On Purpose with Jay Shetty - Nimai Delgado ON: Transforming Your Financial Future with Strategic Actions & Unlocking the Power of Nutritional Excellence

Episode Date: June 26, 2023

Establishing a career is not an easy task. If you're currently undecided and unsure what career path to pursue, this podcast episode can help you.  Planning to switch to a different career path or st...ruggling with the job you have right now? My guest today is offering fresh insights and valuable life lessons.  Today, I welcome Nimain Delgado, a vegan bodybuilder and fitness influencer widely recognized for his dedication to a plant-based lifestyle. Nimai did not shy away from being open and honest about his journey. His vegan lifestyle started at a very young age in relation to his spiritual beliefs and personal values. Veganism isn't just about eating plants, there's more to it and it is truly life changing.  The conversation turned deep and serious as we talked about how he felt the need to switch careers because he was unhappy, finding means to share a powerful message and reach more people, and how important it is to not rely on external validation and physical appearance.  In this episode with Nimai Delgado, you'll learn: - How to be financially independent - The right way to live a vegan lifestyle - How to bridge nutritional gaps when going vegan - How to reflect on life and shift your priorities based on your reflection - The advantages of tapping into what feels right and true for you - How to master the things that you're good at - How to not let external validation ruin your personal growth Don't miss this life changing conversation about personal growth, self discovery, and making better career decisions. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 02:28 What is making you happy today? 03:19 The benefits of waking up early and how to prepare to start your day  06:20 What is life like when you’ve never eaten meat? 10:44 How do you source your protein needs without taking animal protein? 14:21 Living in a spiritual community and the role it plays in your upbringing 19:59 When you realize you’re unhappy with your career, what can you do? 28:34 How do you find escape when you’re unhappy with what you’re doing? 31:59 How can you create systems from what you want to do and be financially stable? 35:35 Every experience you go through help you develop resilience and strength 37:34 The bodybuilding journey and how it all started 41:10 How can you stop external validation from dictating how to live your life? 43:40 Getting recognition for what you look like and not the message you’re trying to share 46:47 How do you coach someone and push them to live a healthier lifestyle 55:26 How do you find the motivation to show up for yourself and find internal freedom within yourself? 59:40 Nimai on Final Five Episode Resources: Nimai Delgado | Instagram Nimai Delgado | YouTube Nimai Delgado | Twitter https://veganfitness.com/  Want to be a Jay Shetty Certified Life Coach? Get the Digital Guide and Workbook from Jay Shetty https://jayshettypurpose.com/fb-getting-started-as-a-life-coach-podcast/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 I'm Danny Shapiro, host of Family Secrets. It's hard to believe we're entering our eighth season, and yet we're constantly discovering new secrets. The variety of them continues to be astonishing. I can't wait to share ten incredible stories with you, stories of tenacity, resilience, and the profoundly necessary excavation of long-held family secrets.
Starting point is 00:00:22 Listen to season eight of Family Secrets on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you'll get your podcasts. I'm Munga Shatekler, and it turns out astrology is way more widespread than any of us want to believe. You can find it in major league baseball, international banks, K-pop groups,
Starting point is 00:00:41 even the White House. But just when I thought I had a handle on this subject, something completely unbelievable happened to me, and my whole view on astrology changed. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, give me a few minutes because I think your ideas are about to change too. Listen to Skyline Drive on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I am Mi'am LeVan Zant, and I'll be your host for The R Spot. But wherever you get your podcasts. You're just floppin' around like fish out of water. Mommy, daddy, your ex, I'll be talking about those things and so much more.
Starting point is 00:01:29 Check out the R-Spot on the iHeart Video App, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Having compassion towards yourself whenever you're learning something is a skill. Yes, you may be not where you want to be. Maybe you're a bit out of shape. That's okay. What do you do?
Starting point is 00:01:48 What do you do? What do you do? What do you do? What do you do? What do you do? Hey everyone, welcome back to On Purpose, the number one health podcast in the world, thanks to each and every one of you that come back every week
Starting point is 00:02:01 to become happier, healthier, and more healed. And that's my goal here. My goal is to introduce you to people who can help us become happier, help us become healthier, and help us become more healed in our lives. That's what I'm committed to, and I'm grateful that you're here listening and committed to that same mission. Today's guest is going to help us do just that. I'm talking about a dear friend of mine who I've been getting to know over the last few years. We've known each other in different incarnations which I'll explain as the podcast goes through. But for those of you who don't know him, Nimae Daugada was raised as a vegetarian by virtue
Starting point is 00:02:37 of his spiritual beliefs and has actually never eaten me in his life. Nimae became the world's first, IFBB professional bodybuilder, proving that you don't need animal products to be an elite athlete. Neemai is a motivational speaker and shares his story all over the world to bring awareness to the many benefits of a plant-based lifestyle
Starting point is 00:02:59 and the importance of exercising our bodies and our compassion. Neemai has also founded veg nutrition and all natural supplement company and veganfitness.com, where he has coached thousands of clients along with a handful of phenomenal celebrities and athletes doing their best while being plant-based. Please welcome to the show, Nimae Delgado.
Starting point is 00:03:21 Nimae, it's great to have you here, man. Okay, I am so excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me, bro. No, it's great to finally have you here. We've talked about this for a while. Yeah, it's been a long time coming. It's been a long time coming and I'm glad you're coming on now. And I love how we talk about people exercising their bodies and exercising their compassion. I think that idea is really beautiful. And I can honestly say that you're one of the toughest, strongest guys I know.
Starting point is 00:03:46 But at the same time, you're also one of the sweetest, kindest guys I know. And I think that combination is really powerful. But I want to talk about your journey today. I want to talk about some of your insights today. You know, we have a big community here who wants to be healthier, who wants to be happier. Let's start with right now.
Starting point is 00:04:04 Like what makes you feel happy and healthy right now today? That's such a good question. Yeah, I think, first of all, it just begins with waking up feeling like I have purpose, definitely waking up, tending to myself first and foremost, my morning routine, my water, my meditation practices, all of these things that have, I've slowly built the practice of over the course of 10, 15 years that have now been so ingrained into the fabric of who I am.
Starting point is 00:04:36 And that is what really keeps me feeling good and showing up for whatever the day has to throw at me. So, I mean, once you find that, then it really does allow you to live in that healthy space to where you can show up and handle anything, really. Yeah, and I've seen you share some of those on Instagram and on social media. Could you walk us through what have become those key principles
Starting point is 00:04:59 of your morning routine, or evening routine that you turn to and which are the ones that you've developed. Yeah, so first of all, it's what time I wake up. I'm sure you've had plenty of guests on the show that talk about the benefits of waking up early. I try to wake up at the same time every morning. So for me, that's anywhere like around six o'clock. Yeah, I don't have a alarm clock. I just naturally wake up at that time. My body's just like, all right, ready to go. And then I just drink my cup of water and I will find a quiet space.
Starting point is 00:05:28 I have a little meditation station in my house with my red light and I'll just sit and just breathe. And it's not perfect every morning. This is what I don't want to preach or come on here and talk about is perfection. I really am not a perfect person and I want to really first and foremost, make that clear because it's not perfect.
Starting point is 00:05:48 But the days that I do show up, I show up to the degree that I can. So sometimes that's 20 minutes, sometimes that's longer, sometimes it's even five. And for me, that tone of really setting the tone for the rest of my day with intention with that piece of just tapping into whatever my body needs that
Starting point is 00:06:06 morning. And then letting that dictate how I operate for the rest of the day. That's beautiful. What are the benefits of red light for those who don't know because you said you meditated they would do red light? What's that for? Yeah. So there's plenty of benefits behind red light.
