November 10, 2022
I joined Danny Miranda on his podcast for an in-depth conversation about my journey building MyBodyTutor, finding purpose, and the psychology behind lasting transformation.
Danny, a fellow SAE from Binghamton, connected with me through our mutual friend Noah Kagan.
In this episode, I share:
- How I built MyBodyTutor from an AIM username to a thriving business
- My friendship journey with Noah Kagan, from blog days to business
- What I’ve learned from coaching thousands of clients
- Mistakes I made in my 20s and what I’d do differently
- My thoughts on therapy and mental health
- How I found my purpose and help others find theirs
MyBodyTutor
My stomach was in knots during my first week at Ernst & Young.
I quit after two years to start MyBodyTutor in 2007, charging $75 for six-week plans.
By April, I had more clients than I could handle – all from instant messaging conversations and a simple promise: “Give me a chance, if you don’t see results, you’ll get your money back.”
Now we have 75+ world-class coaches. Revenue was never the goal – building an elite coaching team was.
Noah Kagan
Noah and I both had blogs in 2007. We connected through writing.
I kept offering to help him with fitness. Three years later, he became a client.
Years of working together turned into a close friendship.
Coaching Insights
You can only help someone solve their problems once you understand why they like having them.
Every behavior, positive or negative, serves us somehow.
We focus on three elements: Mindset, Psychology, and Habits (MPH).
Twenty-Something Mistakes
I was paralyzed thinking I needed to start the next Google or Facebook.
The breakthrough came when I realized: Small is the new big.
Focus on doing what you love at the smallest possible scale.
Therapy
Therapy is often fighting reality – questioning why things happened.
The key is accepting reality, then working to embrace it.
You can either love what is or fight what is. I choose love.
Finding Purpose
Health became my purpose after watching my father’s health decline in my youth.
Your mission isn’t just about passion – it’s about what problem keeps calling you.
When you’re on a true mission, success becomes inevitable because you’ll never stop.
Full Episode
Click here to watch my full conversation with Danny Miranda where we discuss these topics in detail.
Transcript
Danny Miranda: Adam, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. I’m so grateful to be joined by a fellow SAE from Binghamton. It’s so funny. Noah Kagan is your mutual friend. My mutual friend connected us and I go to stalk your LinkedIn and I see, wow, this guy went to Binghamton. That’s interesting. Oh, wow. He was in the same fraternity as me. That’s interesting. So it’s cool to have you here. It’s cool to connect everything. God’s plan in every moment. So thank you for joining me here today.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, man, I’m excited to be here. I appreciate it.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. So I think a good place to start this conversation would be you graduating Binghamton and I believe, working an accounting job.
Adam Gilbert: Yep.
Danny Miranda: Take me through that decision is very common career path for someone to go from Binghamton to work for a big four or an accounting type job. And yeah, take me through that decision to do that initially, because I think that will set the stage for what you’ve done over the past 15 years.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah. So growing up, I think my parents always encouraged me to be an accountant. It was a safe and secure job. It was about security, comfort. So I majored in accounting at Binghamton, got a job at Ernst and Young, worked there for two years. Within the first week of work, I had a stomach ache. Walk into work. It was terrible. Like, it was literally within the first week, I was like, I can’t do this. Health and fitness has always been a passion of mine, so I always knew I wanted to do something in that. I just didn’t know how it end up in it. But, yeah, for starting Ernst Young was about comfort and security.
Danny Miranda: And so you knew within the first week. All right, this is not. This is not for me. How long does it take you to listen to that intuition?
Adam Gilbert: It took me two years. Wow. I was absolutely miserable throughout those two years, but I was plotting what I was going to do next. And I knew health and fitness was what it was going to be. I just didn’t know how it was going to look.
Danny Miranda: And so, like, take me through the decision. A lot of people are right now in a position of doing something that they don’t like doing they know they shouldn’t be doing. They have a gut intuition that says I shouldn’t be doing this, but they’re still doing it. So, like, what. How do you go about making a decision for a change?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, I think you have to be. There’s two ways you can go full time and you can just give up your job. But I actually would Recommend doing it on the side because it’s hard to do your best work when you’re worried about money. When you’re starving, you’re fearful. So I would recommend doing it on the side until you can do that enough and then eventually stop your main thing.
Danny Miranda: And you ended up not doing that, though, right?
Adam Gilbert: I quit full time. I went cold turkey. My mom thought I was absolutely nuts, but it was just something I had to do. I just. I knew I had to do it.
Danny Miranda: Why? Why’d you know so clearly, like, that was not the path for you?
Adam Gilbert: Well, health and fitness has always been my passion, as I said. So growing up, my father was sick. When I was in seventh grade, I witnessed him having a heart attack. Me and my sister drove him to the hospital. Shortly after that, a few days later, he had triple bypass surgery. And then later that year, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. So seeing him deteriorate mentally and physically throughout the years until he passed away was really, really hard. So for me, health and fitness is way more than just health and fitness. It was life. It was. You know, I realized early on that, you know, health is true wealth, that without it, nothing means anything.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So for me, it was just a calling. My business now is my life’s work. It is way more than a business. So it was just something I had to do. It was. I almost felt this pressure within where I had to just pursue it.
Danny Miranda: What’s that feel like as a seventh grader and, like, as a high schooler? Like, what it did. When did your dad pass away?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah.
Danny Miranda: And. And like, when did it. How did that impact you?
Adam Gilbert: So there’s a lot of, you know, a lot of emotions. I mean, I think, first and foremost, I think as a child, I remember just always being like, this sucks. I can’t really play with my dad because even when he was alive, like, he wasn’t healthy. He couldn’t really move around that well. So I remember feeling a little resentment about that. And just like, I wish I could play with my dad. And then there’s also a part of me that’s like, I feel like I’m the parent here and we’re taking care of him, and he was the child in a way. So I think there was a lot of that. And it just really inspired me and made me want to never put my kids in a position, you know, that. Similar. Similar position.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, that makes sense. And what lessons did you. Are you trying to instill in your children right now? And we’ll get into my body tutor and the building of that and how that’s gone. But from a parenting perspective, what. What are the most impactful lessons you want your kids to know?
Adam Gilbert: Well, in a way, I want my kids to take me for granted in that I’m always there. I’m always down to play. Like, you know, my weakness is, like, when they say, daddy, you want to play? Like, I will never say no to that. I never want to say no. I’m too tired. Like, I heard that all the time as a kid.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So whenever, like, I will never say I’m too tired. Like, like, no matter what, I will always play with them. And part of the reason why I try to stay in shape is because that’s so important to me. I always want to be able to play with them. I always want them to have memories of, you know, Daddy was always willing to play, always wanted to play with us.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. So going into Noah, right? Like, how do you know Noah? What’s the connection there?
