I believe in the brain and I believe in the reticular activating system identifying things in your brain, giving you goals and better ways to view things in order to reach them.

When we think about life, we tend to think about retirement or about our dreams – dream house, dream spouse, dream family. We get into such a hustle and bustle about the things we want and the life we want “on our own terms” – as it is often said - that we forget that this life is only the tailgate to the real bowl of eternity after we die.

On today’s episode, I share with you what I’ve learned from my journey through personal development and where that journey led me to eventually find the peace that I was looking for.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About my journey of personal development with Tony Robbins’ events. (01:12)
• About the exercise called, “The Hour of Power” (06:12)
• The impact the community that I met at UPW had on me. (09:00)
• The moment everything started to change. (17:00)
• The place where I found peace. (26:49)

Connect with me:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Email: [email protected] 
• Email: [email protected] 

"The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say "No" to almost everything.” – Warren Buffett

Everybody has an issue with saying, “No”, but when you become successful, you have to learn how to say it. In fact, you only become successful because you say “No”.

Being successful in love is the same thing – you have to know how to say “No”. That’s why, when it comes to relationships, one of the first steps you have to look at is who YOU are, what it is that YOU desire and what is right for YOU.

You can’t read about your boundaries in a book. You have to allow yourself to experience every love connection as a journey to get to know yourself and know what you want.

In this episode, Susan and I discuss boundaries and how they can help us create a meaningful relationship with our significant other based on the truth about who we really are and what we are willing to offer.

Nearly 25 years ago, Susan Hum started her journey of self-exploration to fully understand what Life Purpose means. She believes that we are all born with a road-map that, if we are aligned with its purpose, brings pure fulfillment and joy to our lives. Today she is fulfilling her dream as a Success & Love Coach. Her results-oriented coaching practice is based on both Eastern and Western methodologies. As an accomplished career woman, coupled with her broad life and diverse work experiences, she has the unique insight and wisdom to perceive each person’s distinct brilliance.

So, listen to Episode 24 of My Fitness Ride, to learn how you can get the self-control you need in order to achieve your greatest success in love.

Questions I ask:

• Why is it so important to know when to say "No" and when to say "Yes"? (07:13)
• What's a good example of somebody feeling controlled? (08:56)
• Can you give us a few examples of what healthy boundaries are? (13:17)
• How is the heart irrational? What's a good example of that? (20:53)
• Do you believe people should marry their best friends? Is that a good thing? (38:58)

In this episode, you will learn:

• New vs old relationships – performance as a differentiation factor. (11:33)
• The five love languages. (15:06)
• Boundaries build bridges, not walls. (18:22)
• The similarities between love and GPS. (20:00)
• The significance of “The one”. (29:23)

Connect with Susan:

• Website
• Facebook

How do you feel today? Do you feel great? Are you having a rough day?

How was yesterday for you? How was your last week or last month?

Every day we go to social media and we put our best face out, we post motivational quotes, we post the amazing things we’re up to, but we don’t really get in touch with our real self and get vulnerable with our debilitating emotions.

It takes real courage to stop pretending that life is perfect and to step up and realize and accept that you need help or that you want help.

The topic of today’s episode is fake positivity and the danger behind it, which is perpetuating the stigma around mental illnesses.

There is a sense that if you are depressed or if you have negative feelings, there may be something wrong with you. But you need to know something: it’s not a problem with your character, it doesn’t mean you’re broken, it’s just a condition just like having asthma or high blood pressure, and it needs to be treated.

So, tune in and listen to Episode 23 of My Fitness Ride, to learn that when we just sit and accept that the good and the bad emotions make us who we are, only then we can live in peace and only then we can sit with ourselves, in a quiet room and realize that we are home.

In this episode, you will learn:

• That social media leads to comparison, which leads to a debilitating weakness of envy, which will corrode you from the inside out. (04:55)
• About the meaning of spiritual bypassing. (07:22)
• My story with mood disorder and how I asked for help. (15:37)
• How vulnerability is a real power if we embrace it. (17:08)
• The worst thing you could do if you have a family member or a friend that suffers from any kind of mental illness. (20:33)
• That the solution to your problems always starts with self-love. (26:18)
• The different types of spiritual bypass. (28:10)

How you can connect with me:

• Email: [email protected] 
• Facebook
• Instagram

We’re coming up on six months of My Fitness Ride - a podcast centered on learning and enhancing our mindset.

For me, these six months have definitely been a ride! The first few weeks were challenging on getting around the mindset of putting myself publicly in a podcast for people to consume and just listen to whatever I had to say, but as the episodes kept flowing, my fears kept shrinking and I overcame some of my greatest ones.