Starting point is 00:06:19 I'm not an expert in it, but I believe it was developed by now. So they have like over 500 different scientific studies that show some of the benefits. I believe it's, the main benefit is with ATP production, so it's the energy produced by yourself, so it helps you rejuvenate cells and get rid of old damaged cells and replace them with new cells. So for somebody who wants to recover from athletic training, it's a great way to start your day.
Starting point is 00:06:42 It also helps with skin, if somebody has some skin issues there, too. And it's a great way to start your day. It also helps with skin if somebody has some skin issues there too. And it's also just nice to, it provides a little bit of heat too. So it can just like provide that nice ambient lighting in the morning when it's still dark outside to just start your day with a little bit less of this bright white light. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:06:58 Wow. Yeah, that's cool. Yeah, I've used it for, I used it recently after I had surgery. And so that's, yeah, that's, I was recommended to use it. I was intrigued why someone would use it when they're not at surgery, but that's, that's good to know. I love that.
Starting point is 00:07:13 And I love what you're saying about not being perfect, right? I think people often think that when someone comes on a podcast or they talk about something that they've nailed it and their life works like clockwork and they wake up at the same time every day and they meditate for the same amount of time and And that's amazing if it if that's true for you and it happens but but it rarely does I wanted to go backwards into your life today. Obviously you've you know
Starting point is 00:07:35 Famously known for being in the documentary game changes and that was ex-exempt produced by James Cameron Arnold Schwarzenegger Jackie Chan Lewis, Louis Hamilton, and you know, people that you know well as well. And that's incredible to see how far plant-based lifestyle, vegan lifestyle, athletic ability has come. I guess my question is, do you feel that you, at this stage before we go back, kind of, what do you feel you prove to yourself? Like when I read things like, you've never read to me and that, you know, you don't need
Starting point is 00:08:10 animal products to be an elite athlete. Is that something you set out to do? Is that something that was important to you? Or is that something that kind of has just happened in society or something that interests people? So, for me, personally, it was never something that I had set out to do. I had honestly had been ashamed of being plant-based. I was, like you mentioned earlier in the podcast,
Starting point is 00:08:31 I was raised vegetarian by virtue of my parents' spiritual beliefs, of which I was raised with as well. And one of those beliefs is a hymnsa, which I'm sure you're very familiar with, which is just trying to live a life and not contribute to any unnecessary harm or suffering and try to lead with compassion. So, by virtue of trying to follow that, it leads me to make
Starting point is 00:08:53 the choice to not consume animal products. And when I was raised vegetarian, I grew up in Mississippi, and there weren't too many vegetarians in Mississippi. And I would constantly get questioned and asked about my spiritual beliefs whenever I was younger. And I didn't have the vernacular or the language to really explain myself. So I tended to become more withdrawn or just a little bit more avoidant whenever people would ask me that question. And it really wasn't until my later years when I was mid-20s when I leaned into that part of myself and started to really embrace and own my belief and being proud of that belief. And that's what ultimately led me to finding my purpose because people started to ask
Starting point is 00:09:37 me, once I started winning bodybuilding competitions, they started to ask me, how are you doing this? And the question that I once avoided so much about why I was vegetarian now became this really interesting topic for people that wanted to learn more from it. So I started sharing more online and then just naturally fell into this place where I was teaching people, which was really exciting for me. Yeah, I think so many of us, as kids, have beliefs or values
Starting point is 00:10:05 that we follow because of our parents. And then we feel embarrassed about them when we're questioned because they're not our beliefs and values at the time. Like you said, we don't know how to explain why we do this or why we don't do this. Often on those occasions, sometimes, as we grow older, we leave those values.
Starting point is 00:10:24 We go the other way. I know so many people that grew up with certain values, especially when they're spiritual based, that kids end up going the other way where they're like, well, I don't want anything to do with that because it doesn't even make any sense because their parents never explain to them why you do that or it's important so they don't know why. What do you think stopped you from like going the other way and just like being like, well, no one in Mississippi gets it, so why am I bothering to do this?
Starting point is 00:10:51 As a child, it's really easy to understand the concept of not wanting to harm an animal. This is why most people will take their children to petting zoos and not slaughterhouses because kids naturally have an affinity to animals and want to learn from them and care for them or be around them. And I think that just really stuck with me
Starting point is 00:11:10 because I grew up on a cal farm and I had such close proximity to animals and I had such a deep connection with them. And I think fundamentally I understood that in order for me to end up on my plate, an animal would have to suffer or be killed. And I just didn't want to contribute with that. I just never felt aligned in my body
Starting point is 00:11:27 and I was doing just fine without it. So I continuously heard people tell me that if I need meat to be big and strong, I need meat to grow up for protein, for all the other nutrients. And here I was fairly athletic, even as a kid, just living this experience. And I just knew in my heart that I didn't need it.
Starting point is 00:11:47 So I just continued to go by feeling and really just stopped hearing what other people told me I needed and just like really started tuning into what I felt like was right for me. I feel like there's a lot of people who want to be plum based or vegan but then they go back to eating meat because they're told they're lacking something or they need something.
Starting point is 00:12:06 And often people feel it themselves. Like they feel better when they're eating meat in terms of their body, even if they don't agree with it morally, I've met a lot of people like that. And I guess my point is, and that's what I'm hearing from you, is everyone's so unique and so different.
Starting point is 00:12:22 What nutrients did you have to be more proactive to find as someone who's vegan and be more thoughtful about? Let's start there first. Yeah, so I mean the first topic that most people tend to bring up as protein protein is an important nutrient that has many purposes in the body including recovery including many just for overall health and vitality, you need protein. I'm not denying that, but I think that there's a lack of education when it comes to the
Starting point is 00:12:51 amount of protein that plants provide. So I growing up never really concerned myself with an amount of protein. I just ate what my parents would provide me with, and that was like lentils, you know, pastas, things that naturally contain protein, but it doesn't have animal proteins. So that is the biggest kind of conversation that I normally have on a daily basis, is where do you get your protein from?
Starting point is 00:13:17 And I think it's important to realize for people understanding how much protein you actually need. And everybody's different, like you said. I'm not here to tell anybody how to live their life. That's not my intention whatsoever. I'm here to just talk about my experience and have the conversation with people who are genuinely interested in learning about this lifestyle
Starting point is 00:13:36 and possibly feeling even more vitality, which is what I experienced whenever I went fully plant-based. So protein, the other big one is B12. So B12 is a micronutrient that, you know, we don't naturally get in our diet based off the sterile nature of the way that we grow our crops. We used to get it from soil and streams of water. So now, most B12 is supplemented and even given to animals
Starting point is 00:14:03 so people that consume animal products are getting supplemented B12 that areed and even given to animals. So people that consume animal products are getting supplemented B12 that are fed to the animal so you're getting it second hand. So it's not just a vegan issue. At this point in time, it's a general population issue that people, I believe up to 40% of the population has sub-optimal levels of B12. So supplementing with that is a wise choice
Starting point is 00:14:24 just to kind of ensure that. And then the other one's iron. I mean, that's another big one for anybody that has potentially anemia or anything like that. But there are plenty of vegetables that provide more than enough iron. It's just about really understanding how to eat and consume a diverse amount of vegetables in your diet that will cover these nutritional gaps. And it all boils down to education first and foremost. Yeah, no, and I agree with you, you know, for me as well, I don't definitely not a proponent or an evangelist of a certain type of lifestyle. And, you know, I think everyone has to make their own decisions.
