Permanent Weight Loss Through Mindset, Walking, and 100% Commitment With Stanley Bronstein

Summary

Podcast Summary: Permanent Weight Loss Through Mindset, Walking, and 100% Commitment

Podcast: The Amazing Authorities Podcast
Host: Mitch Carson
Guest: Stanley Bronstein
Date: February 20, 2026

Episode Overview

In this powerful episode of the Amazing Authorities Podcast, host Mitch Carson welcomes Stanley Bronstein—a CPA, attorney, and transformation coach who lost more than 200 pounds and has maintained it for 17 years without surgeries or drugs. Stanley shares the mindset shifts, habits, and unwavering commitments that enabled his "permanent transformation," and introduces his replicable "Way of Excellence" framework. The discussion touches on emotional roots of obesity, the pitfalls of diet culture, the science and spirituality of sustainable health, and how anyone can become “virtually limitless” by committing to long-term change.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Stanley’s Backstory and Turning Point

• Childhood Roots and Emotional Triggers

  • [01:29] Stanley attributes the start of his obesity to emotional trauma: "My mother died when I was 8, and that messed with my head. And here I am living with my massively obese father, and we both just ate ourselves in oblivion."
  • By age 13 (his bar mitzvah), he weighed more than he does now as an adult.

• The Wake-Up Call

  • [03:45] At age 49, weighing 367 lbs on a 5'7" frame, Stanley asked himself, "Where am I going to be in five years if I keep doing what I'm doing? ...The answer was dead. And guess what? I didn’t want to be dead."
  • Unlike previous failed attempts, he committed to permanent—rather than temporary—change, starting February 1, 2009.

The Four Pillars of Stanley’s Transformation

• Immediate, Radical Changes

  • [04:11] Stopped drinking alcohol and poured his last bottle of scotch down the toilet.
  • Eliminated all soda, including diet: "I was drinking three [2-liter bottles] a day...I took my last bottle of soda, poured it down the toilet...Haven’t had one in 17 years."
  • Quit red meat, then all meat over time, eventually shifting to vegetarian, then strict vegan.
  • Movement: Began modest walking (2-3 blocks), then progressed to hours of pool walking, eventually walking 10–15 miles per day.
  • [06:42] Lost 50 lbs in the first four months, then steadily over years—emphasizing persistence, not speed.

• Mindset and Non-Perfectionism

  • [07:47] "I had failures. I messed up. I had good days, I had bad days...We're gonna make mistakes. The question is, do we learn from those mistakes? Mistakes are proof that you're trying."

• Diet Evolution and Results

  • Adopted vegetarianism, then veganism to break through plateaus.
  • [10:49] Lost an additional 50 lbs rapidly after giving up dairy, all without excess skin due to gradual loss and consistent exercise.

• Consistent, Identity-Based Habits

  • [12:29] "I have walked a half marathon or more every day for the last 14 months...I'm 100% committed to it. I do. It's who I am. My identity has changed."

The "Way of Excellence" System

Stanley details the 20-step "Way of Excellence," a system to achieve sustained success in any area:

• 1. Tell it like it is / Awareness
  • [14:10] "Back on February 1, 2009...I told it like it was. I said, if I don't do this, I'm going to be dead."
• 2. Long-Term Thinking
  • Emphasizes permanent change for lifelong results.
• 3. Personal Responsibility
  • [17:55] "Blame does not fix problems...All that fixes problems is figuring out what needs to be done and then doing it."
• 6. Perspective Shift
  • Shifted language: "I get to eat better, I get to go out and go walking. And it's my privilege, not my obligation."
  • Inspired by Peggy Chun, a quadriplegic woman he met: “Whenever I had a morning that I didn’t feel like walking...I asked, what would Peggy Chun do if she could?” ([22:58])
• Persistence & Resilience
  • [25:10] Motto: “Beat yesterday. Your goal is to be better today than you were yesterday.”
• Commitment
  • [27:51] "When you are 100% committed, there are no decisions to be made."
• Willingness
  • [30:40] "The three most important words in the English language are: Are you willing?"
• Integration
  • [32:32] #20 is “integration of mind, body, spirit” reaching wholeness and balance.

Stanley’s Principles & Philosophy

• On Blame and Ownership

  • [20:21] “Blame is irrelevant…Analysis, paralysis, it's about action.”

• On Excellence Over Perfection

  • [14:57] “The goal is not perfection. The goal is excellence…I stopped being a perfectionist and became a good-enoughist.”

• On Diet and Health Fads

  • [41:00] Stanley rejects quick fixes, keto, and carnivore diets for being unsustainable: “Whatever you choose to do, I will support you…but I question the sustainability of keto diet based on my own lived experience.”

• On Identity and Lasting Change

  • [37:27] "The first step is changing your identity, who you are—becoming a different person…learning what those [past traumas] are, healing them, loving yourself, being kind to yourself."

• On Commitment as a Superpower

  • [27:51] “I am 100% committed that only healthy food is going to enter my mouth…When you make a bright line, 100% committed, you stop asking questions…There are no decisions to be made.”

