Marketing Secrets with Russell Brunson - On The Brighter Side With Collette (Part 3 of 4)

Episode Date: December 2, 2019

On this special 4 part series Russell shares 2 interviews from the On The Brighter Side podcast that he and his wife, Collette did with Monica Tanner. Here is what you will hear during the first part of Collette's interview: What Collette thought of Russell when they met, and how they ended up getting married. What Russell and Collette's younger years together were like, and how they struggled to start a family. The moment Collette first realized that Russell was such a big deal, and what she thought of it all. So listen here to the super interesting first part or Collette's interview with Monica in this 4 part series. Transcript - https://marketingsecrets.com/blog/263-on-the-brighter-side-with-collette-part-3-of-4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey everybody, this is Russell Brunson. Welcome back to the Marketing Secrets Podcast. I know this is the day you've all been waiting for. You had to hear me talk about myself again. I apologize for that. But now you get to hear my wife talk about her amazing self and the experience and everything we kind of went through. So again, this is part of a four-part series.

The first two are my interview with Monica Tanner on the Brighter Side Podcast. And the second half now, the next two episodes are Colette's interview with Monica. And so I'm excited to share those with you guys. Um, this is only Colette's second interview ever. Uh, so she's been nervous, but she's definitely coming, um, you know, coming into her own and, and kind of finding her voice. It's been fun listening to, to hers. I hope you enjoy this episode. Uh, if you do, please let me know, uh, take a snapshot of this post on Instagram or Facebook. Um, and let me know. Take a snapshot of this post on Instagram or Facebook and let me know your comments.

I'll make sure Colette reads them. And with that said, I'm gonna keep the theme song. And when we come back, you'll listen to part one of Monica's interview with Colette. So the big question is this, how are entrepreneurs like us who didn't cheat and take on venture capital, who are spending money from our own pockets,

how do we market in a way that lets us get our products and our services and the things that we believe in out to the world and yet still remain profitable? That is the question and this podcast will give you the answer. My name is Russell Brunson and welcome to On the Brighter Side. I'm your host, Monica Tanner, and I'm so excited about my guest today. Not only is she one of my bestest friends, so I'm so excited to just sit here and chat with her, but she has one of the most amazing stories of just her really fun life. And I just wanted to ask her a bunch of questions and pull out some of the really cool details of her life that I think will just be really interesting and helpful to anyone who is in a similar situation. So I asked my friend Colette Brunson

to come and chat with us today. Hey, Colette, how are you? Good, how are you? So good, I'm so glad you're here. So I wonder if you could just start by telling us a little bit about yourself and your family. So I've been married for 17 years. I have five beautiful children who are growing rather fast and we are learning all of the new steps of teenager life and things that come in those areas. I love health and fitness. It makes my day to be able to get a little something in for myself. So many things. I still have a toddler at home that keeps me running and doing all of the things, playing dolls. And I feel like right now that's who I am. I feel like I'm a toddler learning how to navigate teenagers. Yes. So you are married to Russell

Brunson and we're going to talk a little bit about him in this interview. And I just want to make sure that everybody understands that I credit Russell with the fact that we're even sitting here podcasting. Because I was at kind of an all-time low in my life. I had tried something new. I went back to school and it didn't work out. And so I was super discouraged and just kind of trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. And your husband, Russell came over and sat on my couch and he was like, you should start a podcast. And I was like, what are you even talking about? Like, no way. I have no idea how to do that. And he's like, oh yeah, you should do it. And here's how,

and you're going to be great. And I was like, oh my gosh. And I did it. And it has been literally the most rewarding thing, obviously, besides raising my children that I've had the opportunity to do. So I'm probably going to give him a hard time a little bit in this interview, but just know that it is with so much respect and love and gratitude that I speak about him. And I really do hold him in such high esteem. So I had the opportunity to interview him on the podcast. He was my fifth guest ever and I was so grateful that he agreed to come on. He totally didn't have to, but it was in the very beginnings of the podcast. The audio quality was horrible, but it was a really good interview and I noticed a few things. First and foremost, I noticed that when I introduced him, I introduced him as my really good friend,

