INTERVIEW | Make Money with Grit, Resilience, and Going All In with Alberto Crane

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary: Travis Makes Money – “INTERVIEW | Make Money with Grit, Resilience, and Going All In with Alberto Crane” (April 3, 2026)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, host Travis Chappell sits down with Alberto Crane—legendary MMA fighter, gym owner, and podcaster—to discuss the power of resilience, grit, and going “all in” on a dream, even when the odds and conventional advice say otherwise. Alberto shares his unconventional entrepreneurial journey from a childhood in Germany to pioneering Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the US, overcoming a multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and building a global gym community. The conversation centers on mindset, lessons learned from failure, and practical strategies for life, business, and fulfillment.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Motivation Behind “All In” and Teaching Resilience

• Why Write the Book?
  • Alberto describes his “all in” approach to life, focusing on teaching resilience and grit. He views his book as an extension of helping people lead better lives.
  • Quote: “I think my story is story of resilience. Losing a lot, not giving up, following through. … Success has that in it, right? No matter what you do.” (Alberto Crane, 00:47)
• Core Values:
  • Grit and resilience are highlighted as key predictors of long-term success.
  • “Staying in the game long enough. That’s it.” (Alberto, 01:22)

2. Origins and Early Influences

• Childhood in Germany & Family Influence
  • His mother’s adventurous move to Germany after a divorce and her drive to “do her own thing” (01:46) set an example for bold decision-making.
  • Describes an idyllic youth in Munich and eventual return to Santa Fe, NM (03:44).
• First Encounters with Martial Arts:
  • A late start—wrestled in third grade, only discovered Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at 18 but was immediately hooked.
  • Quote: “I never missed a class after that. I had to learn what he was doing. … It gave me peace of mind.” (Alberto, 04:58 – 05:05)

3. Martial Arts as Meditation and Mindfulness

• Jiu Jitsu as a Mental Anchor:
  • It’s a “meditative experience,” helping practitioners stay present and clear-headed. (09:56)
  • Quote: “Even an hour of that or two hours sets you up for the day… Just makes you a better person.” (Alberto, 09:59 – 10:08)

4. Economic Realities & Early Entrepreneurship

• Starting Against the Odds:
  • Pursuing martial arts as a career “did not make sense at all” economically. Opened his first school at 23, driven by passion rather than profit. (10:39 – 11:06)
• Growth of MMA & Jiu Jitsu’s Popularity:
  • Reflects on MMA’s shift from underground to mainstream, catalyzed by The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC’s emergence on Spike TV. (11:49 – 12:59)
• Mount Rushmore of UFC:
  • Picks Hoist Gracie, Hicks and Gracie, GSP, Khabib, and BJ Penn as all-time legends. (13:49 – 14:52)

5. Building the Gym Business: Navigating Obstacles & Scaling

• Early Challenges:

  • Small town beginnings, skepticism from academic family, and the physical–intellectual divide.
  • Quote: “Those two worlds seem to not coincide that often: intellectual academia versus UFC fighting. … I’m gonna prove her wrong.” (15:36 – 17:01)

• Advice and Regrets:

  • Discusses the tension between well-meaning family advice and living true to personal vision.
  • Quote: “One of the number one regrets in life is not living the life that you really, truly wanted to live.” (Alberto, 17:43)

• Growth & Expansion:

  • Now operates gyms throughout California, Brazil, Armenia, and soon the Philippines. (18:55 – 23:59)
  • Key to expansion: mentorship, PR, systems, and staying true to a teaching mission.

• Business Lessons & Systems:

  • Early struggle as a gifted teacher but “struggling with business” until embracing systems (inspired by E-Myth), and learning sales and marketing. (25:07 – 26:16)
  • Quote: “I have to put that time in to learning sales and marketing, just like I did with this skill [martial arts].” (Alberto, 26:13 – 26:16)

6. The Power and Limitations of Going All In

• Scaling Too Fast:
  • Rapid expansion to six gyms was overwhelming and diluted ability to connect. Shifted focus back to quality, relationships, and purpose over size. (27:25 – 29:25)
• Connection and Teaching as the Core Motivation:
  • Motivation comes from making a community impact and nurturing students, not just business growth.

7. Podcasting and Writing: New Forms of Impact

• Podcast Purpose:
  • His podcast explores human potential, wellness, and martial arts—“anything that brings out the best in ourselves.” (29:29)
• Writing ‘All In’:
  • A five-year collaboration originated from a student’s mother observing character change in her son.
  • Multiple drafts, finally completed in three months after finding the right voice. (32:09 – 32:17)

8. Resilience in the Face of Illness: MS Diagnosis

• Receiving the Diagnosis:

  • After abnormal MRI scans, received multiple sclerosis diagnosis; described being treated “like my life was over.” (33:32 – 33:42)
  • Quote: “They gave me a stack of jug like books and asked me which ones I wanted to take… It may or may not help me, but there’s going to be side effects.” (35:13 – 35:30)

• Response and Lifestyle Overhaul:

  • Avoided pharmaceuticals, pursued lifestyle interventions inspired by Dr. Terry Wahls and dietary protocols (e.g., paleo, stress management).
  • Quote: “I went all in with nutrition, movement, of course, my mindset… My intention is just always to improve.” (36:19 – 36:53)

• Psychological Impact:

  • Family support and martial arts background helped manage fear—“The stuff that is on the mat ends up translating off.” (38:34 – 38:40)

