GOLF DON'T LIE

Today’s episode dives into the intricate mental game of golf, featuring Dr. Gaston Cordova, who breaks down the connection between our physical performance on the course and our mental state. The core takeaway here is that mastering your game isn’t just about swing mechanics; it’s also about mastering your mind and body, especially when faced with adversity on the course. We chat about how self-talk and visualization play critical roles in maintaining composure after a bad shot or a tough hole, emphasizing that slowing down our body is essential to calming our racing minds. Plus, we explore techniques like breath control and the power of a positive mindset, illustrating that these practices can transform your performance and overall experience in the game. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a seasoned pro, the insights shared in this episode will resonate with anyone looking to elevate their golf game and life.

Takeaways:

• Golf is a journey of constant learning and adaptation, reflecting the unpredictable nature of life.
• The mental aspects of golf, including visualization and mindfulness, can significantly enhance performance on the course.
• Preparation is key; both mental and physical readiness paves the way for success in golf and beyond.
• To overcome challenges on the course, it's crucial to calm the body first to settle the mind for better clarity.
• Self-mastery in golf involves recognizing and managing self-talk, especially when under pressure during rounds.
• Embracing a heart-centered approach in golf can lead to improved performance and a more fulfilling experience.

We welcome Peter Egazarian from the illustrious Farmington Country Club, diving deep into the intricate connections between golf, personal development, and the human experience. The episode kicks off with Peter sharing his unique journey from a traditional golf instructor to a performance coach who integrates cutting-edge technology and sports science into his practice. Together, we explore how golf serves as a mirror, revealing our true selves and offering invaluable lessons on resilience and character, cementing the idea that “GOLF DON'T LIE.” Peter also highlights the rich history of Farmington, where the legacy of Thomas Jefferson intertwines with modern golfing experiences, creating a vibrant community atmosphere. Tune in as we unpack the transformative power of golf, emphasizing relationships built on the course and the personal growth that comes from every swing taken.

Everything in golf leads back to the individual, and this vibe runs throughout the conversation with Peter Egazarian. Jeff and Justin kick things off by discussing their own experiences with golf, emphasizing how the sport brings people together and fosters lifelong friendships. The episode highlights how golf serves as a great equalizer, exposing personal strengths and weaknesses through the lens of the game. Peter's insights into his role at Farmington Country Club showcase the blend of tradition and innovation that defines modern golf. He details his background in sports performance and how it shapes his approach to coaching, illustrating how technology can enhance the golf experience while maintaining the sport's integrity. The discussion also touches on the significance of mentorship and community in the golfing world, with Peter underscoring the importance of creating a welcoming environment for all players. This episode is a rich exploration of golf's role in shaping character and building relationships, making it a must-listen for anyone passionate about the game.

Takeaways:

• Golf is a reflection of personal character, revealing who you really are under pressure.
• The importance of relationships in golf cannot be overstated; they shape both our game and life experiences.
• Using technology in golf training, such as the NX Pro unit, greatly enhances performance and recovery.
• A relaxed mindset is crucial for success in golf, as stress can hinder performance on the course.
• The history of Farmington Country Club intertwines with Thomas Jefferson, making it a unique and historical golfing venue.
• Building a community through golf, like Mandatory Golf Friday, fosters connections and friendships among players.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Farmington Country Club
• Trackman
• NeuX Tech
• Old Warson Country Club
• Arcadia Bluffs
• Korn Ferry Tour
• NPI
• 1stPhorm
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Companies mentioned in this episode:

• firstform
• Farmington Country Club
• New X
• Trackman

Welcome to GOLF DON'T LIE™️, where we're diving deep into the heart of golf and life in a new chapter of the 18STRONG Podcast. We're all about shifting the focus from just swing tips to the stories that shape us on and off the course.

Jeff Pelizzaro takes us on a journey, highlighting how golf isn’t just a game; it’s a mirror reflecting who we truly are. Expect real talk with athletes, creatives, and everyday legends who share their experiences and lessons learned, making our time on the greens way more meaningful. We’re mixing it up with segments that bring hilarious and humbling moments to light, proving that every swing has a story, and every story is worth sharing. So, tune in, kick back, and let’s explore how golf can teach us about living life to the fullest.

Takeaways:

• The rebranding from 18STRONG to GOLF DON'T LIE™️ signifies a deeper focus on personal stories and shared experiences within the golf community.
• Our podcast will explore not just the technicalities of golf, but also the life lessons that come from playing the game and connecting with others.
• Expect a mix of in-depth conversations with various guests, ranging from professional athletes to everyday golfers sharing their unique journeys.
• New segments like 'GOLF DON'T LIE™️ moments' will highlight the unexpected and humorous experiences that only golf can provide, enriching our discussions.
• This show aims to resonate with golfers of all skill levels, emphasizing authentic storytelling over mere technique and swing tips, fostering a relatable community.
• Join us as we dive into heartfelt discussions that reflect the true essence of golf, celebrating both the challenges and triumphs experienced on the course.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• 18STRONG
• The Good Bogey

Guest: Bo Watson & Shannon Shuskey (In the Zone Mental Training, Authors In the Zone Secrets)

Host: Jeff Pelizzaro

Episode Number: 371

Podcast: The 18STRONG Podcast

Partners: Linksoul, 1stPhorm

Join us as we explore the intricate dance between the mind and the golf swing with mental training experts Bo Watson and Shannon Shuskey of In the Zone Mental Training. Together, we unravel the significant impact of mental coaching in conjunction with golf instruction. Hear about Bo’s personal struggles with golf and the pivotal role Shannon’s expertise played in not just refining his game, but transforming the way he—and any golfer—can harness the power of visualization. From the tee box to the final putt, this conversation is a treasure trove for those looking to elevate their mental game and savor the joy of golf like never before.

Listen in as we discuss the transformative power of mindset in sports performance. Shannon opens up about his journey from anxiety-ridden to confident, culminating in becoming a national champion speed skater, and how that mental shift can be equally effective on the golf course. Skepticism meets evidence when Bo applies a custom mental trigger, leading to astonishing improvements in his game after a two-year break. This dialogue will leave you pondering the potential for mental techniques to revolutionize sports and how a single change in perception can be a game-changer.

We round out our conversation with an insightful look into mental imagery’s role in sports performance and technique, the concept of ‘caveman golf’ for achieving flow, and the psychological intricacies unique to golf. Discover how legends like Tiger Woods and Sam Snead leverage mental imagery to perform under pressure and how these techniques can empower you to reset mentally on the course. As Bo and Shannon share their book insights and their passion for the game, this episode is not just a lesson in golf—it’s an invitation to transform how you approach every shot, mentally and emotionally.

Bo is the Co-Founder of In The Zone Mental Training and Co-Author of the new book called In The Zone Secrets. He has been a host of 2 Consistent Golf Summits and the Road2TheTour Golf Summit, which collectively drew over 20,000 registered attendees. These Summits featured some of the world’s best coaches such as Sean Foley, James Sieckmann, David Orr, Mark Broadie, Scott Fawcett, Nick Clearwater, Dr. Kwon, Andrew Rice, and many others. The primary purpose behind these summits was to help golfers shortcut their path to consistent golf!

Shannon was the Operations Manager of the largest Golds Gym on East Coast and Mental Performance Mastery Coach for 20 years, Sports Performance Specialist for 30 years, specifically working in the sport of speed skating, coaching hundreds of high level athletes in including several Olympic qualifiers and medalists. It was Shannon’s mental training techniques that helped his athletes achieve such high levels that intrigued Bo to try them on himself for golf. The success of this “experiment” led to the partnership that is now the helping golfers all over the world shoot their lowest scores ever.

Bo and Shannon’s mission is to help 100,000 golfers shoot their new lifetime low rounds. They currently work with Tour Players, College Golfers, and the everyday golfer who wants to play their best golf yet!

(00:03) The Mental Edge

Mental coaching and visualization can enhance golf performance and enjoyment, discussed by In the Zone Mental Training.

(11:06) Triggering Performance Excellence

Transformational journey in sports performance, from anxiety to confidence, using custom triggers to improve without practice.

(21:45) Mental Imagery in Sports Performance

Nature’s mental imagery in sports includes basic visual and kinesthetic techniques for skill acquisition and muscle memory.

(29:02) The Power of Caveman Golf

Nature’s “caveman golf” focuses on target and flow, contrasting with pursuit of perfect swing. Psychological aspects and influence of Alex Morrison also discussed.

(36:26) Mental Imagery in Golf Techniques

Exploring mental techniques of top golfers like Tiger Woods, importance of protein for athletes, and power of positive mindset in golf.

(47:14) Mental Imagery and Performance Enhancement

Mental approaches in golf, interest-curiosity mindset, anxiety and reward value, “ball reset” technique, positive self-talk and imagery, Sam Snead’s success.

(59:00) Golf Book and Course Recommendations

Bo and Shannon share insights from their book, discuss impactful books and dream golf foursomes, and recommend inspiring social media accounts.

Instagram

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• Bo Watson: @schooloflifetimelowrounds
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• Shannon Shuskey: @shannonshuskey
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Website: IntheZonementalTraining.com

Book: InthezoneSecrets.com

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To continue the conversation and ask any questions you may have, head over to the 18STRONG Movement group on Facebook.

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18STRONG Resources (All of the cool stuff we recommend: products, books, golf stuff, etc – and discount codes for the 18STRONG Crew)

0:00:04 – Jeff Pelizzaro

the 18STRONG podcast, episode number 371, with bo watson and shannon Shushkey of in the zone mental training. What’s up, guys? Welcome back to the 18STRONG Podcast, where we’re here to help you build a stronger game, because we believe every golfer deserves to play better, longer. In this episode we have Bo Watson and Shannon Shushkey, the creators of the In the Zone mental training and the authors of the recent book In the Zone Secrets. And today’s episode is awesome because we’ve got the mental side, we’ve got the golf side. Bo’s background is in golf instruction and is a high level golf coach and went through a period of time where he was a little frustrated with the game, ended up actually leaving the industry. But when he met Shannon Shushkey, who is a mental game coach, performance coach, but really his background is in speed skating and working with speed skaters, but learned how to teach them and work with them on getting in the zone, when the two paths crossed, they started to figure out that this could be a game changer for the game of golf. So in this episode we go deep into visualization and what it looks like to really visualize to help your performance on the golf course, what it looks like when you step on the tee box and what that mental rehearsal and work really should look like and ends up looking like if you’re going to shoot lower scores. We also talk about how you can accelerate swing changes. Often we hear that when you’re working on the mental game, should you be looking at the shot or should you be looking at what your body’s doing? So we talk about how working on your mental game and your visualization can actually help accelerate your swing changes and how you can drop your scores without physical practice. So we’re going to go into depth on controlling the images that you see, controlling your emotions out on the course and ultimately enjoying the game even more. You’re going to really enjoy this episode with Bo and Shannon.