Notable and Memorable Quotes

• [07:47] “Mistakes are proof that you're trying.” —Stanley
• [12:00] “I am more powerful than I ever imagined.” —Stanley
• [12:37] “If I'm more powerful than I ever imagined, so is everybody else…You are more powerful than you ever imagined.” —Stanley
• [14:55] “The goal is not perfection. The goal is excellence.” —Stanley
• [20:21] “Blame is irrelevant…traction starts when you drop your ‘blame thrower.’” —Mitch (quoting a friend)
• [22:58] “I get to go out and go walking. It’s my privilege, not my obligation.” —Stanley
• [25:10] “Beat yesterday. Your goal is to be better today than you were yesterday.”
• [30:56] “If you're not willing, everything I've said before doesn't mean a damn thing…Are you willing to permanently change?”
• [34:00] “Balance is not something you find. Balance is something you intentionally consciously create.”
• [39:57] “I focus on health span. I want to be there. So the question is…come back in 50 years and let’s see who was right.”
• [44:41] “I had what I call a moment of healthy selfishness. I put my oxygen mask on first…Too bad, I’m doing this.” (on telling his wife when he started his transformation)
• [47:02] “TheWayOfExcellence.com...all kinds of free resources...the mission’s more important than the money.”

---

Important Segment Timestamps

| Topic | Timestamp (MM:SS) | |-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------| | Stanley’s childhood & obesity origins | 01:29–02:29 | | Turning point & "slow aside" | 03:45–04:11 | | Initial radical lifestyle changes | 04:11–06:11 | | Persistence and daily walking | 06:47–08:25 | | Diet plateaus and going vegan | 09:52–11:59 | | 20 Qualities of Excellence explained (highlights) | 14:10–34:00 | | Importance of commitment and bright lines | 27:51–29:41 | | "Are you willing?" mindset | 30:56–32:32 | | Integration of mind, body, spirit | 32:32–34:00 | | On "the mission is more important than money" | 34:56–36:08 | | Dietary fads and individualized approach | 40:40–44:11 | | Stanley’s “healthy selfishness” with his wife | 44:23–45:56 | | Where to find Stanley’s resources | 47:02–47:56 |

---

Practical Takeaways

• Permanent change > temporary fix: Sustainable, identity-level change is the only way to lasting results.
• Walking is scalable & accessible: Stanley’s “superpower” for weight loss and health is simply walking—lots of it.
• Commitment reduces decision fatigue: "Bright lines" about food and exercise turn decision-making into automatic behavior.
• Embrace being 'good-enough': Aim for progress and excellence, not perfection—mistakes are part of growth.
• Empowerment is universal: “You are more powerful than you ever imagined.”
• Free resources available: Stanley offers his full “Way of Excellence” system and books at TheWayOfExcellence.com.

---

Memorable Moments

• Stanley pouring out his last bottle of scotch and soda as an act of “symbolism and ritual” ([04:11])
• Peggy Chun’s inspiration and perspective shift: “What would Peggy Chun do if she could?” ([22:58])
• Healthy selfishness: “I put my oxygen mask on first” ([44:41])
• Daily walking streak—half-marathon/day for more than a year ([12:29])
• Stanley’s description of “excellence vs perfection” and becoming a “good-enoughist” ([14:57])

---

Resources & Next Steps

• Visit TheWayOfExcellence.com for Stanley’s videos, resources, and books (all free).
• Reflect on: Are you willing to make a permanent change? What bright lines and identity shifts will you create?

---

Stanley Bronstein’s story is living proof that profound transformation is possible—through mindset, unbreakable commitment, and small steps multiplied over time.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Amazing Authorities podcast, where game changers, visionaries, and category leaders share how they built their brands, platforms, and global influence. Your host is Mitch Carson, international speaker, media strategist, and creator of the Instant Authority system. If you're ready to learn from those who've done it and want to become the go to expert in your space, you're in the right place.

[B]

Stanley Bronstein is our Amazing Authority today on the Amazing Authorities podcast. He has earned that distinction because. Wait till you get to the results. I look at people's results. I'm quite black and white in terms of airy fairiness or reality. And Stanley is well seated in reality as to what it takes to in order to be successful in life, successful with your health, and successful with your mindset. And Stanley, welcome to the show.

[A]

Thank you for having me, Mitch. Good to be here.

[B]

I'm going to jump right in with the most evergreen topic in America and through most Western civilizations. I think it's our weight. And what is behind that? You yourself went on an incredible weight loss journey. You lost over 200 pounds. How did you do that? I just have to ask, first of

[A]

all, answer your question. What is behind it? Money. Okay, we'll talk about that. Like so many things. Money from people. People who want to make money off of us. Okay. Anyway. Okay. What happened? Okay, my obesity started. My mother died when I was 8, and that messed with my head. And here I am living with my massively obese father, and we both just ate ourselves in oblivion. I got started getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. A lot of men like to brag that they're as small as they were when they got married. Well, I'm smaller than I was when I got bar mitzvahed at 13.

[B]

Geez.

[A]

Yeah. Jesus. Right? I mean, at my max, I got up to £367. Like, there's a picture here. I had for those. If they're listening without a picture, I had a 58 inch waist.

[B]

And how tall are you, Stanley?

[A]

Five foot seven.

[B]

Okay. All right. So that is huge for that frame.

[A]

Yes. And today I have about a 31 inch waist.

[B]

Good for you.

