Charlie Engel ran across the Sahara Desert. Then federal agents arrested him at his condo for signing a mortgage document—while billionaire CEOs who crashed the economy walked free. He served 21 months. What he built inside changed everything.

Most people in minimum security hide. Charlie started running at 5 AM every day around the prison rec yard. An inmate named Pick and Roll told him "21 months isn't long enough to unpack your bags." Charlie realized something: his happiness was still entirely up to him.

The Service Framework:
→ Started with one overweight ex-basketball player asking for help
→ Grew to 50 inmates running daily, 25 doing yoga three times weekly
→ One inmate lost 200 pounds—Charlie still sees former inmates at his Durham gym

Here's what's different: Charlie wasn't trying to inspire anyone. He was trying to survive. But "attraction over promotion" works in prison the same way it works in business. Do your work. Be consistent. Let people come to you.

Dead Sea to Everest (January 2027):
→ Free dive in the Dead Sea, human-powered journey to summit Everest
→ Four and a half months, conceived in prison in 2012
→ "This time it's more Anthony Bourdain does adventure travel"

At 64, Charlie's not chasing records anymore. He's chasing meaning. After $10M (or after federal prison), the game changes. It's not about proving you can do hard things—it's about what hard things reveal about who you are.

Books mentioned:
Running Man (Charlie Engel's memoir)

For entrepreneurs who know that voluntary suffering builds something comfort never will.

#CharlieEngel #UltraEndurance #Resilience #EntrepreneurMindset #FederalPrison #DeadSeaToEverest #VoluntarySuffering #LeadershipLessons #Longevity #HumanPerformance #ServiceLeadership #MentalToughness #SecondAct #AthleteOver60 #FounderMindset

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Charlie Engel ran 4,300 miles across the Sahara Desert in 140-degree heat, sinking sand, and sandstorms—two marathons per day for 111 days. But the running wasn't the hard part. The hard part was unlearning everything he thought resilience meant.

Most entrepreneurs think resilience comes from pushing harder. Charlie discovered it comes from detachment from outcomes while maintaining relentless forward motion.

The Day-By-Day Framework:

→ Week one almost killed the expedition—support vehicles quit, team ran out of water twice, producers threatened to pull the plug
→ Day eight shift: stopped focusing on 4,300 miles ahead, focused only on the marathon in front of him
→ Result: raised $6M, landed Matt Damon as producer with the worst pitch in history (20 minutes late, 10-minute rambling presentation)
Here's what Charlie understood that most don't: his addictive personality wasn't the enemy. It was his competitive advantage. The same obsessive drive that destroyed his college basketball career and led to six-day crack binges became the exact trait that let him run 145 miles in 24 hours.

The Voluntary Suffering System:
→ You can't teach resilience—you can only build it through deliberate discomfort
→ Hard moments pass faster than hard times if you let them
→ Self-punishment vs. channeling obsession: know the difference

After the Sahara came federal prison for mortgage fraud. After prison came breaking the Death Valley Cup record. The pattern: resilience isn't about avoiding failure. It's about knowing you'll get up the next day regardless.

The ultimate question Zig Ziglar taught him: "The sale doesn't begin until you hear the word no." Applied to life: growth doesn't begin until you choose voluntary suffering.

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Charlie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlespgarcia/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortunatefishes/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fortunatefishespodcast?lang=en
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Most wealth advisors gatekeep content and charge for advice. James Bogart built a $100M+ practice doing the opposite—giving everything away for free. 

When COVID killed his dinner seminars, he went digital. First Zoom: 397 attendees. Within months: 100 new leads per week. The contrarian bet paid off.

The strategy wasn't generosity—it was game theory. No payment means no conflict. Free content creates relationships at scale. Digital compounds like interest.

The Free Content Flywheel:
→ Create educational content without gates
→ Distribute across multiple channels (webinars, podcasts, social)
→ Let quality self-select your ideal clients
→ Scale faster than hand-to-hand combat ever could

Here's what separates this from typical advisor thinking: He tells prospects to buy index funds if they only want money management. The real value isn't portfolio returns—it's tax integration, account structure, and behavioral accountability. A mid-level Exxon manager who lived below their means accumulated more wealth than company presidents. The how matters more than the how much.

The Three Account Framework:
→ After-tax: Flexibility, tax-inefficient growth
→ Pre-tax (401k/IRA): Deferred tax, mandatory distributions at 73
→ Roth: Tax-free growth forever if structured correctly

Most people optimize the wrong variables. They chase returns when tax strategy compounds harder. They hire for comfort when they need challenge. They wait to get advice when setup matters most.

