149: The Congruent Closing Method with Alex Moscow

Hi, I'm Natalie Jill, fat loss expert turned high performance coach. When odds are stacked against us, how do we shift and create everything from nothing? How do we level up when we aren't feeling it yet or we've had a big setback? On this podcast, I'll be talking to some of the most inspiring and courageous men and women on this planet who at their worst learned how to achieve success greater than they ever dreamed possible. Leveling up and creating everything from nothing. How does a stuttering shy 4.4 GPA student from a loving, attentive family get busted for dealing drugs and before the age of 19? And then the bigger question, how does he go from a drug bust da arrest to being one of the top top coaches coaching seven figure entrepreneurs congruently in the industry? I wanted to know exactly how Alex Moscow went from that stuttering shy kid to entrepreneurship illegally to then thriving in the most congruent of ways. Listen in today and learn exactly how Alex Moscow leveled up and created everything from nothing. Today on leveling Up, I've got Alex Moscow who I'm so excited to interview because I met him actually in a personal development program a while ago. I didn't know who, who he was. He just came in very confident. Who is this confident guy? I remember what you were wearing specifically Alex, and I thought, he's so confident, I love it. But I met him there and then it's my husband and I were both in this course with him. We were on the staff of it, we were coaching it and my husband ended up really getting to know him. He ended up hiring Alex as his coach later and I could not believe how much my own husband transformed working with Alex. So I was like, who is this Alex? Where did he come from? Why is he so confident? How was he this successful? How does he make this much sense? And how did you change my husband like you did? So I've gotten to know him as a friend, but I'm excited to dive in today and learn exactly how Alex jumped in and is basically leading the pack with coaching and he's training other entrepreneurs how to create seven figure coaching empires. And he's legit, he's amazing and his background's incredible. So thank you, Alex for being here today.

Thanks so much, Natalie. Excited to be on so take us.

Back, Alex, because I'm assuming you weren't born knowing all this amazing stuff about coaching high powered entrepreneurs. You weren't born with a silver spoon. Who were you before all this?

Yeah, so before all this I was, I was very Shy. I would find myself in class, like, growing up, really, like, I felt like I was. I was a smart kid. Like, I would study, I would work hard, but I was not outgoing. Like, I was always managing the type of risk that I would put myself in. And a big part of that was because I grew up and I had a big challenge with a stutter. Like, I could. You know, I remember very vividly there was an experience where in kindergarten, we were playing a game, and, like, it's a game to learn everyone's name. And when it came to my turn, I couldn't say my name. And it was, like, really traumatic. Like, it came to me, and I was. And I just couldn't say my name. And that memory is just. It's come back. And that was, like, the first experience that I could recall of, like, wow. Like, I really had a challenge that I would get to, you know, really work through and to really, like, learn how to adapt to life. And that's. That impacted me. And, you know, there were some negative ways, but it also taught me a lot.

That's interesting. When that happened as a kid, was it like a story you were making up around it, or were kids making fun of you, or they. Were you just noticing it in your own skin?

Yeah. So the first experience that I could remember in. I've been through a lot of transformational processes to, like, go back to the timeline, the exact moment, and the one was that in kindergarten where it was. It came time to say my name, and I couldn't say my name. And then, like, I was, like, shaking and I was sweating, and then when I opened my eyes, like, you know, the whole class just laughed at me, and I, like, burst into tears. Yeah.

Wow.

Yeah. So that was the. It was. It was very clear that other people noticed, and it was very clear. Yeah, it was very clear that, like, I was, you know, I felt like an outcast. I felt like no one understood me. I felt like I really wasn't a part of everyone else. I felt very different and separated.

Yeah. Did that create a story of making. Did you become introverted because of that? Like, what did that do to you as a kindergartner? Going through that?

Yeah. So in going through that, it just. It really, like, that experience, as you can imagine, was very painful. So I feel like that really caused me to kind of walk on, like, eggshells when, like, even in school, like, when I would know an answer, like, I wouldn't raise my hand. I can even remember, even right now, if, like, I put my Hand up, and I put it right back down. It's like I knew the answer, but I didn't want. I didn't want to put myself out there of, like, saying. Or, like, putting myself in jeopardy of, like, stuttering through an answer, everyone laughing at me.

Again, you didn't want to call attention to yourself. Oh, my gosh. How do you break through that? Because that's. That's a very real thing. And I think people carry those childhood stories forever. I mean, was that something you broke through as a child? Did that take years?

Yeah. So I. Looking back in hindsight, which is where we used to get the wisdom, right? Like, I. I can look back and I could see how I unconsciously chose to become a high achiever. So I, you know, I excelled in sports. I played, you know, I was. I played. I played baseball my whole life at a really high level, like, internationally. And I got really good grades in school. And so I still, like, had. The other kids were, like, looking up to me, but it was weird to me because it was just something that I just wanted people just to like me. I wanted so bad for people just to like me and to be accepted. And I felt like I needed to, like, perform and to achieve in order for that to happen.

