Brandon Kaitschuck: Insights on Self-Mastery and Sobriety

Jon Cerone's friend Brandon Kaitschuck returns to the podcast for another enlightening and hilarious episode.

Brandon is coming up on his 11th month of sobriety and reveals his journey towards personal growth and self-discovery, painting a vivid picture of his newfound physical, mental, spiritual, and financial well-being. He empowers us with the relatable struggles of maintaining sobriety through turmoil, thus making this episode a must-listen for anyone seeking strength on a similar path.

With light-hearted jabs and funny stories, the two friends know how to keep things interesting and inspirational. Don't sleep on this episode!

Follow Brandon on Instagram for an inspiring wellness journey!
https://www.instagram.com/alignyourminds/

Transcript

Jon: 0:06

Welcome to the Feel Free podcast, the only podcast that'll tell you to chase your dreams and call you out on all your bullshit, Myself included. I got my really good friend Brandon K Chuck here Coming up on 11 months sober 11th on the 11th, actually 11th on the 11th.

Brandon: 0:23

Congratulations. Thank you, sir. Again Appreciate you.

Jon: 0:27

Big accomplishment there has completely I'd say completely turned your life around in those 11 months. Just finished his first Iron man a couple weeks ago too. He's kicking ass in all areas of his life and now he's here to visit me this weekend and I said we gotta do a fucking podcast episode when you're in town.

Jon: 0:46

So originally the topic today was gonna be him roasting the fuck out of me and calling me out on my bullshit Cause, as you know, the Feel Free podcast took a little bit of a break for some emotional difficulties that your boy had gone through, which is no excuse. So I would like to also face my shortcomings. We also want to talk about all the accomplishments that you've done in the last 11 months, so it's just gonna be a nice mesh of a conversation, pretty much.

Brandon: 1:12

Okay, man.

Jon: 1:13

So where would you like to start, would you?

Brandon: 1:14

like me to. I mean, I'd first like to say so, like we discussed this as breakfast. Some people aren't perfect like John, and then some people are perfect like me. Exactly, I'm just kidding, that's so funny. You're like, yeah, so we're just gonna talk shit about me and then talk about everything great he's done which?

Jon: 1:29

I was gonna say that. I was gonna say that I was gonna say that I was like it was so funny, dude, let's not do that.

Brandon: 1:37

We're all in the same fight, man.

Jon: 1:38

We're all just struggling humans pumping into each other, trying to figure it out.

Brandon: 1:42

We're all in different areas in our life and we're already, at different times, man, to make changes right, and those are different changes. It doesn't like yeah, the last 11 months have been some of the most. I've learned some of the like. I've leveraged and used the tools that I've learned the last 11 months and I've achieved a higher level of fulfillment in my physical, mental, spiritual and financial well-being.

Brandon: 2:08

But, having said that, there was a lot of things like little stones, right Pebbles that kicked over the last few years that paved the way to make a lot of this tremendous progress, right, and it was like something like a book or like a psychedelic experience or something that somebody said to me or someone that I walked into, like just bumped into and spoke with. And there's all these little moments and they all have an impact, right, they all play significant role and they're all a catalyst to getting sober, which ultimately allows for just so much more growth in those other areas. But there's, you know there's a lot of ups and downs and that we go through and you're coming up. So you've got four years is it four years or five years of sobriety on your belt.

Jon: 2:54

It'll be five years in May Five in May yeah so I'm like close to four and a half years now.

Brandon: 2:59

Sure, you know and it doesn't you know once you approach that. It's just different challenges, right.

Jon: 3:05

It is.

Brandon: 3:07

It's just it's shifting and you feel these ebbs and flows and there's going to be, for my understanding and early sobriety. There's like a honeymoon phase, right where you're filled with so much energy.

Jon: 3:16

For sure, I will say that you have, you're hungry for this change that you have in your life and you start seeing positive results. Like, don't get me wrong, like the first couple months you might not even see any results at all you're like I'm just trying to be sober and get some good habits in line.

Jon: 3:36

Right, because in the day and age we live in, of the age of information and what do you call it delayed gratification we want everything right now, yeah, right. So once you start seeing those results coming in through the honeymoon phase, you're filled with all this energy and this change and stuff and I love seeing that in you right now and it's great, it revitalizes me almost and I see that, yeah, I would.

Jon: 4:00

I want to get back to a state of that correct. I'm always very proud of my sobriety, you know, even as everyone's known, I've had a very difficult year the last 12 months, but I've stayed sober through it all for sure and I'm very grateful for that and I don't.

Jon: 4:18

It just reinforces in me that I can go through some really fucked up shit and and stay sober for sure which is huge, because the honeymoon phase, or like the first couple years of my sobriety like I'm not gonna say it was, it wasn't easy, right, but it was like I didn't have something like really fucked up happen in those three years, right, and then I lose two cats in a span of one year, which kind of messes me up, have some other things go wrong at work and stuff and then in my personal life and my health and stuff, so when it rains it pours right absolutely in the whole woe me, woe is me thing is still part of the lower self that you talk about so commonly.

Jon: 5:00

Right, because that lower self was the addict in me. Right for sure, and for those three and a half years that I did all that work now. The lower self reared its head in my last year. It was like whispering. The woe is me. Crap in my ear and I'm like, yeah, woe is me.

Brandon: 5:14

I'm gonna fall off a little bit you know, stay sober, yeah, but I'm not gonna live up to those expectations yeah, for sure why I'd like to call myself out on some of that, yeah bullshit and that's and that's healthy and that's um higher self, taking accountability for those decisions but not wallowing in it instead, like what do we do different?

Brandon: 5:34

this time around this time around, not like because it's like there's is a dangerous, it's a dangerous spot to be into feel self pity, self loading, like really like hate yourself, right, like that's. That's oftentimes a catalyst in a first step that's necessary for change, right, recognizing that. But then taking that, being like I don't have to hate myself. That's the beauty in that. I don't have to. I, I deserve better, right, and I have the tools to treat myself better and I, I can tap into that right and that that's a really beautiful place. It's like, holy shit, I don't have to be angry, I don't have to be goreding myself, gorging with food, binging on whatever it is. We're unhealthy, addictive like this is instant gratification. The subtraction is pleasure. You talked about delaying that pleasure, right, and you feel so much better over long periods of time when you delay that like still give yourself, enjoy shit, enjoy life and experience. But delaying that gratification and really enjoying the process, the process based on principles and mission, right is where you're going to have those longer periods. You're not.

Brandon: 6:45

It's not going to be a bunch of ups and downs where addicts we're like we're sometimes like we enjoy the misery to like we enjoy the roller coaster roller coaster is like, oh, if I'm really low today and I have a better day tomorrow, like I'm gonna fucking feel like that jump is going to be huge right and so hi like it's a way right, so you get used to a little bit of adrenaline, yeah absolutely dude.

Brandon: 7:06

So like getting complacent in that misery. But when you have a tight process and you no longer make negotiations with lower self and compromise like you had, you have you live, that fulfilling and more thought. The roller coaster isn't so much a roller coaster it's not it's just ups and downs.

Brandon: 7:24

Stability. It's stability, right, stability and inner peace and progress, and that's real spiritual fulfillment. And, like you said, that honeymoon phase right, that's going to exist and you're going to have that. But where the real magic happens is when you master a process. You master, you master yourself, right, that's like self mastery is the end results, the end goal. My mentor, mohammed, talks about it, his mentor talks about it. It's self mastery, that's the fucking goal and everything stems from that self mastery, right, so that's the goal. And then, in order to keep and retain that self mastery, it's then teaching it. So you find people, right, you give that back and then you mentor and coach others to align, because we need that accountability on this.

Jon: 8:08

We need the accountability in society for sure this needs to be something almost like the game of telephone mm-hmm right. That's what it is like, that self mastery. We change our lives for the better, and then we watch everybody else also do it, and help them through it, and then we have a whole planet of people who all learn to love each other in the show.

Brandon: 8:29

That's, that's, that's a goal for sure, right? The goal is that you want even your enemies to do better, because if they do better, they've got better mental health, physical health and they're more connected. It's, it's going to be better for society, which should be better for everybody.

Jon: 8:42

I say watching ourselves and our enemies learn to get better. What if we all just get better at the point where we don't really have like like a lot of enemies here?

