The Morning Routine That Saved My Life - Kreatures Of Habit Podcast

Podcast Summary: "The Morning Routine That Saved My Life"

Podcast: Kreatures Of Habit Podcast
Host: Michael Chernow
Date: November 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this solo episode, Michael Chernow shares the personal morning routine and daily habits that transformed his life, particularly as they relate to his journey through sobriety and entrepreneurship. Drawing on his experiences as a sponsor in addiction recovery, a business owner, and a champion of consistency, Michael reveals how discipline, nutrition, and community have been the foundation for his enduring success—both for himself and those he mentors.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Power of Consistency and Discipline

Role Models in Sobriety:
Michael recounts how seeing successful, relatable, sober men inspired hope that recovery was possible for him. He aims to be that figure for others now.

“They see a guy like me...that’s what 20 years of sobriety looks like. I can do this because I had that feeling with my first sponsor...successful, jacked Muay Thai competitor.” (00:00)
Discipline Equals Freedom:
Michael believes discipline is the bedrock for freedom and peace of mind, since sticking to a plan frees up mental space.

“I’ve got ‘discipline equals freedom’ tattooed on my hand...Discipline, without a doubt, is the only way to freedom.” (05:50)
Repetition Breeds Mastery:
He likens sticking to daily routines to elite athletes drilling fundamental skills, noting real change emerges from “monotony.”

“Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Saquon Barkley...shoot from the free throw line all day long...the concept is monotonous, but we get better every single time.” (01:20)

Nutrition as Daily Anchoring Habit

The Oatmeal Habit:
Michael attributes much of his transformation to the small, repeatable win of eating oatmeal every morning—a suggestion from his sponsor he still follows.

“He said, I want you to eat oatmeal first thing in the morning, every morning...it was my job to stick to. That was such a win for me in those days.” (16:00)

“Oatmeal became a massive game changer in my life...If I can do that for even one person, I've done my job with Kreatures of Habit.” (17:30)
Nutrition Fuels Confidence and Courage:
Getting consistent with nutrition, according to Michael, empowers people to tackle bigger challenges in all areas of life.

“Nutrition is so impactful and so powerful in how we feel...If you can stay consistent with your nutrition, it gives you the courage, that gives you the confidence to be able to apply that to other areas in your life.” (03:00)
Food as an Intimate Relationship:
He highlights the significance of food, calling it perhaps the “most intimate” relationship, since it literally becomes us.

“The relationship that we have with food...it is one of the most, if not the most, intimate relationships we have.” (18:40)

Community, Connection, and Helping Others

Legacy of Sponsorship:
As a sponsor for two decades, Michael knows firsthand how brief the intervention window can be with someone new to sobriety—emphasizing the need to provide practical, actionable routines immediately.

“You get very little time with someone who's just stepping into recovery. Very little time. Like, if you miss them, they're gone. So for me, it's very simple. I lay out the law, out the gate” (10:18)
The Joy of Connection:
His passion lies in connecting and helping people, both one-on-one and at scale.

“My passion in life is connecting with humans at scale...typically when you connect with other people, it fills your cup, but in many cases, it's also filling their cup.” (08:00)

The Warrior Mentality

Inspired by Military Routine:
Michael draws parallels with military protocols, asserting that clear, repetitive daily structure builds resilience and “warriors.”

“The military...these guys are able to get out there and protect the nations because they are given a protocol. Every single day. You wake up at this time...now you're a warrior.” (06:45)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Overcoming Early Sobriety Doubts:

“Me, 23 years old, thinking sobriety was the last stop on the train and my life is over...gonna spend my days in church basements and libraries. Then this guy walks in the room and I'm like, oh shit, I could do this.” (02:00, 15:30)
On the Magic of Little Wins:

“Having wins peppered in throughout your day just make life better...it's really the little things.” (09:40)
On Food and Identity:

“Food goes into your body, your body breaks it down...makes us. There's nothing else that we have a relationship like that to.” (19:15)