9. Current Focus & Legacy

• Personal Focus:
  • Supporting his children (twins aged 17, son aged 18) and black belts; prioritizing family, community.
• TAC Fit & Wellness:
  • Active as co-owner in TAC Fit—a functional fitness and neuroscience-based movement system used by elite law enforcement, focused on balance, mobility, and neuroplasticity.
  • Quote: “If you don’t have MS, this stuff is like a, the fountain of youth—just optimizing your body.” (39:57)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Grit:
  “The number one thing is like grit… Staying in the game long enough. That’s it.”
  (Alberto, 01:14–01:22)

• On Regret:
  “One of the number one regrets in life is not living the life that you really, truly wanted to live.”
  (Alberto, 17:43)

• On Adversity:
  “Just not giving up, getting defeated again and again and again, and just getting up again and again and again. … Not taking defeat as an option.”
  (Alberto, 32:36–32:48)

• On Business Growth:
  “I have to put that time in to learning sales and marketing, just like I did with this skill.”
  (Alberto, 26:13–26:16)

• On MS & Adapting:
  “I went all in with my nutrition, my movement practice, my mindset, the people I’m around… I just began to study, and I keep studying.”
  (Alberto, 36:19–36:27)

• On Legacy:
  “What motivates me is the relationships. … Not business, not that. What motivates me is connecting with people, seeing people improve.”
  (Alberto, 27:41–28:09)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:43 – Why write a book, motivation for “All In”
• 01:33 – Childhood in Germany, family background
• 04:31 – Discovery of Jiu Jitsu, immediate passion
• 09:52 – Martial arts as present-moment meditation
• 10:39 – The economics and uncertainty of martial arts as a career
• 11:49 – Jiu Jitsu and MMA’s rise to mainstream
• 15:36 – Early business challenges and family skepticism
• 18:55 – Business growth: from Santa Fe to global gym network
• 25:07 – Lessons from business seminars, importance of systems/marketing
• 29:29 – Podcasting: purpose and lessons learned
• 32:36 – Core lesson: Resilience
• 33:32 – MS diagnosis, mental impact, shift to holistic approach
• 39:00 – Current focus: family, TAC Fit, sustaining legacy

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Tone and Language

The tone of the episode is honest, uplifting, and rooted in real-life adversity and triumph. Both Travis and Alberto employ informal, passionate language, reflecting the camaraderie of two seasoned practitioners discussing unconventional journeys, setbacks, and personal victories.

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This summary captures the episode’s depth on resilience, business lessons, the martial arts mindset, and authentic entrepreneurship, giving non-listeners a vivid understanding of both Alberto Crane’s journey and actionable takeaways.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Now you're listening to the Travis Makes Money podcast presented by gohighlevel.com for a free 30 day trial of the best all in one digital marketing software tool on the planet, just go to gohighlevel.com travis. What's going on, everybody? Welcome back. I have a new friend myself. His name is Alberto Crane. He is a legendary MMA fighter. He's got his own podcast as well. And now he's coming out with this new book, All In. Alberto, what's up, man? Welcome to the show.

[A]

Thanks, Travis.

[B]

First question right off the top, why write a book? What's the main reason behind this?

[A]

You know, I've dedicated my life to teaching or helping, helping my students, you know, live better lives and wellness and all that. And so just another avenue, another way to do that with, with just my story. I think my story is story of resilience. Losing a lot, not giving up, you know, following through. And I think success has that in it, right? No matter what you do, right.

[B]

It seems to be part of the equation regardless of what the story ends up looking like.

[A]

So many people say, right? Like the, the predictor of success. Right. The number one thing is like grit, right? And resilience.

[B]

So staying in the game long.

[A]

Staying in the game long enough. That's it.

[B]

Well, let's go back in time, man. Tell me, you know, childhood days, let's say seven, eight year old Alberto Crane set the scene. Tell me what's going on in life for you at this time.

[A]

So my mom was a language teacher. She was a teacher her whole life. And then my. When my parents divorced, my dad moved to New York. And then she had always wanted to go to like Germany. She had an exchange student and so we ended up going to Germany when I was like four.

[B]

Interesting. Just. Just because she wanted to go.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. She took the jump, you know, so I was, you know, I was four years old.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And. And I grew up in Germany, lived there for like seven years. At one point, I wasn't speaking English at home anymore.

[B]

That's crazy.

[A]

So we came back for years.

[B]

She had like a job lined up or something.

[A]

She didn't. Just fascinated with German culture or, you don't know. Like, I think she felt like she wasn't. She was kind of stuck. Stuck in a way. She had two kids. You know, my grand grandparents were pretty successful with different adventures. My grandfather especially. And so I think she was just kind of stuck in that world and she wanted to just break away and do her. Do her own thing.

[B]

And she did. She did accomplish that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's great.

[A]

For sure.

[B]

So how did you like your time in Germany?

[A]

My time in Germany was. It was like an amazing childhood. Like, I lived in Munich, right. And so streets were clean. The. The schools are great. Definitely different, you know, culture than here, and I had got to experience that. Right, you.

[B]

Do you go back at all now?

[A]

You know, I went. I went. When I. After my diagnosis with multiple sclerosis, I was. I was. I started to compete because I couldn't. I didn't. They didn't clear me to fight, like, professionally anymore. And so I asked the doctor, hey, can I do. Can I still do jiu jitsu and compete? And he's like, sure, no problem. So I signed up for a tournament actually here in Vegas. And then I did, like a world tour, and one of the first international stops was in Munich. And so that was my first time back since I was a kid.

[B]

No way.

[A]

And it was just crazy. Like, I. I went to do, like, a rules meeting, and it just happened to be in my old neighborhood, just by chance.