Adam Gilbert: So I started my body tutor in 2007, quit Ernst Young. My mom, again, thought it was absolutely nuts. And I think the lesson there, though, is you really have to be willing to give up comfort and security to pursue your dream.
Adam Gilbert: Right, right.
Adam Gilbert: And that, you know, that was one thing that I had to get over, but started in 2007 and just, you know, in the early days, I would just kind of reach out to people. Me and Noah both had blogs back then, and, you know, we kind of became friendly through there. And every now and then we would talk and I would say, hey, whenever you want help, I’m ready to, you know, I would love to help you. Eventually, probably about two, three years in, maybe not even he signed up as a client. I worked with him myself and we became just really, really close friends through years of working together, just, you know, on fitness and everything.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, that’s super cool. But let’s take it back to the first client. And what is that experience? Like, I think you were charging, like, like 25 bucks or like 75 bucks for a six weeks plan, is that correct?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, exactly right. $75 for a six week plan, which.
Danny Miranda: Probably took you, what, like 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 hours to compile. So, like, working for like, nothing.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah.
Danny Miranda: Why were you. And you didn’t have a job at this point? So, like, why. And I want to go into the growth strategies and tactics that you did in the early days using Facebook accounts of different people from different places. But what. What about those first few clients do you remember and do you hold on to?
Adam Gilbert: So I Remember I had my aim, like, name on the website.
Danny Miranda: What was it?
Adam Gilbert: GQ Gilb. Just something I had my sister made for me in fifth grade. Nice. And. And it was like, thousand people, you know, still use name. And I had it on the website and people. I would message people all day long. And I remember just, like, being, like, always like, hey, give me a chance. If you don’t see results, we’ll give you your money back. Like, that was my whole, like, thing. It was just, give me a chance. If you don’t see results, we’ll give you your money back. And just one by one, built up a steady client roster. So much so that, you know, I started in January 2007. By April 2007, you know, I kind of had to stop taking on clients because we were so busy.
Danny Miranda: Wow. But, like, what made your service so good, do you think?
Adam Gilbert: Well, it was a daily accountability. So daily support. So we’re not just giving our clients a plan every single day. We’re supporting them, we’re coaching them, we’re guiding them, and we’re holding them accountable.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So my belief even back then was a lack of knowledge isn’t the real issue for the most part. It’s a lack of consistent action.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: For the most part. We know it’s good for us. We know it’s not good for us. The real issue is why can’t we do it consistently? So my obsession is figuring out what. Why that is.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And part of that is accountability on a daily basis.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. I. I found that so often as well in my own life, when I tweet about something, I let people know this is what I’m doing. I have that accountability from the people who are following me on Twitter so that I’m more likely to do it. What. What is it about accountability that just makes us act? It’s like, we’re not single creatures. We’re like, we’re all acting together. What have you found about accountability that’s so impactful?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, I mean, I think we’re all very good at making promises to ourselves and breaking them. And we’re also good at making promises other people, but we hate breaking those.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And when there’s other people involved, there’s ego involved, there’s all sorts of things that are involved. And, you know, a lot of people, though, will break promises themselves when it comes to other people. They will do anything and everything to. To keep those promises. And I think that’s one of the reasons why accountability is so important and effective.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, it’s interesting what, what about building my body tutor? In the early days, do you look back and you say, wow, like this was a pretty cool thing we did? Or I think this could be impactful for somebody who’s building a business or a company today.
Adam Gilbert: I mean, the thing that sticks out is just the one to one conversations I had with potential clients, right? It was just like instant messages. I literally, I remember, I remember one of my first nights, her name was Simi. It was like for hours we were going back and forth and she’s like, I don’t know if this is a scam, how do I know? I’m like, I promise you, just trust me, like, give me a try. And it was just like, just that was it, it was just give me a chance. And it was just like, you know, me trying to, you know, persuade people to give us a chance. And it was risk free. So it’s like if you didn’t see results, then, you know, we gave you your money back. And to this day we still offer our money back just because I really believe if you, you know, if you promise what you, if you really believe in what you offer and you, you know, we make a promise, if it doesn’t work, we’ll give you your money back.
Danny Miranda: And this was at a time, 2007, when nobody really done online coaching. Like today you go on Instagram, you see hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of people offering some sort of online coaching. And it’s pretty well known and established what that means. But in 2007, you’re convincing someone who doesn’t even know what it is to do it. So how have you seen that progress over the last 15 years?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, it’s wild. There was no such thing. No one was offering accountability for anything. So most people back then, it was, courses were really huge. So a lot of people were selling information. And I, you know, I didn’t believe information was the real issue. Of course we tell our clients what to do, what not to do, etc. But I always felt it was again, the lack of implementation. So back then it was more courses, it was not accountability. And then slowly but surely you would hear like, hey, actually no one’s actually following through on these courses. They’re not finishing the courses. Like, they’re just purchasing these things that are, you know, a thousand bucks or 2,000 bucks, no action is being taken, no change is being made. And it’s like, well, what’s the solution? And then people realize accountability is a solution. Knowledge is what will add on to the accountability. So that was back Then, you know, so I think I was. I know I was. You know, there was no one offering accountability back then. But throughout the years, people have caught on. They realize accountability is effective. So there’s definitely more of it.
Danny Miranda: What was, what were some of the inspirations for? 1, starting the blog in the early days because you could have done a YouTube channel. You could have. I mean, maybe Twitter was just starting out, but like choosing a blog. Why’d you start a blog back in the day? And who were some of your inspirations at that time? Who were other bloggers, maybe? No, was one of them, but break that down for me.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, so I just always enjoyed writing. My mom’s a former high school English teacher, so she pushed me in my writing. So I just enjoyed sharing my thoughts. I had a lot of original ideas, you know, that I wanted to share. So I just thought, you know, a blog was the best medium for that. People who inspired me, Noah. I mean, we kind of met each other because we both had a blog, but I would say my biggest inspiration back then was probably Seth Godin. So Seth, you know, I actually have been fortunate to meet him a number of times. And I just felt like what he was doing, he was sharing his thoughts and you could just see like, how you start to develop a relationship with this person that you didn’t even meet and you feel like you know them and it was just really powerful. And then eventually did meet him a bunch of times. But yeah.