Our partners over at Link Soul have been providing us with the best apparel for both on the course and off the course, from polos to t-shirts like the one I have on right now. Everything that they have is meant to be worn from the golf course to wherever you’re going next, whether that be casual, whether that be to the beach there’s all different options over there. So go to 18strong.com slash Linksoul. You’ll get 20% off of anything in your cart over on Linksoul’s website. So again, 18strong.com slash Linksoul for our favorite brand of apparel for anything on the golf course and off. Now let’s get to this week’s interview. Brand of apparel for anything on the golf course and off. Now let’s get to this week’s interview Bo Watson, shannon.

0:02:51 – Bo Watson

Shushkey, welcome to the 18STRONG Podcast.

0:02:54 – Shannon Shuskey

Thanks for having us. Yeah, thanks for having us. This is exciting.

0:02:56 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Absolutely. This is going to be an exciting one for me and our 18STRONG crew. I know, bo, I kind of heard of you guys through your connection with Carl Morris and being on Carl’s show and Carl’s one of our favorites over here at 18STRONG and you guys did a great episode with him that I’m also going to encourage everybody to listen to and we’ll put that in the show notes. So I know that just by listening to that episode going through your book, the philosophies are so aligned with what we believe here at 18STRONG, just as far as the intention of the game is really for us to really enjoy it. And I think that you know, obviously by playing better you enjoy it more. But you guys go so much into the idea that you know putting this intention into playing better allows you to really enjoy the game more. And it’s about even bigger things than the game too.

So first of all I just want to kind of preface that to our audience that they’re in for quite a ride here with you guys. I would love to start out with and, bo, I’ll kind of throw this at you I’d love for you to start out with a little bit of the background of how you two met because I think the story of your connection and where you were mentally in your career and everything, bo, is really crucial to the story. And then how Shannon came in.

0:04:10 – Bo Watson

Yeah, it’s always a funny story to tell, because where I was is where I think a lot of people are kind of in their game right now or have been at some point in their golfing journey and so kind of give a little bit of a context behind that. In 2016, I actually stepped away from the game Like I closed down my golf school. I was a very successful golf coach up to that point. I’ve been blessed to learn over some of the best in the game. You know the who’s who, so to speak, and mainly that’s because of my relationship with David, or those of you of you that aren’t familiar with David Orr. David’s considered the best putting coach in the world. Him and Phil Kenyon are kind of battling neck and neck for that title. But the thing is, because of that relationship, because I was at school at Campbell and I fell in love with teaching a game, I left school, opened my own golf school and I’m having a lot of success. But the problem was, as a coach, I’m a type, a type personality. Every person that comes and sees me I want to help and, you know, kind of give you some background on our track record. We were averaging 4.7 shots dropped across handicaps, uh, for every student that we worked with, on average in about a six month time span. So we were doing a little bit better than the industry average at the time. You know, golf Tech prides themselves on seven strokes in a year. We’re doing a little bit better than them. So I kind of like to say that and rub that a little bit in the Clearwater space a little bit. But the thing is, at the end of the day I still had, you know, a few students coming to me and I couldn’t help them. And the ones that I couldn’t help, jeff, were the ones that were like hey, bo, why is it that I always start terribly on the front side but then I play amazing on the back? And it could be vice versa. I mean it could be. You know, they play really well, shoot like 36, 37, 35 on the front, and then they go to the backside and shoot 46, 48. And you know, some of them would have this trouble of getting to this one hole and it’s a negative habit loop and that’s like no matter what they do, they always hit in the water. And it was those kind of students I didn’t have an answer for and I’ll tell you.

It came to a head in september 2016. I’ll never forget it. It’s september, it’s late in the evening, he’s my last lesson of the night and we we basically had an honest conversation where I said you know what? I can’t help you and the the interesting thing about this one particular student was that, on paper, strokes gain data. When we go out and be playing lessons together, we go out and play a few holes, the data is showing that he should be in the 70s and even on top of that when we do lessons and we’re working on his game ball striking wise, this guy should be a low, single digit handicapper. But the issue was, when you go and play in tournaments, it would be high 80s, low 90s every time he goes out and plays and I, finally, I just I don’t have an answer and we decided to part ways.

I got fired that evening and, uh, that was like the final straw for me because it finally came to head, where I was so frustrated, not only not being able to help my students, but the biggest reason was because, personally, as a player, I still had yet to overcome these obstacles in my own game, and then I, when I left that evening, I shut down the golf school. I started putting out resumes and I started applying to different jobs, and then I left the game of golf for good and had no intention of ever coming back into the game until two years later. I meet this guy, shannon Shushkey, at a dinner one night. And then, you know, I got to say and be honest, my game changed, but then my life also changed as a result of it.

0:07:52 – Jeff Pelizzaro

And that’s why I’m now here and loving what I do on a daily basis. So, Shannon, if you could kind of pick up where you met Bo.

0:08:02 – Shannon Shuskey

I know you guys went out to dinner, I believe, and it had nothing to do with golf, right? No, absolutely. I was over the ministry team at our church and I was leading prayer class and he was wanting to be on the ministry team and stuff like that, and so I wanted to go out just to get to know him. And what’s crazy is you can’t make this up he was working at a place where I just quit, probably about two years prior to that or a year prior to that, and so I was like, okay, this is first and foremost. That’s uncanny, you know, but you can’t make up the story of how we met and because, once we got there and at the restaurant we were eating and with how, everything, we didn’t even get to know each other. I was sharing with him the things that I’ve experienced when it comes to speed skating and being able to trigger my body to get in the zone on demand at the flip of the switch, and he was like there’s no way. And I was explaining to him where I was in my speed skating, how it literally transformed me as a competitor.

Um, for example, what happened with me was, um, my background. I played soccer, played semi-pro, so I was pretty fast with shoes on, but then you put skates on. What in the world was going on? It’s a different monster that was out there, and I was getting last off the starting line, um, every single time. Now, here’s the thing the team that I skated for we had 22 national champions in the prospective age group, so it was kind of like me going out against a who’s who I was like a 30-year-old, you know, going against these kids, however, and so I’m getting last off the starting line in practice, not just in practice, but at meets and everything like that.

But I knew that there was a mental disconnect, because whenever we were playing around and we’d have our shoes on or whatnot and we would race, I would beat them hands down, hands down. So I knew it’s just like in golf. You know how often um, you did, does your listeners and everybody’s listening this podcast, for example. You know you can play lights out on the golf range, but yeah, when it comes time to any kind of pressured situation or just going out to the golf course, the change in atmosphere, the environment and stuff like that, and it’s like, okay, where did my game go? That’s what was going on with me and so I was getting mental reps in and literally after I figured out with this concept and this system that I developed, literally within one month I started beating. I would say I was probably getting about halfway through off the starting line and then, within a little over a month, I was winning every single start. And then a month and a half I was winning every start, not just practice, but at meets.

And then there was a huge shift, even like literally my I was not nervous before any race. That changed. I was going in more confident and as a result of that, on top of that and it was like, okay, a name is, is just a name. But when I stepped up to the stop of mel, whether this is true or not, a name is just a name but mentally, going up to the starting line, I knew that I was the one to beat. Now, whether that was true or not, I mean I would race world...

Guest: Ryan Degale (Orthopedic Spine Specialist, Founder of Golf and Body)

Host: Jeff Pelizzaro

Episode Number: 370

Podcast: The 18STRONG Podcast

Partners: Linksoul, 1stPhorm

Listen in as Ryan DeGale, an orthopedic spine specialist with a 17-year tenure in strength and conditioning, shares his wealth of knowledge on maintaining spine health, specially tailored for golfers. Our discussion ventures into the realm of practical self-care for the back, steering clear of common misconceptions about back surgery and providing a rich understanding of spinal anatomy and physiology. For those passionate about golf, Ryan’s insights on specific exercises, showcased on his Instagram, offer a path to a pain-free golfing experience, reinforcing the importance of proactive measures over reactive ones.

In our engaging conversation, Ryan sheds light on the intricacies of the body’s supportive systems, such as ligaments, tendons, and fascia. He details the advantages of the ELDOA method over traditional inversion tables, emphasizing how these tissues play a pivotal role in posture, injury prevention, and overall athletic performance. We also examine the overlooked but crucial concept of fascia in body mechanics, highlighting how proper technique in physical therapy and massage is vital for maintaining the health of these tissues. For competitive golfers, Ryan discusses the necessity of a tailored fitness routine, underscoring the potential pitfalls of long-distance cardio and the benefits of interval training and personalized core workouts.

Wrapping up our rich dialogue, Ryan brings his clinical nutritionist expertise to the table, examining the impact of dietary choices on health and the controversial food pyramid. He offers a unique perspective on how nutrition intersects with the culture and competitive dynamics of golf. Join us for this episode as we traverse a broad spectrum of topics, from spinal health and body mechanics to the nuances of training for competitive golf and the intersection of modern medicine with nutrition, all aimed at enhancing performance and well-being both on and off the golf course.

Born in Barbados, Ryan is a 36-year-old strength coach with 17 years of experience in the field. For the past 12 years, he has trained under Guy Voyer DO, specializing in orthopedics and body motion. With over 20 years of experience in playing golf, Ryan works with competitive players and is the proud owner of Golf and Body. His mission is to help golfers play pain-free golf. 

(00:04) Masterclass on Golf Body Spine Health

Orthopedic spine specialist Ryan DeGale shares practical approaches to back care and dispels misconceptions about back surgery for golfers.

