From Collapsed Lung to Crushing It: A CEO's Journey | Zachary Del Monaco DSH #1072

Summary

Digital Social Hour: From Collapsed Lung to Crushing It – Zachary Del Monaco’s Journey

Podcast Information:

• Title: Digital Social Hour
• Host: Sean Kelly
• Episode: From Collapsed Lung to Crushing It: A CEO's Journey | Zachary Del Monaco DSH #1072
• Release Date: January 8, 2025

---

1. Introduction and Recent Activities

Sean Kelly welcomes Zachary Del Monaco from Long Island, delving into his recent travels and current engagements. Zach shares his recent trip to the Grand Canyon, highlighting the breathtaking experience of visiting such a natural wonder.

Zach Del Monaco [01:14]: "We took a helicopter down, stayed there for like 15 minutes. It was so insane."

2. Business Ventures: Red Rock Industries and Del Monaco Events

Zachary discusses his involvement with his father’s construction company, Red Rock Industries, and his transition to focusing on his own venture, Del Monaco Events. Initially, Zach aimed to amplify Red Rock’s presence through social media, but after facing client pushback, he shifted his attention to his passion project.

Zach Del Monaco [02:19]: "I want to inspire billions around the world through the journey that I have in my life and what I do."

3. Personal Challenges: Spinal Surgery and Health Journey

A significant portion of the conversation revolves around Zachary’s battle with scoliosis, which led to spinal surgery. He recounts the physical and emotional turmoil he endured, including the collapse of his lung and the intense pain post-surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zach Del Monaco [02:49]: "I was pretty sure I blacked out right after that. Don't remember a single thing. Blacked out, fell asleep, woke up the next morning."

This pivotal moment became the catalyst for his dedication to health and fitness, transforming his daily routine to focus on physical and mental well-being.

Zach Del Monaco [16:15]: "90% of my headaches are gone, along with the migraines and stomach issues."

4. Influence of Gary Breca and Health Protocols

Zachary credits Gary Breca for revolutionizing his approach to health. After attending one of Grant’s events where Gary presented actionable health strategies, Zach was inspired to adopt various protocols that significantly improved his well-being.

Zach Del Monaco [14:15]: "I've been learning how to be the most healthy human possible that I can be."

5. Experiences in the Construction Industry

Zach shares insights into the construction industry, emphasizing the challenges faced, such as financial instability and the demanding nature of the work. Despite his respect for the hardworking teams at Red Rock Industries, he expresses a desire to innovate within the field rather than follow traditional, often non-transparent practices.

Zach Del Monaco [30:07]: "I have so much respect for them on a daily basis because I go to the job site sometimes and I pick up a shovel, I go show my respect."

6. Personal Losses and Life Events

Tragically, Zach has faced multiple losses due to suicide, which deeply impacted his mission to help others. These experiences fueled his passion for mental health advocacy and inspired him to create Del Monaco Events as a platform to share his story and support others.

Zach Del Monaco [37:13]: "Seeing so many people take their lives so often... What if I could have just been there for that person?"

7. Vision and Future Plans

Looking forward, Zach is committed to expanding Del Monaco Events nationally and internationally. His goal is to speak on major stages, sharing his journey and the knowledge he has acquired to empower others to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.

Zach Del Monaco [34:02]: "I want to have events all around the US and the world, do collabs with people."

He emphasizes the importance of holistic health practices, such as proper nutrition, mindset training, and physical fitness, to combat everyday challenges and enhance overall quality of life.

Zach Del Monaco [40:50]: "I want to be doing this stuff every single day, no matter what."

8. Closing Thoughts

Sean Kelly and Zachary Del Monaco conclude the episode by reflecting on the importance of purpose and resilience. Zach’s journey from severe health struggles to entrepreneurial success serves as an inspiration for listeners navigating their own challenges.

Sean Kelly: "You found your purpose, dude. That's how I feel with the podcast."

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Notable Quotes:

• Zach Del Monaco [16:15]: "90% of my headaches are gone, along with the migraines and stomach issues."
• Zach Del Monaco [37:13]: "What if I could have just been there for that person?"
• Zach Del Monaco [34:02]: "I want to have events all around the US and the world, do collabs with people."
• Sean Kelly [41:29]: "You found your purpose, dude. That's how I feel with the podcast."

---

Connect with Zach Del Monaco:

• Instagram: @ZachDelMonaco
• TikTok: Zach Del Monaco
• YouTube: Search for Zach Del Monaco

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Conclusion

Zachary Del Monaco’s story is a testament to resilience and the power of personal transformation. From overcoming severe health issues to navigating the complexities of the construction industry and facing profound personal losses, Zach has harnessed his experiences to inspire and empower others through Del Monaco Events. His commitment to holistic health and unwavering determination exemplify the essence of “crushing it” despite life’s adversities.

Transcript

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[Zach Delmonico]

Was one of the nurses came in and she's like, what can I do for you? Can I give you more medicine? And I was just so pissed off, so fed up that I was in this pain and that no one knew what the hell they were doing. Plus it was during COVID so no one really could be in the room. So I remember just looking up and I'm like, lord, I don't want to go through this anymore. Just take me away.

[Host]

Whoa.

[Zach Delmonico]

I just. I'm done. Just take me if this is gonna be like this.

