← Determined Society with Shawn French | Adversity & Mindset
Determined Society with Shawn French | Adversity & Mindset
How Taja Abitbol Built Businesses by Trusting Her Instincts
01:17:01
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- [00:01]
A
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B
People are always like, where's your business plan? I'm like, I don't have one.
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A
Are we twins? But maybe God almighty jump out of the plane and build a parachute on the way down.
- [01:11]
B
Exactly.
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A
How do I start something if I don't know what I'm doing? And if I don't have a plan and I don't know the how?
- [01:17]
B
Well, the first thing is to have no fear. Don't worry so much about the hows. I'm a manifesting generator. We don't have time to think. We just do. We just make things happen. Once I want something, the universe shows me all the hows. They bring them to me.
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A
I have goosebumps right now.
- [01:35]
B
That's what manifesting means.
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A
Members Only Palm Beach. The one thing that I've really enjoyed learning about you is that you always stand for what is right. But it could be also a very lonely position. You call it how it is, and if something is happening, you speak up.
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B
I guess so. I mean, I've been getting in trouble for it lately, so I think I better shut my mouth right now.
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A
Yeah, you do. Define trouble, though. Mouth tape.
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B
The truth always comes out. And you know, karma is a bitch. So that's a.
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A
What's up, guys? We're back. Today we have Taja a beatball with us. She's a successful entrepreneur, businesswoman, an author, and standout star of the Netflix new series Members Only Palm Beach. Welcome to the show.
- [02:24]
B
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
- [02:25]
A
Absolutely. So nice to have you. Matt and I have been talking about getting together with you for a little while now, so it's just a pleasure having you here in Naples in our studio and getting ready to have an amazing conversation.
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B
I'm happy to be here.
- [02:38]
A
Yeah, it's good to have you. Like I said, you know, the one thing that impresses me about you is for a long time you've done some amazing things as a, as an entrepreneur and providing for your family. And a lot of times when people want to go into TV or reality and be a part of this bigger message and visibility, a lot of times it's about them. But it's been published that you wanted to do this for your family so you can take care of them. And I just think that's such an admirable mission. I'm the same way. So I picked up on that. Can you talk to us a little bit about your mindset and where that came from and why that is so important to you?
- [03:22]
B
So, as the viewers or, you know, fans saw on the show, my parents were on the journey with me. I grew up with a single mom. My parents got divorced when I was 2 and my mom was really young when she had me. Like, she's still young, you know, so it was like she and I on our own and we were kind of like sisters. So like, I just always had the. I don't know, I just always felt like I wanted to help her and you know, like, be like more of like a partner than a child to her. I don't know, it's just my personality, I guess, because it's not like she really needed my help because she's very independent and self sufficient, but it's just something about myself that I like to take care of people.
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A
Yeah.
- [04:16]
B
And, you know, I like to provide. So that's, I've always, you know, worked really hard since I'm very young and contribute, contributed to my household, you know, I mean, now in my, you know, once I became, you know, like a mother and I, you know, with my significant other, he is the provider. Like I am no longer the provider, but I still help my family and he helps my family too. So. So, you know, this is.
- [04:46]
A
It says a lot about your heart and your soul and I really appreciate that. And I, and I think I read somewhere that your grandparents had a heavy influence on you as you're growing up as well.
- [04:55]
B
Yeah, I mean, I used to. My mother worked a lot. You know, she had a full time job and I would stay with my grandparents a lot in Palm beach, you know, because, I mean, I didn't grow up in Palm beach, but they were snowbirds and yeah, I spent a Lot of time with my grandparents, and they also were, you know, business people, had a lot of businesses. So I guess all of that influenced me my whole life. Like, seeing my mother work very hard, seeing my grandparents run their businesses, because I used to go with them to collect checks from their, you know, buildings. They were landlords and they were in real estate and stock market and, you know, they owned hotels and, you know. So, yes, I. I really got influenced by. By them, you know.
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A
That's awesome, because I picked up on that because when I was little, my mom and dad got divorced when I was two as well.
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B
Wow.
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A
Yes. So there's a. There's a massive alignment there and some synergy and just overall understanding of what that means. And, in fact, my biological father, after that, I maybe saw him two or three times the rest of my life. I don't have any contact with him now. Gratefully that my mom remarried when I was, I think, nine. And my dad. I call him my. He's my dad.
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B
Right.
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A
And he played a massive part in my life. But I can really relate to that because early on when I was growing up, my mom always had to work because she was a single mother and was not around a lot during the day. So my days were spent with my grandma. And, you know, when my grandfather would come home, he was a route driver for Laura Scudder's Trucks chips. So he would go and deliver all the chips to the stores and come home, and I would be over there a lot into the point where when I was little, on the weekends, all I wanted to do was go spend the night at my grandma's house. And she passed away in 1997 from pancreatic cancer. And it, to this day, it crushes me.
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B
Devastating.
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A
Yeah, it was hard. It was. It was that. That time frame when I was going from high school to college. Right. She died August 6, 1997. So I was going into my freshman year of college, and I really couldn't imagine my life without my grandma. And today, it's still so hard. And I. A lot of times I. I look back on it and I go, man, she's been long. She's been gone longer than I had her with me. It's just. It's crazy, you know, it is just grandparents are important, so if there's grandparents listening, you play a bigger role than you really think. Because without my grandma in my life, I don't know where I would have ended up. Right. In some random babysitter. Right. And, you know, not have someone that truly cared for Me, care for me. Right. So that was, that was big for me. So I, I read that about you and I instantaneously knew I wanted to bring that up because that, that's a big part of your life and what you've learned as an entrepreneur. And you know, because of that you went into hospitality.
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B
Right.
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A
You, you owned an amazing restaurant that was known for serenity and in the Upper east side. Right. And you also did some real estate up there as a broker, correct?
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B
Yes.
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A
Why don't you talk about those experiences because I want the audience to know the full you before we get into what you're doing now, when we get into your book and all that other stuff.
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B
So my mother, like I said, I come from a real estate background. Her parents were landlords in New York, a little bit in Florida too. But she had me get my license, my real estate license when I was 18 and. But even before that I used to like work for her because she still owns a big real estate company and she would send me to do like, her open houses when I was, you know, a teenager, before I was even licensed just to like, you know, greet people and show them the properties. And so I, I knew what I was doing. Like, I knew real estate because I would hear her my whole life doing deals over the phone like all day long. And her parents, because that's who I spent time with. So I got my license when I was 18 and I started doing commercial real estate. Back then I was selling like income producing properties and I was only 18, like, and you didn't even have to show the, those properties at that time. All I would do was send. It was called a setup, like really no longer exists. But you just sent a set up, which was a paper, like we would fax it to the potential investor and. Yes. And it just had all the stats of the property and, and if they were interested, they just would like come and check the boiler, the roof, you know. And so I was selling deals like that, like left and right and I had, I had, I made some cash. I was only like, you know, my early 20s and I always wanted to open a restaurant because my father side of the family are in the restaurant business. My father's a chef and, and his whole family owns restaurants in Paris.
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A
Wow.
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B
And like a lot of restaurants, really great restaurants, like Michelin rated, some of them are like institutions been there forever in Paris. So I had a passion for both always. And when I got a little cash, I said, I want to open a restaurant. And everybody's like, are you sure you're going to open a restaurant? Like, you were never a waitress or a hostess or even, like, a coat check girl. Like, what do you know about restaurants? But I did work in my father's restaurants a little, actually. And in fact, in one of them, I had to, like, run it a little because, you know, his wife got sick and they were, like, not around. So, like, I kind of took it over. So I did have a little experience, but it is a tough business. Like, but that's how I am in business. Like, I just do it. I don't do a business plan or get a. You know, people always like, where's your business plan? I'm like, I don't have one.
- [10:42]
A
Are we twins?
