No Handouts, No Plan B, No Excuses | Josh Straussberger | JP Dinnell Podcast 071

Summary

JP Dinnell Podcast 071

Title: No Handouts, No Plan B, No Excuses | Josh Straussberger
Date: January 31, 2025
Host(s): JP Dinnell, Lucas Pinckard
Guest: Josh Straussberger

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, JP Dinnell sits down with long-time friend, business partner, and ministry leader Josh Straussberger. Together with co-host Lucas Pinckard, they delve into Josh's journey from a blue-collar upbringing and teenage rebellion in Memphis to business ownership, family, and leadership roles across multiple organizations—including Echelon Front and Jesus and Jiu Jitsu. The discussion is rich with personal reflections, practical lessons on grit and ownership, and the importance of building culture, humility, and discipline—both in business and life.

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Main Themes

• Building from the Ground Up: Josh’s journey from challenging beginnings and multiple career pivots to successful business ownership
• Extreme Ownership in Life and Business: How JP and Josh apply Echelon Front’s leadership principles on and off the mat
• Overcoming Personal Obstacles: Addiction, health, and the process of real change
• Family, Faith, and Legacy: The intersection of spiritual growth, fatherhood, and intentional decision-making
• No Excuses, No Plan B: The necessity of commitment, work ethic, and patience in seeing things through

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Life and Family Dynamics (03:21–08:51)

• Memphis Roots: Josh grew up in Memphis, with a blended family and strong influence from his grandparents.
• Learning Humility and Listening: Challenges of a single-parent home taught Josh not to take things personally and to be humble.
  • “You have to give your family the benefit of the doubt... there was never, never, not once her intent [to exclude me]" – Josh (06:45)
• Sports Lessons: Despite playing baseball, basketball, and soccer, Josh admits a lack of commitment and effort, a lesson he tries to impart to his kids today.
  • The way he encourages his own children is by asking reflective questions, giving them ownership, instead of forcing effort.

2. Rebellion, Trades, and Tough Lessons (11:43–23:18)

• Troubled Teen Years: Admits to a rebellious streak, resisting authority, and learning sometimes the hard way.
• Trade School Experience: Inspired by his dad, he pursued electrician training but was fired for insubordination—quitting soon after.
  • “I was a quitter of all quitters. Not because something got hard, just because I didn’t like the parameters around it." – Josh (22:15)
• Importance of Trade School: In retrospect, wishes more youth knew the value of skilled labor and apprenticeships.

3. Rock Bottom, Faith, and Relationships (23:25–29:48)

• Personal Downfall: After a bad breakup and deepening issues with alcohol and isolation, Josh hit rock bottom and began seeking change.
• Turning Point: A “come to Jesus” moment, reconnecting with his mother, returning to church, and getting a job—where he met his now-wife.
  • “It was a downward spiral that was progressing... you have to hit bottom before you can wake up.” – Josh (23:58)
• Supportive Partnership: Jen (his wife) encouraged him toward healthier choices but always with patience—never with ultimatums.

4. Family Growth and Work Ethic (29:48–41:10)

• Early Marriage: Both worked at a dental supply company, and Josh tried community college before realizing his path was elsewhere.
• First Child and Career Change: Shifted into manufacturing, working his way up from an entry-level CNC machinist and striving to eventually allow his wife to be a stay-at-home mom.
• Parental Sacrifice and Development: Lucas and JP discuss the importance of intentional parenting and its impact on children.

5. Health Crisis and the Power of Fitness (41:10–53:13)

• Weight Gain and Low Energy: At one point, Josh reached 250 lbs, drinking “a 12-pack of Mountain Dew a day.”
• Kickboxing as a Catalyst: At his wife’s prompting, attended a kickboxing class, realized how out of shape he was, and committed to change.
  • “Nine minutes into this class... I’m literally hanging onto the bag, white as a sheet, about to pass out.” – Josh (46:52)
• Transformation and Business Seed: Fell in love with fitness and eventually lost 30 pounds in six months—kicking off a dream to one day own a fitness gym.

6. Jiu Jitsu, Community, and Personal Growth (53:13–62:21)

• From Cardio to Combat: Friendship with Blake led to trying jiu jitsu—initially hesitant, but it stuck.
• Building Culture: Talks about how the right gym culture (family-oriented, inclusive, fun) makes all the difference in longevity and fulfillment.
  • JP praises Total Fitness Kickboxing's approach to teaching real technique in an approachable way.
• First Tournament Experience: Hilariously recounts losing his first jiu jitsu tournament due to adrenaline and a “cheeseburger in the gut,” learning a lesson in patience and points-based strategy.
  • “I go for it. Miss. He comes on top, chokes me. I lose. And the girl coaching me... just walks off.” – Josh (69:00)
• Value of Humility and Feedback: Emphasizes the importance of honest reflection, learning from losses, and good coaching.

7. Taking the Leap: Business Ownership and Texas Move (81:24–92:42)

• Inspired by Mentors: Saw the positive impact and viability of fitness kickboxing franchises and aimed to open one.
• The Hard Move: With support from his wife, relocated from Memphis to Dallas to launch Total Fitness Kickboxing. Drove between Memphis and Dallas for months, juggling job, buildout, and family.
  • “It wasn't just, ‘Cool, I'm going to go do this,’ and then it happens and then the people come. Like, you got bills to pay, also the money you're putting into the business.” - Josh (86:20)
• Building with Grit: Planned for the long haul, worked 16–17-hour days, and credits his brother’s partnership for early success.
• Lessons Learned: Overprepare, anticipate setbacks, be willing to do the unglamorous work. Patience and intentionality are key.
  • “People just aren’t... willing to put in the work, to see something through to the finish.” – Josh (92:30)

8. Integrating Extreme Ownership (101:02–114:36)

• Early Adopter: Read “Extreme Ownership” before joining Echelon Front; applied its principles to business, marriage, and team-building.
• Echelon Front Involvement: Started as a volunteer, now runs logistics for major events and training exercises—having embraced humility, attention to detail, and a service mentality.
• Patience in Growth: Emphasizes the need for “tactical patience” as organizations scale.
  • “It takes time to be a part of anything that is in the beginning stages of growth.” – JP (103:46)

9. What Sets Great Teams Apart (108:54–113:16)

• No Entitlement, Just Service: Describes how truly successful team members come with a spirit of service and learn quietly before seeking advancement.
  • “You can see what people want by their actions, not their words.” – JP (110:58)
• Continuous Learning: Josh praises mentors like Jesse and stresses the value of honest, sometimes tough feedback for growth.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ownership & Effort:
  “If there's something you want, you just need to be willing to put in the work. The people you surround yourself with are gonna come into play on that.” – Josh (121:09)
• On Adversity:
  “You have to give your family the benefit of the doubt... sometimes you just get left, and there's no time for you...I learned humility through those situations.” – Josh (06:45)
• On Business Grit:
  “The idea that you want to be an entrepreneur and go to work so you can not work anymore just, it doesn't make sense to me.” – Josh (93:55)
• On Supporting a Mission:
  “It was an easy no brainer... Extreme Ownership has helped me, and to be able to help facilitate other people get this... it's hitting on what that mission is.” – Josh (102:24)
• On Teamwork and Learning:
  “There's a ‘keep your mouth closed and listen and you'll learn some things.’ And they don't come across that way, but there's a lot that you can learn as a new person...” – Josh (109:15)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Josh's Upbringing in Memphis: 03:21–08:51
• Trade School and Early Adulthood Struggles: 11:43–23:18
• Rock Bottom & Redemption: 23:25–29:48
• Kickstarting Fitness Journey: 41:10–46:52
• Discovering Jiu Jitsu: 53:13–54:07
• First Jiu Jitsu Tournament: 61:27–70:16
• Business Founding & Move to Dallas: 81:24–92:42
• Lessons from Extreme Ownership/Echelon Front: 101:02–114:36
• Reflections on Service & Team-Building: 108:54–113:16

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Closing Thoughts

Josh ends with gratitude and a reminder about the value of hard, consistent work and the company you keep:

“As you're growing, the people you surround yourself with are gonna come into play... it's very important that you have the right people around you and that you have the right mindset as you go forward with whatever your goal is.” (121:09)

JP closes by encouraging listeners to “continue putting in the work... to build your legacy and to never settle.” (122:16)

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Episode Resources/Plugs

• Total Fitness Kickboxing: TFK_Denton & TFK_TheColony on Instagram
• On the Path Printing (custom apparel/printing)
• Jesus and Jiu Jitsu Podcast (weekly episodes)
• Echelon Front: Consulting and leadership events
• Origin USA / Jocko Fuel / Bruiser Arms
• Little Cattle Company (Texas beef products)

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This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in practical leadership, humble beginnings, and building something meaningful through hard work, faith, and a relentless refusal to make excuses.

Transcript

[A]

Good morning. This is the JP Donnell podcast, episode 71. I am JP Donnell, and as always, I have Lucas with me today. I have the honor of sitting down with one of my best friends who is also a business partner, also a Jesus in Jiu Jitsu board member and ministry partner, and to be honest, just an all around incredible human who loves the Lord, his wife, his family, and is incredibly loyal to anything he is a part of and deciding to help with. About a year and a half ago, I was on Jocko's podcast and we were talking through what we teach at Echelon Front, and we were actually talking about COVID Move, which is the first law of combat that we teach at Echelon Front. And I actually used Josh as an example of COVID Move just because of his attitude towards life, always helping others, and his dedication to moving the mission forward, whatever mission he's a part of, whether it's being a part of the Echelon Front team, which he is helping out with all of our FTXs and helping grow that program with Cody and Justin, to helping out with the ministry, to being a good Jiu Jitsu training partner, which that's where Josh and I's friendship goes back to back in the Memphis days when he lived in the Memphis, Tennessee area and I lived near Memphis, Tennessee, in actually South Haven, Mississippi. We both trained at a Jiu Jitsu gym together, and I'm sure we'll talk about that today, but that's where we first met. It was just an extremely loyal, good human. Amanda and I moved out to Texas for what I was doing with Echelon Front. And that same year, Josh ended up moving out with his family to grow and expand his business. He is a business owner, a successful business owner. He has two businesses which we'll talk about today. Total Fitness Kickboxing here in the Dallas area, Dallas Fort Worth area. One's in Denton, one's in Frisco, and we also have on the Path printing together. We do Jesus and Jiu Jitsu together, like I talked about. Josh, what's up, buddy?

[B]

What's going on, man?

[A]

How are you?

[B]

I'm honored to be here.

[A]

Yeah, man, thank you. It's. It's been a long time coming, wanting to be able to get you on the podcast, and I appreciate your flexibility. Lucas, what's up, buddy?

[C]

What's going on, gentlemen?

[A]

How are you?

[C]

You know, just feeling like wish.com Matt Damon living every day to the fullest.

[B]

Okay. All right.

[C]

The amount of people who have made that comment, they're like, you look so much like Jason Bourne. Now that you got that haircut, it makes me feel like one, the people that I'm around need to have their vision checked. And, and step two is that there's no way that that's accurate. So I can see it.

[A]

Now that you said it, I'm not going to be able to unsee it.

[B]

I always felt more like Kiefer Sutherland.

[C]

Oh, yeah?

[B]

Yeah. Especially with the haircut.

[C]

So when I had for him. Yeah, for me, when I had long hair, always felt like I was wish.com Zack Wilde. And now I'm feeling a little bit more. Zack Wild was the, the guitar player and singer for the Black Label Society. JP hey, just, just another ugly white guy with long blonde hair and a beard.

[A]

Oh, cool.

[C]

Yep, we all look alike.

[B]

Just a nappy dude.

[C]

Hard to tell any of us apart except for how tall we are. What guitars we play.

[A]

Long hair, beard, guitar.

[B]

Yeah, just another nappy dude.

[A]

Let's go.

[C]

Just trying to be ZZ Top.

[A]

Josh, where did you grow up?

[B]

I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee.

[A]

So your whole life?

[B]

Whole life. Born and raised, Memphis, Memphis, 1983-2018. Long time, man, long time.

[A]

Growing up, what was life like? What was the family dynamic? Just, you know, sharing a little bit about who you were as a kid?

[B]

Yeah, I, I, I had a good home life, so I have a brother. We have the same dad, different moms, and so my dad left. I never saw my mom and dad together, but he was always around. From the time I was born, I would go visit him once a month. So I didn't have like a traditional upbringing, but I did have a dad and a mom, even though we were separate. So good, good upbringing. My mom got us into church, I think, think when I was five or six, as far back as I can remember.

[A]

So Southern Baptist.

[B]

Southern Baptist down in Memphis. Yeah. Yeah. And we had, we had a close family on my mom's side, so I had a lot of good influences from my uncles. My grandparents were big in my life. Being my mom, being single, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. That's where I went after school. And I was, I was just blessed with that. They were, they were always around in there for me. So awesome.

[A]

Any. Anything that you've taken from how your grandparents taught you, how they helped raise you, that you have applied as a father?