[Host]

All right, guys, got Zachary here today from Long Island. Thanks for coming in today, man.

[Zach Delmonico]

No worries, mate. Thank you.

[Host]

What you been up to lately?

[Zach Delmonico]

Came on when we come. We came in Saturday. Okay. And leaving today. But yesterday we did a flight to Grand Canyon back. So I've been chilling.

[Host]

I haven't been there yet. How was it?

[Zach Delmonico]

It was beautiful.

[Host]

Did you go like all the way in or.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, we took helicopter. Oh. On a straight down. I think we stayed there for like 15 minutes. Okay. But just so insane.

[Host]

Was it quiet? How was it down there?

[Zach Delmonico]

Really quiet?

[Host]

Yeah, I'd imagine it's like super quiet. And was there any animals?

[Zach Delmonico]

No. Apparently they said there's a lot of wild horses around.

[Host]

Horses?

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, wild horse, different animals. But we didn't see anything. Damn. Yeah.

[Host]

Yeah. I'm big on nature, so I got to make that a trip.

[Zach Delmonico]

It was so beautiful. You should go. Definitely about a two hour trip.

[Host]

So you have to fly there?

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, they have. You can fly there. It's about an hour trip there and then say probably 15 minutes, come back another hour.

[Host]

Nice.

[Zach Delmonico]

So nice.

[Host]

Beautiful. You've been traveling a lot lately.

[Zach Delmonico]

No, actually.

[Host]

Really?

[Zach Delmonico]

So like two year and a half. Two years ago I was traveling a lot. With different events. But recently, in the past couple, six months, I been in New York just working with my dad on his construction company. Settled.

[Host]

So Delmonico Events is kind of put to the side a little bit.

[Zach Delmonico]

Well, Del Monaco Events now is up and running. Really. So I was basically traveling a lot. And then I basically put all that on pause to come back. My dad owns a construction company called Red Rock Industries. We build car dealerships, recycling facilities. So I basically said that I want to go all in and focus on Red Rock to help it blow it up. Social media and everything like that was my game plan to go all in. And then that fell through. Actually, something happened. We were posting some amazing videos. I was doing amazing with the content.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

Really creating brand. And a couple videos went up, a couple clients didn't like it. Things left and right. So I basically had to put that on pause. And then my attention switched to Delmonico Events.

[Host]

Got it.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

Red Rock. Like the casino here or different Red Rock.

[Zach Delmonico]

Red Rock like the Grand Canyon.

[Host]

Oh, Grand Canyon. Got it. Because there's a red rock by my house out here.

[Zach Delmonico]

No way.

[Host]

Yeah. That's where all the Nelk boys stay and stuff.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, the. The team's persuading me on moving here.

[Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

I was supposed to be moving to Florida, like Brickell area.

[Host]

Okay.

[Zach Delmonico]

In the next month, but think they sold me.

[Host]

Damn.

[Zach Delmonico]

No.

[Host]

What was the selling point?

[Zach Delmonico]

They're telling me about all the events that happen here, like every single week. And then also the weather. The pricing over here is just insane.

[Host]

You'll get a lot more bang for your buck here than Brickell.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

Brickell. You're not going to get a house. You're going to get an apartment.

[Zach Delmonico]

That's what we're looking at right now. But apparently what they were saying, half the price if that.

[Host]

And you get a four bedroom house for the same price as a Brickell apartment.

[Zach Delmonico]

It's ridiculous.

[Host]

Plus, you're close to la, you're close to Mexico, and the food's great, nightlife's good. Always events here. Always conferences. F1's next week.

[Zach Delmonico]

I heard about that.

[Host]

That's gonna be a big event. I'm sure a lot of your clientele will be at that event.

[Zach Delmonico]

That's crazy.

[Host]

Yeah. And then UFC is always here. Do you watch ufc?

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah. Dana White.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

He lives here, right?

[Host]

Yep. A lot of big. Mark Wahlberg lives here. Yeah. Networking is good out here, man. I think you'd like it.

[Zach Delmonico]

I can see.

[Host]

Yeah, New York's dope. But I feel like it's it's older money, you know, skin out here. It's. It's younger and it's more energy.

[Zach Delmonico]

We landed here on Saturday and I get off the plane, I start smiling and I looked at my dad and I told him, I don't know what it is, but I think I'm beginning to like this place a lot more.

[Host]

Does your dad like it here? Is he moving to he.

[Zach Delmonico]

I think he likes it here. He's just very used to New York lifestyle.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

The fast paced. I think we're definitely gonna bring red rock down here for construction, but I'm pretty sure the family is going to move down to Florida somewhere around Palm beach or something like that.

[Host]

That's where everyone retires. Literally. Good old Palm beach, man. I felt so young when I went there. Holy crap.

[Zach Delmonico]

It's crazy.

[Host]

Everyone's got gray hair out there. Yeah. It's hard to be Palm beach in Florida though. I'd say Florida, Vegas or top two for me right now. Yeah, New York's probably top five, but. Yeah, I don't know. City life is a little. I get over that.

[Zach Delmonico]

Me too. I've been, I think I told you, my sister. I have a twin sister.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

So she moved to Kips Bay and now I've been going back and forth. So usually on Thursdays or Fridays I'd go in for the city, stay over, enjoy, get some brunch. So I'm liking it, but I don't think I could ever live there.

