The Nick Bare Podcast - Archive - Dan Holguin | The Power Of Positivity

Episode Date: June 23, 2022

Dan Holguin, aka The Rasta Runner, is an ultramarathon runner, mindset & fitness coach, and transformational speaker. He also is a former professional bull rider, and has competed on American Ninja Warrior multiple times. Dan joins Nick on the show to share his story of overcoming the tragedy, and to discuss the power of mindset and positivity, which he believes has been the greatest contributing factor for the success he’s had in his competitive endeavors as well as his personal life. More Resources: BPN website: www.bpnsupps.com Nick’s website: www.nickbare.com Nick’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/nickbarefitness Nick’s Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/barelifenutrition Follow Us On Social Media! Instagram: @thebareperformancepodcast Facebook: The Bare Performance Podcast Twitter: @BarePerformPod

In this episode of the Bear Performance Podcast, the process for me is the result in itself. I've become such a student of the process and appreciated the process for what it is for a number of reasons. But like, I think a lot of times we struggle with not receiving a thing right away. And when we predicate happiness based on the end results, I mean, we're setting ourselves up for disappointment because what happens if that result never comes?

And so what I found that's a better way of looking at it is allowing your happiness to hinge on daily results that you create based on the goals that you set. And I think if you can make that shift, then you can find daily bits of happiness along the way and it's just a more sustainable approach. Welcome back to another powerful episode of the podcast. I'm your host, Nick Baer, founder and CEO of Bear Performance Nutrition.

Every week we bring you insightful stories, knowledge, and inspiration to help you reach your full potential in life, fitness, and business. If you enjoy the message we're promoting in this podcast, we would greatly appreciate it if you would leave a rating and review on the platform you're listening to. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes that embody the go one more mindset. All right, guys, welcome back to another episode of the podcast. Today I have Dan Holquin on the show who just showed up rocking some epic cowboy boots coming in from Montana, now here in the great state of Texas. What's going on, brother? I feel so good being here like I didn't even leave Montana.

The only difference here is it's a little bit flatter than what I'm used to, but in terms of hospitality, it's right on par, man. That's what I first realized when I got to Texas. Grew up in Pennsylvania. Then I spent a year in Georgia. when I moved from Pennsylvania to Georgia, that was my first, like, realization of this hospitality, this southern hospitality, it's a real thing.

It's real. And then coming to Texas, that was like another level of, wow, people are very, very friendly. And then I went back to Pennsylvania to visit, and it's reinforced even more of, I like the South. Yeah, much, much better. You know, I was running in four, Fort Worth with a guy the other day who was really new to running, a little bit out of shape,

but has the heart for it. And he was dying. And we were on this stretch where people would be running by, they'd be on their bikes. And every time somebody would come by, they would see him dying. And they would stop. They would check in. They would offer water or food or just see how that person was doing. And I just thought that was so rare for a big city. You know, and it just made me realize like, man, I should be spending a little bit more time here. I like it. What's interesting about some of the cities down here in Texas, especially Austin, because we're 25 minutes here from downtown. Austin, Texas, as many people are moving in, it's getting larger and larger and bigger. It still always feels very small when you go down there.

You see the same people on the trails, same people with the track. You see the same cycling crew, running crew, running teams. It always to me feels small and connected and personal. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love that. I love it too. Like I love change. I love growth.

I love all of that. But there are a few things that I just appreciate when they just stay the same. And community like that is one of them for sure. I love going downtown where I live in Montana. And, you know, as I'm driving down this road, I know that Joe and Diane are going to be out in front, working on their yard. I know that when I go another mile down the road, Bob and his wife are going to be doing the same thing. And I can appreciate that consistency for sure. So I got a question for you to

kick this one off. And is, what is one thing that everyone should experience in their lifetime? One thing, here's what I've found is when I started growing my hair out, I experienced a negative and judgments like I'd never had before. And a lot of it at first, like, really made me feel insecure or it made me doubt myself as to why I was even doing it in the first place. And now coming out on the other side where my hair is almost down to my knees, it's been like one of the coolest things that I've ever experienced. So I think that like something that everybody should do,

men included, is to at least grow their hair out once. Just one time, man. You'll just experience life from a completely different angle and the confidence that comes out of it or like the willingness to be uncomfortable, I guess, is so great. Isn't it interesting how other people think they deserve the opportunity to tell you how to live your life? Yes. Yeah. I have found that. That's one thing through social media that I have found very interesting.

And it used to anger me of who are you to tell me like what to do? But it's also giving me this new perspective of, you know, being able to take a step back and think, well, why are they? Why do they think I'm challenging what they believe in? For example, I have people all the time that tell me you need to go get your teeth fixed. Your teeth are crooked. You need to get inviseline. I'm like, yes, they are crooked, but like for me right now, it's not a priority. in my life. I don't really care. I tell my wife, I'm like, should I get my teeth fixed? And she's

like, no, I like your crooked teeth. Okay, as long as you're fine with him. I'm like, right. But I've always found the comment that starts with you should. Yeah. As soon as someone starts off with, you should. Yeah. You should stop right there. Yeah. Yeah. You just completely shut down, right? Yeah. Yeah. And it's interesting too, because what I've noticed, especially over the past few years more and more is that we've become even more binary in our thoughts and in our judgments. You know, it's either black or white. Like there's no, there's no gray area anymore. And if you're not one way, well, then, you know, you're out.

And I feel like living in a world of absolutes like that in most cases is going to lead you to just disappointment, you know, when somebody isn't like the way that you think that they should be. You just, you'll live in a life of disappointment. How do you get people to appreciate the gray or even see the gray? Because I've kind of seen that happen as well where it's either black or white. It's either yes or no. And it's these two extremes.

Yeah. Or it's like this switch that's either on or off. But a lot of the times like this understanding, this perspective, this depth of conversation and thought isn't that gray area. where you can see both sides, you can appreciate both sides, but I think a lot of it comes with, it's a maturity, it's wisdom, is wisdom the gray? Perhaps, you know, I think about my own story as I started growing my hair out and eventually locked it

in a place like Montana where it is sometimes a very, like, singular way of thinking. I was met with a lot of opposition. You know, I remember the first day that I had locks, I got in a fist fight with somebody over them because he didn't like him. I've been called several different racial slurs, been called the N-word a couple times. I mean, so much from that. And what's interesting about all of that is, like, you ask how do you change that? How do you get them to appreciate the gray? I think that if you can find a way to have a conversation with them and be able to

just looked them in the eye and, you know, I think you'll kind of realize that, you know, you have more in common than you think. And that's one of the things that I've learned is having conversations with people is when you can start to see somebody for their heart instead of just their hair, you realize it. And I think that's how we kind of break the mold a little bit and get more into the gray area. There's a lot of power in showing up as your true self. Yeah. And you don't allow yourself to show up as your true self because you're afraid of how other people are going to judge or perceive you. Yes.

