truth hurts and it cuts right to the core. And I would be lying if I said watching some of his motivational, just his speeches, talks, trainings on the importance of getting in the best shape of your life. Dude, I mean, I'm an avid lifter and I have been for years, but am I in the best shape of my life or am I just kind of on cruise control? You know, am I just kind of like—

Dude, I'm on cruise control. Dude, I'm on— he kicks me into gear because I'm like, dude, I've worked out for a long time, but like in fitness-wise, sometimes I get on cruise control because I'm like, oh, the fitness is on cruise control so I can max out work. And I love his messaging. And I would agree with you, Jared. Um, some of his stuff I, I don't agree with just with my personal values, and I don't agree with all of it. But his idea of like, no, you ramp up your fitness, everything else ramps up. I love that because sometimes in my mind I've always seen it as a one or the other., right? And I think that's sometimes the dogma that's kind of projected is, did you get really good shape and your business suffers? Or you get in really big business, your shape suffers, or, you know, anything. But then also spiritually, people are like, yeah, dude, I'm working a lot. My spirituality is out the door. Maybe I'll start a little show and try to challenge people to get into the best spiritual shape of their life, dude. That's maybe, just had that thought, like talking a lot about getting to the best physical shape. But dude, I think if people were in better spiritual shape, there'd be there'd be a lot more good business deals done.

This is cool. Down in Atlanta, Talon, did you guys ever take the Chick-fil-A tour with Tripp S. Cathy and All About His Life?

No, but I may know what the story kind of is, but we didn't take the tour or anything.

No. Started— so Chick-fil-A started in Atlanta. That's one of the reasons we love living out here. There's so much rich history, not just Chick-fil-A. I mean, Delta, Delta Airlines started here, but like civil rights movements was really big out here. A lot of that was in Alabama, not but 2 hours away from here. But basically, like, Georgia is such a cool place to live. But when I was at the tour for Chick-fil-A, number one, I walked out and I'm like, that's it. I want to own a Chick-fil-A. I was like, forget North America. But the thing was, this guy had such a good vision. And he, I mean, there's a reason why they're closed on Sunday. He wanted to make sure that people could go to church, put God as a priority. And he really had his values. Like he really kept the main thing, the main thing. But one of his, one of the pictures in Truett S. Cathy's office was a picture of Jesus, like making a deal with somebody across the table. Because he believed that even in business, you can have Christian values. It's not always about just dominating people. And so, you said that if people were more spiritually fit, a lot more, like, a lot more better business decisions would be made. And I totally agree with you. I've seen poor business decisions made off of greed in door-to-door in general. Um, and it just doesn't work. So, yeah, so interesting to me. So yeah, it's cool that, yeah, spiritually fit is really important. I had a summer where I never went to the temple and then last year I went to the temple like every other week, if not every week. I was so freaking happy, dude. It was like way, way, way good. And so we're going to the temple this next week too, before we knock. And it's like, oh, whatever, you hit the doors later. But I think that you can, you can be a good husband, you can be in shape, you can be a good dad. You can be really good at your job. But at the same time, that doesn't mean that— what I learned last year was that you can do everything and it's way more fulfilling than putting like 1000% of your energy in only one category, because things do suffer if you do it that way.. And that's quite frankly how I hit a golden door the first time around. And so last year I was like, hey, is there any way I could do it my way? And I fell short, but hey, I got pretty, I mean, I did, I still did great. Like I had such a good year, but, um, you know, that just cool that you said that spiritual, spiritual fitness. How do you, how are you spiritually? And last, last week's episode with Jared and I, we just shared all about all of our beliefs. Dude, Jared, I didn't tell you this, but we had a buddy over at our house and he won't mind if I share it on here. And we had a buddy over at our house and we did our CrossFit workout together. And the sister came over to share for dinner and I'm like, hey, y'all, y'all can just come over and just eat with us. Right. And it was awesome because his mom and his sister was there and his nephew was there and we just start eating dinner. I found a ton of extra meat in the, in the fridge. I start, you know, grilling that to make sure that we have food. It's like Jesus and the loaves, man. We had enough food for everybody.

There was, there was a loaf of bread and two fish, and Austin made it work, man.

I love that. But, but basically what happened was they shared their spiritual thought, and, uh, yeah, out comes the Book of Mormon, and then Like, bam! Like, just the, you know, the— it wasn't, it wasn't really like there was no fighting, but me and my buddy, we vibe. Like, we'll just bounce scriptures off of each other. Oh, okay. And like, there's no— there was like no holding back. And it was so, it was so fun because like the sister missionary at one point told me to calm down and I'm like, no, no, no, like don't worry about it, we're good. Like We're good.

Cool.

I'm like, okay, anyways, what? So anyway, it was fun, but it was so cool that like we had our podcast about like our beliefs and like the different doctrines that we might believe in. And it was so, it was so fun. But, um, I don't know.

Yeah, we love— I'll jump in.

Yeah, go ahead.

