Brad Jensen | CEO of Key Nutrition

Welcome to the platform podcast where we talk to coaches athletes experts and real people to learn about their approaches to training nutrition mindset and much more I'm your host Jordan Kuhn to your right founder and head coach of the Twin Cities kettlebell club And I'm on a mission to help others build sustainable healthy lifestyles My guest this week is Brad Jensen. He is the CEO of key nutrition and the host of the key nutrition podcasts and This episode is really Amazing Brad has an incredible story of heartbreak and battle with addiction and ultimately triumph that we get into his background and some of the darkest times in his life and in his story And I really appreciate his willingness to come on to podcast and be vulnerable and and share very openly about his back Around in his struggles, and it is a really really fun conversation Brad is an awesome guy You should follow him on Instagram. He is at the sober bodybuilder He's got some fantastic some fantastic stuff that he puts out really great educational content as well Some some just fun and funny stuff Brad is fucking hilarious and I really hope you guys enjoy this conversation as much as I had Doing it we did have a couple of moments where there was some some audio issues because of internet connectivity So I did the best I can to edit those out, but and make it still seem as seamless as possible But if there's some some issues in there, please give me a little bit of grace I'm doing the we're doing the best we can with the recording that we have So I hope you guys can can forgive a little awkwardness in some of the audio, but it's still an incredible incredible Incredible conversation. I hope you enjoyed as much as I did I also want to take you second to say that I'm incredibly grateful that you listen to our podcast And if you haven't please be sure to leave a rating and review of the platform podcast in your app of choice It means a lot to me and if you could support my work by supporting our sponsors who's affiliate links You'll find in the episode notes. I would very much appreciate it and of course if you want to step on the platform and compete in kettlebell Sport or you need help with your nutrition, please reach out to me I help athletes of all levels reach their goals without wasting time using my integrated online coaching approach You can follow me on Instagram Facebook and YouTube at Twin Cities kettlebell club or email me at Twin Cities kettlebell club at gmail.com Now without further ado, let's step on to the platform with Brad Jensen All right welcome into this week's episode of the platform podcast I am very excited to welcome in my guest Brad Jensen. He is the CEO of key nutrition in Utah As well as the host of his own podcast the key nutrition podcast which I can recommend He gives some great practical nutrition advice to people on that show So Brad, thank you so much for coming on brother Thanks man. Appreciate it. Appreciate your time Yeah, of course of course So tell us a little bit about about your athletic background. Yeah, you know You know, I grew up playing sports but You know, I was a Shelby kid and that's actually I would got into all this is um I actually just found pictures from from a photo album because people would always like Let me see these pictures. You have a fat kid No one believe me and you know, even looking back I found these pictures of my mom's just a couple days ago I was dying. I mean, I was thicker than a chocolate sick. I look like I ate the whole chocolate sick every day I was a chubby kid, but you know looking back was funny was I was um Dude, I was just a chubby 12-year-old. It's really fucking awkward age. It's just the worst age man I look back and if I could just get that kid a hug now and be like dude, you know I hung around like all the kids I played baseball with him football You know, I'm playing on the line like they put an axe on you Well, yeah, I'm kidding you're too fat. I was always had an axe that I'm like I just wanted to have an axe like can I just play something out like And you know, we had the red we had the red stripe around around the helmet They called us strippers if you were a striper you couldn't you couldn't carry the ball Yeah, yeah, just you're an heckman. I'm like, why don't you just say I'm fat Like that would be a better way, right? So I was chubby and the problem was I hung out with kids that were you know I thought they were shredded right I looked back. I'm like they were toothpicks, right? So they had like visible dominoes because they were real thin But I felt like I was the fattest kid alive, you know, and I looked back at pictures And I definitely was chunky man, but I um I wish I could just give that kid a hug and they'd go you'd be fine Do you just got to hit a growth spurt and his impurity? So I got in to actually help them fitness about 14 or so and um, oh wow So I was still playing these sports, but um, I was about 14. I was 15 and um, I was at a bookstore because back in Fuckin 1997 people went to bookstore and uh, my mom was shopping for a book and I remember I was in the magazine section And I saw a muscle and fitness magazine I remember looking and I'm like, I want to look like that guy which made no sense to me I never lifted away or anything. I picked up the magazine and I started reading and I was just enamored dude It was the first thing that in my whole entire life I'd been passionate about like I was like I just couldn't get enough and I begged my mom to buy me the magazine and she said no And uh, so I started thinking my bike there after school and I would go and I would just read and I read the whole encyclopedia bodybuilding There's a lot of fucking pictures in it. So that was good. But um, yeah, you know, I read everything I could Um, I didn't have any money. I'm in a job. So I'd just go there and I just read for hours. I was fascinated by it And so I started applying what they were telling me and yeah, this was this was like a Barnes and Noble or not Not like a library, right? They weren't giving me the hard time about like oh, that kid's back here just sitting sitting Sitting reading a magazine. They never did they never did which was crazy. I actually get to break I got I got a hard time about that like I did this it's funny because like I was the same I did the same thing like back when I was in early college days like I would go to Barnes and Noble and I would sit there for like Six seven hours just reading different different things like I would go You know post up at a table and read a whole bunch of magazines and stuff and like after like a month finally like one of the employees came up to me He's like, you know, like you should probably buy at least one of these magazines At some point, you know, I was like, hey, I get a coffee every time I got like you get your highlighter in there You're like you you got the full pages folded down You know, they never said anything I think it's because I think there was something like You know, I've never seen the same people and they probably thought, you know, I mean, I was a kid, right? And they could see me park my bike and I lock it up And I think there was just like they had some there's an empathy for me so But you know, I started applying what these things were telling me and And I lost some weight and I also had a grocery and Then you know, I actually didn't have to play on the X on