[B]

Yeah. So my, my grandparents, especially my grandmother, my grandfather, when I was younger, was in, in terrible health. And as I got older, I saw older as in like elementary school. One of his sons, my uncle kind of called him out one day. He had heart problems. He was in the Air Force district. He had his first heart attack when he was 20 years old, I think. So I always struggled with some heart problems, but then his health overall deteriorated, and he called him out. So my grandfather, in his later years, in his late 60s, 70s, he just started walking around the block. Then he got to where he could do miles, and he started losing weight, and he started getting up out of his chair and started lifting weights with my uncle. And. Yeah, when he ended up dying of a heart attack much later, but he was jacked. And so I always found that encouraging from my uncle's perspective, to be able to address his father that way. But as for me, for my grandparents, they really taught me how to listen. I think growing up with a single mom and then my mom married my stepdad when I was 9, you kind of not lost in the shuffle, but there's a lot of things going on. I don't. I don't blame anybody for that, but sometimes you just kind of get left, and it's. You might have something to say, and you just kind of get. There's no time for you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I'm not saying that in a way, like, my mom neglected me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

She's working two jobs so I can.

[A]

Bro. What you're saying is something that every single human should be able to hear and receive. And what I heard you say is it's okay if you don't always have a say and. Or you're not always included in things with your family, and you have to give your family the benefit of the doubt. You just gave your mom the benefit of the doubt. You knew your mom wasn't going. I don't want Josh to talk right now.

[B]

Right.

[A]

There was never, never, not once her intent. And so for you, as a kid, you learned humility through those situations and not to take things so personal, which when you are being taught humility and feeling those situations and those feelings in emotions and, you know, there's times that our emotions are gonna flare up, and that's fine. Your emotions are valid. The problem is we can't be led and ruled by our emotions.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

And it's cool that you were able to get that.

[B]

I think as I got into my teen years, I lost that a little bit.

[A]

And we all do that.

[B]

I started letting those emotions run a little bit. But.

[A]

Yep, I can understand how that is. But it seems like you were able to receive that and. And come back to that. What was high school like for You Any sports?

[B]

High school. I, I hated school pretty much from third grade on. It was just something you had to do. I tried to get out of there as much as I could. I did play sports. I. I was not great at any sports, but I played baseball through. Actually, I played church league baseball, just rec league from kindergarten to like the ninth grade. I didn't really like it, but it was something to do. And then I started junior high, started playing basketball and soccer. I enjoyed those. I enjoyed soccer the most, and it was probably what I was the worst at, but I enjoyed it. And, you know, I, I played. Sometimes I would start, sometimes I wouldn't, but I was. I think, again, I have a lot more clarity looking back now. Even then, I didn't really apply myself to that either. I was just kind of going through the motions of things. So even though I love sports, I didn't. I wasn't putting any extra reps or anything in, so. But yeah, enjoyed soccer and basketball.

[A]

Yeah, I love soccer. Did you play soccer?

[B]

I did, yeah.

[A]

I wish it was one of the sports now. I did kickboxing and karate, you know, growing up. And I did the, like, the adventure races that you and I have talked about, but, man, I wish I would have played soccer in junior high and high school, bro.

[C]

It was soccer for me was like one of the few sports that as a vertically challenged individual, you could still excel. Yeah, well, and I have a really, at the time, I don't know that I still haven't jumped in forever, but I had a really big vertical leap. And so being able to jump 35 or 40 inches off the ground if given the proper start was great for corner kicks and stuff like that. So there were these times where they would set up plays that were specifically for me. That never happened when I played football. It definitely wasn't happening whenever I played basketball, but they were like, look, if you start over here and you run, we'll have that guy kick it. And if you can, if you can get high enough, nobody's going to believe that you're going to get to it. And yeah, those, those plays worked out great.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

That soccer I love because it was one of those few things where they're like, all right, Lucas, this is your time to shine. Come on, baby.

[A]

So, Josh, as a parent, you know, hearing what you just said, like, you didn't put enough work in sports and you wish you would have.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How do you instill that into your kids? Because, I mean, I know we'll get to your wife and kids for sure. But like, as a father, do you reflect upon that and think, okay, hey, had I had this guidance or if somebody would have told me this, or just, just in general, like, how do you lead your kids to put in maximum effort when they're doing things?

[B]

That's a difficult question and it's a very difficult thing to do. And I don't know if I'm successful at it, but my approach to it, I've gone different ways and I've talked about on our Jason Jiu Jitsu podcast, like, especially with Jiu jitsu, I would force them into maximum effort by making them train every time I trained, which was too much. And that's not, especially with a younger kid, I don't think that's the right way now, now that they're older and they see the value of it, it's a little bit easier to approach. But I, I still ultimately give them the choice. Typically it's just questions, you know, like, hey, do you feel like you, you did enough in that? Or if there's those days, which Jake usually is down to go, he never wants to miss, but if he does, I'm always like, for whatever reason, I'd be sick. That's a different thing. But different, you know, I'm kind of tired today. I don't know. Are you? You're really tired. Do you. You can't do it. Like just, just asking them those simple questions and making them self reflect and come to the conclusion themselves, I think has made a big difference for my kids.

[A]

It allows you to give them ownership.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And rather more buy in it's their idea.

[B]

Rather than you being like, well, you just need to go do it. Yeah, there's a time and place for that, I think, but I think they're going to be more invested in it. The more it's their idea, the more buy in they have.

[A]

So, yeah, so go through high school, any, any major life, things happen that shaped who you are or you reflect upon. You're like, bro, that was kind of crazy.

[B]

I, the older I got, the more I didn't like people telling me what to do. And the older I got, the worse it got. In school, with friendships, with just anything, I wouldn't say there was any particular time that that shaped it. But looking back, I could see a trajectory of my life already trying to trend down just from the emotions controlling thing, rebellion, I like to fight even if it, there was no reason, you know, and that's just your emotions getting the best of you. And I, I think looking back on it now. I had people trying to give me the right advice. I just wasn't listening. And I don't. I wouldn't say they were even going about it wrong. I would. Just. As I progressed, I just. More and more, I was the guy. Like, if you told me don't do this, even if it was to my detriment, I'm probably gonna do it just because you told me not to. And that's. That's okay. It's not smart. No.

[A]

So do you think that rebellious attitude that you had was beneficial at times, though? Like, how have you been able to harness that?

[B]

I think the rebellious attitude, I don't know if I would say is beneficial, but I think the. That mindset of pushing boundaries can be. Now that I'm older, when people tell me, like, I can't do something, it's. It's not like the rebellious mindset will tell you to do things, even if it will hurt you. When people are telling you you can't do it. When you have a. Take an honest self assessment and someone tells you, like, you can't do this, and you actually weigh the pros and the cons and put thought into it and you can do it. There's times to push the boundaries. When people are putting boundaries on you that are not correct.

[A]

So when somebody has those limitations put up, placed upon them, how would you advise them to push back and. Or break those limitations without being rebellious, therefore reckless?

[B]

Yeah. I think you have to know why you're doing it. So if, if some. First off, if somebody else is putting limit. This is as an adult. If somebody else is putting a limitation on you, if you really just step back and think about it, it's silly. They don't have any. There's nobody really that can put any limitation on you. If you have a goal to do something, whether you're gonna open a business or do jiu jitsu or whatever you want to apply to, the limitations are on you other than the factors that are actual limitations. And those are the things you have to take account for when you're planning for something. But I don't. I. I think if you channel that, your reason isn't to prove them wrong. Now, I'm not going to lie. That can be a fulfilling feeling. When people tell you you can't do something and you go do it and execute and it's successful, that is a nice feeling. I think how you respond to that still should be in humility. You don't want to be like, hey, I told you so.

[A]

And you've been able to do that with business.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And as someone who trains jiu jitsu, you help out different ministries, you volunteer your time to help others. And so you have to be able to have that, hey, I'm going to prove something attitude with a balance of humility.

[B]

Yeah. I think the, it's funny when you're like in my teens, right after high school, I was kind of lost and not knowing where to go. So I was, I don't think I was arrogant, but I lacked humility. And I think that's the thing that, that balances that into when you're doing things rather than being reckless.

[A]

I would agree. So you graduate from high school, what do you do next? Like, what's your path? What's your plan?

[B]

Zero plan. So I had, I had a real close buddy that we were reserve firefighters for like a small county fire department outside of Memphis in Arlington. And we did that. His goal was always to go be a Green Beret. He knew he wanted to be a Green Beret. My goal was to party and, and firefighting seemed like it would be fun. They had a reserve program, so it was just enough. But it wasn't. They pushed the reserve program where it was really on the job kinda back then. This was 2001. Now you still would end up having to go get your EMT license back then. I don't think they require paramedic, all that type of stuff. But you could get your foot in the door, you would go on shift and you had to go a certain amount of times a month and then, and build it from there. So I did that. All my friends went to college. My parents were like, well, you didn't, you didn't make good enough grades to get a scholarship. We can't afford to send you to college. So it's, you know, what do you want to do? My dad was a union sheet metal welder and he always told me to go to some type of trade school. Not sheet metal welding.

[A]

That's a hard industry.

[B]

Yeah. He. And they did like big duck work for like industrial, like ducks. You could walk inside and.

[A]

Yeah. So I'm sure that that picture that James Gonzalez sent us about metal roof.

[B]

Yes. Wear gloves.

[A]

Like I, I read the text. I didn't have to look at the picture to know what I was about. Yeah, I see the same cut up hand. So I'm sure you saw a lot.

[B]

Of that growing up.

[A]

Stories from your dad.

[B]

And his fingers were just mangled, you know. So I, I decided I, again, I didn't put any thought anything. I was just like, well, you know, electrician sounds good. So I. I joined the local union in Memphis. Yeah. Went to electrician school. They have a trade school program. So you go, I think, two, three nights a week for classroom, and then they put you with a job as an apprentice, and you're working. It's actually a great thing.

[A]

I don't know why more of our youth don't know about the beauty of trade school. Sorry to interrupt. No, no, what you just said, that's absolutely crazy. Hey, you're gonna go to school. We're gonna teach you a skill set that's gonna help you be employed, and we're gonna help you get a job.

[B]

Yeah, it's.

[C]

It's way better than the intern programs that are provided in, quote, higher education, where it's like, hey, we're gonna hook you up with one of our fraternity brothers that you can work for for free for the summer if you would like to use your 20 hours a week to go do that. And then maybe if you're good, they'll pay you to fetch their coffee and their mail. Whereas, you know, the trade school is like, no, we're gonna get you a job with some guys that are gonna show you how you can practically use this skill. You'll come here three nights a week, you'll make some money, and then set you up to. Really, in a lot of instances, so many of those guys go independent. Like, they're setting you up to become.

[A]

Your own business owners, and they make good money. They have benefits.

[B]

Yeah. Even as an apprentice, you have benefits.

[C]

And if they get hooked up with. With David Marr and Right. Brain Capital and get their cash flow going, and they'll be all. All good to go.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're disciplined enough with doing it.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And. And there's the. The problem. Some of that ties back in with the arrogance. Again, I. I wouldn't say anybody that knew me back then would think, oh, that guy's so arrogant. He's so full of himself.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But it. There was a level of arrogance to it. So I. I made it to the first year pretty okay. My girlfriend from high school and I broke up, so I was already kind of on the verge. Partying a lot, drinking a lot, you know, And I graduated. I was 17, so I'm 18 at this time.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

None of your thought processes are very correct at 18 without proper guidance.

[C]

And your brain is not developed.

[B]

Yeah. Brains.

[C]

You're like seven years away from a fully developed brain at 18.

[B]

And not that that's an excuse, but I made it through the first year. I actually got put with a great company. The guys I worked with were great because there's a lot of in all industries, even in like trade school, like when you're an apprentice, the journeyman, they're gonna haze you. And I'm not opposed to it. You know, I had good guys that the hazing they did was, was I would have done it too, but they were teaching me. So my whole first year, every journeyman I had was squared away, knew what they were doing, hazed me the right amount, but also taught me they built relationships before I knew anything about Echelon Front or any of that. And then as I got into my second year, I was still with the same company and I got moved to a different journeyman again. And he was a guy that just would what we were doing. We were just running conduit in the top of a warehouse and he would show up on the job site, open it up, tell me a second year apprentice and his other first year apprentice go get the conduit up, and then he would disappear. Looking back, I don't know if that was a test just to see what we would do or if he really was just lazy. I don't know. I never followed up. My mistake was thinking as a second year apprentice that I was somebody went to the boss and I was like, hey man, I'm out here making $9 an hour to do this and this guy's not even here. Like, what's the deal? Like, this doesn't add up. And I learned quickly that they don't care and they shouldn't have. I'm not saying I was a victim of this. I went in there, ran my mouth and he was like, cool, you're fired.

[A]

You over asking about that.

[B]

I didn't ask in a proper way. It was a, it was a heated way. And so in the union you, I'm still in school, you can get picked up by somebody else. And that's for me. I inside I felt like I was betrayed. You know, I'm doing all this hard work, I'm undercompensated, blah blah, blah, blah, blah, all that crap. So he was like, nah man, you're gone. And I was like, cool. And then I just quit going. I was a quitter of all quitters. Not because something got hard, just because I didn't. If I didn't like the parameters around it, it's still that rebellion thing. Like you're telling me these things. So two Years in, I was like, cool, I'm out.

[A]

And how old are you?

[B]

Probably 19 at the time.

[A]

Okay. Yeah.

[B]

So, yeah, so that was. That was the end of my electrician career.

[A]

Okay, what's the next step? I mean, are you living at home still at this time or you moved.

[B]

Out, so I moved out. I moved out when I was 17. I moved in with my grandparents for a little while. I moved down to Mississippi to my dad's house for a little while. But really I'm. I'm crashing at people's houses. Yeah, all over the place. And so I just need a job. So I'm bouncing between warehouse jobs and a lawn care job for a guy I used to work for, just doing what I can.