[A]

Big difference. No drugs, no surgeries. I. I will work with people. If people did the drug, want to do the drugs, or have had the surgeries, I'll still work with them. I'm not going to shame somebody. But if they come to me and say, do I need those things to lose weight? But my answer is going to be, no, you don't. And here's why. Now, where I really, you know, I had had many times in my life where I lost weight and then put it back on. Lost weight and put it back on. Well, as I was getting ready to turn 54 months for my 50th birthday, I had February 1, 2009, almost a little over 17 years ago, I woke up and I said to myself, where am I going to be in five years if I keep doing what I'm doing? And I didn't like the answer. Okay, would you care to guess what the answer was? Dead. Dead. And guess what? I didn't want to be dead. So I said, I need to make some changes right now. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month, not next year. Right now. Now, if you notice, that was February 1st, not January 1st. The reason it was February 1st is because I made New Year's resolutions January 1st, and I didn't keep them. I had quit. But come February 1st, I said, hey, no more, baby. I turned to my wife, I said, I'm done. I'm cooked. I, I did not hit rock bottom. You know, I hadn't had a heart attack yet, hadn't had a stroke yet. You know, knees hadn't given out yet. All, all those things were coming. As I like to say, I was committing slow aside.

[B]

Yes, I like that.

[A]

I was slowly killing myself, eating myself to death. And. But I made the changes before all that happened. So I said, I'm going to do four things. And the first one was I quit drinking alcohol. I used to drink scotch every day. Was I, was I an alcoholic? I don't know. It doesn't matter. All that matters is I said that, yeah, the alcohol was not serving me, I was serving it. So I took my last bottle of scotch. I believe in symbolism here. I poured it down the toilet, I hit flush. I haven't had a drink in 17 years, and I don't miss it. Then those two liter bottles of soda pop, I was drinking three of them a day.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

But they were diet caffeine free, so surely they were healthy, right?

[B]

Oh, of course.

[A]

No, but the soda companies who want to make money off of us. There we go. We're going to talk about the money, okay? They want to make money off of us. They tell us, oh, it's diet caffeine free, it's healthy. Drink this crap. Well, it's crap. I took my last bottle of soda, poured it down the toilet, hit flush. Haven't had one in 17 years. Don't miss it. Then I said, I want to make some a dietary Change. I gave up red meat, beef and pork. And when you consider that my father was a butcher and I grew up in a house with unlimited free meat, that was quite an accomplishment to give up beef and pork. But I did. And so, and then I said, I'm going to start trying to walk every day. And when I first started walking, I could only walk two or three blocks. And I live at the top of a very steep street. So I used to huff and puff. I could barely make it up the street to get back home. Had a lot of trouble. So I started going to the gym early in the morning that had a pool that wasn't busy, and I would walk laps in the pool. Oh, that's great. I did it for. It was good because it wasn't hard on my knees. Right, right.

[B]

Hydrotherapy, I guess.

[A]

Yes. I did it for an hour, two hours a day, three hours before I was building up. I wanted to do a five hour pull walk on my 50th birthday. And I did. I made it. I did one on my 50th birthday. Two days later, I did one for five and a half hours. So kept going. And by the, by the time I reached my 50th birthday, I'd lost about £50. Then I started walking outside.

[B]

Over what period of time was that? I'm sorry, I want to just make sure people.

[A]

Four months.

[B]

Four months in four months. So that's about £12amonth.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah. Well, first of all, when I started, first week or two, I didn't lose an ounce because I think my, I think my metabolism was so messed up that I just didn't lose anything. But, but there's a point to be made here. What I did differently this time from the previous times. I lost weight, was not only going to get started, I did not stop. I had failures. I messed up. I had good days, I had bad days. I am not perfect. You are not perfect. None of us are perfect. We're gonna make mistakes. The question is, do we learn from those mistakes? Mistakes or proof that you're trying?

[B]

Oh, I love that.

[A]

So I said, okay, I'm gonna keep going. I got started and did not stop. So I, I, then I started walking outside. Then after about four or five years of that, I said, I'm going to make another dietary change. I went vegetarian. I gave up chicken and turkey and I never liked fish, so I went vegetarian. I was still eating eggs and dairy since the date I did that. I've been sick one time in 12 years, and that was three days, four years into the process. And I think a lot of that was my body throwing off toxins from the losing the weight. It wasn't because I got exposed to something that made me sick. When I got exposed to Covid, my wife went to the airport, brought. Caught it in the airport and brought Covid home. The minute she stepped into the house, into the car, I knew she had it. I could feel it. Something was off.

[B]

She was a carrier full blown.

[A]

She had, she had it, but. But I could tell she hadn't been tested yet, but I knew she had it. For two days I was 75%, but I still did my walking activity. I still stuck to my diet. And then my body threw it off. So even at when I got exposed to Covid because of the dietary things I do and the walking that I do, and I had, I also had it had the vaccines. I'm sure that didn't hurt, but my body threw it off, you know, so I'm a big believer in healthy nutrition. I think that that helps us a lot. Organic or not, doesn't have to be organic. If it is wonderful. Like, I'll give an example. I have here, I have a. You might be able to see it. I have a. It's not lit. Now I have a hydroponic garden. Oh yeah. That I've got in my office where I'm growing some veggies and stuff. So so far I've gotten 10 salads out of it. And considering it cost me a thousand dollars, they've been a hundred dollars a salad. But, but, no, but, but, but I'm. But I'm gonna get a lot more out of it. Okay. So it's good and it's delicious. Wonderful. If you like bok choy. I've got the most beautiful bok choy you've.

[B]

Got.