Danny Miranda: What were some of the lessons you took from Seth Godin? Back in the day?
Adam Gilbert: The biggest lesson I took was write how you speak. Because I would always try to like, write so perfectly in this, like, perfect, you know, you know, sentence structure and this and that. It’s like, then you just never do it. So it’s just like write how you speak, be you, you know, and that. That worked well, thankfully.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. I remember, I think, talking to you on the phone and you saying how you didn’t really want to get on social media for a long time and you recently kind of flipped your perspective on that. Take me through that decision to realize or to want to put yourself out there with social media and why you didn’t for so long.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, I have a very love hate relationship with social media. You know, we built, you know, a beautiful, substantial business without social media. But it’s just throughout these years, you see all these charlatans that are just sharing this information, like, what are you sharing? This is not correct. This is not helpful. This is not accurate. It’s just like a lot of people, you know, the first place they go to now is social media versus Google, right? So it’s like, oh, what’s his social media? What’s their social media presence? And it’s like, if you don’t have much of a presence, people don’t think you’re in business or they don’t think you’re doing well. And it was also, there was always a part of me that’s like, I never wanted to be one of those guys that’s like, constantly showing myself with my shirt off or, like, just like. And I realized I don’t have to do that. I can do me. I can do it how I want to do it. And it ultimately, the. The thing that switched for me is like, I want MBT to realize its full potential. And not realizing its full potential is my biggest fear. And I just realized social media is one of those tools that we have to, you know, explore and. And go all in on.
Danny Miranda: When I listened to a podcast, you and Noah talking about your journey, he described you as a very disciplined and consistent person. When you start with social media, you. That’s breaking up some of the discipline and consistency in other areas of your life. What have you seen that you’ve sacrificed as a result of being online and being on social media?
Adam Gilbert: I think it’s just, you know, I don’t know if I’m sacrificing. It’s more just, you know, a mindset shift for me, it’s just like, hey, we need to be out there. This is going to help us. You know, just building it, making the time for it.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And then eventually outsourcing that. Like, you know, I write the content, someone posts it and things like that. Because a fear of mine was like, I don’t want to spend all day long just posting stuff. Like, that’s just, you know, so we, you know, in the last, you know, five months, whatever, we hired someone who does that, and that takes away from me, you know, because I don’t want to be on social media all day long.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. And when you think about, like, who inspires you on social, who is doing social media, right, from your perspective, where you could say, all right, like, that person’s got an audience that I respect and appreciate, and I would like to have one of those, too.
Adam Gilbert: I mean, I always loved how Noah did social media. I just think he’s, you know, very relatable, super smart. He doesn’t pretend he’s someone he’s not, you know, So I think I. I would say Noah just. I always Loved how he did it. You know, other than that, like, I wasn’t really, I wasn’t following too many people on social media, so. Yeah, yeah, makes sense.
Danny Miranda: And you’re looking at my body tutor now, 15 years in business. How when you think about the early days and you think about now, how different is the business 15 years later than you expected it to be?
Adam Gilbert: I mean, you know, it’s, it’s a dream of my business. It’s the business of my dreams. Yeah. You know, I, you know, I always hoped and thought it would be, you know, like this. People thought it would, it was never possible.
Danny Miranda: Who, who, who were some of the people who.
Adam Gilbert: So in the early days it’s like, hey, here’s my plan. You know, I want to offer, I want to help people stay consistent.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: That’s the real issue. And, and I want to do that through daily support, daily coaching, daily guidance and accountability. And I just want to offer one, you know, core offering, which we do, which we always have, and just build a team of world class coaches to service those people that need our service and want our service. So back then it was just me doing the coaching and then slowly but surely we built up a team. We have over 75 coaches now, you know, we have a team, you know, full time, you know, executive team, you know, and it’s just, it’s incredible. And we’re all very much aligned in what we’re trying to do. We know exactly what we are as a company, what we’re not. So it’s just, you know, it’s a lot more management, it’s a lot more, you know, I’m doing less coaching, but it’s, in a way I’m coaching coaches and coaching other people, which is still, of course, really fun. So it’s, it’s different, you know. Yeah.
Danny Miranda: How does one need to change as a business progresses? And the things that you’re doing that excite you when you started aren’t the things that you end up doing later on as a, a manager of sorts.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, so I, I call that like the restaurant, you know, the famous, you know, restaurant tour problem. It’s like, you know, someone who is a chef, you know, they’re really, really good and eventually if, you know, they might get their own TV show or they might, you know, they’re a judge on a show and then suddenly they’re no longer cooking and all they like doing is cooking.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So I make sure I love being a coach, like, first and foremost, I love coaching. So I always make sure I have A small roster of clients. How many? Like five to ten. Just. I love, I love coaching. I love being, you know, my hands in the weeds, so to speak. And, you know, I don’t want to lose that. So I make sure I’m always coaching clients.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, that’s a really smart way to do it. When you think about, you know, where you see this going. Is it to have 750 coaches? Is it, is it just to like have my body tutor gyms? Like, where is the, the vision for all this?
Adam Gilbert: You know, our. So first off, we’ve never had a revenue goal. It’s, it’s always for us as just world class coaches.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So for us, we want, you know, a certain amount of world class coaches and we want to just keep serving people the way we are. Because I truly believe what people need is coaching. Like, I just think consistency is the issue.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: It’s not a magic bottle. It’s not a magic pill or special food, you know, or some whatever diet that we haven’t heard of.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: It’s just about being consistent. It’s about behavior modification. And I truly believe that what we offer is the best way to do that. So it’s just about doing more of what we’re doing and just scaling it up.
Danny Miranda: Who’s your favorite coach of all time?
Adam Gilbert: So I would say probably Greg Popovich of the spurs, just because, yes, he’s had some incredible hall of Fame players. But what I love about Popovich over, say, Phil Jackson. I’m a huge basketball fan, love the NBA. You know, Popovich has a system and he fits the system to fit the players. Whereas I think, you know, the argument against Phil Jackson is he coached, you know, arguably the greatest player of all time.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And then he coached Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal and it’s like, has he won without, you know, the best players? You know, I mean, those are some of the top 10 players of all time. Tim Duncan might be in there, but other than that, like he’s won championships without top 10 players.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And he’s, he builds a system for the players. Whereas I think Phil Jackson, here’s my system. But it only works if you’re, you know, one of the best players ever. Yeah, I mean, he tried to implement that system with the Knicks and that did not go well. And as a Knicks fan, that was horrible.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, no, that’s a really good point. I never thought about the two coaches from that perspective. So, okay, you have a client roster of 5 to 10 people, always just keeping your coaching skills on point, what are some of the most common problems people face when they come to you?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, And I think this will be applicable to any facet in life. So, I mean, number one is self sabotage. I think self sabotage is absolutely fascinating, you know, and ultimately what self sabotage is, I’ve learned, is it’s. It’s the fear of what you say you want, right? So you claim you want something, right. But there’s a part of you that’s.