the line in football I actually hit this grocery and I lost weight little did I know like I was doing this I was probably I wish I could remember following like a bikini girl Diet in there. I just remember I can's the tuna and brown rice and like It was just most strict rigid shit, but it worked and And you know about the time I got a car and I could drive I got a gym membership and what was funny was I fell in love with the gym to the point where I quit playing football Because I was so in love with just training That I remember I'm like I'm gonna have to stop training to do two days and I don't want to stop lifting And so um, you know Just uh, I quit all sports and I went I went all in on this and I was a jacked by the time I was 17 to 18 I was a jacked kid like it was a football coach was probably like what the hell Did they were begging me to come back and I was like now, man, I'm good like I I loved You know, it was a lot of hypertrophy bodybuilding training And I loved it and I remember I was that annoying kid I would come up to all the older guys at the gym and so I still when those younger kids come up to me I try to show them love because a lot of the vast majority of these guys this older guys show me love They were like hey, let me kind of show you why you're doing that wrong Let me show you I can feel that better. I'd go up to them be like why did you just drop that weight and grab that weight right after And they're like it's called a drop set. I'm like what does that do like I was fascinated by it I mean, I had my notebook in there taking notes on you know progressive overload is a 17-year-old and so That's really um You know, and I don't had first into that and I I sucked ass at school I knew I sucked at school. I hated school And so by the time I even graduated high school I'd actually completed my nasim certification my my CBT And um right when high school ended I got a job at Was ballet total fitness which I believe has gone under a long time ago, but yeah And so um that's how I got into all of it, you know, and and that's That's what I wanted to do the rest of my life And so that's what I did as a senior and and took it from there Man, that's awesome, but not not very many people have that level of clarity Where they're just like nope. I got it. This is this is the thing I'm going after and you know still are still are still cranking at it So have you have you ever competed competitively and bodybuilding ever done any any shows or yeah, I did so I competed You know my Instagram tag is the the sober bodybuilder and I make a joke that I better stay sober because pretty soon It's going to be like the not sober retired bodybuilder like because I no longer compete And I'm not saying I never would again. I just know what it takes away from my life I know what I have to give up to do it. Yeah, and um and I know that that means business and Some other things and you know, maybe maybe one day, but yeah, I competed in 2015 So I guess let me rewind a little for your listeners get some context is I wish I could say that all I ever did I got that job at 18 and you know 36 years old now and for the last 18 years all I did was work in the fitness industry But that's not how it went Late into my high school years I I didn't drink I was partying as a that chubby 13 14 year old kid I was drinking it was to escape kind of the feeling of just being me I was getting picked on you know, and that's also when I got into fitness, but along that way You know, I remember reading a bunch about alcohol and I remember what I interpreted as as a 16 year old was If you drink you will lose all your muscle now We know that's not the case, but as a young Not matured brain. That's how I read it. So I literally was like I'm never drinking again I think I'd read one article about how bad drinking is for dehydration on muscles and I know so I stopped it The problem is I still wanted to get fucked up. So um, you know about somewhere in my junior senior high school Um, I got offered some pain pills and I remember this on naiba was I said to them all I'm not need pain, dude They started laughing and it's no man Fuck you up like you like you feel like you're drunk, but you'll be able to go trance So I was like I'm in let's do it So I took him and I remember when those pain pills hit me when those opiates it was uh It was like a lord tab or hydrocodone The minute it hit me I was like that's what I want the rest of my life. I remember I loved the feeling and so Um, you know, I dabbled in that just you know kind of party and having fun And uh towards the end of my senior year it picked up and uh by picked up it means that uh I was put on to this tip that I could drive from Salt Lake City, Utah To Tijuana, Mexico Which just to give you some context is like 14 hours. It's not like it's four And go to the pharmacy is there and load up on a bunch of pharmaceutical drugs and steroids and pack my door panels full I take them off I put those bitches back on and I drive through the border And I'm one of the first time I did it. I was scared right and uh, but I got right through And after that it was like idiots of on like I didn't really understand the amount of federal phone That was committing by a trafficking drug to cross country lines So I went down there four more times and I started my little entrepreneurial adventures then by starting to deal these to all the different high schools And of course I had a plethora of oxycontin and all these other pharmaceuticals So I was doing them daily Not like excessively, but I was doing them daily And I also wasn't dealing drugs to people who were junkies like I I didn't see the side of like People banging on my door at 2 a.m. Because they're sick. They need their fix I was dealing them to high school kids that would do them on Friday and Saturdays And so You know, but but I also had heard a little you know things going around that these are addictive And I'm like yeah, but I'll just stop them when I'm ready And um, you know Towards the end of my senior year Another kid who I know who I told him about the little gig went down got caught And I tell the story because he went to a Mexican prison And I remember I was like wait what they're not letting them go and they're like No, they came that I ran out of those pills and I'm thinking I'm just gonna stop them. No big deal I was so gnarly sick because I was addicted. Yeah, and I didn't even really realize I was addicted like I did But I didn't understand what the other side looked like so I didn't have any contrast And I went through the one gnarlies with drawers for a couple days and I remember thinking well, this is awful And um wrong place wrong time wrong person said hey, I've got some heroin and I remember thinking Oh, man, that's no like that's like hardcore drugs. There was a line in the sand at drama. I don't do that And I remember was about 10 months later. I looked at myself. We'll make me feel better. He said immediately So as an 18-year-old kid, I just got one percent So when I got that job of all I told him fitness um, I was doing heroin and um And yeah, there's just not a lot of hope in that like there's not like a great story like I got addicted to heroin Then I blew up my business and like you know life was great. I got married and had this great life just didn't go that way and so um That started down a really really gnarly path that uh Like I knew when I when I