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B
But maybe. God almighty, maybe. So I just, like, jump into it, and then, like, you learn as you go. And I, you know, thank goodness, like, I didn't fail. I succeeded. And I opened my first restaurant in New York City, and then I later opened a couple more. I had one in Vegas in a hotel. And I always loved hotels because, like, who doesn't? Like, I always wanted to live in a hotel because who wouldn't want to live in a hotel? Like, you could get room service all the time. You can see people. Because I'm very social. I'm a people person. I love people. You know, you see new people every day, walking in, checking in, checking out. You know, you have restaurants, you know, nightlife. There's always something to do because I need stimulation. So, like, I always was like, I'm going to live in a hotel one day. So. But my businesses are in hotels. And, you know, hopefully I'll start my own hotel brand soon.
- [11:40]
A
I. I don't know about hopefully. I have a feeling that you will definitely. I can tell it's already set in your intention, and that's the biggest part of it.
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B
Yeah.
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A
I want to touch on something, because you said something very important there that I want the audience to be able to go back to and really think about in their own lives of what they're trying to build, whether it's a business or a relationship or their body. You said you just jump in and figure it out.
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B
Yeah.
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A
I have this thing that I always like to say, actually, I think I got it from my friend John Huffman. I want to credit him because it's not mine, but jump out of the plane and build a parachute on the way down.
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B
Yeah.
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A
And I think that's exactly what I did here. I didn't have a business plan. I just had this thought, and this passion of what I wanted to do and I started slow and I just kept coming and kept coming and then eventually it took off. Right. But it can be a lonely road for the people that are listening that they, they can understand that concept but don't really understand how to take action on that. Right. Like of how to really. Okay, how do I start something if I don't know what I'm doing and if I don't have a plan and I don't know the how. Walk them through how they can get through those small fear based ideologies that they have to push forward and just take action.
- [12:58]
B
Well, the first thing is to have no fear because when I want something like I don't have any fear about it. I'm just, I want it so bad that I don't have time to fear anything. So that's first of all, like try to get rid of the fear. If, if that comes into your mind or your body somehow just kick it out. Second of all is don't worry so much about the hows, you know, like how am I going to get that, how am I going to make that, how am I going to get there? You know, like when you book a flight to go to, you know, like from let's say New York to LA or something, you don't worry about how you're going to get there. You don't worry about like the route the pilot is going to take. You know, you just worry about where you want to go, the destination. So you just keep focusing on the destination and, and the hows will figure themselves out. They will appear. You know, like when I forgot who said it, Mickey, maybe Marcus Aurelius or. But when you say like, you know, the path will appear, you know, you have to just believe that always. Because like I know my next moves but I don't know exactly how I'm going to get there because how could I know? If you, if you're spiritual and you believe in the laws of the universe then you know that. Because in my experience I know that once I want something, the universe shows me all the hows, they bring them to me.
- [14:28]
A
I love this. Hey guys, we're going to take a quick break and we're going to slide into our recovery segment brought to you by Therabody. What an amazing technology that therabody has. And it was founded on a really cool story by Dr. Jason Worsland. It was founded on pain. He got into an accident and had this extreme pain in his arm and found that percussive therapy really helped. So he created the very first version of the Theragun with a makita drill just to pilot and test to see if his pain could be relieved by percussive therapy overall. And surely it was. So now birth to the Theragun and now Therabody, who has a multitude of products to help you recover emotionally and physically. And some of the products even help with stress, meditation and better sleep and just overall better wellness. And when I had Dr. J on the show earlier in 2025, it really spoke to me because his platform was founded out of out of physical pain and the determined society was founded out of emotional pain. And so it felt natural for us to partner up. So here we are, an official partnership with therabody and I want to talk to you about some of their products today that I've been enjoying that I think you need to understand and know more about so you could potentially implement them into your life. And I'm not going to get into a big deep dive of the actual science and everything like that. I'm just going to give you some anecdotal information based on the products that I'm using and that my wife is actually using too, that is helping us out a great deal at home. Because the great thing about these products, guys, is you can use them anywhere. You can use them in the gym, you can use them at home, in your bed, in your living room. Hell, you can even drive with the Theragun Pro plus in your car and use it on your quads, use it on your arms, whatever that is. The first thing I want to talk about is the Theragun Pro plus. I bring that in my gym bag every day to the gym. And when I'm warming up, I use it to warm up, I put it on my arms. Whatever body part I'm using that day, I activate those muscles. And what I find is I'm able to move my body a lot quicker and I'm a lot stronger on those days that I do actually bring it and utilize it. I just think it's a great way to understand your body and the connection between your strength and your muscles and being warm and being able to perform because it's one thing to go work out, but it's another thing to perform while you're doing it. And the Theragun Pro plus helps me do that. Another thing that I really, truly enjoy is the jet boots Pro plus. These things are wire free. There's no hassle, there's no cords, there's infrared LED light, there's that Compression therapy. And I've been having bad pains in my ankles, both of them, actually, for about a year. And I don't understand where it's coming from. But when I started using the boots religiously, after a leg day or after a cardio session, I throw those boots on and I find myself a lot looser. Afterwards, I find myself lighter, and then the next day, there's no pain in my lower extremity like my feet. The other thing that I really enjoy is that product really helps me recover a lot quicker. And let's face it, that's the most important thing when we're trying to move our bodies or we're trying to succeed in life, is we want quick recovery emotionally and physically. And these products help me do that, and they can help you do that as well. One of the other things that I really want to go into, because it's helping my wife out a ton with headaches and being able to distract from the noise in her mind, and honestly, it helps me with that too, is the smart goggles. Whenever we feel a slight headache coming on or. Or things are getting really heavy just in our minds just thinking about all the stressors, all the things out there that we can't control, we throw the goggles on, get in a quiet place, and there's different cycles on there and different intensities of vibrations and massaging that you can either turn it up or turn it down. And what I really enjoy is it allows me to focus on what's going on with just me. And I think about things. And the massaging with the smart goggles relieves either headaches and it relaxes me and relaxes my wife to a point where we can fall asleep better. We are preparing to kind of downshift and shut down and slow down for the evening. So I heavily recommend them. The other thing it's really good for is just creating a peaceful time in your day. And what I found since using the smart goggles and then the other products is it works for me, it works for my family, and I know it can work for you too. So I want you guys to think about things that you are struggling with. If it's lower back pain or you wake up in the morning, your neck is tight. I'm going to tell you, the Theragun Pro plus will help that out. They have cold therapy on it, hot therapy. I mean, think about that when I open that box and realize that I could have heat therapy and cold therapy and a theragun changed everything for me and also really Made the thing that I hate doing the most is warmup. Made that very easy for me just by applying it to the muscle group that I'm going to use before I do it and in between sets, which promotes quicker recovery between sets. So if you're looking to go high volume or to lift heavy weights, I strongly consider that all these products are there to help you move along in your day with less pain and recover quicker. So go check it out, because now, like I said, the official partnership has begun. And from now until the end of March, in your first order, you get 15% off your first order, not every order. So if you're going to buy some stuff, load up there in that cart for that first time, and you get 15% off, go to therabody.com and at checkout, the code is determined. So let me know how you guys like it. Until then, stay determined. I'm going to say a quote right now and is not original from my LSU baseball coach, Skip Burtman. Somebody else generated the quote or made the quote, but he made it famous. He was legendary. Won five national championships in 10 years. And here's the quote. Anything you can vividly imagine, ardently desire, and enthusiastically act upon must absolutely must come to pass. I have goosebumps right now thinking about that, because what we're talking about is Law of Attraction, manifesting things. But a lot of people stop at 50% and just think, oh, I'm going to think about it, and then it's just going to appear in my driveway. Or it's going to. The success is going to appear in my life, and they're forgetting all the action that comes with it and all the work. But most importantly, when you visualize something like you have in your life, I would imagine you just don't see it. You feel how it feels upon attainment.
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B
Exactly. I can give an example of the first restaurant I opened. And I was like, my early twenties in New York City. You know, like New York City.
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A
That's impressive.