[B]

No kidding.

[A]

And I took the subway, and I got to the subway station. I'm like, oh, this looks familiar. And then I started walking, like, in my old. Like my old blocks, like, my old, like, you know, that area. And I started getting emotional just walking around. It's crazy.

[B]

Yeah, no kidding.

[A]

And then I got to take my kids a few years back. We did like a little. Little tour. Oh, cool. Stopped in there just to visit.

[B]

So when did you come back to the States then? Where did you move?

[A]

I was like 12 years old, and my first stop, my family's from New Mexico, Santa Fe, New Mexico. And so we went back to New Mexico and yeah, that was the first

[B]

stop any, at this point, desires to start getting into fighting. At this point. At what point did that become on the radar?

[A]

When I was a little kid, when I was in third grade, I wrestled for, like, semester or whatever it was, you know, But I never thought I

[B]

would be doing what you're doing now.

[A]

Right, for sure, for sure. And so I think I always liked. I was a very physical kid. I played soccer growing up right in. In Germany and wherever in high school in New York. But I was. And I was always very physical. So if I would have had wrestling or something in my school, high school, I'm sure I would have done it.

[B]

So what were you planning on doing?

[A]

I didn't, I didn't know, actually, after high school, So I was 18 and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. You know, my. My family, a bunch of educators and pretty smart people. And, you know, I was supposed to go to college and then, you know, maybe get a job somewhere or something like that. And I found this thing called Jiu Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. And my friend arm brought me 10 times. I couldn't believe it. And I was like, let's go again. Let's go again. That's crazy.

[B]

So you didn't even start doing until you were 13, correct?

[A]

Correct. Yeah. I was late. I was, I was older and I never missed a class after that. I had to, like, I had to learn what he was doing.

[B]

It's called the bug.

[A]

Yeah. And. And within that, it was like. Like what? It wasn't like the fighting or where I was going to go. I just, I love the way it made me feel. Gave me, like, peace of mind because of just the way it does when you train, when you train martial arts or when you train jiu jitsu, at least for me, like, I was just put all myself into it. You know, they say, like, it brings you to your, like, present moment. Right. I had this, like, high level psychologist. I always tell the story, but when you're a kid, you're in. Everything's in the now. And as you get older, you're always in the past or in the future.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so when he trains Jiu jitsu.

[B]

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[A]

Martial arts.

[B]

You're in that don't have an option. Yeah.

[A]

Trying to get you an arm bar. Right.

[B]

Not thinking about the stove. Yeah.

[A]

Correct. Yeah. And so. So just even an hour of that or two hours, like. Right. Sets you up for the day or even a couple times a week. Right. Sets you up for the. For the week and.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Just makes you a better person.

[B]

So it's sort of just like a meditative experience that.

[A]

Correct. I mean, the. The monks that created this thing, they. They knew what they're doing. Sure.

[B]

Yeah. So it's one thing to engage in a new hobby that helps your mental health or, you know, sets you on the right path or makes you become a better person. It's a whole different thing to actually pursue that as a career. Right. Did you immediately think that there's potential career options here? Like, did. Were you working on the side? Like, how. What? Like, tell me about the economics of the beginning.

[A]

It did not make sense at all what I was doing. Yeah. But I followed my heart. I loved the way it made me feel. And then my friend went down to Brazil and it was in the early days, like before, like the beginning of the ufc, Right. It was like fight club, bare knuckle, like valitudo. Anything goes, Right?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And so there was like zero opportunity to make a business or to, you know, something like that. But I followed my heart. I love what it did for me. And so when I moved back from Brazil, like, I started a school. I was about 23 years old.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, I was pretty young, you know, so I was old at starting 18, but I went like, literally all in and gave, like, every single second of my. My existence was thinking about, you know, trying to be the best, the best on the mat.

[B]

Do you remember. Do you remember, like, a time where it started to, at least from your perspective, take off more culturally, where. Because obviously, like, it's funny now to talk about it, because you don't realize how recent in history it was that, like, MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and these things became very, like, common knowledge, right? But, you know, just a decade, maybe two decades ago, like, it was basically boxing, and that was it. That's it. If you. If you wanted a real career. So.

[A]

So, like, it's cool because I feel like my background and my time in history, it kind of shows that in, like, the. The. The growth of Jiu jitsu, which is kind of connected to the growth of UFC and.

[B]

Sure, yeah.

[A]

You know, so when I was first starting out, nobody knew what Jiu Jitsu was unless you watch, like, the early. These underground stuff that anything goes, valitudo kind of fights, right? And then it went underground. John McCain got it, like, banned off of cable TV. And so it had this underground period. And then Zufa bought ufc, right? And what they did, they got on Spike tv, and then they had. They're about to throw in the towel, right? They lost all this money. They were losing all this money, and they're like, let's try one more time. And they did. Created the Ultimate Fighter. Yeah. And then they had the. The. The big fight, right, with, oh, my God, Forrest Griffith and. And forgot his other. The. The guy's name. But they had the big fight where they. And it was that moment that made UFC viral, and everybody was calling each other, hey, are you watching this thing on. On Spike tv, the men's workout. Men's the channel, right. And that's what kind of kind of turned, like, change, changed the trajectory of ufc. And look at it now.