Brandon: 8:51

no for sure, man like and that's like and that goes with like, letting go of anger, resentments and really genuinely wanting the best for everyone. And you can, you'll watch the world. You'll watch the world get better, but in that, you're going to have blind spots. Where you go through these lows and these periods of like, you will, you have it and this is why having a mentor is so important to point out those blind spots. And right, that's what I learned from Moe. You know I mentioned that a lot it's, and he's working on a piece right now. I'll give him a shout out. He's working on a piece and he's creating his own things to help bring that to light. We need to have somebody that's going to be like hey, you're not, you're not looking here, you're missing something right, and I want you to be aware of this because you're falling into patterns of self-sabotage it's very important to have that perspective, for sure, man, it's we miss it.

Brandon: 9:38

We can't catch everything. We can't. This is not a one. The self mastery is, it's, it's, it is, it's a lot about self, but you need to have the right team and support around you and you need to be able to recognize who are the people that are good for that. Who are the people in my life that, like I'm going to keep around right, that we are going to grow together, those relationships and we're the people that are fucking toxic, that I know that I don't need to spend my time with. You know they're out there and it's. It might sound like heartless, but, dude, you, you got to, fucking got to get out of here. I got to get out of my own way. My, my number one thing isn't other people, it's a self mastery. It's my lower self is the thing that if I don't keep it in check, it will fucking kill me yeah, it's myself, I will get my way right.

Jon: 10:25

You're not going to get my way, no.

Brandon: 10:27

I'm gonna, I'll get my way before you get my fucking for sure yeah.

Jon: 10:31

I think we've been our own worst enemies. But that's like an addict, that's an addict thing. You know, this isn't like.

Brandon: 10:37

I could be an addict is everyone thing.

Jon: 10:38

We all have lower self and higher self you know, for a long time, or like in active addiction. One of the things that fueled me was like not not only just self-hatred, but hatred for like the government, like religion mass media for sure all of these external factors correct, right. So I viewed them as enemies, you know, and that Hatred came in many different forms and it also affected how I viewed myself, for sure. I viewed all of these things around me as hating me.

Jon: 11:07

Mm-hmm and then I ended up hating me, correct, right, so that's the self-sabotage. But then you start to realize you don't Truly have any enemies outside of yourself, correct? Once you start realizing what life is truly about correct. And One thing I would like to mention and I'm calling myself out on this bullshit is Before my cat passed away last August, right, I'd like to say there was like a there's probably a four month span where I was, I was in, I was in whatever flow I Could possibly be at that flow.

Jon: 11:41

State your info state in terms of all of my routines okay, health, wellness, podcast writing, book, relationships like great everything was like getting to the point of being very Efficient.

Jon: 11:55

It was actually almost scaring me because it was getting too efficient, okay, and to monotonous and to Routine, like we're getting bored. I was getting bored right, because at this point too, I had like I wasn't playing a lot of video games, I wasn't watching any anime, I didn't have any like outside pleasure. I'm like, oh, I'm just going to read books that are good for me, right, work out, go to work. Like doing all of these things that are Super good and healthy for me, sure, but anytime, like a thought would come by like, hey, you can play this video game or watch anime and be like, no, that's not good for me, I'm gonna go do something that's better for me, okay, all of the free time I had didn't even go for me to just take a step back and enjoy myself. Okay, you know.

Jon: 12:39

For sure so I got addicted to the self mastery.

Jon: 12:42

Yeah, to the point where, like if I if I wanted to Enjoy something, I would almost like punish myself for it with more work, yeah, and then I burned myself out, for sure also. And then the cat thing happened yeah, right, and then I fuck up my knee and I can't play basketball. And then another cat thing happened. And then life started, yeah, tumbling a little bit like that, right. So this time around I need to get back to that routine that I was in for those four months. But when a time comes around on the weekend, like, hey, john, you take a break and just play a video game, you should schedule it.

Jon: 13:17

It's scheduled to shut out right yeah you'd be intentional with rewarding right, yeah, yeah, that's what I know, I know, I know now is what I need to do, yeah right, absolutely that's.

Brandon: 13:26

That seems like a good.

Brandon: 13:27

Yeah, good balance right because in a lot of ways, what you're so, what you're saying, and that's this is an interesting thing that you brought up right, because I'm I'm working with somebody right now and he had recently mentioned that he felt he felt some stress from a relationship that he had had right and X partner of his, and that got brought up and in order to cope with that, he said he had felt his higher self taking over and started cleaning. But arguably, now we have to. We have to check ourselves because now is this a distraction. So you might think like cleaning is good and that's like cleaning your environment is higher self. But if we are doing things impulsively, instead of coping with negative emotion, whether it's work, you can be addicted to work and that will burn. That's how burnout happens.

Brandon: 14:11

Oh, for sure, right is if we just, instead of dealing, coping with stuff and we just go, we jump right into work. You're not actually feeling through lower self, you're not taking time to mourn death, you're not taking time to feel sad, mourn a relationship, you're just jumping right into work. And that's not good either. So just because we see something from the outside is inherently good does not mean that that's a higher self activity. I think we use the example last time of like music right got a buddy gets distracted instead of working doing his job during the day, picks up an instrument, starts playing. Great musicians should practice their instruments. That's a good habit, but at what cost?

Jon: 14:48

so yeah, yeah it's.

Brandon: 14:50

It's that's where the intent really comes in, right and so important to be aware that. And then, yeah, schedule the time scheduled to fund dates, and I've done a pretty good job at that lately, but almost like to the point to where, okay, we got a review, you revisit the mission statement. Is everything I'm doing in line with my core principles and mission statement? If not, there's either two things that we do we reassess the mission statement and what's important to us in our core values we add on to that right, or we change the activities we're doing to align with that mission statement that we still find reflects Ourself, our higher self, in the best way.

Jon: 15:23

So yeah, I got to do that.

Brandon: 15:25

I mean like I well.

Jon: 15:26

I have it's all written down.

Brandon: 15:29

Mm-hmm.

Jon: 15:30

You know it's just got to take action with that. So in the in the last what I'm 40 days off of nicotine now. Congrats on that. Thank you, appreciate that yeah let's talk.

Brandon: 15:39

Let's talk a little bit about that, because I know this is a common one. I'm gonna use nicotine in different forms. So your form of nicotine? It sounds like, looks it's in the form of Cigarillos, is that okay? Little maybe is this triggering? You, there's Cigarillos like uh like black and miles and shit backwards, oh back, yeah, back we just smoke, like most motherfuckers like take those, they split them open and put weed in them. You're just smoking the back, yeah it's just smoking the back. I'm gonna grease.

Jon: 16:07

Well, so here's you, so get always fuck. I know what I am. I'll always be white trash.

Brandon: 16:20

Bottles back to the party. Yeah, that's like we all got that in ourselves, man.

Jon: 16:25

No, that's the Slim Shady LP.

Brandon: 16:27

Oh yeah the.

Jon: 16:28

If I had song Spit some bars. If I had a million dollars a, buy a damn brewery and turn the planet into alcoholics. So there's this one line in there that really resonated with me and it's he goes. I'm tired of taking pop bottles back to the party store, like in Michigan you can take bottles back for money and shit here. No, you can't do that.

Brandon: 16:47

Okay.

Jon: 16:47

No, so. So yeah, I smoked the Cigarillos. I'm fucking white trash.

Brandon: 16:51

I've always been white trash. No lower self has been white trash.

Jon: 16:55

I think, well, it's still a part of me, though it's part of your higher self.

Brandon: 16:59

Well, it's just a part of you see self. There's two cells. This is well. This is. This is the approach that I take, right? I'm keeping that distance there, Right?

Jon: 17:06

right.

Brandon: 17:06

Trash hood. Rhett John that takes pop bottles back to the party store and goes and gets backwards.

Jon: 17:11

Probably lower self, John right, right, right right, but there's always it's.

Brandon: 17:16

It's kind of like the, it's like the yin and yang, though, like in the dark side, you still have a light, okay, like yeah, you want to leverage correct and and you and you want to leverage Certain aspects of that Shet shadow person is what you will, right right, you have to.

Jon: 17:33

I think that was like Carl Jung talking about the shadow person. Charlie, yeah, um, in that white trash self, or in that just trashy individual that I was. I. Opportunistic is one good characteristic out of that, yeah, I'd also say, like the people I met, you know the things.

Jon: 17:50

I learned about life because, if you know, I had always just been spoiled upper middle class my entire life. I would have never learned how to truly love for sure myself. The lower self, all the people who struggle and stuff like, yeah, me being a degenerate and smoking backwards is, you know, a lower self?

Brandon: 18:09

Yeah, that's why I did not do that, exactly, exactly.