You end up living for what makes you happy and following your passions. You end up living for other peoples. And it's a really, that's a dangerous place to live. It's a really sad place to be. Yeah, because at some point, you're going to continue to bend and break for other people. And then at some point, you finally wake up and realize, like, I don't even know who I am anymore because I've sacrificed so much of me to be what everybody. else wants. And then you're in this like really weird place of like trying to quote like find

yourself. And it's a sad place. I mean, I've been there too and it took a long time to get back on track. And that was like a big lesson early on in my life was, you know, how do I continue to just be who I am and embrace, you know, where I've been and own some of my past mistakes and failures and when I finally was able to like understand that, um, my life just got better. You know, I remember when I was a kid, my dad, he told me, he's like, you know what, if you just tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. And that was like a big lesson for me. And nowadays, it's like I can, I can finally like just be who I am and not have to worry

about judgment or fitting into a box. I can walk into a place like this with boots and jeans and dress. and dreadlocks that swing around if I want to, and I'm okay with that and free of judgment. And there's a freedom to that that I think sometimes we lose sight of when we start to bend and break for others. I will say that is the power of Austin, Texas too. That's one thing that attracted me so much to the city is what I realized

and when I noticed in Austin when I got here in 2014, that is one place where you can show up and not be judged. You can be whoever you want to be. like having dreadlocks and wearing cowboy boots downtown Austin that is like people like dude I'm all about this but I could imagine like

in Montana different parts of the world or the country there is like this stereotype of hey that doesn't that doesn't belong here for sure and I'm curious you know because right now you with the dreadlocks compared to maybe when you first started

bull ride ride probably look a little different. Yeah. I'd love to talk about like you as the bull rider. I know you went to college on a bull riding scholarship. You had background in bull riding. I'd love to talk about how that became part of your life. Yeah.

And the lessons you learned through that. So I gave like the first half of my life to rodeo. And at a young age, like I knew that I wanted to become a world champion bull rider. And when I was, I don't know, maybe like 13, 14 years old, I was at a county fair and I was with my buddy Justin and a couple other guys. And, you know, they had the mechanical bull as they do at every fair. And we had a couple of beers at 13. And my buddy Justin's like, dude, get up there, try that thing. And so I got up there and I did it.

And, you know, it was interesting because I didn't have any like refined skill, obviously. but I had some like raw ability to roll ability is sometimes the best ability right yeah it's just it's gritty it's it's it's like hard it's challenging but it's fun at the same time you don't really know what you're doing but you know that like it's just it makes sense in the moment and and so like i was on that mechanical bull and I was riding him around pretty good it probably wasn't as good as it was in my head but somehow made it to like the whistle or whatever you want to call it and I got off and I'm like man I should do this like like for real. And so I remember maybe like a week or two later, this was like kind of pre-internet.

And so I remember I went down to this like local Western store and I was asking some people behind the counter. I'm like, hey, you know, I kind of want to like learn more about Bull Red. And is there anybody that you know that I could talk to? And they told me, well, there's a guy named Gary Lafew. And Gary Lafew lives, you know, so like 30, 40 minutes away from here. but here's his phone number. And so as a young kid, I can imagine that when you pick up the phone and it's just this young kid on the other line saying,

hey, I'd like to learn how to ride bulls. Can I come to your place and ride bulls? You're probably on the other line thinking like, what the, why are you calling me? Like, shouldn't you be in school? You know what I mean? But I like, I really wanted to do this. I got tunnel vision almost immediately

because of the way it made me feel. And so on the other line, And he's like, all right, well, you know, if you want, you can come out this weekend. I got some things that you can do to help me out with. And then, you know, we'll talk about the bull riding thing later on. So I'm like, all right, cool. So I remember my mom, she took me to Gary LaFew's place. And he lived on this ranch in Napomo, California at the very end of this canyon, this hot, dusty, dry canyon.

And we get to this place at the end of the road and there's this bull riding arena. There's gates everywhere. There's cattle everywhere. There's sage. and it was just hot as hell. And I got there and he's like, hey, so we got to fix this fence first. Then it was about 8 a.m. that morning. And I remember for the next like four or five hours just busting my ass and the heat,

fixing this fence with him and one other guy. And we get done with the fence. And then in my head, I'm like, all right, cool. So what's next? And so I asked him like, hey, okay, so now what? And he's like, well, follow me. And so in my head, I'm thinking like, okay, I'm going to get on a bull. I'm like hyping myself up in my mind and we go into a gym and there's like weights and stuff around

and I hadn't started weightlifting at that time and I'm like like in my head I'm thinking where's all the bulls at? And so I asked him like so what are we doing? He's like well we're going to learn how to ride bulls and I said so shouldn't we be getting on or something like that. He's like no you start in here in the weight room and it made me realize immediately that it was going to look very differently than what I had envisioned. And so we started with movement. We started with like how I should be positioning myself. I got on top of a 50 gallon barrel and he was walking me through the different techniques of what to do with my free arm, which is the arm that isn't holding onto the rope, how to balance yourself, how to use your core to stay on top. So I learned the mechanics of it. And then at the same time,

I learned some of the mindset behind it. And this was like my first introduction to the power of positive thinking and how to visualize in your mind and how to create results based on your your ways of thinking and it was like completely new to me at the time and obviously didn't end up riding a bull that day it didn't happen for a few weeks but come to find out a week later when i told somebody that i was riding bulls with gary lefew they're like whoa didn't you know he was a world champion bull rider in the 70s? I had no idea. And so what was crazy to me, now looking back on it, is like, why the hell would a guy like that, a world champion bull rider take on some random kid who just happened to call him up one day? And I just thought that was such a blessing at a young age to be able to have

such an incredible mentor like that, because not only was he a world champion, but he's also a guy who worked on the movie eight seconds. He was a guy who trained Luke Perry to play the role of Lane Frost. He's a guy that's done several films and coaching and everything in the rodeo community. And so I just felt blessed that not only did I get to learn from him, but I got to live with him as well and staying on the ranch there and, you know, just being completely immersed in getting such a good, healthy start in rodeo at such a young age was, man, it was just such a blessing.

Do you think he was testing you that first day to see if you are actually committed to the process? Like, hey, if this guy is like, are we riding bulls right now? Now you've got to work the way to ride in the bowls. Because I think of it the same way of if we look at ultras or building a business, for example. A lot of the times, like when I started building my business, I never built it to be at a certain point. I built it based off a passion. I was committed to the process. Yeah.

And I look at the same kind of trajectory in ultra running where someone signs up for an ultra, for example, 100 mile race. Yeah. And all they want to do is cross the finish line of the 100 mile race. They don't really care about getting a mile 20, 40, 60, 80. All they want to do is get to mile 100 so they can take their photo. Get their buckle. Get their buckle.

Post it on Instagram and say, like, look what I did. And it's a whole different intent when you go in. into something to learn from the process. It's like, oh, in order for me to run 100 miles, I need to first get to mile 80. And you can't get to mile 100 until you get to mile 80. Yeah. 20, 40, 60, 80.

So it's this process. And I think that's like this, you know, your entry into bull riding is a clear example of why many people don't continue chasing their dreams or ambitions because they're quickly jaded by oh there's there's actually steps to this yeah you're making me go through these gates yeah no thanks yeah right like oh i don't just get to get on a bull i don't get the result right away i have to work for it yeah it's interesting because i've always i feel like i've always like been okay with it and i think

a lot of it started from from that time that i was with gary maybe because i didn't get it right away i never thought about that before but that could be true for sure because that was the first thing that I was introduced to was this is going to be a process. This is going to take time. And I guess like getting an early start by learning it that way and then learning how to use my mind over just my body, I think kind of like gave me a jump start into it. So perhaps he was trying to test me. And I'm grateful that he did because, you know, not only did I have like a pretty good career in bullet writing, but I feel like that set the tone for my whole life. And for, my whole appreciation of the process.