(12:31) Unlocking the Body’s Intelligent Systems

ELDOA method focuses on end-range motion and creating space in the spine, training supportive tissues, and preventing injuries in daily life and sports.

(23:01) Preventing Back Pain in Golf

Nature’s strategies for preventing and managing back pain, including seat warmers, stationary bikes, and active reinforcement for muscular imbalances.

(29:00) Discussion on Golf Swing and Posture

Eyes, fascial tension, and spinal health in golf, emphasizing holistic approach and collaboration with experts for enhanced performance.

(36:59) Training Essentials for Competitive Golfers

Personalized fitness routines, mobility, interval training, targeted core exercises, and individual goals are crucial for competitive amateur golfers.

(47:48) Importance of Fascia in Body Mechanics

Understanding fascia and proper technique in physical therapy and massage, with insights from experts and resources for further learning.

(55:52) Modern Medicine, Golf, and Nutrition

Comparing historical diets to modern processed food, dental health, celebrity golf foursome, inclusivity in golf, and competitive dynamics of golf tours.

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• Instagram: @golf_body_mia
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@Hormozi

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1st Phorm: Try any of the 1st Phorm products with FREE SHIPPING, go to 1stphorm.com/18strong.com (By using this link, you will be entered into our Monthly 1st Phorm Giveaway!)

To continue the conversation and ask any questions you may have, head over to the 18STRONG Movement group on Facebook.

18STRONG Pro Shop (Get your 18STRONG gear!)

18STRONG Resources (All of the cool stuff we recommend: products, books, golf stuff, etc – and discount codes for the 18STRONG Crew)

0:00:04 – Jeff Pelizzaro

The 18STRONG Podcast, episode Number 270 with Ryan DeGale from Golf Body. Thanks out guys. Welcome back to the 18STRONG Podcast, where we’re here to help you build a stronger game, because we believe every golfer deserves to play better, longer, and this episode with Ryan DeGale from Golf Body is exactly about that Playing golf for as long as you possibly can. Ryan is the owner and founder of Golf Body down in Miami and he is an orthopedic spine specialist. His background is in strength and conditioning, but over the past 17 years has really become an expert in the spine, especially working with golfers. So I like to think of this as being a bit of a master class for especially those golfers that are out there, like yourself, possibly like myself, that have struggled with some back pain in the past and finding ways to really help yourself to eliminate your back pain and really to give you a more optimal and optimistic outlook on what the possibilities are for you to play pain free golf in the future. Ryan is an expert at really breaking down the anatomy and the physiology of what’s going on between the fascia, the muscle, the ligaments. He’s got a great Instagram channel where he really dives in and shows different exercises for these different types of exercises and for spine health in general. So you’re really going to enjoy this episode with Ryan DeGale.

Our partners over at Linksoul have been providing us with the best apparel for both on the course and off the course, from polos to t-shirts like the one I have on right now. Everything that they have is meant to be worn from the golf course to wherever you’re going next, whether that be casual, whether that be to the beach there’s all different options over there. So go to 18strong.com slash Linksoul. You’ll get 20% off of anything in your cart over on Linksoul’s website. So again, 18strong.com slash Linksoul for our favorite brand of apparel for anything on the golf course and off. So let’s get to this week’s interview.

Ryan DeGale, welcome to the 18strong podcast. Thanks for having me. Yeah, man, this will be fun. We’ve had a couple of conversations, we’ve tried to do this before and had a couple of technical difficulties, so this is going to be fun to finally dig in and get to chat a little bit more. I think that this is going to be a masterclass on the back, which is what a lot of our golfers need. I think I’ve learned myself, even as a physical therapist, just watching a lot of your content, your Instagram and just kind of learning about what you do. I’ve learned a ton, and so today, what I would love to do is make this very practical for the golfers listening on, what are some of the things that they can do, how can they understand Maybe they’re back a little bit better and the things that they need to do to help prepare themselves. So, first of all, welcome back to the show.

0:03:08 – Ryan Degale

Yeah, awesome, so it’s good to get it in. Got a little bit of practice before, so looking forward to digging deeper into it and maybe just touch on a few subjects that maybe we didn’t touch before. Maybe there’s some things I left out, that I could do better this time.

0:03:21 – Jeff Pelizzaro

No, all good man, yeah. So let’s talk a little bit about your history, though, because you start out in the strength training world, but you are a spine specialist and you’ve gone deep and you’ve learned from some of the best in the world regarding spinal health, and now you especially work with a lot of golfers too. So this is a perfect lineup for what our people need.

0:03:43 – Ryan Degale

Yeah, so I’ve been a strength coach for 17 years. I’ve been orthopedic specialist for 12. I felt like you know if you can make the biggest difference? You know I wanted to. I love niche, right, I’m very nerdy with that kind of stuff and I kind of got put onto this, this kind of Givolié rabbit bowl where it just literally just never ends. These courses are so awesome and so practical and so useful that you can retake the same course, even the most basic ones, 30 times and learn something new every time.

The you know G was a former orthopedic surgeon who studied anatomy. You know, he was tired of cadaver so just became a surgeon so he could study living anatomy, because living anatomy is living, is different than you know with like formaldehyde and all of the dead body stuff you know. So. And then he developed a series of an entire program, not just the algohm method, to prevent surgeries. And his, from his words as a surgeon, he says that 3% of all back surgeries are necessary.

And so you know, you know it depends, right? So we’ll say like maybe non-contact, like disperneations, or you could have like I don’t want to get too technical, but maybe this shifting forward or backwards. They call it a retrolyzed thesis or a spondylized thesis, and you know there’s a lot of things that we can do for ourselves where we can. You know it’s a self-responsibility thing. And he says favorite quote is you are your own best therapist, and so I really love that, and so that’s pretty much what I teach. I basically teach people to not be codependent so we can get them strong and fit in those bombs. Yeah.

0:05:09 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Love it, love it. So when you say that and when Guy says that you know 3% of back issues are, you know, really necessarily need surgery, what are some of the things that you see people going in for where you’re just like man if I had, if I was able to get my hands on this person. What are some of the diagnoses or what are some of the issues that people go in for that really you feel like man if I only had some time with them.

0:05:34 – Ryan Degale

A few millimeters of space or the disverteation at L5S1, you know they when they have symptoms like very heavy symptoms. But you know everything with the tissues in the body there’s really not that much room. So if you create a little bit of lubrication and a little bit of space in the right area and able to, you know, restructure the pelvis, create a little more flexibility, the ribcage, and so they’re able to play golf, because you know when you most players, after they hit a golf shot, that’s when they have back pain. So you need space to decelerate the golf club. You don’t get to the top and you drop in pain. It’s mostly after the ball and so just kind of reconditioning things. You know it’s.

It’s difficult because you know, you know the the medical industry is really governed by insurance these days where you have to code. A lot of the programs are coded, you know, and it’s difficult for the doctors and therapists where they’re kind of at the mercy of the insurance companies of how to treat and this stuff. And so why a lot of people have better um with private practice or cash. Not everybody can afford it. But you know I’m trying to bring small awareness to that and you know it does not have to be fancy, it just has to be right and it has to be consistent.

0:06:39 – Jeff Pelizzaro

And what would you say is kind of the primary driver of that pain. That is most typical. Obviously, there’s a lot of different things that can go on with the back, but you’ve got these golfers you said a lot of times. You see that they have pain as they’re finishing their swing, they’re getting through contact. What are the typical structures, what are the typical issues that are causing that? Or, and you know, back wise, hip wise, shoulder wise, and what are some of the things that you feel like most guys or girls could prevent this if they had a little bit more knowledge of what they needed to do.

0:07:09 – Ryan Degale

I think, just really a specific warm up. Because you know, like, if you look at professional sports, you see, like you know Steph Curry, he’s, you know, doing some drills on the basketball court. You see, you know, when I’m writing a program for somebody who does this game for a living, you know they’re at the gym 30 to 45 minutes prepping the tissues, getting their nervous system activated. You know, warming up the ligaments correctly and doing all these kind of things in the lower back that are specific to what golfers need. You know, maybe a few pelvic till, some spinal translations, some rolling on, roll this mind, because everybody’s so afraid of fletching. But you know, fletching we have to in sport. You know that there is a lot of our flexor chain being used and so we need to prep the body in that way where everybody’s afraid of doing extensions and flexing. But you know we have to train it in a controlled environment so that we can go out there and not have to think about it. And with the Aldo method it’s basically a French acronym for creating space in a joint segment and so you know, you can use your own body way to decompress your spine in different segments of the spine after your rounds, which is fundamental, and then you go to sleep and then the tissues will heal at that length and you’ll be able to slowly but surely rehydrate this, the body. If you give it enough the great environment, with the right tools, it can regenerate.

I’ve seen it, you know. I’ve seen it in imaging studies, working with people with severe scoliosis when they were basically given a ticket of paying for the rest of their life. It’s just a management system. There’s no cures, it’s just a management system. How can I manage? You know the way I feel every day with the two of us, the tools I have, and I think that gives people a lot more empowerment than just being the sort of victim thing which is unfortunate, with the surgeries, pills and injections. And you know it’s destroyed a lot of lives and that’s really the truth.

0:08:52 – Jeff Pelizzaro

So I’m sure that a lot of people listening, myself included, are thinking man, this is very refreshing to hear that you know it’s not a death sentence when you start to have back pain in your 30s or 40s or 50s. And I think a lot of people just kind of assume that either I’m on my way to getting surgery at some point down the line, or I’m going to have to give up golf, or I’m going to have to start to restrict some of my activities.

0:09:17 – Ryan Degale

We are not giving out golf for our Never right, that’s it.

0:09:20 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Forever. You play it until you keep swinging forever. But so, regarding like the looking at the X-rays, the MRIs, the films, so you’ve actually seen changes in the disc space and the different tissues after going through some of this maintenance stuff.

0:09:38 – Ryan Degale

Yeah with my clients, and G puts up slides with a lot of cases. We’ve seen cases of some of the most well-known athletes in the world. You know he’s kind of like the guy who works in the shadows and nobody knows about. He is so paranoid about quality control, which I really love him for. I mean there is some, you know, like Bryce Turner from LDA USA.