Jon: 18:12

But like when I say I'll always be white trash like that, that that person will always be a part of me for sure, and if I go in just like you, if you, if we go and like speak public speaker, we coach people and I see somebody who's doing Shit that I did. That's still a part of me, for sure I want to know right, right. So I understand the duality that you're trying to like separate. I understand separation.

Brandon: 18:37

A part of you, there's two and there's two parts of you right, still, john, though. It's, I did it. It's a part yet Correct, right, I'm gonna accountability for that.

Jon: 18:45

Correct. It's just not a person I want to be.

Brandon: 18:48

It's not a person I want to be this lower self, but I do you know.

Jon: 18:54

That lower self has helped me Relax mm-hmm but I get addicted to relax you, let you leverage that.

Brandon: 19:01

So rose says you want to make that your bitch, you want to work for you.

Jon: 19:06

Leverage it and I see it like.

Brandon: 19:07

I think even with like hip-hop right, you listen to hip-hop songs like I listen a lot of 50 cent. It was this concert fucking sick 50, you the fucking man dude, I shit was the best dude loved it. And Get Richard I try an album. These are a lot of like really gangster-ass fucking songs about Murdering and fucking, just like getting you know, getting the loot and just running up on motherfuckers getting shot. But and that Brings out a lot of ego, ego in the lower self. But you leverage that like there's nothing like listening that shit to get pumped up for a fucking sales meeting or to just go crush the fucking day. It's how you use it.

Brandon: 19:42

It's leverage it in 10, correct, it's your intent so you have to learn to tap into that shit to service you. It's not like we're not fucking monks here right that.

Jon: 19:51

I Like how you said that, because I've been telling myself that for four years. We could be, but I can't. I can't help the world in a way that I'd like to listen. I'd love to just throw it all away and go fucking sit on a mountain. A lot of people, not a lot of people do that.

Brandon: 20:09

I can't do that. Yeah, Well you. That's not in line with what you're.

Jon: 20:12

It's not your goals are it's not any, nor am I.

Brandon: 20:14

This shit month like, if I, you can't be a monk. I don't know. Do monks do fucking pot? Is there a podcast with the fucking monk? Someone, someone.

Jon: 20:22

I've seen monks that come on podcast before okay, fucking Amish like I don't know. No, they still have phones and shit. They do. Yeah, I'm pretty sure.

Brandon: 20:32

Okay, let's get a monk on this fucking podcast. I guess Like we're going to the mountains, this fucking but. But it almost makes you wonder. Okay, you get these individuals that go to live in these mountains and these Buddhist monasteries and Whatever, to live a life of minimalism, essentially sleeping on sheets of rock, having minimal food, eating vegetarian diet and Meditating all day, and doing my yoga and shit, and these people do exist, but it almost makes you wonder if Individuals that do such a thing again.

Brandon: 21:04

But when I talked about this before, like you meet people at these retreats like what the fuck are you running from, man? Like you know what I mean there could be now, if that it depends on the intent, if your intent to go do something like that is fear-based, or I Want to get away from society because it causes me too much stress you got a question there.

Jon: 21:21

I, I all depends on intent it does. You see, here's the thing I can. I can see that you can view it as like for for you or I. If we did that, we would be. I think we would be running because We've been gifted with an ability to articulate, to speak, to meet people, to go out speaking. We have to be a part of society. In order to do that correct, we were just up and leave for years stressed out and I'm like this, fuck, this shit.

Brandon: 21:47

I'm upset. A relationship didn't work out and I'm like yeah, yeah, exactly, I know that's what that would look right, but I don't think that.

Jon: 21:55

I think, dude, I don't think society and technology is for everyone right now. For sure I don't. I don't think all of this, really processed food, really fast life, working a nine to five corporate job yeah, I don't think everything that is happening right now is is Forever human for sure, if you want absolutely you want to just go eat the freshest food, correct next to a river, and meditate and sleep and have good relate 100%.

Brandon: 22:21

Who am? I know a hundred percent I don't.

Jon: 22:24

I don't view it as like, I don't view it as running.

Brandon: 22:27

No, no, I'm saying it depends on the intent. Yeah, for sure it depends on who we're talking about.

Jon: 22:31

Oh no, a hundred percent depends on the intent. It's like you're absolutely right for you or I. We're running. That's yeah, so more speaking from self a hundred percent.

Brandon: 22:38

I totally agree with that dude. I think there's a lot of peace and solace and there's there's nothing wrong with a life like that. But once again, it goes back to what's the what's the intention behind why you're doing these things right and just, and you say it by anything cleaning, working, fucking, meditating like what you know, meditating it like the intent is to clear your mind and be more peaceful. Right, but right if it's, that's escapism and sometimes we need to reset and resetting is great.

Brandon: 23:03

So you take a trip for that stuff and that's uh, that's important, but, yeah, just very, it's just something to be, it's something to be mindful of at all times. But you know, zach, we got our friend Zach. He did that shit. So he did a silent retreat for a week when he was in Thailand and he went to the Buddhist. Like Me, dude, he's like Like, after that I've never been happier in my fucking life. Like he said, it was a silent retreat for like a week. They give you minimal food, you meditate all day, you listen to a monk speak and, like you don't talk, you sleep on a fucking bedrock, a rock, like just a sheet of rock, no pillow. This sounds great. And he's like, dude, he's like I can't describe the feeling I had of like inner peace after that. So it's like it's very real, like it's a very real thing and it's so enticing.

Jon: 23:50

It is no man.

Brandon: 23:52

It's so that'd be like and that's a cool, a cool experience, and. But you're right, when you are given, when you're given a Platform and opportunities and you're like this is in line with, like what I need to do, you're giving a voice right. There's like a moral and personal responsibility to pursue that and you know, I've certainly made the decision that, like, I'm gonna be someone who is in who's in the limelight and it's like we're gonna fucking run with that shit.

Jon: 24:21

So so you've always had this. You thought you would be entertainment, right.

Brandon: 24:27

Yeah.

Jon: 24:28

Yeah, I also, ever since I started loving really honestly, ever since you know, we were class clowns in oh yeah, growing up and shit, yeah, I always knew like it was either entertainment or speaking, or whatever you want to call it.

Brandon: 24:41

Mm-hmm.

Jon: 24:42

Did you, did you think that somehow in the back of your head in the last couple years? Do you? Did you like I don't think any of this is gonna work until I get sober? Yeah, was there that thought there? Yeah, the gears.

Brandon: 24:56

The gears were turning a couple years ago, especially with it. Yeah, it was the alcohol and I was like this is going to hinder my ability to be the best version of myself, right, and I knew that the writing was on the wall to Stop that like, and I and it was peaceful because I'm like we're getting there, like I got a little bit more shit to do, but it was kind of funny and you know, I've I've got a close friend now who is Currently sobering up and the gear started turning for him about six months ago.

Brandon: 25:29

We talk and he's like I'm fucking getting there, I said listen, dude, and I I'm a firm believer that you can't really tell someone like you need to, like you're gonna get there when you get there, buddy, and it's gonna take maybe some blackouts for some people. That takes DUIs, it takes losing your fucking relationship, it takes a or or you fucking die. Unfortunately so, and if that doesn't and that never scared me- it just takes loss yeah it takes. It takes some form of loss.

Brandon: 25:58

The death thing never scared me neither it was more of like dying and then, wow, I didn't do anything. It was like I died, like, okay, I'm dead, so like who gives a shit? But like, wow, I didn't do, I didn't have that beautiful Life and I didn't create things, I didn't make an impact or do anything significant.

Brandon: 26:16

And that's a fucking shame, because, cuz you knew you could yeah yeah, because I, because I know I can right and that bothered me a lot more. Um, intrinsically then, then, like a fear of, like an overdose, it's like well, like you know, like whatever dude, like fucking.

Jon: 26:33

It was just it wasn't. It was just not living up to your own expectations disappointing thing ever like.

Brandon: 26:39

I read this somewhere they said like the definition of hell is like you die, and then you see, like the Version of yourself, that you actually could have been a fuck up you like Meet him and like, yeah, like this was, like could have, like you fucking lost it and that shit sucked because I thought about that. I'm like oh, man did I let myself down?

Jon: 26:59

Yeah, that would be brutal.

Brandon: 27:01

Yeah, dude, it is so like that version of self, that real higher version of self, that height frequency person used to like. This is the person I want to look like, feel like, be like the accomplishments, the achievements like this is what I envision. This is what high performers do I saw, I think about is like that's. I'm like quite literally Transforming into that person and doing this place haunted. You guys see that shit, yes.