[A]

So I tell me I learned this. I. So I did that for a few years. And then about then I got to a point where I reached £180 and I could not get the rest of the weight off of me. It just, I was, by that time I was walking 10 to 15 miles every day. That was 15 to probably 15 to 25 kilometers every day. Could I take you? It takes. I walk at two and a quarter miles an hour. So it was taking me, you know, five, six hours a day.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. You know, but I work from home. I work for myself. Plus I have a treadmill at home and I put a computer on the treadmill and I can sit there and work while I'm on The treadmill. Okay, I, I do that all the time. In fact, one of these days when I do one of these appearances I'm doing, when I'm on the treadmill, I just, I don't do it because it's a little distracting when I'm bouncing up and down kind of thing.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But so I said, why can't I get below £180 when I'm doing all this walking? So I said, I need to make another dietary change. I went vegan. I gave up butter, cheese and ice cream. And you know what happened? I lost £50 in like five minutes. I mean, I was getting up every morning, lost another pound, lost another pound, lost another pound, lost another pound. It was exciting to get on the scale. I mean, you know, when you were doing that. But so it was good. And then I finally got down to where I am today, which is around 145 pounds, you know, and all with no drugs, no surgeries. And the funny thing is because I lost it so slowly and I exercise along the way, my skin tightened up. I didn't get left with all this flabby skin like most people do, you know. So very fortunate. That was another thing I learned from the experience. Now, things I learned out of this first thing is temporary change is going to give you temporary results. Permanent change is going to give you permanent results.

[B]

I love that.

[A]

What I did, what I did differently was this time my changes were permanent. And I learned three things out of the experience. The first thing is I am more powerful than I ever imagined. I went from a 367 pound man who could barely walk two blocks to a 145 pound man who walks 10 to 15 miles every day. I'm actually on a streak right now. I have walked a half marathon or more every day for the last 14 months.

[B]

So it's an inviolate practice.

[A]

Yeah, I do it. It's, it's. I'm 100 committed to it. I do. It's who I am. My identity has changed. And when people say, why do you do this? I do it because I can. And I do it also because I've discovered that I'm virtually limitless. I mean, I'm sure I have some kind of limits somewhere, but I'm trying to find what they are. You know, I, I'm slowly stretching myself, but I'm doing it carefully and slowly because you don't want to break yourself. The goal is to build, not to break, you know, so, so you do those things and the other. But then I learned If I'm more powerful than I ever imagined, so is everybody else. You hear that? If you're listening, you are more powerful than you ever imagined. I'll repeat that. You are more powerful than you ever imagined. Believe it. Start to realize that. Learn it. Because if you believe you can or you believe you can't, either way you're going to be right. So start believing you can. And then the third thing it did was it made me ask if I could do. If I could lose all this weight, if I can do all this walking, what else is out there waiting for me to do that I haven't done yet, that I should be doing? And that is what has led to what I'm doing now, which is the accountant in me. The. The accountant and the lawyer. I've been paid my whole career to take complicated things and make them simple. So I said, how can I turn this into a system that can be replicated by other people for whatever it is they want to do? Be it weight loss, be it stop drinking, be it stop smoking, be it, just get your stuff together, be it whatever, be more successful, whatever. How can I turn it into a system, a human operating system? Think of Windows 11, Mac OS, Android, Linux, for how to be a human being. So I said, what's this system going to be about? Well, the first thing I realized was the goal is not perfection. The goal is excellence.

[B]

I love it. I love it.

[A]

The gay. Now I'll tell you the difference. When you're a perfectionist, the only thing that's good enough is being perfect. And considering nobody's perfect, there are no perfect people. But there never have been any perfect people. You're never going to be happy. You're not going to get there. What I learned, I started telling myself, good enough is good enough. I stopped being a perfectionist and I became a good enoughist. Yes. Yeah, and all these great terms. So I said, but. And here's the thing about good enough. You can be good enough, but that doesn't mean you can't be better. It doesn't mean you shouldn't try to be better. It just means you shouldn't beat yourself upside the head and punish yourself. Good enough is good enough. So. So I started doing that. So I said, what am I going to call this system? It's about excellence. I'm going to call it the way of excellence. And you can see by this nice color coded chart, you can see the accountant in me. It's nice and anal. Everything's color coded, it lines up, it's Nice and pretty. Everything matches now. So I asked myself, what are the qualities of an excellent human being? Well, I came up with 20 and I put them in a specific order for a specific reason. They all built on each other. The first one, like any good, this is not a 12 step program. But like in any good 12 step program, they tell you, admit yourself you have a problem. Admit to yourself you have a problem. So I said number one is telling it like it is awareness. See. But back on February 1, 2009 when I started, I told it like it was. I said, if I don't do this, I'm going to be dead. You can't be more telling it like it is than that. But there's a second part to it. For the first time in my life, I said I'm gonna act on that and I'm going to act on it in a manner that is consistent with step number two in the system, which is long term thinking. This is a long term game we are playing. Life is a long term game. You, you know, you want to be successful, you need to permanently change for the rest of your hopefully very long, hopefully very healthy, hopefully very happy life. You need to permanently change long term game plan. I actually have a whole book on that that's on my website. Download it for free. The law of the long term. And the problem is we live in a world that's all about short term. We live in a world that wants to sell us stuff. Money, money, money. It's all about the money, you know? Well, as you're going to see in this program, Mitch is not going to ask you for any money and I'm not going to ask you for any money. So maybe you should listen to us instead of the people, instead of the people who want your money. So then number three in the system, personal responsibility. I didn't blame my mother for dying when I was 8 years old. I didn't blame my father for not teaching me how to eat properly and letting me eat like crap and letting me get big and big and big. I didn't blame my father for not sending me to counseling. The reality is that was 1967 and back then nobody sent their kids to counseling.

