[0:00:06] (Dori Nugent): Grit is that extra something that separates the most successful people from the rest. It’s the passion, perseverance and stamina that we must channel in order to stick with our dreams until they become a reality. Brad Ritter, my guest today is going to teach you how to obtain that extra something so you can achieve success and live your dreams. Get ready for a mindset shift from the Fitness Business podcast.

[0:00:41] (Dori Nugent): Remember that the more followers, the better for building a community around what matters most to you. Follow the Fitness Business podcast on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to be a part of our community. Welcome to the Fitness Business podcast, the number one podcast for fitness education. I’m your host, Dori Nugent, and my guest today brings the education, the education on grits, mental toughness and setting yourself up for success.

[0:01:22] (Dori Nugent): Brad Ritter is not only the founder of School of Grit, but also an author and a leading expert in performance. I love Brad’s warrior spirit, and you will, too. Today’s episode will start in two minutes. First, I’d like to thank our newest sponsor, Bodymappp, for supporting our show. As we know in the fitness world, what you don’t measure, you can’t manage. In today’s world, it’s never been more important to show the impact your programs are having on your customers.

[0:01:53] (Dori Nugent): If you’re looking to offer an affordable and accessible technology to measure your clients, we’ve got just the thing for you. Bodymapp’s 3d body scanning technology. With Bodymapp, you can offer your customers a truly personalized fitness journey. The Bodymapp 3D body scanning app provides a complete picture of your customer’s body composition, allowing you to tailor workouts and nutrition plans that are customized to their individual needs.

[0:02:20] (Dori Nugent): The best part, there’s little to no upfront or committed cost to your business. That’s right. You can partner with Bodymapp and offer this cutting edge technology to your customers without any financial burden on your part. So what are you waiting for? Partner with Bodymapp today and unlock the power of 3D body scanning for your business. The Bodymapp team made quite the presence at the Ursa 2023 conference in San Diego.

[0:02:49] (Dori Nugent): Every time I went by their booth on the trade show floor, it was packed. Head to www.Bodymapp.com to see what all the fuss is about.

[0:03:01] (Dori Nugent): Get your pen ready. Now for Myzone’s fitbizpiration.

[0:03:05] (Dori Nugent): Brad, I would love for you to give your top three tips to optimize your life.

[0:03:13] (Brad Ritter): Just three. All right, here we go. I would say number one is wake up early. Wake up a little bit earlier than you do now and use that time for you, whatever that is, whether it’s working out, reading, drinking some water, stretching, whatever you got to do, but wake up a little earlier in the day and spend that time on you. Number two is I want you to get uncomfortable. So I want you to do something that is uncomfortable, but it’s going to make you better.

[0:03:42] (Brad Ritter): Could be speaking, could be volunteering to lead a certain project. But I want people to really start gravitating towards adversity instead of running away from it. And then the third thing I would say is find a way to serve people. We got enough takers in this world, but just find a way to serve other people. And I guarantee you because I’m living proof it will come back around. That’s not the reason we do it. But it’s just amazing what happens when you put a lot of good vibes out there in the world.

[0:04:13] (Dori Nugent): I mix it up next week with guest Alison Flatley. Alison and I get together to recap the 2023 Ursa conference that was recently held in San Diego, California. We had a fun chat where we review the highlights of the educational sessions. We talk about the massive trade show floor. And of course, we have to talk about the Ursa parties, happy hours and networking events that contributed to the amazing three days for the fitness industry.

[0:04:44] (Dori Nugent): After this week’s full interview, I have a little fun with Alison and introduce her in our Quick Fire five segment. Stay tuned. Myzone has pioneered unique wearables with talking point technology that makes the difference reach more members of your community and keep them engaged for longer through motivation and gamification wherever they choose to work out in the gym, at home or outdoors. We’re stronger together.

[0:05:14] (Dori Nugent): Get in the [email protected]. Let’s transition into this week’s interview with the founder of School of Grit, Brad Ritter, founder of School of Grit. Brad Ritter is my guest today. Brad not only is the founder of School of Grit, but he’s also an author book has the same exact title. We are so excited to bring him on today and have a little bit of a leadership lesson. So without further ado, Brad Ritter, thank you so much for joining us on the fitness business podcast.