Jon: 27:31

Yeah, no, it's no wind in here, there's not.

Brandon: 27:35

That's cool. It was like my future self it's really a sign like yeah dude, you got it.

Jon: 27:40

I will say that it is not put up Very sturdily. No, I kind of just shoved it behind the foam over there. So Hell yeah, thank you I fucking hate this wall and everything on it. Yeah, yeah, should we, uh, should we talk about this wall?

Brandon: 27:59

Dude, please yeah, take it away, Okay so we revamped the podcast room.

Jon: 28:05

We got two really comfy professional chairs here. Now Um bang bang. We also got coffee tables or end tables. We also got my book book got a plug. The book we got yeah, no, my, my, my audio dude told me to put that.

Brandon: 28:21

There he goes and Lisa told me like you got heavy, you gotta have your book there. You're a published author, my friend.

Jon: 28:27

Yeah, I also have a bowls when I have. I have another table coming in instead of this one. It's gonna look a lot nicer, okay, and I'm gonna put the book there, and then I'm also gonna put Some CDs that I ordered CDs.

Brandon: 28:39

Well, I have I have.

Jon: 28:41

I have a CD from Muncie coming in.

Brandon: 28:44

Oh, I know he mailed it and then I also have.

Jon: 28:47

My buddy quash was the man. Shoutout to quash.

Brandon: 28:52

I got his CDs that I'm gonna put up here as well.

Jon: 28:55

Cool. Otherwise, I got this for my 30th birthday. My cousin Jordan and his wife Taryn got me that. Really good, feel free podcast little light up sign right there. That's badass. Um, lisa got me this. I choose you peak Pokemon thing. This picture right here of Wrigley Field in this is must be the 20s or 30s was actually at the old tuxedo building.

Brandon: 29:19

Your grandfather owner, some shit.

Jon: 29:20

Yeah, that my grandparents owned over in Elmhurst so that was one of the pictures there. I was able to take it along with that skyman Michael Jordan thing right there.

Brandon: 29:30

Nice.

Jon: 29:30

Yeah, this on-air thing I got for my aunt, techie got for my 30th.

Brandon: 29:34

Okay, light up signs. That's these are Nice gifts, man right, I'm gonna take care of you.

Jon: 29:38

They love you very much and I think jet Jackie got me this for a Grab bag for Christmas.

Brandon: 29:46

Okay, it's Santa.

Jon: 29:47

Oh, because everyone knows I love fucking hooping.

Brandon: 29:50

Yeah, she got me that shit. I'm gonna go for John. He's gonna join the semi-pro Q League, was it called?

Jon: 29:57

G Lee. Yeah, yeah, brandon is convinced that I'm going to be a G League basketball player family full of athletes.

Brandon: 30:03

Man Yep Joe's going for the.

Jon: 30:04

Olympics and I'm gonna be in the NBA.

Brandon: 30:07

Fucking awesome, fucking like the best story ever. Have a Netflix show on this fucking family.

Jon: 30:12

I swear I Maybe it'd be cool yeah, it would be cool Actually. And then the rest we got. We got some, some albums, some vinyls. I actually got. This is my favorite Grizz album. Mad Libbets, his first album.

Brandon: 30:25

Oh yeah.

Jon: 30:26

Yeah, so I got that for a grab bag for Christmas too. He stopped playing right, I think he, yeah, he's taking a little break.

Brandon: 30:32

A little break. He's fucking made. He's done so good. He showed so much love at all the shows man.

Jon: 30:37

I think he's just all base-necked or doubt or something you know.

Brandon: 30:41

I'd be tired man. That guy, the energy he's he definitely over delivered for his black fan base. Every single time I see that guy play.

Jon: 30:48

Yeah, he kills it awesome.

Brandon: 30:50

So yeah, he can enjoy that that break right Um.

Jon: 30:54

Slim Shady LP. Slim Shady LP. My cousin Joey got me that for my 30th, so probably my favorites. Probably my favorite M&M album oh yeah, I don't see either say that or the M&M show.

Brandon: 31:06

Yeah, everyone loves darker one like I didn't realize, like cuz, like I forget, I just listen to all the songs, right. But I like, after going on Spotify I'm looking at Slim Shady LP like there's some really good song. It was darker, it was like definitely it was funnier.

Jon: 31:19

I thought it was funny.

Brandon: 31:21

It was about drugs and death and, like you know, like very dark and funny. That's really where he, you know his alter ego.

Jon: 31:28

Everybody loves the Marshall Mathers LP.

Brandon: 31:31

Okay, right, that's one of the big songs in there. Let's, let me pull it on the Marshall matters.

Jon: 31:35

Yeah, real Slim Shady Kim.

Brandon: 31:37

Okay, Kim was. Kim was like that was a real controversial yeah.

Jon: 31:42

Marshall Mathers another song, I'm back. Okay, I'm kill you. Yep bitch, I'm a kill you criminal criminals.

Brandon: 31:49

Another one criminal is a Fucking great song, dude.

Jon: 31:54

some of that shit's just really fucking angry, I know, but like yeah, it pumps you, it pumps you up. I get it, but that's why I do it often.

Brandon: 32:01

I don't I used to so, when I used to Sell drugs and do cocaine all the time. It's all I listen to, yeah.

Jon: 32:07

I'm a criminal.

Brandon: 32:08

I'm driving around my car with like it, like you know stuff and just like you'll never fucking catch me. You never catch me alive. I thought everyone was following me. I'm a fucking criminal. I'm just like powder all over my face, just like a damn mass man an actual criminal yeah, I like embrace that version of lower self and there's something enticing about Just about that lifestyle. But yeah, I mean his music, like I guess the Gen Z said that shit fucks so good.

Jon: 32:38

Yeah, dude, yeah so brain damage?

Brandon: 32:40

Okay, so I'm shady. Lp guilty conscience oh, we're talking about that one. Yeah, so role model, role model so good as the world turns as the world see. Okay, I'm shady, so my favorite off this album that I know still don't give a fuck.

Jon: 32:55

Yep.

Brandon: 32:56

I'm shady, I'm gonna say brain damage, guilty conscience, and my name is. What about?

Jon: 33:01

role model I.

Brandon: 33:03

I didn't really. I mean like it's not, it's not one of my top.

Jon: 33:07

Not one of my top. I love that fucking song.

Brandon: 33:09

Let's see what got Marshall matters. I'll be kill you. Stand I fucking, that's a, that's a gas. That's a big gas song, yeah, the way I am, you know, I was like okay with that, the real slim shady. That's a banger to amityville, you know man, just like under the influence, and then you got criminal. I I grew up on it was the Eminem show. That was one I bumped.

Jon: 33:36

All I actually didn't even start listening to Eminem until I was 19. Oh, interesting yeah I mean I had heard his bigger songs like till I collapse. Lose yourself, okay, stan.

Brandon: 33:46

Yeah, I'd listen.

Jon: 33:46

I'd heard those growing up, but I didn't like full-on listen to his discography front to back until I was 19.

Brandon: 33:54

Okay, I studied him, studied him.

Jon: 33:56

Yeah, so, but then I don't know, man, that's just like that album's like the funniest to me yeah, it's just, he's just such he's so goofy in that one, I agree, the wrong schemes and he's. He's just goofy dude, yeah and his cadence in that one in his voice is really high-pitched last night I OD'd on rush, mushrooms and dust.

Brandon: 34:14

I got rushed to the hospital to get my system flush. Shucks. I'm an alcoholic and that's all I can say. I call in the work, cuz all I do is follow can play swallow grenades. Take about a bottle a day a Talk about how violent, I'll be yeah so like that's so great, so great.

Jon: 34:28

You can't. It's probably my favorite. That is my favorite album by him, so Joey bought that for me.

Brandon: 34:33

Okay, that's a good Bye.

Jon: 34:34

Yeah, and then the other one is a Metalcore album or post hardcore.

Brandon: 34:39

Okay is that the screamo shit?

Jon: 34:41

that it's called screamo shit.

Brandon: 34:44

Can you do that in one of these mics or that? Fuck the whole thing up. Yeah, I'm not gonna do that. Give us a scream, no.

Jon: 34:49

I'm not gonna no. I am lame. Jackie actually told me that I have to rap on my podcast. Okay, she told me that I have to, and then I'm like Jackie, I don't, you know it's, it's a wellness podcast. She goes yeah Well, how many? How many people who have a podcast can also rap, john?