[B]

Yeah, I had to go in 1970. Yeah,

[A]

that's, that's, that's interesting that you, they sent you, they sent you because

[B]

I had behavioral problems, etc. But that, you know, that's another topic. Yeah, I agree. It was a lot more, it was a lot less sensitive to what kids wanted and ADD and all these other acronyms. That were there during that time because we're the same and. Yeah, the same time.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's not their fault. Doesn't matter. And while I was at it, I didn't blame myself. You know why? Because blame is irrelevant. Blame does not fix problems. If you're a politician in Washington, D.C. listen to that. Blame. Blame does not fix problems. All that fixes problems is figuring out what needs to be done and then doing it. So I sat down and I said, what needs to be done? Well, what needs to be done is I need to quit drinking. I need to quit drinking soda pop and I need to start eating better and I need to start walking every day. That's what needs to be done. And I started doing it, and that's all that matters. I didn't beat myself upside the head. I didn't punish myself. But now look my history. Would. If I could go back and change things I went through, would I do that? Absolutely. But I have no regrets for what I went through. Because the truth is, it was necessary for me to go through those things to learn what I know now. Yeah, you know, I want to.

[B]

I want to touch on your blame component right there.

[A]

Go ahead.

[B]

Blame is irrelevant. I have a friend, I'm 41 years sober myself, through a. And he uses. He dropped his blame thrower before recovery took place. I thought that was great. Traction starts when you drop your blamethrower. And it was a cute play on words, but it's so true. It's blame is irrelevant. It's not going to help you today. Yeah, may explain where you are a little bit, but analysis, paralysis, it's about action.

[A]

See, that's one of the problems I have with psychotherapy, period. I had somebody the other day, you know, say, why am I the way I am? And I go, why is it relevant? Why is this going to explain why you are the way you are? All that matters is what do you need to do and are you going to fix it? You know that that's how I help people jump start. You know, you can go through years of psychotherapy focused on why, why, why, why, why. It's all nice to know. I mean, yeah, I know why I did what I did. It's nice to know all those things, but it's not necessarily necessary. You know, you want to lose weight, you want to get in shape. Well, let's talk about how you learn to eat better and how you learn to start walking, which is how I. What I recommend because it beats your body up less than almost any other form of exercise. And you can do it almost anywhere, almost any time. And it's inexpensive, so that's what I recommend. But then I started focusing on positive being positive, positive, positive. But then I did number six, perspective. I changed my perspective. I stopped saying, I have to eat better, I have to get up and go walking. I started saying, I get to eat better, I get to go up, go out and go walking. And it's my privilege, not my obligation. And you know how I learned that? I was accidentally taught that from a woman I had met two years earlier. Her name was Peggy Chun. She lived in Honolulu, Hawaii. She had Lou Gehrig's disease. She was stuck. She could not move. She was in a bedridden, on a ventilator, could not speak. The only way she could communicate with me was trained people would hold up an eye chart and they would read her eye movements. She could spell letters, letters to spot words. And when I saw her, the thought that went through my mind was, if I ever get like that, please put a pillow over my head and take me out. Well, that was not Peggy's attitude. Peggy's attitude was, my grandkids are coming over later today. We're going to go out to the park, and it's a beautiful sunny day, and we're going to paint in the park, and we're going to have fun. She said when I met her, it was because I was. She was right at the very beginning of going on a nationwide tour where I was going to interview 50 people for a book I was writing. And she was one of the very first people I interviewed. And she said, you're going to talk about to 50 people. She said, Tell me about all these 50 people. I want to hear about them. That sounds so exciting. I wished I could go with you. She had the most incredible joy for life. And so whenever I had a morning that I didn't feel like walking, I asked myself, instead of saying, what would Jesus do? I said, what would Peggy Chun do if she could? And the answer is, Peggy Chen would have gotten her lazy ass out of bed and she'd have gone for a walk. And she might not ever come back because she was having such a good time. So every time I go walking when I don't feel like it, this is for you, Peggy. So, you know, that was almost 20 years ago that I met her, still remember her, and I will remember her for the rest of my life. So she taught me something without even realizing she was teaching it to me at the time. And then I started Taking actions that were consistent with what I want. I want to get in shape. Well, going to Chinese buffets and drinking scotch and sitting on my butt's not going to get me in shape. So I started. I changed my actions. I started bringing healthy food to work. I started eating healthy food at home. You know, I am. Started walking every day. I stopped drinking alcohol. I stopped drinking soda pop. And lo and behold, I started getting in shape. Then persistence. Never give up. Never surrender. Get where you're going no matter how long it takes. There's a simple motto. I have beat yesterday.

[B]

Oh, I love it.

[A]

Your goal is to be better today than you were yesterday, better tomorrow than you were today. But realize as a human being, you're going to have good days and bad days. Sometimes you can have a bad day, and if you don't totally fall apart and you did beat yesterday, you are doing better. Just keep going. And if you do fall apart, pick yourself up. Back up. Keep going. Fall down seven times. Get up eight. Keep going. You know who my favorite animal is? My favorite animal is the snail. Steady, diligent, persistent, gets where it's going no matter how long it takes. That's me.