Adam Gilbert: Fearful of it, right?
Adam Gilbert: So let’s say we’ll take a small business owner, right? A small business owner, you know, they want to grow, they want to serve more people, they want to help people, right? But on another level, almost every small business owner thinks they have the weight of the world on their shoulders, right? They have very little free time. They think if they get busier, they’re gonna have even less free time, Right? So they can take all the, you know, they can buy all the courses, all the books, listen to the podcast, hire the best coaches, but on some level, they feel like if they grow, they’re going to have less free time, Right? So ultimately they feel like if they get to where they want to be or where they claim they want to be, their life is going to be worse off, not better off.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So when it comes back to weight loss, there’s people who use being overweight as a security blanket, Right? Because a lot of people, it’s like, well, when I lose weight, then I’ll have to, you know, start dating or do this or quit my job or pursue this path or whatever it is. And they use the weight as a security blanket. So if they were to lose the weight, they wouldn’t have that security blanket anymore. So when it comes to pursuing your dream, whatever it is, if it’s business or whatever it is, like, you have to believe your life is going to be better off, not worse off, when you reach your goal.
Danny Miranda: So you said self sabotage is one.
Adam Gilbert: Yes.
Danny Miranda: What are some of the other problems that people. And I love how you said self sabotage, because self sabotage is encompassing of so many different problems that people have. And it’s the core at so. So much so. So many times people can say, oh, like, I actually don’t want to lose weight for this reason or this reason, or I’m scared of this and they’re eating wrong. But at the core of that is a self sabotage. So, like, self sabotage is one thing. What are other ways people go about the problems that they have?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of people are just like, I Call them like tactic chasers. They’re just, like, obsessed with the latest and greatest.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah.
Adam Gilbert: And they’re avoiding the tried and true. So it’s like, hey, what about, you know, it’s like one client’s like, hey, I heard about, you know, paleo and intermittent fasting with keto. Can we put that all together? It’s like, no, it doesn’t work like that. You know, let’s actually focus on changing your behaviors, changing your relationship with food, changing your mindset, psychology, and habits. Because so much of success, whether it’s fitness, business, or anything, is, you know, what’s going on between our ears.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And so, you know, it’s. It’s helping them go from, you know, the people, like, I’ve tried everything under the sun to, hey, let’s pick one thing and stick with it.
Danny Miranda: When in your life have you felt like you were sabotaging yourself the most?
Adam Gilbert: So I think early on, actually, there was part of me that was. I don’t. There was part of me that was scared of the growth of the business because I felt really overworked. And I just. I’m like, well, what happens if we, you know, if so many clients, like, sign up, how would we handle it?
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So until I had the systems in place, until I had the people in place, there was a part of me that was holding back. I. I kind of was, like, holding the brakes a little bit.
Danny Miranda: You think on social media, too, like.
Adam Gilbert: That perspective, the social media, we can go down a whole rabbit hole.
Danny Miranda: That.
Adam Gilbert: I mean, that. That was also just like. It just bothers me again. There’s so many charlatans out there, so much misinformation shared.
Danny Miranda: But wouldn’t one person’s perspective be that when they see that initially to be like, all right, like, I’m going to say the right information immediately. And another person might be like, I don’t want to be involved with that at all.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Danny Miranda: But, you know, one. One person could have looked at that and been, like, taking the opposite perspective.
Adam Gilbert: Totally.
Adam Gilbert: Totally. But yes. I mean, to your original. I mean, it’s just like, I think until I knew and I felt confident, 100% confident in our systems, in our people, then there was a part of me was always kind of holding the brakes a little bit.
Danny Miranda: How do you go about creating the systems for your business?
Adam Gilbert: So one of my weird goals is, like, most of the people that work on MBT have actually been clients, and I just love that because it’s like, they believe in what we offer so much that they open up their wallets are paying for it. And they just understand the transformative power of what we offer. So, like, our entire E team were clients. You said E team, executive team. Gotcha. Besides our head coach, Haley. So we have John. John was a client. Jeremy was a client. Like, they’re incredible. Haley’s our head coach. So, like, two out of the four. And then we have Lori, you know, two out of the, you know, five of us. I mean, John and Jeremy, we’re clients. So they believe in what we do so much, and they. And they believe in the mission. So for me, I was always patient because I really do believe patience plus consistency is an unbeatable combination. And I was willing to be patient because I know that the right hires matter so much and the wrong hires can derail you, so, you know, even worse. So it took time. But like, John, I remember he was a client. He, you know, he was a software engineer. And I’m like, you know, we got to talking and then slowly but surely he started helping me. And, you know, next thing you know, he was a full time, you know, employee for us.
Danny Miranda: How do those meetings go down to turn someone from a paying customer to now someone who’s going to be a coach? What is that transition like?
Adam Gilbert: So paying customer, coach. We have. We have a few of our coaches were clients, but John and Jeremy are not coaches. They’re like, you know, John’s in tech, Jeremy’s in marketing. Gotcha. So but for that, it’s more like I can see, I can sense their passion and they can obviously sense mine. So it’s just this, like, back and forth of, like, fireworks.
Adam Gilbert: Right?
Adam Gilbert: Just like, you know, how you felt like, you know, it’s just like you feel that and it’s like, hey, how do we do more of this? And that’s really how it started.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. That’s beautiful. I was just talking to Sid from Circle and he was saying the same exact thing of, like, his. The way that he knew he was in the right place was the conversations that he was having were so exciting to him that he just needed to be in that room more. So, like, for you, what are examples of you talking to some people and being like, oh, my God, this is. This is exactly where I’m supposed to be in this moment.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah. I mean, so, like, every Monday we have a meeting with our executive team, and it’s just like every meeting almost is about, like, how do we improve the client experience? How do we. How do we get closer to where we want to be? And it’s like by the end of the meeting it’s like, I feel like just high, right? I’m just like.
Danny Miranda: So like, why, what’s going on there?
Adam Gilbert: It’s just like, how do we improve the product, how do we improve the service, how do we do more of what we want to do? And it’s just, I mean, to me it’s just like I’m so committed to what we’re doing. So it’s just like I have this vision, this mission that I want to pursue and it’s like if we’re talking about that, that just lights me up.