Wow. So take us through that then, because I know you ended up becoming successful, maybe not the legal way, but you became successful as a. As a teenager, a late teen or college. When was that? What was happening there?

Yeah, So, I mean, I graduated high school with, like, a 4.3 GPA, went to San Diego State. And I'll never Forget, it was May 5, 2008, and right after a huge Cinco de Mayo party at my fraternity at San Diego State, I, like, I hear my window shatter, and I'm woken up with assault rifles in my face. And there are at least four big men with just assault gear. Yeah. With just like, SWAT gear on. And they're yelling, dea. Dea.

Whoa.

And I went home with the girl the night before. So I'm throwing it on the floor butt naked. Like, I get the handcuffs on me. And they're just asking, you know, do I have any heroin? Any ecstasy, any. Okay, meth, you know, crack? And I'm just like, what is happening? You know?

Yeah.

So then I go, so that was my. That was my first entrepreneurial experience, so to say. In college, I was. I was. I was selling drugs, you know, I was selling.

Okay, back up a second. I got so many questions now. So how does. How does a kid that is that smart getting the 4.3 GPA, which is an A plus. You know, how do you get into that? How does that happen?

Yeah, so I like to put, I like to party. And I also, it was a way for me to, I definitely coped through high school. Like, you know, where I'd get, have a couple of drinks and then my speech would get a little better. And also it was just a way of connection. I mean everything for me was, it was a vehicle to just create more connection with my friends, with people around me. And so as I was in college and started to, I joined a fraternity and then like it wasn't like, yes, I was selling drugs, which is obviously not, it's very illegal. And it wasn't like gangs and guns and all this. It was like I was in a fraternity, like all these, you know, San Diego State, all these kids have money. So it wasn't like, there wasn't the like dangerous stigma around it. And to me I was Also, I was 19, so I was 18, 19. So I thought I was invincible, you know, like I was just like, oh, nothing's ever going to happen. This, this and that. And so I just, I just started to get involved with, yeah. A certain group of friends where it wasn't, it wasn't of my highest alignment of what we'd call it. Right. And yeah, so I was hanging around people who were doing drugs. I was doing drugs and people kept asking me if I could get them and I was like, wow, like, you know, the entrepreneurial spirit. I was like, it doesn't make sense for me just to keep going and middlemanning all this stuff. So I'm just going to pick some up and I'm going to start selling.

So this is an interesting topic and as I'm listening, as I'm asking these questions, I'm sitting here thinking I have a 12 year old daughter who's not that much younger than 18. And I'm like, how does, how does this, how does that happen to a kid or not happen to a kid? So like I get what you just said about the stuttering and the coping and all of that. But like were your, did your parents know what was going on? What was their role here? Did you have siblings? Like, did teachers see this? Like, I'm just trying to understand all that too. And I'm sure, you know, you looking ahead to if you have kids one day you're probably asking those same questions.

Totally, totally. So yeah, like none of my family knew. None of my family knew. And my truth is like I didn't I didn't have to do it, you know, Like, I didn't have to at all. It was for me, at the core. It was. I mean, as someone who stutters, like, it's a great way to meet people. Like, it's a great way to. Rather than, like, going out and like, meeting people. Like, my biggest fear was to talk to a stranger. So instead I had all these. All these strangers come talk to me. So it was. That was at the core of it, you know, and like, you know, my. I had amazing, loving parents who supported me, like, who gave me allowance. And it wasn't for the money, you know, like, I wasn't selling money. It was like the entrepreneurial spirit. Of course I did. And it was more so. It was just the way so I could connect with other kids that were there.

That's so. It's so interesting how love will drive people to create. Like, wanting to be loved, wanting to fit in, wanting the people pleasing, you know, all of that. It's amazing how that can make that decision. Did you know. So doing makes sense to me. Like, it was giving you that coping. Because I don't. I don't inherently look at people that do drugs as bad people. I think they're. They're looking to feel okay. They're looking to solve a problem. And drugs, right or wrong, they solve the problem for them because they feel better. So I. That makes sense to me. Not that it's right, but it makes sense how that happens. How do you. When. When the idea of the business came up, though, like, to do something illegal like that, how I would. You were a smart kid. Did it occur to you, like, this is illegal, I can get caught, or you really just thought you were invincible?

I literally thought I was invincible. I mean, at that age, I was like, you know, I drank a lot of alcohol. I was drinking and driving. Like, I was not making. I was not making good choices at that age.

Yeah. Isn't it amazing to think back, like, you're lucky you're alive or you didn't kill somebody.

Oh, my goodness. So, so grateful. Yeah. So, yeah, so grateful. Like, I didn't. I didn't hurt myself or hurt anyone else that in that phase of my life.