You know that he’s the best LDA teacher in America. I mean he’s worked with Kansas City Chiefs, to the LA Dodgers, to any professional hockey, baseball, you name it, and so including pro golfers, and you know you just have to be really careful because you know precision is key when you’re like in the LDA world there’s five levels, he’s creating six, but even at level four there’s only, like you know, there’s only like probably a hundred of us in the world and so there’s only four of us in the state of Florida, and so you know the supply and demand is not really there. It’s kind of mostly. You mostly find these techniques referrals. We don’t. We’re not like Morgan and Morgan Hubbubboards, and you know all this other stuff going on you know what I mean.

So I know for a fact that you know guys like Woods and Cantley, and you know a lot of these other guys, have used this method. I mean, cantley had the ticket of yeah, he had a misdiagnosed disfracture and you know. You know there’s a lot of different tools but you know, sometimes I think it’s becoming a lot more popular and so you got to be a little bit careful because essentially, what you’re trying to do, you’re trying to create an anchor and then you’re trying to, with different angles of the way you position your limbs, you’re creating forces that oppose that anchor and it takes somebody the lot of experience. It’s not as simple...

Guest: Bobby Holland (Founder Hoolie Golf, Retired Navy Seal))

Host: Jeff Pelizzaro

Episode Number: 369

Podcast: The 18STRONG Podcast

Partners: Linksoul, 1stPhorm

Join us as we sit down with Bobby Holland, the retired Navy SEAL whose love for golf blossomed into the creation of Hoolie Golf, a golf apparel brand embodying hard work, grit, and resilience. Listen in as Bobby shares his remarkable transition from an elite military operative to a passionate golf entrepreneur. His story is not just about picking up the game later in life, but how the competitive drive and discipline learned from the SEALs fueled his determination to improve his swing, even leading to the construction of a driving range during a combat deployment. Bobby’s journey is a vivid illustration of never being too late to chase new dreams and how skills honed in one aspect of life can profoundly impact another.

Our conversation with Bobby is a tapestry of tales from action movies sparking a young boy’s dream of becoming a SEAL, to the mental toughness and training insights necessary to endure the challenges of BUD/S. Bobby brings to light the crucial role of relentless optimism and breaking down massive goals into manageable steps, a philosophy that not only saw him through the rigors of military training but also serves as a foundation for his entrepreneurial spirit. His reflections on the nostalgia of 80s action films and the camaraderie found in both military units and sports teams paint a picture of the interconnectedness of his past passions and current pursuits.

In our discussion, Bobby doesn’t shy away from the personal challenges he’s faced, such as rebuilding strength after an injury or embracing the intricacies of golf fitness. He takes us through his commitment to mobility, functional range of motion, and how these have influenced his performance both in the gym and on the golf course. Through Hoolie Golf, Bobby is not just offering apparel; he’s fostering a community for golf enthusiasts and those with a growth mindset. So tune in for a dose of inspiration, a glimpse into the synergy between entrepreneurship and golf, and perhaps even pick up a few recommendations for your next walk-up song or must-read book.

Bobby Holland is a retired Navy SEAL Chief Warrant Officer who retired from the military in 2021 after 21 years of service. He joined the Navy in 2000, graduated SEAL training in late 2001, and spent the next two decades in the SEAL teams, deploying nine times around the globe.

Halfway through his career, Bobby was introduced to golf and has been a passionate golfer ever since. After finishing his military service, Bobby went to graduate school at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and it was there that he found the inspiration for his next career.

In the Spring of 2023, Bobby co-founded and launched Hoolie Golf, a golf apparel company that offers uniquely badass golf polos, and golf hats for diehard golfers. Bobby hopes that through Hoolie, he can share his journey with golf and inspire other active-duty military and veterans to connect with this great game.

(00:04) Navy SEAL Turned Golf Apparel Entrepreneur

Retired Navy SEAL Bobby Holland’s passion for golf led to building a range during deployment, showcasing hard work, grit, and resilience.

(07:39) Journey From SEAL to Golf Entrepreneur

A former SEAL’s unexpected journey of integrating golf into military life, leading to the creation of Hoolie Giolf apparel company.

(15:29) From Action Movies to Navy SEALs

Childhood passions shape our future, from action movies to SEAL training, with a nod to 80s nostalgia and camaraderie in sports and military units.

(23:27) Mental Toughness and Training Insights

Relentless optimism and progressive training in Navy SEALs, addressing media portrayal and underwater tests with humor.

(29:59) Hoolie Golf

Hoolie Golf brand’s origins, ethos, and appeal to resilient, growth-minded individuals who use mental discipline techniques from Navy SEAL experience.

(41:31) Improving Mobility and Fitness Progress

Overcoming physical limitations, setting fitness goals, and utilizing social media for ongoing development.

(46:19) Fitness and Business Resilience

Incorporating new fitness routines, grit and resilience, and the future plans for a golf community.

(52:07) Entrepreneurship and Golf for Veterans

Entrepreneurship and military service, therapeutic benefits of golf for veterans, pop culture debate, personal insights, and book recommendations.

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@DelusionallyConfident

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0:00:04 – Jeff Pelizzaro

The 18 Strong Podcast, episode Number 369 with Bobby Holland from Hoolie Golf. What’s up, guys? Welcome back to the 18 Strong Podcast, where we’re here to help you build a stronger game, because we believe every golfer deserves to play better, longer. In this episode we have Bobby Holland from Hoolie Golf. Bobby is a retired Navy SEAL that started a golf apparel company, so this episode we get to talk about all of his stories from overseas and his deployments, his training for buds and seals and how that has really impacted not only his golf game but also building a business in the world of golf. And we definitely dive into his addiction as a golfer so much of an addiction that he built his own driving range on one of his combat deployments, where he literally had to go out and shag golf balls in the moon dust to go pick up the range balls. So this episode is all about hard work, grit and resilience, which is what the Hoolie brand is all about and really what we’re all about here at 18 Strong. So you’re really going to enjoy this one with Bobby Holland.

All partners over at Linksoul have been providing us with the best apparel for both on the course and off the course, from polos to t-shirts like the one I have on right now. Everything that they have is meant to be worn from the golf course to wherever you’re going next, whether that be casual, whether that be to the beach there’s all different options over there. So go to 18strong.com slash Linksoul. You’ll get 20% off of anything in your cart over on Linksoul’s website. Go again 18strong.com slash Linksoul for our favorite brand of apparel, for anything on the golf course and off. Now let’s get to this week’s interview, bobby Holland. Welcome to the 18 Strong podcast. Hi, jeff, thanks for having me. Absolutely, this is going to be awesome. I’ve been digging into the brand Hoolie a little bit, but rumor has it that you never really played golf until what it was 2011, and then took just one round and you were all in.

0:02:19 – Bobby Holland

There’s it, man. I think a lot why I created this brand was this kind of out of nowhere love that I found for the game. And there’s a lot of other people like me that you’re not all Hoolie’s pick up golf late, but there’s all folks like us, like me, that did pick it up late and fall in love, man, and it just triggered that. Being a seal, being an athlete, being a competitor and then finding this thing that you can’t do very well Kind of drove me nuts and got hooked and yeah, man, it’s been a fun journey and I mean so passionate about the game that I opened up my own golf apparel company, right.

0:03:00 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Crazy, that’s awesome. When I first saw, I saw a post about you when you were on Jaco’s podcast and I was like, oh my gosh, I got to get Bobby on the show because this is just. This is so cool to hear a guy that was in the seals, just like the rest of us. This game boggles our minds, completely right, and it’s so frustrating, it’s so hard and I could only imagine that you as an elite level operator coming into something. It’s just this little white ball sitting on a tee and all I got to do is hit it down there. That’s got to be easy, right. How frustrating was it coming into the game at that level, coming out from your background?

0:03:36 – Bobby Holland

Yeah, I mean you’re hitting the nail on the head. Two weeks back at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am I’m not sure if you caught the video of Tom Brady Duffin it off the tee, I mean that says it all You’re talking about arguably one of the best competitors of our generation picks up a golf club and having a hard time. And yeah, man, it’s one of those things that I still struggle with because I want to be so much better. Unfortunately, life and business and other things get in the way and I just do what I can. But I love the challenge. I mean, that’s really what drives me is, every time you show up to the golf course is a legit opportunity that you can have your best round, and it can happen like that. Both of my best rounds were exactly like that. Never saw them come in. It’s not like my swing was in super great shape, so there’s a little bit of that kind of gambler mentality. But the chase, the hunt, yeah, I love it, man.

0:04:38 – Jeff Pelizzaro

So for those of the listeners that don’t know your story, don’t know the story behind Hoolie and everything, give us just a little background on you, obviously Navy Seals, but kind of tell us a little. I know you played football, so give us a little bit of that. And about some of the tours, how many tours you went on, and then we’ll dive into where Hoolie came from and go from there.

0:04:58 – Bobby Holland

Sure, I’m a California kid, born and raised up in a place called Fresno, Actually lived in Clovis that’s the same hometown as Bryce and DeChambeau, by the way but yeah, just kind of a wiry kid, you know. You’d like to mix it up a little bit. I played football and in wrestling. Those were my two big sports up until high school and then I was all in on football and that was just a big part of my upbringing as an athlete and it’s where I got into fitness in general. So I mean, we started strength training, powerlifting back there in high school and I’ve been doing that ever since, so kind of grew love for that as well. Well, anyways, I found myself at the end of high school the big so what that most of us face. What am I doing now? And I didn’t quite have it figured out, I went, Peter, around in a community college for a couple of years and it was in that time that I, you know, the idea of becoming a SEAL came to be and I basically devoted the next 18 months of two years to train to be a SEAL and that was like the first time I had, you know, set a goal really, and it was quite a lofty goal, had to teach myself how to run, swim, all those things. I ended up joining the Navy in January 2000 and went straight in, went to boot camp, went to A school, which is like your specialty rating, and then I went to Buds, which is the SEAL selection course, and then got through 9-11, hit and then I graduated SEAL qualification training two months later and then went to my first SEAL team and from there I just did a bunch of deployments, was pretty active. I did I think 9 deployments total. Not all of them were combat sandbox deployments, but did a bunch. Did 5 to Iraq, did a really really short one to Afghanistan, bounced around some other parts of the world, but had a really good career. Like you know, good timing. Some people may disagree but I came in the SEAL teams to do that job and you know, right after 9-11, we were busy last two decades, pretty damn busy. And yeah, we were talking before the show started.