Colette's husband. So I made sure that he was, you know, he is kind of a big deal, but first and foremost, he is your husband. And I also noticed that my love of interviewing came through. Like you could tell that I love interviewing people and hearing their stories. And it was so fun to interview him. And we started off, my first question was, how did you, Russell, as a goofy wrestler, get this amazing, gorgeous girl to marry you? And he told the story. So now I want to hear your version of the story of how you met and fell in love with the goofy wrestler. So Russell and I met at Boise State. We are a product of the singles ward. So in the Latter-day Saint community, the singles ward. And so we,

here's the thing. Russell is five and a half years younger than I am. So when I first met Russell, you're right. He was a goofy wrestler. He was just fun. His apartment was fun. And we did lots of things together. My roommate and myself and his apartment, they were known as the wrestling apartment. And it wasn't until October, I believe it was October, and we went to a youth activity at the corn maze and we were goofing around and being silly.

But Russell, you could just feel his energy. And so that was kind of the kickoff. And then once our apartments kind of got closer and friendships and things like that, the more we would talk about qualities our spouses would have. And the more he talked about the qualities his spouse would have, I kept thinking, oh my goodness, he's checking the boxes of me. And I'm like, I can't fall in love with somebody that's five years younger. Who are you kidding? He can't support me. And so, yeah, so we kind of. That's a funny thought. I know, right?

I'm like, how is he going to support me? And it is funny because I work hard and you know what I mean? I just thought, well, I want my dreams to be a mom. So it came out in January that I liked him and he was floored because he'd never in a million years with Colette Brunson, like Russell Brunson or whatever my maiden name was at the time. So yeah, we started dating and it moved rather fast. So we started dating in January. By April, we were engaged and August we were married. So once the I love you's came out, it was moving and grooving. Yeah. So when you were first married, he was wrestling at Boise State and you

were supporting him. He couldn't get a real job because of wrestling, but he started selling potato guns online. Were you ever like, oh no, what have I done? This guy is totally crazy. Never. Like I enjoyed, because when you're first married, you're super duper in love and you're like, I'll follow you to the moon and back. And so we always, I don't know, just did the silly goofy things. And so, and he's like, I'm going to make a product out of potato guns. And I'm like, yeah, do it. And you know, it was during spring break and all his wrestling buddies were off to Vegas doing their thing. And he and his buddy stayed home and trying to support their wives that are working while they wrestle. And so no, I was never like, oh my gosh, what in the world? I was right along there

with him filming them do their thing and just out there having fun together. That's so cool. So when I was interviewing Russell, I asked him about his failures and he talked about, I love the word he used it. He called it cycles, not failures. He cycled and almost went bankrupt a couple of times. And I wonder if you could talk about your experience in the early years and what it was like for you to be kind of successful and then lose it all and then cycling like that. Okay. You know what? It's kind of funny. I feel like I live in this little bubble of protection. And so Russell is the kind of man that he kind of kept it to himself. Like I didn't know he was cycling until it was really bad. And I, our boys were little and I remember it being

December and I kept saying, we should go to Disneyland for their birthday, their December birthdays. Let's go do Disneyland. He's like, um, we don't have any money. And I'm like, what? So it's just kind of one of those things where he was trying to protect me. But I do like, it's just so cool when we do cycle, how you build a stronger relationship and how to get all of the tough times and the scary times and how you make it work. And I never was really fearful. I mean, Russell's brain is always constantly working. And immediately, I'm not going to lie, we did hit our knees together and said a prayer and, you know, trying to bring some comfort into those hard times, like always. And I was never, I was never afraid, but I think that's just because I grew up in a super duper humble setting

and we didn't have a whole lot and I worked really hard for things. So I kept thinking to myself, if I need to, I can get a job. I can help out where I can. And so I was never super fearful, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. You always believed in him. I always did. Like he just, I don't know. He has a really good way of making you feel certainty, I guess. And so, and when he was not certain, all the uncertainty for him and he just did a good job making us feel safe. Yeah. So there's this picture floating around the internet of you guys cutting up all your credit cards and you look kind of sad and like, you know, not horrible, but you know, it's like, this is really hard. We're cutting up all