[B]

You know, the other one I like and I talk about is tortoise. Lives plods along. Rabbits get swooped up by hawks and eagles, eaten. They may be fast, but they don't play the long game. I love it.

[A]

Yes. One of my neighbors actually has a pet tortoise that lives in their backyard.

[B]

Yeah, Live a long time, Stanley. Right here. I just want to go back. You've dropped so many value bombs, truth bombs. Number one, fix your brain. And well before that, between your ears. Between your ears? Yes, between your ears. You have to make a decision. You have to make a decision that the past does not have to equal the future.

[A]

Meaning you get, you know, you get to make a decision.

[B]

You get to make.

[A]

You're still alive and breathing. It's your privilege. If you're dead, you don't get to.

[B]

Well, you made a decision. I'm just referring to what you did on your journey. You made a decision, I think you said 19 years ago. Was it 19? 17. 17 years ago, you made a very clear decision. Right before you turned 50 and in your 49th year made a decision. I don't know what it was. Maybe that was the milestone or was you looked in the mirror, but you made a decision nonetheless. You were going to let go and release the weight, not lose it. Release it and move forward. And you talked and you have all these little cards that you held up very powerful little reminders, and you said something about this lady Chen that I thought that was valuable sharing when you may want to stop or you feel like you're not achieving or you. The mind. The selft talk kicked in. All you did was anchor her to get off your butt and start and continue.

[A]

Right.

[B]

She was your anchor. You anchored her. Yeah. Do you have other anchors that you use?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, just, you know, it's more. I prefer to call it commitment.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Like, for example, I am number 19 in my system is commitment. I am 100% committed that only healthy food is going to enter my mouth. Got it? That's why I do not eat processed food. I had the other day, I was out walking with my wife, and the neighbor gave us key lime pie. And she said. She said to me, robert Stanley, I know you're not going to eat it. And I said, that's okay. You know, my wife ate some of it, you know, and liked it. But. But she's also skinny and. And she exercises, and she's in good shape. But, you know, I sat there, I'm 100 committed. I'm not gonna eat that stuff. You know, right before Christmas, somebody gave me cookies and cupcakes. Gourmet cookies, cupcakes. The thought of eating it never entered my mind. When you were 100 committed, there are no decisions to be made. See, that's what makes it easier, Mitch. When you make a bright line, 100 committed, you stop asking questions. Should I eat this food that I know is bad for me? I don't even ask the question because I already know the answer. The answer is no. The answer is hell no. And the reality is, I've already eaten my lifetime share of cookies and cupcakes and your lifetime share and probably 20 other people's. I don't need them anymore. And you know what's funny? I've learned that you can taste food without putting it in your mouth. I sat there, I took those cookies and cupcakes. I smelled them. I could identify the ingredients that were in there. I knew exactly what it would taste like. I didn't eat it. And then I gave them away to a neighbor who's skinny and who loves that kind of stuff. And everybody was happy. You know, I am 100 committed to walking every day. It has been eight years since I last missed a day. And that was during those three days where I told you I was sick.

[B]

Sure, sure.

[A]

You know, and if you would have told me, and it goes four years back before that, if you Told would have told me that those three days were going to inter a 12 year streak. I would have walked during those three days even though I was sick, I would have done it anyway. So, you know, the problem is when I was four years into this journey, I wasn't as committed as I was. Now that I'm on an eight year streak, you know, I'm more committed, more stubborn. But when you do that, it takes away the questions. But now I want to tell you the one that probably the number one thing I've identified well, two or three, two things. What do you think are the most, three most important words in the English language? What would you say?

[B]

Free, discount and yes.

[A]

Spoken like a capitalist. You.

[B]

I couldn't resist. Sorry.

[A]

Okay, so to me, I used to say the three most important words in the English language were I love you. Well, I've changed my mind. The three most important words in the English language are are you willing?

[B]

Okay, I like that.

[A]

If you're not willing, everything I've said before doesn't mean a damn thing. And you can just ignore it. Because if you're not willing to permanently change your life for the rest of your hopefully very long, hopefully very happy, hopefully very healthy life, you're not going to get there. You're not going to get where you want to be. So are you willing to permanently change? The moment I became willing to permanently change, that's when I changed my life. See, now let me ask you or let me tell you. It took me 49 and a half years to get to the point where I changed my life in an instant. When I help people learn that one thing about are you willing? It enables them to permanently change their life without waiting the 49 and a half years. You don't need to hit rock bottom. See, that's one of the things they always say, you got to hit rock bottom. No, you don't. You can change before you hit rock bottom. You just gotta want to. You gotta want it, you gotta taste it, you gotta feel it, gotta want it with every fiber. Then belief. If you believe you can or you believe you can't, either way you're going to be right.

[B]

Yeah, that's okay.

[A]

Yeah. Well, I've already told you, you're more powerful than you ever imagined. Start believing it. And now that you're going to believe it, what are you going to do with that belief? Start kicking some butt. That's what you should do. With that belief, you're more powerful than you ever imagined. Go for it. Yeah.

[B]

Now, what's number 20, Stanley, 20 is

[A]

integration of mind, body, spirit. I'll give you an example. I'll show you this.

[B]

It all comes together.

[A]

Yes. This is a three part yin yang. Mind, body, spirit.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

If you, the, the. You see this little stick figure in the middle?

[B]

I see him. Yes.

[A]

That's where you want to be.

[B]

Got it.

