#23 Tyler Schuster: Extreme Ownership

So I'm here with Tyler Schuster and you, so just right outta the gate, you speak a lot about stewardship. How do you define that in the context of health and wellness, which is the space you're in and how do you personally live it out day to day?

So the idea of stewardship, you know, first, like with my foundation being, you know, through Christ and my relationship with God, I think that's a common theme just throughout the Bible, throughout the whole text. And, um, just the idea that we're meant to, to give it back, right? And, um, we're called to be the best versions of ourselves, the most capable versions of, of ourselves in all capacity, um, so that we can go out and, and shine that light.

Yeah, that's amazing. What do you, so I know you talk about You know, just that stewardship part. What does that look like for you in like business? What, so health and wellness, it's all through the lens of Christianity and your beliefs. What, what does this look like in the situation, like in business? How do you grow something? How do you steward that well on the business side of things to actually push, um, forward an excellent type of business or something that, whether it's product or whether it's just anything in that realm, what, what are you, what are you doing on a day-to-day basis that you're like, I'm doing this because, uh, of just, I want this to be better.

Yeah. Well, I think it's, um, I think first you kind of have to try to eliminate the noise and really kind of, you know, set your aim. And it's like, what, what is it? What's the direction I'm trying to go? And that's a loaded question. And I think that, that time spent reflecting and in prayer and in the word is what will give you give you that direction and give you those answers. And I think of, you know, the parable of the talents. And, you know, God gives us, you know, certain abilities and talents and resources and backgrounds that we come from. And through that, just trying to You know, hone that in, in a way where you can cry. You, it, it starts with yourself and then you have like your community and your little group of friends and, and then motivating and inspiring each other. And then it, it could be in a family. It starts in the family with parents and a kid. But for, as a business sense, you know, I've learned, I've learned a lot about business and leadership throughout the, the past few years and you know, that you have, you have the, the meta goal of the company and the direction you're trying to go, but also it's like, I want people in this company to be better. Uh, you know, the, the young men who are under my leadership, I want them to be better people, humans. Yeah. Um, even outside of our company and, and, and being an employee and working for us, I want them to be, you know, better people to go out into the earth and, and to make an impact and, whether they're with me for a few more months or whether they're in it for the long haul and they're with me for life. If I can inspire people and help, you know, develop people and that's been a passion of mine recently.

Wow. Yeah, that's really good. How do you ensure that? Like, how do you invest into others in order to grow your business? How do you, I guess like in a business sense, there's a very much like, if you don't invest, like an example is like we have a friend up in Banff, Alberta, and he owns a hotel up there. And one of the things he was saying to us is like, you really need to invest in your people and your best returns from that are investing into them. How are you doing that on like a day-to-day basis or just like a month, a month-to-month basis on like, I'm going to invest in you, or like, what does that look like?

Well, um, here recently I've been, I've been really wanting to have kind of deeper talks with my guys and it's like, you know, what are your, what are your interests? You know, what are, what, uh, I think the hardest thing to do, it, it kind of starts with yourself, self-reflection, and that's the hardest part. You know, what, what is it that I, that, What direction do I want to go? Where do I feel called? So we've been kind of going through some questions where it's been a good exercise for our guys to kind of do that on their own. And my dream or my goal here is to, with this company is we're kind of right in the process of trying to set that clear aim and try to, what do we want our culture to look like? You know? And so, I'm in a process. This chapter of my life right now is more so trying to really define that myself. And then, you know, talking to my guys in a way where it's like, hey, I want you to also go back in, on your, in your own corners and work on this on your own. And then let's come together and then, okay, what inspires you? Like, what kind of culture do you wanna represent? Like, what are your passions? What are your interests? What do you wanna represent? What do you, What do you stand against? You know, what's your, who are your enemies? What's your mission statement? And kind of working on that. And you know, I, there was a, as far as investing in our guys, it's in a practical sense, it's that right now. And me and one of my partners are going down to an event called The Vault in September. It's part of Valuetainment, Patrick Bet-David. —is putting that on down in Orlando. So that's gonna be a great experience, just being in that, being in that environment, hearing people who are just high-level operators process issues and learn and just be a sponge. So, you know, attending things like that, consulting, joining masterminds. This is kind of all a new, a new thing for me where I'm at. And, you know, just good books. Let's read books together. Like, what do you think? And, And that's kind of in a practical sense what we're doing right now. Wow.

That's really good. Have you read Isadore Sharpe's Four Seasons book? I have not. Dude, you need to read that because that book is like all about hospitality, all about how to invest into your employees. He, I mean, he took Four Seasons from, you know, a motel in Toronto to a $10 billion company. It's, it's Incredible. But yeah, when I listen to that, it's like, if, you know, I think investing in people is so underrated that it's almost like people don't think about that. But I think just having that idea, and I, I like the self-reflection idea because self-reflecting, if you don't do that, then how do you know what to give your employees if you're not looking inward or at yourself first? It's like, it, it's, uh, practice what you preach, right? And, uh, yeah.

And, and in a lot of ways, you know, if you've got, um, there, there comes a point in a business where you reach a point where I feel like you can't wing it as much. And, um, hard work will get you really far, but there comes a, a point where there really needs to be intention and strategy. And we're kind of at that place right now. And you can have guys that will run through a brick wall for you, right? But if they don't know which walls to run through, Right. And they don't, if you ask them, why are you here? You know, what, what are our goals? What, what's our short-term, you know, so just trying to dial in a, a, a true, getting more strategic and more strategized and thinking multiple moves ahead, you know, like, like we're playing chess. Hmm. Yeah.

I've been, I've actually been playing chess more and more. And so every time I see like a business move, I'm like, oh, that's a really good chess move because are you putting that person in checkmate? Are you putting that person in? Check, what are you like, what are you trying to accomplish through that? Uh, it reminds me of, uh, uh, Patrick Beck David's book. Um, what was it? Uh, Five Moves Ahead or Strategic Moves Ahead or something like that, where it like the COVID is chess pieces. So it's like incredible. I know you talk about that book a lot. Yeah. Yeah.

And I think in that book, I just thought of a quote, you know, talking about investing into your guys and, and as a business, there was, there was a situation where two gentlemen were having a conversation and One of them was like paying all this money to send his guys to go to these conferences, to take this course, you know, to be reinvesting into his people to hone their skills and make them, you know, better employees. And one person, the other guy was like, hey, you know, how do you, how can you afford to do that? And what if they, what if you invest all this and they end up leaving your company? And then he goes, well, what if you don't invest into them and they stay? You know, so you're, you know, you're now, you're just getting, you know, you're, you have guys that, you know, you are not actively seeking to grow them and to make them the best that they can be under this, this umbrella of this business, you know?

Yeah. Wow. That's really good. It does make sense because if you don't invest in the people, why, why should they care? Really? It's like, yeah. Why, how, how do you. How do you find people that care about your business? Is it that they align with your values? Um, like how do you hire people and how does that, how does that process, like, do you have a vetting process of when you're hiring people or advice that you've been given that it's like, we, um, we do it this way and we wanna make sure they have these traits?

Yeah, so it's all kind of happened organically, um, from the start. I'm, I'm, I'm blessed. I, I come from a big family. um, on the Outer Banks, North Carolina. And I, I grew up playing sports. All my younger siblings played sports. So, um, and, and the wedding and event industry, it's, it's a lot of physical labor that goes into it, hauling tables and chairs. And, you know, you need guys that, that can communicate that if things go wrong, they can keep their cool and they know how to, you know, problem solve in real time. So I've been kind of blessed with my upbringing, um, to just have a network of of good people around me. So just kind of plugging guys in and, and, and we've got a, a core that I've, I feel, you know, very strongly in right now and capable young men who have been through some ups and downs and, you know, I've, I've, you know, with, I've, they're, they're battle tested in that way, you know? Yeah. Nice. And that one, one piece of advice. Sorry. Um, so someone did mention this to me where they say, I Higher slow, fire fast. Hmm.

Yeah. That's really good. Yeah. Higher slow, fire fast. Wow.

Because sometimes it's, you know, sometimes it can literally just, and this is where it gets tough with business. You could, it's just not working out for whatever reason, the personality and the, and the relationship and, and, and you can kind of spend a lot of time trying to mend that. And then, and when it's, it's the best to move on and then, and then the reverse of it, it's like, okay, what? Let's really, let's take this hiring process a little bit more serious. What are their experiences? Let's ask them some questions and what are their goals? And that's another area that I'm looking to grow into. And that only becomes increasingly important as you grow and as you scale. Hmm.