Brandon: 35:06

I'm like I guess not a lot, that's true, right, she was yeah, so you have to rap and I'm like alright, just just ease up, ease up. So, yeah, he does it all. He's professional basketball player, ladies and gentlemen. He's a rapper, a podcaster, a screamo expert. He's playing guitar, he's knows more about anime than anybody I've ever met and Except one oh I got a tip for it. All right, aiden's gonna listen this podcast is he, he fucking hates anime so every question.

Brandon: 35:34

I'll fight every question you have for him, dude incorporate. Yeah, so that's really. It's a lot like this anime, like Do it because now he's gonna know, because he's gonna listen this. But at least once in the pockets Don't tell him when and try to ask him a question around anime. And then, when he says, yeah, I don't really watch anime, at some other point the podcast also bring up anime and ask him another question about anime. It'd be really funny to watch him like get triggered by so, aiden?

Jon: 36:00

Why do you hate anime? Why are you a hater?

Brandon: 36:04

Don't hate, we made a joke. So, like I you know we talk about, we talk about the Tism a lot. See, this Tism seems to affect a lot of people. I've got a lot of friends that have the Tism and it's a spectrum this Tism and you know Aiden has been very vocal about, like some of his ass burger type tendencies.

Brandon: 36:23

But I said, listen, dude, if you don't like anime, that's probably the most autistic thing somebody can be interested in, so I'm not sure you qualify autistic because you hate anime so much like you got it like if you don't like anime, dude, you definitely have to be neurotypical, because it takes a special kind of well now that it's it's so widely Loved before autism or anime anime Because people used to get beat up for watching anime or being nerds, like in the 90s.

Jon: 36:54

Yeah, yeah, people's asses, did you? I?

Brandon: 36:57

fucked people up for watching really yeah, keep that shit away from me, dude.

Jon: 37:01

You watch anime now wait, wait, hold on here's a funny story too, because my buddy will hated fucking anime too. Yeah, my sister hated anime, right, and I I watched anime, like if you watched, listen to my sister and I's other podcast called just anime, the stories there about how the episodes you have on that.

Jon: 37:19

We just got one okay there's one episode but I grew up watching anime and Will gave me shit, fucking all day about that shit. And then finally, I think we were like 20 or 19 and he texts me one day and he goes Damn dude, I'm like halfway through full metal.

Brandon: 37:39

Yeah, he goes, go. The shit is gas, shit slaps. He's never left, and he's just never left.

Jon: 37:46

No same with no, yeah, same with my sister, though. Yeah, like she really knows it well like she, she wasn't about it, and then and then she watched one of them.

Brandon: 38:00

I think she was she watched death note. Okay, classic, classic. That's what started me a banger.

Jon: 38:05

I got my sister and another one called sword art online she liked to, and then she just took off from there. Yeah, we're watching everything that we watch, you know, now she's she's fluent in anime.

Brandon: 38:16

You're an anime family. Yeah, you're an anime family. I'm surprised. It's honestly disappointing. I know you speak Japanese at this point. I know I'm trying, man, it's it's tough, languages tough, it's tough.

Jon: 38:27

It's because I have a problem with auditory learning.

Brandon: 38:32

Okay, I'm a visual sounds. Yeah, it sounds like an excuse so we can talk through this. Yeah, I'm a visual. I'm visual and problem-solving right language is a very visual thing, especially Japanese. Yeah, I mean like visual.

Jon: 38:43

I mean, yeah, like that's one thing, but like if I hear Sentences or words and stuff, it doesn't really because you were repeating a lot of Japanese shit back from the anime last night, right, but I don't know what they mean all the time Right yeah so I don't like process it well.

Brandon: 38:59

And here's the thing I've been watching anime for 12 years.

Jon: 39:02

So of course, like, if I hear a word like that, I'll say it yeah, you know. But like like how you said you're good with like sentence structure, another shit like that grammar is so important in language right, and that's where I struggle at because, like we were saying yesterday English and reading my worst subjects. Even though you're like dude, you're a fucking author. Yeah hated learning it formally.

Brandon: 39:19

I can, I can pump out pages.

Jon: 39:21

But that's where you, the editor, helps with the grammar and yeah, it's not my strong, so I'll have you interesting.

Brandon: 39:27

Okay, right yeah.

Jon: 39:28

I get that they're not the same thing. So, before we get back on task, I'd like to say yeah, aiden, I'm gonna fight you about this anime. I can't wait, just just like you.

Brandon: 39:36

Really, I want to hear 30 minutes about you arguing Positions like, just like to be like the most like combative podcast.

Jon: 39:43

I hope he DMs me about it. Fucking fight about this dude up and eating liver and heart for weeks now. Fucking crush you.

Brandon: 39:53

You guys have some really good stuff to talk about, man.

Jon: 39:55

Aiden and I yeah, I'm looking forward to that. Yeah, I got hit him up. I love that.

Brandon: 39:59

I love that the homies are homies. I'm glad that you know friend groups. They intermingle and you guys are just. You're such great, such great support and homies to have around brother, and I'm glad that you have one offs and you guys all have your own friendships and stuff now.

Jon: 40:12

I love that, that we're still friends yeah.

Brandon: 40:20

Right in the beginning I was fucking unforgivable.

Jon: 40:22

I was actually gonna drop you off at the train and say, wow, this guy sucks, I gotta get him out of here.

Brandon: 40:28

We're gonna take an Amtrak. We're never coming back.

Jon: 40:30

We're never coming back.

Brandon: 40:31

Listen, I know another Chicago, john, and he's great. He's a lot better than you, a better than this one's perhaps the greatest.

Jon: 40:36

whenever, whenever people talk about how awful this Chicago John, as I tell him I got some of my best men working on it I am meeting with another Chicago John, on Wednesday or no Thursday, thursday it's a so I met him, this gentleman, mutual friends.

Brandon: 40:53

So basically we played a show, told play to show in New York City. We had another drummer fill in. Our drummer couldn't make it and the drummer that filled in awesome dude, extremely talented. We're playing the show with him next weekend.

Jon: 41:06

We're doing a show Thanks to me about this.

Brandon: 41:08

Yeah, his name is Zach and he filled in. And then his buddy came to New York City and we were all rehearsing before he went out and played the show. He's like hey guys, this is my friend Chicago John. I said fuck you, I've already got one of those. This is unacceptable. You're Chicago Johnny. That never stuck. He's now over. The Chicago Johnny said which one motherfucker. They're like the one that you know.

Jon: 41:30

So do you still identify as chops? Um, it's an interesting question, because I don't like I know, I don't, I don't like it.

Brandon: 41:40

I do not. I do not identify as chops, you as you won't ever let's put this way you will never see myself Introduce myself, as I will never introduce myself as a however and no anymore anymore.

Brandon: 41:51

There's no I will not introduce myself, but If somebody that I know, that knows me from that era, like I'm never gonna be, like, oh you can? It almost be weird if someone that's called me that, since I've known them, and they didn't call me, that I'd be like, call me by how you know me. Yeah, no, we're very much right now in Brandon. Brandon, that might change. You know a lot of spiritual changes going on. Maybe I'll change my name to some Hindu shit. I don't know, dude.

Brandon: 42:20

I don't know what I'm gonna see, but no, call me Brandon for sure or I like, I like, b, I like, b, I like when women Be right, be ran.

Jon: 42:30

No be, we're not this shit. Be Roni.

Brandon: 42:34

I like when women call me B.

Jon: 42:35

I'll say I accepted B. Okay, yeah.

Brandon: 42:38

No, b K, Don't fucking, don't fucking call me B K.

Jon: 42:41

B K.

Brandon: 42:42

Don't call me B K.

Jon: 42:44

Have not going into that, have it your way.

Brandon: 42:47

That's. I get that, I get the humor, but we no. B, k, b or Brandon. Okay, okay, kate, chuck. People in the way from high school call me Kate Chuck. What if I just call you Chuck?

Jon: 42:57

I'll I like that. How about, charles don't?

Brandon: 43:01

call me Kate, either I don't Kate. Don't call me Kate, maybe put, perhaps I'm thinking about buck. You brought one up that nobody knows, like nobody knows that one buck, yeah, no, no, that's like what my parents call me. Are you fucking with me, cuz you're at my house is. I've never heard that. Are you fucking with? My mom and dad call me buck.

Jon: 43:25

I've never heard that before. Yeah, I just put the end of your last name and the first is already a first name.