[A]

Cool. All right. What are you doing with your life when you meet your wife?

[B]

So I. In that time period, I got. I was, I was. No, I was still working for the long hair company. I got in another relationship. We were pretty serious. We were engaged. I sabotaged that. And this is all stuff my wife knows, obviously.

[A]

Yeah. You're not gonna dishonor your wife.

[B]

No. She's not gonna be like, what? No.

[C]

Here's the big reveal, Jen, if not.

[A]

You got between now and Friday morning.

[B]

Let me talk to you about something. No, but I say that because it was. It was a downward spiral that was progressing. And as I sabotaged the. That with my actions, it was almost to where I was, like, at the bottom of that spiral. You know, you have to hit bottom before you can wake up. I was, I was drinking heavy at that point. I wasn't used to. I would say, like, I was a good worker, but I would quit if I didn't like, these parameters. I got to where, like, I wasn't making it to work, couldn't hold a job, I had roommates, and it just, it all went downhill when that, that, that broke. I had a. I think I had no job at the time. I was doing odd and end stuff for whatever I could to help my buddies pay rent on our three bedroom apartment. We had four people in. And my aunt reached out, my mom's sister, and was like, hey, I work for this dental supply company. They need help in the warehouse. And we had like a real come to Jesus talk. Like, if you want to apply, I will. I will put my name on you. But, like, she knew my track history too, but she took a chance. And this was like right around New Year's in this time, without going into too much detail, like, I had been in such a dark place. Like, I cut Everybody off, close friends, everything. Like, I just disappeared. I didn't talk to my mom for, like, two years. My stepdad, didn't talk to my brother, didn't talk to my dad. I just deep darkness and just. Just going out, drinking, fighting, whatever.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I woke up one morning right around New Year's, and I. I don't remember what triggered it, but I reached out to my mom just to like, hey, you know, I'm sorry, let's talk some. And ended up going. I hadn't been in church in years. She invited me to their church. We went to church. It was a good sermon. And I remember she texted me because it was around New Year. She was like, hey, do you have any New Year's resolutions? And all that? And even back then, I was like, resolutions, whatever. But then I thought I was like, you know what? I would like to. I was a heavy smoker, drinking a lot. I don't even think I said I wanted to quit. I was like, I. I'd like to cut back on this and. And maybe get back in church. And she's like, okay, cool. You know, she wasn't. She wasn't pushy, which this is not disrespect to my mom, but she is default aggressive. So especially I'm her only son. So there were times back in the day where it was very. I probably needed to be managed to level out.

[A]

Oh, for sure. We all. We all did.

[B]

But she. I don't know, it was. It was definitely a God thing because she was just very hands off, which was not. Also, I was grown and had been out of the house for a while, but she was like, okay, cool, cool, cool. And so it all kind of linked up around that time. I got this job. I was starting to quit smoking, starting to quit drinking. And I wouldn't say I really, like, turned my life around and started getting back into church or anything. Although as I'm saying it, I guess I did. It was like a conscious decision, like, hey, I want to start doing better at this. And I get this job, work there a few months, and my wife works in the office there. So we. We would. We didn't have a break room in there, so we would eat lunch in our cars in the parking lot, and we just started talking. So, like, I would back my truck in next to her car, and we'd eat and we'd talk, and I'd roll the window up while I smoked, and I'd roll it back down because I was being a gentleman and all these things.

[A]

She doesn't smoke. And she's never smoked?

[B]

No, never. So, yeah, so we. We met at work.

[A]

That's awesome. How long did you guys date before you got engaged?

[B]

We dated about a year. It was a year, yeah.

[C]

Nice.

[A]

Did you quit smoking when you guys were dating? Or is it, like, kind of part of the whole, hey, if we're gonna get married, you shouldn't be doing this? Did she ever do that?

[B]

Never said any of that. She was. She's so laid back and patient. So she. She went to church. She played piano at a small church. Her dad was a pastor. And she was just like, hey, you wanna come to church sometime? And I was like, as a matter of fact, I do, and I don't go to church, so I'll just start visiting there. So.

[C]

It all worked out.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Like there was a plan, right? Pretty close.

[B]

Coincidence. She never at any point was like, yeah, if we're gonna do this, you got to quit smoking. Gotta quit drinking, that type of stuff. She never did that. Yeah, but I think she knew I really wanted to. Later she told me we were on the phone one night, and I was. So when I quit, I got down to where for a while there I was smoking, like, six cigarettes a day, and I just couldn't. I tried to go five in a day, and I'd be like, now give me the six. So it was a process that I had weaned down from. And I remember I was on the phone with her, and I was like, all right, I just smoked my last cigarette. And she's like, oh, for the day. And I was like, no, no, I'm done. And she was like, oh, cool, that's great. And then later, she was like, I didn't believe that for a heartbeat, but it was. It was the last one, so that's awesome.

[A]

All right, so you guys get married and what, are you still working on the same place? Like, what. What's kind of going on in your life between, like, hey, we just got married and when you guys have your first son.

[B]

So we get married in 2007. We are. We're still working in the same place. Things are pretty good. She works in the office, so she's one of those office people. So she makes more money than me, but pretty dope. Yeah, sugar mama. But we waited. Jake was born in 2009, so we waited two years to have kids. So that two years was. Was pretty smooth. We had an apartment, working. I tried to go back to school at 1. Not go back, but go to school. State Tech or Southwest Community College. I started doing night classes there just for the basics. Again, I didn't really have any vision on what I wanted to do. So at the time I didn't think it hurt me. I'm just doing the basics. You got to get that out of the way anyway. Had some remedial math I had to do, but I did a year of that and then there was nothing I really knew I was going to apply it for. So it just. That wasn't the route for me.

[A]

Yeah. You recognize. I mean there. And there's nothing wrong with that.

[B]

No, no, no.

[A]

Obviously not the wrong that people go to school and get a good college education. There has to be a path and a plan and there has to be a purpose. Right, Right. We have. There has to be an intentional purpose behind doing these things.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So I'm excited that Aiden is. Got accepted to trade school for welding.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

His intent and purpose for what he's going to do. And you did for a little bit. And then, you know, recognize it wasn't for you at that time. And you know, there's nothing wrong with understanding what is for you and what's not for you.

[B]

Yeah. And I think that helped me being older and obviously we were paying out of pocket for me to do that. Where it was like, maybe I should think, like, what is my goal in this? Am I gonna pay all this? And there's nothing I want to do. So I ended up my brother and I started a lawn business on the side. So just cutting grass. It was cash money.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

And so we're. We're working. Me and my wife still work at the dental place. And then I get off work, cut some yards, started growing that. And then I got an opportunity, another opportunity from my family. My uncle knew this guy that was hiring and he knew I was looking for something a little more than warehouse. Didn't have a lot of skills.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But he's just looking out. So he calls me, he's like, hey, you need to call this guy at this time he's hiring at the plant he works for. I was like, cool. What kind of plant? He was like, I don't know. But they do really well and he's a good dude. And I was like, that's not a lot of info, but okay. So I call this guy up and I said, yeah. My uncle Rick told me call you. You know, I've got a job, but, you know, I'm kind of. Again, I had learned not to. It was an interesting job. But like you're. When you're Doing that type, I'm not belittling it, but I wanted to do more than just pull orders in a warehouse, you know. So the guy called Answers and he's like, yeah, cool, man. Yeah, your uncle's great, dude. I'm gonna give you the address, you know, come check it out, see if it's something you're into. And I was like, what do y' all do? And they were a. A machine shop, a medical parts, a medical manufacturer.

[A]

Oh, nice.

[B]

So I'm looking all that up. I have no clue what any of it is. So I go medium tour the shop. There's all this space age CNC machines and manual lathe and mills and they're making screws and pins and rods and all kind of stuff that go on bones, fasteners and stuff. Yeah, all kind of that. They. It's all in house. They have their own quality control. They're laser etching it. Like all this high tech stuff.

[C]

You said stuff that goes in bones. So this is like orthopedics.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

That's rad, dude.

[B]

Yeah. Yep. So he takes me on this whole tour. He's all excited.

[C]

JP's still ached out.

[B]

It was always cool when the reps would come out to like, do tests on their stuff and they would bring like bones just to drill in to see. Yeah, they drill. They do, they drill. But anyway, he takes me through all this and he's like, what do you think? And I had started to learn a little bit as I progressed and I was like, man, it looks amazing. I don't have a clue how to do any of that. I've never seen anything like this. I have no machining, like, nothing I said, but I would learn if you would teach me on the job. And that's normally not a thing from what I've heard from machinists, any of the people we hired after I worked there, when you check their resume, you're looking for their machinist. One machinist, two machinist, three certificates and all that type of stuff. But again, he took a shot and hired me. So that was my. My big break.

[C]

That's cool.

[B]

I was finally making more money than my wife.

[C]

Scoreboard, right?

[B]

Not.

[A]

Not that I was tracking, but not that.

[B]

Yeah, not that I was sharing. It worked out for her in the end. I think we'll get to that. Y. But no, I started working there just, just as a. As a CNC machinist. I worked on a Swiss lathe and I learned how to. Learned at first just learning how to operate it which is basically checking tolerances on the parts that come off. You don't do any work on the machine, and then they eventually keep teaching you and. And just grew from there. And we had our first son Jake, in that time period around 2009.

[A]

That's cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right, so you guys have Jake. What. What's the plan now that you have a family? What are you guys talking about? What are you thinking? Like, hey, this is what we have. This is where I want to go in life.

[B]

Yeah. So I really enjoyed the machine job, the machinist job, and I wanted to learn more about it. I saw room for growth. She wanted. When we first got married, we had the. The typical conversation like, oh, how many kids do you want? And not that I was against kids, but I was like, I don't know. One and none. Like, I don't know. Like, I hadn't thought about it. I wasn't against it. And she was like, I want six. And then we had Jake, and he was super easy, but it still quickly turned her number to like three.

[C]

It's amazing how fast that happens.

[B]

Yeah. So her goal was she always wanted to be a stay at home mom. And so that was our goal. We had Jake, she wanted three. We knew we would start trying for our second. We waited two and a half years before Jarrett was born, but that was the goal. Like, she wanted three kids and she wanted to be a stay at home mom. So my goal was, okay, I need to progress enough to make enough money for her to stay home. We wanted to buy a house, all this stuff. So Jarrett comes along in 2012, I get a promotion at work. This is all kinda in the same time period because I remember it was very stressful. I remember I got a promotion at work to where I was for the first time making the amount of money that her and I together were making. And so she was like, aha, this is my chance. So why not buy a house and then have your wife quit her job? So it's all on you. That's not stressful at all. But that's what we did. That was the goal. And it. It paid off. That was. That's always what she wanted to do. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. That's awesome. That's cool. I think it's cool when people are able to do that. I think it's also cool when people are in that situation and they don't have the desire that your wife had to be like a stay at home mom. Like, yeah, I'm kind of good with it. And it's like, cool. One of the spouses gets that promotion. They're making it like, hey, I now make what we were making combined. You can quit and you can do that if you want to. The other option is, hey, you keep working for another year or two, and we're going to put 100% of your earnings into savings and, or an investment. And it's really cool when you hear people do that as well.

[B]

That would have been smarter, but.

[A]

Well, yeah, hindsight, we sit back and we look at that. But in regards to what your wife wanted and what you guys wanted as married couple, I don't think that would have been smarter. If you're talking about financial, okay, if we're, if we're removing the human desires and the emotions out of it, okay, yeah, that would have been smarter from a financial numbers type of thing. But you also did what was right for you and your wife and what she wanted for her to be a, you know, for what she wanted as a mother.

[C]

And the kid factor is the one that we don't often think about here, right. Because Kirsten and I. So she's the one of the two of us that has the college degree and actually has a college degree in something that could turn into a very lucrative career for her. And especially when you look at, like, what pediatric psychologists are making, it's crazy, right? But when we had, when she got pregnant with Levi, like, that changed. And one of the things that she had learned in her pediatric psychology classes was that, you know, the first three years of a kid's life is when they learn how to accept love and when they learn what affection looks like and how to build relationships that outside of that range that, you know, then things are influenced by a lot of different stuff. But if you have a lot of intentional time in that time period, then that'll change it. When she got pregnant with Levi, she was like, I'm not going into the workforce. Everything that I've been studying has prepared me for this moment to look at this and say, hey, listen, honey, we're gonna have to adjust our lifestyle so you can pay off of my college debt. And so that we do this. And that's the thing, when we look at this, like, it's easy to crunch the numbers, but for your boys, the amount of interpersonal relationship development ability that they have to look at mom and dad in a different light to accept love and instruction and all of that stuff, she took off in the wheelhouse where that was most important for them, which is invaluable.

[B]

Yeah, I agree 100% it. And also it helped. So at the time I was on, they only had two. They had first shift, second shift. But really it was. I went to work at 3:30 and I would get home at like 3:30, 4 in the morning. It was long shifts. So it was beneficial because she could be home. It wasn't like, I'm asleep, she wakes up, goes to work. Yeah, it worked for that time for sure. Yeah.

[A]

That's awesome. That's cool. At what point do you transition from that and start like, when do you have Emily and then when are you making the shift to what? You know.

[B]

Yeah. So somewhere along the way, I went from 160 pounds in high school to 250 pounds of 87% body fat. I don't know. I don't know. I would be tall.

[C]

You carried it well.