Starting point is 00:15:01 I know that I went from being vegetarian to being plant-based overnight, which I think I would have done differently had I known what I know now. I think I would have done things more gradually and been more aware of things like B12 and Omega 3s and these kind of things that I am and so many other things. I still would have made the decision to become plant-based. I feel far more energetic today. I feel far more Immune my immunity is far stronger today like I feel much better being plant based without a doubt I just wish I made my journey towards it a lot easier and so I'm very mindful now where it was like I went from the literally being vegetarian to plant based like
Starting point is 00:15:42 Literally overnight. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I think there were a few things that I could have avoided if I didn't do that. But with your journey, so you grew up in Mississippi, in the spiritual home, you're already vegetarian. And I guess when you brought up in a spiritual environment, and I don't meet many people, I don't think we've interviewed many people who grew up directly in a spiritual environment. And I don't meet many people. I don't think we've interviewed many people who grew up directly in a spiritual environment. A, what does that mean? And B, like how did that affect your values and goals and ambitions in life? Like how did that? Yeah. So it definitely gave me perspective because the environment that I grew up in, it was a faith-based community. The difference was that the spiritual belief was very different than the surrounding spiritual beliefs because
Starting point is 00:16:30 we were a higher Krishna community, which is a division of Hinduism. So my parents actually converted from Catholicism to Hinduism in Argentina, and they are deeply spiritual people. They decided that they wanted to devote them, their lives to their spiritual practice. So they renounced all their possessions, and they decided to go live in the temple. I mean, you have had a certain, you know that experience. And they had my brother, they had my sister, and they bounced around South America,
Starting point is 00:17:02 and then eventually was told about an opportunity to come live in a spiritual community in South Mississippi. And so they immigrated to the United States with basically $200 in their pockets and two and a half kids pregnant with me. And that's where I was born and raised. And it was really quite unique because it was a community. Like I remember calling all of the mothers in the community mother because we would go to the temple,
Starting point is 00:17:29 we would go around the farm, we had cows, we had our own garden. Everybody had a role in the community and it was really beautiful now that I look back at it before, when I was younger, and I started to integrate into the more traditional southern culture because I went to public school that brought about a lot of challenges for me because it was like I was living in this bubble and then venturing out into the other world. Was that for high school?
Starting point is 00:17:56 It was from all the way from kindergarten to to high school. So you were saying going from home to then going to kindergarten and high school? So you enjoyed a public public school, but you were saying going from home to then going to kindergarten and high school. So you enjoyed a public school. Public school, but you were. Yeah, yeah. So that brought about its own challenges because like I said, I was just very different from my peers and it made me appreciate other people and their differences because I would get
Starting point is 00:18:21 questions so much about my spiritual beliefs, my practices, my family, my home life, and also here, much of the judgments that came along with being so different. And, you know, I appear the way I do. So I don't look like a Hindu person, you know, like most people associate Hinduism with being from India. And much of the culture that I grew up when in that community were Indian. So I kind of felt like an outcast within the community and then felt like an outcast outside of that community as well.
Starting point is 00:18:53 So it was very difficult for me to find my own identity. So I got very good at observing other people and really just having compassion for different forms of life without judging because I knew what it was like to be judged growing up. Yeah, well, yeah. And that's, that's hard, right? Like when you grow up without feeling like, homes not home and then away from home doesn't feel like home. And, but it sounds like you were able to process it in a healthy way, right? Like the ability to learn not
Starting point is 00:19:22 to judge, the ability to be okay with people having differences, the ability to learn not to judge the ability to be okay with people having differences, the ability to understand that everyone was unique and everyone was, you know, on their own path or whatever it may be. Like that sounds like a really healthy mindset. The second part of my question was like, how did that impact your ambitions and goals and what you wanted to do or be because you're getting exposed to these two very different worlds. Like, you have the public school academic world and then you have this private life of spirituality. Like, how did that impact what you wanted to do with your life?
Starting point is 00:19:55 Yeah, yeah. So we moved out of that community when I was about nine years old. And you know, we were immigrants. My parents didn't speak any English whenever they arrived to the United States, so they had to find their way in this world and pay for their kids. We were very spiritually rich, but materialistically very poor. So money was always a topic of conversation and always a source of anxiety for my family. So for me, that really gave birth to the desire to be financially stable.
Starting point is 00:20:24 So I was always good at math, I was always good at sciences, I preferred math and science over English and literature because there was a definitive answer, and I really appreciated that. And so I pursued engineering. My grandpa was a pilot for many years, and he used to bring me to the airports, and I was always fascinated with aeronautics, with planes.
Starting point is 00:20:43 And so my original intention was to become an aeronautical engineer. And when I went to college, there was no degree for that. So I switched to the next best thing, which was mechanical engineering. So I got my degree in mechanical engineering. But what's interesting though is that I never really felt a strong connection to it. It was purely coming from the place of what position or what career can I have that's going to provide that security, that financial stability, because I didn't want to be in the position that I witnessed growing up so much.
Starting point is 00:21:15 This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. It's crazy how we can get so caught up in meeting everyone else's demands that we forget to prioritize ourselves. I've been there, and let me tell you, when you're constantly giving without taking a moment for yourself, it's a recipe for feeling totally drained and burned out. I've come to realize that finding a balance between meeting others needs and taking care of our own is essential. We've got to recognize the value of our time and energy and make sure we allocate it wisely. By finding that sweet spot between self-care and being there for others, we can avoid burnout and make a real impact in the long run.
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Starting point is 00:22:25 BetterHelp.com forward slash chase top 3. Visit BetterHelp.com forward slash chase top 3 today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterHelpHELP.com forward slash chase top 3. Not too long ago, in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, this explorer stumbled upon something that would change his life. I saw it and I saw, oh wow, this is a very unusual situation. It was cacao, the tree that gives us chocolate. But this cacao was unlike anything experts had seen, or tasted.
Starting point is 00:22:57 I've never wanted us to have a gun fight. I mean, you saw this tax of cash in our office. Chocolate sort of forms this vortex, it sucks you in. It's like I can be the queen of wild chocolate. When you saw this tax of cash in her office, chocolate sort of forms this vortex. It sucks you in. It's like I can be the queen of wild chocolate. We're all lost, it was madness. It was a game changer. People quit their jobs.
Starting point is 00:23:13 They left their lives behind, so they could search for more of this stuff. I wanted to tell their stories, so I followed them deep into the jungle, and it wasn't always pretty. Basically, this like disgruntled guy and his family surrounded the building armed with machetes. And we've heard all sorts of things that you know somebody got shot over this.
Starting point is 00:23:31 Sometimes I think all these for a damn bar of chocolate. Listen to obsessions, wild chocolate, on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, it's Debbie Brown. And my podcast, Deeply Well, is a soft place to land on your wellness journey. I hold conscious conversations with leaders and radical healers and wellness and mental health around topics that are meant to expand
Starting point is 00:23:56 and support you on your journey. From guided meditations to deep conversations with some of the world's most gifted experts in self-care, trauma, psychology, spirituality, astrology, and even intimacy. Here is where you'll pick up the tools to live as your highest self. Make better choices, heal, and have more joy. My work is rooted in advanced meditation, metaphysics, spiritual psychology, energy healing, and trauma-informed practices.