So I'm imagining this drug raid. This bus was probably a blessing.

Oh, it was the biggest blessing. Because if. If not, like, I could just see my, you know, I could see myself just going down or there's different. Oh, there's. In a world of infinite possibilities, there's the possibility that, like, I would have, you Know, kept doing it. Got gotten bigger. Maybe gotten in some really huge, huge trouble or like, you know.

Yeah.

Gotten involved with even, you know, even, even worse down that path.

Okay, so, so what happened? So you go through this arrest. What happened then? Did, were your parents on your side? Did you. And how, how did this shift happen? Did you go to jail? Tell us about that.

Yeah, totally. So I got arrested and I sold to an undercover agent. So there was no, like, there's no like, hey, is he innocent? Guilty is literally still into undercover agent. And so it wasn't like I had to call my parents in and tell them it was the San Diego State drug bust. It was on CNN News. So.

Wow.

Like all all over, all over the news. Like I, the golden boy, like for, in school, you know, varsity baseball player, got scholarships to, you know, play baseball at different schools. And I'm on CNN News getting arrested in the San Diego State drug bus for selling drugs. And I think this is like, this is the way that I know that like, God, the universe, life has a sense of humor. Where on CNN News, it's everyone's mugshot. Like, everyone's mugshot. Everyone's, you know, got arrested like a mugshot. But for me, maybe they, I knew I took a mug shot, but they maybe misplaced it or something because it was my senior picture. Like Abercrombie and Fitch. Like, lime green button up shirt, Abercrombie and Fitch. Just picture of me on CNN News in front of like, the whole, the whole like nation.

Yeah, yeah.

So that's how my parents, my grandparents, like everyone knew.

Whoa. Now what did they do? Did they go down, though we're disowning you or were they supportive? What happened there?

They were super supportive. Like, I'm so, so grateful. And it was, that was, that was the most painful thing. As I was saying, sitting there in that cop car is like, fuck. You know, talking to my parents who sue supported me, who've been giving me allowance. Like, I have to explain to them that like I was still like selling drugs even though they were like, they were there financially supporting me too.

Yeah, yeah.

And just like, it was just such a disconnect from who they knew me as.

So what happened? You go to trial? Did you go to jail? Did you? And how long? And tell, tell us that.

Yeah, so I, I went to jail for like 48 hours and got bailed out. So my dad and my girlfriend at the time drove down from Las Vegas to San Diego, bailed me out of jail. And yeah, like, we, we, they bailed me out of jail and we looked for a lawyer. I know that one of my dad's friends gave us a recommendation for a really great criminal defense attorney in San Diego. And long story short, like, we went through and I got off on probation, so there was no, like, official jail time.

You were lucky.

So lucky was that. I was very lucky.

Was that enough to stop you in your tracks? Of that?

Yeah. And so what happened was, as I was going through that, I was invited to my first, like, personal development event, which I would not have been open to before.

Yeah.

And like, you know, 19 years old, thinking I have everything figured out. I'm invincible, you know, that getting arrested by the DA turns it to turn on system light bulbs for me, you know? So I was like, okay, I obviously don't have everything figured out. And so I went to my first event.

What was that first event?

It was awesome. It was like. I'm not gonna say the name. It was a Tony Robbins in a landmark type of event. It was all around, like, limiting beliefs. It was mindset.

Got it.

Yeah. It was all around mindset. It was all around, like, the story you're telling yourself is what creates what your reality is, so you can tell yourself whatever.

And I think all personal development has an underlying theme about beliefs and stuff, so I think all of it's great.

Yeah, totally.

But you found it. Did a friend tell you about this event? How did you, like, even figure out to go?

Yeah, I had a friend who was actually involved in network marketing.

Okay.

So it was like. It was like one of their leaders was going to the events and they were inviting everyone to go. Yeah, it was. It was that world.

That's awesome. So you went there and you had your eyes open to something else.

Yeah, to something else. And that put me on the, like, the, like, path of, like, I've always been into, like, you know, human psychology and personal growth, but I've never been to an event before. And as my experience is, like, events are the most powerful tool for transformation. More than books, more than these or courses. Because there's something. When you're in the live energy of other people, there's something just different that happens.

And so I believe that. I think, like, you can read a book, you can listen to a podcast for an hour or whatever, but it's not the same as being immersed in it.

Totally, Totally. And so fast forward, when I'm on probation, like, I'm like, all in. Like, I, like, I drink the personal development Kool Aid, you know?

Yeah.

I'm in It. And I'm, like, going to my probation officer. Like, hey, I want to go talk to schools. Like, I want to, you know, I want to go, like, help kids. Don't do this. And, like, I'm, like, annoying the shit out of my probation officer. Like, he's so annoyed with me. And so, like, literally, I get off of my. Like, I was supposed to be on probation for three and a half years. I get off in, like, a year and two months or a year.