[0:05:45] (Brad Ritter): Thanks Dori. It’s a pleasure to be here. Been looking forward to this one.

[0:05:49] (Dori Nugent): Oh good. Well, we’re always excited to have our guests on each and every week. And your episode I have a feeling, is just going to be absolutely fantastic with a lot of great learning points and AHA, moments as well. So you’re the founder of School of Grit. Now before we talk about grit, I really would like for you to open up about Kokoro camp, which is Seal Fits infamous camp. I’m dying to hear all about it. So go ahead.

[0:06:20] (Brad Ritter): Yeah, so Kokoro camp is designed after Navy Seal Hell Week, which I’m not too sure if your listeners know what that involves. But when Navy Seals go to training, they go through something called Buds, which stands for Basic Underwater Demolition Seal. And inside of that there’s something called Hell Week, which is I think about six days with pretty much zero sleep and just constant movement. It is the absolute beat down and gut check and what they’re trying to find is they’re trying to find who’s worthy enough that they can then teach the tactical skills to go on and become a seal and join a team.

[0:06:54] (Brad Ritter): So I did not want to be a navy seal, okay? So throw that out the window. But I was always impressed with just their mental toughness and fortitude and emotional resiliency. And when I saw this camp and how it was available to civilians, I said, I need some of that. I need some of that in my life. And I’m 43. But at the time, I was in my early thirty s, and I was kind of going through I caught like a man the mirror type moment. I just started really questioning myself, like, what am I here to do?

[0:07:23] (Brad Ritter): What’s my passion? Because life up until that point had really been kind of easy. I’m just a big fan of around the idea that life’s gotten pretty comfortable for a lot of us. We live in the most comfortable generation ever, and some of us just lost that joy for hard work and putting ourselves purposely into adversity. So that’s why I went to Kokoro camp.

[0:07:45] (Dori Nugent): Well, that is awesome. And I want to be a navy seal in my next life. I know, I know they say that it’s not a badass life, but they sure do a good job at making it look like a badass life.

[0:07:59] (Brad Ritter): They make it look pretty cool, that’s for sure.

[0:08:01] (Dori Nugent): But I know, especially during post 911, it wasn’t. So I don’t make a joke out of it because they have a hard job and a very respectful job, and I’m sure we’re all very grateful for what they do, but super cool on Kokoro camp. I have to look into that. Maybe I’ll sign myself up. Maybe I’ll make that my next year’s new year’s resolution.

[0:08:25] (Brad Ritter): Do it. I’ll help train you.

[0:08:27] (Dori Nugent): Perfect. I’ll probably be the oldest one there, but maybe hey, what the heck?

[0:08:33] (Brad Ritter): At the time, I was 35, and I was the second to oldest, and they called me gramps. That was my nickname. They don’t hold back.

[0:08:43] (Dori Nugent): They’re going to call me great grandma. All right, let’s get into the definition of grit.

[0:08:50] (Brad Ritter): Go ahead. All right, so there’s lots of definitions of grit. Grit is kind of like one of those words. I think if you talk to someone, you talk to ten people, you have ten different definitions of it. Angela duckworth, a lady that I’ve followed for a long time, she wrote the book grit. She’s the one that really got me thinking about grit. Her definition is the power of impassion, of long term perseverance.

[0:09:13] (Brad Ritter): And I’ve since gone on and kind of made my own over the last couple of years. So I like to define grit kind of in four parts. So hold on here. There’s a reason for this, but I call it grit, to me, is uncommon perseverance in the face of adversity, backed by a strong why to achieve a worthy goal. So I’ll say it one more time because I know I said a mouthful. So it’s uncommon perseverance in the face of adversity, backed by a strong why to achieve a worthy goal.

[0:09:39] (Dori Nugent): That’s your definition of grit?

[0:09:41] (Brad Ritter): That’s my definition of grit.

[0:09:42] (Dori Nugent): I like it. Now, I can’t help but notice as we’re doing the interview, and I know our FBP family can’t see, but I see I have that book back there on the shelf. I’d like to know which came first, the book or the online platform.

[0:09:58] (Brad Ritter): The book came first. Yeah. That book was the definition of grit to me. It took me five years from idea to finally publishing, and it was blood, sweat, and tears on again, off again relationship with it. I’d write and I’d go through period, weeks and months without touching it because I was done. But my why got me through that, which is in the definition. The why wasn’t to become a best selling author or anything like that.