interventionsly shot up heroin I knew like this is not going to end well like I'd ran out of the drugs because I wouldn't go back down to Mexico And heroin was cheap and it was ready available. So I started um, I started doing it daily and uh by the time I was 20 years old I ended up in my first treatment center And I'll never forget when I called my mother my mother knew I partied. She knew I she knew I partied But she had no idea what she didn't know was bad And I said hey, I think I need some help and she said what's going on? I said well I've been shooting up heroin every day. Now I'll never forget it. It was a solid 30 seconds. I was like hello She dropped the phone. She was such a shock and she picked it up and she was like, what what? I said, yeah And she's like you need to smell So I went to my first treatment center Um in March of 2005 and uh, and I went in that treatment center Thinking okay, I got a problem with heroin, but the rest Like I'll be fine. I wasn't even legal age to drink yet So I went in with that treatment center a lot like people come into a nutrition program, right? Like Oh, yeah, like I you know, maybe I'll do this now, but I'm not going to do the whole thing like yeah, I'll pick and choose I'll be fine. Yeah, exactly. And so um I had made up my mind that uh, I had a problem with heroin But I didn't really think I was a drug addict per se or an alcoholic. I didn't really drink much and so Um, I proceeded to get out of that treatment center and started drinking um And nothing bad happened the first time or the second time, but the third time I drank I blacked out And that was we I don't remember shit. I was like that was that's weird The fourth time I drank I ended up finding some cocaine and when I dug the cocaine that led back to the heroin And it was this ongoing cycle man from from what is it 2005 to my sobriety date is November Uh, in November 20th of 2012 So for the next seven years, it was just this game back and forth back and forth in and out of rehab Um, I ended up having 17 bookings in the county jail and uh And it was just the same bullshit like every time I would get sober I'd get back into the gym. I'd get buff again. I'd look good I'd be like, I bet I can do a little bit of this So I dabble on a little bit of this so that and then within a week or two it was back off to the races What do you think it was that you you kept trying different substances? Was it denial that that you had up that you just had a generalized addiction problem or was it like Was it you didn't want to give it up or what you know, I'm curious like what do you think it was that you went from kind of one thing to an I mean, obviously there's the the just the you know the general addictive personality type right and that that's that can always be problematic But why do you think you didn't realize that having been in professional treatment centers multiple times for for various things like what what was it that that kept you from from Having that like uh-huh clarity until 2012 Sure, that's a great question and and I think this is even like a bull for bulls Because this you know But there were always kind of this justification of of this or that and it was crazy was So I went to a bunch of different treatment centers and the last one I went to and that's not even when I get sober Because by the time I got sober my parents were done. They were done with my shit. They were done helping me out like it was I'd get sober the really hard way which I'll go and do in just a sec, but I remember the last treatment center I went to it was 2009. So about two or three years before I got sober I remember the lady looked right at me and she said no, you don't get this You don't have a drug could by that point I fully admitted. I was drug addict I just didn't know how to like why do I keep bouncing around from substance to substance Thinking it's gonna prove a different result when my track record shows me it will be the exact same And she said you think you have a drug problem. You have a Brad problem Drugs are your solution. You are your problem and until you get right with you You're gonna keep going back and you're gonna keep your heads gonna try to manipulate you that Maybe if I just do a little bit of like ecstasy or I just drained When really it always lends you back to the shit. You really love which is sticking in you and your arm and being a junkie And she said until you get right with you like you don't have a drug problem. You have a Brad problem And even though I didn't take action on that that seed was planted And I remember thinking she's right like I tried moving out of state. I tried moving that I tried doing everything And it was like everywhere I went there. I was and I was the same broken little kid This sort of mask is in securities with with working out and now working out was such a great thing for me But I never learned like How to just like admit that like fundamentally like I had some issues and so yeah You know, I think there was always looking for Some way to not have to really deal with the root cause which was getting down to causes and conditions like why did I decide to start you like People don't make the decision as an 18 year old kid to drive to Mexico and like risk all this like why was they doing these things so You know that that's essentially why man is when I finally understood that I had a me problem not a drug problem Shit started to change for me. Does that make sense? Oh, yeah that yeah, that's I was who that's a deep cut man because like when you say that you know I have I had a Brad problem and not a drug problem like that's that's a deep cut because like for me That was a big a big thing coming out of my my dry January was I realized like This is like this is like a no shit type of epiphany But it was like oh my god the same things that like the same things that I liked about you know taken pain pills and the same reasons I like to drink are the same reasons that I overeat when I when I have a binge eating episode or when I like it or you know Like they're all they're all the same thing. It's all the same triggers. It's like oh, it's I'm lonely. I'm sad I'm you know, it's like all of the you know, but it ultimately comes back to some internal feeling that you're trying to Get away from or mask or you know, whatever it was all the same triggers and I was like Oh, it's weird how like just taking a month off of drinking makes me realize that they're all the same triggers It's all in a range. It's all interrelated and like you know Like you know, I don't have a substance problem. I have a I have an in between my ears problem I guess you know like learning to be alone with yourself and be okay and Figuring out what to do with your you're racing mind or your idle hands or you know that doesn't involve self-destructive behavior It's funny to have this where There's saying or recovery to me is called halt And it's hungry Those are warning signs and I'm like that's my fucking life like what are you talking about like that? I'm always like angry lonely or tired like I didn't because I didn't know how to cope And so um Fast forward this a little bit kind of say how it came to a solution here, but uh, you know The last year of my using it got really gnarly like I just done my longest stretching jail Which is about eight and a half months. So I got a year sentence. I got good time Because I was always a model student in