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:00 – The importance of relatable role models in sobriety and discipline
01:20 – The value of consistency in routines (athletes as example)
03:00 – Nutrition as a catalyst for confidence
05:50 – “Discipline equals freedom”—foundational principle
06:45 – Military protocols and building the “warrior” mindset
08:00 – Passion for human connection and helping others
09:40 – Power of “small wins” throughout the day
10:18 – Approach to sponsoring men in addiction recovery
15:30 – Early doubts and epiphany on recovery being possible
16:00 – The oatmeal ritual and its importance
17:30 – Kreatures of Habit’s mission: change lives, one meal at a time
18:40 – “Most intimate relationship”—the bond with food
19:15 – Reflection on how food literally becomes us

Conclusion

Michael Chernow delivers an inspiring narrative about the power of habitual, disciplined routines—especially in the struggle for sobriety and achievement. Centered around honest storytelling and practical advice, the episode’s core message is that simple, consistent wins—like eating oatmeal daily—can become catalysts for dramatic personal transformation. With humor, warmth, and vulnerability, Michael urges listeners to build routines that enable freedom, purpose, and self-belief, one small habit at a time.

Transcript

A (0:00)

They see a guy like me and they're like, oh, I could do this. Like, this dude is cool. He's got businesses, he's got tattoos, he's been around. Like, that's what 20 years of sobriety looks like. I can do this because I had that feeling with my first sponsor. This guy walked in the room, he was covered in tattoos. Super cool guy, successful, jacked Muay Thai competitor. And me 23 years old, thinking sobriety was the frickin the last stop on the train and my life is over. I'm gonna spend my days in church basements and libraries. So I am now that guy for men. You could look at me and say how I did it was a successful way. Maybe not the only way, but certainly a successful way. It is all about discipline, consistency, fitness, faith, nutrition and community. That's it. So I'm going to tell you exactly what I want you to do from the minute you open your eyes in the morning to the minute you go to bed at night. Funny enough, the guy that I first was sponsored by did that for me. And I still do that shit. I still follow loosely the same exact plan. And it is given me a life. So rich, an entrepreneur straight out of New York City, Michael Chernow. What's cracking the most change happens in life the more consistent you are. It's just. And, and I think that there's like, people think that there's like this create this like monotony in doing the same thing, but what people don't realize is that we get so much better when we stay consistent. And so the best change is the better change. You know what I'm saying? Like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Saquon Barkley, like those guys shoot from the free throw line all day long, hundreds of shots. Saquon Barkley runs the exact same routes over and over and over again. The concept of it is monotonous, but the thing that we forget is that we get better every single time. And that's where the biggest changes happen, right? Because like, once you get better at something, you build more confidence. You build more confidence, you get more courage. Courage is like what, you know, gives someone like Saquon Barkley the, like the, the confidence to fucking. He hurdled over somebody backwards. Like you don't. You don't do that if you're not confident with the fucking route. So I just kind of, I just kind of think the business of creatures a habit. For me, the passion of the business was really in getting to people. Getting to people and giving them something that I'VE used for so long to stay consistent in my life, starting with nutrition. Nutrition is so impactful and so powerful in how we feel. Like what we put into our body really dictates how we feel. And if you can stay consistent with your nutrition, it gives you the courage, that gives you the confidence to be able to apply that to other areas in your life. Nutrition is essential. It's necessary. We need it. Because I've got discipline equals freedom tattooed on my hand. So I'm biased, right? I believe that discipline, without a doubt, is the only way to freedom. Because, you know, once you know what you've got to do, like, everything outside of that is freedom. Like, once you know what you have to do and you actually are good at doing it, everything outside of the things that you've got to do is freedom. Because you're not. You're not. You don't have to, like, bang your head against the wall trying to figure out what to do next. What am I supposed to do here? What, what it, what's going to work for me? What's not going to work for me? You find the thing that works, you stick to it. You do it day in and day out. You build the discipline, you build the strength. You get better and better and better. And then all the, all the moments in time throughout your day, throughout your life where you're not doing the thing that you know you need to do to stay on point. Free time, free time. You're not, your brain, your mind is not caught up in thinking about all the things you should have done, all the things you could have done, all the things you would have done, because you know what you got to do. And that's, you know, like, you think about the military. That's why, you know, these guys are able to get out there and protect the nations because they are given a protocol. Every single day. You wake up at this time. As soon as you wake up, you do this. As