[0:10:27] (Brad Ritter): It was a legacy exercise for my family, for my wife and kids, so that they knew some of my experiences in case anything ever happened to me. They’d have something that it would outlive my lifetime, and it’s kind of taken off a life of its own since then.

[0:10:39] (Dori Nugent): So what were you doing at the time in your life when you got this idea, this brainchild that you wanted to write this book? And where did you come up with the name school of grit?

[0:10:50] (Brad Ritter): Yes, I have a background that’s different. Why I say it’s different is because typically when you listen to motivational speakers, people giving ted talks, they’ve had usually a lot of adversity thrown their way, whether they were raised in a broken home, they’ve battled some sort of disease, let’s say something bad’s happened to them, they’ve been deployed. I didn’t have any of that. I had a great childhood. I was oldest of four. My parents are still married.

[0:11:19] (Brad Ritter): We have a great family. We’re all super close. I was born in the midwest. White guy, had a roof over my head, always had food on the table. I wasn’t rich, but I knew I wasn’t poor because I knew the difference. I was middle class, and I had the daily stuff you go through with school and whatnot, but compared to a lot of people’s stories, it’s like, man, I actually had it pretty easy. So I just had that epiphany when I talking about that man, the mirror moment, I knew that I hadn’t pushed myself really my entire life. I didn’t know what I was really made of.

[0:11:51] (Brad Ritter): And I was looking to find myself for the first time, and I was looking to go to some sort of camp or crucible style experience, and that’s when I saw Kokoro camp. And I’ll never forget the video I saw online. Mark devine so he’s a former navy seal. He’s the founder of Kokoro camp seal fit and unbeatable mine. And he’s got a video out there, and he’s addressing a class that’s getting ready to go through 50 hours, right. Everybody shows up. They’re in uniform.

[0:12:21] (Brad Ritter): They know what’s going to happen, but they don’t know exactly what. They’re about to get beat down. I mean, everybody knows it’s coming. He’s looking out and he says, rejoice in adversity. Rejoice in adversity. How do we grow as human beings? It’s through adversity. Warriors seek out the severest of schools in order to forge their character. Welcome to the severest of schools. And man, the hair on my arm went up. I mean, I got goosebumps. And I thought I thought, this is it.

[0:12:52] (Brad Ritter): I need to go there. I don’t know why. And I’m going to have a hard time explaining to my wife why she should let me go, but I know there’s going to be transformation there, and I know I need it.

[0:13:02] (Dori Nugent): So with your background, between your book, your online platform, going through the camp, which she said really transformed you, how do you make grit a personal trait?

[0:13:17] (Brad Ritter): Yeah, I think grit is something that can be trained every day, much like working out, let’s say. But grit can come in many forms. It doesn’t have to just be physical, it can be mental. So putting yourself in situations where you’re going to be in situations where people are really testing you, maybe your emotions are coming up. So just having that grit to maybe bite your tongue instead of opening your mouth and saying something you shouldn’t.

[0:13:44] (Brad Ritter): So I’m just a big fan of finding different ways to practice grit. And really, to me, that’s just doing something that sucks every day. And I tell that to everybody, and they’re like, well, what do you mean? I’m like, try waking up early. Waking up early sucks. I don’t really enjoy it. I do it all the time, but I don’t enjoy it. I’d much rather sleep in, but I don’t because I know that I’m sure you follow, like, jocko Willink.

[0:14:11] (Brad Ritter): I love his phrase, right? Discipline equals freedom. Because it’s so true. If you maintain that discipline day in, day out, that’s how you accomplish your goals.

[0:14:20] (Dori Nugent): I have to tell you about jocko there for a while, and I don’t think he’s doing it right now. There for a while. Literally every day, he would just post a picture on his Instagram of his watch, and it was 430 in the morning. And then I’d get up and do my workout, and I was kind of like, start my workout at seven, and I’d quickly look at Instagram before I get started. I’d be like, oh, man, already?

[0:14:45] (Brad Ritter): Yeah, he’s a machine for sure.

[0:14:48] (Dori Nugent): Never miss a day. I think that’s one of his phrases.