What were some of those mindset lessons that, did you learn it from the experience? Or was it actually like mentorship of and did he pull you aside and said, this is the mindset you need to apply to bull riding? Yeah. Was it through teaching or was it just by like observation and seeing him work? Man, it was both.

But like if you look back on his life, one of the things that made him a world champion was his thinking. And in the 70s, like, it was widely known that Gary Lefew is like the guy who uses mindset to win rodeos. He's the guy that like came from like this dark horse position to the world finals and ended up winning the buckle that year. Like he was in last place and then he went to first. And the reason that it is is because he used his mind to see himself winning rodeos and putting himself in the best position to win by his managing his emotions and his thoughts. So I think a lot of it was him coaching me. And I remember one of the most,

the funniest ways I learned from him was early on in my days. I was like 14 now. But I had this weird habit of like every time I'd buck off a bull, I'd always land on my face. Always. I have a mouthful of dirt. I'd be pissed off. And I remember like two or three bulls in a row that that happening one day.

And I remember Gary being up on the fence and the shade. as I'm getting my ass kicked and him saying, hey man, if you land on your feet, your head won't hurt. And that was just like such a logical and obvious piece of coaching, but like I still think about him yelling at me and saying that today. If you land on your feet, your head won't hurt. Meaning like if you don't make stupid mistakes, if you plan ahead a little bit, if you just think on your feet a little bit more, you know, things will happen for you in. in a better way. And I think about that all the time, man.

Trying to plan ahead. Trying to be resourceful as much as I can. Trying to just, you know, like, just not be an idiot all the time. What blows my mind about bull riding. And like, I've never been on a bull. You'd love it, by the way. I would love it. For one, I'm extremely intimidated by it.

I'm scared, but that's why, like, I have an interest in it. Yeah, yeah. and just watching it, you can watch and say, oh, this guy should have probably done this or that. But I'm sure when you're on the bowl, you're trying to,

you're trying to almost like slow time down because everything's happening so fast. You're trying to control this animal that is so angry that you're on top of it. It is trying to kick you off. Is it trying to kick you off or is it trying to kill you? So it really depends. Like there's,

I think more so it's just, I think it's indifferent to you because there's a couple things at play here. Number one is genetics. They only bring bulls to rodeos that want to be there, that want to buck. And I think that's a big misconception in why people may dislike the sport of rodeo because, you know, the animal cruelty thing, which I can see. And I think there might be in the past some history of that. But you've got to remember, like, these animals want to be there.

And not only do they want to be there, they're well taken care of. So part of it, I think the bull is neutral to the person. But there are a few bulls out there that do want to hurt you. They want to buck you off. They will turn back and find you. And the thing about bulls that I've found is they have such good awareness of their body and situation. I can't tell you how many times I've been bucked off. And then as a bull is moving in the opposite direction, I get this little cow kick right in the chest or right in the shoulder or something.

And they just, they're so good. They're so talented. My, uh, my dad grew up on a dairy farm. Okay. My, my grandfather was a dairy farmer. Okay. Central Pennsylvania. So they had, they always had one bull on the property.

And this one day, the bull got loose. And my grandpa was the only one out by the barn. My, my grandpa didn't do anything to aggravate this bull. Yeah. But this bull got loose and came right at my grandpa and pinned him up against the barn. And everyone had to come, like, rescue him from this bull. And whenever, that's, that's always a pop up to my head when I think of bulls.

It's like, as soon as they're out. Yeah. They're not just waiting. They're ready. Like, they're coming full speed. Yes. To throw a horn into your gut and chest. It's like, if I'm ever around a bull, I'm like, I'm on lookout.

Yeah. Yeah. You know? Not all of them are like that, though. It's interesting because, you know, I talked about these bulls being well taken care of. And they're, they're well taken care of because the people who own them, really do care about the animals. And so when you have that kind of compassion towards your stock,

you tend to be around them more and they get used to you. You know, I've been, and I can't even tell you how many rodeos I've been in where there'd be bulls behind the shoot that were going to be bucked later that day. And the stock contractor would be right in the pin with them, petting them on the head, giving them a little bit of grain just to, you know,

keep them in a good place. And, you know, they're really not all out to get you. You talked about before we start recording this defining moment in your your bull riding career. Oh, yeah. And kind of like I was explaining to you, I'd love to walk the listener through a bull riding experience. Like, I want to know what it smells like. It feels like it looks like. Because I can imagine it's almost like a sensory overload to be on top of this animal that is so powerful.

and you're just trying to hold on for dear life. Yeah. I would love to like experience that as you like talk me and walk me through it. So I'll say this first. A lot of blurriding is emotional management. Because you have so much going on all at the same time, nerves, sounds, sights, smells, all that. You have to be able to compartmentalize some things. and then the things that don't get put in a box,

you got to figure out how to make them work for you instead of against you. So directly applicable to life. Life, everything, right? Even ultra running, you know, being 80 miles deep and it's 2 a.m. You know, how do you manage everything happening in that moment? Right. I mean, put some things in a box, use some others. So let me take you back.

The first 17 years of my life were in California. When I was 17, I moved to Montana. One of the reasons we moved to Montana was because of rodeo. In California, I was getting on maybe one rodeo a month in high school rodeo. In Montana, I could go to two or three rodeos a weekend. And so that was a big reason why we came up here is just my exposure. I could get on more bulls quicker. And when we moved up here, it was the summer of 2003.

I was 17 years old. It was right before the 4th of July. Now, if you were into rodeo, if you know anything about it, you know that the 4th of July weekend is the busiest rodeo weekend of the year. It's the craziest. There's a rodeo in every town. You probably know this being in Texas. Yeah.

And for Cowboys, you try to get on as many bulls as you can in a very short amount of time. So it was my first rodeo in Montana. I'm in Columbia Falls, Montana, which is right near Glacier National Park. I'm new. I'm 17 years old. I'm wearing a pukeshell necklace. I've got this like this blue collared shirt with the buttons like up from my neck to about my sternum open. And so everyone can see like my pukeshell necklace and nobody knows who I am because I'm like this young kid. Word gets out from the announcers. They start announcing bullwriters and where they're from. And they say I'm from California. And I remember that it.

As soon as that came out, I was listening for the reaction. And people in the crowd, I could hear boo, boo, boo, you know what I mean? Nobody wants Californian at their rodeo. You know, it's Montana. Montana's only. Warm welcome, huh? Warm welcome. And again, I'm 17, a little bit more impressionable at that time, got under my skin right away.