the credit cards. What were you thinking in that moment? And like, what got you through those months and those years when you just had no clue where money was going to come from? Okay. So I'm going to just say, I love our younger years and our cute little humble duplex that we lived in. And I do remember sitting on there being silly and acting like, oh man, this is the end of the world. I'm cutting up my credit cards because it was actually a relief because it's so easy to just go rack it up and spend and spend and spend. And so when we did cut them up, it was actually a sense of relief to move forward and create a new beginning, but work harder than I've ever worked before. I had an awesome job. I was able to make the payments needed for the loan that we acquired, which was my in-laws. They helped us out and we made payments to them. But yeah, I just, I don't know. It was fun. And I do remember selling like CDs, like all my music CDs. I went to Hastings and I sold my CDs one time for grocery money.

And just different things like getting creative on how to make ends meet. And we did. And it's seriously one of my favorite times in our lives. Yeah. I remember those younger years when we had nothing, but we had each other and it was like fun. We're invincible. We can do this. Yeah. I remember those younger years when we had nothing, but we had each other and it was like fun. We're invincible. We can do this.

Yeah. We weren't wasting away by the side of the road. We had what we needed. So you guys tried for a really long time to start your family and there was some heartbreak and some hard times in there. Can you talk about what that was like for you? And did you ever think that you really wouldn't be able to have kids? So when we got married, I was 28.

So by the time we were seriously thinking about having children, I was in my 30s. And so yes, it did cross my mind. I'm like, Oh, my goodness, is my body starting to take over with age, and I can't have my baby. And there was heartbreak. Because for some other members of my family, I mean, I feel like fertility was super easy for them and they would be instantly having kids. And so for my journey and trying to have my family took, we always have a timeline and what we think the way it should happen. And yeah, we did. We had like, we went on fertility and I remember the very first time I started the fertility process was when Russell was at the Pac-10 tournaments. We were in California and I had to start the injections.

And I just remember thinking to myself, I don't know what I was thinking, actually, like, holy cow, what are we doing? You know, but I wouldn't have it any other way because I feel like once my body did get pregnant, holy cow, no holding back, my family came. And there's a lot more stories out there that are heartbreaking.

And I don't know if I ever felt like I would not have children. So I was super hopeful. And really once we did start the process, it was three months in the fertility world that we've conceived and found out we were having twins. So yeah, I don't know. It's fun times. Yeah. And now you have five happy, healthy, gorgeous kids. They're some of my favorite kids. Most of us have gotten to know and love them. Is that what you always envisioned? Or like, did you think more? Did you think less? Like, was it just right? You know what? Okay. So I don't come from a very big family. And so when we had the boys, my body got, I mean, I got pregnant right away after having

them. So, and I actually miscarried in between there, which made me think, you know what? I'm going for it. I just want my family. Let's get in here. My time clock is ticking. And so in between there, Ellie came. So they're 18 months apart and I was good. Three is my number. It's good. Until the overwhelming feeling of these cute other spirits, four and five came. But yeah, I never thought in a million years, I would have five children ever. I find myself to be the least patient person. Oh my gosh. I've learned how to be patient, but there's a lot of times too, like never in a million years. How do I have five children? It's insane. Well, they're so cute for sure. So as you were raising these five children and they were close together, so you were really busy with young kids for a long time and still kind of are. Did you ever

feel resentful about being at home while Russell was out there kind of making his dreams come true and you're here with all these kids? How was that like? I was never resentful, but I did get a little jealous sometimes because I was the one getting up and getting ready for work, you know, before he became the office man or the entrepreneur man. But yeah, so I was never resentful, but I was a little bit jealous sometimes. You're like, oh, what did I, you know, I would just give anything just to get out for just 30 minutes and take a minute. But I find myself super blessed because once Ellie was born, we were able, we were blessed to be able to bring somebody in to help me out a little bit. So I was able to go grocery shopping without kiddos or run some of those silly errands, but never, never resentful.