[B]

I carried it terribly. I was the guy.

[C]

I've only seen pictures.

[B]

I got to the point, like, I would be winded playing with the kids in the floor and just, you know, just one of those things. Like, I worked, but I ate what I wanted and whatever. So Jennifer found where we bought. Our house was right around the corner from this big. It's like a furniture warehouse connected with a kickboxing gym or whatever it's called Memphis Judo and Jiu Jitsu. But she saw an ad and it was some girl in high heels kicking a bag. And she was like, I'm gonna go try this free. And I was like, cool. That looks dumb. Also, I'm £250 and can barely breathe, eating my toaster strudel. So, yeah, I'm the one.

[C]

Everything looks dumb when you're holding the toaster strudel.

[B]

You're like, you want fitness advice? You came to the right place. No.

[A]

Fit this pizza in my mout.

[B]

Whole pizza in my mouth. Yeah. She would joke, which I got stretchy pants. I'm still guilty of this sometimes today. But like, if we went to pick up dinner, getting an extra snack to eat for the ride home till we. It's a dangerous game. Back in the day, it was Sonic. They had these little Frito chili roll ups. You know what I'm talking about?

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Anyway, she really got into this thing and it was like, it was literally four minutes from my house. So she starts going, doing this stuff and she's always inviting me like, hey, you should come try it. You should come try it. And I think it was her subtle way of, you're going to die because you're just miserable. And I was miserable.

[A]

She did what your uncle did to your grandpa.

[B]

Yeah, Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Which is pretty cool.

[B]

Yeah. And I remember. And it was toaster strudel. That's why I say that. Where I'm sitting on a Saturday morning, just crushing my coffee full of sugar and creamer, eating these toaster strudels. The kids are at their grandparents. Yeah. Yeah. Man, I love those things. Jarrett Bond eats them. It's good for me, right? Sure.

[A]

Yeah. If I ate what? Never mind.

[B]

Never mind. I'm sidetracking this.

[A]

We love Jared Bond.

[B]

Anyway, she hits me on a Saturday morning. She's like, hey, the kids aren't here. Just come try this kickboxing class with me. Like, we'll go do this. We'll go grab lunch, and we'll get the kids. And I was just like, again, haven't drank a bit of water. That. That's another thing. When I. When I quit drinking a 12 pack of beer a day, I started drinking, like, a 12 pack of mountain Dew a day or something. Like, I didn't believe in water.

[A]

So I just want to pause and make sure all of our listeners know that. Josh, he's going to reiterate this. These are not good things to be doing.

[B]

These are terrible things. If I could tell you how I felt. That's. And that's why, you know, we're getting there.

[A]

But I just.

[B]

Yeah. In all seriousness, like, she could tell I was struggling. I wasn't talking about it, but, you know, like, you feel miserable. Just.

[A]

You're probably, like, on the couch all the time. No drive.

[B]

No drive. Like, at work, I mean, it's. It's a lot of work.

[C]

If you were literally drinking a 12 pack of Mountain Dew a day.

[B]

But you're probably. Sometimes. Yeah. You're.

[C]

You're talking about, like, 1300 grams of sugar.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Every day.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Killing yourself.

[B]

Killing yourself.

[A]

Poisoning.

[B]

And if I wasn't doing that, you know, it's the South. They're sweet tea, right? Yeah.

[C]

Like, that's. But no exaggeration. 1300 grams of sugar. That's an insane amount.

[B]

Yeah. Well, also, you're not sleeping well. I work long hours transitioning to sleeping partly in the daytime from 4am Till whenever. Like, just for the caffeine, too. But all that to say, she invited me to this kickboxing class, and I, you know, I was like, cool. Yeah, well, it's something we can do together. And in my mind, like, I knew I was out of shape, but even knowing how bad off I was, I didn't know how bad I was. And in my mind, I was like, this is Taebo. Like, we're gonna get there and we're gonna do some air punches. Belly blanks. Yeah. And so we go up there, we go in, and as soon as we come in, there's all these heavy bags. I'm like, oh, there's real bags here. And they kind of take us around. And they have these huge mats for Jiu Jitsu and they have these huge mats for judo. And then when you go in the back, they have a full boxing ring and they have weights and they have a full cage back there, an octagon. I was like, this is a real place. Like, it was a fight gym.

[A]

Oh, that obviously, Memphis judo and Jiu Jitsu is incredible.

[B]

But in the corner they had their cardio box. And most of the time it was some of the local MMA fighters would teach. We had some of the jiu Jitsu guys teaching, some of the Muay Thai guys teaching. Anyway, we get started for this class, I fill out the waiver and they give me some gloves and they're like, hey, just pace yourself. This is a 45 minute class. You know, get water, whatever. I'm like, yeah, cool. You know, it's. It's gonna be fun. So I start getting on the bag, going into the class, doing some bag work, punching stuff feels good. The endorphins are flowing. Heart rate gets up. So I'm going hard. Like I'm. I'm throwing bombs on this heavy bag, like every. Yeah, I've got a machine.

[A]

Red blooded male does. The first time they get to punch a heavy.

[B]

Yeah, I've got a machine gun punch going on those ones and twos. Just so. Nine minutes into this class, Jennifer looks over and I'm literally hanging on to the bag, white as a sheet, about to pass out.

[C]

She's like, that's my van.

[B]

Yeah, so. So, you know, you talk about desire and capability. That's immediately what goes through my mind. I'm like, well, crap, I can't protect anybody. And again, this is a cardio workout. And that led to a lot of thought of, I'm not teaching my young boys. Right. Like, it was like another cycle of events just from. And she knew how I was like, I needed to go experience it. And she had been doing it for months, so she was like, yep, it's probably gonna break him, but this is what he needs to get it through his head. And so I signed up and decided I needed to start cleaning some things up. So I got into that and I loved it. Like, bag Work is awesome.

[A]

It's.

[B]

I think Muay Thai in general is awesome. But any type of cardio bag work, I think, is a legit workout. And even though you're not learning how to fight, throwing proper strikes on a heavy bag is still going to benefit you.

[A]

Well, that's what you guys teach at your Total Fitness kickboxing locations, which I've come and done a class before, and I love it. And Amanda and the kids did it, and we loved it as well. Was you're actually showing people how to punch properly. So that one. They don't hurt themselves in the class. But being able to strike and defend yourself is a skill set that every man and woman should have.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Doesn't mean you're going out looking for fights, but you should be able to defend yourself. That's why our kids do jiu jitsu, and they. They know basic striking and. And that. And that's just part of it. But the way you guys do it is awesome. It's like, hey, here's how you properly strike. Here's your punches, here's knees, here's elbows, and then, bro, you guys make it fun.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And if anybody's listening going, yeah, whatever. That's not a workout. Come try one. Come try one. I will join you there. We will do it together.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

It's incredible.

[B]

It's a legit workout. And I think that's what. What stuck with me was how much fun I had while I did. Didn't get boring. It wasn't. It was. It was fun even though I was dying, but as I continued doing it. So in that gym, I started making friends with people. Blake was the manager at the time. He was a purple belt, and he was kind of injured, but he. We became friends. We would. We'd play video games when I got off work, and then I'd show up to kickboxing, and he started working on me. He was like, hey, you should come try this jiu jitsu stuff. And I was like, man, I don't know, man. I see you guys over there. And I was familiar with what jiu jitsu was from ufc, but not real familiar. I see them over there in their pajamas, and I'm like, I don't know.

[C]

Man, but it is on the ground. And that sounds like the weights, the way you're headed during the kickboxing class. Anyway.

[B]

So, yeah, he. He started on me probably two weeks into it. As I finally started warming up to it, like, I go over there and watch them, and I was like, okay, I See what they're doing now. It's. It's not karate.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I was like, cool, yeah, I'll try it. But I need to get in shape first, which is what everybody says. Starting three months earlier or not, I don't know who to matter, but I. I lost like 30 pounds just doing the cardio kickboxing.

[A]

And three. And wait, how much time?

[B]

And that was six months.

[A]

Six months. Losing 30 pounds?

[B]

Yeah, I think I was three months in. I could be wrong on some of these times, but somewhere in there, three months in, I was like, I'm gonna come try it, but I'm gonna lose some weight. And I was losing weight. Now, obviously, I changed my diet, I changed my habits. I started working out other ways outside of it. But then I would go to kickboxing, like, four days a week, five days a week.

[A]

And it made you want to eat healthier, huh?

[B]

Makes you want to eat healthier? It makes you want to drink more water so you can stay hydrated.

[A]

Not like your first experience.

[B]

Not like my first experience. I drank more water that day than I think I had in years. So. But all that to say, like, it's. It's funny, but I think it was perfect for me to see hands on what that did for me. So not only did going to try that kickboxing class speak to me, it also plugged me into where I found jiu jitsu as well. So it was kind of a twofold thing happening. I got. Even though I was doing jiu jitsu, I would still go do bag work right before, because the boys were in school, so I would go to the noontime class, and so I'd get bag work, and then I go do jiu jitsu five days a week, sometimes twice a day, you know, that type of stuff. But all the while I kept doing the kickboxing. And I would see these people come in that never played sports in their life. Like, and then all walks of life, different jobs, different everything, they come in, they start making a difference. And I can see how it really helped people. And it sounds cliche to say, but, like, when I saw that, I was like, one day I want to start one of these. Like, I know what it did for me personally. I know the relationships I built and the way they did it there was great. Like, it wasn't. It wasn't cookie cutter. I'm not. I'm not knocking any other gyms. I don't know. I don't know if there's any that do it the way that they did. It. And we modeled. I modeled mine off of how they did it. And there's a. Even though it's a group workout class, there's a culture in the gym to how the members interact, how the instructors interact with them. And I was like, okay, one day I want to be able to do something like this. Like, I didn't know in what capacity would this be a side thing? Would I just teach some? Would I open one? But I knew then I wanted to do something, but I knew it was gonna take a while, so I didn't. I didn't know what all that would take. So it was probably. I don't know. I. I probably went through. So I started teaching there, and still doing jiu jitsu and still doing kickboxing. So I probably did that for a couple years before I really started thinking hard about, I kind of want to open one of these. That's cool. Yeah. And so that was probably when I really got serious about wanting to open it. I would say it was 2017.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So between that, in 2017, what was Jiu jitsu like for you?

[B]

Man, it was amazing. We. The daytime class that I started at Washington, just a bunch of injured dudes that worked weird schedules that just kind of met up. It was at the. At first, it wasn't even a sanctioned class, and we had this purple belt in Blake that was.

[A]

I love Blake.

[B]

He was incredible. He was. And he was a foot lock genius.

[A]

Like, you guys followed a lot of Rolly Delgado stuff.

[B]

Yes. Yeah, that's. Those guys. And those guys from Delgado would come over, cross train, and just cross train.

[A]

Bryce Mitchell.

[B]

Yeah, Bryce Mitchell.

[A]

Back in the day, Bryce Mitchell fights in the ufc, used to come cross train. And actually one of my. I can't remember which amateur fight it was, but I fought on the same card as Bryce Mitchell. I have that.

[B]

You have the poster.

[A]

You said you were at that show also.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that was like, back in the day. Bryce Mitchell's a professional MMA fighter. I was fighting amateur. That's funny. I think I sent a picture on the same card. Like, him and I are on the poster with all the other fighters. And you were at that fight, and you were really big. I remember, like, you were as a white belt. Not a lot of white belts are playing the leg lock foot game.

[B]

No.

[A]

Josh snatching those up.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I mean, there's a lot of tournaments and stuff that, like, white belts can't do that.

[B]

Straight ankle is pretty much.

[A]

There is a reason why. Straight ankle lock.

[C]

Yeah. Isaac and I actually talk about this. On.

[B]

On.

[C]

I think episode 101 of Jesus in Jiu Jitsu is how. How much as a white belt, you don't realize what deep water you're in.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Because you don't know, like, if somebody gets you in certain kind of, like, toe holder, ankle locks and things like that.

[B]

That.

[C]

Oh, you're like, oh, I'm just gonna spin out of this.

[B]

You spin the wrong way.

[C]

Oh, yeah. Well, not only that, like, you can shred your knee and all kinds of stuff, which is why it's so important to have good training partners. And particularly, like, the black belts and the brown belts that we train with, the double fives.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

They're like. I know a couple of them have put their arms on me, and they're like, that's what it was. And then they've just like, let me go.

[A]

Call it. Catch and release.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, That's.

[B]

I'm gonna hold you while I disengage this so you don't blow your own.

[C]

Yeah, that's it. And I'll like. I got in one. I don't know. This had to been several weeks ago. And I felt. I was like. That was a. Was it. Did you just have me? And they're like, oh, yeah, yeah. I was like, you. You just let it go. I'm just working on. On the flow. You just keep doing what you're doing. I'm like, cool. Thanks, dad.

[B]

Right, dad?

[C]

Yeah. Thanks for not hurting me.

[B]

Well, and I hated them when we started. I wouldn't say I hated them, but, like, so, Blake, it eventually became an actual, like. And I don't mean unsanctioned. Like, it actually became a class time. On the schedule.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

When you're saying unsanctioned, it just was not on the schedule. But that's what's cool about that gym.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Dave and all those guys, like, hey, if you guys want to come train, the doors are unlocked. Come train.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's always the same on the backside. I call the backside of the house, because that's where all the MMA fighters were. And we would be back there, and there's times, like, be training and there's no class, but you're back to training because it worked for your schedule. Either you put in the work or you don't.