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B
Yeah. Like on the hottest block on Restaurant Row. And. And it's crazy because that's when I was, you know, first really learning about what it means to manifest and the Law of Attraction. I was walking on this block where later my restaurant opens on, but I didn't know at the time that that's where I was going to open my restaurant. And there was a restaurant on that block that was really popular, but it was. It was new. So, like, we didn't. I didn't intentionally go there and do this. So, like, I was Walking on this block, and I thought in my head, like, wow, I would love to have a rest. This is a perfect place for me to open a restaurant. And then we went into a restaurant that was already on that block, but the rest of the block was, you know, just, like, residential. And. And I. And I just had the feeling, like, wow, this is where my restaurant's going to be, and it's going to have, like, this type of vibe. And, you know, I felt the emotions. And then years later, I opened a restaurant on that block with the same vibe of that restaurant, with the same workers even, because those, like, you know, the hostess was no longer working there, so she came to work for me. So, like, it all happened.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And then I later realized that. Wait a minute. I manifested that that's what manifesting means. Mm.
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A
It's a true gift. You know, I. I've been like that for such a long time. My wife always says, you're such a visionary. Right? You. You can. You're a dreamer. You can dream things, you can see things. And, you know, I had to implement a ton of other skills in order for those things to actually come true that she helped me with. So I. I credit a lot of what's going on here to her because she's been the biggest supporter.
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B
So it's so important to have a supportive life partner like that that, you know, incredible can help you, you know, make your visions become a reality.
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A
Yeah. But I've always been one of those people that see something so big, and I. If it doesn't scare me a little bit, I won't do it, because I want there to be some skin in the game. I want there to be some risk. And what's going on right now, I saw two, three years ago. Right. And I continue to put things I talk to Matt about all the time, and everybody that's involved in my company and all the support that I have and even, you know, any production, this is where we're going. This. This is what's happening. And I only bring that out or communicate it if I've already gone through the whole process in seeing it and feeling it. And I just think the feeling part, you know, people a lot of times say, you shouldn't chase feelings. You should go on, you know, what makes sense. And I. I don't believe in that whatsoever.
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B
I don't even know how.
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A
Like, I don't even know what that means.
- [24:55]
B
Yeah, me too. What sign are you? Do you know your human design? Because my human design, I'm a manifesting Generator. Oh, it's a real thing. Like there are manifesters. Manifesting generators. There are.
- [25:07]
A
Wow.
- [25:08]
B
It's. It's a human design thing.
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A
How do I figure?
- [25:10]
B
Later I'll help you do that. Yeah, you probably are a manifesting generator.
- [25:15]
A
Yeah. The only thing.
- [25:15]
B
I'm also into astrology and into all of this. Oh, okay. Well, that makes sense because you're ruled by Mars. Like myself, I'm an Aries, and now I'm ruled by Mars, and that's the most fast moving planet. And, you know, so, like, we don't have time to think. We just do, you know, we just make things happen. Because we're ruled by Mars.
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A
We're both ruled by Mars.
- [25:36]
B
Yes.
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A
And we can't even get there yet. But we might already be there. Maybe my wife does say something. I think you're from Mars. I'm like, well, you might be right now. Now I know. Now I know. That's pretty cool.
- [25:48]
B
Yeah.
- [25:49]
A
I didn't know that about myself.
- [25:50]
B
Yeah.
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A
Yeah. I think that, you know, when you look at and you talk about Mars being the most fat, the fastest moving planet. I move very fast.
- [25:58]
B
Yes.
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A
And a lot of times I'm being told, hey, slow down a little bit. And it's usually by a Virgo. My wife's a Virgo.
- [26:05]
B
Okay. My significant other is a Earth sign, too. He's a. He's. Yeah, he's Capricorn. Yeah.
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A
My youngest daughter's a Capricorn. She's January 5th.
- [26:17]
B
I. He's January 2nd. I love Capricorns.
- [26:19]
A
Yeah, they're great.
- [26:20]
B
So, yeah, he keeps me a little grounded. I don't know, I might be even more crazy and like fiery if, you know, wasn't for him. But, yeah, like, we're total opposites. Yeah.
- [26:30]
A
And that's what works too. It's like, it's nice to have that other piece for the grounding part of it. And. And I mean, balance, I guess you would say. I don't know how much I believe in that word, but, you know, for her to balance me out and get more strategy, it was really the main component.
- [26:47]
B
Okay. Yeah, yeah. I'm still not that great at that, but I. I don't need to be, cuz I'm a manifesting generator. Like, you know, he always tells me, write down list, organize, get, or I can't.
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A
Freaks me out.
- [27:00]
B
Me too. It gives me anxiety. I'm like, I. I don't want to write a list. I can't. I don't. No.
- [27:04]
A
Yeah. No, I. I just, I feel it. And I go, like, this is where we're going, right? I'm.
- [27:09]
B
Everybody's different.
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A
Yeah. I'm probably going to bounce off the walls before I get there, you know, and then take a couple wrong turns and break down. But eventually I'll get back on the road and I'll get there.
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B
Exactly right.
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A
Because I know what it looks like. I know the end game. I called it two years ago. That's interesting, though. That's pretty cool. I didn't know that about you. So dynamic. So dynamic. Love it. You know, when going through life, I always find that there's a certain amount of diversity that a person must go through to make them stronger, to put them on the path to success. So that way, when they finally achieve that success, they know how to handle it. Right. I think rejection is a big part of my life, and it always has been. Prior to Members Only, Palm beach, you tried out for Housewives of New York, right? Twice.
- [28:03]
B
More than four times. Yeah. Like, they could. I think I've gotten calls from casting directors and production companies, you know, every season from a different city, you know?
- [28:17]
A
Yeah.
- [28:17]
B
Like, I've gotten calls from many different cities. I'm like, but I. I don't live there. Like, I don't live in New Jersey. Well, would you move, like. No. So, you know, I've gotten calls from, you know, but, like, there's. There's production companies, there's casting directors. It's not the network that, you know, call. It's like you get calls from people trying to, you know, do a new cast or, you know, produce a new season. I don't know exactly how it works, but, yes, I've gotten calls a lot, and I did interview many times. I never got cast on, obviously, any of the Housewives show, but I don't know why, but they probably regret it now. But I guess I was meant to be on Netflix. Who knows? You know, I mean, it's a different type of network. It's streaming. It's a huge, much bigger platform. And, you know, I guess that wasn't meant to be. That's what I mean. Like, I always trust the process.
- [29:13]
A
Yeah.
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B
That's the thing is, like, when you trust the process, then things come to you faster, you know?
- [29:19]
A
Yeah. And I think that, too, the way it happened, you know, with Members Only, Palm beach. You have. You have had ties to Palm beach since you were a child.
- [29:27]
B
Yes.
- [29:27]
A
So to me, it's fitting. What's that experience been like for you?
- [29:32]
B
Well, you know, I've been living here for a while now. In, In Florida. I'm from New York and. But been coming here my whole life and I've always loved the tropical weather and the palm trees and the ocean. And you know, sometimes I feel that it's easier to manifest in this environment, I think so. Like in, in New York, when everything is gray and it gets dark early. And I love New York, don't get me wrong. Like, it's all action. Like, you know, you need both, I need both. I can never give up New York. But I feel sometimes it's a. A better. It's a really magical way to manifest when you're in the palm trees, the weather, the ocean, it's just like, you know, I wake up so happy when I see the sunshine and the ocean. It's like. It's good for manifesting.
- [30:16]
A
Yeah, I agree with that.
- [30:18]
B
And the experience has been. It's been great so far, you know, it really has been great. It's very exciting. Who knows what's to come? You know, only the universe knows if we're gonna have a second season at this point or, you know, I would assum. Right.
- [30:35]
A
Based on.
- [30:35]
B
Who knows? I don't assume anything anymore.
- [30:38]
A
You know, I just, I think because of the splash that it's created that there would be a season to.
- [30:44]
B
We hope so.
- [30:45]
A
Let's hope.
- [30:45]
B
We hope so.
- [30:46]
A
Yeah, let's hope. The one thing that I've really enjoyed learning about you and things that I've read and, and you know, some of the clips from the show is that you always stand for what is right. That is a very hard thing to do. I, I myself do the same thing and so does my wife. We're always about what's right and what's just. If it's not right, we don't do it. And if it's not right, we call it out. But it could be also a very lonely position. Right. Because the world is conditioned to kind of sweep things under the rug and just be a part of the pack and whatever the pack is doing, they do. But you stand out. You. You call it how it is and if something is happening, you know, whether it's at Mar a Lago or anywhere else, and it's not right to you, you speak up.