One of the reasons I think religion is so important is that it connects us to something that is greater and more powerful and all-knowing, something greater than us, that we are not the pinnacle of human achievement, that we are not— we do not know everything. Like, it is a constant reminder that there is someone out there who does, who does know how the whole world works, who knows how eternity works, who knows like the desires of everyone's hearts, and he knows what is best for all of us. And so when we go to church on Sundays, Jordan Peterson talks about this. He's like, what is it that we're doing when we go to church on Sunday? Like, what are we doing actually? And we're sitting, standing, kneeling together in worship of the ideal, in worship of who we are not, who we could be,, but who we, who we currently aren't. And we are coming together as a community saying, um, I recognize that you guys are all just as, just as far away from perfect as I am, but let's come together and let's remind ourselves weekly of what is perfect, what is, uh, whole and loving and kind and, um, and complete. And let's, let's, let's stare at it, let's talk about it, let's sing about it, let's get our, our bodies our minds, our voices, our hearts. Let's get them all in line in pursuit of this, of this perfection, of this ideal. And then let's commit to each other and to, to the ideal that we are going to try and be better. And that's, that's part of the sacrament ordinance, right? We are, we are renewing our baptismal covenants. We are, we are renewing our commitment to, um, to being better, to, you know, repenting of the, the sins, the mistakes that we've made in our lives and And also just the fact that we're not where we could be, right? Not just the bad things that we've done, the lies that have been told, the mistakes that have been made, but also just the fact that we're not where— we're not where he is yet, but we could be. And if we work a little harder, we might get just a little bit closer and a little bit closer. And we're going to get together as a community of people because we need people, we need the social interaction, we need everyone around us. We're going to grab each other as a tribe and we're going to try and push each other and pull each other in towards him. And so I just the other day, Austin, I didn't tell you before we flew back to Italy, out here the closest temples are in Switzerland and then down in Rome. And both of them are like a 6 to 8 hour drive depending on traffic and routes and whatnot. So we only go maybe twice a year. To the temple because it's a big deal. But when we are home, like my hometown of Redlands in California, there's a temple there in Redlands. And it was kind of crazy to me, like, as I'm getting ready to go on a plane the next day to come back to Italy, I realized that I'd been in the States for 2 months and I hadn't gone to a temple. I was like, what have I been doing? I've been here this whole time, the thought hasn't even crossed my mind to go to the temple because I've been out of— like, I've been a little bit out of touch because we don't go as frequently. And so, like, it didn't cross my mind. Um, and so then that next morning I got up and, um, I left a little bit early to go to the airport. And on my way to the airport, I went to the temple and I just, you know, kind of went on the grounds and I just sat and said a prayer of gratitude, just thanking God for all of the blessings that we've had in our lives. And, you know, letting him know I'm sorry I didn't come to the temple sooner while we were in the States. You know, we were Work was really busy, and then when I was off work, I was traveling, visiting family, trying to catch up with people. Um, I just didn't think to build it into my schedule. But, um, just the peace and the connection there, just sitting outside the temple, um, just letting Heavenly Father know that I see some of the blessings that he's put in my life. And, you know, this next year is going to be wild, but I know he's on our team and I'm really grateful for it. Um, so I totally, totally agree with you, Talon, that, uh, that we could all use some, some, some spiritual fitness in, in our lives. So dude, I'm all for it.

Yeah, dude, spiritual six-pack, right? Change the goals for this year, boys. Mama called, she said it's time to get a spiritual six-pack. If Mama's calling, that means it has to happen. You can't refute Mama's call, just so you know. That's the rule.

I told you, I texted you today and said Mama's calling, said you got to do 24.2. CrossFit workout.

So yeah, dude, I've, you know me, I've been so resistant to CrossFit for so long, but I, I'm not going to commit to that because I'll then be held accountable to it. But I'm, I'm interested in, uh, if Mama calls again with that one, I'm, I may have to accept it, dude.

I, I appreciate you being on here today, man. Like, we got a lot about for you in life, timidity, everything. What kind of, uh, wrap it up, but we want, we kind of want to know just before we come up to a close, uh, where, like, just give us a quick little glimpse to where you, where you want to go in the next, like, 3 years. Like, what do you want to have accomplished? Um, what are some of your big area, just goals that, like, you felt like, you know, you were talking about, like, hey, like, I'm not crazy. What are some of those things that you want to share? Because we welcome anything here. And then after that, man, and we'll, we'll close it up, man. We just want to hear where, where, where is Talon headed?

Yeah, dude, that's a really good question. Some of the BHAGs for me, 3 years from now, I hope I want to have a sales organization of 150 to 200 sales reps 3 years from now. So that's what I would like to do. Hopefully 2 years from now that gets hit and then we just obliterate it in year 3. That's more what I think of when you ask for the big, hairy, audacious goals. I'd hope in I'd hope in 3 years from now I go and get sealed to get married. That'd be a, that's a goal as well. So that's another one that's sometimes feel like it's a BHAG more than a simple goal. So, um, that's kind of where I'm going though, man. And then also just to build, um, build connections and relationships within my work that are meaningful, right? I don't like the surface level sales stuff that we see in the industry. Um, that, that we're in. I, I don't like the, the surface level backstabs and the, you know, I'll pay you more money to, to keep things quiet. I, I just really, really enjoy wholesome, deep connection in business and in life. And I, I hope 3 years from now I have more connections like I do with, with you, Austin. And, and obviously Jared, I'm sure that'll, that'll transpire with us too as well.

Dude, we appreciate it. Thank you so much for being with us. You are our third guest ever on this podcast. So if you're—

Sweet, man. It was a pleasure and an honor.

You're an important dude.

Oh, and I've already heard like a ton of positive feedback from just our first two interviews alone, dude. And I'm sure we'll hear the same feedback with this one, man. I really appreciate you being on the call with us too.

Cool.

Thank you guys for real. It was fun. Hopefully there's more to come. Maybe I'll invite you guys on my podcast when it, when it comes about, whenever that is.

Spiritual Six Pack.

You let us know, we'll be there, man. Spiritual Six Pack. Dude, that's got a—

Spiritual Six Pack.

That's got a ring to it, man. I like it.