You know about picking up golf about 12, 13 years ago and kind of wasn’t meant to be. It was one of those things that I didn’t have an aversion to golf, I just didn’t get it. Yeah, you know what I mean. I mean that was it. I was cut from this cloth. I like hardcore music, I like punk rock, I like in the gym, I like doing things pushing myself. I just didn’t get it.

And we had an opportunity. We were actually waiting to deploy. One of the guys suggested hey, let’s take the boys out. We had some time like our deployment got delayed, so we went out and I mean it literally happened in the course of I’m sure it was a god-awful long round of a five-hour round. I fell in love with golf. I hit a couple of shots out there and it was just perplexed Like you know why can’t I do this every time Went, got clubs and then it just metastasized from there, you know.

So I was halfway into my career, being at SEAL, still operating, doing all the stuff. How do you make this work? But yeah, I traveled with my golf clubs everywhere, took them on some combat deployments. One deployment wasn’t in the combat zone but it was in the Middle East. We had this compound, this giant like moon dust compound, huge, open. Well, I ended up building myself a range there. So I got like a some plywood and I built a platform like in the middle of nowhere basically, and I brought 300 range balls with me that a golf course was nice enough to donate and I would just go. Anytime I had some off time I’d go hit in my range, you know. But yeah, so you know, fast forward.

Some some years later did another decade or so in the teams and then found myself you know, my time in the teams. It just basically expired. I was at the end of my career, you know, around the 15 year mark. I transitioned from what we call an operator, which is someone who’s in a SEAL platoon being deployed to do SEAL missions. I got pulled from that and basically was in various managerial leadership positions, running training et cetera. So did that for the latter part of my career and then was trying to find something to do. Really, I mean, that’s that’s where I found myself. I knew it was my time to get out and I ended up going to business school.

Ucla has a executive MBA program, so had some buddies who had gone through that and said really great things and I thought that would be a good kind of you know, runway out of the teams into real life. So went to that and or started that, I should say and near the start of that program I had the epiphany for what would become Hoolie, because it wasn’t exactly what it looks like now, but I had an idea and I brought it up. It was a concept that I brought up during a. Basically, they have an entrepreneurial pipeline, a series of classes that you take either you have to join a team or you have to build a team. So I said, to hell with it, man, let’s, let’s give it a go, see what I can do. So I had to recruit my team, had to pitch the idea to them, and then basically, we took it through a series of classes and kind of graduated from one class to the next, end up being our capstone.

And then, by the end of it and I should back up, this is where I met my partner, Kevin Lee. He’s got a background in apparel, garment, sourcing operations, so perfect fit for where we are. But yeah, we, we basically built Hoolie in business school, you know, out of a shared passion for golf and in wanting to do cool things and and to create fun stuff, man. So, you know, fast forward another year. We launched last April. And here we are, man, some ten months later, you know, first year in business. Yeah, man, kind of ran through that pretty fast but uh.

0:12:06 – Jeff Pelizzaro

No, there’s so many jumping off points that we’re gonna dive into. And you know most people they say like their golf addicted or they’re addicted to the game. But but you literally took your clubs on combat missions, you built it, you built your own personal driving range Overseas. You brought bucket, a bucket of balls. So like then I assumed you had to then go pick up, go shag those golf balls and bring them back and topple.

0:12:31 – Bobby Holland

Amazing moon dust dude. So like I would be wearing these combat boots Because that stuff was like all over. Yeah, it was. I did not come back with 300...

Guest: Cody Wescott (Founder Cody Wescott Golf)

Host: Jeff Pelizzaro

Episode Number: 368

Podcast: The 18STRONG Podcast

Partners: Linksoul, 1stPhorm

Join me as I welcome Cody Wescott from Cody Wescott Golf and the Swing Heavy Lift Fast Program to the show for an insightful discussion that’s sure to up your golf game and fitness routine. We kick things off by exploring the relationship between strength training and golf performance, as Cody shares his candid take on traditional weightlifting versus golf-specific training. We dig into the essence of crafting an effective workout that balances what you enjoy and what truly benefits your game, while Cody challenges the idea of personal trainers and their impact on a golfer’s progress.

Listen in as we tackle the multifaceted nature of golf training, focusing on the harmony of mobility, strength, and power. We break down his holistic approach to athlete development, as seen in his “Lift Every Swing Fast” program, which has successfully been adopted by numerous golfers. Cody and I also touch upon the often-overlooked importance of cardiovascular health for recovery, endurance, and the enjoyment of golf well into one’s later years. The inspiring story of Tony, an 85-year-old fitness enthusiast, serves as a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to embrace an active lifestyle.

The conversation shifts to the nuances between golf exercises and drills, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right methods to enhance your game. We address how gym workouts should complement, not replace, swing drills, and the potential pitfalls of following fitness trends on social media. As we delve into muscle building and mobility, I underscore the evolution of muscle-building philosophies and the significance of nutrition in supporting both body composition and performance. Don’t miss this episode packed with practical advice and personal insights that could transform your approach to golf and fitness.

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• Cody’s journey in the fitness world spans decades, covering everything from bodybuilding and powerlifting to crossfit and pilates.
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• Today, his primary focus is on training golfers, treating them like the athletes they truly are.
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• His mission is straightforward: help golfers navigate the fitness landscape, finding the right training approach for their goals – without all the BS.
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• Cody’s philosophy is his motto, the namesake of his flagship program, “Lift Heavy, Swing Fast.” His program has impacted hundreds of athletes globally, helping them look, play, and feel their best for the long haul.
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(00:04) Optimal Golf and Fitness Training

Nature’s impact on golf performance, incorporating fitness, traditional weight training, and the role of personal trainers.

(09:44) Golf Performance

Effective golf training programs include total body workouts, targeted mobility exercises, and strategic speed and power work.

(14:56) Cardiovascular Health in Golf Longevity and Performance

Cardio and resistance training in golf improve recovery, performance, and longevity, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing health in mid-life.

(18:34) Fitness for Personal Transformation

An 85-year-old man’s dedication to fitness, my sports background, and struggles with drugs and alcohol.

(29:44) Golf Training and Exercise Nuances

Golf exercises and drills have different purposes, with gym exercises complementing but not replacing them. Social media can influence fitness trends.

(38:33) Muscle Building, Mobility, and Personal Training

Nature’s muscle-building philosophy, RPE and Reps in Reserve, nutrition, golf-specific training, and maintaining muscle mass for efficient golf swing.

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How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie

Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business – Steven Bartlett

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0:00:04 – Jeff Pelizzaro

The 18STRONG Podcast, episode number 368, with Cody Wescott from Cody Wescott, golf. What’s up guys? Welcome back to the 18STRONG Podcast, where we’re here to help you build a stronger game, because we believe that every golfer deserves to play better, longer. And this week we have Cody Wescott from Cody Wescott Golf and the Swing Heavy Lift Fast Program. This episode is a fun one for me because this is the first time I get to meet Cody and talk about the growth that he’s had, first of all in social media in the golf and fitness world, and I think he’s one of the guys putting out some of the best content when it comes to education in the golf and fitness world and really taking a no BS attitude and laying on what’s going to make your program most optimal. Is traditional weight training? Is traditional strength training good for your golf game? Yeah, it can be, but is it optimal for what you’re wanting to do and what your goals are in the gym? So we have some great conversations about what that looks like, what you want to do, what are the things that you want to put into your program simply because you like them, and what are the things you need to put in there because they’re going to work. And then we talk about a couple topics that Cody’s been pretty hard lined on, and that’s the difference between golf exercises and golf drills. Where is that crossover and where is the separation? And are you doing golf exercises or golf drills and are they really being effective in your training program? And then, lastly, we touch on a bit of a sensitive topic for probably a lot of the listeners of this show, for those of you that are coaches and trainers. But talking to the golfers out there, cody discusses why you may not need a personal trainer and why that actually might be detracting from your goals and detracting from your results, and we go have a great conversation around that. So you’re going to really enjoy this episode of the 18STRONG Podcast.

Right after this, our partners over at Link Soul have been providing us with the best apparel for both on the course and off the course, from polos to t-shirts like the one I have on right now. Everything that they have is meant to be worn from the golf course to wherever you’re going next, whether that be casual, whether that be to the beach there’s all different options over there. So go to 18strong.com, slash link soul. You’ll get 20% off of anything in your cart over on Link Soul’s website. So again, 18strong.com. Slash link soul for our favorite brand of apparel, for anything on the golf course and off. Now let’s get to this week’s interview, tony Wescott. Welcome to the 18STRONG Podcast.

0:02:49 – Cody Wescott

Hey, thanks for having me.

0:02:50 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Yeah, for sure, man. So this is really fun to finally get to connect with you. I’ve been following your stuff on social media for a while and one of the cool things and we just had a couple other people on recently and, I said, one of the cool things about what we do at the podcast here cool things for me is being able to connect with people like you, that I really respect the way that you’re putting your content out, the content that you’re putting out. So, first of all, just keep doing what you’re doing, because I love watching it and I learned stuff from when I’m watching your content and I know that our crew is too.

So I’m excited to have you on.

0:03:21 – Cody Wescott

Yeah, man, thank you so much. I mean the content game, social media has been such a game changer. I think you know I’ve listened to your show a few times, so I know I’m not alone when I say that Like it really has just like opened so many doors Because I’ve been doing, you know, the fitness thing for a long time and just when you consistently start posting content, like things happen for you that I never thought would happen. So it’s really cool. Like I’ve been on you know, someone’s podcast. Like you know, if you were to go, I never would have thought about this. So this is really cool.

0:03:50 – Jeff Pelizzaro

When did your? Is Instagram your biggest platform as far as your social media content? For sure, when did that really kind of take off for you?