Starting point is 00:24:27 I believe that the more we heal and grow within ourselves, the more we are able to bring our creativity to life, and live our purpose, which leads to community impact and higher consciousness for all beings. Deeply well with Debbie Brown is your soft place to land, to work on yourself without judgment, to heal, to learn, to grow, to become who you deserve to be. Deeply well is available now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Starting point is 00:24:56 Big love, namaste. Yeah, and I think that's so interesting because I feel like if most of us look to what we pursue, that's so interesting because I feel like if most of us look to what we pursue, it comes from a pain we had in our childhood or our past where it's like you're pursuing something because you didn't have it growing up or you're pursuing something because you did have it growing up. And I don't know if we all ever stop to think, why am I pursuing this? When was it where you started to realize why am I pursuing this? That maybe that where you started to realize why am I pursuing this? That maybe that was only because you didn't have money growing up and then you'll pursue shifting.
Starting point is 00:25:30 But when was that moment where you were like, I don't think this is what I really want to do. First day on the job. Really? Like that quit? What was the reason? So originally, when I was engineering, I wanted to get into renewable and sustainable energy.
Starting point is 00:25:43 And that was my goal. And then I had all these job offers after I was engineering, I wanted to get into renewable and sustainable energy. And that was my goal. And then I had all these job offers after I was graduating and ended up going with the highest offer, which was oil and gas. So it was completely contradictory to what I originally intended on doing. So I sold out not a shame to say it. And what I found was that, you know, I started, they started me off at a six-figure salary. So my first year at 2223 was making like 150 grand a year. And I thought to myself, wow, I have made it.
Starting point is 00:26:11 Like I remember crying the first, when I got the offer because I was like, wow, I finally made it. I can take care of my family now. And the first day in the job, I realized that I was like, this is not what I want to do. Like I'm going to have to do this for the next 40 years and then retire. I quickly saw the timeline of what my life was going to be like. And that feeling is not a great feeling because I had just dedicated five years to getting my degree and had an incredible amount of debt.
Starting point is 00:26:40 And I just stuck through it. I lived with that for five years before I finally built up enough courage to leave that career and pursue something that was more meaningful for me. But it took me five years of really suffering with that and living with that to finally create enough discomfort for me to be like, you know what, this money is not everything. And I really feel like I have a deeper purpose and I feel like I can make a greater impact in the world and be of better service to people by leaning into this thing that I had been doing on the side,
Starting point is 00:27:12 which was basically teaching people how to be vegan and in shape. That's yeah, I want to dive into that with you because I remember setting out too. I really wanted to do art and design at university, like at college. That was what I wanted to do art and design at university, like at college. That was what I wanted to do.
Starting point is 00:27:27 That was my favorite subject in high school. And I traded it to do a business degree, even though I did focus on and discovered behavioral science, which I fell in love with, which was actually my passion with art and design, which I related discovered. But I sold out too because I was just told so many times that I and design wouldn't make money. And so, oh, yeah, you've got to make a smart decision. And then I would begin a monk anyway. I'm talking more of it. So it all went out the window. But a lot of people feel that way where they have something that's calling them, something
Starting point is 00:27:58 that's pulling them towards it. But then they push it away because something feels more realistic or something else feels like the right thing to do. And it's amazing that you noticed it on day one. And I've created now a new methodology and I'm repeating this because I hope I remember to use it again and again and again. And there are times when I remember it, there are times when I wish I remembered it, but I came up with a methodology of how I make decisions
Starting point is 00:28:26 because I found that money was always such a tempting, tantalizing thing or whatever, that's one of those. But I think there are so many things in the world that are just so attractive and lucrative that they distract us from what we truly want. And so I came up with something that I call ESM and the Eastans for energy. So the first thing I ask is, does this give me energy? Does this person give me energy? Does this project give me energy? Does the work energize me? Do I want to bring my energy to this? Like, is this an energy fit? And that's a question I was asked myself. If the answer is yes,
Starting point is 00:29:05 then I move forward to the S and the S is strategy. Okay, my energy feels good. It's like my heart feels good, but is this strategic? Like, does this strategically make sense? Does it make sense on the basis of, do we all have the right idea? Sometimes something makes sense energetically, but if there is an astrology behind it, it won't last. It's not sustainable. So is there a strategy behind this? Is there an effective method behind this, a system, a process that I can get behind, and that my energy will be directed clearly? I think a lot of the time you feel like, oh, the energy is amazing and very L.A. thing as well. It's like, the energy is really good, but then it just kind of goes splat, right? It's just everyone. So is my energy directed? If the answer is yes, then I go to the M,
Starting point is 00:29:50 which stands for money. And so does this make commercial sense? Does this make sense financially, does it make? And so money is an important part of my methodology. It's just the third most important metric. And I only get to ask that question if I go through the first two. And that stops you from doing things just for something at the end. I love that. And at least it's helped me. Yeah. No, I love that because, you know, I never, I never had that process for me.
Starting point is 00:30:16 It was always the lucrative, like, what can provide the most money, and I will endure whatever I need to to provide. And I'm not saying that money's not important. I agree. Everybody has to provide for themselves and everybody's in different situations. And for me personally, engineering just really clearly, it was clear to me that it wasn't energizing me.
Starting point is 00:30:37 It was very much training me. So going to work every day was not something I looked forward to. I looked for reasons to leave. I was constantly distracted about the other life that I had wanted for myself. And I used to think that doing something that you love and making money were mutually exclusive. Same.
Starting point is 00:30:59 Same, yeah. I didn't know that you could marry the two. And now I believe that a career is, I define career as a profitable source of pleasure. So doing something that I love first and foremost, you will every time get really good at it. And when you're good at anything, you can master it and you can teach it to others. And I never once in a million years thought that I would be doing what I'm doing. But I did it just on the side for free because it brought me that much joy and fulfillment just for myself.
Starting point is 00:31:31 And once I started to see the ripple and the curiosity from other people and thought to myself, wow, I can really make a difference in somebody's life just by sharing how I'm living. And that's when I really found the conviction to say, you know what, this is something that I want to pursue. Even if it doesn't make sense logically, I'm gonna listen to my heart for once because I've been listening to my brain this entire time. I'm gonna drop in and listen to my heart
Starting point is 00:31:54 and what my gut is telling me, and my gut is telling me to pursue this, to follow this. Yeah, no, I think that's, I love that your definition of what a career is. That's really cool. And I can agree with you more. I remember literally, and this is crazy for me to think about it, I didn't know.
Starting point is 00:32:14 And when I said it didn't know, I mean, like my mind didn't process. There was any other career out of being a doctor, a lawyer, or in business. Like I literally thought those were the only three careers that existed. Not because I didn't, and I didn't know anyone who didn't do any of those things
Starting point is 00:32:34 apart from obviously if people were teachers or if people, you know, my uncle owned a grocery store and things like that, like a local grocery store. And so things like that, but I didn't have context over you could be something else. And therefore, it was those three things. And I never like medicine. I never like law and so I had to do business. And because art and design wasn't a career.
Starting point is 00:32:57 So I get that. And I think a lot of people live that way and feel that way. And I also think today we've created a culture where it's like, you have to be an entrepreneur and that I disagree with too. Like I don't think doing what you love means doing it as an entrepreneur. I think there are phenomenally talented people who work inside organizations.
Starting point is 00:33:17 And when you think about some of the CEOs of the biggest companies today, they didn't found them. Like, Sinder Peechio, CEO of Google or Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, like, they didn't found them like, Sinder P.I.O.C. of Google or Tim Cook who's CEO of Apple, they didn't build those companies and they became so successful within an organization that they run. And so I do think that we're also living at that other extreme now. Where it's like, you have to quit your job and do something you love.
