One Day with Jon Bier

In 2008, while Jason was in Special Forces and Emily his wife was in the CIA, they started GORUCK out of her house in war-torn West Africa. 

The goal was pretty simple: build a rucksack with life or death quality standards that would thrive in Baghdad and NYC, not to mention Côte d’Ivoire — and show people of all walks of life how to operate smartly and safely in some of the harshest environments in the world (using said rucksack). 

How to travel, how to train, how to get the most out of a life where adventure calls and tomorrow is never promised.

They didn’t have a business plan and weren’t willing to compromise on basically anything, so this little project called GORUCK cost them almost everything they had.

But sometimes you have to put all your chips on the table and say come what may. What Jason and Emily found (with no time to spare) was a like-minded community of people who proudly proclaim that "the easy life is not for us."

When you’ve survived the things that Jason & Emily have, and your inspiration in life becomes normal people doing extraordinary things, what you realize is that you don’t owe less — you owe more.  

Please enjoy this wide-ranging and personal conversation with Jason and Jon!

Research has shown that the number one predictor of one’s health and happiness isn’t diet, exercise, or wealth: it’s the quality of one’s relationships. Ours is a modern day relationship wellness company, trusted by thousands of couples.

Host Jon Bier talks all things relationships, therapy and wellness and other important matters with Ours CEO, Jessica Holton.

Matteo Franceschetti is the Co-Founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, the sleep fitness company.

Eight Sleep developed a proprietary technology which is redesigning sleep by developing cutting-edge AI and machine learning models to track bio signals during the night and optimizing body recovery and rest while asleep. The end goal of the Pod is to compress sleep and scan your body while asleep to monitor your health.

Eight Sleep is currently used by pro athletes and top performers across multiple industries and was recognized as one of TIME’s “Best Inventions” in 2018 and 2019, was named one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies” in 2018, and has raised over $150M in funding from leading investors, including Founders Fund, Softbank, Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator, Valor Equity Partners, General Catalyst, Naval Ravikant, and Patrick Collison.

Prior to Eight, Matteo co-founded and led GIR (acquired in 2014) and Global Investment (acquired 2011). Both companies were in cleantech.

Matteo holds multiple patents in tech and health, is a Member of the Forbes Technology Council, has been Co-Chair at FWD.us and Mentor at Techstars, Microsoft Bizpark and the NYU Summer Launchpad Program.

He graduated magna cum laude with a Law degree from University of Ferrara, and was a member of the Italian Bar Association while working as a lawyer in the finance practice of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Allen & Overy, both part of the Magic Circle of British’s elite law firms.

Jake Muise, Maui Nui CEO & FOUNDER

Jake was born and raised in Northern Canada. Adventurous and inquisitive, he followed his gut to Hawaiʻi for college as a D1 athlete. During his years at Mānoa, he was taken in by a Molokaʻi family which was where his relationship with Axis deer began—over holidays and summer breaks, alongside multi-generational subsistence hunters. Over the years, his fascination and respect for this animal grew and after founding a research-based non-profit, the Axis Deer Institute, he took on several projects managing Hawaiʻiʻs invasive ungulates.

Maui Nui grew out of his passion to create a full-bodied solution that saw Hawaiʻiʻs deer as both a non-native species in need of active population management as well as an incredible food resource whose sustainability and viability needed to be ensured in the long term. For Jake, hunting and environmentalism in Hawaiʻi are inseparable parts of the same set of actions and concerns.

Ken Rideout is a guy who has risen above what most people who see as insurmountable obstacles to become one of the world’s pre-eminent athletes.

Now 51, he leaves his (often younger) running competitors in the dust—and is only beginning to hit his stride.

Ken's life hasn't been easy. In his early years he had a rough childhood, a battle with addiction, learning brutal truths as a prison guard right out of high school, and later losing friends on 9/11 are just a few of the many adversities he’s faced and overcome.

Follow Ken on:
https://www.instagram.com/ken_rideout/
https://thekenrideout.com/

Dan Freed who struggled with focus, had behavior issues and was failing all his classes in school figured out that his brain was differently from his sister. She did all of her homework and everything seemed to come easy. Flash forward to today and it's no wonder that she became a triple board certified physician.

Freed grew up in Los Angeles, worked internationally for a decade, studied at INSEAD + Yale. He's now in New York building Thesis: the world’s only personalized brain supplements (nootropics) company. 

"Nootropics have had a huge impact on my life. They’ve helped me go from a sandwich artist at Subway to cooking in a three Michelin star restaurant, and from being a high school drop-out to obtaining degrees in world class universities. We believe that everyone should have access to nootropics so they can realize their full potential."

Thesis has helped thousands of people who struggle with focus, attention, writer’s block, and countless other mental barriers that affect their brains’ performance. Thesis tested over a hundred ingredients on thousands of people and our products produce measurable results that demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of our product. We’ve worked with a team of neuroscientists from MIT, Penn, and Yale to create the most effective blend of supplements customized for you.

When Jon Bier brought on Heather Morris as the president of Jack Taylor he knew two things: First,  that she didn't have C-suite experience. But he felt instinctively that Heather had all of the qualities he was looking for in a trusted business partner to help grow the business.  

Jon's intuition was right and now he is in LA and Heather is in NYC. Together, along with a team of 50+ team members in Jack Taylor offices in LA, NYC, UK and AU, they are building the Jack Taylor brand with some of the most successful clients across many industries including a block of some of the best in the health & wellness space. 

In this episode of One Day with Jon Bier, Jon sits with WHOOP founder Will Ahmed to discuss relationships, gratitude, and his road to innovation in the wellness space.