[B]

Yeah. I think that's how they finally asked him, because they saw more and more people with schedules. They'd be like, well, I can come these days during the day and knock it out. And they were like, well, let's just make It a class on the schedule anyway. But Blake was cool because I, I didn't, I didn't love them at first, but just those guys drilling. I, I knew enough about Jiu Jitsu that I knew, well, at least if I know them, I can defend them. And they, they never like, put me in danger or anything. They were always real good with them because there are those gyms out there where, you know, especially, especially. I don't. I wouldn't say the leg lock craze is over, but there was a little while there where it was just like, it was super wild and nobody was ever in danger. I mean, it's, it's a dangerous. It can be a dangerous position. But yeah, they were, they were throwing all that on me from day one, which again, like Lucas said, I, I did not know what to do. So I would just sit there like, I'm not going to spin out and through the defense is how I started learning the counters and the offense and stuff. So that was a great time. That as that class grew and people started coming through there, being able to. Because I could never train at night because I worked.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So seeing that grow, it got to where it got really big. We'd have multiple black belts that would show up. They would, they would do a hard, hard. I think it was 11 o'. Clock.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, it was 11 o'. Clock. And Jen supported you training jiu jitsu?

[B]

Yeah, 100%. She would come up there depending on what the like of the. When the boys were in school, she would come do her kickboxing. Sometimes she would stay and watch. It was. That's why I like Formiga's gym so much too, because of the, the family environment to it. And even though Jen didn't train like, she knew all the people I trained with just because she'd be up there. And that's why, like, I would always again, to gung Ho, like, you need to come try it. You need to come try it. You need to come try it. And she wasn't super interested, but one of the girls that trained there one day was like, hey, come try class with me. And she did it and she didn't like it, but she actually tried it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So that's cool.

[A]

Yeah, I think that's. That gym definitely did it well. Formiga, you know, Double five, they. They do it unlike any other gym. There's a lot of gyms that do it well.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

I haven't seen one that does it like Double five does.

[B]

No.

[A]

And I don't know what what exactly it is. And this is obviously not a bad thing to any of the other gyms that we've ever seen and. Or been a part of, because all the ones I've been a part of been. Have been good. Yeah, I think a lot of gyms are missing that, though, because if you can make your gym and it doesn't matter, you can also have awesome bad, you know, to the bone fighters and competitors there. But if you're not intentionally making it a family atmosphere.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

You are going to limit your growth. Yeah, no doubt. There's no question about it.

[B]

It goes back to that culture thing.

[A]

100%. The majority of the people that can afford to pay for Jiu Jitsu are going to be individuals that have families. And then, you know, you get the mom or the dad in Jiu Jitsu, you get the kids. You get the kids in Jiu Jitsu, you get the mom or dad if you do it right. And if you don't get them all, it doesn't matter. But you have a family, you have a culture.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

There are times that, I mean, my wife doesn't train anymore. Hopefully she would like to be healthy enough this year to start training again. But she comes up there to see your wife.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And the other wives and the other moms. And to see Elisa and hang out, like, that's just part of the culture that Double five has. I think it's incredible. So Jen was super supportive of your training. What was Jiu Jitsu competition like? What was your first tournament like? Yeah, lead us through that.

[C]

I have all kinds of questions about this.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Or curiosities about this.

[A]

Why would that be, Lucas?

[C]

No good reason. So our listeners, just because I want.

[A]

Tomorrow, if they are listening on Friday morning.

[B]

Right.

[A]

If they are listening on Friday morning.

[B]

Friday morning.

[A]

What is Lucas doing?

[C]

Lucas. Lucas tomorrow is coming in fifth place in a division of four people.

[A]

Gonna have his hand raised on the podium. How cool would that be when you're on the podium?

[B]

Did you just say fifth place in a group of four people? Yeah, I know, I'm sorry. I should have just skipped.

[C]

I appreciate you doing the math on that, Josh.

[B]

I'm slow.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

Yeah. So when you're on the podium.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And you get that if somebody.

[C]

If somebody drops out and I make it on the podium, dude, it will be.

[B]

Can we just. Can we just take these out and beat on him right now?

[C]

You could, but I won't edit it out. Which. That. That's.

[B]

Have you heard any of my stories.

[C]

That this will just show how, how purple belts just take advantage of white belts, even off the mats sometimes for their own good. Perpetuating these negative stereotypes about mid level belts that just are rude.

[B]

It's for their own good.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So what was your first competition?

[A]

Purple belts and stripes in a little bit later. But what was your first jiu jitsu tournament like?

[B]

So I love that story. I hate that. No, it's a funny story. Yeah. That was not cool.

[C]

I like the way that target moved.

[B]

Like I was gonna drop.

[C]

New target acquired.

[A]

Perfect.

[B]

Gonna drop some ser. Beneficial knowledge. But now, no. Yeah. So my first tournament, I want to say I was six months in. I never really had a drive to compete, but I do know our coaches there are always like, hey, if you really want to test your skills, go roll against somebody you don't roll against. Six, six days a week. And I was like, cool, that sounds cool. I didn't really know the point system, honestly. I still don't really know the point system. I Basic ones. But I didn't know there were points.

[C]

Until a couple of weeks ago when a guy went north south on me and I. And he was like moving around. I was like, oh, that's cool. And then I, I swept him. And then he was like, you got to move. I was like, why do I have to move? I'm in good position right here. I'm feeling comfortable. He's like, well, you're not going to get any points. I was like, I don't. I don't know what that means. He's like, yeah, you got to. If you don't move, then they don't give you points for not moving.

[A]

I was like, so I can't wait for Saturday.

[C]

So I've gotta like. So I literally. I was like, so that break dancing stuff you were doing on my face a second ago, that was four points. He's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, you got to do that.

[A]

Troll to north, south to the other side. Neon belly mount. Oh, they regarded. Oh, I pass guard right back. People will let people regard to half guard just so that they can pass guard, get side control again just to keep racking up points.

[B]

Yeah. Which. That's not my style.

[A]

No.

[C]

But I didn't even know that was a thing.

[B]

Points are a thing. So when I.

[A]

Sorry. Let you finish. Sorry. My first offline.

[C]

So I'm coming in fifth out of four.

[B]

No. So that your. Yours will be like mine. I was six months probably into jiu jitsu. Memphis did not have a ton of tournaments that would come through there. So we went to Nashville. So three and a half hour drive.

[A]

Oh, you don't have to, you know, your drive short.

[B]

Yeah. So we go to Nashville.

[C]

My attention span.

[B]

Clearly. But a bunch of the guys are going. And so I sign up and I get there and it's a Naga tournament. So say what you will. Like they're putting on tournaments. I don't have anything against it. Now, you might see some things there, but.

[C]

You make it sound like it's a motorcycle. Like you might see some stuff.

[B]

You might. Yeah, you might.

[A]

He's not far off, right?

[C]

Okay.

[B]

But whatever it is. And I only signed up for gi, so that was. That was one thing. So even though we did a lot of foot locks and leg attacks, like in the gym, we would just do them in the GI. At that time, I hadn't technically done no gi. We just take our GI top off and we'd start doing the stuff. So I did know enough to know like, I can't go in there. And I. At six months in, I probably couldn't have thrown any solid leg attacks anyway. But I'm just saying that. So I went in as a white belt in the gi, Leave early in the morning, drive over to Nashville. I get there, I'm supporting everybody else, haven't eaten anything. My time to go is like in the afternoon. It gets pushed back, it gets delayed. The. It's not. That's one thing I'll say. It's not the most on time. World League is pretty good for on time. I want to give them a good nod for that.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I haven't done a Naga in a long time, but back then it was very poorly structured in the time part of it. But there was always a lot of competitors, so that was, that was a good thing. So I decide I'm gonna eat a cheeseburger.

[C]

My dude.

[B]

Yeah. So I had a cheeseburger, gotta stay fueled. And then I get told like 30 minutes later it's time to go. So I have this cheese greasy stadium cheeseburger lodged in me. These are not excuses on why I lost. I'll get to that point.

[C]

You just throwing premium fuel in a sports car right there.

[B]

So I go down there, get all ready to go. We start and. And the adrenaline dump was real. And again, like, we roll a lot. So my first time, like the adrenaline dump was. Was pretty real. Like even like standing in the bullpen and going out there. It. And it. I never really felt like that before because, like, even in sports, again, I wasn't any superstar. I was mid, mid range. Like, so There was never any, like, for me, there was never any pressure on any of that. And I didn't feel pressure, but, like, it was my first time rolling against somebody that wasn't either from my gym or cross training in my gym. So, like the butterflies got in there and I was like, wow, this is weird. And, and then the cheeseburger, and they're like, yeah, it's real weird. And we go out there and slap hands, grab grips and lie that adrenaline dumped. And I just remember feeling like I felt better, but I felt super fatigued all of a sudden. Just, just with that dump all that to say I did not do a good job of studying points, so I just was gonna go in it with the idea of I'm gonna roll like I roll at the gym. And when you win at the gym, not that we keep track of wins, but you get a submission, you reset, you keep going. So I was like, well, I'm gonna do my best to get a submission. And I knew there were points, but I was like, in my quest to get these submissions, I will get points or I won't get points. And that's about what I put thought into. So I'm out there again as a six month white belt. You know how many submissions you have in your tool belt?

[C]

Both of them.

[B]

Right. And I knew enough, like, hey, don't, don't mess with the legs. So we go out there and somehow, like, he pulls guard, I pass guard, I sweep him. Whatever the points add up to, I end up being ended up with like a minute left in top side control. And I'm up like 12 to 3. And I have no clue how, but I had done the right things to get the points. I'm frustrated because none of my.

[A]

Every time you went to a position you settled, you were at least mindful enough to settle for what, three seconds?

[B]

Three seconds, yeah. And I don't even know if I was mindful enough or if I was just trying to think of what the next thing I'm supposed to do to set up this submission.

[A]

Oh, my gosh, I'm actually here. What do I do here?

[B]

How do I get his arm for a key lock, you know? And none of my submission attempts work because this guy's, I mean, they, they break it down and we're, we're probably the same level, so it's not like you. It wasn't, none of it was easy. Somehow I'm up like 12, 3, 10, I don't know, something like that. And I look over and the girl coaching me she's an upper belt at the gym. She's like, just stay there. Just stay there. Hold it. You know, the clock's under a minute. I'm up and I'm like, just stay here. Like just sit here and ride the clock. I'm gonna. So I garage.

[C]

It had a cheeseburger. I'm ready for this.

[B]

41 year old me would have stayed there. Unless the opportunity. I would not have rushed anything.

[A]

I'll say that. Yeah. You would have been patient.

[B]

I would have been patient. If something comes up, cool. If not, I'm cool to. In a tournament.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I was like, play to win, man. I got time. And I'm. I'm gonna go for this arm bar. I can barely get up and spin and hit it in class, but I think I can get it right here in this tournament with this cheeseburger in me. With this adrenaline dump. I go for it. Miss. He comes on top, chokes me. I lose. And. And the girl coaching me just as I, I mean, I tapped it. It was legit. Like, he did what he was supposed to. As I tapped. I look up, she just, she's like. And walks off. Like. Which.

[A]

Great coaching, by the way. I know you're being polite to her, but as a coach, she'll never do that.

[B]

No, but hindsight I understand. And, and she. We talked after. Like there was, There was no withdrawal there. It probably wasn't good optics for anyone else. I know how I need to be coached. And if my coach is upset with me, I should probably see it. And I'm fine with that.

[A]

Okay. I'm the same way.

[B]

It's. It's the same. I'm gonna.

[A]

But I don't think it's good coaching.

[B]

I'm gonna. I don't either. But the conversation after, there's no. I don't cool.

[A]

I don't have a good conversation after. That's all that matters.

[B]

And my. And I, I kind of attribute that to. Do you remember I'm going to use Aiden's. One of Aiden's matches where he got foot locked and Brent was coaching him.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And Brent's a great coach and he didn't throw up his hands or walk off or anything. But their conversation right after I was standing there, he goes, well, you did absolutely none of the things I told you to do. And that's how I attributed it. Like when I heard that, I immediately went back to my first tournament. I was like, I literally did the opposite of what my coach told me to do. So I'm going To give them a little grace. So there, there's a level of that. There you are correct.

[C]

I'm really looking forward to my coach saying things that I don't know what they mean. That's my, my number one. Like, that's the thing that I anticipate is probably gonna happen is that I'm gonna get an instruction that I actually don't know what it means and that, that will be the teachable moment for me is they're gonna be like, I told you to do this. And I'm just gonna be like, okay.

[A]

Well, unless Aiden has a match going.

[C]

On for me at the same time, this thing that you, you're asking me.

[A]

To do, unless Aiden has a match going on at the same time, I'll probably be coaching you with Brett, you know, helping reinforce what Brent's telling you or Josh or Mike Brown.

[C]

So, so what you guys should do is one of you should say the thing and the other one should have a whiteboard and just draw the picture. Or I mean, I can hold position and like kind of, you know, shuffle around.

[B]

Me and him will act it out real quick, like right next. And then we'll all get, we'll all get escorted out.

[A]

It's like interpretive dance.

[C]

That would, that would be it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So, okay. Yeah. The first tournament, you lose first tournament. Do you have any other matches other than that one or.

[B]

No, there's a single elimination. Single elimination on that one still.

[A]

That's why I like Jiu Jitsu World League.