[B]

Yeah, it's funny watching it, man, because it's. It's become just a part of culture, just as much or more even than boxing, I feel like, anyway, like, because I'm not. I don't. I don't. I'm not like, fully following all of the fights that always happen, but I keep a pulse on things just in sports in general. And I like watching FC fights, but, like, when there's a boxing match, like, I don't feel this internal desire to be like, I got to get that pay per view, like, I got to watch the fight, you know? But with UFC now, it's like, and anytime there's a big guard, it's like, yeah, I'm watching that. I'll tune in. That sounds like fun night. You know what I mean?

[A]

Summary stream sport now. Right? It's crazy.

[B]

And. And now, in the deal that they just struck, what was with Paramount.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

Like, makes it even more accessible to a much bigger audience of people that can just subscribe.

[A]

Stephan Bonner is the other guy that was on that, in that fight.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Who are some of, like. Who's like the Mount Rushmore of the UFC to you? Like, the people who, you know, first off, forged the legend of ufc for sure.

[A]

Hoist Gracie. He's the first champion and, yeah, without.

[B]

He's the one with all those schools around.

[A]

The Gracie family. Part of the Gracie family. He was the representative for the Gracie family. Okay, so for sure, hoist Gracie. I think. I think probably I'm just, you know, I'm a Gracie student, so I'm always going to kind of be a fan, fanboy of. Of. Of the family, you know, just. Because without them, none of the ufc, none of this. That would. Would have happened, really. So Hicks and Gracie, I think just because he fought in Japan and kind of open up that market, you know, I. I like. I like smart fighters, so I have to say, like, gsp, the way he fought, just that there's, like. There's, like, different eras. Right, sure. BJ Penn, I mean, it's hard. It's hard to, like. It's top guys. I like Khabib also, you know, just because he, you know, he fought, like, smart, you know, he's savage. Savage, yeah. Threw people on their heads and, you know, he's like a solid, like, real. Real guy as well, you know?

[B]

Yeah. Gotta watch out for those Eastern Europeans, man. They're a different breed over there. You see, like, videos of them training with bears in the snow.

[A]

To grapple with a bear.

[B]

I think he's got a little bit of a bigger chip on his shoulder than I do. You know what I mean?

[A]

Breathe. For sure.

[B]

Okay, so you come in, you start a school when you're 23. So how long ago was this?

[A]

That was like, 20. Well, I guess last year was 25 years.

[B]

Oh, wow. Wow.

[A]

So. So, so six now, I guess.

[B]

Talk to me through. Talk me through some of the obstacles at the beginning. Like what? You know, were there times where you were just like, what have I done? Like, why am I doing this? Why? I should have just gotten a job or I should have gotten this degree, or were there any. Any moments where you questioned your path a thousand percent.

[A]

Right. And so there's, like, first off, me just opening up. Right. Luckily, I had somebody that was, like, six years older than me that went down to Brazil first, and so he was running a school in Boulder, Colorado, and so he was, like, my mentor. And so he showed me the ropes, showed me what to do. I followed through. I lived in the Santa Fe, New Mexico is a small town, so I was able to do some pr, like, do some newspaper articles, and we got. I knew some people there as well, so I was able to get a good. Really good location, you know, so I was able to get on the right track almost right away, even though it was, like, underground fight club days. Yeah. And I think because my family, they're all, like, educators and teachers. I think it's maybe in my blood, too, to do a good job. And. And I think my intention has always been pure. Like, I really want to help people.

[B]

Did you feel like there are members of family that might have been, like, looking down on you for doing. Because, like, those two worlds seem to not coincide that often. Like, sort of intellectual academia versus, like, UFC fighting. It's, like, almost opposed a thousand percent.

[A]

Right. Like, the. I remember, like, some friends of my. My mom's or the, you know, people in the education department, like, oh, this is cool. Are you young for the girls? And this and that, but, you know, you have to get a real job or a real career, and this is a real thing.

[B]

Yeah. And especially at a time where the government's literally trying to regulate this industry. Like, they're trying to basically call it human fighting and. And assign all these terms to it, because boxing would have been threatened or something like that, right?

[A]

Correct. Correct.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. You know, but. But there was like, a. You know, I have these, like, instincts, and I was like, I'm gonna. I'm gonna prove. I'm gonna prove her wrong. Yeah, I. I remember thinking that. Feeling that when she was telling me that. Yeah. I didn't know. I couldn't see the future for sure, but I knew I wanted to keep doing it.

[B]

Yeah. How have you balanced advice from people like that? Because I find just because somebody loves you does not mean they're giving you good advice.

[A]

That's good that it's right there. Yeah.

[B]

But, yeah, it's like. Like, just because somebody loves you doesn't mean they're giving you good advice. You know what I'm saying? Like, they want what's best for you, and in their mind, they think this other path would be better serving to you as an individual. But in your mind, you know that the path that you're on is actually better. How do you, how do you, man?

[A]

What's, what's the number one. One of the. They say one of the number one regrets in life is not living the life that you really, truly wanted to live.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so I, I feel blessed that I took that jump. I moved to Brazil when it didn't make sense. I've followed my heart and I've been living that life ever since. And so, you know, your parents or your, your family, friends even, they want to protect you, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But that's. It's not their life. And so luckily I've been able to have that sense and that strong will.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To, to, you know, follow my heart and, and do what I want to do.

[B]

And it ended up working out okay.

[A]

I'm living the dream, man. I'm truly living the dream. I love what I do every single day. We have like, little, little guys, three years old, little babies and geese and, and, and our oldest got black belt. He's 80 years old.

[B]

Eighty. Eighty, man. Eighty.

[A]

And, you know, we get to help people in their lives, you know. Yeah. From little kids, little babies, make their lives better. We give them, you know, a head start on, on life, man. Yeah. And what is that worth? What is that worth?