0:03:57 – Cody Wescott

You know.

So I was a trainer for, like you know, 12 years before I ever like made a post about my services, right, so? But I think it was summer 2022 is when I started posting about every single day, because I was in an environment down in a gym down in Jupiter, where, like that was pretty much what everybody was doing is like that was like bigger part of our job was actually like creating social media content, and that’s when I started doing it every single day. And then I think you know, the thing is like I didn’t. It took me forever to like get up and going. I mean, I think I made. I think I posted like 90 days in a row before I got like a thousand followers, you know. So, like you know, I get like 12 likes on a post or something like that. So it was a little discouraging, but I was like you know what? Like I think it’s one of those things that you just keep trying and work hard and put out good stuff. It’s eventually going to catch on, and so that’s what I did. I just kept going, kept going, and I want to say it was probably like right around like holiday season, so probably like Thanksgiving of 2022, you know, probably like almost like six months into the thing, I got to 10,000 followers and then that’s.

I don’t know if it starts like kind of snowballing or if the algorithm like kind of catches on and people are watching your stuff and then, but that, that first 10 was super hard and then now I think we’re you know what, like 14 months later, I’m at like 70,000.

And that’s been really cool. Just because you know, when you’re a personal trainer, you are pretty limited on how many people you can work one on one with, right, or how many people you can really make a change for Cause I’ve done group fitness before too, where you’re coaching like 40, 50 people at once. But you know, as a personal trainer, if you’re super busy I mean, if you’re talking about doing 30, 40 sessions a week that is a very, very busy personal trainer, right. And you have, you know, people doing two or three sessions a week like what are you looking at? You may have? You might have like 10 to 12 to 15 clients, really right. So for me to go from that on a weekly basis, like I’m only touching like 12, 15 people, to reaching thousands has been like really gratifying and a lot of fun too.

0:06:05 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Yeah, when? When did you kind of shift out of the the in-person training role, cause I know you said you really just work with, I think, a single client in person. The rest is pretty much online.

0:06:15 – Cody Wescott

Yeah, it’s all on my app. Now why use trainer rogue? But you know I have my programming on their app. It’s been since I moved back to Oklahoma. I moved back here in December of 2022. I moved back here and I was still doing some zoom sessions. So I’m still doing one on one. But now, yeah, for the past like I think about 12 months I’ve had just one guy that I trained a person and the rest is I’ve got some. I’ve got people that I’ve been doing one on one programming for for years now. But now I just put all my time into creating the programming on the app.

0:06:54 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Yeah, it looks great. We’ll be sure to link all this stuff up in the show notes as well, so you guys can go and check out the website, check out the app. You know everything, everything about looks really good. You know like it just kind of draws the eye in your content is great. As far as just really pointing out the, the no BS right, which I think is really one of the big messages that you, that you have, is like hey, don’t do the silly stuff. Here’s the way are here, here are ways for you to really get to where you want to go with your, your golf, with your fitness. And you know, one thing I wanted to ask you about, which is a message that continually goes through your content is not training the old way you used to train. You know it hasn’t gotten you where you want to go yet, so why are you continuing to do it? Expand on that a little bit.

0:07:42 – Cody Wescott

Yeah, that’s been, that’s been a topic that’s done pretty well for me lately. So you kind of catch onto things that people kind of believe in in what you’re saying more right Cause, like that is like a truly like authentic thing for me is like I have literally experienced every possible image or every type of fitness that is out there. Right, so like I feel like I can speak to that Right Like. So I’ve done CrossFit, I’ve done bodybuilding, I’ve done powerlifting, I did Spartan races, I raced high rocks. My wife used to teach yoga. I’ve done yoga. She also taught Pilates. I’ve done Pilates. Like I’ve literally we her and I co taught a boxing class together. So I mean I’ve done like pretty much everything in fitness and I’ve also ran gyms. I was a regional fitness manager in Washington DC. I ran three gyms. Like when I tell you like that I have pretty much done everything that normal people in fitness can do, like I’ve done it.

So now, like my thing is that I don’t think that any method of training is necessarily bad. Right Like. So for golf, that is like, so like I don’t think that anything that’s going to get you in better shape, like you know whether it increases your, maybe you’re doing like a orange theory. Right, it’s going to increase your endurance, you know it’s going to make you a little stronger. You know stuff like that. But any kind of workout program CrossFit, bodybuilding, whatever it is that gets you in better shape.

I think it can help the game of golf, now. What I always tell people is like is that optimal for the game of golf? And my answer for some of that stuff is no, like I don’t think that training like a bodybuilder is going to help you play your best. You know can it. Is it going to be better than you sitting on the couch every single day? And will it help you play better?

If you go train like a bodybuilder? Probably because you’re getting stronger and you get more mobile, you’re going to be pretty sore, so it might suck to go practice that next day or something. If you just wrecked your pecs or something and your chest and your shoulders. You know that might suck, but you know when you recover from that your chest is going to be stronger and more flexible and and so, yeah, that could help you play golf. But you know I’m here for getting athletes to perform at their best and I think what’s interesting about golf is that it’s a very unique game, right. It requires mobility, strength and power, and each one of those pro, whatever program you do out there might give you a little bit of one of those things. Right, but if we do a golf program, we can have it all.

0:10:06 – Jeff Pelizzaro

So what do you feel is kind of the secret sauce of Hitting all of those boxes in a program and not going too far in one direction? Because I feel like we can definitely get into the mindset, or many of the golfers can get in the mindset, of oh, I just got to work on my mobility, or I got, I just got to work on my speed, or I’m going to get stronger, or you know how, how have you found to really tie those things together and, like you said, really become more of an athlete when you’re in the gym?

0:10:33 – Cody Wescott

Right, and you know you think about, like, could you put all that stuff into a workout? You can, right, Like it can be a long...

Guest: Dr. Jason Selk (Peak Performance Coach, Sports Psychologist, Best Selling Author)

Host: Jeff Pelizzaro

Episode Number: 367

Podcast: The 18STRONG Podcast

Partners: Linksoul, 1stPhorm

Have you ever caught yourself stuck on the hamster wheel of negative thinking when facing a challenge? Dr. Jason Selk (Full Bio Below), a master of sports psychology and performance coaching, joins us to turn that wheel in a new direction with his game-changing concept: Relentless Solution Focus (RSF). Together, we unpack the transformative power of pivoting from problem-centric to solution-based thinking — a skill that not only enhances mental toughness but also potentially adds years to your life.

Imagine your brain as an athlete; with the right training, it can muscle out stress-inducing thoughts and replace them with a winning strategy. Throughout our discussion, Dr. Selk provides actionable techniques to rewire your brain for success. These include daily mental exercises and success logs aimed at fostering positive neural pathways. Moreover, we explore real-life triumphs in the sports arena where a steadfast commitment to solutions has led to unprecedented victories, showcasing the profound impact of RSF in high-pressure environments.

As we wrap up our chat with Dr. Selk, the conversation shifts to the greens, where golfers know all too well the mental game’s highs and lows. We talk about the importance of a clear mindset and structured goal setting, taking a leaf from Stephen Covey’s book on proactivity. Whether you’re looking to shave strokes off your game or elevate your professional performance, embracing an RSF mentality could be your ticket to resilience and success. So, grab your clubs and your headphones, and get ready to play your best round yet, both in life and on the course.

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• Dr. Jason Selk served as the Director of Mental Training for the St. Louis Cardinals, helping them win two World Series championships in six years.
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• Dr. Selk is a licensed mental health professional with a doctorate in counseling and sports psychology from the University of Missouri.
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• He has worked with notable companies like Morgan Stanley, Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch, Bacardi, and Enterprise Rent-a-Car.
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• Dr. Selk is a regular contributor to Forbes and Inc., featured in various publications, and has appeared on major television and radio networks.
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• In 2022, he co-founded the Level Up app for performance coaching.
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• His books, including “Relentless Solution Focus,” “Executive Toughness,” “10-Minute Toughness,” and “Organize Tomorrow Today,” have received acclaim and best-seller status.
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(00:03) Mental Toughness and Solution Focus

Dr. Jason Selk discusses the benefits of Relentless Solution Focus and practical strategies to enhance mental toughness.

(12:39) Changing Brain Biology to Improve Performance

RSF thinking can improve performance by countering the caudate loop and shifting from PCT, as seen in sports teams’ success.

(24:04) Golf Performance Thoughts and Control

Mental focus and thought patterns impact golf performance, including anger and negative thinking. Performance statements and avoiding negative discussions are important.

(30:40) Being Proactive, Setting Goals

Proactive goal-setting is crucial for personal and professional development, with process goals being the key to success.

(40:57) Relentless Solution Focus and 18STRONG

Dr. Selk discusses Relentless Solution Focus and its application to improve mental toughness and performance in golf and life.

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• Relentless Solution Focus Book
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• Dr. Selk’s other books
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How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie

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Jeff Pelizzaro: [00:00:00] The 18STRONG Podcast episode number 367 with Dr. Jason Selk, sports psychologist and performance coach.

What’s up guys. Welcome back to the 18STRONG Podcast where we’re here to help you build a stronger game because we believe every golfer deserves to play better longer. This week we have a special guest, Dr. Jason Selk in studio to talk about his book, Relentless Solution Focus. And really just to talk about the RSF mentality, which is getting out of the cycle of thinking of our problems all the time, which tends to get us in trouble on and off the golf course and learning how to truly focus on the solutions that are going to resolve those problems or at least pieces of those [00:01:00] problems.

So it’s learning how to shift your focus from the problem over to the solution. This is the number one characteristic of mental toughness, which Jason’s going to explain in this episode. He also teaches us not just how to understand this. The knowledge of it, but also how to take action and truly train our brains to do that.

Just like you would train your muscles. So you really enjoy this episode with Jason. Our partners over at Link Soul have been providing us with the best apparel for both on the course and off the course from polos to t shirts like the one I have on right now. Everything that they have is meant to be worn from the golf course to wherever you’re going next, whether that be casual, whether that be to the beach.