[B]

Guaranteed two match get to espes, especially at lower belts when you just want to get reps. Still got bronze for that tournament though.

[A]

Yeah. Participation trophy. Let's go.

[B]

Threw that in the trash when I left. And I, and again I.

[C]

My man, it's funny that he says that in both of you. Like, oh, you're going to get your hand raised, get hardware. You'll. You'll like it. And then Josh threw it in the trash. You like, that's what I'm talking about.

[A]

No, we're saying you're going to get.

[B]

It because you're going to win your.

[A]

Way to the top.

[B]

So write it down. Yeah, so that was it. That was it. Supported the rest of the team. You know, again, it's a Jiu Jitsu tournament. Like I wasn't, was I? There's a level of like wanting to be better, but also like, all right, well, we'll go work on some more stuff. Obviously I'm six months in. Like, everything needs to be worked on. So it was overall a good Experience.

[A]

That's awesome. Okay, so you had overall good experience. Do you keep competing? Does it up your training? Do you, like, how does this affect your jiu jitsu training?

[B]

Yeah, I would say, as I probably from there on, like, I was already training pretty heavy, but I, I got to where I was going five days a week, and then I started adding Saturdays. So I'm literally pretty much training every day but Sunday, picking up the pace, and I felt like, as a white belt, I was progressing again. I'm, I'm envious and not in a bad way of the people that just have a high jiu jitsu IQ and take to it easily and all of these things. That's not me. So I put in a lot of work, six days a week, and it made me feel like I was progressing at about what an average white belt should progress, and I was fine with that. I. And I competed. I competed a good bit. I wouldn't say, like, I was a competitor again. We're doing Nagas and AGFs and. Yeah, and smaller ones. Nothing, Nothing big ever came through Memphis. And again, I have a family and I work, so I wasn't really traveling too far out. We'd run over to Arkansas for a tournament. We'd run over to, you know, there'd be some in Mississippi.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I, I, I went and did another white belt, and I think I did four white belt tournaments, and each one, like, got a little bit better. Like, I would. I got a, a win at the second one and then lost twice and then got silver at the third. And I think finally by like, the third or fourth one, I actually got gold, you know.

[A]

And then after that.

[B]

Nope, nope. No soon after that, though, so they tricked me. So our, our gym did stripes back then, and I had three stripes, one white belt. And I showed up for the promotion night just to support everybody because I was like, there's no way. Like, I only have three stripes. Like, no factor. And they promoted me from three stripe to blue belt. And I was like, no, I don't want this. But that one didn't feel as bad as when I got my purple. Like, I was like, okay, it's. I have at least shown progression and that. I've always said, like, that's the only belt I ever wanted was blue belt. Not for anything other than me personally to be like, I'm actually taking this seriously. I don't mean that bad against any white belts. And I've never been, like, chasing a belt. But getting from white to blue for me was always like, I'm really doing jiu jitsu now, and I've put in the time. Even though I don't know if I deserve this blue belt, I'm not just a white belt.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't know if that makes sense, but it does.

[A]

That's awesome. It's cool to know that you worked hard for something.

[B]

Yeah. And I feel like I put in the work, even though when they call my name and I had to go through the gauntlet, I was like, I shouldn't be here yet. Like, I'm not beating any of the blue belts in the gym. I mean, you know, what year did.

[A]

You get your blue belt?

[B]

So that would have been. I'll have to run it back. I got my purple belts in 2018, so I got my blue belt maybe 2015.

[A]

Yeah. That was towards the end of me fighting.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so we were white belts together.

[B]

Yeah, we were white belts. Yeah.

[A]

White belt Mafia together.

[B]

I remember the first day you came in to a daytime class, and I had just gotten. I was always, like, for a while, I was the newest guy. So, like, I'm the lowest man. White belt on. There's other white belts, but, you know, they've been training longer, so they're more advanced. Advanced. So again, it's not an ego thing. But anytime some new person walks through the door, you're like, I might actually get to try something on offense.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So JP walks to the door. He's got a white belt. He can barely tie his belt. No, that's not true.

[A]

I was like, I've always done how to tie.

[B]

I'm just kidding. But no, he.

[A]

But it's like a brand new belt because I never trained in the gi.

[B]

Never trained in the gi. And I don't know if at that time, early on, I had even seen you in the back or anything. I think that was our.

[A]

No. Because I always trained in. In the evening.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because that's when the. The. The.

[B]

Oh, that's right. That's right. Yeah.

[A]

It was in the evenings.

[B]

So JP comes through, and I'm. Again, I wasn't like, I'm gonna crush this white belt. It was like, hey, here's a newer guy. He doesn't have any stripes on his belt. Like, I might actually get to do something. And we pair up. I think we drilled together, just worked out. And then when it was time to roll, we rolled, and he got on top of me, and I couldn't sweep you. And I was like, this guy's not a white belt.

[C]

Liar.

[B]

And then I find out he does MMA in the back, and he's been training for years, and he never puts on the gi. And.

[C]

So is that. Is this moment. Is this, like, the genesis of Yalls relationship and friendship starting?

[B]

Probably. I mean, I feel like we hit up. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Because then after that, there's more noon classes, and then Josh and other guys from just the Jiu Jitsu side, they were. It was cool. Like, the gym was cool when it came to, like, support.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And if there. If there was fighters fighting, like, people would come. Like, even, like, just Jiu Jitsu practitioners that never trained or never trained the MMA side or, you know, never did no GI with us or whatnot. It was. It was pretty cool.

[B]

It was cool. Everybody kind of got in there just to be a body to throw around. We had it. We had a guy that was Jaleel. Same thing happened with him. He. He came out in a gi just to get his grappling reps for his fight, and I was like, what the heck? Who is this guy?

[A]

Jaleel is a. I mean, he's still fighting Bellator.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Incredible athlete. Just stupid talent. He's actually one of the guys. One time I called him Whiskey Tango, and he's like. I was like, what does that mean? I'm like, you're wasted talent. Because he wasn't putting in the work.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm like, bro, I don't. If I had a quarter of your athletic ability. A quarter of your athletic ability, with my mindset from the SEAL teams in life, I was like, I would be in the ufc, but I don't have his athletic ability. So I quickly realized when I was fighting mma, that was never going to be the case. But Jalil, he was. He was crazy, man. You know how he got his first MMA fight? Fight. He was sitting in the crowd watching fights, and they. You know, they had a fighter back out. You know how.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Tennessee and Mississippi used to do it back in the day. There wasn't a lot of regulations that they were falling for mma.

[B]

And you're fighting in a flea market, though.

[A]

You saw some things.

[B]

We saw some things.

[A]

Yeah. No, you're literally fighting in a flea market or a furniture market or.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

On a stage, at a concert venue. I don't know if anybody really knew there was fights going on there or not, but. But Jaleel was at a fight just watching, and his wrestling coach was there cornering somebody. I believe. I believe this is a story, but I. I don't know who communicated to him, but I know he was There watching, and they needed a fight. And so, like, he was like, you. You stepped in there. Yeah. Like, he had to borrow somebody's, like, cup and shorts and, you know, a mouthpiece to, like, fight. Because he didn't have any of it.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And so he borrowed the stuff and beat them crap out of some dude. Really good wrestler. Like, real unreal wrestler. And so his wrestling coach. I believe it was his wrestling coach that was there, Rod.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[A]

He. He got him into it and then now, you know, amateur, I think he's undefeated. Amateur.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then he was undefeated pro for a long time until his, like, ninth or tenth fight, I believe.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he still fights?

[B]

Still fight, yeah.

[A]

But, yeah, so we'd have those guys there and Josh and I, that's where our friendship blossom.

[B]

Blossom. Yeah. We'd go grab lunch every now and then and yeah, just kind of went from there.

[A]

So what was the. For you, the transition to move to Texas? So it was business related, but walk me through that decision making process that you had internally, and then how did you express it to your wife to get buy in? That's a big move, right? She's a small town girl like my wife, and all of a sudden you're saying, hey, we're gonna move to Texas.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That was three young kids.

[C]

Were y' all still going to her dad's church at the time?

[B]

Yep.

[C]

Oh, dude, that's a massive move.

[B]

Yep.

[C]

Yeah. Okay.

[B]

And I, you know, we'll get. Yeah, we'll get there. I. I probably could have done it better, but. So all this while, while I'm training, competing at white Belt, I compete some at Blue Belt. I'm also like, the guys that own that gym, like, we, we know them, they train with us. Like, I see what they're doing. They decide they're gonna open other locations of just kickboxing. Well, at one point, they opened a location on the other side of town in Midtown that had jiu jitsu and the kickboxing, it started doing well. So then there were. They started floating the idea, well, we'll just try a kickboxing only model in East Memphis. So a third location in Memphis. And the kickboxing kind of took off like it was stood up on its own. And, you know, I'm not involved, but, you know, I'm just seeing the process as it's going. I'm liking what I'm seeing again. I'm still doing cardio kickboxing for workouts in between with jiu jitsu, and still have that goal because I know how much it helped me. And they decide to. It was like a trial. I remember they were talking about it, and they're like, we're going to open a kickboxing only location an hour outside of Memphis in Jackson, Tennessee, and we're going to see how it does. And it did well. And that kind of just solidified. I was like, okay, I've seen them open all these locations. It can be a viable business on its own. Getting to teach there and see, like, Blake would show me the ins and outs of, like, the system behind it. I was like, this could be, like, a viable business, not just a side thing. But that's when my wheels got turning. Like, okay, they've already opened up four in Memphis. I've got to find somewhere else to open one. So I just started looking, and I mentioned it to Jennifer, and she was on board, even though there was nothing set in stone. Because I looked at. I had DFW on the map. I had Austin on the map. There was a spot in Kentucky I was gonna look at. I have a cousin that lives in Albuquerque, and I've always liked it out that way, so that was also a possibility. And then I knew I just had to start making these trips out to these areas just to see what it's like, because, again, I never been a lot of places. I'd been out west. I loved it, but that was more in the wilderness. Like, you need to be in the city to see where you're going to open a business, to know if it's even viable. So that's. That's kind of how that ball got rolling right there. And I remember. So I remember when you moved, you're like, cool, man. I'll. I'll see you on in Dallas eventually. And I was like, man, I don't know, you know, maybe. I don't know. You know, it's on my list. But I always remember that she's like, yeah, I'll see you out in Dallas. I was like, oh. Oh, maybe weird. And then because you moved what month?

[A]

January.

[B]

Yeah. And then it was. I want to say April. I texted you, and I was like, hey, I'm. I'm coming to Dallas just to look at spots. Now, I wasn't fully decided, but I had been looking at other places, and now it was time to go to Dallas. And I was like, I'm just gonna go drive around, see what areas I like. Just. Just see. So hit you up. And I loved it. Like, it was demographically, the income, like, the way it was laid Out. I was like, man, I could literally pick anywhere and find a great spot to put a gym. So I think that was April. Maybe it's somewhere in that time period because we started the process. No, it had to be a little sooner. Had to be March because then we started the process and then I came back a couple more times to find the locations and we found our first location, signed the lease, started the build out, and I moved my family in. July of 18, I was still working. So I would drive to Memphis, work all week, get off work super late Friday night, early morning, drive all the way to Dallas. I'd be here Saturday, Sunday, leave Monday, drive and go straight to work. So I'd have to be there in the afternoon and did that for five or six weeks every weekend.

[A]

That's unreal.

[B]

Until it got to the point where like, okay, now I need to, the build out's almost done. I need to focus on marketing and building it up. And that's when I finally quit and went all in with the first one.

[A]

Dude, that's unreal. But that's what it takes to build and establish a business.

[B]

Yeah, it was, it wasn't just cool, I'm gonna go do this. And then it happens and then the people come. Like, you got bills to pay, also the money you're putting into the business.

[A]

Like, so how much time would you say while you're working your regular full time job, were you putting into the business before the business started producing income?

[B]

Working time just in general, like even.

[A]

If it's a couple hours a day.

[B]

While I was, so while I was in Memphis working full time. Oh, 100% probably. Because you could do some of that stuff while you're at work, on break, whatever.

[C]

So they know that now.

[B]

I had a very good, I had a very good working relationship with my, my boss there. But it, I wouldn't be doing things because it's, it's overnight. It's not like I'm reaching out to people or, or anything like that.

[C]

It's, you know, doing marketing calls.

[B]

No, it's 12am but it's planning thing, it's, it's ordering things, it's, it's getting list together what you need. So. Because in that phase I wasn't actually actively reaching out to the community because we weren't to that point yet. But in that phase before I moved, I was probably still. So I'd work 12, 11, 12 hour shift and I was probably still putting four or five hours a day just in the planning process to it. That's Incredible. Yeah. That greatly shifts. Once I quit my job and came out and it was all just focused on the business because then it goes to. You're out all day doing stuff and then you're doing your computer stuff and then you're planning your stuff and you're doing 16 hours a day. Spend on the business 17 hours a day. I mean, enough to eat with the family, maybe go train. But honestly, all that wasn't a priority to me at the time. So all that stopped and you're just all in. So like you're eat, breathe, sleep.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, because you want it to grow. Like you've put all this money into it. There's no way. You're just, you can't just drop this money into it, open this thing and hope people show up.

[A]

Yeah. So with that type of intentionality needed to build the business while also being present with your family. What, what systems would you use to organize your day? Were you pen and paper, calendar? Do you use your phone? Technology was our hybrid. Like what did you do to keep you organized and intentional? Because with that, I mean, you have to make the most of every moment you're.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Awake.