And I've always felt like things have kind of been. against me in a lot of ways. There's been several times in my life where it's like I've been the underdog. And so hearing that for a moment, I felt, I felt like, you know, I need to show these Montanans how we do in California. At least that was my thought. So it comes time for me to ride. I remember being back behind the shoots and it was my turn. And the announcer's stand was right behind and above me, right? That's called a crow's nest. And the announcer was able to look directly straight down on the bulls and I have photos and video of this actually it's kind of cool and as I'm getting on the bull I heard the announcer say all right well next up is our our Californian and you know

he's like really laying in thick that that I'm not from here and as I'm sitting on top of this bull and I'm taking my wrap which means I'm putting the rope around my hand I hear people in the crowd I hear the booze I hear the guys behind the shoots who are supposed to be on my side because the cool thing about rodeo is that it isn't a team sport. It's an individual sport. It's, it's us against the bulls. You know, so there should be some camaraderie. But even behind the chutes, I was kind of getting some of that. And it was hot. It's a 4th of July weekend. And as I'm taking my rap, I'm on this bull that had a big set of horns. And typically these horns go out to the size, but this bull, they go straight up. So I'm feeling this intimidation

because these horns are like right in my face. And as I take my wrap, I go to, you know, finalize my wrap and slide up to ride. And this bull just starts jumping in the shoot. And so I slide back as the bull's front legs go on top of the shoot in front of it. And then I have to like take my wrap again. The nerves are getting to me at this point. In the back of my head, I'm thinking like, oh, my gosh, do I have what it takes? Am I going to be able to ride this bull?

Am I going to be able to, you know, all. all those like doubts and fears were creeping in. It was taking longer than it should. I finally get my rap. I slide up. And the last thing I remember hearing the announcer say it was best a lot, California. Best a luck, California. And I came out, nodded my head.

And damn if I didn't win that rodeo that day. Damn if I didn't stay on that bull and just make one of the best rise in my eyes. life up until that point. And I remember getting off the bull and wouldn't you know it, dude, landed on my feet. Didn't land on my face, landed on my feet, which as bull rider is sometimes hard to do. Usually you fall off or you land on your knees or whatever. Landing on your feet is like, it's a good day. If you can ride a bull successfully and land on your feet, like typically those two things rarely happen, right? But for whatever reason, it lined up and worked out for me that day. and I remember getting off and I remember putting my hand in the air and I turned back to look at the announcers and I like put my fist up in the air as I was looking up at the announcer.

I can't remember what he said, but it was like in that moment where I realized like, you know what? Maybe there is something to this positive thinking. Maybe there is something to rising to a challenge and taking it head on and not allowing the fear and the doubts or the silly insecurities overwhelm me. And it was like a really powerful lesson for me in that moment. And it's something that I'll never forget. And in fact, I never cashed the check that I won that day. Why not? It just meant too much to me.

And so I still have that check today. It's in the barn. It's in a frame. And there was a photographer in the crowd that day who took a photo of me writing. And I got that photo from him. And I have the photo framed and then the check underneath it. And it will be in my barn on the wall forever. How long do these rides typically last?

Like, what's a good ride? So a qualifying ride is eight seconds minimum. One of the things that I learned from Gary was as you're training your mind, you're not training your mind for eight seconds. You train your mind for 10 seconds. Because if you only program your subconscious for eight, chances are you're going to buck off at seven. But if you train your mind for just a little bit more,

if you can just go one more, right? You buck off at nine. You make a qualified ride. And that was a big lesson for me too is when I think about going one more for me, it's like, let me just give a little bit more than what's required of me. And so it's a 10-second ride in my mind. It's not an 8-second ride. During that 8 to 10 seconds,

where's your mind at? It's so quick. Yeah. Are you even thinking about anything or is it kind of just blank? It's completely reactionary. I mean, in the beginning, I remember it being very fast. Everything was happening so quick. I really wasn't sure what was going on,

but I was also new to the thing. But what's interesting is the more that I did it and the more that I focused on my mind and my thoughts and prepared my body for it, time slows down. Time really does slow down. And towards the end of my career, I could really enjoy it. You can kind of feel, too. You know, like there's basically two or three different things that bull is going to do.

He's either going to go straight. He's going to go left or he's going to go right. And the more and more I did it, the more and more I could almost like anticipate what he was going to do next just by the way that it feels. And so you kind of get into this rhythm with the animal. And for me, like I never, towards the end of my career, I didn't really. see it as like I'm just trying to hold on for dear life and you know I'm trying to fight this animal but it's like how can I how can I be in sync with this animal like how can I just

it's almost like a dance you know and that was kind of how I looked at it and I think by doing it that way it took the fear part out of it because I wasn't so much thinking about like how do I just stay alive but it's like how do I enjoy this how do I how do I get the most out of it how can I just be in rhythm with this thing have you seen the new movie on Netflix called The Hustle with Adam Sandler No, I saw the preview for it though. Me and my wife just finished watching it. And there was a scene where, so Adam Sandler is the scout for the Sixers

and he finds his player. He was like a no-name player. He finds him in an international country and brings them over to the U.S. to play these other players. These other players have had this mental training. They are resilient and they can pivot. Nothing faces them. Yeah.

This new player who's this stud physically, he's strong. He hasn't had that mental training. Okay. So they go and play this game and one of the players from the U.S. just says some things to get in his head. He just instills some doubt. Like, you're no good. You suck.

You can't do this. You shouldn't be here. And instantly, this stud player that Adam Sandler scouted loses all his physical ability. He can't make shots. He can't guard anyone. And that's what I was thinking about as you were talking about that, is like if you can't control this anger,

this emotional response, because that's what happened. This player, he was overwhelmed with anger and emotions. And it affected his physical ability and his ability to perform at anything. That mental aspect is, like when you have mental control, you have control over your emotions,

and that meets physical preparation. that is unstoppable. You're dangerous, right? That makes me think of, like, when I was training for this last marathon, and we had our 18, 20, 22 mile workout days, that whole week leading up to, it was just a workout. It wasn't a race. That whole week leading up to, I was nervous.

I was, like, dialed in. It's all I was thinking about. I showed up race, or workout day, not even race day. I showed up workout day treating it like it was race day. Okay. I was nervous. I was scared. I was like, I was mentally dialed in.

And when that mental preparation and control meets your physical ability, that is. Like you said, it's powerful. That is capacity that is allowed to be unleashed. I like the way you worded that capacity that's able to be unleashed. Yeah, that's so true. And I've felt that through my rodeo days. I felt that through my American Ninja Warrior days too. but I've also been in places where I haven't prepared on one side or the other, whether it be

mental or physical. And that can also be powerful. That can also be a major detraction. I feel like every time that I've gone into a big event and prepared for something, you almost have to put an emphasis more so on the mental side of things, but like those two have to meet somewhere in the middle, ideally. That's what ultra running is, right? Of course. Of course. Is that what's drawn you into ultra running?

Is the parallels between bull riding and, you know, living in the mountains now? And because that's what I found with ultra running. You can't compare a marathon to a 100 mile race. No, not at all. Like someone, a good friend called me two weeks ago and they were prepping for 100 mile race. Their first one ever. And he was asking, you know, where you should keep his pace and his heart rate and all this stuff. for the physical, like, preparation of enduring 100 miles.

But I was kind of like, hey, man, just go out in there. Like, make sure you're getting enough nutrition. Yeah. You're going to reach a point where you mentally are just tapped. That's where the 100 mile race starts. Is that why you love ultra running then? So here's the truth, man. I'm not afraid to say this, but I'm not a good runner.