Starting point is 00:33:37 And I'm like, well, that doesn't make sense either. Like, maybe some people are going to find what they love inside a career and inside a workplace. And I think both need to be banished. So we went from like, you have to work an amazing job as an engineer and do something you hate and get paid. And now it's like, you have to quit everything and do what you love. And it's like, well, there's a spectrum there. Definitely. I want to know how you survived the five years because I love that answer that you knew
Starting point is 00:34:03 it on the first day, but you had to survive in Suffol for five years because I love that answer that you knew it on the first day, but you had to survive in suffer for five years. I think that's very, very real because you're in your head trying to figure that out. Like, how did you deal and cope with those five years? Did you adopt bad habits? What did you do? Because I think oftentimes that's when people turn to like different things. I don't have you did, but yeah, what did you do? And then how did you finally get out? Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, when you live that way, obviously, you find escape, right?
Starting point is 00:34:37 There's ways to escape. And thankfully, my escape was the gym. And anytime I would get off work, That's a good escape, though. It was a great escape for me. And I would go to the gym and I would really just find peace. And it was like my therapy. I would go to the gym and I really do love training. I love the art of learning how this vessel works and how I can really optimize the movements and how it feels and just really sink into the process
Starting point is 00:35:06 of developing my physical self. And what I learned in that process was how many benefits mentally there are as well because it requires discipline, it requires sacrifice, it requires intention and attention to detail. So that's where I really found enjoyment was really in the process of learning how to
Starting point is 00:35:25 develop my physical self. And as far as dealing with, you know, the five years, I had thought about quitting. I mean, I also am a realist and knew that I had to provide for myself. And I would also be giving up a very good opportunity and didn't have the clarity of what that next thing would be. And all the while, I was doing this other thing. It was right in front of me the whole time. But I needed to really find that path. Like, I needed the contrast of doing something that I didn't like doing because that gave me the clarity
Starting point is 00:36:00 to find something that I really did. So, I don't regret anything in my life that was painful or challenging because it's really shaped who I am today and given me the opportunity to have the clarity to pursue the things that really resonate with me. Yeah, I guess you can deal with, you know what your clients are dealing with too.
Starting point is 00:36:22 In terms of the stress of the workplace, the stress of what they're going through and you've been in their shoes. You know what it looks like. I think that the thing that came to my mind when you were saying that was you knew that you were falling in love with working out and you were falling in love with this other thing on the side. I have a friend that, well, she used to be working at a company and she was stressed and hated it
Starting point is 00:36:47 in the same sense as you do did. But she loved presenting. And so then she joined a company where she's a public speaking coach and she goes back to the company, she's to work at and teach public speaking, like teachers communication, not just public speaking, but teachers communication, teachers negotiation, teachers, people skills, and she's so much happier doing it. And I love seeing those stories where people have the courage to figure out the switch, but it sounds like you were doing a lot in your evenings and weekends to build this other route
Starting point is 00:37:19 and build this other path. When you made the switch over, did it feel like, because I'm guessing when you first did it, were you able to replace your salary completely? No, right? That's, yeah, that's my friend. She's, it's taken her three years to replace her salary that she made before, but she's doing good now. Yeah. I think that working as an engineer and going through that, getting my degree really helped me think like an engineer, going through that, getting my degree, really helped me think like an engineer, obviously.
Starting point is 00:37:48 So I approached it with that engineering approach of like, how can I take this thing that I really want to do and create systems and processes for me to make it financially so I could pay for my bills? Essentially, that was my goal. It was like, can I just cover my bills at that point in time? What I wanted to do was reach as many people as possible. I partnered up with a software engineer and we decided to build a whole platform of how can I really systemize delivering the content, teaching people how to lift providing educational
Starting point is 00:38:19 content, and then also the meal planning, which is the most important part whenever people are trying to get in shape, is figuring out what to eat. So we developed a whole algorithm, a whole platform to be able to serve thousands of clients at a time. And it took months of planning. I wasn't making any money. I was just kind of siphoning away all my savings.
Starting point is 00:38:36 And what's really interesting is that first week whenever we launched our very first program and very first offer, I made more in a week than I made in a year as an engineer. And that was the moment for me that I was like, wow, this is very possible for me to continue to pursue. And obviously that's my experience, but it takes that level of planning
Starting point is 00:38:58 and really having an approach that is risk averse. I'm not suggesting for anybody to go quit their job. I think that having a plan of action and having a timeline makes the most sense for you to not put yourself in a compromising position. So, that's the way that I did it, and it's penned out very, very well because it's given me the space to still work with so many people and still get to do what I love and not be so focused on in the business, just working in the business, if that makes sense.
Starting point is 00:39:27 And it also shows that a lot of our experiences are not wasted. Like, first of all, growing up in a spiritual community, made you vegetarian, made you have a himsa, made you appreciate life forms. That's a useful experience, even if at that time you felt alone and disconnected from the people you're around, then you go off and you study engineering, which again, you're like, I don't want to be an engineer, but your engineering skills are the ones that you use to launch your passion. And then it's like you discover what you love doing, which is working out.
Starting point is 00:40:00 And now what you do is mixing compassion, working out, and engineering. And I love that idea that encouraging people to collect passions and curate their passion. And that's how you create your passion is that you're constantly collecting experiences. And then you're bringing them together, rather than like, I found this one thing. And everything before this was a waste of time. And even in my journey,
Starting point is 00:40:25 I felt the same way. It's like, I loved art and design growing up, which has massively impacted my career today because I look at everything through the lens of art and design. And then I was fortunately greater economics and good at understanding business and then behavioral science. And that was, that's obviously been very useful in my life today. And then obviously I fell in love with philosophy and I fell in love with teaching and I fell in love with mentorship and I fell in love with the wisdom
Starting point is 00:40:51 that I learned from the monks. And now my life is all three of those things put together and I wouldn't trade any of those experiences. So if anyone's in a bad place right now or anyone's in a hard place right now where they don't enjoy what they do or they feel they studied the wrong thing at university or college or whatever it is. None of that's wasted because you're just collecting experiences that will be useful if you
Starting point is 00:41:13 look at it that way in what you're building. And that isn't a mindset that's just true that any skill you learn right now is going to be useful later on. Yeah, I believe in this inclusion-based universe where everything is happening for your benefit. Every experience that you go through is happening for you and you can be the beneficiary, even if some very challenging times. And I believe that from a soul's perspective, we call in these experiences so that we can develop the strength of the resilience or the perspective to transcend them.
Starting point is 00:41:45 So when I looked back at my childhood, although it was, it had its moments of beauty and so much beauty in my life, there was also so much challenge and strife as well. And I see those moments now as what really shaped me and primed me for what I'm doing today because what really shaped me and primed me for what I'm doing today, because once at one point, the thing that I was most ashamed of is the thing that I really lead with now. So just remembering that in any time of challenge, that this is teaching you something, and in some time, maybe you can't see it right there, but you are the beneficiary of this challenging moment. And it will allow you to keep growing. It's, but you are the beneficiary of this challenging moment. And it will allow you to keep growing.
Starting point is 00:42:27 It's like, you know, there's so many parallels between the gym and life, you know, it's like you're under the bar at doing squats. And it's very, very uncomfortable. You want it to stop. You want to drop the weight. You're like, no more. I can't handle anymore. And then you push through.
Starting point is 00:42:41 And on the other side of that, you develop the strength and the resilience and your body adapts and you grow so that you can handle that plus some the next time. So that's the way that I really try to approach any challenge these days is like, okay, bring it on, I accept the challenge because I called this experience into my life so that I could transcend it. What's the mindset and where did bodybuilding come into? Like, what's the mindset behind wanting to do that?
Starting point is 00:43:04 Where does that come from? And what was that journey like? Because I think we hear about it a lot, I think, from celebrities in the media who have to look a certain way for movies or things like that. And then they come out years later and they tell you how unhealthy it was. But during when the movie, I think it was Zach Efron recently. it was like, you know, he talked about the Baywatch movie and it's obviously when you watch that movie, you're like how even though they look great and every guy wanted to look like them, it wasn't healthy, but for you, how has that journey been for you? And I've never asked you this before.