Yes. What do you think has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome in your marriage or your life together? Oh, okay. I think the biggest challenge that we have, I think, is sometimes feeling connected because I don't talk click funnels or I don't talk entrepreneurial talk. And so Russell talks to everybody else that talks or speaks his language. So I always feel like our biggest struggle is when I don't give enough appreciation to click funnels or to anything that he has created. And so sometimes I feel like the gratitude there was kind of, you know, or the appreciation was out of alignment. And then I feel like also the other struggle is communication. I feel like we've worked

on that a lot throughout our marriage, but I feel like we get going a thousand different directions. He with click funnels, me with the kiddos, which by the way, he's a super awesome dad and being involved, but sometimes we're crossing paths. And the first time we see each other for real or for a real conversation is when we're too tired to talk. And so anyways, that's been kind of our thing that we've been working on and just growing our conversation and learning how to communicate with each other. Cause sometimes we're like, how do we not talk about the kids or how do we not talk about click funnels? Yeah. So anyways, just to find a common thing to talk about is. Yeah. And I get that. I think other wives can relate to that because there's husbands with hobbies like golf or sports or something. And you know, you, you want to be supportive and interested,

but you're kind of like, I don't really talk football talk or, you know, and so it's not speaking your language. I'm going to support you. I was just kind of glazed over. You're like, I hear you. That sounds awesome. I hear you and I love you. Keep up the good work. Good job. Go talk about stuff at work. I've heard you talk in another interview about the moment when you realized kind of the impact Russell was having on other people. And you probably didn't know because he doesn't share a ton of that with you. Like, what was that like when you realized, oh my gosh, this is Russell and he does all of these things for all these other people. I had no idea. So it was after I had our Nora, our baby number five, and she was

three months old when the very first ClickFunnels event was kicked off in Las Vegas. And I remember going and walking into the event room before anybody was in the event. But we walked in just to see the process of it being set up and how it looked. And I broke into an ugly cry. And Russell's like, oh, I don't know what to do here. And I'm like, give me just a minute. He's like, I just said, I don't understand. I said, all of these people are here for you. He's like, well, yes, they're here to learn what we teach in marketing and things like that. And I'm like, I am finally seeing that because being at home with all of the kids and surviving daily life, keeping them alive. I just kind of, you know, he goes to the office and does this thing. So the first time for me to realize that he was, had an influence on so many people was super overwhelming for me.

And then, which is a really good thing for a wife to see, because then the greater appreciation and like, oh my gosh, keep up the good work. This is amazing. I did do an ugly cry for probably a good 30 minutes and trying to catch my breath of realizing who he was. So it's kind of funny. I don't know. That's awesome.

Hey, this is Russell again. And really quick, I want to thank you so much for listening to the Marketing Secrets Podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode. And if you did, can you imagine what it would be like to experience this for four days with 5,000 other insane funnel hackers, people who are just like you, who think like you,

who believe like you, who have vision like you. If you would like to do that, then you need to be at this year's Funnel Hacking Live. It's coming up very, very soon. If you don't have your tickets yet, you can go to funnelhackinglive.com, and it gives you the ability to leave your home, leave where you're trying to create and dream, and come to a place with a whole bunch of people who think like you, who believe like you, who see visions like you of what they can create and what they can become. Funnel Hacking Live is not just a marketing event. It's not just a personal development event. It's both of those things

wrapped into one and it is an experience that will change your life forever. So I want to make sure you get your tickets. If you don't have them yet, go to funnelhackinglive.com, get your tickets. We have sold out five years in a row. We will sell it this year as well. And after you get tickets, you will be there with 5,000 other insane, crazy, fun, the funnel hackers talking about how to grow their business, sharing all the best marketing secrets. Things are working today. You got to go get your tickets now at funnelhackinglive.com. Thanks so much. And I'll see you in Nashville.