[0:14:52] (Brad Ritter): It’s so true, though, too, because people ask me, like, how often do you work out? I’m like, well, I try to work out every day, but it’s not going to happen. That’s why I say that. So if you shoot for every day when life does happen, it’s like, okay, cool, I didn’t get it in, but that’s all right, I’ll get it tomorrow.

[0:15:07] (Dori Nugent): 430 in the morning. All right. So how do you think you build mental toughness?

[0:15:15] (Brad Ritter): Mental toughness? So I like to teach what’s called the big four of mental toughness. And it starts with your breath. It’s something we all do. A lot of us do it unconsciously, we’re not really thinking about it, but I encourage those who might be listening to actually take stock in how you breathe. A lot of us are mouth breathers and we actually have a nose. The nose was designed for a reason, helps filter things.

[0:15:38] (Brad Ritter): So I’m just a big fan of concentrating on your breath. And in particular, next time you find yourself in a really heated conversation, let’s say, or argument, check yourself and just say, am I breathing? Because I bet you nine times out of ten you’re not breathing. You’re probably holding your breath. I like to tell people mental toughness starts with breath. And as I like to say, if you can control your physiology, you can control your psychology, meaning you can control that voice in your head, which leads to the second piece, and that’s positivity.

[0:16:08] (Brad Ritter): And just trying to find the positive in any situation, no matter how bad it is, just trying to find the positive. Correlate because it’s there if you search, if you search for it. So that’s breath control. Positivity. The third is visualization. So I’m a big fan of winning in the mind before setting field on the battlefield, so to speak. Although I’m not a professional warrior, but the battlefield for me and for a lot of our viewers and listeners is life. That’s our battlefield. So win that game in the morning, I encourage you to dirt dive your day and see yourself accomplishing just one goal, just one big goal you got that you want to do today and see yourself actually doing it. So I’m a big fan of visualization and then the fourth of the big four mill toughness that I like to teach is goal setting, which a lot of us are probably familiar with. But inside of goal setting, it’s the ability to pick the right goals. Because I think especially too with it being part of the New Year.

[0:17:09] (Brad Ritter): Right now we’re talking to each other, I think towards January 26, but a lot of New Year’s resolutions have probably started going down the wayside that could be, because maybe you chose the wrong goal, maybe it doesn’t fit, doesn’t fit your overall purpose and things like that. And then being able to actually take a goal and chop it down into manageable chunks so that you can accomplishment, it’s a good skill to have in life.

[0:17:34] (Dori Nugent): Well, when you were talking about Visualization, you said a really cool phrase. You said dirt dive your day. Where’d you get that at?

[0:17:43] (Brad Ritter): It’s a military term. So I have a bunch of friends that are in the army, and then just with some of my relationships with some of the Navy Seals, a lot of them use the same terminology, so I got it from them.

[0:17:53] (Dori Nugent): All right. I like that. I wrote that down. Dirt dive your day.

[0:17:57] (Brad Ritter): Dirt dive your day. Dirt dive your day. And then do an AAR, which is an after action review or report. So after you have the day, okay, maybe take a journal and reflect, okay, did I get it done? Why not? And then try not to repeat the same mistakes the next day. That’s the big important piece about doing an after action report.

[0:18:20] (Dori Nugent): Brad, great stuff. Love it. You’re doing a great job. All right, let’s kind of go back a little bit, get on the topic again of grit. And I’d love to hear what you have to say about putting grit in your professional career.

[0:18:38] (Brad Ritter): Putting grit in your professional career. That’s a good one. That’s a really good one because everybody’s got that J-O-B whatever that might be, whatever your jam is, and getting gritty with that. So I like to go back to the why behind it. I know Simon Sinnick wrote a book on why, which I’m not sure if any of your listeners are familiar with. Great book. But look at anything you’re doing and just ask yourself why three to five times, and you’re probably going to get to the root of why you’re doing anything.

[0:19:13] (Brad Ritter): And if you have a strong enough why or even a few whys, because I think you’re going to need a bucket of wise to get through your lifetime, not just one, because seasons change. But if that why is strong enough, it’s going to help propel you to that end goal, whether it’s getting through that next hour, that next day, that next week, that next month, whatever it is you’re working on in your job. So to me, it all starts with why you’re doing it, why you’re doing anything, asking yourself that question and getting super truthful with it, and then also realizing that everything’s not going to go according to plan.