Starting point is 00:43:54 Yeah, no, it's a bit of an arc for me. I remember always being the small kid growing up, so there was a bit of insecurity there. And so definitely ego played a big part in for me to want to develop myself because it, you know, quite literally build layers between you and everybody else. And if you're trying to protect your fragile nature or your little wounded self, then that's a great way to do that, even if it's masked through other things. So that was a big journey for me
Starting point is 00:44:21 because originally when I got into it, I had that reason. And then the more I did it, the more I really started to do it because I loved it and didn't train because I didn't like myself or the thought of if I'm out of shape, nobody will like me or I won't like myself. And started shifting and reframing that too. I really love taking care of myself because I feel good when I do. And that's what really led me to lean into it and to continue to discover ways in which I could just develop myself further. And then somebody actually suggested it to me in the
Starting point is 00:44:54 gym one time. They said, Hey, there's this show coming up locally and you should do it. You look great. And I was like, Yeah, right. You could not pay me to do that. And then I thought about it. I was like, you know, I don't have anything else going on. This could be some new challenge, something exciting. I did it and ended up winning the first show that I competed in. So obviously when you excel at something, it motivates you even further. Yeah. Yeah. So then the marriage of like teaching people how to do what I did without eating any animal products felt really aligned with me because I had heard up until that point that you couldn't win a bodybuilding show or bodybuilders
Starting point is 00:45:29 need animal protein. So, here I was showing other people that you could do it. And that's what I really felt the call beyond myself to say, hey, if I can inspire other people to live more compassionately, then this is worth me pursuing because it brings me that much more fulfillment. And I see the difference that it's making in maybe that they might be complete strangers to me, but it's nice to know that people are out there listening. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:45:54 And that's when I continued and eventually became pro, eventually did that for a few years. But then afterwards, I got wrapped up in the identity of like being a bodybuilder. And that's when I started to recognize that, hey, maybe this isn't for me anymore, because I'm attaching so much of who I am to what I look like, and that doesn't feel good anymore. That's when I decided to step away from the sport altogether and just retire in 2018. I'm Dr. Romani, and I am back with season two of my podcast Navigating Narcissism. Narcissists are everywhere and their toxic behavior in words can cause serious harm to your mental health. In our first season, we heard from Eileen Charlotte, who was loved bomb by the Tinder swindler.
Starting point is 00:46:37 The worst part is that he can only be guilty for stealing the money from me, but he cannot be guilty for the mental part he did, and that's even way worse than the money he took. But I am here to help. As a licensed psychologist and survivor of narcissistic abuse myself, I know how to identify the narcissists in your life. Each week you will hear stories from survivors who have navigated through toxic relationships, gaslighting, love bombing, and the process of their healing from these relationships. Listen to navigating narcissism on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our 20s are saying is this golden decade. Our time to be carefree, full in love, make mistakes,
Starting point is 00:47:30 and decide what we want from our life. But what can psychology really teach us about this decade? I'm Gemma Speg, the host of the psychology of your 20s. Each week we take a deep dive into a unique aspect of our 20s. From career anxiety, mental health, heartbreak, money, friendships, and much more to explore the science and the psychology behind our experiences, incredible guests, fascinating topics, important science, and a bit of my own personal experience. Audrey, I honestly have no idea what's going on with my life. bit of my own personal experience. Or, Juliet, honestly, I have no idea what's going on with my life. Join me as we explore what our 20s are really all about, from the good, the bad, and the ugly, and listen along as we uncover how everything is psychology, including our 20s. The psychology of
Starting point is 00:48:20 your 20s hosted by me, Gemma Speg, now streaming on the iHotRadio app, Apple podcasts, or whatever you get your podcasts. I'm Jay Shetty, and on my podcast on purpose, I've had the honor to sit down with some of the most incredible hearts and minds on the planet. Oprah, everything that has happened to you
Starting point is 00:48:39 can also be a strength builder for you if you allow it. Kobe Bryant. The results don't really matter. It's the figuring out that matters. Kevin Hawke. It's not about us as a generation at this point. It's about us trying our best to create change. Luminous Hamilton.
Starting point is 00:48:57 That's for me been taking that moment for yourself each day. Being kind to yourself because I think for a long time I wasn't kind to myself. And many, many more. If you're attached to knowing you don't have a capacity to learn. On this podcast, you get to hear the raw real-life stories behind their journeys and the tools they used, the books they read, and the people that made a difference in their lives so that they can make a difference in hours. Listen to on-purpose with Jay Shetty on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Starting point is 00:49:24 you get your podcasts join the journey soon I mean that's that's a real journey because Like you said it often starts with like ego or validation from ourselves from others Then you kind of get to a point if you're lucky where you're like, okay Now I'm doing it for myself and I enjoy it Talked me a bit about that journey because I think that's the hardest part of that journey is like going from like, I do this because I want the validation from myself and others
Starting point is 00:49:52 and I want to protect, you know, the younger me to, I'm actually gonna do this because I like feeling better, like walk me through some of the steps there because I feel like, yeah, that feels like a long journey. Yeah, it was for sure. And you know, the ego is a funny thing because once you shine the light of awareness on a part of your ego, it just kind of dances into the shadow and it becomes a little bit more insidious and tricky and shows up in new ways. So for me, it kept showing up in different ways to where I was realizing that it wasn't bringing me happiness anymore.
Starting point is 00:50:26 Like I felt this obligation, this pressure to be this person. And at the time my following was continuously rising as my popularity grew. And the really just the exposure to people's comments and things that they had to say about me, I started to notice how much it was affecting me and specifically focusing on negativity.
Starting point is 00:50:49 And I was like, why am I really focusing on this and allowing it to really disrupt my internal state? And that's when I started to get real with myself and saying, oh, because I am seeking this validation and it means so much to me when people think highly of me and when they don't, it really affects me mentally. So that's when I started to take a step back, do more self-reflection and say, maybe I'm not doing this for the right reasons anymore and I should explore that.
Starting point is 00:51:14 Yeah. And I like that reflection because I always try and walk into things with the right intention. And then I try and reflect on my intention while I'm doing it. And I can often find that it's easy for your intention to get distorted. And then I ask myself, can I bring my intention back to doing it for the right thing? And then if I can't, that's when I leave it. So my goal is always, I try and start with the right motivation, the right approach. And then it's natural for it to get distorted.
Starting point is 00:51:45 That's always gonna happen to any of us because we're not perfect, because we're not, we haven't got everything figured out. And so I'll realize that, oh, maybe I did kind of go too far this way. And then I'll see if I have the ability to come back. And sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. And so it sounds like you went through that same process
Starting point is 00:52:01 of, you know, can I do this again for the right reasons? When you were doing it at its peak and you had people coming up to you talking to you about compassion and plant-based life and veganism, like, did people notice that were they aware of that? And then what would they say to you? Like, what was people's reactions? I mean, just in tree. Uh, yeah.