[B]

What, what has the business turned into from, like starting this mid. This studio in Santa Fe. What has it turned into now? Today?

[A]

Yeah. So we have, we have a lot of locations. You know, you're, you're from. Originally from LA area. So we have. My main gym is in Burbank or at hq. And then Glendale, Pasadena, West Adams. One of my black belts from New Mexico, he moved out here. He's originally from the area. Okay. We just opened one up in Legacy, Santa Clarita.

[B]

Oh, great.

[A]

Yeah. As well.

[B]

So I know exactly where that is

[A]

in the Harley Davidson, actually. Harley Davidson store.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And then Malibu Legacy. Malibu.

[B]

Great. This episode of the show is brought to you by Chime. Chime is not just another banking app. They unlock smarter banking for everyday people with products like MyPay giving you access to up to 500 of your paycheck anytime and getting paid up to 2 days early with direct deposit. Some old banks still don't do this. So forget overdraft fees, minimum balance fees, monthly fees. Chime turns everyday spending into real rewards and progress. Plus they have this new credit card, which I'm a big fan of, this Chime card. It's the new way to build credit history with your own money and actually get rewarded every single day. So a lot of cards like this, they require you to put some sort of money down and then they will give you a credit card based on the money that you put down. But when they do that, because it basically is working off of the cash that you have down as collateral for the credit line, you don't get rewards on it. Well, Chime changed the game with their new credit card as well. There's no annual fees, there's no interest, no strings attached. And when you get qualifying direct deposits, you get 1.5% cash back on eligible Chime card purchases. Chime is not just smarter banking. It is the most rewarding way to bank. So join the millions who are already banking fee free today. My younger self would have benefited from this and I know you will too. It just takes a few minutes to sign up. Head to chime.com travis that is chime travis this episode of the show is brought to you by Wayfair. It's Wayday at Wayfair. From April 25th through the 27th, you can score the best deals in home, like up to 80% off. With free shipping on everything, Wayfair makes it easy to find exactly what fits your style and needs, from furniture and decor to home improvement and outdoor essentials. And it's all on sale during Wayday. Best part? Everything ships fast and free during Wayday. Plus you can shop with Wayfair Verified, AKA your shortcut to the good stuff. So their team of product specialists vets everything by hand using a 10 point quality inspection so you know that you're actually getting a quality piece no matter what your budget is. Look, I we basically have redecorated our home with Wayfair in the last few months and at every time we use a site, I'm always blown away by how easy it is to use the platform itself. Also to find like the craziest stuff. Like if you think for a second that there's something that's not on Wayfair that you could put inside of your home for something, just test me out on this. Go to Wayfair and search for it. I promise you you're going to find it. It's crazy whether regardless of your aesthetic, if it's mid century modern or farmhouse or contemporary or eclectic, or you're looking for outdoor furniture or home upgrades or you want to upgrade the kids room or you need a new shoe rack, whatever it is, Wayfair has it. They make it simple to narrow down to exactly what works for Your style and for your budget. Plus they have great reviews, filters, visual tools to help you make sure that it's the right fit. And then, you know, installation and assembly could be available depending on what you buy. It makes the process easier. Their shipping always blows my mind because you can get some like a literal. Our dining room table that we just got came from Wayfair and they shipped it to our house fast and completely for free. So they have thousands and thousands of five star reviews to help you shop with confidence and find things that fit perfectly into your home and lifestyle. Wayday is the sale to shop the best deals in home. We're talking up to 80% off with fast and free shipping on everything. So head to Wayfair.com April 25th through the 27th to shop Wayday. That's Wayfair.com W-A Y-F-A-I R.com Wayfair Every style, every home.

[A]

And then one of my, my main training partners back in the day, he and Bridge from Brazil, he has a gym, Legacy San Diego.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And then the event in Brazil, my. One of my, the family that really helped me. The, the son is also a black belt. They asked me if he could use the, the Legacy name. So we have a Legacy and Brazil. Bella Zanch Bello Horizonte. My wife is Armenian, so we've been going to Armenia for the last, I don't know, 12 years. So. So kind of they had their kicking butt. Like we're talking about the caucuses and those, those, the, the people from that area, the mountains, you know.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

The, it's all. So they're all like tough people. Right? So we have a, we have a gym there as well, yet. Ivan and Armenia. And, and then we're gonna go to the, There's a, a guy that was training with us from the Philippines. So he's, he's, he has a, I think like six gyms, big fitness gyms. They want to do the jiu jitsu sport. He's been asked me for like five years.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

So we're gonna, I said go. Kevin, who's with me, he actually went to go visit him. So I'm like, now I have to go. And you know, what would your, would

[B]

your advice be to somebody who wants to get into like a physical gym space like this? Like, from what, from what I understand. And I want you to speak into this because you're the expert here. From what I understand, like, the first one's pretty tough. And then once you can like build a system Then it seems. Yeah, yeah. But tell me about the process of building gyms as a business.

[A]

Sure, sure, sure. Yeah. The first. It's a learning curve. Right. I've been doing it for so long, and I'm into all the different phases of. Of martial arts now. People know what jiu jitsu is because of the ufc.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that. That's just. The growth is crazy. Right. Compared to what it was back in. When I was first starting out in the 2000. Right. So. So it's a lot. A little bit easier, but, yeah, you have to. I had a moment where I was like, what am I doing? I gave everything I had to be the best in the world. Right. And was struggling with my business. This is maybe about 2004, 2005, so about four years in, right? Yeah, I was. I was a good teacher, a great teacher who had all these competitors winning stuff, but I was struggling, man.