[0:19:50] (Brad Ritter): All plans change. It’s like what Mike Tyson say? I think he said, everybody has a plan until you get hit in the nose. So true, though. So true. But if you actually take the time, a lot of us, when we’re doing, like, business plans, let’s talk business plans. We’re talking about jobs. Everybody is quick to think of, okay, this is how we’re going to accomplish the mission, or this is how we’re going to get that next customer. This is how we’re going to reach $40 million in sales, or whatever the number is.

[0:20:14] (Brad Ritter): But if you take time to actually think about things that could go wrong, that can help alleviate anxiety, it can help you solve for problems ahead of time. So I encourage people to do that as well. Don’t just think about the ways things can go right. Think about how things can go wrong as well and solve for them ahead of time.

[0:20:33] (Dori Nugent): Well, you mentioned that. J-O-B. The infamous job. Can you talk to us about mastering inner dialect in the job or in the marketplace?

[0:20:45] (Brad Ritter): Yes, I can. So that’s where, to me, breathing comes into play big time, especially if you’re getting ready to speak before an audience. You’re getting ready to go into that big business meeting. You’re getting ready to meet with a potential sponsor or whatever. And that’s when the monkey mind comes into play, right? And that monkey mind is going to throw you off your game, because there’s just all these thoughts popping around your head. But you need to take that time to really control your mind. And the way you can do that is through breathing. Just slow down.

[0:21:13] (Brad Ritter): Just take some time to slow down a little. It so I’m just a big fan of breath. I know I’ve talked about it several times, but it truly is a difference maker if you take it seriously.

[0:21:23] (Dori Nugent): So somebody preaching about slowing down, yet you are walking on the treadmill while you are doing this interview, which makes me think you don’t slow down.

[0:21:34] (Brad Ritter): I slow down when I sleep. That’s what I tell my wife. I love what I do. They’re long days, though, but I love what I do, and that’s what helps me get through it. But, yeah, it’s just constant on the go. But you know what I’m really good at doing Dori? I’m really good at when I have to flip that switch and be dad, or I need to flip that switch and go on vacation. I’m really good at checking out because when I power down and go on vacation, I’m out.

[0:22:01] (Brad Ritter): You’re not going to reach me. Like, phones elsewhere and all that. The other side of that is it’s hard for me to start it back up, too, when I get back from vacation, because I’m used to being on island time.

[0:22:13] (Dori Nugent): Well, I love the fact you are my very first guest. That is walking. I think you said it’s. Walking and talking, which I love.

[0:22:20] (Brad Ritter): Walking and talking.

[0:22:20] (Dori Nugent): Walking and talking. And podcasting. All right, last question here. Can you build a community through tech? How and why not?

[0:22:32] (Brad Ritter): Oh, for sure. I mean, I’m living proof of it. The community that I have going on right now is all built through technology, so school of grit to book, but it’s also an online coaching program. And all the members I have right now, I’ve never met them face to face, which is kind of crazy to think about, but we got these wonderful cameras and all that. So I use Zoom, and I’m just a big proponent of when I’m on a call with someone, just being authentic, like showing up and being that real person and not faking it. And I think that’s something you can feel.

[0:23:07] (Brad Ritter): Obviously you can feel it in person, but if you do this enough times and Dori you may have this experience. You can feel it through video, too. Like, you can almost feel that person’s energy on the other line. I have that happen all the time in our coaching calls. And the other part of technology that I think has been wonderful is I believe there’s safety and distance. There’s safety and distance. And what I mean by that is I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve had. And I do small group coaching where someone chimes in and they get real. Like they’re talking about an addiction in their family, a divorce, they’re going through whatever, got fired from their job.

[0:23:47] (Brad Ritter): And all it takes is one person to get real. And it’s like the dominoes start falling and everybody drops their guard. And I tell you what, I’ve heard some of people’s deepest, darkest secrets that their spouses don’t even know, that their best friends don’t even know. And I’ve never met these people face to face. That’s getting ready to change. I’m getting ready to do some live events, and I can’t wait to meet up with my tribe and train with them. But I love it. I love what technology has enabled from an online coaching platform.

[0:24:17] (Dori Nugent): You talked earlier about people’s why, right? You even mentioned about Simon Sinnick and his whole book about finding your why, telling our FEP family right now why they should check out the School of Grid or sign up for the School of Grid.