Brandon: 43:30

They call me buck. That's like a thing that my parents call me. Wow, yeah, I'm like really emotional right now. That's really funny. You put, put that together, that's. Yeah, that's one of my nicknames. I was called Elvis for a while.

Jon: 43:43

Elvis, that way I burns in high school.

Brandon: 43:46

But you know, man, brandon, b or buck for my parents is acceptable. It depends on who's addressing me okay. But I will. If you misgender me, I swear. I know that's very confusing what I am. Don't fucking misgender me.

Jon: 44:02

Yeah, so what are you?

Brandon: 44:06

Thank you for asking. Jonathan, yeah for John Johnny kicks Jonathan you know, just call me guy Actually. That's a one. That's like people say like my guy, my dude pale bud, how about?

Jon: 44:21

how about Sport champs?

Brandon: 44:24

or, oh my god, little man, little man, that's what.

Jon: 44:28

I call like younger, younger, younger humans. It's up, little man give him a noogie. Yeah, his hair a little bit yeah how's it going?

Brandon: 44:36

champ Dude, that's so fucking emasculating. I still got a champ. Heard a lot about you. Sport Are you?

Jon: 44:42

doing there? Skippy, yeah, I am, I still call people that yeah, yeah. It's funny.

Brandon: 44:50

I used to do, I have such a dick I used to do shit like that lower self would do things like that, like just to get reactions out of you know, out of guys at parties and stuff. You're like it's funny or purposely call them the wrong name.

Jon: 45:03

Yeah, that's classic.

Brandon: 45:04

Yeah, this is my boyfriend Jeff. I'd like Mike, so nice. Like my name is Jeff. Like whatever you say, jerry, I have a great night.

Jon: 45:13

Yeah, like alright guy, like I started, I started saying ease up a lot. Yeah, I say ease up to people yeah, ease up, just ease up, all right, you know.

Brandon: 45:26

Triggers people more you like, tell them to fucking chill out. Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, relax man. Hey, well, dude, take like a right. Holy shit, like dude, I do like, are you okay? I?

Jon: 45:36

know, and you start doing that and then they like you, almost gas like them into thinking there's something wrong.

Brandon: 45:41

Yeah, whoa, just like, whoa, like, take steps back, like they're gonna hit you. Yeah, she pinches me, so it's fine.

Jon: 45:46

Yeah, I get what I deserve abuse man.

Brandon: 45:48

I know I get what I deserve though, yeah, I hate when she makes her pinch you.

Jon: 45:54

Yeah, I hate it too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Wow, I said what are we talking about? So it was funny that you mentioned, before we went on, one of the tangents. We said something about a support group and you're like you're glad that the homies are homies. Yeah, right, so you're homies, that you're homies with up by you like Muncie, such an awesome individual. Uh-huh, aiden's fucking dope too. Yeah, you know, I know you guys just like like to hug each other and just say the words Bitcoin over and over and over and over.

Jon: 46:24

And over again together, because you just love it so much we love it. That's a really good thing to come together on it Just Bitcoin.

Brandon: 46:30

It's the only thing we have in common. The blockchain, yeah, yeah.

Jon: 46:35

Confused for other block and and, and then Aiden says I gotta eat liver and then you start saying I gotta eat liver.

Brandon: 46:40

And then you all Talking with Joe last night and he's like just same, like, just all the same shit. It's like we could all just I'm like it's fucking crazy how similar.

Jon: 46:54

Book idea. You had the high performing.

Brandon: 46:56

Performing friends, yeah, high performing friends. Yeah, yeah, that will, and that will get written.

Jon: 47:01

So we've talked a little bit about calling me on on some of my slip-ups over the last year.

Brandon: 47:06

So don't even go there with me, right? So let's talk about your perfection a little bit.

Jon: 47:11

Let's talk about all the things Haven't fucked up on but uh, no, it's so many mistakes, man.

Brandon: 47:17

I make so many fucking mistakes every day.

Jon: 47:19

Well, I was gonna say You're 11 months sober. Now you have a few book ideas you want to do. You're also looking to get into the public.

Brandon: 47:29

Okay, no, go ahead. I You're also trying to get into the public speaking, okay what?

Jon: 47:35

what's coming first, what's coming next, or what are you most excited about doing other than your self-mastery?

Brandon: 47:42

So Biggie Small said never let him know your next move, appreciate it, appreciate it. But, given that I'll give a little sneak preview, where I get the largest amount of fulfillment is from a coaching and mentorship perspective. So that will be. You know, we could talk about money, finances, career. I've got a great idea on what that looks like for my future, right, but in terms of fulfillment, entrepreneurial spirit and next steps in that regard, right for my mental, you know, fuck, even put the physical on side, it's going to be that coaching, coaching and mentorship and helping other people that were in a position similar to mine. Everyone's got different situations, but helping people with the weight loss right, I'm down about 60 pounds.

Jon: 48:35

Congratulations on that.

Brandon: 48:36

Thanks, brother Six. So, like March and I'll be, I'll be posting it before and after picture once I hit 200. I'm going down, I'm meeting Aiden, my buddy Aiden, at 190. And then I'm going to bulk back up to 200, 210. But when I get down to 200, I'll post it before and after picture 265 in March of last year I weighed in on Friday at 210.

Brandon: 48:56

So I was like 50, 55 pounds and helping people get to that point physically, mentally, emotionally, get off the drugs, get off the alcohol, right, lose the weight, start respecting and loving yourself, respecting and loving your time and developing those strong skill sets, relationships and habits right. And I feel like you know I'm at a point where I've taken, I've done enough to at the very least be have that influence and that perspective to get people out of those dark places and get them on the right track. Right, I don't have all the answers, no one has all the answers, but I'm like well equipped now and I'm confident that I can, I can fucking help people. There you go, I know what to do, nice, you know. So that's that's going to be. Those are the next steps.

Brandon: 49:45

Yes, there's a lot of big plans on other horizons and other aspects and I'm really excited and opportunities with music and writing and that's still going to be a huge part. Right Toad is we were. It's just so much fun and I'm so blessed that there are all these opportunities. Man Like I quite literally like it could go either way. I could focus more time into one and whatnot, but the true fulfillment is going to come from a personal development, coaching, life coaching, mentorship, public speaking and kind of you know, dip in my toes into that which, yeah, it'll be cool, man, hell yeah.

Jon: 50:25

Also, you had completed your first Iron man Yup, full Iron man a couple of weeks ago. Let's talk a little bit about that.

Brandon: 50:32

Well, I got a fucking hernia.

Jon: 50:34

I was going to say. I was going to say went a little hard there. Yeah, dude for sure, but it wasn't the actual train. I let my little bitch win.

Brandon: 50:40

I was being a bitch, were you being a bitch, being a little bitch? Get up, run more, stay hard.

Jon: 50:46

What's that from?

Brandon: 50:47

It's Goggins, right? I don't know.

Jon: 50:48

It's not. Goggins, goggins, stay hard this guy gives me anxiety, does he yeah?

Brandon: 50:55

Fuck that dude's like he's wild. He's fucking wild.

Jon: 50:58

But so what are? You saying I was going to say so. It wasn't the train or the actual Iron man that you got hurt with. It was saving some dude. What happened?

Brandon: 51:11

It was during the race During the fucking race and this is a theory, because I'm not sure when I got the hernia, but after I realized it was a hernia, everyone was like, how the fuck did you get a hernia from an iron? You weren't lifting anything, because usually I guess you get a hernia from like lifting it. It's like a tear right.

Brandon: 51:30

So I'm like I don't know. But when I ran the tape back in my head after finishing the 112 mile bike ride, you jump right into the marathon. Right, I got some water and go right in the marathon. Around mile six I heard screaming and shit. It's like fucked up. I'm like what's going on? They're like we need help, we need an ambulance and there's skid marks on the trail that we're running and they're like he fell over.

Brandon: 51:57

Somebody had driven like an electronic, like an electric vehicle that looks like a golf cart, like a huge golf cart, and they went over this hill, over the trail, and flipped over and it landed on the guy's leg. He was stuck underneath the vehicle. So they're like we need runners, we need help. So me, along with like shit, a lot of people like ran over. It was me, like 10, 15 other guys, and we ran over.

Brandon: 52:18

This thing was heavy. It was stuck on him right at the bottom and he's like ah, ah. And I'm like, I'm like trying not I don't know if his leg was all messed up. We're like hey, man, just we tried to get it up and then we rocked it. He's like stop rocking it. I'm like all right, what's up? We got to get more people.