Books mentioned:
Good to Great (Jim Collins)
Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell)
Various Rick Edelman financial literacy books
The Little Red Book of Selling (Jeffrey Gitomer)

For entrepreneurs scaling service businesses and families optimizing wealth transfer.

Subscribe for more insights from leaders redefining what it means to be truly wealthy.

Learn more at r360global.com

Charlie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlespgarcia/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortunatefishes/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fortunatefishespodcast?lang=en
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#leadership #leadership #investing  #businesspodcast #businessgrowth #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #businesssuccess #millionaire #wealthbuilding

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Most wealth advisors chase clients. James Bogart turned 60-80 retirees into evangelists by giving away everything for free—then asked them not to keep him a secret. The result: $600M to $3B in assets under management. Zero M&A. Pure referrals.

The insight: Fortune 500 employees with pensions are vastly uneducated about net unrealized depreciation, mega backdoor Roth strategies, and pension-to-401k transitions. Bogart became the expert HR departments wish they had—then gave that expertise away in educational dinners twice a month.

The Teaching-First Framework:
→ Educate before you ask for business
→ Master one niche deeper than anyone (including HR)
→ Set expectations upfront: "Don't keep us a secret"

Here's the uncomfortable part: He bought out his father during the pandemic, took his net worth negative, and built it all back during the most uncertain period imaginable. His answer to "how did you get through?" isn't inspiration, it's desperation. "I missed when I didn't have a choice."

On family business:
→ Don't do it—unless you can separate personal from professional
→ Invest in your kids starting their own thing instead
→ Structure governance from day one
Books mentioned:

Value Creation Kid (teaching kids entrepreneurship early)

For advisors stuck at $500M wondering why referrals dried up. For entrepreneurs who think giving away value means leaving money on the table. For anyone who needs proof that education scales better than salesmanship.

Subscribe for more insights from leaders redefining what it means to be truly wealthy.

Learn more at r360global.com

Charlie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlespgarcia/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortunatefishes/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fortunatefishespodcast?lang=en

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Don Wenner spent a full day one-on-one with Jim Collins. What he learned about the Flywheel and 20 Mile March principle drove 50% compounded growth for 19 years.

This isn't theory. Don built DLP Capital from zero to nearly $1 billion with 1,000 employees across real estate, banking, and impact investing. He made the Inc. 500 list 13 consecutive years while integrating faith, family, and profit.

What makes this conversation different?:

- The hiring system behind 7 interviews per week for a decade
- Why "consistency beats intensity" compounds faster than sprints
- How the Flywheel evolved since Collins wrote it (2023 updates)
- Trading Glenn Beck endorsements for $250/month (and becoming #1)
- 11 non-negotiable commitments that separate success from significance.

Don references Luke 12:48, Matthew 25:14, and builds his "ministry platform" inside his "profit engine" - the power of AND, not OR.
For operators scaling $10M to $500M who want systems, not slogans.


Books referenced:
Turning the Flywheel (Jim Collins)
Great by Choice (Jim Collins)
Discipline Is Destiny (Ryan Holiday)
Building an Elite Organization (Don Wenner)

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What if science and spirituality were never meant to be separate?
In this mind-expanding episode, Charlie Garcia sits down with Dana Herrera, original member and shareholder of RMIA Stem Cell Clinic in Costa Rica — a pioneer who’s helping people reverse their biological age and reconnect with their soul.

Dana reveals how regenerative medicine, stem cells, fasting, and psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine are reshaping the future of healing — doing “10 years of therapy in a week.” She shares her journey from the Amazon jungle to cutting-edge longevity labs, explaining how the real medicine is within you.

From cellular reprogramming to spiritual awakening, this episode breaks every paradigm about what it means to heal, age, and live with purpose.

In This Episode:

- The Heart Protocol: MDMA, Psilocybin & Ketamine explained
- How Dana dropped her biological age from 1.4x to 0.97x
- Why fasting and stem cells trigger real regeneration
- The hidden costs of Big Tech and Big Pharma’s “matrix”
- What it means to find freedom in surrender

Join the Movement!
👉 Subscribe for more conversations that merge science, spirituality, and success.

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The AI revolution isn’t coming—it’s here. 

From humanoid robots that can walk and lift to ChatGPT’s explosive rise to 100 million users in 60 days, technology is evolving at a pace unlike any other moment in human history.