Starting point is 00:52:20 I mean, there's always a lot of curiosity, a lot of interest whenever you hear somebody doing something that's on orthodox. So vegan bodybuilders is an oxymoron for a lot of people. They don't believe it's possible. So to see somebody doing it and competing at the highest level, it brought its own pressures to me because people, especially the vegan movement, tended to pedestalize me and use me as this poster boy, this example for somebody who could do this, which I enjoyed and then also equally didn't enjoy
Starting point is 00:52:49 because I would be thrown into arguments online and people would just use me as this example where I just opened up my phone and just see all these comments of people arguing back and forth. And again, my goal was to never be polarizing online or it was to inspire the people that really wanted to live this way. So that also played a huge impact into reassessing what kind of message I'm putting out there. And to really, again, just lead with compassion
Starting point is 00:53:19 and show that you can coexist with people who have different views on life, different perspectives than you, where we're often more time, more common than we are different. So that's another reason why I felt like bodybuilding is a sport of comparison. It's me literally lined up to another person and comparing the two. And I always approached that sport with, it's always just me versus me. I could never control what anybody else was doing outside of that experience. It was like you step on stage, it's not me versus these other guys.
Starting point is 00:53:52 It's just me versus who I was yesterday. But that's really when I wanted to step away from the sport. So I could continue to focus on the thing that I originally wanted to do, which was to help serve people in my highest capacity, which is when I started coaching after I left bodybuilding. Yeah, and that's what I find interesting too.
Starting point is 00:54:10 It's like knowing when to quit something and quitting stuff is such a good skill that I think is underrated. Like we rate people in society for how long they can do something. As opposed to how quickly they can let go of something that doesn't serve them or serve others anymore. And I'm more interested in that sometimes, where I think about, like, I let go of being among at a time when I didn't feel like it served me or served others anymore. I let go of my corporate career
Starting point is 00:54:42 because it didn't serve me or serve others anymore. I let go of the first content I created. We don't make content like that anymore because it didn't serve me or serve others anymore. And it's that we've we've evolved in so many ways. And I often think that we keep putting time you've done something on a pedestal as opposed to time you stopped doing things that didn't make sense to you anymore. And so even hearing that from your perspective, it's like we did this bodybuilding with a chief so much and then I had to leave it behind in order to move into coaching. And you know, in the coaching space, you've worked with some incredible people and you don't have to name anyone or whatever you, whatever you feel comfortable with. But in the idea of like, when you're coaching someone or anyone who's thinking about becoming a coach or thinking about
Starting point is 00:55:25 becoming a trainer or a guide, a teacher in any capacity, what were the things that have been really important that you've learned through coaching other people who are high performers? Yeah, it's realizing that it's not about me. It's not about me coaching them. It's about me helping my client discover the power that they contain within themselves. So oftentimes people think that they're not one who could possibly get into shape or do the things that they commit
Starting point is 00:55:55 because they just get in their own way. So what I've found is that those are symptoms of underlying beliefs, maybe their subconscious beliefs that are preventing them from doing the things that they really want to do. So when I coach, and you know this from working with me, is that I like to talk a lot during our sessions and hear what your experience is like
Starting point is 00:56:16 because oftentimes language reveals so much about how we think. And ironically, the way that we view ourselves has a huge impact in the way that we show up for our physical health. So as I'm training people, it's almost like, I don't want to call it therapy, but it's just a really deep conversation where I learn about my clients on a level that allows them to see what kind of capable, powerful person they are. And then once they recognize it themselves, then they start to show up and believe it themselves. Yeah, so yeah, if everyone who's listening, Neymar trained me during the pandemic, I think it was for a few months, we worked together. And I guarantee Neymar has never had anyone that he's trained.
Starting point is 00:57:03 That has been worse than me. Literally, I would like, and Neema is a great trader and he's everything he just said he is. Like, you know, it was very like therapeutic working with him, you know, super supportive, constantly making me look for the power within myself. And I'd be like nine times out of 10 after a session. I'd be lying on my bed.
Starting point is 00:57:22 I'd be like, it's just trying to recover because I'd love the coolness of my bed. And I would just need to sit there and just like take it in because it was so high intensity in a good way. But at the same time, I also broke through a lot of mental blocks I had around what I believed around what my body could do or what I believed my body was capable of. Like we were able to dial back and start slower and build up again. And I think you were so great at doing that. Like, I think it's so beautiful.
Starting point is 00:57:52 I'm a coach too. And I think when I'm being coached, I really appreciate it when someone makes me feel like I can get there and that it's okay that I'm slower or that it's taking time. I'm already going through all the self-judgment and self-criticism. The last thing I need is for someone else to criticize me too. And to have someone who's supporting you along that journey, I really felt that with you. I've always felt that with you through our friendship, but I also felt it very much in that time. And I think those are such great skills for all relationships actually, not just for coaching, but if you're teaching your
Starting point is 00:58:25 partner something, if you're teaching your child something, if you're teaching your parents something, if we could be more supportive and notice the goodness in them and notice the attempt and notice the positive attitude that person have and the fact that they showed up, that person is going to feel inspired. But if we criticize them the first time they fumble or judge them, the second time they make a mistake or point out to them how much better everyone else that we train is, that doesn't help anyone. And I at one point, I had one of my clients took me to play golf with them. And I don't play golf and I've never played golf before that day. And I had a coach at the center we went to and the coach was incredible, very patient,
Starting point is 00:59:14 very professional, you know, very there for me. I was only there for a day. So I only got a day of coaching, but by the end of the day I was half decent. I was okay as an I could do something. And when I came back to LA, because we were traveling together, but when I came back to LA, I tried to look for a golf coach here, because I really got into it. I was like, oh, this could be a cool thing to do. And maybe we'd be fun to get into it with Radee. And I took Radee with me. And I got a coach who'd supposedly worked with like some of the best of the best and all the rest of it. And I couldn't take a shot without him correcting me every second.
Starting point is 00:59:47 And it almost became really draining and tiring because I was like, I need to hit like 10 shots to then be corrected. But if I'm corrected in every half a swing, it's really hard for me to like find my flow. And I felt so criticized and judged and everything that I kind of never swore him again after like seeing him a couple of times. And it just showed me that being a coach is really tough, being a student is really tough.
Starting point is 01:00:10 But often I think we wrongly coach our friends and family. And that's where I find the coaching conversation to be most interesting. Even if you're not a coach in your career, how you try and teach things to your family, your friends, your kids, your parents, because you're a long way. I want to tell you what those are. Yeah, no, it's meeting people where they are, right? And understanding that everybody is where they're at, and that is the only place they could be with the awareness that they have in that moment. So really having compassion,
Starting point is 01:00:41 because really, I mean, coaches just help you get one step ahead at a time If you try to share something with someone who's not ready to receive that message It's just gonna go over their head So I really love starting with the fundamentals of helping people make those small Incremental changes that compound to be big big difference in their their physical health But not just their physical health But like the way that they believe they have the confidence in themselves that they can achieve the things that they want to.
Starting point is 01:01:10 So like you said, sometimes people are their own worst critics. And having compassion towards yourself, whenever you're learning something, is a skill. And it's not something that we exercise very much. So I really try to help my clients also exercise that muscle of can you be compassionate with yourself? Yes, you may be not where you want to be. Maybe you're a bit out of shape. That's okay.
Starting point is 01:01:34 The difference that you have now is you have the awareness that you want to do something about it. You don't have to judge yourself for the mistakes that you made. All of that process was or all of those decisions were coming from a place that maybe you didn't have the awareness to, maybe you didn't have the skill set to, maybe you didn't have the resources to. But now moving forward, you have the support to, and you first have to be kind with yourself first and foremost. So if you feel guilty, or if you feel ashamed of allowing yourself to get to this point,
Starting point is 01:02:06 just know that yes, we're always accountable for what we do, but there's no need to belittle yourself or beat yourself up about it. It's like I like to use this example with my clients. If you were to hand a child a calculus problem and tell them to solve it and they weren't able to solve it, would you yell at them or scream at them or tell them how stupid they are or how incapable they are? No, they just don't have the awareness to solve that problem. That is the same kind of thinking
Starting point is 01:02:34 that you could apply towards yourself. You would be gentle with them, you would be kind with them, you would be supportive, you would ask them what they need to help get them to that place. So that's the way that I like to teach my clients to think about themselves, so that the next time they show up and they say, hey, you know what, I slipped up, but slipping up and giving up are two totally different things. So it's okay to slip up. Failure is part of the formula for success. So you learn, you make mistakes, you get better, you make more advanced mistakes, and then you get better. So that's the formula that I like to teach my clients as well.