Brandon: 52:32

Then we lifted the thing up, we pushed it up, we had enough guys to get it off on me. He got out from underneath the thing and they called, they got a stretcher in to like take him away and then I just fucking rent, like I high fived somebody and then I like ran up the trail and I kept running and it had to be it. It was so heavy, dude, like I remember, like, like I literally used like all my force to like try to push it Right and that had to be when the tear happened. So at the end of the race, after like finishing, I gave Zach a big hug and we like broed out and like cried for like a minute and I just like, dude, we've been training for this for like essentially like four years. Like I mean, this started as a 10 K right?

Brandon: 53:05

Right, it's all like, hey, I want to run a 10 K for my birthday, All right, dude, I'm like, oh shit, I can't even run a five K. So he's like you got two fucking weeks, Dude. I'm like, all right, and we did it, and so it's coming, you know, from like just a real like. It's been a fucking journey, man. It's a beautiful thing to share with one of your best friends, and Rachel was great and support us, and so she's helping us out. We're getting all of our stuff. She had like a shout out to Rachel Snow man, you know future Mrs Rachel Zachary Vandeguige because she was the real MVP in helping us navigate that entire race and she had all of our stuff ready and bags. It was like the last thing you want to do after an Iron man is like collect all your shit. Let me go to the registry.

Brandon: 53:46

Like you just want to, like, I want to fucking go home. I was like crying and shit.

Jon: 53:50

I'm like I want to go home, dude, I don't want to take a shower and go home.

Brandon: 53:55

And like taking a shower was very difficult, like I'm like, oh, like dude, it was hard to move and so, right when I sit down, I was like in a lot of physical pain, whole bodies in pain, and I sit down like, ah, and she's like what I'm like? I just looked at them. I'm like I've never had one, but I think I have a hernia. And they started. We all started laughing and I'm like, okay, that sounds funny.

Brandon: 54:17

And then you know, a few days go by, I took the next day to just rest and it's still very hard for me to move around. I'm in the plane. Sitting down on the plane was tough. I'm like picking up my baggage and like it's hurting me. I'm like what the fuck? Something's not right. I go into work on Tuesday and I'm like moving around still really stiff and they're like damn, dude, like you. Good, I'm like it was a tough race and I sit down. I'm like man, like I got this like kind of like a little bubble down here and I was explaining it to my coworker, matt Murphy, and he's like, yeah, dude, so I had a friend who had the same thing and that's called a hernia.

Jon: 54:50

I'm like I'm like really.

Brandon: 54:51

And then I'm like, hey, Matt, I'm like I'm in a lot of pain. He's like dude, go to the urgent care. So my boss is like go to the urgent care. And I go there. And she's like, yep, you have an inigual hernia. I'm like, okay, so here's $100. What do we do? He's like, oh, all I can do is tell you that that's what it is. I paid like $100 or something to verify that that's what it is. And then I called my doctor. She said, yeah, so I'm meeting with the surgeon on Monday. But so, like, my belief is that, you know, I fucking had a hernia for at least the marathon run. And like, yeah, I mean, but good news is, I can still do some walking. I've adjusted my macros with my mentor to reflect the body that I still want to keep and you got it, you got us.

Jon: 55:32

Yep Ghost, you seen it, ghost, you saw it.

Brandon: 55:36

You saw it here today folks, can I just like rip that off the fucking wall at this point.

Jon: 55:39

You can just pull it out. Yeah, yeah, look at that. Watch out for that, it'll kill you, jesus.

Brandon: 55:46

What the fuck is this anyways?

Jon: 55:47

It's old.

Brandon: 55:48

We cut back on the macros. We're doing the necessary things we need to do to get the results that I want, and it's been challenging. I do want to go back to lifting, but I'm taking it.

Brandon: 55:58

I will be. You know, what do we have control over? I can still walk, I can still eat right, Still track my macros making the adjustments, and I bought a hernia belt. So if anyone ever gets a hernia that's listening to this podcast. Dude, it's the fucking best thing. I didn't know that they had these and I bought one off Amazon it's. I'm not in any pain Like right now or when I walk around. I'm not in pain.

Jon: 56:19

That's good.

Brandon: 56:19

Yeah, I'm not in pain. Like it was really bad for the fucking first week and a half I didn't have this belt.

Jon: 56:24

Oh yeah, I'd imagine, yeah.

Brandon: 56:28

I didn't know but, um, yeah, having like pressure on it and stuff. But yeah, we make it, we make it work, we make it happen. I'm really glad that. I'm glad that everything happened the way it did. It all worked out and honestly, it's kind of like I'm proud of the hernia. I got, a fucking battle wound from this fucking expedition.

Jon: 56:41

You know what I mean. You put in the work, yeah, you know, so it's uh it's good man and you. You helped save that dude's leg. Oh yeah, it's like he would have been fine without me, but like you know I mean well, somebody else would have came in to do it, right, right.

Brandon: 56:55

And luckily the dude wasn't like um he, he was like fully cognizant where, like I don't even know if he broke his leg, like he got so lucky bro, this whole thing like it was like two inches away from his head Like he would have fucking been dead.

Jon: 57:05

He probably would have died If he would have flipped over.

Brandon: 57:08

I don't know what he was doing, but yeah, that was pretty wild. So, yeah, iron man was great. But you know, after that was just like for me what's next? Right? It's not like yay, I'm going to talk about this until I die. It's like great. That was a achievement, a milestone that I worked for. Now I know that I can literally do cause four or five years ago. You're fucking crazy. You'll never do that Right.

Jon: 57:30

Yeah, I'm not much of a competition dude when it comes to like Running, biking and shit like that my competition lies in like basketball, there you go, or if I play baseball this coming year like I like, like actual sports right.

Brandon: 57:45

Yeah, actual real sports, not like the fake sports, not fake sports Like fake news.

Jon: 57:55

Yeah it just doesn't sell folks. It just doesn't sell. I love that. So my Goal was to like dunk, right yeah, and I hit that goal back in in March. Granted, like I've been able to dunk occasionally in the last three to four years, but I'll dunk and then I won't be able to for months because because I don't know, if I just jump too hard, fuck yourself up or something. It's either that or I wasn't doing the work, for I wasn't doing leg day plyometrics and shit like that.

Jon: 58:25

So I would just have like these weird bursts of like, yeah, I'm gonna dunk it and I dunk it, yeah, and then I wouldn't do the work to to maintain that, right. But in March and April I Was doing the work and I was fucking throwing it down, right, like I took a video that I posted on Instagram where I just barely got it over there, right. But then, dude, the next week I go into the gym and I threw it down ten fucking times. Okay, like actually like snapping the wrist, like fucking.

Jon: 58:54

Okay yeah, I was killing it right. And then I think a month later I hurt my knee and, like we've been talking about, the accountability thing. Like over the summer, I haven't been doing what.

Brandon: 59:03

I haven't been getting consistent results right. Want to see like I was before, like you were before.

Jon: 59:08

So my my result that I want to get, instead of dunking, dunking. I want to be able to dunk in a game. So if I'm playing fives against people, okay, I want to throw it down Right. And secondly, I want to be able to try and dunk off of one foot Okay, because the times I have done dunked her with two feet meaning like you, jump with two feet.

Brandon: 59:30

Jump with two feet you can jump with one foot and dunk like a running down. Holy shit, yeah, I'm gonna try and get to that.

Jon: 59:36

Okay, yeah, I'm gonna see if I can do it.

Brandon: 59:39

It's gonna be tough, but I know you can do it.

Jon: 59:41

I appreciate it. Yeah, so that that is the next accomplishment, physical wise, that I need to hit. That's cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's great man. Um, so I didn't skip leg day, I did it.

Brandon: 59:51

Yeah, I've been hearing about it. You mentioned a few times at your legs.

Jon: 59:54

Yeah, they hurt.

Brandon: 59:56

I squeezed them a little bit, I squeeze them quadriceps. I squeeze you right now, but I'm just, I want to finish this podcast. We're gonna, I'm gonna, I'm definitely gonna squeeze those again. Dude, I'm gonna get you, I appreciate it.

Jon: 1:00:07

You're hurting me. It's great you know I could use a foam roller but you know, if you pinch me, that's fine.

Brandon: 1:00:14

What's hard now is easy later so right.

Jon: 1:00:17

Um, yeah, I just love the lactic acid thing just building up in my muscles and making me.

Brandon: 1:00:21

So if you do that consistently, you will not feel that sore, you know? Right, yeah, I know that this is your punishment for fucking. It is, it is.