[B]

Different skill set.

[A]

I was struggling. You know, I was like, oh, if I'm the best, like a really is going to want to train with me. And I went to a tournament in Canada. My older friend, like the. The older brother friend, we stayed up all night. He was talking to me. He's like, yeah, you gotta get. You gotta create systems. Right? You gotta create system. He read this book called the E. Myth. Michael Gerber.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And we stayed up all night talking about it. And then fast forward a few months after that, there was this karate guy, because the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, that in that scene, MMA scene, they didn't have the. The business stuff together. Right. The karate, Taekwondo guys is all new. Yes, correct. I had it together, like, the business stuff. Right. And so I went to, like, a business seminar, martial arts business seminar. And there was a moment where he goes, who's done 5, 000 hours of technical training? And all the. Everybody in the room raise their hand. And then who's done 5, 000 hours of sales and marketing training? And only the fat guys in the front raise their hands. And there's one guy that. That I was like. He was that jiu jitsu guy, but raise their. The only. They raise their hands, right? Yeah. So I was like, okay, I got work to do. I have to put that time in to learning sales and marketing, just like

[B]

I did with this skill. I have to now do that with this skill, correct?

[A]

Yeah, correct. And so that's what I did. I just began to study, and I keep studying because it's like, there's always new stuff and you got to stay ahead. And I actually Love it.

[B]

What's the. What's. What would you. What would you attribute the. The growth of your company to in terms of a skill that you learned? Like, is it marketing? Is it sales? Is it ops? Like, what. What do you think has been like the.

[A]

I think it's all of it. Right? It's all of it. It's just keep. Keep, Keep improving. Keep improving. Have that mindset to keep improving. My intention. I don't think so much like business. You know, I should be thinking, like, a bit. My. You know, I have people around me that do. Do those things. You know, my intention is, like, very. It's always been the same. Like, just want to bring out the best in all my students and then kind of just things that kind of happen. Right. They happen around that. And I. My wife is really good at business. My. I have some smart people around me, and so they kind of guide things in the right direction. Of course. I'm always studying things, right? Like the EOs, entrepreneurial, the attraction. Right. So I'm always studying things to try to improve things. Improve our systems trying to improve, you know, how we market and things are always evolving. They're always changing. So I just try to stay ahead of it.

[B]

Yeah. And you can't be in all the gyms at the same time, which is why.

[A]

No, no, I'm in systems. And also, like, I opened up. Up when I was. When I made 2012. So I opened up like, six gyms at one time. When. After I was diagnosed with Ms. Or actually right before that.

[B]

Geez. So how long ago was that?

[A]

That was in 2010. 11. 12.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

And. And it made me realize what's important to me and what's. I think you were talking about. Travis makes friends. We're talking about relationships. What motivates me is the relationships. And so not like business. This. That. Like, what motivates me is, like, connecting with people, you know, seeing people improve, you know, and so if I can't do that, I'm out. I'd rather do something that makes, like, real money, like investment banking or whatever it is, you know, like, it's like I'm not in it because of that. That's not my chief. Chief aim.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I want to make a difference. I want to do a good job, you know, on the mat. And so. So. And if I don't have those. Those relationships, and so I'm not. I don't. I want to do something else. And so I decided to stay in one. One gym only. And of course, support all my Black belts and stuff with their schools and stuff around.

[B]

So you opened up six gyms in what period of time?

[A]

Man, I had. So we did Encino, we did Pasadena, and then Burbank was my. The third one there. And then we did random one like Baldwin Park, Woodland Hills, and what's the other in Hollywood?

[B]

Geez.

[A]

Sunset and Highland Boulevard.

[B]

So. So how long did you have one gym? And then. So how long did it take you to scale the.

[A]

Yeah, so six. 2000, 2009 was the first one. 2010 was the second one. The third one was like, like six months later in Burbank. And then we did three and like within like four or five months, you know, really. Which was too much, you know, and I was like, I wasn't ready for it, you know.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

I was working with somebody like a partner and, and you know, he had kind of talked to me about like

[B]

convinced you that this was.

[A]

Yeah. Systems. And I was like, oh, more people training is great. Right? Like, yeah. Making a difference and this and that. And you know, man, like, I want to do a good job, you know, and like if I can't do a good job and I can't have the relationships that I found out, I'd rather do something else. Yeah.

[B]

I also noticed you have your own podcast. What's that? What's that about? How come?

[A]

Connection. You know, it's just another avenue to kind of connect with my students, people, but you know, interesting people. Like, I'm into wellness, I'm into fighting, obviously I'm into Brazilian jiu jitsu. So all these things that I think bring out the best in ourselves. So like anything human potential. Yeah. Been then this rap going down this rabbit hole of, of, of understanding the body and so just anything in that avenue, I want to, I want to learn more.

[B]

Yeah. So it's more like a self discovery tool for you. That's public facing.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

How have you enjoyed it?

[A]

I love it. I love it. We've done over 400 podcasts.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, thanks. It's been. I started like before the pandemic 2019. It was an interesting time, you know, switched to. I like to do things in person. My. My same. Yeah. Right. And. And it's different right, when it's online.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

But we switched a little bit to online during the pandemic for a couple. We kept going, you know, and then it was interesting. Just the time. Right. It was like I kept it going no matter what. Like I pressed the record button. It was just, you know, it was. We kept it going.

[B]

And so what about that versus writing the book? Which. Which process did you prefer?