Danny Miranda: Do you have that in like a clear concise, like, what is that vision.
Adam Gilbert: Or mission of MBT?
Danny Miranda: Yeah.
Adam Gilbert: So it’s, you know, 100 world class coaches. That, that’s, that’s what it is right now. I want 100 world class coaches is no revenue. There’s no talk about revenue, there’s no talk about cost. It’s I want 100 world class coaches. And then everything else we want to do will take care, will take care of itself.
Danny Miranda: Are you at 75 right now? It doesn’t sound too far away. It feels like you could do that very quickly. No?
Adam Gilbert: Yes.
Adam Gilbert: But it’s also, you know, we, our bar for coaches is very high. It’s not easy to find, you know, 25 world class coaches and, you know, we’re working on that every day.
Danny Miranda: What makes a world class coach for mbt?
Adam Gilbert: So someone who’s extremely dedicated, extremely reliable, someone who is intuitive, someone who understands people, someone who is incredibly consistent themselves. Someone who understands how to help someone get out of their own way.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So it has to be so much more than just like the nuts and bolts of nutrition. Like, here’s what to eat, here’s what not to eat. Like that’s what most people do.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And that’s also what Google does. But it also has to be, hey, how do we help someone change their mph, as we like to say, M for mindset, P for psychology and H for habits. Because that’s where the secret sauce is.
Danny Miranda: What were those three again?
Adam Gilbert: M for mindset, M for mindset, P for psychology. Psychology and H for habits.
Danny Miranda: Okay. Mph, Mindset, psychology, habits.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Danny Miranda: I’m sure there was a lot of work to get into that. Those three words right there.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah.
Danny Miranda: So let’s break those down. What is mindset all about?
Adam Gilbert: So mindset is like, are you the type of person that you know the second you have or the moment you don’t lose weight, are you, are you bailing or you just say Are you the type person that’s like, all right, well, let’s. Let’s evaluate what’s going on. Let’s turn up the effort dial. Let’s not turn it down, and let’s find a new path and keep going.
Adam Gilbert: Right?
Adam Gilbert: That’s an example of mindset. Or mindset is like, am I going from one diet to next, you know, and never sticking with anything, versus I’m going to commit once and for all to this, and I’m going to do whatever it takes.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: Those are examples of mindsets. Like, different types of, you know, mindsets. Psychology is more like, let’s talk about fear of failure, fear of success, which is more surprising. You know, you wouldn’t think that that is very. It’s a lot more common than you would think, right? So fear of failure, fear of success, all or nothing thinking, self sabotage. Those are the types of things when it comes to psychology that we address with our clients. And then habits is like, hey, you know, every day, ideally, you brush your teeth. That’s a habit, Right. How do we develop other habits? How do we cultivate other habits? Whether it’s, you know, going for a walk or getting some movement in or, you know, having some fruit, whatever it might be, Those are the types of habits. Like those. Those are examples of habits.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, I like that. Mindset, psychology, habits. I’m going to use that. How have you used that framework to help yourself in other areas of your life and not just fitness?
Adam Gilbert: So, like, I believe any worthwhile journey in life is gonna have what I call. I love these acronyms. I’m always.
Danny Miranda: It’s so the acronym King over here. Adam Gilbert.
Adam Gilbert: Any worthwhile journey in life is gonna have what I call fdr.
Adam Gilbert: Right?
Adam Gilbert: Fear, discomfort, doubt and resistance.
Adam Gilbert: Right?
Adam Gilbert: So fdr. Fear, discomfort, doubt and resistance. Any worthwhile journey is gonna have that. And when I. When we’re even, when we’re embarking on something new for MBT or whatever, it might be like, I feel the resistance within me.
Adam Gilbert: Right?
Adam Gilbert: And I think being aware of that is so helpful. And one of my kind of core, you know, philosophies is like, turn towards it.
Adam Gilbert: Right?
Adam Gilbert: Most people, they feel that, that resistance, they kind of run away from it. They recoil, they hide from it. When I feel that resistance, I know something good is percolating. I know I should go into it. So that’s an example where it’s like, I. I’m very well aware of my psychology. And if I feel it, if I feel that resistance and you feel it sometimes it’s mental Sometimes it’s. It’s a physical thing. I go towards it, I turn towards it.
Danny Miranda: You sound like Superman. Give us an example of you failing to do that.
Adam Gilbert: Well, like, failing to do it would be like there’s, you know, there was, you know, an initiative. We were trying to take an mbt, and I was just. I was just not. I didn’t believe in it. I was just. I was very resistant to it. It was some sort of, you know, referral thing we were trying to do. And I’m just like, I don’t think this is going to work. And, like, I mean, that’s more of an example. Just I guess I didn’t believe in it, but I guess. Which leads me to, like, you know, I talk about hope a lot, and hope is obviously really powerful. And I think there’s also a formula for hope. And here’s another acronym for you. Let’s go cpa.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So C is a clear and defined outcome.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: P for a pathway to reach that outcome. And A is actually believing you can follow the path.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And what we do for our clients is we help them develop, you know, their. Their objective or their outcome. We develop a path for them, and then most importantly, we make sure they believe they can follow it.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So if you’re in, you know, to those people listening or watching, like, when you’re on. When you’re on your journey, if you don’t feel hopeful with what you’re doing, like, and ultimately that means, do you feel like this is. Do you feel like you can stick with this? Do you feel like this is realistic? Do you feel like this is going to get you closer where you want to be and you find yourself starting and stopping. I would. I would encourage you to make sure you feel hopeful.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: Again, have a clear and defined outcome, have a pathway to reach that goal, and make sure you can actually believe. Make sure you believe you can follow the pathway.
Danny Miranda: How do you maintain hope when you’ve achieved some of the things that you set out to do initially? For example, like, it’s very easy for an NBA player to feel hopeful when they’re on a winning team and they’re excited and then they win the championship?
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Danny Miranda: And how do they then feel hopeful to do it again? And I guess not to get complacent. So for you, it’s like, how do you feel hopeful? I’m sure at one point you said, I just want to have 10 coaches or I just want to have five.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah.