Jon: 1:00:28

Another thing that I did two days ago was I was able to go to the sauna which I was the fucking best love it. The closest sauna at an LA fitness, which is the place I go to, is an 18-minute drive from here. Okay, the LA fitness I work at, or sorry, that I go to, is a six-minute drive. Okay, so I go and work out and hoop six minutes away.

Brandon: 1:00:50

God if.

Jon: 1:00:50

I wanted to go to the sauna.

Brandon: 1:00:51

I got a drive another 18, okay so is the cleanliness of that LA fitness that both of them. They're pretty good Okay. Yeah, I had the same experience at the LA fitness as I've been now. No, it actually looks like LA. It's a fucking shithole.

Brandon: 1:01:04

Really yeah that the one in Detroit, not Detroit. There's. There's two. Damn, I'm really calling these motherfuckers out. There is there's one in LaVonia that I I no longer go there, and it was. It was disgusting, like I wouldn't use that fucking sauna. It was like the whole fucking locker room was trashed. Yeah, man, it's like, come on, expect, like it's not like LA fitness, like supposed to be a nice facility, but I'm glad that you've had a good experience the LA fitness over here in Elmhurst gets a little Not like dirty dirty, it gets packed though.

Brandon: 1:01:34

Okay, so it's only a matter of time. There's that, like I get the staffing shortage Like right, it's hard to get on a little in that job.

Jon: 1:01:40

Yeah, they don't have a sauna there though either. Yeah, they just have. They have a pool and stuff. I'm gonna use the pool. Yeah, the LA fitness over here in Oak Brook is nice Okay, yeah, it's kept very clean. It's huge, nice, nice court, pool and stuff, but Oak Brook has is a very well-off area got.

Brandon: 1:01:58

You know that definitely plays a role in it, but you're a son. If you had a sauna that was closer, would you incorporate that more like?

Jon: 1:02:03

I'd go on it every day. Okay, I would. I would use a son every day if I could. You use it a lot.

Brandon: 1:02:13

Honestly, I could take more. Went now Aiden when he's visiting in times like, hey, let's use a son. I'm like shit. Yeah, you're right, I have you know, cuz I got that one in that clubhouse. It's super good for your, it's good.

Jon: 1:02:24

It's good for your heart too, though.

Brandon: 1:02:25

It's pretty good. It's good for your heart.

Jon: 1:02:26

Yeah, yeah, Hube dooberman lab.

Brandon: 1:02:29

Yeah, Hube dooberman, as I was told that I kind of look like that guy today, minus the white beard.

Jon: 1:02:33

Yeah, I think you need 20 years of teaching at Stanford in a white. Yeah, you need the sleeves rolled down, but you need tattoos underneath.

Brandon: 1:02:47

Okay, yeah, talk about something I don't know anything about Real confident on. But yeah, chemicals and shit, they fuck you up.

Jon: 1:02:56

Now he did. He did mention the health benefits of using a sauna three to four times a week and how it decreases the the rate of heart attacks and people. I think great.

Brandon: 1:03:07

Don't quote me on that shit because I'm not like a fact-checking dude but that is John's a doctor, and this is medical advice also, didn't you say you want to give financial advice to everybody too?

Jon: 1:03:16

Yeah, don't spend your money.

Brandon: 1:03:18

Pretty good yeah that's good I actually know it's actually bad advice, never mind.

Jon: 1:03:22

Here's good health advice. It takes money to stop eating fast food. That's good health advice. Good health advice, hi.

Brandon: 1:03:27

IQ. Good financial advice. Make more money, that's what I would say. He's saying spend, I just say make more.

Jon: 1:03:33

I would say spend less on shit you don't need Pretty good yeah, you know well, also the not eating a lot of fast food and spending less money on the fast food kind of works out.

Brandon: 1:03:44

Spend less money on fast food or just don't eat it right, yeah, okay. That is a win.

Jon: 1:03:50

Yeah, so now we're telling people how to live there. Welcome to the feel free podcast where we push all of our agendas on you. 9-11 wasn't in said job 7-11 wasn't part-time.

Brandon: 1:04:04

Part-time time job. Yeah, I actually like that. It's a good one. Yeah, classic mean.

Jon: 1:04:10

What else you got for the, for the listeners? You got anything else, maybe some tips, tricks on how you got to where you are right now and how to kind of Push people to be excited about changing their life.

Brandon: 1:04:23

Oh, how to push people to be excited, or to inspire people, I should say, instead of push.

Brandon: 1:04:33

That's a really good question, john.

Brandon: 1:04:36

That's a really good question and Thinking through it. So how to inspire people to live their best life man, we all have. We all have passions and things that we love and we care about, and If we take the time to reflect on what those are and where we get fulfillment and we start caring about developing and loving ourselves and we focus on that, first the money. The money will follow.

Brandon: 1:05:11

I there's a lot of elements to like what makes somebody feel like they're in a bad position, and a lot of times like that could be financial, that could be we don't respect the way we like look physical right, which Honestly, like from from what I've been learning and uncovering, that, first and foremost, is like the most important thing, I believe, right, that's the foundation. So, taking care of your physical health. You mentioned eating like shit, not eating fast food. If, if you truly want to change and you don't like your current situation, I'd say focus on getting the body right, something that you have a lot of control over.

Brandon: 1:05:48

Start the wins man, because when you're in a position like that, it's easy to feel like you don't have control over your life. You've outsourced control over your life and aspects of your life. So Understand what you do have control over and start stacking those fucking wins. Like it almost seems so Stupid, but this stems from, like really having strong morning routines, whatever that is. Make your fucking bed, have enough respect for yourself to at the very least make your fucking bed. And it's like people like oh, I don't want to listen to that, I just looking for a quick hack to like because my life is in shambles.

Brandon: 1:06:26

Like well, if you can't even do that, you're fucked right, so do something like listen to me, make your fucking bed. This is what I told. This is why I tell people make your bed. Write three things you're grateful for every morning and Once you do that, do that for a week, like that be the only thing you do, like only change small.

Brandon: 1:06:48

Those are those little wins right there and then, once you do that, well, I'll even say is call me, give me a fucking call, shoot me a message, shoot me a message, we'll take it from there. You can do that, but only only reach out to me. If you've made your bed for a week straight and you've written three things, you're grateful for more. If you haven't done that, this would be the first fucking thing I'm gonna ask you if you've done it. If you said no, I made it, well, I made it three. Then, motherfucker, hit me back in seven days.

Jon: 1:07:17

When you did it for seven days, you can't hire him unless you've done it for a week.

Brandon: 1:07:20

Yeah, a hundred percent. So do that shit for a week, shoot me a message and then we will get you set up on a macro plan and eating plan to hit to hit your weight goals. And then we'll start looking at lower self, higher self, identifying that, and then we'll craft a mission statement together. So that's my, that's my plug, that's my offer right there to the audience nice, some good advice right there.

Jon: 1:07:41

Hell yeah, I think we touched on a lot of good things today.

Brandon: 1:07:45

Yeah, but we didn't get to talk about apartheid, we didn't get to talk about the Palestinian Israeli conflict, 9-11 and a lot of other things sold. Next podcast we're gonna break it down. John loves talking about politics, politics and religion. Yeah, so really break down exactly what's going on in the Gaza Strip and it's just gonna be a really good episode. So, but we're not gonna touch that now, so you'll have no idea kind of what that looks like right.

Jon: 1:08:12

So yeah, stay tuned for me to talk about a bunch of things that I don't actually Interest me too much, in light of me saying that it does not take away from the atrocities that are happening right now. I just the feel-free podcast is to help people feel free from all their worst habits and vices in order for them to chase their dreams, and shit like that. If you would like to listen to a political podcast, there's probably some out there for you.

Brandon: 1:08:42

Not today.

Jon: 1:08:42

This is not the one you're looking for we're here to inspire people to live their best lives. I appreciate everybody coming out today. I appreciate my good friend Brandon coming out to inspire motherfuckers to live a good fucking life. Follow him on Instagram. He posts some really good content Analogous to making the bed. He does his daily meditations. He's counting the macros. He's posting some shit to really Uplift your fucking spirits. Give him a follow.

Brandon: 1:09:09

Give him a shout out.

Jon: 1:09:10

Align your minds. Align your minds. I'm gonna drop that into the description to appreciate everybody coming out today. Hope you have a good rest of your week, start to your weekend, or wherever the fuck you're listening to this shit at. So we're signing off. Stay up and feel free. Peace out, homies.