[Host]

Yeah. So you're super close with your sister.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

That's cool. Sometimes the twin stuff doesn't work out.

[Zach Delmonico]

We actually did it when we were younger. Oh yeah, we went to. We went to the same school all the way up.

[Host]

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[Zach Delmonico]

And I was so close with her like this and I think I'm pretty sure that that made her aggravated. Like she pushed away from me so she didn't want to talk to me. She wanted to really hang around with me. Or at least that's how it felt. So then pretty sure is during high school and college we went our different ways and I kind of split up and it's kind of a funny saying, you know, if you let someone go and they're met, they'll come back. So now our relationship's much closer, but it's rocky at times.

[Host]

Were you overprotective? You think? Classic brother, sister relationship, right?

[Zach Delmonico]

There was this one time we were in Aruba and we were out. She still mocks me to this day for it. We were out at a club and this guy came up to her and without even thinking, I instantly was like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Like bye. And she had so aggravated at me again because like the protector. But I've been working on that so thing is getting better.

[Host]

I think it's human nature. I protect your family. Yeah, I'm an only child, but I can, I can relate with that. If I had a sister, I'd want to, you know, I want the best for her.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

Aruba hookups. Probably not the move.

[Zach Delmonico]

No, no, definitely not.

[Host]

That sounds dangerous. Actually.

[Zach Delmonico]

It's crazy. We haven't been there for like three, four years actually. We used to go every single year.

[Host]

Damn.

[Zach Delmonico]

February break. But yeah, it was crazy. I didn't really like it that much. Aruba. Yeah.

[Host]

How come?

[Zach Delmonico]

I was never one to be into like all the parting scenes and drinking. When I was in college and I was younger, I used to drink a little, but I never just like going out to the clubs, a lot of music, drinking, people just completely stupid, doing reckless shit and. Yeah. And then seeing the guys like grabbing the girls and especially my sister with her friends, kind of like not paying attention at all. Just like fight or flight system and just go into that protector mode.

[Host]

So you Were not the. You were the DD growing up, basically.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

Nice.

[Zach Delmonico]

Basically.

[Host]

Yeah. I got. I had a weird party phase for a bit, but I kind of got over it quick, honestly. Some people still party like they're 30. They're 35 years old. It's like, damn, dude.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah. I. When I got into my health and fitness journey, I was like super against drinking and like going out and partying and then started to realize that I was pushing a lot of people out because of that. So still on that kick, myself, like being as focused as I can with health, fitness and mindset, but at the same time, I'm recognizing more and more that people are going to do that on a daily basis. It's fine if they do just kind of be more of aware of it and learn actually how to properly drink, if you're gonna drink. Right. How to properly do that and just become the best version of yourself that you can be every single day. Even if you're gonna do this stuff because people are gonna go out. Sister goes out with her friends, my friends go out sometimes. But just work on, work on making yourself as healthy as possible so that you could recover better the next day. Not feeling like shit, waking up, facts, hungover and stuff.

[Host]

What sparked that health journey for you? Because you're. You're pretty young, so.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, so I had a spinal surgery about. I think it was three years ago where it was, it was major. So I was playing soccer in middle school. That was like my escape because again, I was. I was shy. I couldn't even talk to anyone. Like right now, us doing this about five years ago, six years ago, I would have been bright red, sweating. It was horrible. I could not talk to a single person. So my escape was fitness, was sports, specifically soccer and surfing. So I would play all the time. Like, that's 24, 7. Because it was my escape. And then from there, I basically got really, really into looking like a king. Like, six pack, abs built. And then I figured out who this guy Gary Brecker was.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

And dove all into him. And it was just beginning to blow my mind on the different types of protocols that you could do, the different types of routines that you could do on a daily basis to make yourself feel absolutely amazing. So I got really interested in that, dove into that. And then the scoliosis, the spinal surgery. I had 48% curve, so it was literally, I was like a hunchback. It was crazy. When I was at the beach or at the pool or on the field taking my shirt off, so many people Would look because it's like, damn, you're just. It was bad.

[Host]

I have a 15% curve.

[Zach Delmonico]

You do?

[Host]

Yeah. I just found out last week.

[Zach Delmonico]

Damn. To the left. How you feeling with that?

[Host]

Now that I know about it, I. They told me I had it growing up. I never knew the degree. Fifteen is, like, not too bad, I guess. So I do want to fix it, though.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah. 48 was hard because of how it looked. But at the same time, when I was running for soccer and I was doing activities, I couldn't breathe because it was collapsing part of my lung. Whoa. So I was getting yelled at by my coach, saying, why aren't you putting in more effort? Like, you're. You're not running at all in the field, taking me on and off, yelling at me. And then I went in for the X ray, and I realized that it was collapsing half of my lung.

[Host]

Jeez.