Danny Miranda: And then you’ve done that. Now you have 75 so it’s like, how do you maintain hope after you’ve achieved something?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, I mean, the self. You know, the complacency thing is something I think a lot about it because I do think. I think the very thing that makes us want to achieve things can also make us not appreciate where we are. And that’s a constant battle because, like, you know, success without fulfillment, success without appreciation is misery. And, like, I think most of us are always looking at the. At the mountain in front of us versus where we came from. And it’s something I actively work on, but it’s also, to me, it’s a mission.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: To me, when you’re on a mission to serve people, to, you know, build this thing with coaches, etc, then it’s easy to keep going. I think, you know, to your point about the NBA player, if your goal is, you know, to make the NBA or win a championship, then I think you might lose some of that steam.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: But if your goal is like, you know, I want to be one of the best players ever, I want to win multiple rings, then, you know, I think you. You’re like, well, we’re just getting started for you.
Danny Miranda: You said you were. You actively work on that. What are some of the ways you work on that and make sure that’s a part of your daily thought patterns or your. Your weekly reviews? Like, how do you go about building that in?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, so one of the things I just share, like, milestones with my wife, and I know this might sound ridiculous, but it’s just like, sometimes just like. You don’t mean talk. It’s like, oh, great, we hit this. All right, what’s next?
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So even just actively sharing it.
Danny Miranda: Yeah.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: Sharing with close friends, talking about it like that is important. Just like, recognizing it.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: We’ll go out to dinner. Hey, we hit this. We did this. Like, to me, that’s important because, like, oh, you remember, we went to dinner for this. X, Y, or Z, I journal a lot. I just write down, like, hey, how. How does it feel? But again, it’s. I’m. You know, it’s definitely an active. Some. Something I’m actively working on. It’s tricky. It’s definitely tricky.
Danny Miranda: So how old are you?
Adam Gilbert: I’m 39. Turning 40 in February.
Adam Gilbert: Wow.
Danny Miranda: Okay, so you’re. You’re 39 years old. A lot of people who listen to this podcast are anywhere from 15 to 35. So, like, what are some of the common mistakes you saw not only yourself, but also your peers make in their 20s?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah. So one of the mistakes I made at first, because I always knew I wanted to own my own thing. I always want knew I wanted to do my own thing. I felt like unless I could start the next Google or the next Facebook, whatever it was, it wasn’t worth starting, so. And for years, I was, like, just paralyzed. Like, this isn’t big enough. This isn’t going to be big enough. Because I wanted to make an impact. Like, I truly wanted to make an impact. Like, you know, know I come from a family of teachers. My mom was a teacher, my aunt. Like, all these people were teachers. And that was really important to me. And until I finally said, you know what? Small is the new big. And instead of going big, go small. Go as small as you possibly can and just do what you love. That’s when, you know, it was kind of like the doors blew open. I was like, oh, yes, that’s the idea. So to all those people out there, I’d say, go small, right? And just focus on doing what you love. We’ve all heard it, but, like, if you do what you love, that is the real reward. That’s the real reward. I mean, I remember when I was Ernst young, I was miserable. You know, I talked about the stomach. Like, I had a stomach every day. Like, doing what I love is the reward.
Danny Miranda: How do you find what you love?
Adam Gilbert: So I guess from an early age, I was lucky in that I was exposed to sickness. And I try to look at it that way. You know, I knew what I didn’t want for my life, and I just became very passionate about health and fitness. How do you find? I think it’s what lights you up, what you gravitate towards when, you know, on your free time. But that said, you know, I love reading about the NBA in my free time, too. I don’t think I can necessarily get paid for that.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So I think it has to meet, you know, what you like doing has to meet with an, you know, an opportunity, you know, as well. It can’t just be what you’re passionate about.
Danny Miranda: You don’t think you could have made it as a NBA reporter or, like, as a coach or an assistant coach. Why? Why was that not something that you thought about, even though it’s something you love?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, I don’t know. It’s an interesting question. It was just never on my radar. I don’t know. I just never really thought about it. To me, it was like, if I can’t make the NBA, then I’m done. I’ll just be a fan. Unfortunately, my Career ended as a varsity basketball player. That was it. Yeah. I don’t know. I never thought about that. But I guess, you know, I was a weirdo in that. Like, I just started working out early on, and I was just always, like, you know, passionate about fitness, passionate about nutrition, and, like, I mean, since, like, fourth, fifth grade. Really?
Danny Miranda: Do you think, like, that’s something that, like, where does that get instilled in you?
Adam Gilbert: I think for me, it was because of my father.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. But fourth, fifth grade, you knew that he was having health issues and complications at that time. Yeah.
Adam Gilbert: So, like, I mean, well, yes. And, you know. Yes. So there was things going on then, too. So, like, I. And my parents got divorced, so, like, I always felt like I had to be the man of the house. So I just wanted to, like, kind of have this, like, you know, I want to be strong and protect my family if necessary. So I think it started with that, too.
Danny Miranda: What does that feel like, being like in fourth, fifth grade and feeling like you have additional responsibility on your shoulders? How does that impact you in middle school, high school? I’m just fascinated by this because I didn’t grow up in this type of situation, but a lot of people do get raised in this type of situation. So, like, what did you learn about yourself in. During that time?
Adam Gilbert: So I learned that we’re all way more powerful and stronger than we think. I’ve learned that. I’ve learned that, you know, you need to. You could look at things two ways.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: It can either be a blessing or it could be a curse.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And there were times where I felt like. I felt like I had it unfair, but I chose to look at it, for the most part, as a blessing. And I realized, like, I could. The cards were dealt a certain way. I could either, you know, cry about it and be upset about it, or I can make the most of it. So for me, it’s like, I chose to make the most of it, you know, and that’s. That’s just the way it was. I didn’t see any alternative.
Danny Miranda: Have you been able to help other people in that specific type of situation?
Adam Gilbert: You know, I’ve. I’ve had conversations throughout the years, but it hasn’t something. It hasn’t been, like, a focus of mine.
Danny Miranda: Why not?
Adam Gilbert: I don’t know. I guess it just never really came up, or I never really, you know. Yeah, I mean, I don’t know. It just never really came up that much. Or I didn’t, you know, people didn’t seek me out for that.
Danny Miranda: Do you Think that that is an area you could really help people in, in the future of. Like, if they’re in a situation where their father passes away, or they’re in a situation where they feel like they need to be the man of the house at a young age. Do you think that’s a situation or somewhere where you could provide value to people in the future?
Adam Gilbert: Sure. I mean, that. That’s. That’s something potentially. Yeah. Yeah.
Danny Miranda: And, like, what advice would you have for somebody listening to this who’s, like, in high school or. Or in middle school, and they feel that.