Because he's just sick of you.

Yeah, he's sick of me. He's sick of me. So, yeah, like. And so then after that, like, I started or while I was on pro. Or. Yeah, while I was on probation, I got back into. I got back into Or I went to University San Diego, because I got expelled from San Diego State because that's what happens when you get arrested by the DA when you're in school. I got back into USD, which is a private, you know, private, better school. And it was like, $24,000 a semester. And I was like, holy shit. Like, I'm doing the, like, math here, and, like, I'm gonna come out of school, you know. 160. 170 grand in debt.

Yeah.

And, you know, I'm supposed to make 40, $40,000 a year at a job. And I was like, this just doesn't make sense to me. So I was going to these events, and they started to teach about, like, online marketing and this whole world. And I was like, wow. Like, I'm pretty good at tech and I can build websites, and I, like, understand, you know, human relationship. And that's when I started a marketing agency when I was 20 and 21.

Okay. Okay. So before we get into that, a couple questions are coming up for me. So I would imagine you had a very specific type of friend before you were busted, and you couldn't have those friends after you were busted. So talk to me about that shift. Was that an easy one? Was that a hard one? Did you keep those friends and did that make a difference in your journey?

Yeah, there was. I would say I kept my majority. And this is what's been interesting. Even reflecting back now is, like, I kept probably 75% of the same friends.

Really?

Yeah, I kept 75% of the same friends. And, like, everyone knew. Like, everyone was, like, super supportive. Everyone kept anything that was gonna. That was going to jeopardize me or my decisions, like, out of my life.

Okay.

But I feel like I've always had really great friends, like, who cared about Me who cared about. Yeah. Who just really cared about me and, and, and what was best for me.

So they weren't trying to bring you back into that world. Was it more. Did you find yourself leveling them up to an impossibility now that you were stepping into different things?

Yes. And looking back, yes, I did. And it didn't happen instantly. Like consistent. It took my consistency in who I was becoming and showing up as that version of myself for them to uplevel. And I was a great filtration system for those who were, who were real friends, who wanted to live on that level and those who did not.

So then this is all happening 2008, 2009. And what's also happening in that time was we had the whole housing market crash and stock market crash. So the Internet marketing stuff was really just starting to be born. So there was also some good timing there. So how did you. It's interesting that you like saw that opportunity from this. How did that even come about? Like you said you were going to events and stuff, but where did that idea that I'm going to make money online or I'm going to figure out this marketing thing come from?

Yeah, so I, as I shared it was I went to my first event that was related to network marketing. And my first, I was, I was enrolled into an opportunity. Right, So I was enrolled into a.

In a network marketing opportunity.

Yeah, network marketing opportunity. And that really taught me. It taught me a lot. It taught me a lot about personal development. It taught me a lot about running a business is hard if you want. There are parts of it that are hard if you want. And I also looked at it of just like, this is super old school for me. Other people can run the system that they teach and it works. And for me I was like, there has to be a better way. So I looked at some of the different mentors that I first got. They were building, you know, network marketing companies to, you know, three, four, $500,000 per month, all building it all online. And so I was like, okay, like this sounds a lot better than asking my friends and family and every single person who I meet to do this. And again, nothing. I have so much appreciation for that industry. And I was like, there has to be a better way. So I started to look at how to build online and I started to develop some skill sets of building a personal brand, of building a personal brand for myself, using social media effectively, how to provide value and be value focused. Because that whole model is when your value focused, then you can enroll them into a network market opportunity. When you leave with value first, it's never about the network market company or the opportunity. It's about value. Sure.

I love that you just said that. I think that applies for anything in sales, by the way. Like, I think when people lead with the product features and benefits, that they're missing it 100%.

100%. And so that's how I started. And then there was. Yeah, so that's how it started. Of, of then I was, I was in that. And I was like, this is just not. Like, I'm so grateful for that, for that experience. And there was a program that came out that was said, hey, like, are you struggling building your network marketing company online? You know, do you have these skills in building social media and, you know, building blogs and X, Y and Z? And I was like, yes. They're like, hey, you can take that and you can package it and sell it to a small business and you can make, you can help a lot more people and you can make a lot more money. So that's where I started a online marketing company, a digital agency for local businesses from going through that course. And so I also. And this is, again, this is not financial advice. This is not. This is just my own experience. I took my. Sorry, mom and dad, if you're listening to this, I took my entire next semester's college tuition and I invest into a coaching program for you.

A coaching program for you.

Yeah, coaching program for me so that I can really learn how to build this online marketing business.

Yeah. What people miss here, though, and this is good. I want this audience to hear this because a lot of times people look at it as like they can't afford or they don't want to spend, but when you're investing, it's investing. When you're investing in a coaching program for you, it's yourself you're investing in.