[Zach Delmonico]

So. Spent, like, six months building up all my muscle that I could. And then surgery hit, and I was going into the surgery like, I got this, man. I'm gonna beat the surgery. People talking about, like, three to six months recovery. Give me one month. I'll be done with it. That was not the case at all. I spent a week in the hospital not even being able to move at all. I remember the second night, the. The pills that they gave me couldn't even last. So I was feeling the pain of, like, a thousand knives and just fire right at the back. And I remember there was one of the nurses came in, and she's like, what can I do for you? Can I give you more medicine? And I was just so pissed off, so fed up that I was in this pain and that no one knew what the hell they were doing. Plus, it was during COVID so no one really could be in the room. So I remember just looking up, and I'm like, lord, I don't want to go through this anymore. Just take me away. Whoa, I'm done. Just take me if this is going to be like this. And then I. It's crazy. I'm pretty sure I blacked out right after that. Don't remember a single thing. Blacked out, fell asleep, woke up the next morning. And ever since that day, I've just been working on myself every single day. I was wondering when the next time I'd be able to do one pushup was. So from that moment forward, every single morning, whether it was at college or now, wherever I am, I always try and get in the gym. I always try and get a lift in, get some weights in go for a run, go for a walk. And then, like I said with Gary Breca, just been learning how to be the most healthy human possible that I can be. Because I hate feeling like I used to get headaches every single day. I used to have ibs, is what they told me. Learned that, like, none of that was true, basically because I went down the deep rabbit hole. But yeah, that. That scoliosis surgery, I guess, was the turning point of my health journey and my mindset. And ever since then, I've just been focusing on learning as much as possible with what I put in my body, with what I drink, with what I do on a daily basis. Because to me, the more I'm able to focus on what I put in my body and how I act on a daily basis, the better I feel, the better I'm going to be able to perform and show up for everyone else.

[Host]

Wow.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

I love that, man. Does Gary know your story?

[Zach Delmonico]

I don't think so now, dude.

[Host]

I'll let him know.

[Zach Delmonico]

Thank you. I met him at Grant's events. So my dad and I, we think this was like four years ago. I introduced him to Grant because I saw him online.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

And ever since that, we've just been going together 10x. Yeah.

[Host]

Nice.

[Zach Delmonico]

All the growth cons, a lot of his events. And that's where I met Gary, because he came up on stage and I'm like, who the hell is this guy? And he starts literally going to the audience, tell me any one of your problems. And he starts solving them, like, instantly. I'm talking like anxiety, depression, headaches, stomach issues, gas, bloating, all this stuff, adhd. And I was just so amazed. I actually pulled out my phone, started recording and I remember bringing it back and I was sharing it with my whole family with my friends, and they're like, oh, my God, this is insane. And then from then on, I started researching more about Gary and really learning about what he's saying. And superhero protocol, 10x health, like, all that stuff, all the supplements, I've do it on a daily basis and it just feels so amazing. And I love him.

[Host]

Yeah, absolutely love him. He changed my life too, man. Yeah, he's been on the show a couple times. I did the protocol, did both tests, the gene test, found out I had some gene breaks that I had no idea about. The blood test, I was so deficient in so many things, it was mind blowing. And then I fixed all those and now I'm crushing it.

[Zach Delmonico]

It's crazy because I used to have headaches and Migraines every single day and stomach issues. Like, I used to go to school and halfway through the day I'd go to the nurse and say, I have a headache, I have a stomachache. Used to go home every single day. Used to take Imodium, Pepto, Bismol, Advil, Tylenol. Like every single thing, just to numb it down. Went to the doctors and they said, you have ibs. And then they said, you have your mom. Passed down the trait for migraines. And it was just so shitty every single day. And then I listened to Gary and what he was saying and I took the gene test and sure enough, he goes, it showed that I have a gene break for two things. One is the mthfr.

[Host]

Yep.

[Zach Delmonico]

And then I forget what the other one was, but it basically explained my stomach and my head. So started taking the supplements. And then I also started putting salt in my water every single morning. And ever since that, 90% headaches gone.

[Host]

Damn.

[Zach Delmonico]

Along with migraines, stomach issues, basically no more at all. And it was crazy to hear because I kept on getting them every single day to the point where it just aggravated me so much that I went down this rabbit hole.

[Host]

That's impressive. What type of salt do you put in the water?

[Zach Delmonico]

I put soul salt from this guy named Solbra.

[Host]

Oh, he's been on the show.

[Zach Delmonico]

No way.

[Host]

Yeah, Soulbra.

[Zach Delmonico]

So met him, did a couple events that he had. Him and Arlen and this guy Yan. We did a whole event. So that's how I met him.

[Host]

Nice.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah. I have his salt that I bring with me wherever I go, dump it in my water. And then other than that, I have a couple people who do the Celtic or the Baja Sea salt that I.

[Host]

Told them I have the Celtic one. Yeah, I need to look into. It's okay. But now there's some new research on salts. Actually, I'm not sure if you've seen this, but the salt from the ocean, because there's so many microplastics in the ocean that you really got to do your research what type of salt you're eating.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

So I need to look into sober. I trust that guy. Yeah, he's a good dude.

[Zach Delmonico]

He. It's funny, he didn't reveal his face for a while. Did you know that he.

[Host]

He did it on my show and I think it was the first time he, like, revealed it or something.

[Zach Delmonico]

So you had to blur his face out?

[Host]

No, like, he just did it the week before.

[Zach Delmonico]

Wow.

[Host]

So it was like, good timing.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah. I was surprised because when we went on the event, Arlen told me he goes, no one's able to take videos. Like, you have to blur it out. Don't get him in. And then when he revealed his face, I'm like, oh, my God. He's coming out after. That's crazy.