Adam Gilbert: So this might sound cold, but I think I could say because I live through it. And there’s some people with clinical depression, all sorts of things.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So I don’t want to, like, discount that. I know there’s some people, like, oh, I’m clinically. But, like, if you’re in a really bad funk, if things are not going the way you are, the way you want. I think ultimately therapy is you fighting reality.
Danny Miranda: Therapy is you fighting reality.
Adam Gilbert: Right?
Adam Gilbert: It’s just you talking with someone and you just, why did this happen? Why is he or she like this? Why is this like that? Why? You’re just fighting reality.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And reality is essentially just, you know, what is right. It just happened.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: My father passed away. Whereas I think the healthiest thing you can do is work to accept that reality, ideally, embrace it, and even better, love the reality. And that would be. My advice, is work on accepting it. Because the more you fight reality, the more you’re going to suffer.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: The more you wish things were a different way and hope they were. Like, you’re just fighting reality. And you can either love what is or you can fight what is. And I choose to love what is because otherwise I’m going to suffer.
Danny Miranda: What do you say to people, then, who have been to therapy and they look at what reality is and it helps them find a new perspective.
Adam Gilbert: Perfect. That’s great. And if that’s. If, if, if. And that’s what therapy ultimately is.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: I. I think a breakthrough is you’re thinking about ways and you’re thinking about things in a different way.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And if therapy does that, then that’s perfect because you need to ultimately, in order to move past the mental roadblock.
Danny Miranda: Right?
Adam Gilbert: It’s a mental roadblock in your head. How do we get past this? You need to think about it in a different way. And if therapy does that, then perfect. That’s great. That’s the idea of therapy, is to have a breakthrough is to think about Things in a different way.
Danny Miranda: Did you have a bad experience with therapy?
Adam Gilbert: No. I mean, I, I, I didn’t. I remember when my parents got divorced, my mom, like, she took us through a therapist. I went like, once or twice. It didn’t do much for me, but yeah, I mean, for me, it’s just, I always felt like we can either, you know, this is what it is, or we can fight what it is. I choose to be on this side.
Danny Miranda: Gotcha. Yeah. No, it’s interesting how people have different perspectives on it, on therapy and how it helps people, how it doesn’t, how, you know, people are against it or for.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, and I want to be very clear. I’m not, I’m not against it at all. I just think ultimately, like, a lot of therapy or some of therapy, I should say, just to. Is like, it’s just your fighting reality. And I think if you can come to the terms with, like, cats, meow, dogs bark, and whatever happened, happened. And of course, there’s certain things that are just awful and horrific, and you can’t just accept you need to, you need work on accepting it. But the sooner you can do that, the happier you’ll be.
Danny Miranda: Last time we spoke on the phone, we mentioned therapy or meditation, rather, and you said that was one area you wanted to improve. How are you doing on your meditation journey?
Adam Gilbert: It’s hard, man. You know, for me, sitting still is really, really hard. I prefer active meditation. So for me, like, I find lifting weights is a meditation. For me, I find concentrating on my muscles, you know, and just feeling my body move is, for me, that works. I spent a lot of time just trying to sit still, and it just, it didn’t work. And it caused more, you know, grief and more guilt than, than it was. It wasn’t doing anything.
Danny Miranda: Take me through that. What happened? What do you think was, was happening that it was causing you more grief?
Adam Gilbert: Well, it’s just like, I should be able to do this. I want to do this. And it’s like, you know what? Maybe this isn’t for me.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: I mean, I’m sure you’re familiar with all these, you know, morning routines people love to talk about, right? And it’s like, you know, wake up, hit the sun for 10 minutes, then go for a walk, then do. It’s like you can go absolutely crazy trying to do all these things. Like, do you, like, do you do what works? And I think, yes, there has to be some initial, like, trial period and practice, as I like to say. Like, if you do something long enough, it’s a practice. It feels weird, it’s unnatural at first. Eventually it becomes a routine and then if you do that routine long enough, it becomes a habit.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And I was not, I did the practice of meditation for a while. It just, I wasn’t clicking for me.
Danny Miranda: How long was the practice and what was the routine?
Adam Gilbert: A month. I’d sit still for in a chair for 10 minutes. Yeah.
Danny Miranda: It’s like, all right, so someone tells you, all right, I want to get better fitness and I want to be in better shape. I’m going to work out for a month. And you’d be like, what do you mean? Like it’s a lifelong practice. It’s not a month.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Danny Miranda: And so it’s just about if the rewards are worth it for you, you know?
Adam Gilbert: Yes. And I found that like I can use those. I could have used those 10 minutes towards my workout. And to me, you know, for me, working out is my therapy. That’s my meditation. Yeah, yeah. And it was like, I’d rather put this time to that. Whereas I think with exercise or nutrition, I think the reward is very clear of know, longevity, vitality, more energy, etc.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. It’s interesting because I think there’s a lot of things that we can’t measure in this moment that are going in the future when we have tools to measure. All right, you meditate this much, your energy levels increase this much. We don’t have ways to actually measure that in this moment unless you’re writing down at the end of the day, all right, this was a great day. And you can track that and correlate that to the meditation. But it’s. We’re very metric driven society in general and externally driven society as well. And that leads us to not care for and appreciate some of the inner journey that goes on. And we don’t have good ways to measure those yet, but we will eventually.
Adam Gilbert: I think, as we call them with our clients, like non scale victories, you know, not everything is tangible.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Danny Miranda: Non scale victories.
Adam Gilbert: Right. What does that mean? You know, a scale victory would be the weight, you know, the scale and the weight. The scale. The weight on the scale goes down. Right. Whereas like a non scale victory, it’s like, oh, actually I was able to totally avoid this food. That always has a pull on me. Or, you know, I was able to exercise even though I didn’t feel like it. Just things that are just unrelated to the scale itself, you know. And the tricky part to what you were saying also is like something I’ve learned is that, you know, doing the Right thing. And happiness doesn’t always necessarily feel happy in the moment. So like, even with exercise or meditation, it, you know, for me, again, meditation didn’t work for me. But like exercise, there are times where I don’t feel like exercising. It doesn’t necessarily feel happy in the moment, but afterwards I feel incredible.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, it’s the difference between meaning and happiness. It’s like you, if you’re doing things that bring you meaning, sometimes in the moment, you’re not happy doing them. And I think often we don’t, we chase happiness, but we don’t chase meaning. And. Yeah. What’s been your journey with happiness and meaning?