[A]

You want to be equal parts mind, body, spirit. You want to be balanced. And while we're on the subject of balance, what is balance? If you had to define balance, how would you define it? Equilibrium.

[B]

Well, part of it is the well balancing I'm going to use from your legal profession, Lady Justice. You know, it's like you're balancing these elements. Okay, that's one, that's one metaphor or analogy I'm going to look at is when I think of the lady of justice and I think of yin and Yang, there's balance of good and bad and. Or something that is peaceful. I also think of a Zen garden. I'm thinking of these images that come to mind.

[A]

Let me give you a definition that goes further than that. Balance is identifying everything that's deficient and increasing it. It's identifying everything that's excessive and decreasing it. That's balance. If you have too much decrease it. Not enough increase it. That's balance.

[B]

I like that. Balance.

[A]

Balance is not something you find. Balance is something you intentionally consciously create. You have to intentionally consciously create it. You get to intentionally consciously create it. And there's an opportunity for you. You can do it. Now with all that said and done, all of this, the whole system, it's on my website, the way of excellence dot com. The Way of excellence dot com. It's all there. There are videos on each part of the system. They're eight to 12 minutes each. I recommend you march one a day. In less than a month, you'll learn the whole system. And you can identify this. There are nine of my books are on the website and they're all available for free.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

The reason the stuff is free is the mission's more important than the money. It's not that I don't like money. I do. If somebody wants to hire me and work with me privately, I'm more than happy to let them hire me and work with me privately. But the information that is here is so valuable, people need to hear it. And it is my mission to get this information out there. And I don't want money to stand in the way. I want my message to be pure. You ask, where does heart stand in the system? My message comes from the heart. I get it. I care about you. I care about the human race. I care about this crazy, mixed up, incredibly wonderful world that we live in. And I want to see it get better. And the way it gets better is by every single one of us making ourselves better. And then we, when we all get better, we will collectively get better and the world will collectively become a better place.

[B]

Stanley, you've, I love your step by step, very pragmatic, methodical way of addressing.

[A]

I mean, I love it, I love

[B]

it, it's so good. I, but I have to get, I want to dig into some details.

[A]

I, I, Go ahead.

[B]

A couple questions. Number one, I, I said I've struggled. I've gone up and down with my own weight loss and injuries. Athletics has never been a problem with me. I'm an ex professional athlete, so I know about discipline for fitness. The diet part has been difficult for me to crack because of the misinformation or the multitude of information about what works the diet. I listened to Jordan Peterson, who's a Canadian intellectual, and he lost all this weight through one steak a day. He talked about the Carnivore diet. And you're the son of a butcher. How did you make that distinction?

[A]

Okay, first of all, I want to add something to what you said. You said you've struggled with your weight in the past. I said you struggled with your weight. Well, you struggle with your weight in the past. The past is what you learn from, not where you live.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

You live in the now. The Mitch who lives in the now has met Stanley Bronstein. The Mitch who lives in the now has access to Stanley Bronstein's website, the way of excellence.com, which has tons of free videos and information on healthy eating. There's a whole tab on the website, our healthy eating system, first thing, first step. And the Steps are numbered. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. The first one is changing your identity, who you are becoming a different person. You know, if, if you have past traumas, past things that have made you into what you are learning, what those are, healing them, loving yourself, being kind to yourself, not beating yourself up. Okay, then number two, it's 10 things that are probably keeping you from losing weight. Things like too much sodium in your diet, too much added sugar in your diet, not enough fiber in your diet, not getting enough sleep, you know, not getting any exercise whatsoever. You know, but there's 10 things that are on the list. And, and they're, and they're all there and they work. And then this is good information. See what you tell me. Jordan Peterson did. I'm glad it worked for him and Mike. And my question would be, if I were talking to him right now, would be. I would say. First question I would say is, how old are you? I'm 66. I don't know how old he is.

[B]

He's about. I think he's about 63.

[A]

Okay, 63. Similar ages.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Come back in 50 years and let's have the discussion about where we're at. He might say, well, I don't know if I'm gonna be alive in 50 years. Well, I'm tell you something right now. I. I don't know if I won't be either, but I plan on it. I.

[B]

Sustainable.

[A]

You believe I eat like a man who wants to live another hundred years, as the saying goes, I plan to live forever or die trying. And I want to. And I want to be healthy during those years, because it doesn't do any good to live if you're not healthy. You know, there's a term called lifespan, which is how long you live, and there's a term called health span, which is how long are you healthy enough to enjoy your life while you're living?

[B]

Two different. Two different measures.

[A]

Yeah. And I focus on health span. You know, I want to be there. So the question is, where you, you know, come back in 50 years and let's see who was right, you know, or another way I put it is, that's an interesting discussion. We can discuss it at your funeral. Oh, that's a little harsh because I. I'm not taking that against Jordan. I don't know the guy. He might be a perfectly lovely, nice guy. I'm just saying that it was kind of a bad, nasty thing to say because it's not intended. But the point is, I plan on living. I'm playing an ultra long game here.

[B]

I get it. You're. What do you say to the carnivore diet people? What do you say to the ketogenic people? Because it sounds like you're all vegan today, and that works for you. Do you think there's anything to do with the blood types? I'm sure you've studied a lot of this. Yes, I am challenging your experience, I think.