[Host]

No, shout out to him. These days, it's tough to have a brand without a face behind it, because people want that trust factor. So I think it was the right move for him, even though I could see why he wanted to do that. He's got some powerful enemies. There's companies that don't want his knowledge out there.

[Zach Delmonico]

There's a lot out there. It goes deep.

[Host]

Yeah. Shout out to him, though. So you think that surgery was the right move, though, for scoliosis?

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah. Yeah. They were talking about doing nothing, which wasn't an option because I was hurting almost every single day.

[Host]

Your lung was collapsed, right?

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, that was an option. The second thing that they were going to do is the. The brace, which that's not an option for me. I don't want to wear a brace at all any time of the day. So I basically told them, I go, we're doing the surgery. I think it was the last checkup. I was going in with my parents, and I looked at them and I go, guys, is this happening? Whether you like it or not, I know they're gonna tell me that we're getting the surgery. We're just gonna do it, get it done with. And then when we were there, the guy actually told me, he goes, okay, we're gonna have to do the spinal surgery. Gonna have to do spinal fusion. And I was fine with it. Cause that's a way that I wanted to go. But when he said that, it hit like a bag of bricks. I mean, you go into something saying, like, oh, I'm going to beat this. I got this. Like, you're all in your mind, right? You're all in your head, your ego. And then someone says it to you and it actually happens. And then reality, it's just like, what the hell, man? It's crazy.

[Host]

Yeah. Did your sister have scoliosis, too?

[Zach Delmonico]

No.

[Host]

So it wasn't genetic?

[Zach Delmonico]

No, I think they. I actually think both of them have it. Just on a minor degree, like, 5, 10%. But I was. Mine came out of nowhere.

[Host]

Oh, so you weren't born with it?

[Zach Delmonico]

No. So I was. I was the shortest one in my grade in middle school and in high school. And then once I got to high school, what year it was in high school, I shot up, like, massive.

[Host]

So that's what caused it.

[Zach Delmonico]

And yeah, my back. My spine couldn't keep up and shifted like that.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

Crazy, though.

[Host]

Yeah. I'm scared of the surgery, man. Hopefully I can manage mine.

[Zach Delmonico]

It's. Are you doing surgery?

[Host]

I haven't even. I just found out last week that I had a 15 degree curve, so I'm very new.

[Zach Delmonico]

The. Do you know where it is?

[Host]

Like, I think it's upper.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

And it curves to the left.

[Zach Delmonico]

Personally, I didn't want to do the. The brace. Maybe you do if. I don't know what they're going to tell you. But the surgery is a. For the recovery, at least for me.

[Host]

I mean, you couldn't move for a week. That is scary.

[Zach Delmonico]

Couldn't move for a week. I was in the hospital bed getting up. I had to relearn how to walk every single day. Yeah, I. It was so weird because they, They. I had to get up to use the bathroom. And then also they do daily walks.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

And they go, okay, get up now. Like, they taught me how to get up. Roll to your side. Push. And I went to go do it and I wasn't moving. And I'm like, what the hell? And then I realized that I had literally no muscle, no strength in my back at all. So they had to grab me, they had to bring me. And I had the little cane, a little walker. And I remember I was trying to take a. My first step, and it was just really foreign to me, really weird. And every single time I would walk, it just. I didn't realize how much back muscles and core use on a daily basis. I felt like a vegetable. I couldn't. Literally couldn't move.

[Host]

Holy crap.

[Zach Delmonico]

But, yeah, moving forward. Then I got home from the hospital, which was one of the worst car rides I've ever had in my life. The doctor said, can only be in a car for 45 minutes. And we left during the peak hour of rush hour in New York. Three hours in a car.

[Host]

Oh, my gosh.

[Zach Delmonico]

I was dying. So got home, struggling to get up the stairs to get into my room, into my bed. Finally got in there and I basically told my whole entire family, get away. I was just in the darkest place. So said leave me alone. Slept. And then I couldn't even fall asleep. I.

[Host]

Pain.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, I think I slept, I'm going to say like three hours a night.

[Host]

Jeez.

[Zach Delmonico]

Like, sure, three hours a night sleep. After that, woke up. Pills, medication to numb the pain. It felt like knives and fire, like I said, in my back. And then the bed was just Too soft. So we bought a new bed. And then it was a couple weeks until it came. So my dad took plywood. Oh, my God. Put it on my bed, and then made me sleep on the plywood. It was harder, which was even worse. But it's funny that I say this now, cause although it was one of the toughest times of my life doing that, it was also one of the nicest moments of my life. Because in the hospital, I put my phone aside, wasn't answering any messages, didn't have any television on, anything. It was just me and my thoughts relaxing with silence. When I got home, I'd have to worry about a single thing. It was me focusing on getting better, getting in the gym, learning how to walk, getting my strength back. So everything on a daily basis was put aside. And it was just so nice and calming to have that feeling of total, almost bliss. And also in that time, you begin to truly know who your friends and family are. Who are the people that are actually reaching out to you and wanting to help out, and who are the people that are staying on the sidelines not even saying a single thing to you.

[Host]

100%. Yeah. You find out your true friends in your lowest moments. That happened to me a few times financially when I was broke. I was seeing who would help me out or who would respond. Yeah, it's a good test, actually, for people that are experiencing a low moment. Like, see who's actually there right now with you.