There’s all different options over there. So go to 18strong. com slash Linksoul. You’ll get 20 percent off of anything in your cart over on Linksoul’s website. So again, 18strong. com slash Linksoul for our favorite brand of apparel for anything on the golf course and off. Now let’s get to this week’s interview.[00:02:00]

Dr. Silk, welcome to the 18STRONG Podcast. Jeff,

Dr. Jason Selk: thanks for having me. As I said, you gotta please call me Jason. Absolutely,

Jeff Pelizzaro: absolutely. First and foremost, this book, your book, Relentless Solution Focus, has been recommended several times on our last couple of podcasts. And it just happens that you’re a St.

Louis guy, you live not too far down the road, and you were nice enough to come into the studio. So I can’t wait to dig into this, literally just finished it this morning, and but I want to talk to you first of all and foremost about mental toughness. Define mental toughness for us to just kick off the show.

Dr. Jason Selk: We’re going to get right to it, huh? Yeah, for sure. I have had, hundreds of definitions of mental toughness over the last 25 years, but I think the one for me that sticks the most is the mind’s ability, To stay focused on solutions, especially in the face of adversity. Nobody needs mental toughness when the scoreboard is in your favor.[00:03:00]

It’s when you’re losing by two or three runs, you’re down to your last out. It’s when your bank account is dwindling and you’re not sure how your pipeline is going to fill back up. It’s when you’re in a relationship and it’s not as easy as it used to be. I think those are the times where People really need mental toughness.

Jeff Pelizzaro: And one of the most crucial pieces of the book is the fact that most of the time we tend to focus on the things that are going wrong the problems that we have. Can you speak a little bit to really the, that’s the big piece and some of the pieces that we can dive into to help.

Dr. Jason Selk: Yeah, I think it’s important to normalize for people that, unfortunately, the way our brains are built, it is completely normal, biologically speaking, to focus on the problem.

It’s called PCT, [00:04:00] problem centric thinking. Hundreds of years ago, it was necessary for the advancement of the species. That, if we weren’t always worried about the threat that was lurking in the bushes, then we were more than likely going to end up in the lion’s den. And so hundreds of years ago, it was critical for survival, for literally, for our species to advance.

Fast forward hundreds of years, and we live in a very safe time now, comparatively speaking, and so that same PCT tendency Even though it, hundreds of years ago, was so good for us, it’s now so bad for us. We just went through this worldwide pandemic, and the truth of the matter is, PCT will take more lives by far than any pandemic, hopefully, that we ever face.

Certainly anything we’ve ever faced. Because we actually, when we allow our minds to do what’s totally [00:05:00] normal, which is Focus on the problem. The brain releases a neurotransmitter called cortisol. Cortisol, it’s the punctuation of fight or flight. And that is where, the advancement or the survival of the species was affected in such a positive way, was us living a lot of our lives in that fight or flight mode.

However, when that cortisol goes in the bloodstream, it’s a toxin for us. It causes all feelings of stress. anxiety, fear, anger, depression, guilt, but it literally is like a poison. Now, the good thing is that when the cortisol goes in, it’s such a low dose, but shoot, if you inject yourself with low doses of poison, even if it’s just small amounts and low doses over time, that’s going to get you.

And here’s what I tell you, people with. RSF and RSF is, it’s the title of the book, relentless Solution Focus. I think you could [00:06:00] interchange RSF for mental toughness. I really think they’re almost synonymous. So a person with RSF or a person with mental toughness, biologically speaking, is going to live on average 14 years longer.

Wow. It’s crazy. You think about 14 years, think, what were you doing 14 years ago? That’s a long time. And. The kicker is not only will you live significantly longer, but scientifically proven again that you’re going to have measurable increases in health, happiness, and success, is if you can really learn to keep the mind away from that biologically normal PCT, which we know, with some training, doesn’t take major amounts, some, we can actually train PCT to go away And be replaced with RSF.

So I could say PCT is mental weakness and I could [00:07:00] say RSF is mental toughness. With training, we can all become mentally tough, just as. When I’m born, my bicep is completely weak, but with training, I can make that guy pretty strong. With training. Yeah, and that’s

Jeff Pelizzaro: the big piece that I took out of it is, mental toughness to me, that’s a noun, right?

But RSF is you have to take action too. You can read all the books. And one of the big pieces of your book is that it’s not just about the knowledge. You’re actually giving a way for us to train. And I remember the story in there about when you were out on your deck and came up with the idea of Hey, we train our bodies.

We have to train our mind. And so speak to how important the action piece is. We can hear it all though. We hear it all the time, but it

Dr. Jason Selk: really hits home. Yeah, I think it’s why I’ve had so much success in my career. I know it’s what got me the job at the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2006.

That, I think you get a lot of people in the mental health field. [00:08:00] And, maybe you say in the sports psychology world where it’s very much, let me teach you certain things. And I learned a long time ago, knowing something does nothing, doing something does. And again, if you look at, The biology of the brain.

That’s the part I think people must understand that all day long I can pep talk you to be strong. Jeff, you know a lot about making the body strong That’s really your bread and butter. You could teach me so many things about having strong biceps or strong legs But until I get my butt up off this chair and go out there and start doing some of the exercises nothing changes and I know You know with my approach, a mental workout, it is a, when I was working with the Cardinals, it was three minutes and 40 seconds.

People in the business world, it’s a minute and 40 seconds. And there are biological reasons, I need to, with an athlete, do enough visualization where it actually starts to create muscle memory. And we know [00:09:00] you can do that. In the business world, we don’t need muscle memory. We just really need that mental memory.

So we don’t need to have it as long. But, again, it’s not a pep talk. Mental toughness is no more a pep talk than physical toughness is. However, you got most people like me. are going to tell you a pep talk will do it. And I would just challenge you. And I think this is why in my career, the people I’ve worked with have had a lot of success that we don’t talk about it.

We do it, we train it. And once you train it, you really can’t. Not have it there when you want it.

Jeff Pelizzaro: Can you break down a little bit of what RSF stands for? How do you go from that PCT thinking to more of the solution focused thinking?

Dr. Jason Selk: Yeah, so just definition, RSF is Relentless Solution Focus. And the definition I use is within 60 seconds replacing all negative or problem focused thought with Solution focused thinking, the reason we want to do it [00:10:00] quickly, the 60 seconds and I don’t know that people need to get their stopwatches out or protractors out, but the whole idea is to move your thoughts from problem to solution and do it quickly because the longer I stay focused on the problem, the more that cortisol is being pushed into the bloodstream.

Now, I told you, cortisol makes you feel like garbage, but it also makes you stupid. If you think about fight or flight, your brain, the essence of fight or flight is your brain is just losing its ability for detailed thinking. Translation to me is, you become dumb. And I know this, if I’m trying to solve a problem, I need to be as smart as possible.

So I want to, as quickly as possible, start working on the solution. But again, it’s completely abnormal. It’s biologically ingrained for me to think about the problem. And then most people believe, and I call this the great myth, that most people believe if you start thinking about a problem, it will naturally [00:11:00] lead you to a solution.

And there’s just no empirical evidence anywhere to support that. When I first started I was doing a lot of marriage counseling. I was taking any, anyone who needed my services. I specialized in sport, but I had to pay the bills and I was doing marriage counseling. I was doing drug and alcohol counseling.

I did anything any mental health person could or would do, I was doing. And so I had this couple and they were two physicians. They’d been married 30 years. Living in separate bedrooms for the last 10 years. ....

Guest: Dr. Kyle Richmond (Founder: REBUILT Strength & Rehab)

Host: Jeff Pelizzaro

Episode Number: 366

Podcast: The 18STRONG Podcast

Partners: Linksoul, 1stPhorm

Listen in as Kyle Richmond from Rebuilt Strength and Rehab joins us to unfold his transformative journey from a chiropractic student to a social media sensation and savvy entrepreneur. Discover how Kyle’s dedication to mobility and athletic performance, carved out a unique niche in chiropractic care. He shares the pivotal role Instagram reels played in expanding his reach and the surprising ways his online surge propelled his practice into virtual consultations and impactful partnerships. Kyle’s story is a testament to the boundless potential of social media in nurturing a business and connecting with clients in today’s digital landscape.

During our conversation, Kyle and I exchange thoughts on modern chiropractic practices and the shift in public perception from pain relief to wellness and performance. We emphasize the critical importance of patient education and self-management, providing insights into comprehensive treatment strategies that transcend traditional adjustments. We also delve into the integration of mobility training in fitness regimes, clarifying the distinction between flexibility and mobility, and advocating for its role in enhancing movement control and injury prevention across various demographics.

Wrapping up, we tackle the emerging issue of back pain among the younger generation, attributing it to the sedentary habits linked with technology use. Kyle and I highlight the benefits of incorporating simple mobility exercises, like Controlled Articular Rotations (CARS), to counteract these lifestyle patterns. We also touch upon the nuances of soft tissue therapy in clinical practice, debunking common myths and underscoring its genuine merits. Plus, don’t miss out on the lighter side of our discussion, where we share personal favorites and envision hypothetical celebrity golf matches, adding a personal flair to the professional discourse.

(00:04) Successful Practice Through Social Media

Dr. Kyle Richmond shares his journey from chiropractic school to social media influencer and entrepreneur, leveraging Instagram reels to grow his practice and connect with clients.

(08:48) Golf Swing Improvement and Chiropractic Practice

Improving golf swing, modern chiropractic care, education, maintenance, and shift in public perception of chiropractic services.

(14:46) Mobility Training for Strength’s Importance

Mobility is crucial for fitness, as it involves active control and strength, benefits all ages, improves joint stability, and complements other forms of training.

(20:25) Technology’s Impact on Back Pain

Mobility, specifically Controlled Articular Rotations, is crucial for joint health in aging populations and athletes, while sedentary habits contribute to back pain in youth.

(32:03) Importance of Movement and Rehabilitation

Strategies for desk workers and golfers include thoracic extension exercises and hip mobility techniques.

(42:19) Neural Connections and Bypassing Muscle Guards

Nature’s protective mechanism, moderate stretching, and consistent exercise can improve mobility without extensive pre-workout routines.

(47:22) History of REBUILT and Parting Questions

Benefits of soft tissue therapy, clinic branding, and personal insights on movies, golf, and books.