Yeah. What do you, what's your thoughts on like A players, B players, C players? Like if you had a C player in your company, would you get rid of them fast? Would you fire fast? Uh, it, I don't know if you know the concepts, A player, B player, C player, but A player is like, this is a rockstar. We can't do our business without them. B player is like, they could be trained into an A player, but they're not to that level yet. And then a C player's just like toxic, doesn't, you know, they're lazy, doesn't really do a lot of work. Um, and we could easily fire them. We would be relieved. I don't know what your thoughts are on that, but like, Do you notice that in your company and you're like, we want to stay away from those people, we're actively preventing that, or just like what, what does that look like in your guys' company?

Yeah. So that's, um, that's a, that's a process that I'm, that I'm still kind of growing into in this next chapter. Um, yeah. Like I, you know, the, the, the quote that I talked about, fire fast, that kind of speaks to the C player and it gets tough because I have this part of me as a leader, and I don't know if this is coming from a right place or if it's coming more from a place of ego or not, that, or just being naive to the fact where I feel like I genuinely, like, it makes me happy to try to get the most out of people. I enjoy that. And I like to see potential in people when they can't even see it in themselves. So a part of me as a leader is like, if someone isn't performing, you know, it's, it's like, okay, well, how, what could I have done better? You know, is it look, Extreme Ownership, looking at yourself first. It's like, was there a clear system in place? Were there clear expectations and, and roles? And, and what, where was the mistake? Is it, was it negligence? Is it just ignorance? Or is it because there wasn't clear instruction? And, um, like I said, the higher you scale, the more clear you have to be with your, with your intention and your systems. And that's kind of We're right in the middle of really trying to hone that in. Wow.

That, that's really good. And the more that I think about that, it's like, if, you know, I, I know that, you know, in my position in what I do, it's like I'm not necessarily top of the ranks in terms of like executive level, but it's like when I'm working is the reason why the people around me might not be doing as well? Is it because of my ownership or my leadership? Um, did I not do this in the right time or give clear instructions? Did I not? I, I think that's a really good reframing where it's like just kind of keeping it in mind where it's like knowing when you're the one to, um, kind of present that fault. It's not their fault. It's not that they did this or that or that. It's actually looking inward and saying, no, that was my fault. I own up to that. I, I think that's a really good distinction that I think anyone can benefit from. And that's something that, I mean, that's, that's just a great insight that I personally would take. Yeah. Yeah. That's really good. What, what is your, what, what's your background like? What was the pivotal moment that really pulled you into your space, your health and wellness, or what you're doing right now? And was there kind of like a personal story or path, um, that really shaped your experience? Yeah.

So, um, I grew up the oldest of 7 kids, 5 boys and 2 girls. Yeah. Dad played football and wrestled in college. My mom was athle— you know, an athlete. And so I've been around sports my whole life and, you know, the physical side, wrestled. I ended up playing football in college. I was in the Marine Corps. for 6 years. And, um, um, so, and right now I'm, I'm working with a company called I Do OBX Weddings and Events. I never thought I would be in this industry. It's just kind of part of God just opening doors and, and, and things kind of falling into place. Um, and it, this, this brand right here, Sweat a Little Bit, is kind of been on my sweatshirt here. It's just kind of been like a passion, a passion project. Um, kind of been like on the side. I'm at my buddy Jordan's house in Charlotte right now. We're working on some projects and some ideas and thinking of some things together to take some action. And this is where I've, like I said, you know, tapping back into the source, like what is God calling me to do? And it's kind of, it's a moment to where all of my experiences and weddings and events, right? The things that I've learned in business and leadership and how to run a crew and the logistics and things that come with that. And we've recently acquired a beautiful property on the water called the Diamond on the Sound. And we're kind of starting to pivot and transition into doing, we've done a couple retreats and I'm looking to get into wellness real estate, wellness tourism and looking to host wellness-centered events. And it's a growing, growing industry. You're seeing things like there's an event called the, The Running Man, I believe it's called, where it's basically like there's a race and there's— it's like a music festival and health and wellness all combined. There's— it's like a growing, growing thing. And that's really cool. Yeah. And, you know, I'm sure, you know, you being, you know, connected with Life Network, you've seen a bunch of cool events and how it's a growing demand where people are wanting community and they're wanting to start to take care of themselves. But for me, the way it kind of started was just, you know, it was just organically through sports, very active jiu-jitsu. I love surfing. I love I love nature. And I always had the physical side on check. And then there was a moment not too far after COVID where I was in some storms. I was in some deep waters and it was first time really dealing with anxiety. And, and mental health in a way that I'd never experienced. And, um, and that kind of put a lot of things in perspective for me. And, and that was a really tough time, but, uh, you know, in hindsight, um, gave me perspective and gave me direction, um, that kind of led me to where I'm at now. And I'm happy to get deeper into that specific situation if you would like.

Yeah, that, that would be great. I would say something to add to that is You know, I, I was just talking with Jonathan Dreki, who I had on the podcast, and he said that he had lost his dad, I think after COVID or before that. Um, I wanna say it was like 3 years ago now. Um, but he lost his dad and something that he was telling me is that it was, of course it's sad and it, it's something that really affected him, but it's something that was almost necessary to bring him back to God. And I would almost say that like, you know, and this is just my observation, it's almost as if God was doing that for you as well, where it's like, it's almost like a wake-up call where it's like, you know, God uses these extreme examples or extreme things to kind of wake you back up. Um, and so yeah, I'd like to hear more about that if you're willing to go into that.

Yeah. And I remember listening to that. I listened to that pod. That was a, that was, uh, amazing testimony that he had. And it's that whole concept of he, he turns. He turns graves into gardens. Yeah. There's a praise and worship song. I think that's based off of a scripture. I'm not sure. Yeah, I think it is. Yeah. But yeah, for me, brother, right around that moment it was, okay, college football's done. Marine Corps, I'm done. So that's like moved on from that. That was such a big part of my identity and I was in my mid-20s and it was right around the time where I, in my company, I accepted my new role and a lot new responsibility and received part ownership of the company. And I was managing and scheduling and delegating and had all these responsibilities working with some of my best friends and my brother, my family members, and try to manage that. And then to be honest with you, at the same time, I just wasn't living right. I was, you know, I was partying and I was drinking and smoking and not eating well. And, you know, You know, chasing girls around and, and staying up late and, and burning the candle at both ends. So I was, for me, that was, I was working really hard and then I was going out and not taking care of myself. And I feel like, and I, I just reflect on the time, you know, like I said, the, uh, I was drinking energy drinks first thing in the morning, you know, not sleeping good. Yeah. Um, And, uh, I, my nervous system was just shot. I feel like I was just redlined, just on edge. And, um, so from the physical side of it, there's that, right? I was not taking care of myself. I mentioned some of the substances and, and the way I was living and, um, and all the, the responsibility. And then also I really think that whole football, Marine Corps, and this next like chapter. As a young man kind of stepping into that next chapter in life, it was kind of like, okay, what now? And mind you, I was not actively seeking my relationship with God. I did not have that clarity. I still had a work ethic. I was a grinder. I'd work hard. But so I'll tell you a little bit more about what actually happened is I was You know, one night just being out drinking, being with the homies or whatever. And then we went out to get some breakfast the next morning and I was at a restaurant and all of a sudden it seemed like the walls were closing in on me. And, um, yeah. And I chalked it up to, I have a shellfish allergy and I was like, oh, there's cross-contamination in the kitchen. Like something's in my food. I'm having anaphylactic shock. And all of a sudden, you know, I'm like, what, what's going on here? This is really weird. And it was, I didn't know it was a panic attack and I didn't know that was a thing. I didn't know that was a thing that could happen. I had no clue. Like I mentioned, Marine Corps, college football background. I'm used to stress. I'm used to yelling and screaming. I'm even used to operating on low sleep and having to perform and execute high-pressure situations. And so that was happening. And then it, there was a, and then it happened a few other times after that. And that is such a bizarre, unknown, scary feeling to where you start playing, your mind starts playing tricks on itself. And, um, you're, you repeat in your head, you know, what's wrong with me? What is wrong with me? What is wrong with me? And that just gets in your head. And then, um, yeah, bro, there was a rough couple of weeks. Like I didn't really leave the house much. I checked into a hospital. Wow. And I remember being there in the parking lot with my buddy Alec and crying like a baby. Not like, just genuinely just confused, just out of it, man, like a shell of myself. And I remember him and his wife and my parents were there and they were praying with me. And I remember him specifically praying about, he said something about, we're going to turn this around. We're going to flip this on the enemy one day and we're going to pray for this moment and it's going to have purpose. And then, um, also around that time, he had written a praise and worship song around the passage of Jesus, uh, when he was in the boat and, and there was a storm. He says, peace be still, right? So that was a— I was singing that melody in my, in like my darkest time. It's the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with, hands down. Wow. And I remember just laying there. It was around COVID time, like I said. So I'm in this like janitor closet of a, of a hospital room and they're asking me all these crazy questions and it's just like making it completely worse. And I just, it got, all I could do, brother, was say the name of Jesus over and over and over again. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Peace be still, singing that melody that my friend had wrote that song in my head. It brought me to my knees, you know, and In hindsight, like, because like I said, body, mind, and spirit, it's all connected. And I mentioned the physical stuff, this, the poor sleep, the drinking, the smoking, the, the not acting, you know, not living right, not eating right, the caffeine, the nicotine, all of it, right? From the physical standpoint, and again, I think they're all intertwined. I almost viewed it as God looking at me and going like, oh, you want to act— this is the way you want to choose to live? And it's almost like he took his shields and turned them down a little bit. And because it did— a part of it felt like a spiritual attack, you know? And, you know, sometimes you got to touch the stove to know that it's hot. And that was that moment for me. And it was rough, but you know, I've, this is my second time sharing this on a podcast. The first time I've received, um, just random friends just hitting me up out of the blue saying that they went through something similar and it was encouraging. So my, uh, for them to hear that message. And, um, so going back and hear like my friend praying that for me in that moment, it's just so such a blessing. And, um, how it's come full circle. And, uh, and then one thing I wanna say too, you know, it's, it, it, if you are someone who has like had a similar experience, I just remember feeling so ashamed and like embarrassed about it. And it, and it's just a, it was a weird thing to talk about, but I can't tell you how many people I talked to with very similar experiences. And then some, and it's particularly with like young men, like in their like mid-20s. There's something about that. That's weird. And I don't know, I know they say like with men, like our brains are fully developed around 25. And I think it's like a coming, a coming of age kind of time of your life too, like a next chapter. And, and yeah, but it is, it is for anyone out there, it's, it's, it's more common than you think and you're not alone in it. And all I would say is just to, I would lean into God as much as possible. Like I said, I, all I had. All I had left in that moment was just to say the name of Jesus over and over again.