[Zach Delmonico]

That's huge. Yeah, that's actually. It's funny you say that because so actually started up my own podcast about a week ago, my friend on Mehl, and we did a three hour podcast. And one of the things that we're talking about is the highs of highs and the lows of lows. And there's times where we're at the highs of highs at like the most beautiful place, beautiful resort, beautiful trip, with people having the most money we've ever made in our life. And then literally the next month, it could be the lowest point, nothing in your bank account at all. And it's actually funny because that's something that similarly happened to me a couple months ago when I was doing work. So I was like, I said I was doing work for, for Red Rock Industries, for my dad's construction company. Put that on pause. And then decided that I wanted to take the social media game to another level. So we build car dealerships. We built Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls Royce, Ford, like probably all the dealerships that you could think of. I started doing content for Them and really blowing out of the water. I mean, for Ferrari, I was doing their page, and I think they were getting like 300 views to probably. I'll give it 5k was the max. And I came in, and after a couple months, I was getting 1.8 million views on a video 70k, 50k, 120k, and killing. Absolutely killing it. Ferrari didn't like it at all. Ferrari hated the content strategy, hated what we were doing. Although the page is blowing up. Yeah. So I didn't like what I was doing. And I knew that there were a lot more people that I knew who I've met in the content space that could do the same exact thing and probably better than me. So I phased out of that area, which I was making good amount of money for my age with that. Probably like 10. Around 10k a month.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

And I was nervous to leave that because that was security for me of making 10k a month. But I left it because I just didn't feel right. And then I started Delmonic Events and kind of put Red Rock to the side as well. And it was truly something that I felt really passionate about because one of the things that I'm on the mission to in my life is, number one, inspire billions around the world through the journey that I have in my life and what I do. But number two is with all the information that I know and that I've learned throughout my life, is to be able to equip people with the knowledge that they need to live a healthy and truly powerful life on a daily basis. So I jumped. I did that, and I had my first event, which was absolutely amazing. Phenomenal. But in the process, almost all my income stopped. Went to zero.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

So I remember there was, like a holiday weekend that I was going, and I realized that I had. It was negative $14 in my bank account and literally no money at all. And I'm like, shit, what the fuck do I do? And I remember putting my card on hold that weekend, and I. I fasted the whole entire weekend. Unless someone else bought food, unless someone else bought drinks, bought car, whatever. I basically didn't spend a single thing. I made it through the weekend. And it was all just strategizing myself on how I'm gonna come back from this, on where I'm gonna go to move forward. And also was binge watching these videos of people who, like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, who had nothing in the moment, and they were literally about to go bankrupt and, like, nothing at all. And then they kept on pushing, they kept on moving forward. They put it all into their craft and what they were doing, and then eventually they came at it on the other. On the other side. So that inspired me to keep on going with what I'm doing, and that's why I keep on pushing every single day. And every single day it's getting better. But there is those highest highs and the lows of the lows. And it's kind of funny when I. Whenever I'm in the low of the low, I love just staying there for a minute and just feeling it, what it feels like, embracing it. When you get to the highs of highs, it's going to be, to me, so much better because I know where it came from, where I came from in the past, and be just being able to, one, soak it all in the emotions and learn from every single thing.

[Host]

Yeah, you need both. And it's crazy to me because I thought I got to a certain point where I never get a low moment again. Because you hit a certain financial level, you're like, oh, I'm set for life. But, dude, they're inevitable. Like, they come and go. Like, whether it's monthly, yearly, whenever it's like, damn, that's just life. People think it's just straight to the top and no lows on the way.

[Zach Delmonico]

It's get humbled very quickly.

[Host]

I made and lost all twice already, and I'm 27. So really, when people say, like, oh, Trump went bankrupt six times. I mean. Yeah, I could see that, you know.

[Zach Delmonico]

Happens on a daily basis. I mean, I know with my dad and construction, the people who we know and who we do business with. I mean, there's countless stories about people losing it. Once people twice, three times.

[Host]

Oh, and that space for sure. Because one. One deal goes wrong and they're screwed. They put up all that capital and building gone. Yeah. Because you guys got to front the work, right? Yeah, sometimes.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

So you. You put in all those hours and you're still paying the staff, and then they don't pay.

[Zach Delmonico]

It's. It's crazy that that's the. It's so true. A lot of people ask me because my dad's in construction. I think he's been. He's been doing this since he's, I think, like, 13 years old.

[Host]

Damn.

[Zach Delmonico]

His dad owned a construction company, did concrete, and him and his brothers. He has a couple brothers, a couple sisters, but they were doing. They were building Jones Beach Amphitheater. They were doing everything, and his dad had him on the jackhammer. Like, they'd go out and have an amazing night, drunk night, come back and then they'd be on the jackhammer blowing out their ears and stuff. But apparently they rarely got paid or anything. Like they just worked, worked, worked. And then when my dad and my mom had me, he left and he created Red Rock Industries. But because he's been in the construction industry for 23 plus years and I'm doing work with him a lot, a lot of people ask me that question of, so you're going to get into the construction industry, right? And I'm like, no, no. Because although I love seeing the process of like things being built, buildings being demolished and like the final product of a car dealership or an apartment building on the back end. Headaches, apparently. It's not like it used to be where it's like a handshake back in the day. Now it's just, yeah, it's headaches, logistics, people going behind each other's backs. It's just there's so much stuff that I don't like about it that I. If I'm gonna get into the construction business, it's gonna have to be another way.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah. It's not transparent, right?