Will highlights WHOOP's unique positioning in the wearable tech market, appealing to elite athletes and everyday health enthusiasts alike. He candidly shares challenges he’s faced in entrepreneurship, including near-failure and the importance of resilience and gratitude. He also gives his perspective on building material wealth and the true luxury of time.

Will Ahmed is the Founder and CEO of WHOOP, which has developed next generation wearable technology for optimizing human performance and health. WHOOP has raised more than $400 million from top investors and is valued at $3.6 billion, making it the most valuable standalone wearables company in the world.

Powerful Quotes

The principles of your company define design decisions you make down the road. One of our principles is that technology should improve your life, not invade your life. ~Will

Key Highlights

• Will’s inexperience in technology ironically proved advantageous during the early days of WHOOP, because it allowed him to defy traditional tech norms, which focused on step counters and screens. His innovation instead paved the way for a product that prioritized holistic wellness. His adoption of a subscription model was also a significant departure from industry standards, creating a dynamic and evolving relationship with consumers that fueled the growth and sustainability of WHOOP.
• Will shares how WHOOP's design philosophy aims to minimize intrusion by avoiding screens and reducing notifications, thereby allowing the technology to seamlessly integrate into users' lives without overwhelming them. This not only distinguishes WHOOP from competitors but also hammers home the need to foster a harmonious relationship between users and their wearable tech.
• Will reflects on gratitude and its role in counterbalancing the relentless pursuit of success. He incorporates gratitude practices into daily routine, which not only improves his well-being but also makes him a more effective leader.

Connect with Will Ahmed

• Instagram: @willahmed

Connect with Jon Bier

• Instagram: @jonbier13
• Twitter: @jonbier13

In this episode of One Day with Jon Bier, Jon sits with his wife Kimberly to share the influence of their relationship on their personal and professional development.

Jon and Kimberly discuss how nurturing a conscious relationship contributes to their shared success, despite having certain opposing lifestyle choices. They also give their thoughts on sustainable living and their experience in co-owning and managing a farm in Hawaii.

Kimberly Snyder is a multiple-time New York Times bestselling author, spiritual and meditation teacher, international speaker, nutritionist, and wellness expert. She has authored 6 books, including Radical Beauty, which she co-authored with Deepak Chopra. She is also the founder of Solluna®, a holistic lifestyle brand that offers supplements, meditations, and courses, Practical Enlightenment Meditation,™ and the host of the top-rated Feel Good Podcast on the Podcast One Network.

Powerful Quotes

"Having a conscious relationship means being as honest and upfront as possible with each other." ~Jon Bier

"There are different pathways to spiritual growth. In the household, your partnership allows you to open in consciousness, which means awareness." ~ Kimberly Snyder

Key Highlights

• Conscious relationships serve as a catalyst for personal growth and business success. Jon and Kim’s marriage, built on shared values and honest communication, helped them to grow exponentially, both personally and professionally. They explore the idea that a partnership is a mirror that reveals inner patterns and traumas, offering a unique opportunity for healing and development.
• A strong partnership can create a deeper vision for life. Jon explains how his professional background in PR complements Kimberly's entrepreneurial ventures. By being honest about their strengths and weaknesses, and being willing to work through challenges together, they demonstrate that a conscious relationship can lay a robust foundation for business partnerships between couples.
• Jon and Kimberly talk about being “open-hearted”. They acknowledge that disagreements are part of any relationship's growth, but also that harmony and joy is found through commitment and the willingness to confront challenges. In other words, imperfections are part of the journey, and it's through mutual effort to overcome them that partners can truly deepen their connection.

Connect with Kimberly Snyder

• Instagram: @_kimberlysnyder

Connect with Jon Bier

• Instagram: @jonbier13
• Twitter: @jonbier13

In this episode of One Day with Jon Bier, Jon sits with Ryan Duey, the trailblazing co-founder and co-CEO of Plunge, a pioneering company in the realm of ice bathing and cold plunging.

Listen in as Ryan breaks down the unprecedented success of Plunge, which made $80 million in revenue in just three years, in an industry that barely existed a few years ago. He talks about the importance of social media, strategic targeting of influencers, and the research that goes into the creation of a high-quality, affordable product.

Ryan Duey was born and raised in Northern California. Ryan had what he calls his “greatest gift”: a head-on motorcycle accident in Thailand. This near death experience catapulted Ryan into a journey of self-inquiry, leading him to the jungles of the Amazon, the inside of a float tank, and a commitment to entrepreneurship in the Health and Wellness industry. Today, Ryan and his business confidante Mike Garrett joined forces to create Plunge. Their mission is to make cold plunging as common as coffee.

Powerful Quotes by Ryan

"Our big value prop with Plunge is getting the best ROI on your time."

"What makes a company stand out is how interesting they are."

Key Highlights

·    From maintaining a highly competitive price point to killing it in the SEO department to a locally-manufactured product, Plunge has been able to beat out all of its other competitors, including those who have been in business much longer.

·    The advantage of cold plunges over infrared saunas comes down to time. It takes significantly longer to reap the benefits from sitting in a sauna compared to what you can get from a cold plunge in just a few minutes.

·    Ryan was never motivated by money, but now that he has found success, he loves the newfound freedom that money gives him. He opts for a minimalist lifestyle that allows him to do whatever he wants without having to worry about paying the bills. Money, to him, should never be the focus, but at the same time, don’t take for granted the opportunities you unlock for yourself when you build wealth.

Connect with Ryan Duey

Instagram: @ryanaduey

Connect with Jon Bier

Instagram: @jonbier13

Twitter: @jonbier13