Yeah. What do you, what do you think that was like? Uh, uh, like not just, um, your experience, but like you said that young men are having this. What do you, what do you think that is with like this whole idea of, um, like Lewis Howes is a really good example. He had this, uh, thing where he was playing college football he got injured and then all of a sudden he couldn't play football again. Um, went through a recovery period but kind of lost his identity and then just kind of came back out of, not nowhere, but he came back and he was starting to do all these other things. And then he finally, um, you know, now we know him as this like coach and, you know, uh, talking with like MrBeast and has podcasts and like all these things, but like, Why do you think that is, that young men are struggling with this kind of, not identity crisis, but like, why do you think this is so prevalent, um, in our culture?

Yeah, I mean, there's so much to get into on that, on that question. Um, yeah, I would say for me, brother, um, when you look at things through, through a biblical lens, everything makes the most sense to me. And if you believe in the Bible, you believe, you know, it talks about a spiritual warfare all throughout. And I just think that manifests itself in so many ways. And then, you know, one example is a lot of people, especially as of late, are starting to look into their food. What are all these ingredients in my food and where was this sourced from and what did they spray on that? And that's just one example to where I feel like a lot of people aren't receiving the nutrients. That they should be receiving to be and have the materials in their body to be able to all these systems to function and, you know, our nervous system to function in the way it's supposed to. So I think that's a part of it. I think, and then I would say also people are just kind of like lacking a sense of purpose and a direction. Um, yeah. Yeah. And what do you, what are your thoughts on that? Yeah, I mean, I, I agree with that.

I, I definitely see that. I think we have this kind of weird thing where most, so in school we don't have this, in school we don't have this set, like they, they have set boundaries where it's like you go to school, they tell you you should go to college or you should do something with sports, or you should do, you you should be doing all these different things. And it kind of takes that thought or that, like, it enables this idea of like, I don't need to think about what I'm going to do until my senior year or junior year of high school. You get into that situation where you, you go to college and then you realize, I actually don't really wanna do this. Or it could be the opposite where I really wanna do this, but it's not necessarily what everyone needs. I don't, I don't believe the school system's a one-size-fits-all. Mm-hmm. Um, where it's like, you know, I like, of course go to school, but with this idea of you need to find your purpose in college, or you need to find your purpose going to school like immediately. I, I don't think it works the same way for everyone. And so I think this identity crisis could be very prevalent because you're in these certain amount of groups. You're like, you're doing all these things and to really step away from that. Can cause an identity crisis where you're like, who am I without this? And so I, I think it could be a prevalent thing because, you know, like you said, you were playing football, you were doing all these things, Marine Corps. Um, and, but you finally get out of it and you're like, all right, uh, I'm out of this group, I'm out of this group. I actually need to like start, um, doing things in my life that are, you know, business, what, like whatever it is, just like find a career doing something awesome. And I think what's really interesting is that it's not, most people don't think like that and it's just kind of like, let's ride the wave until the wave stops. They don't know what to do. And so I think what you're describing is pretty accurate where it's like, I do think there is a lot of, you know, just things going on where it's, there's not this defining, like I need to decide this right now. It's very kind of like a lazy mentality. Not that, um, not that people don't think about it. It's just that it's very hard for people to take the time and say, what is my mission? What do I want to do in life? And sometimes it doesn't get revealed until later, mate. Like sometimes it doesn't get revealed until you're in your 20s or 30s. Um, but finding your purpose is something that I would encourage a lot of people to do. And so that, that's just something what it sounds like. Um, just from, uh, your end or just from your story, that's just something that I think about and that, that's what comes to my mind. And yeah, I don't know what your thoughts are on that and if you agree or not, but yeah, that's kind of like what I'm thinking.

Yeah, I, I, I think a lot of that makes, that makes a lot of sense. And I think for some people they might hear that, well, what is my purpose? And that's such a loaded tough question, right? And I think it's, especially for any, you know, young listeners out there, like it is okay. You know, especially at your age, you know, like if you don't know your clear steps of what the heck you're going to do with the rest of your life, right? But I think going back to kind of just the way our environment is these days where there's just so many distractions, like I mentioned the food part of it and maybe we're not getting the nutrients we need. Social media, what that is. The clickbait and the constant doom scrolling and how that's distracting us and numbing us. I think in a lot of ways people are just kind of numb. And that's why, you know, to take it full circle, we talked about, you know, being stewards and being leaders in business and then even just like, I'm not a parent yet, but I just think like having, it's such an important role for good fathers and good mothers to, to, you know, to, um, set that example. Um, and, um, you know, because it— part of that, you know, because it changes, right? You know, God, if all of this distraction that I alluded to, you know, if you're not able to receive that— there's a difference between signal and noise, right? So I just described all the noise, and we're trying to find that signal. So that's why to tie it back to health and wellness, all of the things that, that, you know, that you, that you recommend and that you stand for and physical activity and meditation and prayer and breathwork and community and, and all these grounding experiences. I think that is, that is a way, like, you know, people get locked in on the physical part of it and, you know, getting jacked or being able to run, you know, a certain distance or whatever, whatever the goal of the metric is physically. Um, but a lot of that, it just allows you to just clear that clutter in your brain to be able to receive that signal.

Hmm. Yeah, that's really good. How do you, as a, like a business owner or just someone, like how do you intentionally go out into community and make sure you're doing things if, even if it doesn't like necessarily pertain to your business or, um, like I, I know you have the wedding business, so it's pretty easy to like, you know, be with all these people, but how, like, how do you intentionally go out and try to connect with people that you might not have connected with if you're just staying put in your business or, um, just like constantly going out and like, what does that look like?

Yeah. Um. What was the term that you said on the phone the one time? Something curiosity.