there So I got out in January of 2012. I just done eight and a half months. So let me tell you I was in there and I was dry and I was sober But I wasn't actually paying attention to much else other than that. I was still gambling I got in fights in there. I was still you know We were we were bullying people out of their lunch trays like it was the same bullshit behavior Like I wasn't actually thinking like Why am I feeling this way? Why am I like why do I you know? I just was dry but doing the same behaviors because I didn't have access to it. I got out I had my my birthday was January 31st. I got out January 27 And I was so hopeful that this was going to be the time and like this was going to be it and so Um, but I hadn't changed into the behaviors and so They talk about with addiction this phenomenon of craving that occurs in the brain and uh like You know, I did everything so it hit me. It hit me like a day out of jail And I started sweating and my hands were shaking And I got that gut feeling and I'm like kind of feel like I was gonna bomb it. I'm like I'm gonna call the dealer And I remember thinking okay, there's no way some crackhead still has the same number. They change it all the time He answered and I remember thinking if he doesn't answer then there's my there's there's my answer to that But he did answer and he told me yeah, I've got some stuff come come to this place So I did everything they told me to do. I was playing the tapes through like they talked about and rehab like Well, if I drive down there and I start using this is probably what's going to happen And like I didn't even try to I couldn't even try to convince myself to somehow some way some shape or form It was going to be different this time. I knew that by picking up I'm going it and getting it I knew that my pattern was I just went and sometimes they were two week benches Sometimes they were two months sometimes they were eight months like four months three months Like I knew that I would go off the rails And you know, this doesn't end well and I'm crying the whole time I'm going down there to pick up because I knew I couldn't try to convince myself this is going to be different I'm like you're gonna go use you're not gonna show up to your birthday You're gonna fuck everything up and I still went so Not exactly what happened I didn't draw another sober breath from that day and I didn't show up to my own birthday party again I'm tell my sobriety date of November 20th of that year. So that was about 11 straight months And that's relevant because my pattern like I said was two Three four months at a time then something would intervene my parents um The cops were greater invention on me, but My parents would put me in rehab or detox or And they said they were done We're done you have to find your own bottom. We're done bailing you out Good luck and they stuck to it and I'm so grateful for that I'm so grateful that they put in enough boundaries after so many years of chaos Because I had stole from that cheat. I lied the whole works. Yeah, I mean forged my dad's checks you name it stole you know pond pond my mom's jewelry everything And so They cut me off and it was the best thing they're happening I didn't draw another sober breath and 11 months was a long run for me And when I didn't have my enabling mother to help me out and bail me out or give me money when I really needed it It got dark and it got bad and I was homeless that whole year and so I And I was resourceful. I never slept on the streets. Thank God and I was always staying you know with trap houses or this or shitty motels or and I was hustling out there and I was homeless the whole year and Very into that and and my pattern was man is that I actually didn't look like a drug addict That like even when I'd go on my benches, I would still work out for like the first month or two of it. It was crazy And still eat right like the only thing that made me look like a junkie was I had track marks, but if I have pictures And I was still a pretty decently sized guy not like I'm now, but Like and so was this kind of it was this cover up that no one really ever knew why I was as bad a drug addict as I was And that last year man, I mean when you're homeless, you're not going to a gym. You know how many were to cook food I gave up. I gave up everything. I lost 40 pounds. I was a shell of a human being I looked awful and And that last year and then I wrapped this up and get into why I'm not today, but Very into the year november my my grandfather died and my mother called and told me Today your grandpa died and She said I really want you to show up to the funeral and then in fact or and I wanted to show up to the funeral I was like I got to go, you know, it was a great man Yeah, and she said just do whatever you have to do to be right and and I knew she meant by that she meant don't be too high And don't be withdrawing and Of course the day came and I was withdrawing I was a junkie. I didn't have any I couldn't ration shit out because I was always just hustling to get the next fix So We're proceeding to go up to my grandfather's funeral and I'm shaking. I'm shivering And I'm trying to I'm trying to stay composed and I ended up throwing up all on her car And she was like you can't go up like this and she's crying. She said what do we have to do So I made her stop by the dealers and um, and then we're gonna be late to the funeral. So She started busing up the highway and she said do whatever you have to do So I hopped in her backseat and And this was the turning point for me man is my mom knew I used drugs. She knew I was a heroin addict She knew I didn't match. She knew all these things But she'd never actually watched me do it So I hopped in the backseat of her car and I'm trying to find the vein. I'm cooking up You know my syringe like the whole kit the whole junkie work And she's looking in the rear view mirror and she's just got tears streaming down her face just stream looking back in that mirror Watching me like she's not moving your eyes as she watches me shoot up heroin I remember the minute it hit me and of course I felt better instantly But I kept looking I looked up in the mirror and it was just the heartbreak Of all time like the the despair in her face man She didn't say a fucking word She just and it was just tears She wasn't even trying to wipe them off her face And she didn't even move her face Stillically she just looked out the window the rest of the ride And we didn't say another word And it was at that moment I remember thinking very clearly Because I've never actually been suicidal out there Like truly suicidal like and in that moment I thought you have two options Brad You either kill yourself Or you you finally finally get sober like try one more time The option to keep using and being a junkie day after day and not knowing where I'm asleep was not an option And the first option actually seemed a little more reasonable because it was the easier softer way And then I just realized the ultimate act of selfishness I just did to make my mom take me to get dope My good religious mother has never done a drug in her life And then shoot it up in her backseat just so I could show up to my grandmother's funeral With so selfish but me taking my life would have been the ultimate act of selfishness And so that night I remember I was like something's gotta change I don't know what I'm gonna do And I was pulled over in