[Zach Delmonico]

No. Beginning to actually dislike very much so the construction industry and process. But loving the guys who are in the field and working.

[Host]

Yeah, the guys are great. But just the risk to reward is like, damn, you put in all this work and you might not get paid. Like screw, that's the worst.

[Zach Delmonico]

And then you have people, suppliers and other people saying, where's the money? When are we going to get paid? And it's like waiting from this person to pay us to pay you and then all the logistics. But the people in the field, the guys in the field built different. Built different. We two years ago I went in the field for about a week. I got my ass kicked. Really?

[Host]

What were you doing?

[Zach Delmonico]

We were building solar, I think for Atlas. So we were doing some steel, cutting some steel up, inserting some bolts and oh my God, the. I think it was like 6am until 4 something. Maybe it was. Yeah. Our guys are amazing, by the way. Like, could not ask for a better team of guys for Red Rock. And I have so much respect for them on a daily basis because I go to the job site sometimes and I pick up a shovel, I go show my respect, you know, and just put in the work, get my hands dirty. Not afraid to do that at all. I actually love doing it, but I just love being with the guys in the field because cracking up jokes, drinking, eating, just Speaking Spanish, which I have no idea what the hell they're saying. But I like make hand signals and stuff. It's just the culture and the team and the. And the love and the family. Yeah. By the way, I highly suggest for anyone go into construction or something like that, that's hard for like two weeks out of the entire year. And your perspective will change on what's hard. Your whole entire life. You will be so much more grateful for everything that you have.

[Host]

Really?

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

Wow. Yeah. Because I guess it's so hands on. You kind of just see people doing it, but you don't actually realize like how hard it is.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah. I mean we walk into this building and most of the people don't even realize what it took to actually put this building up. All the logistics, all the people that actually were behind it to make it. All the bolts, all the steel, if there's any steel in here. Like everything. All the planning that went behind it and especially the guys that are pouring that concrete, getting dirty every single day. That like in the nitty gritty. I love that stuff.

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah. That's respect. Have you ever demoed a building? There was a big one here last year or last month in Vegas.

[Zach Delmonico]

I heard about that.

[Host]

Yeah, I could hear it from my house.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, we. I took Content when we were demoing. I think it was. It was a museum in New York that we demoed. It was like huge museum. And I remember it was my birthday weekend. We were in the city and no one. My mom was getting pissed because we were about to leave. I think we left at like 11pm we stayed until like 4am so we didn't sleep for two nights. But we were pulling that thing, pulling that museum apart. Demolishing it. Demolishing it. I love demolition. So satisfying and so fun. Yeah. But me personally, no, I've never took a building down. I've just seen it happen.

[Host]

What's the process? Like how much explosives you need? Demo a building.

[Zach Delmonico]

We actually didn't blow it up.

[Host]

Oh, you didn't know? So how does it.

[Zach Delmonico]

We took an excavator and started pulling it back. Oh, the machine, grabbing the bricks. We wanted to blow it up, but it was on a main street.

[Host]

Okay.

[Zach Delmonico]

So we had to block it off.

[Host]

It probably costs way more to blow it up too, but it's so sick.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, dude. Seeing a building being blown up just like boom. In a good way.

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah. The physics of it is crazy because it's so like it just falls down one by one by one. It's crazy.

[Zach Delmonico]

We did that. Have been sick.

[Host]

Yeah. I wanted to see the one here, but it was late. It was at like 2am I was like, I'm going to bed, but it woke me up. Dude. Holy crap, was that loud? I live 20 minutes from the Strip, too. Yeah, I thought someone was breaking in my house, dude. Crazy. Well, what's next for you, man?

[Zach Delmonico]

Focusing on Delmonico events. Really?

[Host]

Yeah. Talk to us about the events. We didn't really dive into what exactly the events are.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah. So started Delmonic events a couple months ago. My idea around this is that I'm going to have events all around the US and the world, do collabs with people. But the main idea about this is I want to get on stage and start speaking more, whether it's podcasts like this or actually on my own stages or on other people's stage. And share my journey of scoliosis, spinal surgery. Things I've learned from Gary Brca, things I do on a daily basis, Superhuman protocol, things I put in my. In my drink, in my water, and things that I eat. And really, the whole mission behind it is helping people live a healthy and powerful life. Because there's so much shit that happens on a daily basis that we don't know about, and it's crazy, especially once you start realizing it.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

And it pisses me off a lot. One of the main reasons that I actually started Delmonico events, there's three, actually. So the first one is I had a couple people. First one is someone who I considered my uncle probably three years ago. He used to do work for us in construction, and he was an animal. Like, did not stop working until the job was done. Great guy, though. Taught me a lot of stuff. And he fell into deep path in life. He got back into alcohol and just dark vices. And I remember there was a period of like a year and a half where he was just going back and forth between the hospital and lost so much weight. Was a liability to be on the job. And then there was one night where I remember that we were in a meeting, my dad and I were in a meeting, and he got a call. And the look on his face, on my dad's face when he heard what they were saying was, you know, something's fucked up. You know, something's wrong. And I go, what happened? And he goes, just finish the meeting. I'll tell you after. Apparently he was brought into the hospital and drank himself to death.