I'll be completely honest with you. I'm not a good runner, but I'm a good thinker. Mm-hmm. I know that I've been in so many situations. where life sucks, I'm dying, everything is on fire, but I can still keep my thoughts on board and moving in the right direction. And that's what I love about ultra running. I did 100 miler in January.

And this was my second attempt at that same race, because the first time I did it, I got to mile 71, and I couldn't go any further. I tried everything I could. At mile 65, I collapsed. At mile 71 is when I, like, finally. had to tap out. From a physical?

Yeah. Yeah. So at mile 65, I physically collapsed. And so I remember sitting on this rock at like two or three in the morning. And it took me five, ten minutes to get my body back on board with my brain, got back up and then ran another five, six miles to the aid. And then that's when I was like finally done. And I learned a big lesson.

It was, you know, those six miles after getting myself back on board, was like the most valuable time of that entire race. And so coming back the next year to do that same race to finish what I started, I knew that it was going to be more of a mental thing than anything. Because when I got to that place where I first initially collapsed at that mile 65 or whatever, you know what's so interesting, man, is I didn't feel anything for those previous 65 miles. But as soon as I looked at my watch and I'm like, oh, I'm at that point where I collapsed last year. Guess what? Everything started hurting. Everything started hurting. I started feeling fatigue. I started feeling tired. All of that. And what was so interesting is like I realized is that your body can store trauma. Your body has a really good memory. And it was so interesting because I was met with my first challenge that day where I now have to get my body back on board again with my brain. I got to go through all of that mental preparation and stuff that I've learned over the years.

to be able to put the fatigue and all of that nonsense in a box and realize like, hey, I'm okay, I'm okay here. I can keep going. I'm all right. And I was able to, you know, finish out the race for my second attempt on that, on that race, was able to get it done. But I'm a good thinker. At least I try to be. I have some mentors in business. I was meeting with last week. And one of the things they said to me was right now you're doing too much doing. You need to be doing more thinking. Okay. And that made me take inventory and stock in my life right now. Yeah.

It kind of applies to like stop working harder, work smarter. You know, I asked you the question in the beginning. What is one thing that everyone should experience in their lifetime? I almost want to say that's an ultra. Because in an ultra, you don't have to win it. You don't have to go out and try to win it. Just go out for completion. But you were going to learn so much about yourself that process.

where you're constantly fighting this battle of your mind is telling you stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. And there's a few times you're going to buy into it. Maybe I should, like, you know what, I'll come back next year, I'll do this. Right, right, right, right. I'll train better next time. I'm just going to tap out here,

especially for some of these races where there's like a full and a half. So you have like the 100 miler and the 100K. I saw a lot of this happen at Rocky Raccoon where people were signed up for the 100 miler. They get to the 100K seeing people finish and they say, you know what, this looks pretty good right now. But I think through an ultra, it's this battle of you're fighting against your mind telling you to stop the entire time. You're controlling your emotions. Yes.

And your emotions can have a lot of power over you. I agree. And I feel like with ultra running, it's almost like the ultimate performance hack. because you could listen to a podcast, you could go to a live event, you could ask somebody at a, you know, what's one piece of advice that you would give? And you can probably get some good nuggets from that, right?

You could take some gyms and see how you could apply them. But you go through something like an ultra, you get those downloads immediately. And they're like ingrained into your being. Because you peel back later. and you experience it firsthand. And it's just, it's so much more of like a visceral thing when you actually go through it. I think that's one of the biggest reasons why I do these retreats in Montana, where we train

and prepare for something like that. And then I fly you in and then I break you off in the mountains because you'll experience it firsthand and your life is forever changed. I do want to talk about those retreats. Yeah. But that made me think of, you know, if I read a book or listen to a podcast and there's this little nugget, I make sure I write it down so I never forget it. Oh yeah. I'll write it somewhere and I'll like, I'll write it in my notes

my phone, but then I'll screenshot it just in case my notes disappear. Yeah. Or I'll write it down. I have to always see it. There has to be that reminder. But when you go through it, you experience it. It's like you said, it is, it's ingrained in your, your flesh. Forever. It's forever. You can, you can, it's, sometimes it's traumatic where it's like, I cannot forget this. Of course. I have to go through therapy to forget this. Of course. But that is, that is a big difference between doing and experiencing and reading and theorizing.

Yeah. But let's talk about these retreats. So the retreats are something really special to me. I love Montana. I really love Montana. And what I appreciate, one of the things I appreciate Montana is how. the mountains have shaped me over the years and the lessons that I've drawn from them and how starting at a really low spot some years back and kind of coming to a place where I am today,

I learned all that from the mountains and from struggle and suffering and climbing and running in the mountains. And so what I found is that there are so many people who are doing big, incredible things in the world or maybe even just going through some things in their own personal lives. that could perhaps be solved by spending more time in nature, struggling in nature and going through those things. And so once a year, I host a retreat in Montana. And basically what it looks like is 12 weeks prior, I help you prepare, a coach you on your mindset,

get you run in, making sure that you're, you know, from a physical standpoint, your body's in a good place. And then you come to Montana and we do a mountain marathon in one of my favorite places there. And I don't like to disclose where it's at because I want it to be a surprise. I don't want you to have to research anything. I want you to be able to just show up and get it firsthand without knowing. And it's changed people's lives.

This is the second year that I've done it. I've got the next one, August 25th. But everybody from my last retreat, I had eight people flying from all over the country. Every one of them cried at the finish line. Every one of them said that their life has changed forever because of going through what we did because it's hard and you're out there by yourself you're in the back country you're yes you're in a national park but you're deep in the woods there are no aid stations there's none of that you're you're on your own and it's up to you to figure it out and i think that there's

very few times in life where it really is up to us and no one is coming to save us and the lessons that are in the mountains and being in nature are just they're unparalleled and i like to share that with people because it was such an impact on me and I kind of want people to experience that as well. It's actually a really good observation that there's very few things we can recreate in life where we can't be saved in the moment. You know, it's really easy to try to do something. But if I fail at this, the government's going to help me out. Yeah, right, right. If I fail at this, mom and dad are there. or, you know, I can call Uber Eats to deliver me like, I need sugar right now.

You know, like, there's a lot of things in life that it's, there's always an access point to be saved or for help. At what point on these retreats do people realize if I fail right now, if I'm in trouble, like, no one's coming to help me. There's usually two parts. And part one, and I, and I will always do this. I have a bare safety and awareness course that I lead the day. for. And for three hours, we sit down and we talk about the, the real possibility that you could die from a bear attack. It's real. Is it, is it common? No. But I think that's like the first time that people realize, like, I'm really, I'm really here. And this is a real possibility. And so I

teach people how to identify bears. I teach them about predator logic, behavior characteristics. And then finally how to defend themselves against a bear attack. So that's typically the first time. The second time is when we're about halfway through and everything's on fire and we're in the middle of nowhere and we're at elevation and we are the same distance from the finish as we are the start. And you have basically a chance in that moment. What do you do? Do you go back to the start? It's going to be the same distance either way. So which decision do you make? make. Do you go left or do you go right? I think that's a powerful realization for people too. And in my experience, everyone has chosen to move forward. So that's typically like big lesson number

two. And I think that what makes me a good fit for these retreats is I feel like I've gone through a lot of suffering and I understand like how to hold space for people while they are as well. and I think that's a big lesson for people too that they can also carry with after the retreat is over. Have you had any close encounters with bears since living in Montana? I got to know. Like, you know, we were just talking about it. Oh, man.