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0:00:04 – Jeff Pelizzaro

The 18STRONG Podcast, episode number 366, with Kyle Richmond from Rebuilt Strength and Rehab. What’s up guys? Welcome back to the 18STRONG Podcast, where we’re here to help you build a stronger game, because we know that every golfer deserves to play better, longer. This week we have Kyle Richmond from Rebuilt Strength and Rehab on the show, and Kyle’s a chiropractor up in the Chicago area that really I found by watching his Instagram videos. He’s posting a lot of great content in the world of chiropractic performance and especially mobility. He’s been talking a lot about the importance of being able to work on your mobility where it has a purpose and it’s going to help your athletic ability to play golf better, but really just to move better in overall life, and how you can do that with intent as opposed to just working on a bunch of stretching and flexibility exercises. Kyle’s posts are very popular in our world in the golf and fitness world and so it was cool to finally get to meet him and talk to him about his strategies, not just in the training facility, but also on how he built his Instagram account and how he built his following, how he has now turned that into a full brick and mortar business, that he’s starting to work with clients in his own facility. So you’re going to really enjoy this episode with Kyle Richmond.

Our partners over at Linksoul have been providing us with the best apparel for both on the course and off the course, from polos to t-shirts like the one I have on right now. Everything that they have is meant to be worn from the golf course to wherever you’re going next, whether that be casual, whether that be to the beach there’s all different options over there. So go to 18STRONG.com slash Linksoul. You’ll get 20% off of anything in your cart over on Linksoul’s website. So again, 18STRONG.com, slash Linksoul for our favorite brand of apparel for anything on the golf course and off. So let’s get to this week’s interview.

Kyle Richmond, welcome to the 18strong podcast. Yeah, for sure. So this is cool. This is the first time we’ve ever met connected, really, and one of the things that I love about what we do here. One of my favorite things at 18strong is like trying to find people that we really respect. We see them doing great things online, and your post just kept coming up in front of me on Instagram. You’ve posted quite a few of your things, and so it’s great to connect. It’s cool to see what you’re doing, and I like to think of us as kind of a lens that our golfers can go to, as like a trusted resource, because we know that if whatever’s on our page, if it’s us posting somebody else, it’s because it’s stuff that we like, it’s stuff that we trust, so you can do an awesome stuff. So first, thanks for doing that, thank you.

0:03:07 – Kyle Richmond

I appreciate that. That’s incredible. The whole thing about now social media is that the people I’ve met, the rooms I’ve been in and stuff that I didn’t even expect I was the guy coming out of school like I don’t need social media, that’s stuff. That’s kind of done. I don’t want to do all these things, but now it’s like it’s really what my practice is like, how it revolved around now, which is amazing.

0:03:26 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Yeah. So give me a little bit of that story, because you were saying you’re just kind of recently out of chiropractic school the last two years. You’ve just opened your new practice, which we’ll get into that too, but tell me how this kind of snowballed into. You have a very big following on social media and you said your practice really revolves a lot around that.

0:03:48 – Kyle Richmond

Yeah, so I graduate in October of 21 from chiropractic school and I had an Instagram account that I just used to post like my crossbow workouts, family stuff, whatever it was. And then, as I’m getting towards the end of school, I’ve still not used it. I’m thinking, like I see people on there, I don’t think it’ll be that valuable. Whatever I graduate and over that year I start posting something. So, yeah, I worked for it was like, hey, you should post some things. You know. Really, the best way to show, or the best thing about it, was to show hey, yes, I’m a chiropractor and everyone has the predisposition of like I know what a chiropractor is. Yeah, been there, done that. I’m like well, I do things differently. Let me post and kind of show that. I post it for like a year on and off of, like maybe once or twice a week, whatever I have family stuff, my dog, gym, mobility, you name it.

October 22 comes around. I’m like All right, I saw this challenge post the reel every single day for the whole month. I’ll try. Um, learned a lot that month, got really efficient at it how to post, when to post, do all these things. I still just continue to do that every day until mid February happens. I’m, we’re out to dare. I pick up my phone and there’s like 2000 misnotifications like this. I don’t ever get that. I get like 30 likes a day maybe, and that’s like a big deal.

0:04:53 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Yeah.

0:04:54 – Kyle Richmond

I had a reel that just started going viral and it started getting like hundreds of thousands of views and likes and my my follower counter from like 2000 to 10,000, like three days, oh my gosh. Oh, okay, I’m like this is this is really happening, like I saw the K after it and like this is this is crazy. Um, so I ran with it. I started doing more. I got people reaching out. I’m working with people virtually doing all these things. Um, fast forward to about June of 2023 and I have about 30,000 followers. I’m making money off social media in terms of like, ads and clients, all these things. Um, I was at the point where I was unhappy at my old job. I was ready to go on my own. Well, I was fortunate. I had an income that said, hey, if you go on your own, your overhead is all like you’re, you’re ready, you don’t have there’s almost no risk, which I know there’s risk going to get business, but that made it easy. And then everyone around here knew of me because of social media.

Like you said, I said, people said man, I’ve seen your videos all over the place and now I’m following you or I come in as a patient, um, but that was really what kind of kickstarted things. And from there I’ve used it to meet incredible people, um, companies, all these things I can get into but it’s been nothing short of absolutely just amazing.

0:06:02 – Jeff Pelizzaro

That’s awesome. So give us a little bit of your background. Even before Cairo school, like sports wise, would you? You know, did you play a bunch of sports? I know you, um, were in CrossFit and personal training and all of those things. So give us a little background on yourself.

0:06:17 – Kyle Richmond

Okay. So growing up I played a little bit of everything, um, but gravitate towards soccer. Soccer was my everything from about early junior high through high school. I thought I was going to play in college. It was kind of always the goal. Um, I knew I wanted to be a chiropractor as early as like my freshman year of high school because I had an injury I separated my shoulder real bad playing soccer and it was a chiro PT mix that helped me rehab and I’m like, oh, this is awesome. So I knew I wanted to do that. I got towards the end of high school looking at colleges and I was like, well, I know, graduate school is very expensive, it’s very time consuming, and the team I was looking to play for is like, well, you can’t work or do anything, it’s just soccer. So I kind of, you know, I made the choice to give it up, um, but then I found CrossFit, which was a way to still be active and do stuff competitively.

Um, I did CrossFit for 10 years all the way up through COVID. Um, I personal trained, did all these things and that’s where my love for fitness and exercise kind of blended with the chiropractic Cause I treat very similar to I hate to always say like more, like a PT, it’s not just coming to get adjusted, there’s. I do manual therapy, I love it time and place. But a lot of this stuff is, hey, exercise base. So if it wasn’t for CrossFit and personal training and learning how to coach people, I think, is also another huge skill that helped me as a chiropractor. You’re coaching people all day long, you’re not just sitting there, hey, how are you Crack, crack, crack, you know out the door. But so it was soccer and then CrossFit.

Um, I’ve dabbled in other sports growing up and it’s funny, cause golf is not my sport. Uh, I am, I am so bad. It was hand-eye coordination stuff, like extension of the hand, baseball, hockey, golf. I just was uncoordinated. In that I’ve gotten better, but it’s still a long ways away. Do you play a little bit? Uh, not as of recently, well, when I was in graduate school, like I wanted, but it was like, do I buy groceries or do I go play golf? Yeah, right, it was. It was really like that’s what it was for a while. Um, I need two more. I’ve done just some indoor stuff here, but uh, that is on my list. I have the golf clubs in my garage from my dad, like that is the next big thing, now that I have a little more disposable income, in a sense, and a little more time. You know, owning a business you don’t have that much time when you start, but I have a little more now so it’s on my list.

0:08:24 – Jeff Pelizzaro

So where you’re located, you’re Frankfurt, illinois, is that right?

0:08:27 – Kyle Richmond

And so where is that in?

0:08:29 – Jeff Pelizzaro

in relation to oh so Chicago.

0:08:32 – Kyle Richmond

It’s Southwest Chicago by about 30, 45 minutes, but I mean you are so close to everything, the city’s right there, all the North suburb, south suburbs, it’s just all meshed into one giant area probably similar to high state, probably outside of St Louis’s right. It’s just just city of hot city.

0:08:46 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Yeah, Okay. Well, we got plenty of friends in the Chicago area that can help you with that golf swing. Hey. I need it, trust me.

0:08:53 – Kyle Richmond

I can hit it far. Do I know where it’s going? Nope.

0:08:57 – Jeff Pelizzaro

Yeah, I’m sure the swing speed isn’t an issue for you, it’s the. It’s the club face control, it’s getting that, getting that club on the ball.

0:09:03 – Kyle Richmond

All that? Yeah Well, cause, like, the best piece of advice I got was hey, let the club do the work for you, Cause I’m just going up there and just trying to just smash as hard as I can. You’re like you don’t need to do that. That helped me a ton, but I need I need some work.

0:09:15 – Jeff Pelizzaro

So let’s talk a little bit about your practice kind of your mentality working with clients, because you mentioned, you’re not what people tend to think of when they think chiropractic. I think that’s really changing too. You actually just made a post recently about you know, should you go chiro or PT, and it was really like a you know end of the post was like no, it just depends on who you know, how that person treats you and what their philosophies are and everything so. But I really do think and I have a couple of great buddies, a lot of people that have been on the show here that are they’re not what you think of when you think chiropractic. I think the old school is yeah, come in, crack your neck, pop your back, but there’s so much to it. So when somebody comes in to see you, give us just an idea of what that might look like.

0:09:57 – Kyle Richmond

Okay. So first I like to set the expectations, because either they’ve come in because they’ve heard a good referral that I’m different, or they’ll come in expecting chiropractic care, in a sense of like they just want the adjustment and go home. So I have to first sit down day one, take the entire history, kind of give them a little more of like what to expect in terms of treatment. Hey, like a lot of the education on it, I’m gonna send you home with some things and just make sure one were a good fit. I do get some people that aren’t happy with that because they do want to just get adjusted, go home, which can I do that sometimes.

Sure, it’s not my favorite, it’s not what I wanted to show people, so they’ll come in, go through the history a lot of test exams, get baselines, get assessments,