Oh, insatiable or something like that. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. So I think just being curious about things and like I said, everything that kind of transpired to get me to where I'm at now, I've, I've been more, I've been in a place where I am able to receive that signal, right? And I think, um, I call them whispers from the Lord, and that's kind of when, like, God will open up a door for you, and that could be a connection or whatever it is. And I think, um, starting there, kind of receiving that signal and, and spending more time in prayer and in the Word, and, and God has just opened up some doors. I mean, you know, even me and you connecting, um, as, as organic as that happened, um, so I can kind of just use that as an example, just seeing what Life Network was doing and, and that was such an amazing platform that kind of represented all of the things that, um, that I aspire to do and, you know, uh, and, uh, on the largest scale, you know, and, uh, I saw your post and I was like, oh, this looks cool. This is interesting. He's like really getting into these books and let me just reach out to him and say hi. You know, like the power of networking is huge for any of you young entrepreneurs, you know. Um, and then, so just being curious and, and, and, and reaching out and networking and putting yourself out there. I know I talked, we talked a little bit about the, the, uh, the story about Rosie, the woman who, who we supported, uh, for her race. Yeah. And that was something. So, so again, we have the Diamond on the Sound, um, which is a beautiful waterfront property on the Outer Banks in Kill Devil Hills, uh, North Carolina. And yeah. I was, there's a, there's an event called the Blackbeard's Revenge and it was, it's an ultra marathon race and I had done the relay race with my friends the year previously and I ran like 33 miles as a part of that relay team. It was the most I ever, I'm not even like a runner like that. That was, that was a big challenge. And, um, and, uh, so the following year I'm like, oh, we can create this amazing immersive experience and host some of the runners, maybe a relay team, maybe a group of. Individual runners with their families, and we'll have this immersive experience, get them a private chef and a massage on site and all the things, just trying to— my first attempt at kind of going in that direction. And then through that, God just opened a door for me. And I was just doing research on trying to learn more about that community because I'm not immersed in ultramarathon running by any means. And I found this lady named Rosie. And long story short, she tragically lost her son to suicide. He was, he was in the Marine Corps and I think he had an injury and took, was prescribed opioids. And that kind of set off, set off like some, some mental health issues from there. He actually got discharged from the Marine Corps and he, all he ever wanted to be was a Marine. So going back to the identity thing, that was a young man who was struggling with that, you know. So in, in his honor and Rosie, she did an amazing podcast with my buddy Jaylen, um, that weekend and she shares her story so beautifully. But, um, you know, she, she set off to run a mission to run 100 individual 100-mile relay or not relays, 100-mile ultra marathons. And so she was on, yeah, she's a beast. She's, you know, mother, she has 8 kids and she's just a dog. Like she's, One of the most incredible women. But that was something that just happened organically, you know, me putting myself out there, continuing to pursue what I felt like God was putting in my heart and what I was passionate about. And, um, and God just put that right in front of me. And I think a big part of the way that I feel like I can steward my message is to, uh, help. I feel like I'm kind of in the way that you're doing with this podcast is just kind of giving people a platform to tell their story. In a way that could encourage people. And we're working on a documentary for that. That's going to be really, really cool. Yeah. And so that was, that was really exciting. But as far as the way how I'm like practically going out into my community to try to steward, you know, a lot of what this brand represents, Sweat a Little Bit, and just encouraging people to, to go move their body. You know, it's, uh, there's a lot of ways you can take care of yourself. We can talk about health and we can talk about supplements and, and, and, and your diet. And to me, the movement part is the, is the, the easiest thing to grasp. Like you can go on a walk and that's, that's always gonna be good for you.

Yeah. That's really all that is really fascinating. The whole like, um, story with Rosie, that was really interesting cuz I saw that. And I found that really interesting because, you know, I've gotten into running a little bit. And so like, I think my longest run's like only 4.5 miles, but like still like just trying to get into it. Mm-hmm. And I saw that and what is she like 96, 97 races in now out of the 100? And it's like incredible, uh, what she's doing. Um, in terms of your company, like Sweat a Little Bit, I wanna understand like what is it and What do you guys do and kind of what's the story behind that and how it got started?

Okay. Yeah. Jordan Rodrick is, is, um, my best bud and, uh, he's a, he's a physical therapist out here in Charlotte now. He's, uh, from the Outer Banks like me. Um, but it, it started, there's a common theme unfortunately, um, with, with mental health and, and we've, we've lost, um, So I'll just get into that story specifically. He, he was in PT school, Winston-Salem State, and I had just got on the football team at North Carolina A&T. I was in Greensboro, North Carolina, didn't have a place to stay. I crashed on his couch and that was like when our friendship like really grew even stronger. But he had lost his brother right around that time to an overdose, his older brother Mitchell, and was just a Obviously, it is an incredibly hard thing to deal with. And it was almost kind of like the way God worked in that moment to where it's, you know, because we had always been friends, but in that, like, we really grew as friends during, through that and ever since, you know. So it was almost like he lost a brother and then gained a brother all at the same time. And that's kind of where he, how he tells the story too. But it was, it was, I think he was literally listening to like an early 2000s rap song. I don't even know what it was. He was like on a race and, or on a run and it's like, drink a little bit. It's like some song and he would just like say it in his head, sweat a little bit. And he's like, okay, well, that's a little catchy. And that's kind of like where the brand started and on a run. And then we got some stickers and, you know, we on Instagram shouting it out, hashtag sweat a little bit and kind of just have organically just grown this little community that's, you know, inspires people to get after it. And wow. Empty the Tank, you know, here on the, on the logo. That's, yeah, that's less about, um, in the sense of like two bros at the gym, just like get like, yeah, it's like crushing the workout. It's less of it in that sense, you know, uh, the physical when it's more about what I described earlier to like empty the tank, like get this, get it outta your head. Like using a workout. I mean, I'm sure you're aware of like all of the, you know, the neurochemistry of like all the endorphins and neurotransmitters and everything as a chemical reaction to moving your body. It's fascinating how our bodies are just, you know, literally designed to be resilient and the whole idea of hormesis and, you know, and that acute level of exposure to stress, whether sauna, cold plunge, or workout, and then we adapt to it and get stronger. It's just awesome that we're hardwired to be hard-bodied and resilient in that way. And I think that sets up people— a lot of people, you know, don't realize that, and we are all so much more capable than we could ever imagine. And so Yeah, that's kind of the message of Sweat a Little Bit. And like I said, we're in this chapter of life because he's— he finished up PT school and he's working as a physical therapist in Charlotte and has a job. And I have— 6 hours away, I have my job. And we're at this moment where we're like really trying to take some action on some things. But in a way, like I said, he lost his brother. I lost several friends of mine to drug overdose and suicide, unfortunately. In the Marine Corps, out of the Marine Corps, and it's just, it's almost like we're ready to go on the offense, you know? And, you know, I, we aspire to, to create a community, um, that people want to be a part of. And that's a real, you know, relatable, um, I feel like sometimes in health and wellness to some people that are like just getting started, you know, it can, it can seem like, like not attainable. Yeah, dude.

So all the time.

Yeah, it's all the time. Yeah, and the biohacking stuff and all that's cool, and I, I love to nerd out about it. And, um, so, but we're trying to like get just simple. Let's get out there, let's pick a couple kettlebells around, throw some things around, break a sweat, have a good time, fellowship. Um, and then want to eventually grow into, you know, more of a brand and a presence and hosting our own retreats and getting into events and And yeah, that's kind of the direction that we're going.

That would be awesome. Yeah, that sounds, that sounds great. That everything that you described, it, it just sounds like a really good thing. Um, it sounds actually very similar to another guy that I just met, or well, I, I've, uh, one of my dad's friends, but he's also building this community of guys and, um, it's very much like a community, but they're trying to build things and, um, they're like, he does coaching with them. There's like 80 guys or something like that. And he coaches these 80 guys, but it's more of a community feeling. And, um, it, it sounds very similar and it, it, that sounds awesome. It sounds like you guys are really doing, or you're trying to do bigger things and, uh, really take on some stuff. What, um, through all this, so you have, um, you have the wedding company or the company that you're involved with. Um, you have this company, Sweat a Little Bit. Um, I, from what I know, I, those are the only two companies. Um, but are there, what, like through all this, what is the legacy that you're trying to leave? Like if there, there was one thing or two things that you just like, this is ultimately what I wanna leave. Um, and this is what I wanna leave to all the younger generations. What, like, what are you trying to build? And like, what does that look like? Hmm.