- [31:35]
B
I guess so. I mean, I've been getting in trouble for it lately, so I think I better shut my mouth right now. But yeah, I guess I do. I mean, listen, I'm from New York, so like, you have to speak up when you're from New York.
- [31:47]
A
Yeah, yeah, you do define trouble though. They.
- [31:52]
B
You Know, just like mouth tape. Yeah.
- [31:54]
A
Hey, don't say that. Yeah, yeah, that happens. Right. But also thing is too, because when someone's voice becomes so powerful and people, and it doesn't fit a certain agenda, those voices can at times, and I'm not saying that's with you and you don't have to comment on that, but in my, my opinion is they like to temper those voices because then the full agenda can't be carried out. Yeah, but it's so nice to see somebody in your position on camera calling out what's right and what's wrong.
- [32:22]
B
Yeah, I mean, you know, I just can't help myself. But you know, there's a lot of rumors. I don't know what's true, what's not true. Like I can only say my opinion and that's that everybody's entitled to their opinion.
- [32:37]
A
I always say it's nobody, it's none of my business what people think about me and what they perceive about me and what they believe is true. My job is to live who I am. And if there's some things that I need to clean up, then I need to be very self aware and hold myself very accountable with extreme accountability and move forward and fix it. But to me, my job is not to worry about what everybody thinks about me.
- [33:01]
B
Exactly.
- [33:02]
A
Because I've been down that road. I've been down that road and it torpedoes me. It puts me into occasional depressions, massive bouts of anxiety, and I don't work well under those conditions. So I've learned over the years to kind of be like, okay, thank you for the information. None of my business. Now, if I'm hurting somebody in the process, I'll look at it. But a lot of times it's nothing like that. It's just what people think I should do or be like. And hey, God created me the way I am and I'm executing the hell out of it as much as best as I can.
- [33:38]
B
Of course. You're a Scorpio.
- [33:40]
A
I know, right? We march the beat of our own drums. That's for sure. That's for sure. But you know, you also, you have a book. You have a book. Is it already out?
- [33:51]
B
No, no, no, it's not out yet. I'm, I, I just started the process. Okay. Yes. My book is called Life Unscripted.
- [34:00]
A
Yeah, I love that word. I love unscripted. That's really cool. So are you able to give any teasers about, you know, what life is unscripted is going to be about or.
- [34:11]
B
It'S just the Real story of, you know, just for. To get to know me better and, you know, the real truths about certain things in my life and my businesses, my past, my personal. My family. You know, it's like a. Not really a memoir, but like a personal story to get to know me better.
- [34:34]
A
I love that. It's cathartic, right? Like, when I wrote my book, it's coming out in 2027 as well. It's called Blood type determined how to implement determination blueprint into your life to achieve what you want to achieve. And when I wrote the book, it was so healing in so many ways because some of the chapters, I talk about things that I've never talked about in public. I talk about my divorce from my first wife. I talk about my ex girlfriend, who I was best friends with, dying of the same cancer. My grandma died of pancreatic cancer. Right. But here's the crazy part. I was with her when my grandma died of cancer, and then years later, she ended up getting the same cancer and dying when she was like 30 or 31. It's wild. So I talk about those things in the book and it healed me massively to talk about it and to get it out. And like, I'm not holding that anymore. And so, you know, as you go through and write this book, you're gonna. You're gonna come across things that you get out, and that's just gonna feel so freeing for you. I love that. I love that. When's it coming out?
- [35:47]
B
Probably this time next year, maybe a little sooner.
- [35:53]
A
That's cool. That's really cool. I like when people write books about their life, you know, and it accounts for everything because it gives somebody the blueprint to move forward in their life. Have you, have you thought about how this book is going to help other people?
- [36:10]
B
Well, mine is the pink print instead of the blueprints of pink prints. I love it.
- [36:17]
A
I love it.
- [36:18]
B
How it would help. Yeah, it would. It's just, you know, aspirational, inspirational. To never give up and to stay true to yourself.
- [36:27]
A
I love that, you know, never giving up. It's something that, you know, people talk about a lot, like, I'm never going to give up. But a lot of times people do give up right before it hits. Like, have you ever had any? I mean, because, listen, I, I'm. I'm very resilient. But there's times or in my life where I've sat there, I'm like, yeah, I don't know if this is for me. Like, I should probably back off. But then once I say that in my mind and I go, wait, what? I'm not gonna back off. I'm gonna go harder. I'm gonna put my face in this. Like, have there been any times in your life through, you know, your restaurants, your, your commercial, real estate and doing what you're doing now, have you ever felt like, I don't know if this is for me, and how'd you deal with that?
- [37:13]
B
Oh, my goodness, so many times. Like, that's just how life is. You know, it's up and down and you go, especially being an entrepreneur, I mean, you have to be, you have to be a little crazy to be an entrepreneur. You have to be, you know, very resilient, you know, delusional sometimes. You know, there's, there's takes certain personality type, especially in, you know, New York or the types of businesses that I was in, highly competitive and, you know, and I ate a big in all of them, so. And you know, restaurant, real estate, etc. Of course, it's just that every time you, you know, get back up again from something that takes you down because, you know, happens all the time, you just become stronger each time. And that's just how life works, you know, you just get more life experience, more, you know, resilience under your belt. And that's just how it is. You just keep on going. And each time you have to keep on going, you become stronger and stronger so that the next time you have to pick yourself back up again, it becomes easier.
- [38:23]
A
If I had $100,000 for every time someone called me delusional, I would be, I would be on my own island somewhere, right? I truly do believe being having some degree of delusion is important because this is hard. I don't care what you're building. I don't care if you're building a T shirt print shop. I don't care if you're, you know, building a show or whatever it is, a construction business. I don't care. You have to be willing to fail a little bit. Because that word failure is so important in a journey. And a lot of times people look at failure like, I, I just don't want to fail. It's embarrassing. Well, failure is part of it. It builds resistance. And that's what you were going through and talking about right now is as you fall down, you learn, right? You learn how to move forward. And you might have better strategy moving forward thereafter. But the failure is just to me, I seek it in everything I do, like, how can I fail as quickly as possible so I can Learn, and I can grow and become callous to that certain mistake, so that way I don't have to deal with that one again.
- [39:35]
B
Well, that's interesting. I definitely don't seek failure, but, but, you know, I've learned from, I've learned from it, you know, and, and since you say you're an athlete, like, athletes are the best at that because, like, if they have a, if they lose a game, like, they just move forward so quickly that they don't have time to think about their failure. They just move forward so quickly. Like, you don't look back, right? You just keep moving forward. Yeah, that's what really key. That's really key. It's just to keep moving forward.
- [40:05]
A
I want to. Yeah, I want to clarify. I don't, I don't seek out the big failures. Right. I, I, I see. I, I want to push so hard that if there's a micro failure, then I know how to correct. Right. I know how to course correct from there on. Right? So I'm like, hey, let's. I want to go as hard as I can to see if this podcast fails. Like, no, I want to hit that pain point as quickly as possible, I guess, is what I'm saying. It's like, I hit a pain point, like, okay, how do I get through this? Like, what, what's the way through it? And then that way I'm building, and I can help other people get through those same sticking points. And I found that I get a lot of messages about that. How do you. How did you move through this? Right? How. How can I move through it? Because recently, you know, I grew up my whole life, and I was overweight, like, very overweight. I mean, I'm not like £300, but like £230, and I'm five' eleven, right. And I started thinking, like, everything that I have in my life right now or I don't have, is because of this one thing, this one thing that I'm struggling with. And I have to go through this transformation because I want to be healthy. I want to be around for my wife and my kids for a very long time. But I also want to display this type of determination and discipline that everybody else can see. So that way, it inspires them. And I tell you what, every day, I get multiple DMs. Like, how do I get out of my own way? And I go, you have to identify that one thing, that one thing that you think about constantly. That's what you attack. And it may be unrelated to business. It may be unrelated to anything that you're doing. But it's funny how if you take care of that one aspect, everything else falls into place because you're vibrating on a higher frequency. Is there anything in your life that you thought of, like, constantly, like, you know what? I should probably work on this. And then once you did, everything else just kind of fall into place?