[A]

I mean, the book is a. It's a whole different animal. Right. Because it's a beast. Yeah. One of my. One of my black belts. It's actually his mother. She's the one. The Hollywood gym that we opened up. You know, he was like our fifth or sixth student there. And she started to notice, like, the changes within him. He was already like 20, 20 years old, still young men. Right. She started to see the changes in him. And then like the years went by and it was. She had like, fights at her house. And everybody's like, super respectful, and it's like, who. What's going on here? You know, she's. She's used to like, you know, crazy, like, family people fighting, drinking and, you know, but it was everybody, like, super respectful, and it's like, what's going on? Who are these people? And so one day he. She's like, can I go and watch you train? And he's like, sure. So he brought her in and introduced me and she's like, I'm a writer and I have a blog, you know, I'd love to interview. Interview one day. And I was like, sure, when you want to do it? And we did it. And the thing that stuck out for her was the all in thing that I said. And so that was the beginning. And. And five years later was her first book. Actually just like a little bit like maybe like a year or two later, she's like, hey, I'd like to write a book. Yeah, I was very inspired by your story. And so we do. Started doing interviews and, you know, started like putting it together and took like five years of her writing it. Starting from scratch, like three times. Writing a complete book. Starting from scratch again.

[B]

Crazy.

[A]

And again and again. And then once she got found her voice, once she. Once we.

[B]

She.

[A]

We found. We agreed on everything she did in three months.

[B]

Wow. Wow. So the process took multiple years to get to the point where it could be done in three months.

[A]

It was her first book. Yeah. And everybody that reads it, they. They love it. It's like an easy read. It's fun.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

She really. She nailed it. Yeah.

[B]

Let's. Let's talk about a couple of these lessons then. What are. What are some of the things that you hope people take away from. From the book?

[A]

I think my story is a story of resilience, you know, just not giving up.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Getting defeated again and again and again and just getting up again and again and again. You Know, Yeah, just not taking defeat

[B]

as an option, you know, specifically, especially on the Ms. Diagnosis. Tell me that story. What happened there?

[A]

So in 2012, every five years, they diagnose you or not. Sorry, Diagnosis, they, they do a brain MRI for you. It's like to fight mma. Okay. In Nevada and in California. Okay. And so in 20 2007, when I found the UFC, they did that, they found some lesions, but they let me fight.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Fast forward five years. I was going to do a local show in California, in la, and they called me into the office the day before the weigh ins, after I had done my fight test, whatever.

[B]

Through the ufc?

[A]

No, it was after the ufc. And so I was trying to get back to the ufc.

[B]

Okay, got it.

[A]

And. And they say when he talked to you, I was like, what do you mean talk? Okay, all right. You know. Yeah, this wasn't a good thing.

[B]

Not something that you want to hear.

[A]

Right. So I went in and they say, hey, this. We found these lesions. They grew. We need to do more testing. They did more testing and they. Then they diagnosed me with Ms. And they treated me like my life was over.

[B]

Yeah. Did you, did you understand what the repercussions of that diagnosis were when you received the news, or were you kind of like, okay, what does that mean?

[A]

I was in shock. I didn't know what that meant, you know, but I know how they treated me. Like my life was over. Like, you know, somebody said something about being in a wheelchair and, and just like all these different things and if you look it up, like, you see that happening. Right.

[B]

And, and my. Forgive my ignorance on this, but essentially it's attacks your nervous system.

[A]

Correct?

[B]

Right. And then you don't have. There's no, there's no cure. And the symptoms can vary widely between each case. Right. There's not like a. This is going to happen now. This is going to happen corre. And this happen. Correct?

[A]

Correct. Correct. So March is Ms. Month. As we're, I'm. We kind of launched this book. This, this month. Bring awareness. Right. As well. And your, your immune system attacks the myelin sheath. So if you have a nerve, it's kind of like an electrical wire. Right. You have like the, the, the, the, the wire and then you have the rubber coating. So the myelin is the rubber coating. And so your immune system attacks that myelin coating and thins it out. So the signal from your brain, go. Doesn't get to the different body part. Like your hand. You can't grab a cup anymore. Got it. You can't Walk anymore. Like different weird things, you know, you can go blind. Like just wear random weird things. You know, your energy is like low. And so yeah, that's, that's kind of what happens.

[B]

What were, were, did they offer any solutions or did you immediately start going down the rabbit hole yourself?

[A]

So the solution, they said, hey, we have. They gave me a stack of jug like books and asked me which ones I wanted to take. And so I took it home and I looked at it and it says it may or may not help me, but there's going to be side effects, right?

[B]

Yeah, the side effects are guaranteed. The results are not.

[A]

Basically, yeah, I'm like, what is this? You know, and I, so I, I just, I just looked at some things and I found this doctor, Dr. Walls. She's an MD and she has a Walls protocol. It's like an Ms. Diet, but really it's, it's a diet for everybody and like paleo style diet. And she's, she had the best care possible and she's kept, she kept getting worse and worse and worse until she was bedridden. She's like, I, I gotta change this, you know, or like that's it, you know. And so she started to study and she's like playing with different foods, what works and she starts to get better. So she created this whole protocol, this whole Ms. Diet, you know, plan. And so I found that she did a TED talk a year before my diagnosis. So I found it and I just started to do that.

[B]

Wow. Have you anecdotally felt a difference doing that?

