How to Come Back from the Dead, with filmmaker Joe Cross

Joe Cross is an Australian entrepreneur and filmmaker whose “reboot” concept empowers business leaders to take control of their health by making simple lifestyle changes. But before he was the picture of health and wellness and a beacon of hope for thousands across the globe, Joe Cross was on death’s door. By age 40, Joe’s health was in disarray, despite a flourishing career as a day trader and investor. As Joe explained it to us, he was focused on “wealth and not health,” and while he wasn’t looking his weight ballooned out of control. 100 pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe was at the end of his rope. Enough was enough. Sick and tired of being sick and tired, Joe discovered that the power to change was within his control, and that he could “reboot” his health and his life by making simple lifestyle changes. He lost the weight, cured his own disease, and threw all the pills away. And if he can do it, so can all of us. Joe documented this journey from obesity and illness back to health and vitality in his first film, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, a runaway success that has been viewed by countless people around the world. Joe was gracious enough to spend some time sharing his amazing story, as well as strategies that can help all of us improve our health, longevity, and vitality, and do the work we were meant to do.  Key Takeaways Joe describes his reboot technique, and how it’s transformed his life. Joe shares one simple change the average business leader can do to start living a healthier lifestyle. Joe describes the “Two Rule,” a way to avoid sabotaging your health and nutrition goals while eating out at business meals. Joe breaks down the 80/20 rule that guides his healthy lifestyle, and explains why maintaining a balance is so vital to your longterm health. Joe shares a story about attending a rock concert in his youth that illustrates what a huge epiphany discovering a plant-based diet was for him. Joe talks about the replacement vs. restriction dichotomy, and how replacement is the key to long term success when it comes to lifestyle changes. Joe dives into his personal story, describing how he left high school at 17, became a courier for a merchant bank, and then a trader on the floor of Sydney’s Futures Exchange. Joe descibes his life as a trader, and how he lost $200k on his worst day. Joe explains how his obsession with work led to his ballooning weight and deteriorating health, and what he did about it.   Joe tells us why it’s so important to climb a tree and make sure we’re in the right jungle instead of blindly hacking away with our machetes (so to speak). Finally, Joe tells us why he became a filmmaker, and the role that storytelling plays in enacting positive social change. Links Reboot With Joe @JoetheJuicer on Twitter Joe’s Films Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead 2 The Kid’s Menu Recommended Reading Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman Special Offer for AO Listeners! 2 Week Free Trial and $25 Credit with SaneBox How many emails do you have in your inbox right now? A hundred? A thousand? Twenty thousand? An out of control inbox is probably THE biggest drag on your time and sanity. But it doesn't have to be this way. There's a secret to reaching inbox zero and taking back your email sanity. It’s called SaneBox and I can’t recommend it enough. SaneBox sorts through your email and moves all of the trivial stuff into a different folder so the only messages in your inbox are the ones you actually want to see. Aside from removing all of the junk so you can focus on messages that matter, there’s this a great feature called the BlackHole. Move an email into that folder and you’ll never hear from the sender again. It’s so rewarding. Because we could all use more organization in our email life, we worked out a great deal for our listeners. Visit sanebox.com/AO and they’ll throw in an extra $25 credit on top of the two-week free trial. You don’t have to enter your credit card information unless you decide to buy, so there’s really nothing to lose. Check it out today and let me know if you love the BlackHole and reaching inbox zero as much as I do.   Go to SaneBox.com/AO to claim your $25 credit and try it for free now!