[B]

So I, I use my, my phone a lot and pen and paper at the time hybrid. I didn't really keep a calendar. Now on the flip side of that, our, our software system for our prospects that come through the gym, it puts them in, in a calendar as they schedule and stuff. So it was structured in a way like if I needed to follow up with people that were coming, it. It was calendared out that way. But as far as the things I needed to get done, especially in the build out phase, like getting inspections, getting permits, getting H vac guys in there, all that stuff, it was. I was pen and paper and then some on my phone.

[A]

Nice. Any lessons that you learned that you feel our listeners should, you know, receive in regards to building the business or if you were to do it over again, what would you change?

[B]

Hmm. So lessons learned, I think like I went in with a. With a healthy ambition and was prepared to put in the work. I will say this. So my brother moved out here with me and I don't know if we would have had the success we had right out of the gate without his support.

[A]

Dude.

[B]

Because there's, there's just little things you don't think about along the way and having that extra set of eyes, his brain behind it. Like he. So he got into kickboxing at the gym down in South Haven. There was a location as well. And he started teaching down there, and he loved it, and he knew what I was doing, and he wanted to come support and be a part of it. And it was the both of us that built it. So I wouldn't say I bit off more than I could chew, but I. I didn't plan the amount of load I had, but my brother was there to help carry it, so it worked out okay. I think you have to plan for all contingencies, start to finish. And as well as I planned, I kind of got lucky and we wouldn't be there without him. So, I mean, it was all meant to be, and I'm grateful for that. But I think for me also, the mindset going into it had to be all in because I'm literally quitting my job, moving my family. And I think a lot of people do. We were laughing about it, but a lot of people have the idea of, like, I've got this great idea, it'll make money, but they don't want to put any effort into it or minimal effort, and they just expect that. That it's gonna blow up overnight, and it's just not the case. No matter what it is, whether you're selling something, whether you're training someone, like, you need to plan to the point. I remember when I was starting, everybody was like, you're not gonna make a profit for three years. I think that's the average before.

[A]

Yeah. It's like three to five years.

[B]

Yeah. So that's a heavy pill to swallow. So you have to put things in place to prepare for that. We didn't take out any loans to open it, so all the equipment we bought. And it was. I think part of that, though, is knowing like, hey, I'm living off of what I have until the business starts making profit. Like, we need to get going.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I just can't stress that enough. I think so many people just aren't. Not that they're not capable. They're not willing to put in the work, to see something through to the finish.

[C]

JP's talked about this idea of the. The good idea fairy. Right. And it's one of those things where somebody's like, oh, I have this great idea. And then they tell it to, you know, a buddy of theirs who runs a successful business, and they sit down and like, oh, cool. What are you gonna do with it? I told you, I would like 15% of whatever you do with this great idea that I came up with. And. And I wonder how much of that is a product of the influencer culture from Social media. Yeah, that, you know, 100%. Yeah. You know, if you're consistently coming up with good ideas, you're putting your face in front of somebody, then you get enough follows and then people will do it. And so they're like, oh, you know what? I found this, I improved upon this idea, I'm going to give it to somebody else and then that's going to grow it. When the reality is that so many of those things that we see in somebody's like, oh, well, here, use my ten step program. Well, all they're selling is the program. The story that they told you is absolute garbage.

[B]

Right, right.

[C]

Because they, they told a story to get your attention, not because there's anything there. And when push comes to shove, doing the work becomes really difficult and that becomes the deterrent is the difficulty in getting over those things when you realize you have to be dependent upon you.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

For something.

[B]

Well, and I think even so, where we're at now, we have a good team in place. It doesn't mean it's not work. But you're absolutely right. The influencer thing, people see these lifestyles and they're like, that's what I want, that's what I want. I just want to build this thing and then I'll just sit back and it'll run and it's not the case on the front end for a long time. And even when you do and you put the right team in place, it's work, building your team. And even then you're still not hands off on it. Like the idea that you want to be an entrepreneur and go to work so you can not work anymore just, it doesn't make sense to me.

[C]

Yeah, we've had to do this with volunteer vetting and it's this, it sounds really, really harsh, especially from a church perspective. But if somebody tells me like, hey, you know what, I've got some time, I want to volunteer. I really feel like I want to take over this area. You, I'll ask them like, what are you doing? And they're like, well, currently nothing. Like, so you, what are you doing during the day? Well, you know, I'm, I was a full time student and now I'm doing nothing. You're, you're not going to get put in charge of, of anything.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Because if you're currently doing nothing, then that means that whenever you get this responsibility, you're going to continue to do nothing. But now you're going to be doing nothing with this title and expectation that we have on you. You like you can come and make this your project for the next six weeks and then we'll talk about it.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And three weeks into it, it's, it's over. Like, they stop showing up.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And those things seem harsh, but they save us from, you know, it's those. You've said this before, like contract save relationships that like, hey, you know what? Before we say yes to everything you're, you're wanting to do, show up here for three to six or show up here for six to eight weeks, we'll have a regularly scheduled time for you to show up to start some volunteer stuff. And if you don't make it to the end of that time, we'll just know. This wasn't a good fit. And there's a book, the one Ethan and I were talking about, Spiritual Leadership, when Ethan May was on the show. One of the things it talks about in there is to ask your busiest people for help because they understand what the value of time is. A person that does nothing will continue to do nothing, except for now, add frustration. And I think that's where a lot of young entrepreneurs or a lot of young aspiring entrepreneurs, they get into to that mode. Like, I'm doing nothing right now, but I read Tim Ferriss's Four Hour Work Week, and so I know that all I have to do is work for four hours and then I'll be able to coast and make passive income. There's no such thing as passive income.

[A]

No.

[B]

Well, I think for me too it was aligning what my. What my. I know now what my mission is, but like the fulfillment that comes from it. So it was clear with Total Fitness kickboxing, it had helped me. I wanted to help other people and then also make a living doing it. But even the other, other outlets past that, you're gonna, you're gonna work for it if you believe in it. So I think having your ideals lined up with what you're putting your effort, your passion into is a, is a huge deal. At least it was for me because I had a great job where I was at, and I don't have any complaints. I had good working relationships. I, and I wouldn't say I would have been unhappy staying there, but knowing my personality, how I'm wired, what I wanted to do, being able to put all that effort into someone else's company, which again, there's nothing wrong with. What do they call that? Intrapreneurs instead of entrepreneurs?

[A]

We need that.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. For me, if I could take all of that effort and put into something, I Believed in and to build and then build it up to whatever you want it to be. As long as it stayed in line with my mission, my passion, and my purpose. Like, I'm getting fulfillment from it. I'm more likely for me to keep putting all my effort into it. And then as you build the team out, like, I don't know how far we want to go ahead, but it opened up other doors to me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To where I had room to do things.

[A]

Yeah. And that's actually the next thing I want to talk about. I was going to ask you is like, you know, you had this mindset towards business in your marriage, and, you know, you're very intentional with what you do. And, you know, so the very first time we had a roll call, and it was in September 2018, and we did not anticipate how much volunteers we were actually going to need for that. And we realized it, like, the day before morning of. And I saw. I sent a text message out to a bunch of guys, and they all rallied, and Josh was one of them. And. And then since then, there is, you know, opportunities with the FTXs. You know, I think Joshua was actually like, hey, if you ever need help, let me know. I was like, okay, cool. Awesome. And then it came point where we needed help with an ftx, with. With role players because we knew the pro. The program was gonna be growing and expanding, and I was having different people come out to help as role players. And, you know, Josh was. Took it very serious, was very attentive, was sitting there listening, taking notes during all the debriefs. Like, wasn't messing around, wasn't playing with his gear, wasn't distracted. And those are the things that Cody, myself, and other instructors look at.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's like, hey, you're an adult coming out to be a part of a great organization. We're going to see what you do, what are your natural. And. And it's also. This is an environment where we know most people are going to be on their best behavior. Yeah, we know that. And so it's just like, part of, like, okay, do you feel like you're entitled or are you going to be humble and work hard? Well, Josh was humble and worked hard. And since then, it's grown to the point where now he's. He's running all the administrative, logistical sides of our field training exercises at Echelon Front, where he's taken all the stuff off of Justin's plate. And then Justin, you know, when we brought him on board, he was taking all that over and now, as the company has grown and expanded, Justin's now more focused on our sales side and growing out sales for all the Echelon Front, not just for FTXs. And in order for Justin to be able to do that, Josh needed to take stuff off of his plate and have alignment with Cody and Heather and Jen from the op side and everything else that. And so he's now at that point where we are running FTXS because of Josh's involvement, where, yes, he's 1099 part time, but he's working these things full time. And that's because he implemented the laws of combat, the message of victory that we teach Echelon Front into his business. He's been able to properly implement decentralized command and show his people that he cares about them, he trusts them, he listens when they talk, he shows them respect, he allows them to influence them. We were talking the other day about one of his instructors going, hey, I was thinking about doing this on. In the evenings, on this day, for this time, and here's why, and here's how we're going to do it. And to the point where all Josh had to do is go, sounds like a good idea. What can I do to support Green Light?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, that's like a leader's dream.

[C]

Is me about it.

[A]

Just to have these people just being proactively trying to solve problems and make things better. So he has a team of people doing that. He's doing that Echelon front. It's pretty rad.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. And so quick rewind. So I, I read Extreme Ownership when it came out. I think it came out. What year it was?

[A]

2,000. 20. 15.

[B]

15. Yeah. So we knew each other.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

But I don't, I don't think. I think it was after that. It's real blurry back there, but I don't. I don't think I knew you worked for Jocko until after.

[A]

Yeah, after.

[B]

Because he went on Rogan's podcast. I know that wasn't his first podcast, but that's the first place I heard him. Yeah. And I always joked, I was like, well, I started Jiu Jitsu before the influx of people from Jacob before it.

[A]

Was cool because of Jocko, because we.

[B]

Saw like a ton of. Which is awesome. I'm.

[A]

Yeah, thank you.

[B]

But I had my claim to fame. Like, I was already here.

[A]

Yeah, I was joking. Say I was Jocko's. I. I was a fan of Jocko before. It was cool to be a fan of Jocko because You know, we go back, way back, a little way back, yeah. Josh the same way with his jiu jitsu.

[B]

But I heard it on the, the pod, ordered the book, I read the book and then I realized he worked for him. So that was like bonus points. But I had utilized extreme ownership in the medical manufacturing job. So like that was my focus at first was business and then I saw how it applied to life. So they didn't. There wasn't an FTX program, there wasn't any of these things. It was literally just the book at first.

[A]

Yeah. And then I came on board in October 2016 at the first muster. So that was a timeframe when you read the book.

[B]

Right. But even then it was so apparent, it spoke to me so well, like I could start applying it to my life too, my marriage. I applied it again to my business when I started it. And so like then when the opportunity comes along to have anything to do with this, like, so again the trend here is fitness kickboxing fulfilled me. It helped me, I wanted to help other people with it. Extreme ownership comes along. It's helped me in my business, in my marriage, and then now I get this opportunity to go be involved in as little or as much as I'm allowed to start. Like this is hitting on again what that mission is like, oh, this has helped me and then I can help facilitate other people get this. And it was just an easy no brainer.

[A]

I will say that the thing that also has always stood out to Cody and I with Josh and you know, also to Justin and even Leif and Jocko, like they know these things and you know, and Jamie as well is, is Josh's patience with the growth of Echelon front because I mean we're, we're a decent, you know, we do a decent amount of work. Right. As an organization. But yet that doesn't mean that the organization is growing and expanding at the rate that others would want it to be.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So Josh has had that tactical patience as we talk about of like, okay, cool, I'm in, I'm getting involved at this phase. Cool. That might mean that I'm going to be part time 1099 for two, three years. Now that's not ideal, but it's also not a bad thing. It's not horrible, but it's him having that patience of going, oh cool, I'm helping build something. It takes time. Yeah, it takes time to be a part of anything that is in the beginning stages of growth. And you know, from the standpoint now even like I Want our listeners to hear, like, from Josh, who is coming in as a support personnel. Hey, I want to support the mission. I believe. I believe in the mission. I want to support the mission. I want to help you guys out. Cool. What can I do to help? Like, that's what people tend to miss out on. Yeah, they. They. Unfortunately, some people have this sense of. And I've seen it at Echelon Front, which is crazy. And, you know, obviously, those people are no longer there. And I see it in businesses a lot is where people come in, and because they're helping now, all of a sudden, they have this entitlement of, like, having things at a big level. And you're like, man, if we could, we would. And that. It's been cool to see that. I know you see that within your church, right, for giving people opportunities and, you know, just. And Josh has seen that with Total Fitness kickboxing as well. It's, you know, I'm sure you've had people that came in to help us be instructors, and all of a sudden, they're, like, expecting you to open a new location so they can run that region.

[B]

I have heard that one.

[A]

And you can pay them $dol y'. All.