a storm card that to this day I don't know what was stormed True story and that that was uh I prayed I don't even know what I was praying to but I said something out there helped me And that was whatever god I believed in at that time Doing for me what I could not do for myself. I got pulled over Car was stolen. I went to jail and uh And I detoxed and it was awful and I kicked in a shiver and I laid on the cement and there's bomb it all over me and But I remember thinking this is the last time you have to do this if you want to this the last time this last time And so I made it through that and uh and I got out of jail short 30 days later Which was a miracle and when I got out It was snowing new jobs cold My mother said I'll come pick you up, but you can't come here So she dropped me off for the recovery meeting like an a meeting and that's where my journey began some guy I let me crash on his couch. It didn't know me And basically threatened me that if I stole from him he'd kick my ass Thanks for tuning into this episode of the platform podcast. We'll get back to the interview shortly If you're a loyal listener, you know that I don't typically do interludes But I wanted to take this opportunity to share some exciting updates The date is set for the first annual twin cities kettlebell open on October 23rd We will be hosting at the athlete lab here in little canada minnesota in the heart of the twin cities And we've already got some great sponsors starting to be lined up Belovator from dentist facility has given two belts for us to give away Our friend Nikolay poochlove from the Seattle kettlebell club is providing his new made in the USA pro kettlebells for competitors to try out and use on the platform sanctioned by the ikeo Additional sponsors include barefoot athletics and gaspire nutrition as well And if you have any ideas or connections to other interest sponsors, please reach out to me And also please go register for the event on our website twin cities kettlebell club.com And now let's get back into the interview And that's where my journey started man. It was a choice to go left instead of right out of jail normally I got out. I'd call my drug friends. They'd come pick me up. We could go on another run And I called my mom and and begged her to come to the house She said no, but she took me to the meeting and then it was just like Divine intervention after that like people just start stepping in and I started waiting tables again Or not again for the first time ever because I was a convicted felon didn't know where I'd get a job And I was waiting tables on a guy who I used to work for who had a nutrition come coaching company here locally And he gave me another chance and so I started back in the fitness industry about four months over And dude, I've never looked back so that was Almost exactly probably eight years and some change ago He gave me that chance dude and I jumped in full bore and You know when I started helping people I remember I was on a call with a client And she started breaking down crying of how grateful she was for me And dude that was the first time in my whole entire life I was 28 years old That I had felt grateful. I got this warm feeling come over me My heart felt like it was going to explode with happiness I was yeah, I was elated. I was like a little emotional. We hung up the call And I was like I think this is what I've been searching for in a pill in a bottle It's just this feeling of overwhelming gratitude Just to be alive to be able to be of service other people and get paid for it, which was blowing my mind And so we ran I mean dude that was the feeling of in chasing And I remember thinking okay This is what feeling grateful actually feels like and dude, that's why I've been so big on gratitude ever since that a day Because it instilled in me that's what I was searching for Was this feeling and that like getting down to the root causes of why you I had to see like what was I looking for In in heroin or booze or pills And it was a feeling of just feeling whole and And vibrant in all these things that came when I started just Feeling grateful for just being alive and so sorry that was a long tangent man, but um and that started my journey at to where am I today? Oh, that's Amazing and that's a that's an incredible that's an incredible story I mean the rock bottom with with your mom is I mean that heartbreaking like that You know that uh That's really that's really hard to that's really hard to hear and I can't imagine you know how that felt for your mom how that felt for you but like it's Credit to you that it was it was like something like that that it was an emotional an emotional rock bottom And not the you know any of the other experiences that you that you you know We're talking about like going to jail or you know any many many of the other you know ways that could have been rock bottom But it was ultimately like the love of your mother and the love of other people that that like got you to go left instead of right And that's it was just you know was that moment of desperation just willing to To do something different no matter what the cause and um and I follow you know I got linked up in a recovery community and they give you this you know you find yourself. What's called a sponsor So I was like what's it Essentially, I'll do it all a sponsor is it's just a recovery coach. That's free Like and I still sponsor guys today to give back what what was so freely given to me But I started realizing Why this word I'm out with this guy every week I had accountability he gave me application on what what What change I need to make and then he educated me on kind of the house and the wise of all these different assignments and things He was having me do And that's really what instilled my belief that I tell people when I sign them up for coaching. I said listen My my job is actually rather simple It's accountability. It's application and it's education and that all stand from what I realized really what I was getting out of that sponsor was He was helping me dive deep and And it worked man. I had accountability to show up and and it really really lit my fire for Why what we do is coaches works? It's the same principles And I was like okay I'm gonna take some of that so my coaching Really since day one, but I would say probably the last four or five years is you know Really evolved to the point where I tell people if you just want a guy that's gonna write your training programs and your macros I'm probably not you do because I'm gonna talk about this. I talk about this being a four-legged chair Of fitness and health, you know, you got your mental health your emotional health like a mental fitness emotional fitness health whatever you want to call The spiritual out and your physical out now. I tell clients what you think you're paying before it's just a physical But try to sit on that chair long enough when one area is wobbly a shit where the leg falls all the way off It's gonna affect all the other legs So I have almost all my clients doing some type of morning routine Um, I find what what connects them to their spirit And I don't care if that's a religious belief. They're two entirely different things. I tell people cool If like that makes you feel closer. That's great. It doesn't totally cool If it's getting on a nature some people that's going on a hike or walk or I and so I instill all these things and trying to have people hit all these areas because when you have everything running smooth your decisions and your choices with food I've seen and I've enough panic total evidence that it's in like immensely better When you're also prioritizing every other area of your health and fitness. Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah, absolutely I love the framework of thinking of it as a as a four-legged stool or a four-legged chair, right? Because You cut one of the legs out Yeah, if you lean if you lean back into the side that's that's good, you know You'll be okay for a while, but eventually you're gonna need to shift positions and then you're gonna fall on your ass You know, I love I love that I love that framework because it's it's very simple and effective Um, so what so what do you what do you um what do you do as far as when you give an example of of the of the routines um like what What are some what are some simple practices that that people can can put into play like what are you know Just simple simple tools that you like to use kind of as you're as you go to is when you're when you're getting people started Like what do you start with as far as approaches? Yeah, I mean when when I look at those other areas So what I really tried to instill because what was funny was Jordan was uh when I was in you know Going through these and called the 12 steps of recovery and going through this whole process In a part in the in the textbook it talks about Establishing a morning routine and now what I thought for the longest time was that's just what sober people did And so I got into business. I found out oh, it's like a successful human being thing to have some kind of like morning ritual to start your day And so I don't know why but I gravitated towards that one more than others and I was like cool. I'm gonna do that And so I try to have everyone and still some some type of Morning routine that can they can hit those areas and it can be longer it can be shorter Um, you know for some people we're just starting out and it doesn't have to happen first thing in the morning I think it's always good, but some people have different schedules so I tell people we just need to have just even five minutes Can be five minutes at first Do a little bit of reading you know right right something you're grateful for um You know You know do something to hit every one of these areas and so I try to instill like something you know I tell people example my morning routine Business have to be there. You know for me I I either do stretch right or go on like a 10 or 15 minute walk with my dogs That's my physical part. I also take a cold shower, which is part of my mental grit and uh because it's hard to shit and I want to get that out of the way early so I can Everything else maybe feels a little easier. Yeah, how long how long are you doing your cold showers where Ah dude it depends, but you know probably two to five minutes And like at first it was like 30 seconds so I've worked up to that, but Man, it's not like waking you up first thing in the morning, but um I I It's a very twisted relationship with it because I actually love him, but every morning I put it on I start the shower and I just stare at it for a minute. I'm like I want to go in there Because that first hit when it takes but again for me that's taking part like it's my mental grit and um And you know, I move my body. That's my physical part Um, I hydrate. I try to get some sunlight when it's available And um, and then I I graded to journal and I'll do a little uh reading right now I'm reading the daily stoic again, which is just one little page So I'm kind of trying to hit every area there I usually write kind of it's duly so some intentions for the day and I go about my day But it looks different for every client and the cool thing I tell him is you get to make up your own Let's just disconnect from like all the stress of kids and business and this And like let's just get you in a right frame work So I'm really big on breathwork and I'm really diving into that. I'm taking this breathwork certification course And so trying to implement that with clients, but uh Yeah, man, I just think your choice is to make him better better decisions with your food and um, and your workout So significantly greater when you're not an emotional and mental record all the time So who's who's your favorite stoic philosopher? Did I really resonate a lot with like Marcus Aurelius honestly probably the most um And I'm really fascinated with stoicism I haven't jumped in as much as some of my friends like chase tuning and some other people were really really meshed in it But You know, I find that kind of the stoicism was so many lessons to be learned about how we show up and operate on our daily basis And I'm I'm wired pretty high Um, you know, they they've told me since I was young, but I have ADHD And I used to think that was my disability dude now. I realize it's my superpower like I can multitask and do a lot of shit Um Well, I think I can multitask we don't know But um You know stoicism and just the principles behind it. It's just slowing down a little for me. I can go I'm done the thing where you grind way too hard and in fact when I was working with Jason I remember one shout we had and he was like dude stop trying to do the most all the time Like no one's impressed that you work 70 hours a week I remember telling me dude I mean three times as much money as you and I and I work half as much as you Let that one sink in and then the fucker hung up on me He was like let that one sink in. I'll talk to you next week click And I remember like in so with stoicism. It's a lot of us slowing down and just being in the moment being present thinking before we talk Not having you know, and I notice when I apply those principles. I have to say I'm sorry less because I'm less reactive and I'm more I just I'm proactive instead of just reactable the time Like I'll pause when I agitated. I'll think about what things people are saying and so Um, I'm really big on all that shit man And you know when it comes to business because yeah, dude, I mean I've done try to do the most all the time and it just There's got to be a balance and I still probably work too much man, you know, but I love it And I'm trying to find better boundaries now that I have a kid and I'm a single dad and so it's like You know, it's he's been such a blessing because he makes me have to like turn off the computer and just be present And especially, you know, I have a lot on the weekends and it slowed me down and I'm really grateful for that and how old is he now Nine months old nice congratulations. I got my I got my soon-to-be five-year-old sitting just just came down from his map And he's drawn me a picture in my office. All right. Dude, that's what I can't wait for man. It's it's great It has it's it has its challenges as well every age does but it's a lot of fun Yeah, for sure, man a lot of fun. So how many coaches do you have on your on your crew now? So I've got eight coaches that work under the brand and You know, we really, you know, we're We're predominantly lifestyle-focused coaching um You know, occasional You know Triathletes or you know, even bodybuilding competitors. I personally don't take those but um, you know, make their way in but it's a lot of lifestyle coaching and You know teaching people about the art of macros and teaching them, you know, some