I recently have watched The Revenant. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That bear attack has haunted me since. Like, every time I go into the woods now, I'm going to be thinking, I'm going to experience that same dramatic bear beating. Yes. So, yeah, just about every time I get up in the mountains and run,

yes, always bear. Primarily grizzly bears because just, you know, Montana has the densest population, the second densest population of grizzly, second only to Alaska. So every time I go out there, there's at least one bear sighting. The thing that I've found is that it never gets easier.

Never. And because I'm running, you come up on an animal quicker than if you're just, say, hiking. And it never gets easier. And the only thing that I can do once that initial, like, shock or surprise is over is I just, I got to go through my steps. I know my steps and I just got to go through them. Okay, bear sprays off. Fixed blade is in the other hand. So now in both hands I have some way to protect me.

And now I just have to read the bear and see what his, you know, what he's doing. Where's his head at? what's his breath like what is his body positioning is he big is he down low is he breathing calmly or is he starting to increase you know so like you kind of just have to read the animal at that point and again the possibility is real but i know that um i have prepared myself in the best way possible for that encounter and i think that one thing that a lot of people may not consider before doing something like this is the the real possibility that you could die out here and you to be okay with that. You have to be okay with knowing that this could be the way that you go.

And if you can like get past that part, I think that being in the mountains and being around these beautiful creatures is a big blessing. Be really curious to see your heart rate data on your watch when you come across it there. Zone seven. The only zone seven I hit. I remember there was this viral video a few months ago of this guy who came across a mountain line while hiking. Oh yeah. I'm not I'm not sure if it was in Colorado or Montana. Remember this mountain lion was coming at this guy. Yeah. It went viral because he was filming it.

Utah. It was Utah. That's right. Yes. Yes. And see, the, and I watched that video a few times. And here's my takeaway from that.

So if anybody's seen this, here is what you should do. You have to remember that if you're in any kind of back country, if you're on any kind of trail in the mountains, you are not safe. Okay? you're not safe and you need to be prepared. That kid didn't have any kind of way to protect himself.

He didn't have a fixed blade knife. He didn't have a can of bear spray. Even on these like public trails, you have to be prepared. What he did do and think on his feet with, two good things. The mountain lion, you never want to go towards them. You definitely want to create space. He did that well. He also found whatever he could around him to protect himself, which were rocks.

And he was making really loud noise. noises. And I thought that he did those things really well. But that was, that's a scary encounter. I would much rather face a bear than a cat, much rather face a bear than a cat. Because they're more aggressive? They're more predictable. See, with, with a bear, there are telltale signs of what he or she is going to do. And you will always run into a bear from the front or from the side. With cats, chances are you're going to run into them from behind because chances are they've been stalking you for a while now. And that's frightening.

Yeah. And so that's another thing that I've kind of gotten into a habit of is when I'm in the woods and I am running, every hundred yards, boom, check my six. Cats are going to be behind me, bears are going to be in front. I check my six for cats. And then every so often I'm yelling out loud and I'm looking left and right, scanning the hillsides for bears.

And then in front of me, especially if I'm coming around the corner, I'll slow my pace and I'll yell aloud as I'm coming around corners just to, you know, be prepared and be aware of my surroundings. You have to tap into that. Do you ever run at night in the mountains or is that a no-go? I do. I do when it calls for it, but I don't like say, I'm going to go night run in Glacier Park.

I don't do that because it is just that much more real that something could happen because bear and mountain lions are more active at night. You tend to see them a little bit more at night because there's coverage, especially with cats. They tend to operate solely in the evening time. So only when I have to, I will. And I actually have a FKT, which in the endurance space stands for fastest known time in Glacier Park this summer, where it will require me to run at night. And so mentally I'm already starting to prepare for that because again, I'm going to be out there by myself. You constantly have to be aware. 100%. You can't ever like doze all for a little. You're, you're,

you're waiting for like the next 400 meters. Yeah. 800 meters. Milely. What may I encounter next? Which is also a great preparation for life as well. Of course, right? I would, uh, I would love to talk about, you know, we briefly mentioned you have these long dreads, right? Yeah. Long hair. And I've heard you mentioned this before and kind of describe it like how you came across this Ross Safari lifestyle. Yeah. And for what I understand, correct me if I'm wrong, you were going through these low points in your life. And it was it was the music.

It was the message behind the music and the lifestyle of positivity and the power of positivity. You can't talk about like what that introduction of the lifestyle has changed in your life and the lessons you've taken away from that. Man, so I'll say this first. Like, I've listened to reggae music since high school, but I've never really understood it until I got a little bit older. And going back to, like, say, 2013, I was in a really low spot after losing my father figure, my best friend, my mentor, my football coach. And I found him dead in his home.

And it sent me into this really dark place for about six months. And in that time, like, my life had completely fallen apart. It was like a damn old country song. It really was. And as I was called to regain control of my health and my life, I was 30 pounds overweight, living at my mom's, like, all this stuff. And I've always kind of been known as the fit guy. And I was embarrassed to go back to the gym to get back in shape

because I knew that I was going to see people there that I knew. And that was embarrassing for me. And so what I thought to do instead was I'm going to go into the mountains where nobody's going to be. And I can just run to start getting into better shape. And at this point, I'd already started growing my hair out. I didn't have it locked. I didn't have intentions of locking it at all. I just had my hair somewhat long.

And what I found is that like what was going to be me running in the mountains to get in better shape was actually me struggling to breathe in the mountains for a quarter mile. I hit that first quarter mile. I remember that first day and was just out of breath. Everything sucked. But there was something about it that made me feel good. Because if you've ever been through a period of depression, you know that unless you're sleeping, every minute of every day is hell. And that one part of my day that I would go into the mountains and run or hike or whatever it was,

it was like freedom from all of that. and it quickly became like my escape from how I was feeling at the time. And so as I'm starting to progress and be able to go a little bit further and further, it took me about two weeks before I can get to a point where I could think of something other than just trying to stay alive. And I thought, well, all right, now that's kind of making sense. Like, what if I brought some music into this? And so I just thought about bringing in reggae music. I don't know.

There wasn't really any reason behind it. I just thought that'd be kind of cool. And so at the time, because I'm by myself and at a low point, I started to understand reggae music. And I think in America, we think of reggae music as like smoking weed and getting high and Bob Marley. And, you know, there are elements to that. But if you really listen to what's being said, it's the power of positive thinking. It's about self-discipline.

It's about self-respect. It's about upliftment, community, and taking care of yourself. health, your health, wellness. All of the things that I wasn't getting from anywhere else in my life at that time. And so I kind of like to think about as like reggae music found me as opposed to me finding reggae music. And I think that in Rastafari, it's the same way. I feel like I've always kind of had like Rastafari tendencies, but I never really understood what they were until I started bringing the music in. And now you got to think about this. Like I have this thing where I can escape my depression. I'm in nature. I've got this, this positive music in my ears. I'm getting that good

hormone release from running. And it's this like beautiful three part concoction that has like made me feel unstoppable. And Rastafari came through those three things and it just made me want to know more about it. And as I've kind of transitioned into Rastafara, I realized that man, there are other people that think like I do. And some of those big lessons for me have been the importance of being self-sufficient, the importance of being able to chop your own wood and, you know, farm your own vegetables and live off the land and not have to rely on a lot of the systems and structure that we have in place or that we're accustomed to, but to be able to do for yourself.