[C]

Yeah, like. And that's what's so cool about these, you know, these things in particular, and how once you work the steps and you're invested in the laws of combat, you can actually now allow yourself to go and expand and to do other things. And, you know, one of the things you said about being intentional about helping out, I was actually talking with somebody about this. I've got a friend who, working for a small local business, they're expanding their hours. And as they've expanded their hours, they've hired new people, and they're actually going to cut his hours, 10 hours a week. And he called me today, and he was like, I'm livid. And he wants to go in and he wants to talk to the boss and just, like, give him an earful about how much he's invested in the company. And, like, you know, I. I helped you when this was nothing. And you open the store and I'm, you know, got it set right, and Now I'm losing 10 hours a week. And I've got a. It's like, hold on. Is this something that he did to you, or is this something he did for the business? Let's. Let's detach. Let's take a step back. He did not do this to you. He did this for the business. So if you can go in, have a meeting with him, have a meeting with, you know, your regional manager and say, listen, super stoked that this is growing. I understand we're hiring more people. More people will need hours spread, you know, across the thing. I've lost 10 hours a week. I really want to stay here, believe in what the company's doing, believe in the mission. What can I do to make up these 10 hours a week so I can be part of the future of what you guys are doing? Because I really believe in what's going on. I was like, bro, I can't promise you that you're going to get exactly what you want, but I can tell you if you have that attitude, you've just shown him that you are way more valuable than everybody else that's a part of this. And when that ability to scale comes, you're going to be on the team instead of like what JP is talking about, the people. And I think that this particularly happens with organizations like Echelon Front, where you've got somebody at the top like Jocko, that is a well known public figure. And then whether or not like, okay, so I did an event with Echelon Front and now I get to say that forever, right? I've got that bragging right at the gym, I've got it at the Jiu Jitsu gym, I've got it at the bar with all my buddies. And that it didn't mean more to me than just being able to say that I get to put on my resume. I worked with Echelon Front. And there's a difference between the guy that wants it to put it on his resume or to be able to tell the story and the person that, that wants to, like we talked about a couple weeks ago, earn that black shirt, you know, every, every day of the week, earn that spot at the table. And, and that's the difference between then the dudes that stick around on the team and, and the ones that you're like, hey, listen, you know, thanks for coming, man, we appreciate your effort today and we'll. Don't call us, we'll call you.

[A]

And the people that that situation has happened with, they're not bad people. It's just like that we did not have alignment, right? And that's okay.

[C]

That's again, not everybody's a great fit.

[A]

And it doesn't mean that they're a bad person. There just wasn't, there wasn't alignment. And you know, desire and capabilities are two different things. Things. Well, we have to be capable of maintaining alignment and that means, you know, if you're wanting to be a part of a team, then you, you should be able to conform to the culture, organization.

[B]

And it's not hard. I mean, that, that was the easiest, it was the easiest transition for me. I mean, I showed up to volunteer at that first one in 2018 and then I was building TFK, so I didn't do anything for a while. And then it was, hey, come sling shirts at Mer at the Merch. Stand in wherever, you know, just for the must. That's three trips a year. So it's not like you just show up and start doing things like you just. If you believe in the mission. And even those little interactions I had with the attendees and the team and here, $30 for your shirt. But getting to hear the training, it just furthered that mission. But the biggest thing was seeing as the team grew, how the team interacted with themselves, keeping that alignment, the willingness to support, the willingness to cover and move like it's still a team of people. They say that all the time at the FTX is like, there's still problems. It's just how quickly and people go about to fix those problems that makes it one of the most top notch things. And as I've continued to grow and have the honor to do things in there, it just expands that so much more and more and more. And then, I mean, when you show up. So my first time as a role player at the ftx, I mean, you've got Cowie, you've got Jesse, you've got like these studs, these people that are Green Berets and Navy seals and now they run Denver swat. Like, I have something to say. Like, there's a, there's a, Keep your mouth closed and listen and you'll learn some things and they don't come across that way. I hope nobody misconstrues that, but there's a lot that you can learn as a new person there. I remember my first one getting ready to go. I asked J.P. i was like, okay, what do I need to know? And he was like, there's this guy named Jesse. Do what he does and listen to what he says. That was my training. And so I found Jesse and I was like, what do we do now? And it's, it's, yeah, it's being aligned with that mission and being willing to take on whatever you can to further it. That's what makes the difference. You're not, you're not, you're definitely not in there for, like you said, just to be like I worked for Jocko. Like, yeah.

[A]

And, you know, when Josh shares that, like, I mean, that was the guidance I gave him, because it was also. So, yes, he's one of my friends, but, like, you have to be able to separate business and friendship. You. You have to. And while he. Yes. Is one of my very. At the time, one of my very close friends now. One of my best friends. Absolutely. But at the time, I also, to preserve our friendship, needed to see what he wanted. I needed to see. Not like, hey, Josh, what do you want? I needed to see. And you can see what people want by their actions. Not their words, but by their actions. And so that's why I gave him that, hey, get with Jesse. Listen to him. Ask him for help. Like, you know, Jesse's a guy you'll. I wanted to see. Like, is he gonna be humble enough to go to another man and be like, hey, what do I need to be doing? What. What can I help with? Because I also know Jesse's a great leader.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Green Beret, was in Afghanistan when the war first kicked off, was a firefighter when he got out, became a police officer. Has been on Denver SWAT for an ungodly amount of time, was a sergeant with the. The gang unit unit, is back on the SWAT team as. As a. In a leadership role. I mean, it's incredible what this guy has done and does. He's a phenomenal leader. And Jesse's been helping us with FTXs for almost seven years now.

[C]

And he. He looks, like, handsome the rock.

[B]

Well, in. In what you said, like, beyond his. His resume, I also knew he had been doing it for years and years and years. Like, this guy. No, and it. And it doesn't cares. It doesn't. I was about to say, doesn't hurt at all that he's such a good person and he cares, and I can take that full circle. So Jesse's still on the FTX team. I run id, even in my small box of what I'm responsible for. I run ideas by him. Like, what if we did this? What if we did that? And. And it doesn't. I'm not. I'm not in charge of him or anything, but. But just little ins and outs. Like, I was thinking this, I was thinking that. And he's always good to give me feedback. My point in saying that is he's also comfortable enough to give me honest feedback. So I've had a couple. And I don't think he'll mind me saying this because he did it for my growth. I would check in with him and he had.

[A]

Feedback points.

[B]

Yeah. And they weren't. They were things I needed to improve and I took him to heart. And then the next time I had another one and there were still some things that were not great from the first one. But he was not afraid to tell me that. Not because he wanted me to be like, yeah, you did this so bad, but because he cared also and he could correct me if I'm wrong. I think we have a good enough relationship that he knew that I really did want to get better and I was taking it to heart. I don't think he would disagree with that. So I'm comfortable saying that. But yeah, yeah, the, the relationship there with that and being willing to, to learn from somebody that has been doing it longer than you and also has this impressive resume that they never brag about, but these are legit accomplishments. Like, that's, that's what you want to learn from.

[A]

Yeah. So I think that's a good, good pivot point for us to, you know, close this out is, you know, and obviously we'll get you back on here and, you know, we can talk about more business specific things because I know there's a lot of business knowledge that you have that our listeners can benefit from. And, you know, I, I would love for us to talk about why you and your wife homeschool and your thoughts behind that. We homeschool as well. I know Luke is probably going to do the same thing.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Currently we homeschool.

[A]

And so. But I just want to say thank you for your time. Obviously, I want to be respectful of your time and I think it's a good pivot point to, you know, as we close it out for our listeners to really think about, like, hey, there are a lot of opportunities that you have in your life. Are you willing to put in the work?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, you know, I know you listen to this podcast, so I'm gonna close it out with some things and then we'll have you share some final thoughts before I close it out completely. So, hey, we appreciate you guys for listening. Have some updates as we're closing this one out. So I just want to thank you guys, guys for the time you guys spend to listen. Listen all the way. Sharing, subscribing, commenting. You know, hey, if you're not subscribe to us on YouTube, you'll be notified when YouTube exclusive episodes come out or any little videos that we might be working on in the near future. If you want to follow us on social media, I am at jpdonelle that's J P D I n n e L L and then Lucas is at Lucas Pinkard L u c a s P I n c k a r D and Josh is at. So that's at J o s h s T r a u s s B e r G e r and then also Total Fitness Kickboxing is what. What are those two on social media?

[B]

Let me double check. It's TFK_ Denton and TFK_ the Colony.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

I believe I'm just glad I don't.

[C]

Have the hardest name on this podcast this week. Yeah, good. Good luck typing that in there.

[B]

Yeah. TFK Denton Underscore tx and then the other one I think is TFK underscore the Colony Underscore tx. But it's awesome.

[A]

If you go to Josh Strasberger's page, which is J o s h s r a u s s b e r G e r on Instagram, you can find the other businesses he's a part of. We talk about on the Path. Josh and I are business partners with on the Path Printing. So if you want to send us a message on the Path Printing for any of your apparel printing needs, send us a message. Make sure you're checking out Echelon Front.

[C]

There's some cool stuff coming from the past.

[A]

I watched.

[C]

I say I watched. I saw. Well, no, I watched. Isaac was wearing one of her the new Be about it shirts. Jesus and Jiu Jitsu reels. Yep, pretty busting.

[A]

Also, make sure you're checking out Echelon front. Go to echelonfront.com click on events. You can see all the different events events we have. We have the Muster coming up. We also have the Muster with a one day ftx. Actually all the Musters this year is going to include a one day FTX option. So the opportunity to run through that FTX right after two days of the muster, which is going to be incredible. We also have the individual FTX coming up. It's trending towards selling out pretty close. The one in March here in dfw. Also, if you want us to come work with your company, we are a leadership consulting company that was founded by Jocko Willink Leif Babin in 2012. They wrote Extreme Ownership in 2015 on board as a first instructor in 2016, Dave Burke shortly thereafter, Jamie Cochran, day one employee helping out and it's really cool that I get to be a part of the the leadership team with them.

[C]

And new editions of their second book Dichotomy of Leadership. Right now which is. Which is pretty cool.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

I forgot about that.

[C]

Yeah. The updated edition. What I really want them to do is I want them to update and do a third edition of Extreme Ownership and all of the times where it says or that there's a reference to you that doesn't say your name now that you're out of the teams and that they can put it in there. Like, I want to know who's who in some of these stories now that we've got more guys that are.

[B]

That are out.

[A]

Yeah, like Matt Hasby.

[C]

Yeah, like. Yeah, like has been some of those. And especially some of the guys that are working there. I think classifying some of that stuff would be kind of fun.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Also, Josh and I are part of a ministry called Jesus and Jiu Jitsu. We. We run that with Stephen, Lucas and Isaac. We have a podcast that has episodes that come out every Tuesday. We're doing an event every four to six weeks. Our next event is Saturday, February 15, at Double 5 in Highlands Village. Victoria is going to be our expert. It's always a great time. You know, we give a free Jiu Jitsu seminar. Someone shares their testimony. Actually, we know who's sharing the testimony. Titus, who is sharing his testimony, which is going to be incredible. And then you open it up up for some open mat training. Also, make sure you check out little cattle company.

[C]

Get that beef.

[A]

Yeah. Dog Texas Beef Co. I'm a part of. I'm going to give you guys a heads up. You probably got the emails if you're part of it. What we have on the website is going to be all that we have for a while. They have decided to shut down, or should say pause the beef sales for an uncertain amount of time while we work on a restructure of a little cattle company needing to create a sustainable structure with the beef and the beef sales. The tallow we are going to still. The beef sticks. We're still going to be doing. But we're placing a pause on the beef sales. So whatever's in stock, that's what we got for a while. But we will keep you updated on that. You know, we appreciate all the support you guys have given. It's just a. It's a pivot that we're needing to make in the. In the business and, you know, look forward to seeing how that, as we say, play out. But you can still be a wholesaler for the beef sticks and the beef tallow products that we have. So if you want to be a wholesaler for that or if you have any questions on the pausing of the beef, send an email email to amandaittlecattle co and we will get back to you and help you know, you guys navigate that transition to shift. Also, Leif, Jocko and I have a company called Bruiser Arms. You can check us out on Instagram. It's Bruiser Arms. Send us a message about any custom gear packages you would like us to help facilitate and or custom training programs that we can put together for you. Also go to originusa.comjockofuel.com to check out some incredible 100% American made Jiu jitsu gear, hunt line gear, pants, jeans, boots, hoodies, sweaties, belts, wallets, all the things that are 100% American made and jocker fuel and the joggers are awesome. Jockerfuel.com for the supplements that clean energy where drinking, the discipline goes here on the show. All the other supplements are awesome. Molk is an incredible tasting protein Krill oil.

[C]

A big fan of the krill oil right now because I got old man joints and the krill oil is bro, that's, that's the thing, I think that's keeping me moving.

[A]

Yeah. Josh, what closing thoughts do you have?

[B]

Man, I'm just honored to be here. Obviously I listen to the podcast, there's been some incredible guests. Some of them I know, some of my don't know. And then to even be included in the mix was humble, humbling, so well deserved. I appreciate being here and the opportunities you've given me over the years. Your, your friendship and man, closing thoughts. Kind of like we were talking about, I think if, if there's something you want, you just need to be willing to put in the work. And I think a level of that. I don't know if I touched on that, but as you're growing, the people you surround yourself with are gonna come into play on that. Like your supporters, your closer circle. Like it's very important that you have the right people around you and that you have the right mindset as you go forward with whatever your goal is. And that can apply to anything in life, business or whatever. So. But you got to go through the work to get where you want to, to go. So.

[A]

Yeah, I agree. Well, I appreciate you being here, Brad. Appreciate everything that you do. And I hope that this episode has been a great reminder to our listeners, as I know it was to myself, to go out there to continue putting in the work that was needed to put in the effort to build your legacy and to never settle. This has been the JP Denow podcast episode 71.