In today’s episode, I switched seats and put myself in the shoes of my guests. I asked Todd Gross Jr. - the CEO and founder of Breaking Glass Ceilings, and one of the first people I invited to this podcast - to come and interview me. It turned out to be great, and we touched on topics like setting boundaries, experiencing the fear of success, comparing ourselves to others, or having the illusion of control.

So, listen to Episode 22 of My Fitness Ride, and learn about ego, acceptance, isolation, pride, relationships, and success - because, in the end, we go through the same things, regardless of where we are in the world.

In this episode, you will learn:

• About comparison as one of the flavors of suffering. (02:55)
• About the fear of success and why most people have it. (04:32)
• Scarcity love versus abundant love – their meaning and their influence upon people. (07:55)
• The traps of social media. (15:55)
• About complacency – the good and the bad around it. (22:14)
• A simple thing you can do if you’re not satisfied with the position that you’re in right now. (25:12)
• About the boundaries that we create and the impact of not having them. (29:13)
• Why, in my opinion, isolation is one of the greater sufferings, and it’s often masked by the illusion of being in control. (37:01)
• About ego and pride. (38:56)

Connect with Todd:

• Facebook Page: Breaking Glass Ceilings

Connect with Rafael:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

TV is now producing a non-truth to youth about performance, and it’s driving our culture into a basic belief that we need to make sure that confidence is the way we should train children.

Dr. Nick believes that confidence is not a really good predictor of performance, and he has developed a model based on intention: intention drives attention, attention drives decision-making and decision-making drives performance.

In today’s episode, my guests are Dr. Nick Molinaro – who is going to talk about the reality behind building confidence and goal setting, and how this affects children - and Celeste Romano – who is going to share her son’s story and his experience as a patient of Dr. Nick.

Dr. Nick Molinaro is a licensed psychologist with 35 years of experience. His counseling practice aims to reach one goal: to enhance patients’ quality of life by increasing enjoyment and unlocking potential. Performance counseling is provided to athletes of all ages: from middle school-aged children through professional and Olympic athletes in all sports. Clients include players in the NFL, AFL, CFL, NBA, NASCAR, PGA, LPGA and former Olympic Gold and Silver Medal winners.

Dr. Nick has developed a particular niche in golf psychology, working with both amateur and professional golfers of all levels, including several players currently on the PGA, LPGA, and European Tours.

Dr. Nick’s expertise extends well beyond sports, consulting with everyone from Fortune 500 Executives to performance artists, to enhance their overall performance, so listen to Episode 21 of My Fitness Ride, to learn about some of his techniques.

Questions I ask:

• What drove you and what was your main motivation in writing this book and sharing it with us now? (05:29)
• How would you define optimal performance? (07:24)
• How does visualization, if at all, come into this process? (24:59)
• Celeste, could you share with us your experience with Dr. Nick? (38:02)
• What was your son’s biggest challenge when he started working with Dr. Nick? (40:47)

In this episode, you will learn:

• What attentional shifting is and how can that benefit an athlete or a young child. (09:01)
• One thing that sports and the corporate world have in common is working under pressure. Learn how Dr. Nick introduces pressure-like situations in the process of developing a child. (13:48)
• What proprioception is. (25:29)
• Dr. Nick’s view on motivation. (29:49)
• Killer instinct vs Grit. (43:15)

Connect with Dr. Nick:

• Website
• Website – Golf Psychology
• Book: Beyond The Scoreboard: Learn It Through Youth Sports, Carry It Through Life

God wants you to be happy, man!

Most people have everything, without even realizing it, but they don’t do anything because they believe they have nothing.

We need to be resourceful and acknowledge that the resources are all around us. The trouble is we don’t see them because we always search for that special resource or that too expensive resource.

Don’t wait to be happy! Start now, with the resources you already have.

In today’s episode, Marcos and I talk about the power of acceptance, the beauty of trusting people, and about living your life like there’s no tomorrow. The most important advice he gives us is to never let our physical or self-imposed limitations stop us from dreaming and achieving our purpose and our mission in life.   

Marcos Rossi was born with a condition they have labeled as “hand-heart syndrome”, meaning, in his case, that he was born without arms or legs, and was given a life expectancy of 30 years. He is now 37, he is married, with two kids. He is a lawyer and the top executive at a bank in Brazil, he is a surfer, a scuba diver, a DJ, a drummer and also a singer.

So, listen to Episode 20 of My Fitness Ride, to learn how Marcos was able to manage and handle his condition and lifestyle in a way that empowers him to have the best life possible, which is something we all could learn a lot about.