Yeah. Um, so I think deep down at my core, like I said, I really aspire to help people be the best versions of themselves. Yeah. And, um, I think the enemy is just at work and people don't even realize what their full potential is. And we have these limiting beliefs of what we're capable of and the ability to cope and handle situations and to be resilient and just to inspire in that way. I'm very, you know, watching you and Jonathan's podcast and having to remind myself of how young you guys are and hearing like, honestly, man, kudos to you for having this platform and having the conversations you're having. It says a lot about about you, how you're raised, and you're just— your maturity. Um, and Jonathan as well, man, he's a man on a mission. Uh, what is he, 19 years old? Yeah. And you're only 17. Yeah, right. So that gives me, man, that fire. You don't understand, that fires me up. That gives me so much encouragement. Um, like I said, I'm the oldest of 7, so I've got, I've got, I've got a— they're twins, they're your age, they're the last ones there. They'll be seniors, uh, this year. Wow. Um, and the boy and a girl. And so to hear you guys like talking like that, like that's, that's so encouraging, man. And as far as like leaving a legacy, you know, I aspire to have a family and have kids one day and all the things, but I think, and again, I don't have all, I don't have all the answers. I don't have it all worked out. I'm just a human, just like everyone else. I'm trying to, Trying to do my best to get myself out of the way to, to receive those signals, man. And I'm doing, learning to be a better communicator, learning to control my emotions and to just be even keel and to have perspective and, you know, balancing that fine line of grace and assertiveness and accountability. And, you know, honestly, like the way I you know, as a company and as a business and as a legacy, I am particularly interested in like the whole idea of having the land and having the space, having the venue, having— and the dream is for that is to, you know, maybe be multiple locations in a place that is just a wholesome experience at all levels that people come, they can come for rest. They can come to be inspired. There can be music, there can be, you know, workouts and there's saunas and cold plunges. I'm really passionate about nature and having, you know, an agricultural presence like a working farm and people that really know what they're doing in the regenerative world and sustainable living and cooking and, you know, getting back to the basics in a lot of ways, you know, barefoot picking herbs out of the garden and catching a fish off the back dock and that's your dinner, you know. I'm really fascinated, you know, and it just ties back to the idea of stewardship, man. It's a constant theme throughout the Bible. Like in Genesis, like right away, you know, it talks about tending your garden, right? And the word it uses is to subdue. It gives us dominion, you know, over the earth. And to subdue is to put things in order. And, um, and this is before Adam and Eve bit the apple, right? This is plan A was, was to work and, and, you know, going back to having purpose and, and, and people not, you know, being disconnected from that, you know? So the, the idea of work, like we are supposed to be getting after it and pushing ourselves and, and pushing ourself out there. Um, and, uh, yeah, man. Um, that, it's just a constant theme throughout, throughout the Bible. And, and it's, and it's amazing. Like I said, I'm not married and I don't have kids yet, but you know, God talks about that and how even just the lessons through that, like, what is it to be married is to like— here I am not married, talking about what is it to be married, but in a lot of ways it's, it's, it's your steward, right? You are, yeah, you are, you are supposed to be selfless in that situation. And this, and then having a kid, I don't have kids, but I, like I said, oldest of 7, I've seen what it takes to— I've changed diapers and babysit my whole life, you know. So like What a selfless act that is. And God's like, gives us that as an example, you know, um, and, and what a, what a amazing experience and, and a love that you, you know, you can't really experience without that. So I think that's just a constant theme throughout the Bible, dude.

That, yeah, dude, all of that is amazing. And, um, I, I really appreciate that. I appreciate that viewpoint where it's like You know, you, you wanna leave a legacy through your family, but also through the businesses. Um, just giving people a really good time. Uh, remind me, let's talk about, um, I, I wanna connect you with someone. I think, uh, you talked about like regenerated, uh, regenerative space or whatever it's called. Mm-hmm. Um, I have someone in that space that I think would be really, uh, interesting, um, for you to connect to. But yeah, that, um, All that's amazing. What is, what are a couple books, like one or two books that have really changed or just shifted your perspective in life or, uh, when it comes to business or just, yeah, just one or two of those that are like, you gotta read this or, um, yeah, just like you have to read it.

Yeah, I think one of 'em I mentioned to you on the phone before was, uh, Patrick Bet-David's Choose Your Enemies Wisely. Yeah. And that is a book where if you are, essentially it's a blueprint for kind of how to write a business plan. And the whole premise is there's, you know, some people say in business like you don't need to be emotional, which is largely true because too much emotion or emotion in the wrong way, too much emotion, there's logic goes down. Right. But the whole premise is like, You want people to have a pulse. You want it to inspire you. Like, you don't want to be fully emotionless. And so it's— he has this kind of like this graphic where it's like on one side it's emotion and logic, and he has these building blocks, you know. And Choose Your Enemies Wisely is neat. The premise is, you know, a part of it is kind of like that whole Michael Jordan thing where he used to just make up stories about his opponents because that's like what made him tick, right? And that's what would would fire him up to get the best out of him was like, oh, what did they say about me? So there's a, there's like a little bit of that, but also it's like your enemy can be like, you know, someone like, your enemy could be big ag if you were passionate about regenerative farming and your friend who's creating the, his protein bars, right? And he's like looking at things and he doesn't, he doesn't, the ingredients and, and like, that's an, oh, that's like an enemy of his is like the industry in that way who's maybe trying to hide behind branding and labeling too. It's like, You know it, but it's, um, that, that's a great book and it's a great one to kind of just like have you reflect and, um, a good, a good framework to creating a, a writing out your business plan.

Hmm. Wow. That's really good. Yeah. I need to, I have so many books I need to read. It's absolutely crazy. I think I have like, uh, I counted it, I have almost 100 books that are just business where it's like. Patrick Bet-David, Jarko Willink, um, Isidore Sharpe. Like you just go down the list and it's like Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett. You just like, there's so many books to read and it's like, yeah, what do you want to read right now? What's your priorities? And so it's like, yeah, there, there's a lot of good books. Um, let's see, I'm reading a book right now, uh, The Power of Habits. Really good book. Um, it's all about, you know, keystone habits. Um, like what's your, uh, what's your mission, but also like cue, cravings, rewards. And it, so there's like kind of steps to how do you market things, how do you, um, make things attractive and people want to buy it. Um, kind of like the science behind that and something that I really appreciate. But when I listen to that, like, uh, I've heard a lot of really good things about Patrick Bet-David and, uh, something that I definitely wanna, I, I wanna read his books and Definitely look into that. What, um, what, so you, you've started a couple businesses. What has been the hardest challenge for you when you fa— like you faced when building your business or just in the process of running that, that is like, this is definitely the hardest thing. And how did you overcome that?

Well, I think from this jump, it can be tricky working with friends and family if there's You know, there's a, there's a balance to that. You know, my, I've got brothers and sisters and my mother tied into this and some of my best buds, but I think, I think the main thing is, um, being intentional about your aim. Hmm. Yeah. And, and, and strategizing to what is, what are we truly trying to get out of this? Like, what are our next 5 moves? Like, what's, what's this, what's our objective here and getting in and getting everyone on the same page and then. Also, you know, that, that, that balance of this kind of having patience. And then also like, you know, there's, you know, uh, one of the words for the year I heard someone say was, he was like, my word is speed. I want to replace the word, you know, tomorrow with right now. Like, like, let's get to it. Um, but I would say no, even for me too, you know, like there's, um, there's a plan for me to, you know, to potentially acquire the, the business one day down the line. And, you know, I have amazing founders who have, have laid the groundwork and, you know, just like any natural progression in a company, you know, we are, you know, I, they've gotten it to a certain point and they're at this chapter in their life where, you know, maybe they're looking to slow down and transition to a different part. And then, you know, I'm starting to kind of see the direction I want to go and then, I think the anxiety that can maybe come with, and I said something earlier where we like put limiting beliefs onto what we think we're capable of. And I think one of, and this is one of the biggest things where being in these masterminds and having the great consulting that I've had, I've been having recently through Bet David Consulting and talking to other people is a whole nother level of extreme ownership. I've always been someone who's, you know, disciplined and like to say I, I held myself accountable in that way and didn't make excuses, but I found myself kind of just like maybe just being frustrated about my circumstances in a way to where I, I, I talked about it too much and, and, um, and it, and it, and it created some frustrations. And I think it really stemmed from, I was avoiding that uncomfortable conversation. And having that crucial conversation and just being open about, you know, what I wanted to do and, and then voice my opinions. And I think it was, I, I hadn't done the deep work to first off define, okay, what do I want? Like if the keys were in my hand tomorrow, like where would I, what would I do? So if like, if there's an anxiety knowing to, to like, oh, I haven't really done the deep work to even really think about that or map that out. And then there's another part of it where it's like having, like having that crucial conversation is a skill. Like being an effective communicator is a skill, right? Some people are born, some people are born more natural, uh, and with abilities, but there's, guess what? You can, you can get better at, at it. You know, you can read books like, you know, Never Split the Difference is a good one. Um, you can read books like 33 Strategies of War and just kind of understand human psychology and. And give you some perspective and just certain language and the way you phrase things. So I think I did, I finally did that work to kind of be like, you know what? Like, why am I having this victim mentality right now? And it's because I put a cap on truly on like, oh, I subconsciously, right? Yeah. I feel like didn't feel like I was capable of having that crucial conversation and like making these bigger decisions and power moves and processing these issues. So yeah, I can't even remember the original question, but for me that was like, that was a, that's like kind of where I'm at in this next chapter. And it's like just having that balance of like humility, like confidence and, but also like humility, like, like really reflecting like, what are your blind spots? Like, what do I need to get better at? Like, that's why it's so important to kind of like, you know, you know, do a SWOT analysis and, and like look back and, and reflect and what went right, what went wrong. And, you know, this is my weakness, but okay, if this is my weakness, maybe I can read 5 books on that topic and turn it into potentially a strength.