[A]

I personally believe keto is not healthy. I've done it before. I mean, I. When I. In college, when I lost weight, that was on the keto diet. I lost like 70, 80 pounds on it. And the minute I stopped doing it, it all came back with a vengeance, plus more. So the question is, is what you're doing, sustainable, are you willing to do it? And I also think it's hard on the kidneys. That's what a lot of the research says. Processing all those ketones through your kidneys. That's just my opinion. I'm not a doctor. You're welcome to talk to your own doctor. If you come to me, I will recommend against the keto diet. You know, I had a woman I was working with, she was diabetic. Her doctor put her on the keto diet. She was chronically constipated, miserable because she loved eating fruit and stuff like that and totally unhappy. I told her to start eating oatmeal and fruit, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, that kind of thing. Guess what? She started losing weight, constipation went away, and her blood sugar went down. And the doctor said, what are you doing? You know, it. I'm telling you what I found works. Whatever you choose to do, I will support you. You know, I will support you through the mindset part. But I questioned. I personally questioned the sustain based upon my own lived experience. I question the sustainability of the keto diet. And a lot of it depends on what you're eating, too. I mean, he sounds like he's eating a steak every day. I'm guessing he eats a good cut of steak. I'm guessing it's a good piece of meat. You know, when I did the keto diet, I was eating bacon all day and cheese, you know, and things like that. That's, to me, not as good, you know, So a lot of it depends on what it is you're doing. He may be doing something that's perfectly fine. You know, he might be. I don't know.

[B]

Do you drink coffee or did you.

[A]

No, I do not. I do not. I've never liked coffee. Okay? And I. And I. And I quit. And I quit drinking caffeine probably 30 years ago. I dated a girl who, when she did not have caffeine. She was the loveliest, sweetest girl you ever saw. When she had caffeine, she turned into a monster. And I sat there and I said, there's something to this caffeine stuff here. And so I stopped drinking it. I just quit. And I haven't had. I. I do not. I'm not an advocate of it. I do not think it's good. But once again, if somebody wants to drink their coffee, I'm not going to tell you not to do it. And there are doctors out there who will tell you to drink coffee every day. I personally don't agree with them, but I'm not going to tell you you're wrong. What I'm going to tell you is find something that works for you, that makes you happy, that makes you healthy, and keep doing it. I will be supportive. I'm not going to judge you. I'm not going to be an ass. I'm not going to shame you. I'm not going to do any of those things. Everybody is different.

[B]

When you went on this journey 17 years ago, were you married at that time? Okay. So was your wife supportive through this process? Was she thin or was she heavy like you? Where does that.

[A]

Because she's always been done. Okay, I'll tell you. I'll tell you another part. The conversation that we had February 1, 2009, and. And I'll give a spoiler alert first. We're still married.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Okay. But I'm going to tell you what we went through. I turned to her and I said, I'm going to start making some changes in my life. And you might like some of them and you might not like some of them. And frankly, I don't care. I have to make these changes or I'm going to be dead, and I don't want to be dead. And if you don't like the changes, that's too bad. I don't care. Second thing I told her was, I'm going on a journey. I am inviting you to come along the journey with me, on the journey with me. But if you don't, there's the door you can walk out right now. I told her that. That I had what I call a moment of healthy selfishness. You know, when you get on an airplane, what do they tell you if you're traveling with infants or small children? Put your oxygen mask on first. You're right. I put my oxygen mask on first. And I said, too bad you don't like it. Too bad I'm doing this. And she stuck with me. And we're still married. And to be honest with you, we get along better now than we did then.

[B]

How long had you been married at that point?

[A]

At that point, I guess that was eight years. So now. Now we've been. Now I've been 25 years, you know? You know, but you need to stand up for yourself sometimes. See, and the problem is so many people wear givers. I'm a giver. And we give, give, give, give and give. Well, sometimes you need to stand up for yourself. You do. And put yourself first. That's what it's all about. And I, I advocate that.

[B]

Yeah. And I talk a lot about the, the mask on an airplane. You can't help anybody else if you're dead. You've got to take care of your surface self first. Then you get. That's right. Then you get to help other people.

[A]

I'm a much better husband alive than I was if I would be if I were dead.

[B]

So true. So true. Well, Stan, one more time. Where do people get in touch with you? Hold up, if you wouldn't mind. The way of dot com. The way of dot com.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Type all kinds of free resources. I looked at your site before our conversation today. You've been an outstanding guest and I loved all the little cards and I think so will my listeners. And I'm going to put a good reference in, in the show notes for this. You've been an outstanding guest. I've said that three times and you have been loved it personally.

[A]

You can say, you can say it again. Okay.

[B]

The. Well, the way of excellence Dot com. Stanley Bronstein has been our guest. He's a cpa, he's an attorney and he's a life change implementer. He's a life change coach. A life change guide. The Sherpa for you and your health and well being and longevity. I so many bombs you've dropped today and I can't wait for us to run it through AI and come out and extract all these nuggets. It's been terrific to have you as a guest.

[A]

If you just go to my website, you don't need to extract.

[B]

Okay, well, there you go. I appreciate all the contributions, Stanley. We'll have you back in the future. And I've got a whole host of clients that I've taught the podcasting journey to that would love to have you as a guest on their show.

[A]

Thank you. Mitch. Thanks for tuning in to the Amazing Authorities podcast. If today's episode inspired you, take a moment to subscribe rate and leave a review. It helps more experts like you rise to the top for behind the scenes access and free resources to boost your authority. Head to mitchcarson. Com until next time, stay amazing.