- [42:03]
B
Yeah, I mean, you know, it's like you said before, like, don't. You can't waste time thinking about things that don't matter. So, you know, that's something that we all get better at as we, you know, experience more in life, you know, but definitely things that don't matter, to not even think about them, you know, like what people think of you or what, you know, somebody is saying about you or what, you know, like, just, like, things that don't matter, just don't think about them. That's it. I mean, that's the one thing that could help you get to where you're going faster. Like, to not think about things that don't matter.
- [42:46]
A
That is.
- [42:47]
B
More gossip.
- [42:48]
A
Yes.
- [42:48]
B
You know, because a lot of, you know, I get caught up in that sometimes with, you know, especially cast members and, you know, like, there's a lot of that.
- [42:57]
A
There's a lot of drama. Yeah, a lot of that drama.
- [43:00]
B
And it's just like, you know, move. Move past that. You know, I don't. Like, you know, they. They. I mean, it's. It's something that is, you know, like, funny for a show, entertaining and all of that, but, like, in real life, that really doesn't, you know, interests me to think about what he said, she said. He said that she was. She was wearing. He was doing it a little. She wasn't there. She wasn't invited here. Like, I don't care. Yeah, I don't care.
- [43:30]
A
I don't care.
- [43:31]
B
Like, look, that.
- [43:32]
A
That's more powerful than you think, though, right? If. If it doesn't matter, don't fret. And. And I always say this, and I learned this in sports. Control the controllables.
- [43:41]
B
That's what it is. If you don't have control over it, then don't think about it. So that's something that I have been working on with the help of David, because, like, that's like, you know, a true champion's mindset, and he's the true champion. So, like, I learn a lot from him.
- [43:57]
A
Five times over. Five times.
- [43:59]
B
So, you know, that's how you got to think like a champion.
- [44:02]
A
You do. And it's so funny because when you Allow this. When you allow. To clear your space, when you allow yourself to clear your space like that, you can focus on what does matter. But if we get stuck in worrying about the. That doesn't matter and that we can't control it, it pushes us down, and then you attract more of that crap.
- [44:21]
B
Right.
- [44:22]
A
You know, and, like, and. And if, you know, what did you call it? Manifest.
- [44:26]
B
What was the manifesting generator.
- [44:28]
A
Manifesting generator, yeah. So people like us can manifest anything we want, but what are we going to manifest?
- [44:34]
B
Right.
- [44:34]
A
If we're focused on things that we. We don't have any control over, and we fret over every little detail, right, that's happening or what someone says, we just. We bring more of that to us. And. And for me, that. That. That weighs on me a ton.
- [44:51]
B
Right. Everything is energy, you know, So I try and bring the good energy.
- [44:56]
A
Yeah, you do.
- [44:57]
B
I mean, I do. You know, it's like, inside of you, you know, so you can feel when somebody has good energy. Good energy, or not. Like, it's hard to fake it.
- [45:05]
A
Yeah.
- [45:05]
B
Even if you, you know, keep a happy face sign all the time, if you're not, you know, vibrating on the same inside. It's obvious what you say and what.
- [45:17]
A
You'Re giving out is two completely different things. And I've been on the other side of that as well. You know, I've been in times where like, hey, everything's great, and I got the smile on my face. And I remember sitting down with somebody, a friend of mine named Chantel, and she goes, take the mask off. Like, what are you talking about? And this is when I was selling payroll, and it was my first meeting with her, like, to sign her up for payroll. And we were at a Starbucks on Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, Florida. And that was. She was a catalyst in this whole thing because she goes, you need to listen to the MF CEO projects. Andy Vercella is old, you know, podcast. They just brought it back. But he talks about mindset, talks about building business, talks about all this stuff. And it wasn't until that point that I realized that I'm faking this. I'm faking being happy. And it was super important to me to fix that. Now you're not going to have any question where I'm at. Like, if I'm in a bad mood, that's where I'm at. If I'm in a great mood and I'm. I'm vibrating high, there's no faking it, because people can feel that when they need it.
- [46:25]
B
I Can't fake it. I'm the same way. Like, I can't. You can tell right away if I can't, you know, if I don't like you, you could tell I can't fake it. I'm just not, like, you know, like, I can't. I can't do it. I just. It's not who I am. Yeah.
- [46:39]
A
I find, like, I'm always cordial, but there's certain energies that I just won't.
- [46:42]
B
Well, yeah, like, I know how to be polite and.
- [46:46]
A
Yeah.
- [46:47]
B
Cordial, but. Or maybe sometimes I don't. Maybe not. I don't know. Maybe not. But, you know, I'm definitely not fake. I don't know how to be fake. I can't. I, I, I sometimes want to be, but I can't.
- [47:00]
A
Yeah. It's crazy because everything I've seen of you and read of you, you showed up with the same energy, right? And. And I appreciate that. And I think a lot of times in this business, right, and what we do, we're. It's very public, right? So when I meet people, they go, wow, you have the same energy. You're the same person on camera as you are in person. I'm like, well, yeah, because it's me. Like, if we're not being ourselves and we're not showing people who we are, and then if you run into somebody, you don't mirror that same energy, it's very confusing to people. And you. And you lose a lot of, I guess, fans, or you lose a lot of people that respect you because, like, wow, you're not who you say you are. That's a gift. It's a heavy one, too, though, right, because you're always on. Right? You're always. You're always.
- [47:50]
B
I. I don't know, because it's just who I am. Like, I. Like I said, I don't. I don't even know how to be fake, you know? So. Heavy or not, I don't know. I just. It's who I am.
- [48:01]
A
I get. Sometimes I'll get tired, right at the end of the day if it's.
- [48:06]
B
I think it's more tiring to fake.
- [48:08]
A
Yeah, it could.
- [48:09]
B
To fake it.
- [48:09]
A
Like, oh, no, that'll. That'll destroy you.
- [48:11]
B
Yeah. I don't know.
- [48:12]
A
That's a different type of tired. Yeah, that's a different type of tired, you know, but being on camera, being on the microphone all the time and fielding calls and, and always having that same energy, and it is me. It's. It's. It's not an act, but, you know, there's times where I sit there and, and some days I just need to, just to be by myself. Do you ever have to be by yourself?
- [48:30]
B
Yeah, it's very, it's very important to, you know, recharge and you know, like, I just came back from a back to back trip, so yesterday I just spent a day, you know, like recharging, you know, like at home. Like, I. Yeah, what do you definitely need that.
- [48:52]
A
What do you like to do to recharge?
- [48:54]
B
Just, you know, like, cook. That's healing for me. Get my house together, my things together, you know, just, just like home things, like wholesome things, you know, spend time with my family and just, you know, stay away from the phone a little bit, stay away from Instagram, you know, just like recharge, regroup, you know, you, you have to like, shut off or. And I don't need to do that for to so long in order to, like, you know, get recharged. But even if it's just a couple of hours, like, you definitely need to, you know, regroup. It's, it's very important. For sure.
- [49:35]
A
Yeah. I found myself, if I can spend, you know, four to five hours just recharging, I'm good. And I can do that when my kids are at school.
- [49:43]
B
Right.
- [49:43]
A
My wife is at work, you know, I can just be right, you know, and that'll. There'll, there'll be times like, you know, someone calls and you know, if it's a partner or someone important in the business, like, hey, I'm taking, I'm taking today. I'll get back to you tomorrow.
- [49:58]
B
Yeah.