basics about training stuff That maybe they didn't know because they do too many Julian Michaels videos or whatever, you know, we deal Yeah, I mean, how did you get how did you get Shina onto your staff? Shina and Shina and Marty I think I see on your on your Instagram profile those guys are putting out fire. Oh my gosh Shina's Shina's booty builder. I think uh is is is fantastic Yeah, you know, it's funny. So Shina was this this character I created Just was gonna do a one and done and it was essentially and they knew it too because they commented laughing But I just took like just a lot of my old clients over the last eight and a half years wrapped into one And was just gonna kind of do one little funny video and call it good Well, she ended up becoming this hit And uh do it. It's awkward. I was at the gym the other day. This lady comes up to me dead be lines over And she's like You're Shina. I'm like I take out my head. I was like what she said Shina and I was like, oh, yeah, yeah She's like, oh my gosh. We love Shina. Your other stuff's okay, too But anyways more Shina and walks away and I'm like Kind of offended for getting that I am Shina, but I was like The way she said it do was you know, the stuff's okay Which means I don't really like it, but I stay for Shina So Shina has become this uh this hit that um and the people just keep requesting her and let me tell you It's a whole mood when I like put on that wig. I have to really get into character, but it's been fun man and uh And you know, I think It's you know, I'm a character and you know Like I've got a lot of personality and you know, I've got a credit great mentors along the way like Jason Who's who kind of said dude stop trying to be like this serious like You know, you're trying to put on a front to fit in with this group of guys, you know um In in Jason's uh coaching group and we were yet like this elite program back then this 2018 or 19 to give member and um He said do just be you you're goofy. You're funny people like that like we're trying to be serious that you don't have to be the super serious dude To be successful in business you got to be you And so I credit a lot to him for up and like pull that shit out of me to just be like just have fun man And uh people still respecting the same even though I have a wig in my trunk, which is just weird. I really My trunk And so because I'll come film it's hard to tell a former fat kid like just be comfortable being yourself You're like no like that's where my trauma came from exactly. I'm like no, this is terrifying And uh, you know, even Marty the me ed, which I just dropped. It's funny is is uh I mean, I am making fun of a lot of people in my current big box lifetime fitness gym and they know it because they all came up to me But I'm also making fun of me back in the day, you know, that was me exactly Yeah, you're you were the you were the annoying teenager asking the asking the other meat head guys the questions And then you're going to like, bro, you gotta get your hand about the window gotta get your protein in 30 minutes after Yeah, everything abc a's the gallon jug. I wore a weightlifting belt even if I was doing calves. It didn't matter, right Like in heaven forbid back that I even did a squat because they were hard, right? I mean, it's uh But it did it's been a lot of fun and I think any any coaches out there listening I mean when I started to uh When my social media started to do better. I didn't even put a lot of focus into it and tell probably end of 2019 so November 2019 and um You know, I just when I started putting more focus into growing that to get more attention I won just being me when you look at gaze. I Gary Vaynerchuk You know Gary V has won because Gary V and I worked with uh Jordan side was one of my mentors and really helped me expand my content And Jordan was um was Gary's personal trainer And you said dude, let me tell you why Gary is one Gary is the same dude and our training session that he is an uber car ride that he is in his business that he is on Instagram That he is on a talk that he is in a huge he's the same dude He is just him throwing through and he goes and I imagine I never saw him with this family He's probably the exact same way with this family and Gary V was a huge inspiration to my business like obviously I've never met him but he had a big influence on How I structured and ran things a key and from a business perspective So if there's any coaches out there listening man if you want to like quit trying Don't look at other people shit and try to emulate it. You have to just be you And you just have to spit out your message and listen. I sell the most unsexy message, Jordan like I really do It is consistency. It's patience. It's calorie deficit. It's you know, it's it's nutritional peers like I'm not selling anything sexy like oh be patient be consistent You know Enjoy your favorite foods, but you know the calorie deficit like there's just nothing flashy about what I'm selling so Because that's what works is just the tried and true shit Like you train either calorie deficit if you want to lose fat like Prioritize the other areas like sleep sleep is not sexy and I talk about it all the time And so I'm finding I just have to find many different ways to make sleep sound a little more peeling than the last post That's it But really like dude, it's funny because I have all this advanced um I've taken you know my boy Stan Miller's uh, you know his hormone certification course I've taken Travis zippers for part of NCIs his welfare mentorship where I mean did we spend a whole month on just liberty talks Let me tell you many times. I've been to apply that with clients like one right it's good to have Yeah, but let me tell you like the client tell him going after it's funny because What I'm tempted to do is is make myself try to look smart on Instagram But I'm like that's not my market like the really like more advanced shit That's majority of people just don't care about and it's good to have that knowledge I'm not described it's so good that when I hit a tough client situation or one of my coaches do that I can walk them through it Hands down But it's funny when I really zoom out and I'm like dude Like it's just the basics and really it's helping people get a better relationship with themselves like no weight loss Will fucking make you happy if you don't change like I try to really implant to people that the physical results Whether that strength or fat loss or whatever we're after muscle building Will be the icing on the cake if you do this the correct way which I believe that fit is called a fitness journey No fitness journey not a fitness destination for a reason It is not a destination. There's no end date So we have to change from the inside out to make the outside results stick and that's where you know by the time people hit me They've usually tried a ton of things and they're willing to pay higher prices I tell them this is gonna be a much more focused on how can we get you To level up as far as you emotionally physically mentally spiritually with your family all these things and it really when you kind of zoom out, you know That's a really like when you look at How Jason talks about a lot. It's like getting right with you so your business and you're right Yeah, and that's the same philosophy. I applied nutrition clients like cool calorie deficit will work But how are we gonna sustain