Questions I ask:

• At what point in life did you become aware that you were different? (05:11)
• Most of us can be trusting at some point, but then, what do you do if you get betrayed, if you're hurt? If you go through that kind of situation, how do you continue to be trusting at that level? (23:58)
• What kind of habits do you follow daily? (28:45)
• It sounds to be like this public speaking and helping others is what fulfills you in life, right? (38:11)
• Do you ever feel overwhelmed? And if you do, what do you do to handle it, to deal with it? (51:49)

In this episode, you will learn:

• Marcos’s realization at his first attempt to approach a girl. (07:35)
• A turning point in Marcos’s life, when he was diagnosed with scoliosis. (11:07)
• The story of Marcos learning surfing and why it’s important to have trust in people. (19:10)
• What Marcos is teaching people in his courses. (36:02)
• Marcos’s vision for his future. (49:32)

Connect with Marcos:

• Online & Live Training with Marcos
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

“A good coach can change a game and a great coach can change a life.” – John Wooden

Think about life, and pretend you have a ladder.

At the bottom of the ladder, you have fear, overwhelm, regret, anxiety – all the ‘good’ stuff that we don’t want to be around.

At the top of the ladder, you have creativity, love, joy, desire, and hope.

If an outside negative stimulus comes your way, how are you going to react when you are at the top of the ladder, versus at the bottom of it?

In today’s episode, Doni and I discuss emotional homes, self-empowerment, and how to establish boundaries to grant yourself permission to have the best life you can.

Geordoni Mckoy is a woman of many talents! She’s a Transformational Self-Empowerment Life Coach, Board Certified Nurse Practitioner, and Real Estate Investor. Overcoming fear is her niche, and in this podcast, Coach Doni elaborates on the three key points of Enlightenment, Engagement & Empowerment, and how they can serve you.

So listen to Episode 19 of My Fitness Ride, to learn how you can move up the ladder of life, to find happiness, joy, peace, and love.

Questions I ask:

• How would you describe your coaching practice? (06:57)
• What’s a leader mode to you? (18:10)
• How do we get somebody out of that victimhood life? (26:54)
• How have vision boards helped people? (40:51)
• What would you tell me about how boundaries play out in our lives? (50:34)

In this episode, you will learn:

• How you can become my coaching client and what can you expect from me. (01:47)
• Doni’s belief system and how she coaches people. (07:29)
• About the ladder of life. (09:22)
• Leader mode versus victim mode. (19:25)
• The importance of having clarity in everything that you do. (45:32)

Connect with Geordoni:

• Email: [email protected] 
• Facebook

Connect with Rafael:

• Email: [email protected] 
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Website

Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung

When we look into ourselves, and we look into our own shortcomings, we tend to feel shame or feel embarrassed.

But there’s no need to because who we are as people is composed of not only the good things we like to point out on Instagram and Facebook, but also the bad things and as soon as we can figure this out, we will be better for it.

In today’s episode, Carolyn and I are talking about looking at ourselves in every sense – in relationships, in our personal lives, and in our business life – and about understanding that our failures are our stepping stones towards our success and we should not be afraid of them.  

Carolyn Rim is a mindset, meditation, and visualization coach. She is the leader of her Inner Circle mastermind, and she is the founder of the Spark Your Rockstar movement. She helps people all over the world create a deeper relationship with themselves and claim their birthright self-worth.

In my opinion, Carolyn is one of the best guides in meditation that I’ve seen, always bringing something to the table as far as personal growth and healing.

So, listen to Episode 18 of My Fitness Ride, to learn how to follow your dreams and do things that light your soul on fire.

Questions I ask:

• Rockstar Meditation Coach and Healer - Why Rockstar Carolyn? Why did you choose that term? (04:24)
• I do know that before you being this rockstar that you are today, you did have a 9 to 5 job, right? What was that like and how did you get out of that? When did you decide that? (06:15)
• What would you recommend to somebody who is listening to this and says, "Hey, you know what? I want to start looking into myself. Where do I go, where do I do?" (46:25)
• If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere, with anything on it, what would it say? (49:04)
• In the last 5 years, what have you become better at saying "No" to? (49:35)

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why most people settle where they are in life. (09:38)
• About the fear of regret that keeps you in your comfort zone. (11:08)
• The power of visualization. (16:33)
• The meaning of lineage and stuck energies. (18:05)
• Carolyn’s 99 Day Dare. (46:42)
• How you can become my coaching client. (51:57)

Connect with Carolyn:

• Website
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• 99 Day Dare

Connect with Rafael for coaching sessions:

• Email: [email protected] 

A lot of times we equate burnout with a career but it can happen in any area of our lives.