- [49:58]
A
And it took me so long to draw that boundary because I always felt compelled or responsible to. I've got to respond right away. That was one of the things that my wife always coached me through. She's like, you don't have to respond to everything right away. You can take your time. And learning that has, has allowed me to recharge so much quicker. So by the time my, the most important thing in my life, which is my wife and my kids, walk through the door, daddy's ready, you know, I'm ready to cook that, that dinner. I love going out there and grilling. My daughters always go, can I help you? And I'm like, well, you know, I'm grilling, so you can come out, but I don't want you near the grill. But it was, it was really funny because the other day, my little one, she's seven, I was making mashed sweet potatoes and she wanted to help and, you know, she's got. I told her, yes. I was like, but I'm going to hold the pot, so. And you stir. She got so damn excited. She got out of the little baker's outfit. She put her hat on. She put her little mittens on and her apron, and she was in there with me just cooking. And then my oldest daughter came in. Can I help, too? Yes. Can you set the table? Can you make the salad? And just those moments with them, even though I was actively doing something that also recharged me because they got so much joy out of it.
- [51:18]
B
Right. That human connection also fuels you, and.
- [51:21]
A
You'Re a mom, right?
- [51:23]
B
Yeah.
- [51:24]
A
You know, how can you relate to that when. When you see your. Your kids light up and. And enjoy that they're helping or doing something with you, what does that do for you?
- [51:32]
B
Well, I have one son, and we have. We have been. That used to be. Now he's 14, but, you know, so teenagers, they don't want to do so much with you anymore. But. No, but he's a mommy's boy, so he loves being with me. But when he was younger, we used to do that all the time. Like, he knows how to cook because he could make a whole meal if, you know, if I asked him to, because he, you know, was in the kitchen. I love to cook. Of course, I was in the restaurant business. My father's a chef, you know, so cooking is a big part of our life. But he knows how to cook a whole meal. Like, he can make you a full dinner.
- [52:10]
A
That's awesome.
- [52:10]
B
He can make your whole family a full dinner and, like, you know, no time.
- [52:15]
A
14. I was just playing baseball. I don't even know how to turn on the lawn. The washing machine.
- [52:19]
B
Yeah, no, he knows how to do everything. I'm not saying he does it like we do, but, like, he knows how to do it. Yeah. He knows how to, you know, do laundry, clean his room, make his bed, cook dinner. You know, all of it. Yeah. Something that we used to connect, you know, together. Doing at home is like, cooking meals together because he loved it.
- [52:41]
A
That's so awesome that. Those are skills that when he's older.
- [52:46]
B
Yeah.
- [52:46]
A
And a woman comes into their life, they're gonna know that he's gonna be able to handle shit.
- [52:50]
B
Exactly. They'll appreciate that. His friends know, like, all his friends are. He has a lot of friends who are females, and. And he takes care of them. Like, he's the gentleman around. He'll make them food. He make, like, you know, the other day, he Made like ramen, but like homemade. A homemade ramen.
- [53:06]
A
You know, you, my friend, if you're watching, you're, you're a gem. Because I, I remember driving around, I, I parked my car in a parking spot a long time ago, and that's when Melissa was still alive. And she goes, I worry about you when you go to college. It's like, why? She goes, because you can't take care of yourself. And I said, I'll figure it out. And now I'm very domesticated, I'm very self sufficient. I, I cook, I clean, I, I contribute. It's easy for me. But those are. Learning that at an early age is so important. And I have, my son's 12, so I'm approaching the teenage years very quickly and, and I'm great with teenagers. I used to coach, but how has that been, you know, having a teenager and navigating those things? Because the worries change, I think right as they get older and they're doing more things, they're out of the house. What if, how has that been for you guys?
- [54:07]
B
Yeah, like, it changes really quick, like overnight, you know, like literally the minute they turn from 12 to 13, you know, the minute they become a teenager, things change. They just, you know, want their independence more. So, you know, you have to give it to them. And, and that's, you know, a healthy thing. But, but luckily, like, he's, you know, he is mommy's boy. He always will be. And that's another healthy thing, you know, that he loves his mom and we do love to be together. We love spending time together. Like, we love traveling together. We love, you know, our activities together. Like, we love going ice skating or to restaurants, trying different restaurants, or being with his friends. Like, I'm. Oh, his friends love me. So we're, you know, like, so that's good. So thank goodness, because I'm not like, I'm not like that cringe for them that they don't want to be with me because that's what happens when they become teenagers. It's like everything is like, that's so cringe, like they don't want to take pictures with you anymore. Like, oh, we're together a lot. But like my followers on Instagram, like, they, they're like, where's Sam? Where's your summer? Because he doesn't want to take pictures with me anymore. And he used to not mind that. You know, he used to like that. But now he's like, do not post that. Don't put that up. You know, it's like everything Is cringe.
- [55:26]
A
He doesn't want to be public, right? He doesn't want.
- [55:29]
B
No, just not with me, you know, like. But, you know, like, I said, thank God I'm not that cringe because I still get to be around them. Like, you know, they, like. Like, they think I'm gonna. They. They say I'm a baddie. So, you know.
- [55:44]
A
Yeah, yeah, it was. Oh, that's funny.
- [55:46]
B
Yeah.
- [55:46]
A
So listen, this.
- [55:47]
B
So.
- [55:47]
A
So my wife, up until this. This past summer, this semester that just started, she was teaching upper school Spanish, right? So high school. She's in prep school, and one day she came home and said, what does batty mean? I'm like, it depends on, like, who's calling you that. She goes, well, you know, some of the girls and some of the boys call me a body. I'm like, whoa, I got. I go, that means. That means that. That means something. And she goes, they don't look at me like that. I'm like, no, but I mean, you are a baddie. You know, you. You know, you're cool. Like, it can mean so many different things. But that word, man, it's so funny because it mortified her, right? She's like, oh, no. What's it mean? It's like, I'm like, they're. I'm like their mom. I'm like, they're. I'm like, their school mom. I'm like, well, you know, boys will be boys, babe. Boys will be boys. You mentioned going on trips. What's the favorite trip you've taken with your son?
- [56:42]
B
I don't have just one favorite, but, you know, like, all of them are the best. Each place we, you know, venture to is a new experience, but so I just. I love going to new places and seeing it through his eyes, you know, with him. So every place we go to is.
- [56:58]
A
Is you guys travel out of the country and.
- [57:00]
B
Yeah, we love to travel. So. Yeah.
- [57:02]
A
What's been your favorite trip for you so far? Like, just. Just.
- [57:06]
B
I don't have. I don't have a favorite.
- [57:08]
A
No, mine was everywhere.
- [57:09]
B
Everywhere. I, like, every time I go somewhere, I'm like, oh, my God, this is so amazing. I think this is my favorite trip. Then the next trip I go to, I say, no, this is amazing. This is my favorite. So it's not. I can't. Yeah, it's not just one. Like, every new experience and, you know, that's cool. Yeah. It's like. I don't know. I can't. I can't compare. Like, every place is different, and we just Love traveling and experiencing new places, cultures, people, you know, we, we went.
- [57:39]
A
To my wife's home country in July.
- [57:42]
B
Where's that?
- [57:43]
A
Ecuador.
- [57:44]
B
Oh, okay.
- [57:44]
A
She's from Quito, Ecuador. And we had never been. And you know, because sometimes it's not safe there. Right. And. But it was, it was a period of time where everything was calm, it was chill. So we went. I didn't want to come home. Wow. Like volcanoes, you know, we went to these volcanic baths where we sat in these different pools. Wow. Each pool was hotter because it was closer to the volcano. And I'm sitting there just looking up in this, the Andes mountains. And it's over. Like all the, the fog and the clouds were sitting on the volcanoes and it was drizzling. Like it was the most incredible.
- [58:19]
B
Yeah.
- [58:19]
A
Experience of my life. It was, it was the best. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it takes forever to get anywhere. Oh. It's like you're constantly bumping because the roads are this. So I was like passed out half the time in the car rides. The altitude, really. The altitude. Like I couldn't sleep while I was there.
- [58:37]
B
Wow.
- [58:38]
A
I would sleep for. In two hour spurts and then I was up and then I would fall back asleep and then I was up.
- [58:43]
B
So I've never been there, so I can't say. Beautiful. Yeah, I'm sure it's very beautiful.