[A]

Man, I went all in with, with my nutrition, my movement practice. Yeah, of course, my mindset. Right. And just the people managing my stress, the people I'm around. I've done a couple podcasts with like really high level people like that have Ms. You know, there's a capoeira master that he was, he took the, the, the, some of the drugs too and he started getting fat and kind of depressed and, and then he got off all of them, found the same, the Dr. Walls, you know, and, and then just change up what he did, you know, his lifestyle, you know, didn't get stressed about things and that, that made him good.

[B]

What was going on, what was going on mentally for you when you get that news? Because it obviously hits you a little bit different being trying to pursue a career in professional fighting. And now you literally physically cannot, like you are not allowed to do it. They will not allow you in the ring. How does that affect you mentally?

[A]

Yeah, so listen, I had, I had three kids at that point, you know, when I was diagnosed, three beautiful kids and I started late. I was 18 doing Jiu Jitsu, but I went all in and had had a full career. And I'm very proud of my jujitsu crib. Became one of the best. And then I started fighting MMA at, I think I was 26 years old.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

You know, and I did my UFC debut when I was, like, 30.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so my. My kids joke with me like, oh, like, Khabib this and that, because they were still little, you know, and I was like, well, could be retired at 30. Yeah. My first fight at 30.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In UFC.

[B]

You know, it's wild to start a

[A]

career as a fighter, so I was already kind of. But, you know, I thought I could commit and go, you know, go somewhere. And I had a. Fought for 10 years. Okay. So I fought for 10 years. I got to fight all around the world. See Japan. You know, I did my last fight in the south of France, and so I didn't know that was going to be my last fight in the south of France, but it's a perfect fight to end on, to go out in the sunset. And so, in a way, like, my wife, and she was happy. Like, I wasn't going to be able.

[B]

She was almost relieved a little bit.

[A]

Yeah. Of course she wasn't happy with this diagnosis. Right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But she believes. She. She also believes in me and my mindset and how I think about things and how I approach things, and so I don't feel like she's worried, you know, but. But, you know, I'll be honest. Like, you know, sometimes I'm scared. I'm. You know, because I don't know what if. What if that, you know, but I just. I get myself back on track just from my. All my training from my whole life. Right.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. The stuff that is on the mat ends up translating off.

[A]

Yeah. It's everything they do. Right.

[B]

Yeah. No kidding. Now, from what you're working on these days, what's. What's on the horizon for you? What's. What's something that you're really excited about? Are you continue to expand the gyms, you want to do more books and podcasts? Speaking, like, what do you really want to do?

[A]

My kids. You know, my kids. My. My daughter wrestles.

[B]

You know, how old are they now?

[A]

She. There's. I have twin girls. 17. My son's 18.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

So just supporting them, you know, I want to.

[B]

You're almost an empty nester, bro.

[A]

I know, but I. She's Armenia Fam. Armenia. Armenian. So like they were, they're not gonna be, not too far, you know, no matter what, you know, but by just supporting their goals and what they want to do, that's my, my top priority in my life. You know, I have a wrestling tournament this Sunday in Washington State. You know, we're gonna fly out tomorrow. So just, just that, that's, that, that's really my goals. And then just supporting my, my black belts and my students, our community, our legacy community. Yeah, that's my intention. I'm also involved with this Tact Fit, the, you know, organization as well. I'm one of the owners and it's a, the movement system that I did and it really transformed my life. So, so somehow I kept going and I.

[B]

What is that organization?

[A]

It's called TAC Fit. It's like functional training. It's you know, applied neuroscience. All the right things you need to do to lay down that myelin.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

To make, you know, things work better in the body. And even if you don't have ms, this stuff is like a, the fountain of youth, just optimizing your body. It's great. When I was on this trip, you know, on this, this PR tour, I was able to do it just in my hotel room just from the knowledge I have and just, it's, it's a

[B]

game changer and it's an organiz. Like it's an organization that's not founded by you, but you do a lot of work.

[A]

Scott Sonnen is the founder, the creator. You know, FLETC is the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. It's like the oldest one. The FBI, the CIA, the, the U.S. marshals run it.

[B]

Nice, man.

[A]

And they went from all these injuries, every like boot camp to zero injuries yet they got stronger, their push up tests improved and they got, they, they, they got faster in their runs without running.

[B]

Is it, is it strength building? Is it mobility? Flexibility?

[A]

It's everything. It's the balance, right? It's mobility, it's recovery, like a recovery basis now how to recover and like the, the theme now that's where like kind of wellness and fitness, I guess in a way is going these days. Is that, that, that area and Tack Fit or. Scott Sana has been on it, he was the, I think the guy who coined the term mobility in the, like the fitness space.

[B]

Nice, man. I need to get on that.

[A]

Yeah, baby. Yeah.

[B]

The older I get, man, man, the more, the more pain I'm in.

[A]

It makes you smarter, makes you, you know, it's like new, new, new brains, new neurogenesis, new brain cells. Right. The. The myelinization. Right. And. And just getting more connected as well. Right.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. Albert, I appreciate you taking the time, man. I know you're a busy guy. I don't take that for granted at all. Where can people go to get more stuff from you?

[A]

For sure. My gym. Legacybjj.com tacfit.com for the. The functional training, the fountain of youth. And then my website. Alberto Crane.com Instagram. I'm on Instagram. Find me there. Yeah, and the support. I'll help you out if I can.

[B]

Albertocrane.com just head over there. You can find basically everything he's doing over there. Pick up a copy of the book all in. He's got a podcast. You can find his website as well. So if you search for him, you'll find him. So, Alberto, thanks for taking the time. Again. Everybody else listening. Remember to leave every relationship better than you found it. We'll catch you in the next one. Peace.