And I think that's been one of the biggest lessons I've taken from it. It sounds very foundational. Of course. It lays this foundation for you to build upon. Of course. Yeah. The things that we've gotten away from over the years as our lives have gotten easier and more modern and better in a lot of ways.

You become dependable instead of having to depend on other people. Right. Right. Is that where, I watch you now on social media where you're building out your property and you're redoing fences. I saw like recently you redid this. local bridge.

Oh yeah. You're working on that. And I mean, you're really good with woodworking. Like, thank you. I tried to build some things. Like,

I have, I have the vision. I have the intent. And then it just never, it's never built the way it's supposed. I saw you, you built out like this outhouse that looked really good.

Mm-hmm. Is that where, you know, from that lifestyle change, has that encouraged and inspired you building out this property and your home? and the community and all those pieces of that?

Yeah, 100%. 100%. Here's what I've found is that a big tenant of Rastafari is taking care of the land and just finding it and then fixing it or making it better than the way that you found it. And so for those that don't know, I live in the middle of nowhere on the top of a mountain

and I've got about 10 acres up there. And when I got it, it was a complete disaster. the original owner hadn't touched the trees or did any cleanup for over 20 years. And so it was just this overgrown piece of land. But in my head, I saw potential. And so I got the ranch and I just started cleaning it up little by little, you know, taking care of the land. And what I found is as I started to clear away the dead trees and the brush from the forest floor,

I started noticing more birds coming around, more squirrels coming around. I could see, you know, the sky, the sun would hit the forest floor, whereas before you couldn't because there was just so much coverage there. And things started to grow. And it was like this, almost like this thing where I realized like, well, what else could I do here to make this land better? What else could I build here so that I don't have to go to town for anymore? So I built a second home. I built an outhouse. I built an outdoor shower. I built a gym. and I've got this area sectioned off now where we're going to start growing our own vegetables in the very short growing season that Montana has. I know I can get a couple things out of it at least.

But my whole thought process now is what are things that I can just build here that I don't have to go to town for anymore? Because ultimately that that would be my goal is that our ranch out there is just completely self-sufficient. And how powerful would that be if I don't have to rely on anybody for, anything. I mean, there's a lot of parallels in life there of if you look at your life as this property you bought. And it's really easy. Like you buy this property. It's overgrown to say, like, what can I, what can I buy or add to this? That will make this better. Yeah. Like polish it up. And a lot of times in terms of our life, it's like, what do I need to add on? What can I buy? What can I do?

But instead it's, well, let's clean it up. Yeah. You know, let's trim all the dead brush. Let's pull out all the dead trees. Let's trim the trees so the sun can come through and get some lights or things grow. Oh, now we have these animals coming in. Now we have like these berries growing. The parallels to life in that are pretty significant of. Sometimes we're just going to clean up our stuff and prioritize,

eliminate, allow things to grow and develop. And then it will just flourish from there instead of just adding on, adding on, adding on all the time. Yeah, because think of it. about like how long we've allowed dust to settle in our own life. And what that does to the mind, the distractions we have, the clouded thinking that we experience every day, because we haven't really done any inventory in a long time. And for me personally, having clutter around me, it doesn't allow me to think clearly. My creativity is lower. My thought process, my ability

to solve critical problems is much lower. And it's not as advantageous when I have a clear, clean space. And I think there's value to being the one to do that work yourself. It's so easy nowadays to hire a cleaning crew to come in and do it. But for me, like I feel like I'm like a grunt at heart. I like being that guy with the shovel or the chainsaw. I want to be the one that's sweating my ass off all day, cleaning it up. I would much rather do that than pay someone.

And because of that, like, you have a deeper appreciation for the work that you've done. You're not going to let it get dirty again that easy. Never. You know what was required to clean it up. Of course. And I get nothing but satisfaction when I look out. And I see deer or turkey running through or just bedded down into the trees in the area that I cleared. Because I knew that I made that.

place more hospitable for those creatures. And for me, like that, that just brings me so much joy. I did that work so that they could have a better life, a better experience. It'd be pretty peaceful on there. Like the solitude that provides, for me, that's what running has provided me. Running has provided me this solitude. And again, I've mentioned this before and people hear it and say, solitude, I'm just sucking, I'm suffering. There's, no solitude. It is suffering the entire way. Like you said when you first started running, like you have to get some of the suffering out before you can appreciate the solitude. Yes. If it was that easy to go on it for your first run and have solitude and this,

this empowerment, like everyone would be doing it. Everybody. Trails would be packed, wouldn't they? They would. But I found so much power in, just being able to eliminate distractions through running or being in the space. I mean, my dream is to have, acreage. There's no distractions. There's like there's peace. It is quiet. I can actually think that is my dream man.

Yeah. Yeah. I'll tell you, man. On the property, on the other end of the property, I built a vacation rental. I built a yurt. And for those I don't know, that's like a, it's an old world circular structure that was first used in like the fourth century by the Mongolian people. And anyhow, if I look at the reviews.

of the listing, everybody says the peacefulness, the stillness, the quiet. And just think about like what could be available to you if you had access to peace and quiet and stillness, like what that could do for your brain, especially in a world that we live in today where everything just moves so fast and everything is so modern. You know, we look at, we look at a place like even Austin, where we're at right now. We look at a place like Austin and we think, oh, that's the first world. It's a first world city. But if you really think about it, the first world is places like Montana.

It's the wilderness. Because really, like, that's where everything first started. So to me, it's the opposite. You know, first world countries are places where there is peace. There is quiet. There is stillness. And there's healing properties available to you. If you can find them, seek them out and actually just be there with them.

What do you think the differences in your health would be if you lived in a city as opposed to where you're living right now? Man. I just know that any time I get to spend in nature, I'm able to reconnect with how things used to be where we originally came from. And I feel like being in nature, it's such a meditation on so many different levels because you can really tap into the senses without distraction. You can hear the birds. You can see the turkey or the deer that are walking across the property. You can feel the sun on you. You can, there's nothing around you but what we first started with.

And for me, that's like one of the biggest inspirations in my life that I have. There's moments where like I'll just go and sit on my front deck at five, six a.m. Without my phone and I'll just listen and tune in. And the, what that does for my brain is like it just puts me in such. a creative, inspired, motivated place. And it's so much easier for me to move forward and do the things and keep the promises that I've made when I start my day in nature. And I feel like we just, we don't do that enough these days.

Looking back on like when I did Leadville 100 this past summer. Yeah, which was awesome, by the way. The documentary was fantastic. Thank you. That was, that was a life-changing experience for me. Of course. one for just the suffering through that event and like being there with my team and and seeing them suffer as well through it. That whole whole process was just like an experience.

But there's like also another level of the experience that I really haven't been able to put into words yet. And I still can't where, you know, I'm coming up over Hope's Pass and I'm looking out and there's just like forever mountains. Yeah. You know, and it's, it's hailing at the top of it. And then I go down the mountain and I needed water. And I'm filling up my water in this flow free, clean stream. I'm drinking from that. It's the best water I ever drank.