Totally.

It's not the coach, it's yourself.

It's 100% yourself. And you invest in. It's through whatever the opportunity is. And so.

And I'm so it's like, it's not like. And I want people to hear that too, because it's not like you just had extra money laying around. It's not like I just. You. You literally had to use from something else to invest in yourself.

Totally. I mean, even like, Tony teaches that it's not about, you know, the amount of resources you have, it's about your amount of resourcefulness. And in, in going through what I've went through, what I've shared about, like, I became very resourceful, you know, like, when I had my back against the wall, like, I was very resourceful. And, like, I got a new perspective. There's a new lens of life that I looked at. So when I was looking at the opportunity of, like, going to school and finishing college versus starting. Starting. Starting a business, you know, I chose that. Hey, like, I wanted to start this business.

Yeah. That's amazing. So you went to this coaching program. Did you have any second guesses, like, why am I doing this? Why am I spending the money? Was that coming up? And how did you shut that voice.

Up all the time? So all the time I think that those thoughts are normal. I think that they're normal thoughts. It's the same voice that, like, when you say, hey, like, I'm gonna, like, I want to get healthy now and I want to go start going to the gym. I'm wake up at 6am tomorrow, I'm go to the gym. And then, you know, 6am comes around, alarm goes off, Boom. Hand goes to go, snooze. Ten minutes later, snooze again. Like, when did we start to listen to that voice? Yeah, there's an automatic. There's an autopilot system that is governing our reactions in our habits. So that same voice is the same voice that's telling, that was telling me of, like, you know, can I do this? Should I have finished school? You know, am I worth doing this? Are people actually gonna listen to me? Can I be successful? Oh, no, you're not. You're going to fail. That voice is normal. Like, it's. It's normal. Yeah, It's. It's just in I, you know, I forget the science behind this or who this is from, but we have 75,000 thoughts per day.

Yeah.

It's not our choice whether we have those thoughts or not. It is our choice of what we feed our attention and our energy into. And so those thoughts of, you know, I'm not good enough. Can I do this? Did I make a mistake? Those are all. Those are all normal thoughts to have. It's just. It's getting aligned with what's our vision and what's our truth in it. Because all those thoughts are. Our mind is meant to keep us small and to keep us safe. And if we want to have a different life and create something new, then we also get to have different thoughts. Totally think that, oh, we're going to do one thing and everything is going to shift and all our beliefs are going to go away. It's Crazy.

Yeah. How do you. How do you balance that? I'm curious. This is just getting a little bit off topic, but I'm really curious here. I don't. You probably read the Surrender Experience Experiment, which I read.

I've read parts of it.

Okay.

Yeah.

So for those of you that haven't read that book, it's fascinating, but the gist of it is he goes through an experiment of not listening to the voice of his head and cutting off the voice in his head and literally letting life call the shots and giving up all control and surrendering. And it's just fascinating what shows up in his life. And I'm just wondering because it is very real that we have those 75 thoughts a day. How do we. 75,000 thoughts a day. How do we. How do you know what's intuition and gut and your higher self talking versus, like, this is just noise. I shouldn't listen.

Totally. It's such a good question. Such a good question. Jennifer and I were actually just talking about this where, like, what is intuition and what's fear?

Yeah.

You know, like, how do we make that actual discernment? And so I think when we're. My experience is when we're in tune to. To our body and when we slow down enough to actually listen, that guidance comes in. Like, we know. Like, in our gut. We know, like. Or I'll say, like, I know when it's fear and I know when. I know when it's my intuition. Like, there's a different. There's a different texture to it.

Okay.

And. And so for me, if. Like, if it's. If it feels constrictive, then that's fear. For me, if it's. If it's an idea that feels expanses. But I'm scared shitless like that. That's. That's intuition of knowing that it's right. Does that make sense?

Yeah, that totally makes sense to me. I hope listeners grab that. And I've asked myself that same question because I have that voice. It's like nonstop all the time telling me so. And I think I would have maybe described it a little different, but I would say I look at. Is it fit into vision and do I get excited about it? Like, if I can. That. If it lights me up, if it gives me fired up, then it's that. But if it's. If I just. If my body doesn't feel good around it? So that's. But I'm still figuring that out, navigating it. That's why I asked you too.

Yeah, I Think one of the best things that I've done is whether it's fear or it's excitement or it's intuition, like, I take the action anyway and I figure it out. Like, and then I learned from the experience of taking the action and I'm like, oh, shit. That was, you know, my intuition was telling me and it turned out like, you know, it turned out negative or whatever it would be.

Yeah.

But I think that so much or what I've discovered and what I see most people do wrong is they just sit and they do nothing. I feel like we get to learn and we get to really flex our muscle of intuition and we get to really recognize what is fear from taking the action and seeing what happens on the other side of it.