And oftentimes it’s just a sign that something needs to change, that something’s not right;

Burnout is only a symptom that’s part of an overall bigger picture.

On today’s episode, Dr. Chris Loo and I have an interesting talk about burnout, money and wealth mindset, preconceived ideas that hold you back, and non-clinical careers for physicians.

Dr. Christopher Loo is an entrepreneur, investor, consultant, author, speaker, executive coach, and physician advisor. He retired from a career in medicine in 2016, to fully focus on running his portfolio of businesses. He has extensive consulting experience working with hospitals, technology startups, high net-worth clients, and executives over the past twelve years. Dr. Loo is the author of How I Quit My Lucrative Medical Career and Achieved Financial Freedom (2018), The Physician’s Guide to Achieving Financial Freedom Using Stocks and Options, and The Physician's Guide to Getting Started in Consulting (2019).

He says that you can actually make more money, and be happier and more fulfilled as an entrepreneur than as a practicing physician.

So, listen to Episode 17 of My Fitness Ride, to learn that it’s not that hard to transition from an exhausting career to a non-clinical profession if that’s what you really want.

Questions I ask:

• Approximately 50% of physicians think that there's no other option, that you're basically stuck in what you do because that's what you're trained for. Do you have another opinion regarding that? (08:53)
• When you decided to quit, when you were in the orthopedic training, was it because you felt burned out? (13:42)
• Do you want to tell us a bit about your last book? (28:31)
• What exactly is a freelance consultant? (31:04)
• For a physician that's listening, that's sitting and wondering, “What could I do? What could I offer in a non-clinical world?” - what kind of jobs do you know that are out there? (33:49)

In this episode, you will learn:

• Dr. Loo’s background and how he decided to give up his medical career, to enter in the world of entrepreneurs. (02:42)
• Dr. Chris's realizations in terms of the wealth and abundance mindsets. (03:50)
• The dangers of burnout. (14:41)
• The meaning of branding and leveraging. (32:36)
• The difference between the "money is an idea" mindset versus "money is time" mindset. (39:03)

Connect with Dr. Christopher Loo:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Resources:

• How I Quit My Lucrative Medical Career and Achieved Financial Freedom Using Real Estate: (You Can, Too!)
• The Physician's Guide to Financial Freedom: Getting Started As A Consultant: How to Launch and Brand Your Unique Skill Sets to Position, Leverage, and Capitalize on Niche Consulting Opportunities
• The Physicians Guide to Achieving Financial Freedom Using Stocks & Options: How I Became Financially Free Using a Simple 3-Step Process Investing in Stocks

"Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there's no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better." - Harry S. Truman.

Life is testing us and there are really only two options when things happen to you:

Either you grow and you convert that mess into your message,

Or you don’t, and you get stuck.

There is no in-between.

Jonathan is one of the many people affected by HIV and on today’s episode, he shares with us how he ended up having AIDS, how he dealt with the news and how he finally, after eight years, found a way to cope with everything. His hope is that through his actions, and the actions of others that will follow his example, HIV will be viewed as any other chronic disease.

Jonathan Bossaer can definitely be defined as a hero and you will learn that when you hear his story – one that takes a lot of courage to share. He is the host of Positively Alive podcast and also, the Founder and Executive Director of Positively Alive – a Belgian-based charity with two objectives: to help normalize HIV by sharing timely, relevant, positive and empowering messages using social media and to help end the HIV and AIDS epidemic by generating funds to those organizations that need it the most and for research into finding a vaccine and a cure for HIV.

So, listen to Episode 16 of My Fitness Ride, and join us on a journey with a lot of mixed feelings, from shock, anger, frustration, guilt, and shame, to forgiveness, acceptance and a desire to change the world.

Questions I ask:

• Tell us a little more about you - who you are, where you come from and what this all interview is about? (02:44)
• How is your relationship with your parents now? (22:49)
• How did you cope? (24:27)
• When did that moment come? That realization, that awareness that led you to start the process to get into where you are today? (29:41)
• Where is your life going now? What is your mission now? (42:28)
• 
  

In this episode, you will learn:

• The story of how Jonathan contracted HIV. (03:41)
• Jonathan’s first reaction when he heard the news. (14:39)
• The role of forgiveness in starting to accept your condition. (35:40)
• The meaning of undetectable is untransmittable. (44:31)
• The reasons why although HIV is not a death sentence anymore, people still get depressed and self-stigmatize themselves. (46:24)

Connect with Jonathan:

• LinkedIn
• Positively Alive Facebook Group
• Positively Alive Podcast
• Donations to the charity group through Paypal