- [58:47]
A
Yeah, it's very beautiful. I want to go back soon. One of the craziest things, when you're landing, you're coming into the Andes Mountains. It's the most terrifying thing. I'm like, what the hell's going on? Is this guy good? Like you think we're good? Like, is this normal? She goes, yeah, I hear all the time this is normal. I'm like, man, like all it just these, these mountains are massive. I mean, they're huge. It's beautiful. It's beautiful. Didn't go to the rainforest, though. She wouldn't go. She had a tarantula or a massive spider like following her when she was a kid. Oh, wow.
- [59:19]
B
She was like, I'm traumatized. Yeah.
- [59:20]
A
I'm not going back to the Amazon. I am not going there. But we want to do the Galapagos, I think this summer. Because we didn't, we didn't try. We didn't go there. So that would be a fun trip.
- [59:30]
B
Nice.
- [59:30]
A
Yeah, yeah. So what, what's coming for you? You know, like, you know, I know that we don't know if a season two is coming, but what are you looking forward to most, you know, everything.
- [59:40]
B
I just like, I look forward to everything, especially, you know, like travel plans, although we haven't made them yet for the summer because we're kind of last minute. But, you know, there's. There's always something to look forward to. Like, every next thing is something to look forward to, whether it's in my family life, my business life, my, you know, professional life. It's. There's, you know, I look forward to it all.
- [60:05]
A
Yeah, you know, that's a good. That's. That's a good thing to have. Right? Because then you're always present. I think being present is so much more important than balance. Right? Everybody talks. I wish I had more balance. I'm like, well, wait a second here. Balance. Balance means you can do multiple things, the equal amount of time during the day. So you're telling me you can work for eight hours, you can work out for eight hours, you can spend eight hours with your family, you can work, you know, and do all these other things. Like, there's only 24 hours in a day. So I seek presence. If I can be present in a moment and truly enjoy what's going on, then I'm good.
- [60:40]
B
Right?
- [60:40]
A
Especially with kids, they don't want time. They want your attention. They want. And that's. That's something that you've given your son. You guys cook together, you go on trips together, you know, you do fun activities together. That is so enriching to a child because there are a lot of parents out there, and I witness it all the time. The kids do not exist. They do their thing. Here's the iPad. And the iPad or the screen raises that child, and they always are searching for that attention that they really want, which is from the parents. Right? So you've done that for your child.
- [61:17]
B
Right.
- [61:17]
A
You've given them experience. You've given them the gift of you being present. But also when you talk about your outlook on life, it's like, I'm excited for it all. And I think that is truly something that people are searching for. What kind of advice would you give the audience about how to slowly work towards that? Because some people, it's built in, right? It's just your perspective. It's how you've been raised, all your life experiences. But, you know, there's a subset of people that don't know how to do that. What would you tell them?
- [61:51]
B
No, I definitely had to train myself. It's not. I was not born like that, you know, but once again, it's like you got to just focus on the positive. Because when everything is energy, you know, the more you focus on the positive, the more positive you will get attract, you know, become. If you focus on things that don't matter or the negative or what he said, she said this. You know, it's just that's. You're gonna get more of that too.
- [62:20]
A
Yeah.
- [62:21]
B
So focusing on the things that really matter and staying positive is. Is definitely. It's like a workout. You know what I mean? You have to. You have to keep working at it. It's not something that has come to me naturally my whole life. I mean, I'm naturally like an upbeat, positive, happy person. But there's a lot of things that can get me down in life, you know, A lot of things. And you just have to, you know, try not to let anything or anyone get you down.
- [62:50]
A
Are you open to sharing maybe one thing that gets you down?
- [62:54]
B
I mean, just, you know, there's so many things, like, just like, stress in your business, like, oh, this one didn't show up today, or, you know, something that's going on with the cast, a cast member, or, you know, it's just like, you gotta keep it moving, like, not focus on. On the negative. You know, just like, not, you know, come up with solutions and don't focus on problems. But that is not something that I, you know, always was a master at. You know, you have to master that. But it's. It's important to master that in. In life.
- [63:26]
A
I agree completely, you know, and.
- [63:28]
B
And just like, stay real, you know, like, because the truth always comes out and, you know, karma is a. Oh, so, you know, like, we, you know, like, if you're gonna tell lies or go after someone for no reason or whatever it is, you know, like, that's gonna come back to you, you know, like, I don't. I don't. I'm. I'm a good, supportive friend, and, you know, that's. That's who I am.
- [64:03]
A
That's awesome. I always say what you do in the dark always comes to light, right? It will come out. It will come out and it'll burn you. So you better be living right. I always believe in keeping my side of the street clean. And there's always things that I can clean up. Right? But, you know, I try to live my life full of integrity and. And to be truthful and to be honest. So that way I never have to have those types of hard conversations, because those are bad conversations to have. If you've been dishonest and it comes out, it. You Lose trust in people, you know, it could implode your businesses. It can change so much in your life by not being truthful. So I enjoy that about you. It's a good quality. Very good quality. So question. This show was built on the backbone of determination and discipline. Right? When I began this show, I wanted to wake up in a society where people woke up determined to chase their dreams, no matter how they felt emotionally at that time. Because our emotions don't care. They're a liar. We have to. If you are going to build something, you need to build it regardless of how you feel. Because you said you were going to do this activity. You said you were going to do this. In your words, how do you define determination?
- [65:21]
B
It's like, it's like a, you know, like a fire that's in you. You know, like I have, you know, like I'm constantly on fire for something that I want to, to do, you know, so it's not, it's not like I wake up and say, oh, I'm going to be determined today. Like, I just am. Like, I wake up and I'm. I'm very energetic. I like to get things done. I do get things done. I'm a doer and I just make shit happen.
- [65:51]
A
That's it. That's it.
- [65:53]
B
It's just my personality.
- [65:54]
A
You know, at the beginning, I thought determination was this loud, roaring thing, the hustle culture. It's really not that. To me, it's the quiet moments, right? It's the quiet moments where you make a decision to follow through for yourself. Because at the end of the day, if you break your word to yourself, that's when you lose confidence. That's when you lose your power. And so every single day I check in with me, are you doing what you said you were going to do? To me, it's not loud, it's not sexy. It's the monotonous things that you master. Me getting in shape, me looking the part of determination and discipline, those are the things that I, every day I have to make sure that I follow. Am I eating the right things? How's my wellness going, right? Am I, am I emotionally set? Am I physically set? I'm nowhere near where I want to be because it's a never ending journey. But you're also big into wellness and you run one of the biggest wellness companies out there. Talk to me about that.
- [66:54]
B
Yeah, I've always been into wellness and longevity because I think it started when I was, you know, very young. It's just like, you know, growing up In New York and you know, like the hard lifestyle, I would need to kind of like recover to get my energy back, you know what I mean? Like, I would have to do, you know, like sauna and like I started sauna, cold, plunging, red light, all of that, like before anybody knew what it was, like IV therapy, like, you know, I don't even remember how old I was when I started doing this, but like very young and people didn't even know about this stuff. But I would find, you know, places in like, you know, Queens and Brooklyn, like European, like these Russian places that did like, you know, you know, chelation and like, I don't know, I was always attracted to wellness because it just makes you feel good. Like I like to feel good, I like to look good, I like to have energy. And you know, especially in the winter, maybe I needed more help or you know, at being in the restaurant business. And you know, you work all night and you have a busy night and you're, you know, running around all night long until 4 or 5 o' clock in the morning. And then I had to be back at work at 12 noon, you know, so I would go into the sauna for two hours, get IVs and then go back to work. And I would be great. And people would always be like, how are you? Like still here at five in the morning counting your money at the end of the night? And like, you know, so I started my wellness journey long, long, long ago, right? And then when I moved to Florida, I couldn't really find, you know, good places that, that I trusted to get all these therapies that I need to get. So I said, well, I'm just gonna open my own place. And that's what I did.
- [69:03]
A
What's it called?