That's good. So, okay, so you get, you get, you invest in yourself, in coaching and you learn the Internet marketing and you learn coaching how Take us through that journey. Because right now, like, you're young, I mean, you're pretty young, you don't have like the resume of a lot of coaches. Right. But you're crushing it. And you're not cheap, you're not, you're not. I wouldn't say you're a low price coach, but you get people massive results. Like, how did you, I have so many questions, like, how did you get the confidence to charge what you do? How did you get the confidence to go after people that were more experienced than you, you know, older than you, to coach them? Like, how, where did that come from? Because I think so many people would be in their heads around that.

Yeah. So can I share one quick story that I think for this? So that story of getting arrested by the dea, that's a story that I tell from stage. So many people know that story. So I'm gonna tell you another story of a story that I don't tell very often.

Okay.

And the story is that when after I got arrested on probation, I moved into my parents place back in Vegas for six months. Then I moved back to San Diego. Six months in living in San Diego, I'm living in a house with my old friends and I'm at the wrong place at the wrong time. There's cops that come and I get arrested a second time.

Oh my gosh.

I get arrested a second time and this time I don't tell anybody. So I don't tell my family or anything. And my charge, I'm facing like 12 to 15 years in jail.

For what? The same thing or was it.

Yeah, yeah. So I had friends who, I had friends Or I had friends who were selling drugs, and even though they were. They weren't doing around me, they were still doing it. And so I was. I was looped into that whole wrong place, wrong time. Wrong place, wrong time. And so when that happened, I. I was going through court, and I made the decision, like, I'm gonna. I'm gonna fight this on my own. Like, I can't tell my. I literally just got arrested. I'm not gonna. I can't tell my. Made that decision. And as I went through that, like, it was. I hired a lawyer. I took out credit cards, you know, 19. I took out credit cards, took out loans so I can pay for a lawyer. And then it was up to the last court, like, our last day in court. And the settlement from the DA's office was. It was like eight years in jail. Like, that was the settlement. That was that deal. And my lawyer comes to me like, hey, this is what the offer is, or we go to trial. And I. And I was like, I don't know. I was like, what's that mean? I don't. Like, I watched on tv, but what does that mean? And they're like, well, we go to trial, and if you're found guilty, you'll probably go to jail for 15 to 16, 17 years or you'll get off. And so, like, I was like, I know I didn't do that. I can't. I can't live with myself going for something I didn't do. Yeah, so let's go to trial. And so that was another. Like, that was like another 10 grand to go to trial that I didn't have, that I figured out. And I went to trial and I fought it, and I'm obviously still here. I'm not in jail.

Yeah.

And I won.

You were innocent. You believed you are. You knew you are.

And so I went through that whole experience by myself, though. So that's taught me if I'm going to bet on anything in this world, I'm going to bet on myself.

That's incredible.

And that is carried out time and time and time again of. Of when I. Of in business, you know, and of creating the life that I want. Like, so I've always had for me, I've always, like, been deeply ingrained in my court to just go for it, like in just, you know, in sports and school. Like, there's just been a fire in me, despite whatever challenge that I have in my life. And so I share that with you because in going into starting a business, you know, when I was 21 a online marketing agency. Like I was watching these videos and I'm like, hey, like you can charge, you know, you can take a doctor, lawyer and you can charge them 5,000amonth because their cost for, for, per client, their value per client is really high. So when I was, when I was like, I'm just gonna go for it, like. And so I went and I got. My first client was $4,400 per month at 21 years old. My first ever client. First ever.

So that's like a huge number at that time, I'm assuming. So you probably shocked yourself a little bit.

A huge bit. Yeah, huge bit. And so for me there was like I was able to like stand in that value. And I also after that I hired mentorship. So I hired my first high level coach, McGrath, who is a great coach of mine and he helped me land a six figure client when I was 21. So I sold a $9,000 per month contract, $108,000 contract when I was 21. And I just always had that drive to just go for it. So the money was great there. And I didn't know, I had no clue how to run a business, had no clue how to create systems, how to hire, how to build processes. And so the long story short, the universe aligned. I wanted to go work. So Ted fired his, Ted fired his staff and I fired all my clients. And so I went to go work with Ted and he had a coaching business. And for me I was, I was, I could, I could sell marketing, I could help with marketing, but I always wanted to like help people. Like I always wanted to, I even traced back of like, I was always the guy in my friends group where people would come and they would ask for advice and I would always give advice. They always seemed to come to me. I was like, wow, I'm the kid who stutters. But they want advice from me for some reason. And going into Ted's organization, it was one step closer to helping people with coaching. But I didn't have the confidence in myself to actually go out and do it on my own yet. So I went to go partner up with Ted and I spent four and a half years in his business where he was an amazing mentor who was one of my really good friends and I helped him build his business. When we first started, you know, there was like six, seven grand in the bank account and when I left there was multiple seven figures.