[Host]

Whoa.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, so I heard that. And I'm like, you gotta be fucking kidding me. Like, that hit so hard because I know that. I knew that he was struggling so bad. And we tried every single thing to help, but like an uncle figure hearing that he was just out of nowhere dragging himself to death, gone really hard for me. And then when I was in school, there's a night where I was about to go to bed and my mom called me and she goes, so and so just killed themselves. They hung themselves.

[Host]

Geez.

[Zach Delmonico]

And I'm like, God, again, that was another uncle or. No, that was one of my friends that was my age.

[Host]

Holy crap.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah, from. From school. We were really close with her as well. I'm like. And the last one was we came back from a trip, I think it was from Aruba. And we were in the. We were in the van, we're driving home, we're all good. Then we had another call where one of my family, parents, family, friends killed himself too.

[Host]

Geez.

[Zach Delmonico]

Suicide. So I'm like, mother fucker, that's three in a row. And it was just killing me that, like, on a daily basis, so many people fucking take their life.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

And then I have another friend who, thank God he didn't. Nothing happened, but he went down this dark path as well. And I'm just like, what if, what if I could have just fucking been there for that person? What if I literally could have just been there? That one call, that one message to save that person, to help that person. And actually something like that did happen when I was on a trip in Greece and one of my friends called up their other friend and apparently he was about to take his life.

[Host]

Whoa.

[Zach Delmonico]

But hearing about a person that I am and possibly being able to meet me, he was, he stopped because he was like, if I could meet someone like Zach in the future, I want to be able to do that.

[Host]

Damn.

[Zach Delmonico]

So when that happened, first of all, I'm like, number one, why are people taking their life so often? Like it fucking hurts, especially when it's someone so close to you. Second is if I can give someone enough inspiration, enough hope to not take their life, that's all I would want in my life ever. So that was the biggest push for me to start Delmonico Events and for me to go on this journey that I am on right now. And the second one is my spinal surgery of what I've learned through that. So just being able to tell people about the surgery and about the. The lows of the lows and not being able to fucking walk, not even being able to do jack shit. Can't even drive. Like Nothing. Having nothing and coming back from that and putting in the time. Because there's gonna be times where you feel like you're not gonna wanna work out. You feel like you can't do this, can't do that. Just fucking do it anyway. Get it done. Just push through. Get through the fucking pain. Enjoy the pain in the process. Pain is what makes you grow. You're gonna learn stuff from it. So being able to share inspiration about people like that. And then the last part, the third part, which doing massively, even at the first event that I had, is sharing people with the knowledge that I've learned. So, for example, putting salt in your water, helping out with migraines, because so many people have headaches on a daily basis.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

Same thing with anxiety and depression. Instead of using these pharmaceutical drugs that they're getting paid to fucking push to you. Go out, fucking walk, lift weights, get in the sun, do stuff that is actually healthy for you that we did on a daily basis back in the day, in the primitive age, like, start doing that more often. And being able to share with people how the mind works, how their brain works, the subconscious, how to reprogram everything, beliefs, meditation, hypnosis, like, all these things. Superhuman protocol, breathwork, cold plunging, sauna, IVs, like, all this stuff. Being able to share that with people along with the biggest thing of all. I remember at my event when I told this people, people are like, what the was the seed oils with, how that's made and how often we eat that and what it's actually doing to us. People are like, what the are we.

[Host]

Eating that's in everything these days since sane.

[Zach Delmonico]

So those three reasons are the reason, are the reasons why I started Del Monaco Events. And funny thing is, when I was doing Red Rock Studios, I was figuring out how I can leverage this company, Number one, to make money. But number two, that I could find someone else to just take it over for me. And I'll just be on the back burner, like, own the company, right?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

Make some money. Let someone else do it. It wasn't fulfilling to me. Now with demonic events, I want to be doing this shit for the next 50, 70 years. I want to be speaking on the biggest stages. Like, I want to be doing this stuff every single day, no matter what. And when I realized that and got that through my mind, number one, I'm like, okay, this is. This is real. This is what I'm doing. And number two, I'm like, let's dig into this. Because it just. It felt right. And things started clicking.

[Host]

Beautiful. Yeah. You found your purpose, dude. That's what it is. That's how I feel with the podcast.

[Zach Delmonico]

Yeah.

[Host]

Because I've hopped many industries, I've done many different entrepreneurial ventures, but with this, I could see myself doing this for a long time.

[Zach Delmonico]

And you have a lot of people on here.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Zach Delmonico]

Congrats.

[Host]

A lot of people.

[Zach Delmonico]

Congrats to you, by the way.

[Host]

That's amazing. Yeah. It's cool to see your journey. I'm going to keep an eye on you and where can people find you and find the events and everything they're going to be.

[Zach Delmonico]

Biggest platform right now is Instagram. So Zach Delmonico, just my name on Instagram. I'm on Tick Tock right now too. Trying to post as much stuff on Tick Tock as well. Experiment. And then any podcast that I do is going to be on YouTube. So it's all just Zach Del Monaco, my name.

[Host]

Cool. We'll link below. Thanks for coming on, brother. Appreciate, brother. Thanks for watch, guys. Check out the links below. See you next time.