Starting point is 01:03:09 Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love that. And what I love about that approach is just fitness and working out. And anything we do externally is so much more of an internal journey. Like it's like overcoming the inner critic, overcoming the inner judgment, being able to be kind to ourselves, being able to be
Starting point is 01:03:25 compassionate to ourselves, being able to let things go and know when to work harder and when to pull back. It's such an internal dialogue. It's completely inner mastery that you're actually working on. And I often think about me as someone who I love playing sports, I've never really loved working out. But that's the part that I can get behind is that ultimately it's in a mastery that I'm working on. Even if working out is my favorite thing, even though I do do it because I realize it's value and benefits. But that ultimately it's in a mastery
Starting point is 01:03:57 that I'm trying to get through. Yeah, and focusing more on the process too, and not so much the outcome, because the outcome, yes, people are motivated by results, but if you're only motivated by results, and they don't come in the timeline that you expect them to, then your motivation will tank.
Starting point is 01:04:13 So finding that intrinsic motivation of not just looking a certain way in the mirror or seeing a certain number on the scale or being able to squat a thousand pounds or anything like that, but really being intrinsically motivated by the feeling that you're looking to achieve by doing this. So showing up for yourself, going to the gym and just remembering or just thinking about
Starting point is 01:04:35 the feeling that you would get once you have that internal freedom within your body, the comfort of what it would feel like to just wake up and feel good. Just feel good in your skin and feel capable of handling whatever life throws at you because you have been consistently training and showing up in this way. So I really try to preach just focus on the process. And if you can really find a way to enjoy the process, to make it fun, to make it exciting, like fitness is not just about going to the gym. There's many different forms of fitness.
Starting point is 01:05:08 So if you don't like training or you don't like lifting weights in the gym, like you could do tennis or you could play soccer, you could go hiking, you could go biking, you could go paddle boarding, there's so many different things that once you find the enjoyment of it, then you're more likely to keep doing it. Yeah, absolutely. Nima, it's been so dope talking to you, man. It's just like, I feel like there's so many great lessons from just hearing someone's journey.
Starting point is 01:05:31 And, you know, even though we've been friends, and we've talked before, it's like to actually hear your journey step by step. And I know it's this and everyone that I think is living happier, healthy, and healed lives is that it's just that they took the time to reflect and then shift. That's like a common thread I find in people who are happier, healthier and more healed is that they weren't smarter, they weren't better, they weren't and this applies to me too. It's like you didn't, it's not that you were above anyone and it's not that you were below, it's not that you were ahead or behind, it's that the only difference is you took the time to reflect and shift your life according
Starting point is 01:06:09 to your reflection. And I find that today we do a lot of thinking and overthinking. And thinking and overthinking is where you just let the same thought go over and over and over again. But reflecting is asking yourself, is this the right thought? Is this thought useful? Is this the thought that I want to play again and again and again? And if the answer is no, let me shift my behavior so that I can have a different thought or let me plant a new thought so that I can shift my behavior. And so I see that through your journey and it's just, I hope that this conversation encourages you to listen to your friends, listen to people around you to make time and space for reflection, because even reflecting with you today, it's amazing to see how many similarities there are, even
Starting point is 01:06:54 though we do very different things or have achieved very different things externally, but there's so many similarities in how we have to pivot and shift. Yeah, I mean, I think it really comes down to listening to yourself. Like you said, that self-reflection, that listening to your gut, listening to that inner knowing. And it's much more difficult to find that without creating the space to listen. So for me, that meditation is also whenever I move my body. Some people find it in stillness, I find it in movement.
Starting point is 01:07:25 And that is when I find this connection to this higher self, if you will, within myself, to where I get all my best ideas, I find the most inspiration. So creating this space for whatever that looks like for you to really tap into the deepest part of yourself that brings you the most fulfillment and most joy and most clarity about who do you want to be?
Starting point is 01:07:46 What type of person do you want to show up as? What type of life do you want to have? And are you living in alignment with those thoughts or are you living incongruently with that? And that disparity between the two is signified by how you feel about it. So you're always being shown and being guided by your feelings. So learn to tap into the good feelings and what feels right and what feels true for you
Starting point is 01:08:10 and then just continue to follow that. Absolutely. Neymar, I love that. We end every episode with a final five. Okay. These have to be answered in a one word, to one sentence maximum. So Neymar, these are your final five.
Starting point is 01:08:22 The first question is, what is the best fitness advice you've ever received or heard? Mm, these are your final five. The first question is, what is the best fitness advice you've ever received or heard? Just be consistent. Okay, yeah. Just be consistent. That is a good advice. All right, the second question is, what is the worst
Starting point is 01:08:34 fitness advice you've ever heard or received? That you have to go to a gym to get fit, you know? I would say that you don't have to sign up to a gym to get in shape, you know, just find what you like to do that's active and get you moving. And that's what's most important when it comes to fitness. Yeah, I remember when you turned around and moving our house into home gym gym in the pandemic.
Starting point is 01:08:55 So yeah, I believe that now, off to having seen you do that, do that. Question number three, how would you define your current purpose? To help inspire people to lead with more compassion. Beautiful. Question number four, what's something that used to value when it came to physical fitness, but that you don't value anymore?
Starting point is 01:09:16 I would say the, this is a bit superficial, but the amount of weight that I lift in the gym, I see so many people lift with their ego, and they're just being very inefficient with their movement and they're essentially wasting their time in the gym So leave your ego at the door whenever you go into the gym and lift with intention Don't just go in there to swing weight around and look cool But really go in there with the intention of Mastering the repetition if you can master the repetition of any movement Then you will see so much faster results than anything else. That's great. I love that. That's a good piece of advice.
Starting point is 01:09:47 Fifth and final question. If you could create one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be? It's be kind to others, except people where they are and who they are. I think that the world would be a much, much more pleasant place than what it is right now. We need a lot of that. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:10:05 Everyone, that's Nimae Delgado. Make sure you check him out if you don't already on social media. We will put his handles everywhere and make sure you tag us, both me and Nimae, with anything that stood out in this conversation. I think this was one of those conversations where, you know, we learned so much about so many things we go through all the time, things like pivoting your career, things like knowing when to quit, things like how to process your early experiences and turn them into something else. And then ultimately, how do you find what you love and live
Starting point is 01:10:38 in that way and totally create a life around what you love and what you believe in, whether that's loving your workout or loving your career. And so I hope this episode guides you closer towards that direction. I hope this episode moves you in that direction towards your greatest gifts and your greatest potential. And I want to say a big thank you to Neemai for spending his time with us today. Thank you so much, man. That was amazing.
Starting point is 01:11:01 And it's so good for me to sit and learn more about your story And I hope a lot of people are gonna come and learn from you and grow in so many different ways No, thank you so much, Jay. I really appreciate you inviting me on I just want to say that you are such an inspiration to me as well and to see you and Roddy show up in the way that you do and continue to Inspire and uplift everybody so thank you for being an inspiration to thank you so much Thank you so much, man. Thank you. Thank you.
Starting point is 01:11:26 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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