You know what I mean? Yeah, dude, that's incredible. I, I want to touch on one or two things you said. You said if the keys were in my hands, what would I do tomorrow? And I really like that because like I'm literally, I tried writing it down cuz it's like, I, I love that because it, it is a really good point. If the keys were in my hands tomorrow, like would I still be doing, like what would I be doing? What would I be doing different? But I also really like that observation of like, what is the, what is the thing that is holding me back? Is it myself? What are my weaknesses? And I think there's something in that where it's like, how do you, um, how I'm trying to figure out how to best word this, but like, how do you figure that out in like what you're doing? Um, how do you kind of take, how do you have a litmus test every time, um, making sure that you're actually the one, um, that is like, the problem is with you versus with other people. How, how do you kind of work through that? Like, how do you, um, determine, like if you were, if you were working with someone, how do you know it's you versus them? Hmm.

Yeah, that's a good question. I think it always, it always. To always at least attempt to see yourself as the common denominator in any situation. Start with that. Always ask, what could I have done better? Because there's— listen, we've all fall short, right, of the glory of God, and we're all, you know, we're all gonna mess up. None of us are perfect. So, sir, first off, like, okay, what did I— did I say something wrong that might maybe, like, I was too emotional and, you know, I shouldn't have said that and I got them all upset and that led to this and now Um, and, and as far as like, yeah, because I, I, I know, I know people in certain situations where they have, they do play that victim mentality and it's like, okay, well, it's like, you know, you, if you feel like you're being taken advantage of, right. And then that's a recurring pattern where you feel like you keep being taken advantage of. Are you— what? Okay, what's— why are you being taken advantage of? Are you naive to this and that? Did you not properly communicate? You know, um, so, and then I think it's just a discernment, brother, and that's where it's like, yeah, just pray for wisdom and pray for God for clarity and to have discernment and to be— just try to be transparent, as honest as possible, because Yeah, there's gonna be situations where, where, you know, you, someone else messed up and, and it's different. It's different. Very different if, you know, maybe they're your superior or if it's someone underneath you. Right. And, and, and that's a good point. And that's where some of, you know, everyone coming up, what, you know, whether like, I think of a lot in the military, you know, like a rank structure, you know, and, um, there's clear. Clear set boundaries and, you know, but because the way you communicate, that's different, whether it's someone who's a superior or someone who's under your leadership. And it starts and then it's from there, it's just good communication. But if, you know, if you find yourself continually being in a situation where, you know, you feel like you're ready to test your convictions and you know what it is, you know, it this other person was wrong in this situation. Um, just praying, praying about it and, and trying to make, you know, decisive decisions with, with all of the context available and with discernment. I'm sorry, I don't have like a clear-cut answer on that. Oh yeah, no worries. But it's a really good question. I mean, that's something I'm still trying to figure out, brother.

Yeah, that's something that like, I think it's just really good. It's always, I think it, always starts with you is like the main thing. It's like, you know, having that ownership where it's saying like, no, like this, this is my, you know, I take ownership over this. This is what I could have done better. This is what you could have done better. Um, but let's work together to make this better next time. I think there's something to that though, where it's like always starting with yourself and always working from there and then going into other areas. I, I really like that idea and just thought, um, you've, you've talked a lot about like signal versus noise. What, how do you separate that? And I know we talked about this, like phones, distractions, all that, but what's your process for staying like truly focused on just the things that really matter to you?

Um, so in like a literal sense, like working, right? I, Um, Cal Newport has a book called Deep Work, um, which, which he talks about. There's all these great artists throughout history, whether you're like painters or even like musicians and bands who've went and recorded an album. There's stories of where people go and they out and they go to a cabin in the woods or they're like on, on the house on the lake and there's like nothing around them, right? So I think it really, and it's kind of a, it's a deep read. I need to do the deep work and go back and revisit that one. But the concept is just like we, like our attention spans, right? Even like having like a different tab open on your computer and getting that email notification is enough for you to get like, to like truly be intentional and focused and deep work on this one thing, you know? So like, in that, in the literal sense of, you know, you know, work, productivity, you know, do not disturb. I really enjoy Brain.fm. Are you familiar with that? No. I heard Ben Greenfield talk about it on a podcast years ago. Okay. Yeah. I was kind of into binaural beats and different things and listening. Okay. Yeah. And I'm not even exactly sure how to explain the science behind it, but Brain.fm kind of taps into some of those things in different specific Sound waves that help you to, and there's different settings. You can have a creative, you can have a deep, there's one for sleep. Um, and I subscribe to that for the year and that's, I throw that on and it really helps me lock, lock in.

Really? Wow. Yeah. I use, I just go to Spotify and I know that people have talked about like hertz before, like, uh, certain frequencies. And so, um, if you just look up like, uh, sleep hertz or something like that. There'll be like frequency music, so like creativity or focus or, um, sleep or deep, uh, restorative music or, so it's, and it's like 420 Hz or 500 Hz. And so I guess like the Hz correlate to a certain, um, thing that can really help you. So I've done that before, but I have not done Brain.fm. That sounds pretty similar, but also probably a little bit more professional or like an app or something that you can just. Easily use. Yeah, that's really interesting. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty sweet.

Yeah. And then, you know, this is where, and I'm excited to learn more about this kind of stuff, like, you know, people who are these high performers and like, again, I've got a lot of, you know, inspiration from guys like Ben. Yeah. And, and your, your workflow throughout the day, you know, modifying your environment, like I've got I've got the little trampoline, little rebound thing in my room. And there's a lot of amazing studies. Huberman did a podcast with Pavel Tatsalini. I don't know how to pronounce his last name. Russian. Yeah. Just real, really, really well-known strength conditioning guy. But there's a lot of studies that show like, hey, you go and you get like, get under a barbell and rip a few squats. Or, or go like move your body for like even just a short duration and then you go back to work, like you're already better. Little hacks like a cold plunge in that same manner, or like, you know, a sauna, like, so I'm really fascinated and I'm not perfect by any means of like really trying to dial in and get your environment set up in a way to where like you can kind of like, you know, have these resets throughout your day, if, if that makes sense. And, uh, I've heard people like Alex Hormozi talking about, um, what does he call them? There's manager days and then there's, I can't remember the other term, but he basically, he basically is like, there's days where he's like uninterrupted deep work. He's like looking into a new project. And then there's other days where he has his meetings and he's collaborative and he's doing all the things. So he tries to like. Intentionally build his schedule in a way so that it is in that rhythm. And then also everyone who he works with is aware of that rhythm and like sets a standard and a boundaries and expectation for communication when, you know, when they could expect to be able to reach out to him and get a response back and setting up your work week in such a manner. I think that's a, that's a good strategy as well. That's really interesting.

I haven't heard him talk about that. I've been listening to him and Chris Williamson on the Modern Wisdom Podcast. I've been basically just going through their whole series. So, uh, first like 3 episodes, I, I've, I'm like halfway through the 3rd episode. I've listened to, I think they're like, one's like 2 hours, one's 3 hours, and then this one I'm listening to is 3 hours. And it's just like, it's so good because they're like talking about all these different things. So it's like moving from your different friend group, it's like, you grow out of these old friends and you need to move up. And, um, so Chris has this, uh, term that he coined, uh, the lonely chapter. And so this lonely chapter is that you want to get better and you're with this group of friends, but then you kind of move up, but you haven't hit that new group yet. So you're in this lonely chapter where your old friends are, you know, the friends that you've kind of left. but now you're moving into this kind of chapter where you're by yourself. You have to figure things out, but then you're gonna find that new group. And so it could take, you know, a year to 5 years and it's like, it, it's just this chapter of not loneliness, but it is the lonely chapter. And I thought that was really interesting. So I've been listening to them talk about all this stuff and Alex Hormozi is very smart when it comes to business and, uh, he's a beast. Yeah. Yeah. He's incredible. What if you could get everyone to adopt just one habit to better their lives? What would it be? And why would you choose that? Hmm.

I know the, the whole morning routine thing has been like oversaturated and, you know, but it's, it's. I think that there's so much value with that. And for me, getting in the word first thing in the morning. Yeah, that's stacked with some movement and all this stuff. But even more particularly, I think journaling. I did a 30-day journal. Bless God Studios, they have a really cool one. I can't remember the— Bless God. I can't remember what it's called, but it's a really good devotional book. Um, a pen and paper and just, you know, getting in the word and then reading like a little commentary on it and then answering a few questions and just like starting with that is just a great way to just like set your intention for the day. Um, yeah. And, and do you know who Forrest Frank is?

Oh yeah, yeah, Forrest Frank's awesome.