[0:24:37] (Brad Ritter): Yeah. So it’s a place you can go. It’s for men and women. And if you’re looking just to become the best version of yourself and you’re a good teammate, because that’s what I look for, someone who likes to be on a team and you got a heart for service. You want to serve others. You want to build other people up, and you want to constantly train. And believe me, we all train together. Whether we’re doing physical workouts because we do those over zoom video and we get deep with each other.

[0:25:05] (Brad Ritter): We go into those mental mountains, emotional mountains. If you’re looking for a place to train with a team, we’d love to have you.

[0:25:13] (Dori Nugent): And how long can someone expect to invest in School of Grit? Like, how long is your course?

[0:25:19] (Brad Ritter): It’s monthly membership, so you stay on. I’ve got people who’ve been on for two years plus, which is when I launched this.

[0:25:28] (Dori Nugent): You’re also a mind coach, brad as well.

[0:25:30] (Brad Ritter): Yeah, we touch the whole thing. So it’s not just physical. I teach what’s called the five mountains, and it’s physical, mental, emotional intuitional and then your warrior spirit. I just start with physical because personally, I think physical is probably the easiest to train. People can if they’re wanting to lose weight, they can tell that, right? They can hop on a scale. If you’re wanting to get stronger, well, you can tell that by how much weight you’re lifting. It’s kind of hard to tell if you’re becoming more mentally tough or more emotionally resilient. That’s a little tougher to work. But yeah, we hit all that stuff.

[0:26:00] (Brad Ritter): We work on mental toughness, like those big four mental toughness. We practice that. I have a Breath practitioner that comes on and we go through different breathing exercises on some of our calls, which is super cool. We go through crucial conversation exercises as part of the emotional mountains. So having that conversation with someone that you’ve been putting off for two years because you don’t want to rock the boat or whatever. And what’s funny is Dori most people would rather go run a marathon than have a crucial conversation.

[0:26:29] (Brad Ritter): No joke. It happens every time. But that’s how you grow as a person. It really is. So it’s the whole person. That’s what we’re going after here.

[0:26:38] (Dori Nugent): What can our FBP family, if they go to our show notes and click on the link for your book, what can they expect to find in the pages of School of Grit?

[0:26:47] (Brad Ritter): Oh, yeah, in the pages. So the book is awesome. So it’s going to talk to you a little bit about my background. Just like why just a random dude would sign up to go to this Navy Seal camp for civilians. Why would you want to do something crazy like that? So it talks about that, but it’s going to walk you through every evolution. I had to do over 50 plus hours of zero sleep, very minimal food, and I just got pushed to the limit physically, mentally, emotionally, broke down several times. But that’s the unique thing about this camp.

[0:27:19] (Brad Ritter): With real Seal training, they want to get you out. They want you to quit. That’s their job. They want as many people to quit as possible. They’re looking for out of 200, they’re looking for like, the 15 that’s going to last. They can train up. That’s where this camp is different. People will quit on their own. But in those moments when you’re about to break, they come alongside you and they teach you the tools and tactics to persevere. And that’s what you’re going to get in the book.

[0:27:41] (Brad Ritter): So I’m going to take you through it’s like part adventure, because I’m taking you along with me of what I’m getting asked to do. And then it’s emotional because I’m telling you about what’s going through my head. I talk about my why. There were several moments when I broke down. And then it also shows you what the Seals taught me, why we did the evolution. And then I have a section at the end of every chapter called Pack Your Ruck Sack, which a ruck is a military term. It’s a big backpack that you throw all your gear and stuff in.

[0:28:08] (Brad Ritter): I give you those tools and tactics. And how to apply them to everyday life in the eyes of being a parent, being a coworker, being an entrepreneur. So it’s got a little something for everybody.

[0:28:27] (Dori Nugent): Hey, thanks for spending time with me today. Brad Ritter is available for follow up questions or if you would like to learn more about school of grit. His contact information will be posted on Show Notes at www.fitnessbusinesspodcast.com. Now, the easiest thing that you can do for yourself is to subscribe to the Show Notes so they will be delivered to you each week so you don’t have to search for them.

[0:28:52] (Dori Nugent): Head to the Show Notes page and click on the subscribe button. It’s that easy. Up next, the Quick Vir Five segment with popular industry expert and Rex roundtable chair, Alison Flatley.