- [69:03]
B
What's your business called? Taja Drip. Taja Drip, yes. And Taja Rx. Because my product lines are Tasha Rx and my actual brick and mortar is located in the Faina Hotel, which is a five star hotel. And I, you know, pioneered this wellness and longevity, you know, business in within the five star luxury hotel space because it's also ideal for travelers. You know, like, I wanna, when I travel, the first thing I want is to get an iv, lymphatic drainage, red light, oxygen. And then like, you don't jet lag? I don't, I never get jet lag because I get all of these things and I never, you know, I travel with people and they're like, I can't move, I need two days to recover. And I'm like, my God, you're wasting my time here. Like, you know, you need, you need to, like, get up so, like, I don't get jet lagged. I don't, you know, like, I, I really know that these treatments work. You know, nad that I've been taking and nobow forever, since before anybody knew what it was. Yeah, I've been doing it. And people are like, what's nad? What's nad? You know, I've been doing this for a long time. All the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants that the body gets, you know, deficient of, it's very important to replenish, and it works. Like you can tell the difference, you know, So I have a medical director, I have all nurse practitioners, registered nurses that, you know, handle my business, and we have a great thing going on.
- [70:47]
A
What I love about this is you'll.
- [70:50]
B
Have to come visit.
- [70:50]
A
I'm. I'm in. Yeah, I'm in. Matt's taking me. You use these things as you were, you know, 20 years old and into your entrepreneurial journey to help you, you know, keep moving at the pace that you needed to. And then years later, you took that recipe and then you made something out of it. And I always say those things always work because you have the experience level. You, you know what it does, you've tested it on yourself for many, many years. That is the long game. And that is one of the biggest reasons why it's super successful. And in a five star hotel, right? Like, people have to realize that tapping into who they were before and what helped them, that's usually the gift that they can go and give to other people. And that's exactly what you're doing. That's pretty darn cool.
- [71:44]
B
That's really cool. And I started it, you know, way before it was popular. Like, like I said, like, nobody knew what nad was.
- [71:50]
A
Now it's called biohacking.
- [71:51]
B
Exactly. I'm a biohacker. Yeah, I am a biohacker. But it didn't, you know, I started it before it. Before it had a term, you know, before there was a name for it. I started it. So, like, I didn't ride the wave. Like, I started the wave, you know?
- [72:07]
A
Yeah, I, I heard. I don't know. Have you. Do you know who Tito Ortiz is? He was a UFC fighter.
- [72:14]
B
You know, a lot of them as clients.
- [72:17]
A
Right. So he was at this conference and he was asked to speak at this biohacking conference. He's like, biohacking, like, what's that? Right? Like he's been doing it for so long and is training to recover.
- [72:28]
B
Well, that's what I say all the time. Like, the original biohackers are athletes, of course. And since I've been around a lot of athletes my whole life, like, you know, they're the original biohackers.
- [72:38]
A
Well, they have to feel good. They have to perform. Right. Being able to play the sport or, you know, be active in the sport isn't the goal. It's the performance. And if you don't recover and if you're don't. If you're not putting good things in your body, then you can't have that level of performance. I don't care what you do. Whether you're an athlete or an entrepreneur or a teacher, you need to be optimized.
- [73:01]
B
Right?
- [73:01]
A
And there's so many people walking around right now, Tasha, I'm tired. I don't have time to get in the gym. I can't get in the gym because by the time I get home, I am done. Like, your company and your services help people with that because you're giving them the nutrients and the minerals that they need and the recovery that they need.
- [73:25]
B
I mean, absolutely. I mean, you can ask anyone I know you, like, anyone that knows me, like, do I ever get sick? No, I mean, knock on wood. Like, knock, Knock on wood. Like, knock on wood. Like, I know, like, you know, like, do I. Am I ever, like, not functioning at my best? I'm always optimized.
- [73:48]
A
Yeah.
- [73:48]
B
Thank God. You know, it's important.
- [73:50]
A
You know, it's funny because.
- [73:51]
B
But I work at it, you know, because I get all the treatments that I. I swear by and believe in and, you know, every. Meanwhile, everybody else, oh, I can't. I'm sick today. Or I'm that today. And not saying, like, I've never gotten sick, but, you know, it's like every, you know, like, I don't know, every, like, 10 years or something. I mean, it's like I, I. It's like.
- [74:09]
A
Yeah, well, it's funny because prior to me taking responsibility for my own health, I would get sick a lot. You know, I'd get in the gym, and then I'd release all those toxins from working out, and I would get sick immediately. But the moment I started taking care of myself, I've been sick one time, Right.
- [74:26]
B
You see a difference?
- [74:27]
A
It was low.
- [74:27]
B
When your immune system is, you know, functioning properly, then you just don't get sick as much.
- [74:33]
A
Yeah. Everybody was worried about because the flu has been nasty this year, and people are getting sick and they're Throwing up and, like, you haven't got anything. I'm like, nah, I'm not. I don't even think about it.
- [74:44]
B
I know everybody's been sick, and I. I got like, a little, you know, like, I had a little, like, maybe congestion, but I snapped it out. I right away when got some NAD iv, you know, some oxygen, red light, and boom, out of my system.
- [74:58]
A
Out of your system. When I feel like that, Right. I still stay on my normal routine, and then I'll hop in the sauna after my lift and my cardio, and I'll go sit there for a half an hour, sweat. And that rest of the day, I'm very tired. But the moment I go to sleep and wake up, I'm fine. And it's. I. I can feel things. Come on. I'm like, okay, like, I'm gonna get through this. I'm not. This isn't gonna get me. And I wake up the next day, and I'm fine.
- [75:24]
B
Well, you probably need some more IV therapy, vitamins, mineral. You probably need more of that probably system. Yeah, probably.
- [75:30]
A
Yeah. I mean, you know, I. I do take vitamins, but the. The IV drips are so important. There's so much more. It's, you know, it's concentrated right into your bloodstream.
- [75:38]
B
Exactly. And it's really hard to get, like, absorption from supplements, like actual pills, like, you know.
- [75:43]
A
Yep.
- [75:44]
B
They might have good ingredients, but it's. You don't, you know, they don't absorb into your system, you know, so, like, my formulas are liquid. Liquid absorb much better than capsules.
- [75:54]
A
Well, definitely come over. Definitely come over soon. Soon. It's on him. We get me over there, I'll definitely do it. Well, maybe we'll do some stuff there and promote it a little bit. Really cool. But thank you so much for coming on and, you know, giving the audience more substance of who you are and what you're up to. And can't wait for the pink print to come out. You know, that's going to be really, really cool. Thank you so much again, I really enjoyed this. And for everybody watching, please go follow Taja on. On Instagram. The handle is. What's your handle again?
- [76:28]
B
Taja Lucky is my personal.
- [76:31]
A
Okay.
- [76:31]
B
And Tasha Drip. And the reason why it's Tasha Lucky. I didn't give myself that name, but everyone says whenever they hang out with me, like, they get lucky. So I got that. That was like a nickname that I was named Tasha Lucky. Like, my luck runs. Rubs off on them.
- [76:48]
A
Okay.
- [76:48]
B
So that's how my. That became my handle. And my business is Tasha Drip and Natasha Rx. But if you go to my Taja Lucky page, you can see all my other outlets there.
- [77:05]
A
I definitely follow you. I just couldn't remember the actual handle.
- [77:08]
B
Okay.
- [77:09]
A
And for all of you out there listening, I might get lucky tonight because I hung out with Tasha today. So, Jackie, Jackie, you be ready. Be ready, baby. Daddy's coming home. Daddy's coming home. Please, guys, if you've enjoyed this episode, first and foremost, go check out Members Only Palm Beach. Watch Taja, share the show with all your friends and dive in.
- [77:31]
B
You got to binge watch it, though. You have to watch every episode because we need. We need, like, the completion rate.
- [77:38]
A
So completion rates.
- [77:38]
B
It's also hard to stop watching. So just like, watch all eight episodes. It goes by fast.
- [77:44]
A
Yes. Hey, dive into it, guys. Share this episode with someone you know, love and trust. And go follow Taja. If you're over on the east coast, go visit her and get some treatment. Complete the show, binge watch it. And until next time, guys, stay determined.