Wow.

So from the ground up, like blood, sweat and tears, 100 and 110 hour work weeks of Just building, building. And again, I don't recommend this. You don't have to do this.

Yeah.

And it was, it was the multi, multi, multi million dollar education that I would not trade like anything for.

But I think it's also a really, it speaks volumes into you and your character and stepping into learning versus just offering to. I think that some people skip those steps. You know, they want to be the successful coach or successful entrepreneur but they don't want to put in the grunt work. They don't want to learn, they don't want to take the time. And I also think it's great for confidence to go and actually work with somebody else or under somebody else or in their business first. So you do learn it. So I think that's huge and I think it's not something to overlook. I think people skip it and they want to be this high powered coach or whoever out of nowhere.

Totally, totally. So to touch back on like on the actual value and how did I, how did I launch what I'm doing now where our programs, you know, start at two grand and they go upwards of six figures. And yeah, that didn't happen overnight. You know, like for me it was, I was probably inside of Ted's organization for two years too long. So I knew I wanted to leave and do my own thing. And I had went through two years of pain of like knowing that I wanted to do it on my own but not, not honoring that, you know, and still doing 110 hour work weeks. So yeah, and I didn't set myself. And so when I learned a lot through that of like when I left the organization I was burnt out. I was super burnt out. And I was like, I can either, I can either work more, work more hours, work harder or I could charge more. And so for me like the light bulb went off of like, of like, you know, there's either going to be an exchange of time for money and I could just do volumes more, which I've done, which I'm not going to do anymore. Or like I could work with a higher level person, a higher level client to where, to where it's not, it's not a huge stretch for them to where the value is going to be 10x because they're a higher level person.

Yeah, yeah, I love that. And I also think for the, for people looking for coaches to really pay attention to that because you don't want a coach that has thousands and thousands of clients because that makes a big difference. So you invest more and they have less clients, they're gonna pay more attention to you, I believe.

Yeah. So I built my whole business to start. It was all based on intimacy where, like, I worked with all of the, like, top people in the coaching space where I was a part of their team. I ran their event, I sold at their events. I was a sales manager for them. I put out a lot of fires for a lot of the top people in the industry, which was a huge learning experience in its own. And so when I left, like, and again, like, I left, and it didn't happen like that. Like, I left and I was like, oh, my goodness, can I do this? Am I an imposter? Did everyone list to me? Because I didn't just help, you know, my mentor build his business. He was coaching coaches too. So I helped all of our clients build it too. And when I left, I was like, who am I? I feel like a fraud, you know, Like, I, you know, did they just listen to me because of him? You know, So I had.

So how did you overcome that? That's a big one. That's a big question.

Yeah. Like, all of that was there, you know, I knew that was my fear. So for me, it's like, we can to get to where we want to go. We can't hit. We can't have our fear and not do nothing. You know, we can have our feel. We still have to do the uncomfortable thing with or without the fear there. So for me, it was like, I'm just gonna try it and I'm gonna see what happens. So all of that stuff is still there. And so, like, I, when I launched, I was helping people with their live events, and it was one on one consulting. And I just went out and I launched, you know, my own business. And it was a $30,000 offer. And that $30,000 offer, it was someone who knew me and they said yes. So it was. For me, it was so much pain. And it was like, it didn't just happen like that. I literally was like, fighting with myself. Oh, my God. Do I charge $100 a session? Like, you know, I just need to figure this out or it's like, no. Like, I have knowledge, I have experience. I put in literally, you know, over 15,000 hours of work in that organization, learning my craft. So I could either, you know, there's two different. Two different going on, you know, so it's what I listen to. Then I was like, okay, I'm just gonna go for what is it that I want? What would I love?

That's so good. And I also think what is brilliant that you did, and I hope listeners are picking up on this, is that you're not letting the market dictate what you should charge. It's not about, like, what should I charge or what can people afford or what can. Because that has nothing to do with it. It's what is your value, what are you bringing to the table and crafting your own offer based on your gifts and skills?

Yeah, it was. For me, it was. What would I be so fucking excited for? Like, what would I be so excited for? To where I could pour all of energy and attention into this person? Like, that was. That was the first thing that I wanted. I was like. Rather than, like, stressing out about building funnels or building all this other stuff, it's like, how can I just get a handful of people that I can invest all my time and, like, energy into to really serve them and to support them and go above and beyond all of the other thing. All of the gaps that I saw in the industry that were. People were being underserved. So I was like, how do I get what I want and deliver 10 times to the people who I work with?

Yeah, that's incredible. How did you come up with the name congruent coach?