And like, I'm climbing uphoe past the second time and there's a waterfall next to me. And I'm just, I'm running this race thinking, this is the most amazing thing I've ever in a part of, I've experienced. and I don't know if I'll ever be able to put it into words, but it's just like it was this feeling that there's certain things that I feel or sense now that it reminds me of it. And I didn't have my phone on me. There were no distractions.

I knew I was going to be there for about 30 hours and during that event. And I want to experience that again in that type of environment. I did Rocky Raccoon a few months after that, another 100 mile race. that was night and day. That was black and white. I can't even compare Leadville to Rocky because of just how majestic Leadville, Colorado was, the Rocky Mountains.

Do you think that it would be the same if you were to experience that race again? No. Yeah. Nope. Do you think that if you had such a great experience, like that, would you want to do it again? I would do it again,

but I would want some time in between. Why? I'd want it to almost feel brand new again. Got it. Where I kind of want to forget what it was like. Every little piece about it from like you drive into Leadville, Colorado, and the town had this charm to it, this tiny town. And you can see the mountain skate behind it.

And the start of the race had this energy. And Hopes Pass had this energy. Twin Lakes had this energy. And if I ever experienced it again, I wanted to be brand new. where it's like I come into the town and I can smell it. It's familiar. But it's familiar and in a sense of I'm trying to navigate it all over again. You strike me as somebody who is very nostalgic.

I am very. appreciates things for what they were before. Yep. Even if I look back, I mean, I talk about it all the time. But like BPN in 2017, I talk about that year all the time because it was me, my brother, and Joe living in one house, trying to ship products out of it. But that year, as hard as it was, it was one of the best years of my life. Of course.

Very nostalgic. Isn't that wonderful how, you know, you've been doing BPNF for how many years total? Almost 10 years now. Okay. You remember or have the best memories when things were the most difficult. Easily. Yeah. Easily.

I miss it being difficult. in a sense of you don't know if the business is going to be the next day. Yeah. You're trying to figure out how to make a few extra bucks to cover the lease of the warehouse you just signed. Yeah, yeah. That reminds me of what we're talking about earlier with the process. And when, you know, like if I think about this last hundred that I did,

I didn't, I don't remember anything before mile 85. Because at mile 85, my Achilles popped. And it was like those last 17 miles, not 15, but it was actually 17 miles that I remember every step of when things really got difficult. And it just makes me appreciate what it took to even get that far. Those last 17, man, they made way more of an impact in my life than the previous 85 ever will. That 85 was just like you're, you were spending 85 miles to get to the point of the start of the ultra for what you signed up for.

That's right. That's right. Whenever I talk to people about ultras, they all have similar experiences where it's, you got to spend 90 miles to get to the starting line of why you signed up for a 100-mile race. Those last 10 miles, it's a different race from the first 10. That's where you get your money's worth, right? It is. Yeah. But like, you got to be patient with that process and respect it.

Like, that's what's cool about ultras is you have to. to respect every part of that race because there's so much that can change and go wrong over the course of it, you're just there to pivot and adapt through it. Yeah. The other night, maybe like two weeks ago, actually, I was thinking about the process and I was thinking about my life and how at an early age I was introduced to things that are just going to take a lot of time. And I feel like as I've gone through life, every major sport that I've chosen is an activity like that. Like it isn't just like you get the result right away. You really have to refine skills. And I've found that like the process for me is is the result in itself. I'm such a, I've become such a

student of the process and appreciated the process for what it is for a number of reasons. but like I think a lot of times we struggle with not receiving a thing right away. And when we predicate happiness based on the end results, I mean, we're setting ourselves up for disappointment because what happens if that result never comes? And so what I found that's a better way of looking at it is allowing your happiness to hinge on daily results that you create based on the goals that you set. And I think if you can make that shift, then you can find daily bits of happiness along the way. And it's just a more sustainable approach.

It's like I had Sal DeStefano on the podcast for Mind Pump media a few months ago. Oh, yeah. And he said, the man who loves walking will walk further than the man who loves the destination. Now, it's easier to than done. Of course. Of course. Finding these small wins daily, one thing I struggle in as well is I try to focus on these daily wins,

and you have to be intentional with it. It's really easy to get called up in the destination. As soon as you set a goal or something's on a timeline, when you're on a timeline specifically. But what I found is when I start focusing on the destination or the outcome and result rather than the daily wins and process, I am not present any longer. Not just for myself, but for my wife,

for my team, for the business. And when you're not present any longer, you're not doing anyone any good. Right. And everybody starts to notice. And they become disconnected from the thing that everyone's working so hard for. Exactly.

The power of positivity. That is literally changed your life, right? 100%. It was one of the first books that I ever read. by recommendation of Gary Lafew was the power of positive thinking. You know, it's one of those things that I think most people struggle with. And I say this quote all the time. It's doubt is only dangerous when you start doubting yourself.

And I've talked to so many people where the stories are so similar, right? Like when I started BPN, the same thing was happening when you were on the bull. and people are telling you, you're not going to do it. You can't do it. As soon as you start agreeing with that or believing in that doubt, it's over. But as soon as you just kind of push back and don't believe it, you're dangerous. 100%. You can do whatever you want to do.

Yeah, or if you can just find a way to allow that to fuel you. And that's one of the things is like when I get that negativity or when it's coming to my life, I find ways to redirect it because it can be used to help. I think that a lot of times criticism and naysayers can be an ally. You know, if we can just find a way to not let it get too personal. And that's that's kind of like, again, I told you that I've found myself as the underdog like the majority of my life. You know, I grew up in a in a small neighborhood, a Mexican neighborhood, and I'm this like skinny little freckle-faced white kid. And I'm not even white. a Mexican, but I'm so like fair skin that all the Mexican kids around me thought I was just this

little skinny white boy. And I was an underdog a lot of my life and it started with that. And so I found a way to not take things so personal. And I think that by going through a lot of that is kind of like what's allowed me to find some success that I've had in life is being okay with being the underdog. I love it, man. Well, dude, I appreciate you. I love your story. I love your outlook. It's only a matter of time until I come out to Montana. It's coming, man. Log some miles with you and try to avoid being eaten by a grizzly there. I'll take good care of you, man. We'll go through the safety course together. Love it. I appreciate it. Thank you. I appreciate you, man. And I got one more thing for you.

Send it. I know that you got a special delivery in the next few weeks. And I wanted to bring you a little something from Montana for you and for your wife, Stephanie. Oh, thank you so much. You know, I got a little crushed in my suitcase, but we're about 25 days out right now. Oh my gosh, man. That's going to be here so soon. What you got for me right here? So, you know, just a little something from Montana. Just to let you know that we're thinking about you up north.

I love it, dude. Steph's going to love it. A little outline of Montana. Montana love, baby. Yeah, man. Dude, I appreciate you. Hopefully this baby loves running in the mountains as much as I deal. Yeah, no doubt.

All right, man. Thank you. Much love. in to another episode of the Bear Performance Podcast. Please leave a rating and review on the platform you are listening to if you enjoyed it. It helps us to grow and reach more people with the intent of changing lives through the Go One More mindset. If you are ready to take your health and performance to the next level, head over to BPNSups.com to take the first step.