Have you seen his whole story where he, how he broke his back and stuff? Yeah, dude, crazy. Yeah, his testimony behind that's really cool and like He, he speaks on like doing a 30-day journal challenge and there's a lot of, um, a lot of great things to pull from his testimony with that. But I would, yeah, I would say that, man. I would say, I would say getting in the word first thing in the morning.

Hmm. Yeah. Wow. That's, that's really, that's really great. What, um, I know you've, yeah, journaling is really important, getting in the word. Um, Journaling is something I wanna get more into. It sounds like you, like you can look back throughout the years and, you know, realize, oh, this is my personality, or this is what I was thinking at that time in this day. And so journaling's something I, I would wanna get into. Um, something you mentioned earlier is that your company is being advised by Patrick Bet-David's company and, uh, at least, or something like that. What? Like, so what, what, um, have you done with Patrick Bet-David? What, what does that look like in terms of, is he advising you? I know you talked about one time you did the minute, uh, call with him or, uh, phone or the text or something like that. Uh, what's your interactions with Patrick Bet-David been like? And I know he's been a big influence. You've read his books. Um, what's just a couple lessons you've took or taken from him? that have like really applied to business that you just really like?

Yeah, so we signed up for his general mastermind. So it's like once a month there was like, um, all these businesses and everyone else who signed up hops on this like giant Zoom call and you submit questions and he might answer your question and he might not. Um, and you learn so much from the questions that everyone else is asking too. Yeah. And you just kind of see them like, process these issues in real time. And then like I said, Manect is a great platform where you can go directly to him and other people I've been consulting with to help me process issues. And I'm attending his big conference next month, which is going to be really cool. But the biggest thing, there's two things that I think that I've really pulled from him. The first one was like, he actually did answer our question and it was kind of like, okay, with where we're at in our business and trying to, you know, in this transition phase and, you know, and maybe trying to move on, you know, the founders are starting to like delegate and move on from some of their day-to-day stuff. And so what he says was systems, systems, systems, you know? And he, he recommended a book called Life After Steve, I think it's called. It's like Apple. After Steve Jobs passed and kind of, and that's another one that's kind of a little bit of a tougher, longer read, but there's some good stuff in there. But yeah, like really being, you know, 'cause from a business sense, you know, he basically, he said something else too in a mastermind where he said, you don't deserve a raise. And I don't know if this is literally like the way his company operates, but like you don't really deserve a raise promotion until like you've like taught 2 other people how to do your job. And like you, you think of this, the whole idea of like a business growing and scaling is it's like, okay, like you, you are, this is your job. And like for me to even have the capacity to be able to go move on and to, you know, be innovative and to look into new things and to strategize, like I have to get the guys under me in a position where they can, Do my, do what I'm doing so I can, and I'm, and I'm, I'm so blessed that, um, the business that I'm in, um, with the founders have, have, have allowed me to be, have, have trusted me with that role and in the space that I'm in to be able to, to kind of figure that out on the fly. Um, and, and the team that I have around that I can trust and, but a whole nother level of just like systems and, and as a, you know, Does your business operate on talent like you, or does it operate on systems? Like, is there an onboarding process and a, and a pamphlet I can give someone that explains our process to a T? And that's the hard part, right? Like, you know, you might be very capable to launch this product or whatever you're trying to do, but it's a whole nother thing when you're getting other people involved. And, you know, um, so the, the idea of just systems and thinking systematically is one. And then the other one I kind of spoke on earlier is just that the whole, another, the whole idea of just like another level of, um, of, uh, Extreme Ownership. He kind of called me out on like a, he, we actually got called on and there was, uh, a mastermind. He kind of called me out on the word. I'll never forget it. I wrote it down. The, um, he was talking about how like, you, you know, you can either fight or flight kind of thing. And he was like, He sounds, he was like, sounds like you're being flighty, you know? And, and, and like you are avoiding the conversation. You are avoiding this and that. And like guys like me, like I can't even have a conversation, you know, like take you serious unless you've like done that. And I was like, oh man. Like, and it was tough. It was like, it was like a tough love situation. You know what I mean? He was even, he even said something like, hey, I understand if you guys never come back to one of these masterminds, like, but this is just how I operate. I'm just, You know, and, and, uh, you know, and I, I, and I, and me and my guys looked at each other and we're like, you know what, you know, we message received, sir. And, um, that was, that was a good one. That was like a, a little bit of a, it shook me up a little bit. Um, but, but those are two, those are two things like systems and just like a whole nother level of just extreme ownership, seeing yourself as the common denominator in everything that's going on. Yeah. Wow.

So man, that, that's incredible. Systems and then extreme ownership. I love the extreme ownership and then systems is definitely something you need to have when you're in business. Um, because if you don't have systems, you don't have a way of operation. Um, and so yeah, that, that's really good. What is, so you have Sweat a Little Bit. What's your goal with that? What are you trying to build that to? And then with your other, uh, company with, uh, the wedding venue. And all that, what's kind of your goals with both of them? What do you wanna scale them to? Um, what's kind of the long-term vision for each of those?

Yeah, brother. So that's, that's in the weeds of it. That's where I'm at right now. That's part of why I'm in Charlotte right now with my buddies conversating and talking about these things. And, um, because, you know, part of it is, can the weddings and, and the wellness and everything coexist or. Is, or am I being naive and I'm just gonna have a watered-down version of what I really want to do. And it's this, it's always gonna be this side hustle that never really turns into, you know, what I would inspire to turn into. So, and then there's also this concept of like a flywheel in, in, in business where you have multiple things that are feeding into each other. Right. But they have to make sense. You know, you've got Apple. Apple Music, they have their own headphones. Yeah. They've got like, like, you know, like you can kind of see like at a big level how a company like that has all these things that the phone and they, they feed into each other. Like one thing supports the other. Um, so, you know, it, it, so that's where I'm at right now, brother, trying to figure this out and having these really, these good conversations with the founders who I have a great open relationship. With and want to make sure we're on the same page because they deserve my best. And if, you know, if I feel like, you know, you know, if it's the black swan, if it's like, makes sense that we did part our own ways and we gave each other a big hug and we say, thank you for all the time. Like, I don't know. I don't think that's going to happen. I think God's— I think there's things, there's doors that God has opened that tell me that it's gonna work out with this team. So, um, you know, it, but is, is the weddings a stepping stone and eventually I'm gonna transition into, into more of my passion things. But the, the, what I would love to do is to figure out the flywheel model. And there's places like Sweet Honey Farm in New Jersey. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and, and there's other venues out there where it, you know, they have the farm, they have the gym and they're doing the retreats and they're having keynote speakers and doing the events. And they're also, it's a pretty place to have a wedding, right? So, and there's a business model out there that's out there and, and it works. And then tying in, in Sweat a little bit to that, um, to that, uh, flywheel. And this weekend is really, my buddy Jordan is, um, they might be podcasting upstairs as we speak. Um, or, um, as, as a part of, I wanted us to connect this weekend is, is to get him out there. And he's just such an amazing smart guy who's, who, who has so much to give. And, um, Putting a spotlight on him is gonna be cool and just grow and sweat a little bit, one thing at a time. Um, we're hosting, uh, I'm also really passionate about music and I, I kind of came to the conclusion where it's like, I have a little bit of this scatterbrain ADD to me where it's like, it can be like a weapon, like, like a, a, you know, powerful tool to harness. And then sometimes it can like slow down progress. So I'm trying to figure that out and still trying to figure it out, but The venue part was like the thing that kind of hit me one day. It's like, oh, that's the one thing to where it's like, lit, that all of the things can exist is like the land, that part of it, you know, where all the things that I am passionate about. So I feel like that's the direction God's calling me is to have these just like amazing locations where I can create these experience and host a bluegrass festival, which we're hosting one in November, uh, called Grass Fed. My girlfriend's a beast. She's like, doing the whole thing. And then how Sweat a Little Bit's going to tie into there and be a part of the branding and the messaging. I've yet to really figure out how that all connects yet, just to be full honest with— fully honest with you at this moment. And then also Jalen, who I podcast with, he's got a brand called Cope and very similar thing where he's just like has a mission to want to help people. And, um, and, and help people deal with the inevitable curveball, curveballs life's gonna throw at you and be able to be resilient. And he's like the media guy. He's the podcast guy. He's, he's the content creator and is really talented and possesses all these skills in, in different areas that me and Jordan were lacking. So I'm excited, um, to see what this, what this connection's gonna turn into.