I feel like our brand names are. They're oftentimes the medicine that we need the most. And, like, I continue to keep getting the lessons of congruence. Like, I.1. It was from, like, a whole lot of pain of being just so, so grateful to be in the coach. I feel like I was, like, born in the coaching space. So I'm 30 years old right now, been in the space for 10 years, and I've been really fortunate to like, have worked on the inside of a lot of, like, the people I've looked up to for years and my heroes. And I've also been very disappointed by meeting some of my heroes not on stage, but, like, behind the scenes. And so seeing there is a lack of integrity, a lack of congruence there and also just seeing that there, yeah, maybe these people have great businesses, but their health was like, you know, there's a secret diagnosis that no one knows about or that there's, you know, their, like, relationship is falling apart or that they're like, there's a lot of infidelity in their relationship. So I was just like, wow, like, this is not okay. And so for me, a congruent coach isn't just, you know, isn't just, like, being great at what you do. It's not just, like, being great at your Sales and your marketing to where it's in integrity and you're really standing for people powerfully. But it's. How do you have. How do you not just have all that, but your life also is crushing it too, where your relationships, your health, your finances, your relationship with your family. There's another big piece, like, all these big speakers who I saw, like, who are even transformational speakers, like, they're preaching everything about transformation. But then, like, they would still, like, slip in little comments about, oh, my family still thinks I'm this, this and that, or I still on the mask when I back to my family, like, wow, like, why, you know, and, like, I share that where, like, I don't know if we shared this with you, but, like, Jennifer and I just got back from Mary Morris's event where, like, she brought her whole family. Her mom and her dad, her sister, her three cousins, and I brought my mom, you know, so it was. It was their first personal development event. We're sharing all of the tools that, you know, have helped us through our family. And so that's what congruent coach has been about of, like, how do we. Like, for me, it was like, I want to walk people down a path that's worked for me. It's not the only path. It's not right, wrong, good, bad. It's just what's worked for me. And so I feel congruent sharing of just all the stuff that I've done. And the reason why my business grew to seven figures in the way that it did and it's continuing to grow is I believe it's because of the congruence that I'm pumping into it. And it's not just about making money. It's not just about, you know, our sales and marketing. It's about, like, our service delivery. It's about having also being able to enjoy it as well.

That's incredible. Alex, if someone's listening right now, and this is a question I ask all my guests, if they're listening and they're in their own personal rock bottom. I don't know, maybe they were just busted by the tea or maybe not. But it just anything. Business failure, setback, health scare. They're in their own personal rock bottom, which you've had several of them. It sounds like if you were to give them advice, looking. Looking from the outside in to them on how they can start shifting and turning everything around, what would you tell them to do?

Everything is temporary. Like, everything is. I believe that one of the biggest challenges in just our culture is that we, like, only celebrate the big wins, whereas the different breakdowns, the failures, those, like, if we celebrated those just as much as we celebrated our wins, you know, we'd have a much different culture. And so it's all temporary. Even our wins, like, our wins don't last forever. Wins last five minutes, you know, and our failures are similar as well. It's just that we most, most of us have an attachment to what, what life is supposed to look like. And we have an unmet expectation for, for what a breakdown or what a failure is to look like. And oftentimes there's so much of our personal emotion and story that gets caught in to when we hit our rock bottom. And so my biggest piece of advice is there is to surround yourself with awesome people. Like, get feedback. You don't have to do it on your own. Human is, I believe we're wired to help each other. And so. And it's also one of the most vulnerable and scary things to do is to ask for support. And so my biggest piece of advice is to one, don't do it by yourself. Like, surround yourself with people who you trust and just let them know, like, there's so many people who. Some of the most successful people I know are struggling in silence because they're terrified of what it may. Of what people, Other people may think about them just because they don't have it all figured out. So that rock bottom moment, I think it can, it can be such a beautiful experience and it really, it can be a catapult and a springboard to what's next. And if we keep it in, if we keep behind closed doors in the dark, we're not sharing it with anyone. I see, I see it. We stay there longest then.

So good. So good. Thank you. Alex. If people want to find you, which I know they're going to want to now, where are you most active on social media? Do you. Where can people learn more about you and what you teach?

Yeah. So Facebook is definitely the best place to find me. So it's facebook.com alexjmoscow A L E X J M O S C O W and you can add me on there or it'll. If you add me, it'll go to follow me and then you can get updates on my content of different stories that I share. Everything from sales, marketing, different stories of personal development, transformational processes, all that stuff. My Facebook would be the best place.

Amazing. Amazing. Thank you so much, Alex.

Thanks so much, Natalie. It's been blast.

Thanks for leveling up with us. Today. Please share this episode if you found it helpful so others can join in. And don't forget to hit that subscribe so you don't miss out on future shows. And if you would leave me a five star review. I appreciate those so much. I read all of them and it's how I know that I'm giving you information that you find valuable. And come interact with me over on Instagram @nataliejofit. I read all the direct messages and comments over there. Make it a great day. Creating everything from nothing.

Sam.