that way loss if you're the same exact individual like you better be changing Yeah, that's yeah, that's I'm 100% on board with that the mastery of self thing is such a huge piece of it and I love the You know, it's a fitness journey not a not a destination because you have to love the process And you have to you have to embrace it because um, you know I always try and articulate that we we measure success in decades not in not in years months or weeks, you know You know, I don't do You know night, you know the the 28-day rapid fat loss programs, you know, like it's great for a kickstart, but that's not That's not what that's not what it's about Right, you know, you want to you want to be the guy that's you know 60 years old and still can still squat ass to grass right and can You know go up and down the stairs with his grandkids and you know all of those things like you want you want to be Healthy for life not just for you know a short-term short-term duration Exactly man exactly so Yeah, man, it's an interesting deal because uh, you know, we don't do 12-week programs I mean, you know, I don't take a ton of new clients from what I do. I said listen, you know My I was client retention is pretty long because I'm going to implement things like diet breaks And we're not going to you know, and we're going to not be extreme in a lot of areas And this is probably going to be slower than when you're used to, but you know what the great part is Mr. Jones You're going to keep it off. How does that sound like if we do this the right way and almost inevitably You know people pay a higher price for you know to work with me And then they drop slower than most of the diets they've done before But if they continue to stick it out They keep calling off and that's what really matters man Yeah, you know if all those crash diets worked you certainly wouldn't be on a zoom call with me seeing that this is the right thing Yeah Absolutely, absolutely Well, Brad, I want to thank you so much for for taking the time man I want to be respectful of your time. I'm I'm going to ask I'm going to ask one more question that I I like to ask People it and always the last question is if you could give one just one tip to Well, I'm gonna for you. I'm going to say let's go back to to Brad, you know Young Brad 18-year-old Brad what would what would be the one tip that you would give that you would give yourself When you're when you were back at that age Man, that's a good question. What would I give my advice to my 18-year-old self? um That's a tough one You know because that's really when I start to have moment hard drugs to and I think just um You know that would you would you would you change would you change would you change that now knowing knowing how much you learned about yourself and that journey Would you change that if you could no no no and like zero percent of it I am so grateful, but I went through everything I did and and I'm grateful Every lesson I learned I am You know and and to be honest to go back to him not that this is like some big uh, you know Shout out to Jason Phillips, but he was the first person that said dude You're ashamed of your story and it's snowing, huh? Oh, not check my Instagram tag This is the issue are so I was the first because you're gonna you're gonna do podcasts with me tomorrow. We're actually in Miami and It was the first time I told my story in detail and even more detail than I just told you um And uh, and it was so empowering man And I remember that made a huge shift that I don't regret anything now. I'm so grateful. I went through everything like my story um It it's led me to wear that today like I'm so grateful. I would not change a thing about it, but I think if I could tell that 18 year old The It's okay to not be okay and more importantly It is it's not just okay If like I would empower the 18 year old to talk about what he was really feeling Like I kept everything inside and didn't want to tell I mean again I tell my mom using heroin. She had no clue. I was a really good manipulator. I could could look the part and cover up What I needed to and um, I think just you know The biggest lesson I know today is that it's just okay some days when I'm not okay And trying to like pretend like I'm not just shoves this shit down deeper It's just okay. Some days to not be okay. Now. It's not okay to stay there from you. I got to get into solution of why I'm not okay Yeah, but today when I'm just having an off day and I'm just not okay I try not to I try not to get into my head about it too much now if it continues to her three days There's a lingering problem that I need to address but some days it's just not and like and so I wish I could tell that kid Hey, it's okay to talk about that you're not okay You know That's awesome. Yeah, that's great advice. I love that It is it is definitely okay to not be okay And I think like you said getting letting other people know why you're not okay or or even just that you're not okay And then figuring out why that is Like that That would put put an end to so much dysfunction before it starts if we would just be more okay with being vulnerable and telling people that we're not We're not okay I love that Brad thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to come on I really really appreciate it how do people how do people get at you On on Instagram and how do they hire you or get on your waiting list to to be hired if they if they want to work with you How do how do people follow you how do they get at you? Yeah, man So I'm the most active on Instagram. It's just at the sober body builder And that's where you find China and Marty and more video to come with that unfortunately But you know, then our website is keen nutrition.com You can view all the different courses on there You know, but but honestly man my my whole was just come on here and hopefully You know give a message to help some people because a ditcher runs rampant With every everybody I know has been touched in some way or shape or form family member friend sister brother co-worker You know from from drug addiction and so like there is hope and there is a way out and uh and And just stick to the basics when comes nutrition and training just keep Keep laser focused be ruthlessly patient And understand that like the shit takes time real fat loss real muscle like this Is a perpetuity deal is never ending you're always gonna have to put some emphasis on this so Yeah, keen nutrition.com you can find anything on there and go to the coach section but And the podcast is the keen nutrition podcast And that's been wildly successful as a late So I think we're on episode 250 now And I love this. I love the podcast platform. So um, we'll definitely give you a subscribe and uh Yeah, if you guys do the same for me that'd be awesome. Yeah, absolutely Thank you very much, brother really appreciate it man. I look forward to connecting with you in the future You're the man. All right. Thanks, Brad. Talk to soon Thanks for listening to this episode of the platform podcast. I'm Jordan kundi right If you have a question, please email me at twinsities kettlebell club at gmail.com Follow us on instagram and facebook at twinsities kettlebell club on twitter at tckb club Online at twinsities kettlebell club.com And please help us grow our reach and give us a review on apple podcast spotify stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts Until next time