In this episode of Fortunate Fishes, host Charlie Garcia sits down with Will Summerlin—AI researcher, entrepreneur, and rising expert in technology—to explore how artificial intelligence and robotics are reshaping jobs, leadership, and humanity itself.

You’ll learn:
- Why AI is disrupting white-collar jobs faster than blue-collar ones
- How today’s AI boom compares to past revolutions—but on a compressed timeline
- The human, ethical, and leadership challenges this new era demands

This isn’t just about technology—it’s about how we adapt as humans in a world transformed by AI.

👉 Watch now, and subscribe to Fortunate Fishes for more expert conversations on leadership, innovation, and the future of humanity.

#AI #FutureOfWork #ArtificialIntelligence #Robotics #FortunateFishes

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How do you turn conflict into connection?

In this episode of Fortunate Fishes, host Charlie Garcia speaks with Dr. David Baum—an internationally recognized conflict mediator and leadership consultant who has guided dialogues everywhere from Northern Ireland and Rwanda to Fortune 500 boardrooms.

David’s journey is extraordinary. He put himself through graduate school (achieving a PhD in Divinity and Social Psychology), performing magic, juggling, and fire-eating. 

Today, he:
- Mediates high-stakes conflicts in war-torn regions
- Coaches executives at companies like Shell and Barclays
- Designs dialogues with Jane Goodall and the Dalai Lama’s team

With doctorates in psychology and divinity, David blends scholarship, humor, and storytelling to help people break through division and truly listen to one another.

🎥 In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why deeply rooted beliefs can fuel division—and how to move past them
- How to create openness in high-stakes conversations
- Why change sometimes happens in lightning flashes of grace
- What circus skills can teach us about leadership and listening

If you’ve ever wondered how experts navigate conflict, build trust, and lead with empathy, this conversation is for you.

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This Guy Runs 135 Miles Through Death Valley. For Fun. Here's Why That Matters.

True story: Vineer Bhansali was supposed to fail. Kid from nowhere India. No connections. No money. His dad worked for the railways.

But when he missed his train to take the SAT, he didn't go home. He chased down a cattle truck, stood all night in a bus, walked through riots, and showed up anyway.

Perfect score.

Now? Harvard PhD. Runs 100-mile races for fun. Pilots jets. Dropped his cholesterol 71 points in 9 weeks just to see if he could.

Here's what hit me hardest in our conversation:

"I wake up at 3:30am every day. Have for 30 years. Not because I have to. Because discipline isn't something you turn on and off. It's who you become."

This man ran through Death Valley last July. 135 miles. 120 degrees. His crew poured ice water on him every mile just so he wouldn't die.

You know what he said? "The heat isn't the enemy. Your mind telling you to quit is the enemy."

Your excuse for not starting that business? Not getting in shape? Not chasing that dream?

Yeah. This episode will end that.

#wallstreet #investing #riskmanagement #wealthbuilding #ultrarunning
#peakperformance  #resilience #successmindset

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In this episode of Fortunate Fishes, Charlie Garcia sits down with Greg Witz, entrepreneur, leadership coach, and host of the Better Human Podcast. With over three decades of experience helping leaders and teams unlock their full potential, Greg brings unfiltered wisdom, powerful stories, and practical tools for becoming a better human.

From a near-violent confrontation with a “silverback gorilla” in Canada to rebuilding after near-bankruptcy, Greg’s journey is filled with raw lessons on resilience, emotional intelligence, and the power of perspective.

You’ll hear:

The life-changing moment when one question defused a life-threatening standoff.

Why PRATT — People Respond As Treated — is the key to deeper relationships at work and at home.

How Greg’s upbringing in a tough family business shaped his entrepreneurial grit.

The role of failure in building resilience, and why reframing setbacks as experience is essential for growth.

The importance of self-awareness, empathy, and regulation in modern leadership.

His practical framework for debriefing — helping people process trauma, stress, or failure without judgment.

Insights from living and working abroad, including time in Costa Rica, and how different cultures shaped his outlook.

Why leaders must practice vulnerability, active listening, and presence to truly inspire others.

This conversation is a masterclass in leadership, human psychology, and personal transformation. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an executive, or simply someone looking to level up your life, Greg’s insights will leave you thinking differently about yourself, your relationships, and what it means to succeed.

🔑 Key Themes: Emotional Intelligence • Leadership • Resilience • Failure & Growth • Family & Business • Vulnerability & Listening • Human Potential

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes with entrepreneurs, thinkers, and leaders who are redefining success and human connection.

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