Yeah, that's really cool. For just like as a, just as like a side note, what is, um, like if you could just describe your vision with what you're building right now in Outer Banks and just kind of like the vision behind that, um, for people that don't know what it is, what, like, what does that look like? What are you trying to make it into? What is it right now? And then how are you gonna, you know, I know you're talking about how to um, tie in Swell a little bit, but how would, um, how would that come around to as a company? Um, just kind of like what, what's the backstory there and, um, how did you get involved with that and what does that look like now?

Yeah, so, um, it started off as like a, a college summer hustle doing, working for this company. And then I just, my relationship grew with the founders after COVID with the whole team. Left and wasn't due to really any reasons. Like, it was just a couple young guys, a couple of guys in their mid-20s. COVID was weird, and we're like, what do we do with our lives? And went to seek greener pastures. And then the owners came back at me with another offer to bring me back, and then I kind of got the band back together, and it's just kind of grown from there. And then, so we do full setup, so we'll go to the beach and put out chairs and the arbor on the beach and flowers and rake the sand and hang lights for the reception and bring over the farm tables and do all the things. And, and then we acquired our first venue a couple years back, the Diamond on the Sound. And, um, it's a beautiful, uh, 4-bedroom home on about 6 acres on the water. And, um, hosted a couple weddings there. We've done, um, a handful of retreats now, hosted like a little pilot wellness event with the, with the DJ and the yoga class and like a little market that went really well. And there's like a growing community on the Outer Banks of like like-minded people that are interested in health and young professionals who are like encouraging each other and, and motivated. And there's like, I feel like there's a demand and a need for, for, for that. And, uh, on the Outer Banks. And so my, you know, one, like in the short term, like we just, we're, we're turning our garage into a gym, you know, we're gonna, we're gonna get a sauna and a cold plunge there soon. And slowly start kind of like incorporating some of these like amenities one by one. And, and I want to invite, you know, people who are like-minded and excited and want to come, and we'll hang out and we'll, we'll have build these experiences together and, and we'll take it. And then also just like the Outer Banks, like born and raised, so like all the things that come with that. You want to go surfing, I'll take you to my cousin Brianne at Outer Surf or get you a board, get you a surf lesson. You want to go fishing, we'll go see my, my brother-in-law down to Fish Hatteras and we'll Oh man, that's awesome. Yeah, we'll tear up, we'll catch a trout and some drum and, um, duck hunting in the wintertime. And, um, so that, you know, I don't know if you ever saw the Outer Banks TV show, but the Outer Banks— I haven't yet. Yeah, it's a little cheesy. It's not, it's like, you know, like anything, it's like, yeah, it's Hollywoodized a little bit. But, uh, so yeah, that's kind of, that's kind of the goal where I'm at with the company is And then the— where I see sweat a little bit coming in, what's the fella? His name is Devin. He owns the company Pro-Mix. He's actually the one who owns Sweet Honey Farm. And they're just doing really cool— they're doing really cool things. Like there's an event called the Running Man that I mentioned earlier, and it would be really cool. I was actually out here today. There's the Whitewater Olympic Training Centers in Charlotte, and it's like But it's cool. It's like basically like an outdoor amusement park. Like people go in there, there's hiking trails, there's like rock climbing, there's zip lines, and there's like, they have 1,300 acres and there's like a stage and there's music. Oh my goodness, that's huge. It really got our wheels turning. So I think like we're gonna, like there's like a trail run, like relay race that Jordan's ran before that we were like, hey, let's, what's, have they, you know, what's the date for that next year? Let's go introduce ourselves and make our presence known and set up a tent and like have a team and then kind of just starting to create some of, of, uh, those are events our own on a smaller scale at our property and, and just take it one step at a time.

Dude, that's incredible. Are you, I know this is more of a, just my curiosity kicking in, but are, are, so let's say you do this really well, Outer Banks, uh, knocks it outta the park. Are there any plans for expansion? Are you looking at other places like? Hey, let's put one in Charlotte. Let's put one here. Let's like, are there any plans for expansion? I, I just like talking about this stuff cuz it's fun, but yeah, I don't know. I don't know what your vision is.

So one thing that me, Jordan, and Jalen have kind of been stewing on, like you, you see a lot of like, you know, there's a big health scene out in California and obviously like Austin, Texas and stuff. And like, we're almost like, let's put on for North Carolina. Like, so I'm in, I'm all the way East Coast. On the beach. That's where Jordan's from. He's in Charlotte now. And then Jalen's out in Asheville, North Carolina in the mountains. Um, and, uh, yeah, he was actually out there during the hurricane and has like a crazy like story behind that. And they, they made a documentary on it. It's, it's, it was, it was a really good documentary. They captured all the, it was just crazy, the destruction from that. But anyways, like we, we kind of have a, yeah, we would love to expand and, and, um, obviously tapping into a market like Charlotte, there's a lot of people out here. You know, there's, you know, the Panthers and, and then the mountains is a whole nother thing. So the goal is to kind of start with the property, the Diamond on the Sound, and kind of create these— going back to systems, right? Kind of make this like template to where, you know, if we did find a piece of property out this way or in the mountains and kind of recreate that experience. Um, and, and so yes, there is a, there is a dream to expand this. Um, and we're kind of like this weekend, like almost like sitting at the round table, kind of like really being like, all right guys, like we're going to do this thing or is this going to be this floating idea? So like kind of really being intentional and taking action. And then even right now, me talking about it on a podcast, like, you know, I'm either going to do it or I'm not. Right. So I'm going to watch this back one day and kind of like, oh man, I was full of crap. Or like, oh yeah, I was like, look, you know, I, I went for it.

So, yeah, we, we have some friends, like I mentioned earlier, in, uh, Banff, Canada. And so, so we just visited them. It's pretty easy drive. I wanna say 7 or 8 hours, but something I realized is, excuse me, they're doing the exact same thing, uh, somewhat. They basically took this, um, hotel. In Banff, really touristy. And they took this old like rundown place, they took the pool, everything, redid all of it. Pretty nice. Considered a luxury hotel now, but they have the first saltwater pool. They have a cold plunge that's like built in. They have a sauna, they have a steam sauna, and then they have like two spas. Just gorgeous. It's called the Kenrick. In Canada, you said? Yeah, in Canada. It is absolutely gorgeous. I'll have to send you it because I guess it's the only saltwater pool in Alberta. Wow. From what I've heard, or in Canada, one of those two things, but it's incredible. And so I'll have to send it. Have you been? Yeah, we just went. It's incredible. I'll have to send that to you because it's a great blueprint. And so I think the whole thing— I'd love to go check it out. Yeah, dude, the whole thing with the template too, like if you can nail a property down and then you just like, all right, now let's go to this next property. It does like, it's all like customized to location. Sorry, customized to location though, when you think about it though. So it's like, all right, we are in Outer Banks. It has this, this and this. The temperature's here, the weather's this, all that stuff. So it's all customized. But I think what's really fascinating is like being able to kind of look at different properties. I think the Kennewick is a great example. It's more like a hotel, but you could easily scale that down. But like, I think what you guys are doing is incredible. And I think if you pull that off, there was many times when we talked with the owner of the Kennewick, that's our friend, and the friend, our friend owns a hotel there. And something he was telling us is that, you know, the vision to get this all aligned was really hard and it was really hard to do, but the fact that we accomplished it is something that we can be really proud of. And so I think when I hear about like what you guys are doing, it's like if you actually push through and make it incredible, um, one of the best experiences, like you will, like the money will come, right? Um, yeah. And so. I, I say that all as like an encouragement, as in like, you know, if you guys do that, what you guys have right now will probably be transformed into something completely better. You can start growing locations, you can, you can expand. And so, well, it'll be hard. It'll, it'll take time. It, it's like, it's gonna, there's gonna be things that you're gonna have to do, but I think that just having that template, trying to like visualize everything. Working on all of it, it's, it's inspiring to know that you're working on this. We, you know, we have friends up in Canada that did an amazing job with their hotel. Like, I think it's, it's you, you can do it and I just like believe in you. So, man, everything, everything that you're working on sounds amazing. So, yeah. I appreciate the encouragement. I appreciate it. Yeah. Well, Tyler, it was amazing talking with you. Where can people find you if they want to just find more from you? So yeah, I am—

you can look up Sweat a Little Bit on Instagram, TikTok, all the things. Jordan's running that account. I am Tyler_SweatALittleBit on Instagram. You can look up The Diamond on the Sound. Instagram, TikTok and stuff, uh, OBX Diamond on the Sound. I do OBX weddings and events for anyone out there trying to get married. And, uh, yeah, just, just stay tuned. We're, we're gonna be continuing to try to grow this thing and, and, and, uh, you should be seeing more and more from us. So, dude, that's amazing.

Well, uh, thank you for this amazing interview and I can't wait to just put this out there. So thank you, Tyler.

Awesome. Thank you, brother. Yeah, thank you.