[0:29:06] (JT): G’day, it’s JT here. And I was talking to Blair Mckaney, the CEO of one of our sponsors, MX Metrics, the other day, and I gave him a hard time about his company’s tagline defeating Mediocrity. By definition, that means he’s excluding the majority of the market, but Blair just wouldn’t budge. He only wants to work with operators who want to punch Mediocrity in the face, really smash it. So I’ve talked to a few of his customers, like Joe Shirelli from Gainesville Health and Fitness, and, yeah, it’s for real.

[0:29:39] (JT): While Joe is a nice guy, he isn’t satisfied with Mediocrity either. He’s crushing it as well. So I’m still dubious about selling only to operators who want to defeat Mediocrity. But if this resonates with you, I reckon you should check them out. Go to mxmetrics.com. But remember, only if you’re interested in smashing Mediocrity.

[0:30:04] (Brad Ritter): Quickfire five, sponsored by Hapana.

[0:30:07] (Dori Nugent): Put your hands together and welcome industry veteran Allison Flatley to our show FVP family. It is time for our quick fire five with Alison flatley. Allison, thank you so much for joining us. We’re going to get to know you here in the next two minutes.

[0:30:23] (Allison Flatley): All right. Happy to be here. Dori?

[0:30:26] (Brad Ritter): Yeah.

[0:30:26] (Dori Nugent): I always say this segment is like speed dating. All right, well, I want to know, what is your top guilty pleasure?

[0:30:36] (Allison Flatley): I love candy. There’s candy in my car. There’s candy in my house. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t have candy. Okay, what’s the candy of choice in the car? It’s tootsie Roll, pops and fireballs. At home, it’s dubbed chocolate.

[0:30:55] (Dori Nugent): Very nice.

[0:30:57] (Allison Flatley): Jelly beans are really popular right now. I can’t live without those Brock jelly beans. So love my candy.

[0:31:05] (Dori Nugent): That is a good guilty pleasure. All right, now, what is a habit or an action that you do that helps you be productive?

[0:31:13] (Allison Flatley): I use the Five minute journal every morning and every evening, so it helps me start the day, set my priorities, and end the day, celebrate my successes and end it move forward.

[0:31:30] (Dori Nugent): That’s a good habit. I like that one. All right, here we go. What is an activity that you do that calms you run?

[0:31:40] (Allison Flatley): I love to run. I would rather run than strength training. I’m not fast, but it clears my head. I get outside, so run a few times a week. But the other activity that calms me is golf. It’s so different than anything I ever do, because I have to be calm. So it’s like learning through doing well.

[0:32:06] (Dori Nugent): Listen, going back to the running, I always like to say, slow and steady wins the race. When I run, that’s, like, my mantra. I’m like, Slow and steady wins the race.

[0:32:15] (Allison Flatley): Exactly. Definitely.

[0:32:17] (Dori Nugent): All right, here we go. How about a book that you could recommend for all of our FDP family to read?

[0:32:24] (Allison Flatley): Well, the book I just finished is The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. So it’s similar to The Five Languages of Love, but I’d highly recommend it, especially if you’re leading a diverse team.

[0:32:41] (Dori Nugent): Great recommendation. Thank you, Allison. All right, I’m going to hand the mic over to you, Allison. I’ll give you about 30 seconds. I want you to pitch your episode next week. All right?

[0:32:56] (Allison Flatley): I want you all to come back next week because you’re going to learn why accountability and sharing about your business is the best way to learn.

[0:33:08] (Dori Nugent): All right, everybody, Allison Flatley comes back next week, and her and I are going to recap Ursa 2023. You will not want to miss next week’s special episode. As Alison and I sit down to recap Ursa 2023, we will discuss our favorite education sessions, the best of the trade show floor, and we’ll highlight the Ursa parties. Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast launcher, or even better yet, let us do the work for you, and we’ll send you the show [email protected].

[0:33:54] (Dori Nugent): Hats off to these amazing sponsors and partners. First of all, I’d like to say thank you to Active Management, our partners, Myzone ,Bodymapp Issa, as well as Hapana, and our Advertisers REX Roundtables and MX Metrics. We believe what you leave behind is not what’s engraved in stone monuments, but woven into the lives of others.

END OF EPISODE