soon as you've done that, done that, you do this, you do this, you do that, you do this, you do that. And now you're a warrior. Warriors are consistent. I mean, my, my passion in life is connecting with humans at scale. And typically when you connect with other people, it fills your cup, but in many cases, it's also filling their cup. So really, when you boil down my passion in life, it's actually helping other people. I love, love connecting with people. A conversation for me, a good conversation for me is more valuable than most things in life. Like, I love getting into a good conversation with Someone and typically that person is feeling the positivity, the optimistic energy that I feel when I'm embarking in conversation. Obviously, that's why the landing in the world of restaurants was so great for me because I could talk to people all day long, non stop, and I just was like, my cup was just filled. It was like it was only until, you know, all the business stuff got involved that made it harder. Right. But I've been sponsoring men in addiction for 20 years. 20. A little over 20 years. And that, you know, what I learned about that is. And I don't think this only applies to people that are struggling with addiction or are looking for help. Having wins peppered in throughout your day just make life better and wins that you can rely on little things. It is really the little things. And so whenever I start working with a guy who's in addiction, I lay out the law, out the gate, because that's a, that process is, you know, you get very little time with someone who's just stepping into recovery. Very little time. Like, if you miss them, they're out, they're gone. So for me, it's very simple. I have be. I have, I am a guy that, like other men, specifically younger guys, you know, in their teen, late teens, early 20s, that are, that are, are like, oh my God, like, I need help. They see a guy like me and they're like, oh, this is, I could do this. Like, this dude is cool. He's, he's, he's got businesses, he's got tattoos, he's. He's been around. Like this guy's got a presence like this guy. I could, if that, if that's what 20 years of sobriety looks like, I can do this. And. But I know that, that feeling because I had that feeling with my first sponsor. This guy walked in the room, he was covered in tattoos, super cool guy, successful, jacked Muay Thai competitor. And me, 23 years old, thinking sobriety was the freaking. Was like the last stop on the train and my life is over. I'm going to spend my days, the rest of my days in church basements and libraries. Like, that's what I thought. And then this guy walks in the room and I'm like, oh shit, I could do this. So I am now that guy for other men. And. But I know that the time is fleeting. So like, I lay out the law very quickly. I'm like, look, here's the deal. I can only share with you how I did it. Now you could look at me and say how I did it was a successful way, maybe not the only way, but certainly a successful way. And this is what it looks like it is all about. Discipline, consistency, fitness, faith, nutrition and community. That's it. So I'm going to tell you exactly what I, what I would want you to do from the minute you open your eyes in the morning to the minute you go to bed at night. And funny enough, the guy that I first was sponsored by did that for me. He said, this is what you're going to do the first minute, second, you open your eyes and here are the steps that you're going to take throughout your day until you hit this, hit your pillow, sober at night. And I still do that shit. I still do it. I still have the same, I still follow loosely the same exact plan. And it has given me a life so rich and if I can help people by introducing them to a richer life. Not saying that people need to get sober, not saying that this is only for people that are addicted, but like, this was something that that guy gave me. He said, I want you to eat oatmeal first thing in the morning, every morning, because it's satiating, it's healthy, it's easy, it's accessible. You can add anything you want to it to make it taste however you want. Like, that was such a win for me in those days. Like, hearing it from that guy who is in the shape that I wanted to be in, as successful that I wanted to be, as cool and as good looking as I wanted to be, telling me that this was, like, what I needed to do and this was a win that he was going to place in the beginning of my day, every single day. That, like, it was my job to stick to. Like, I was like, hell yeah, I want to do that. And that's where oatmeal became a massive game changer in my life. And I know that sounds so insane and ridiculous, but like, yeah, oatmeal really was a catalyst to changing my life. And so if I can do that for even one person, ideally at least one person a day, I've done my job with creatures of habit. You know, that's the plan with creatures of habit. Let's just change people's lives, you know, one meal at a time, and give people the confidence that, like, they have the ability to stay consistent, they have the ability to, to choose the right fuel for their bodies. Because ultimately our food is the, you know, the relationship that we have with food. No matter who you are and where you're from, it is one of the most, if not the most intimate relationships we have. It just is. Think about it. The food goes into your body. You ingest it. It goes into your body, Your body breaks it down and then makes us. It makes us our cells. It makes us. There's nothing else that. That. That. That we have a relationship like that too. So starting with food, give them the goods. That's it.