Adam Gilbert: That’s good. I mean, I call it like pleasure versus happiness. So pleasure to me, or like this, you know, the cookies or like watching Netflix or whatever it is, like those are short term things, you get a quick high, but then they fizzle very quickly and then you wind up feeling bad afterward. Whereas happiness or meaning, even more so is it might not necessarily feel great in the moment. Sometimes it does, but the after is incredible.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And ultimately I think we want to do things that make us feel good before, during, and afterward.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So before, like sometimes if we’re doing something that we know might not make us feel good, there’s trepidation. Should I do this? Should I not do this?
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: You want something that makes you feel good before, during, ideally. But sometimes it doesn’t. Exercise could be, you know, tortured during it, but it’s also, you know, I love self imposed discomfort. But then afterward I feel a lot, very comfortable. And then afterward I feel incredible. So ideally you want something that makes you feel good before, during, and after. And I think that, you know, talks to your point about meaning.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, absolutely. How many people have you coached over the last 15 years?
Adam Gilbert: Thousands.
Danny Miranda: Thousands.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah.
Danny Miranda: I’m sure there are a couple of stories that stick out to you in terms of transformations, mental, physical, and just people who have changed their lives as a result of the things that you’ve helped them implement. Are there any that you could share here that maybe could inspire somebody or help somebody in the beginning stages of their own journey?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, I mean, one thing I’ve learned, which I think is fascinating, is I can only help someone solve their problems until I find out why they like having their problems.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: You can only help someone solve their problems until you find out why they like having their problems.
Danny Miranda: Wow.
Adam Gilbert: And that is like a huge kind of lead into how I help clients because it’s like, well, how is this serving you?
Adam Gilbert: Right?
Adam Gilbert: How is this behavior Serving you. And ultimately every behavior, positive or negative, is serving us in some way. And when you understand how a behavior is serving them, especially a negative one, it’s like, all right, well, let’s talk about that, and then let’s work on replacing that. But to like, specific examples, I mean, you know, there, there’s, I mean, there’s literally thousands. I mean, you know, it’s like someone.
Danny Miranda: Asking me, what’s your favorite podcast episode?
Adam Gilbert: Like, it’s like your children.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, exactly. Good luck.
Adam Gilbert: Right?
Adam Gilbert: I mean, you know, I have my boys. Zachary Nasher. I will never answer that. And it’s, you know, it’s, it’s impossible because you love them equally and they each, you know, it’s different forms of love.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, no, but, but like, are there any maybe in the last, like six months that you’ve been like, wow, like, I’m really impressed with this person, or I. Because I want people to, to really understand and connect with a story that has been that you’ve been moved by in some way?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah. So, I mean, there was this one client, you know, we’ll call him David, and he came to us, you know, he, he tried everything under the sun. Nothing was working. And again, he was what I call a tactic chaser. He was just, every month he was onto this, right? So one month it was vegan, one month it was Paleo. One month it was if, like, he was just non stop, just constantly, you know, going from one thing to the next. I’m like, what would happen if you actually just committed to one thing? And no matter what, you’re gonna, you’re gonna follow through, right? Or I shouldn’t say follow through because that’s a wheat where we come in. But no matter what, you’re gonna work on getting through that resistance, right? That fdr, that fear, discomfort, down resistance, and just trust us in the process. And that was very hard because some people, I think we’re all hardwired to, like, want that shiny object, right? That new shiny thing, that new shiny diet. So he committed to it. And, you know, you know, slowly but surely, you know, he’s sticking with it. We’re getting through those mental barriers, those mental roadblocks. And it’s incredible because he’s lost like £40 already. He feels better. He has a ton of energy for his kids. Like, to me, that is the best thing ever. My favorite part of all these transformations, you know, is the mental transformation, right? Because sure, it’s nice to look great, it’s nice to feel great, but to me, it’s I love when clients say, what’s next? What else can I do? Because, you know, I like to say, like, when you realize your, your body’s potential, you can realize your overall potential. When you conquer yourself, you feel like you can conquer the entire world.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. This podcast and doing 270plus episodes is only a result of me first getting in shape first because I realized I could apply the same exact principles that I used and do this podcast. And it’s not going to be what it is in the beginning and it’ll slowly get better over time. And this isn’t what it’ll be in five years, but that’s the beauty of it. And so I think that’s the key part about fitness especially is like, you don’t just stop at fitness. You realize, this is something that I can do for the rest of my life.
Adam Gilbert: It’s applicable to every aspect of life. And you know, there’s, I mean, two things come off to, you know, come to mind. Like, you know, that fitness related skills that apply to everything. Number one is the practice of starting something even when you don’t feel like it.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So this is my life’s work. This is, I’m going to do this till the day I die. There’s still days where I don’t feel like exercising, right. There’s still days where I might not necessarily eating, feel like eating nutritiously, but I still do it. That practice of starting when you don’t feel like it and also the practice of recovering when you don’t have a great workout or a great day or a great meal.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: So self compassion is really, really important because I think so many of us are so hard on ourselves. It’s like the moment we mess up, it’s like, oh, screw it, I’m just done. I’m done.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And like that practice of recovering right away, making a U turn right away is so powerful.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. 100%. What separates the clients that you have that actually make physical and mental transformations and those that don’t, I would say simply it’s the.
Adam Gilbert: Some are just un. Unwilling and they admit it. They’re unwilling to do the work mentally in terms of there’s just a lot of things that come up.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: Food is a coping mechanism. Food helps us, you know, de stress, it helps us avoid our problems. It helps us, you know, distract ourselves. So when you’re getting to the root of the issue and we’re obsessed with that because we’re obsessed with sustainable success. Like we’re like, we, we’re committed to making my body, to the last program our clients do. In order to do that, you have to change what’s going on between your ears, right? You have to change that, and you have to get to those things. And sometimes clients are just like, I’m not ready for this. It happens. It doesn’t happen all that often. It happens. It happens rarely, but when it does, it’s. I get it. And it’s like, I can’t make someone ready. I can’t make someone want to do that work. But we certainly try to make it as easy as possible, as comfortable as possible. But no matter what, they have to face those things.
Danny Miranda: How do you face the. The parts of yourself that you don’t want to face?
Adam Gilbert: It’s hard. But I think that’s where coaching comes into play. I think that’s where having support comes into play. I think that’s where having proven tactics that come and come into play. You know, starting small, right? And. And it’s. It’s so. It sounds so simplistic, but it’s like, let’s just try this. This one time, right? Tonight, let’s see how this feels. Not for the rest of your life, not, you know, you know, forever. Let’s just try this tonight, for example. It’s like, you know, every night I need ice cream. Like, that’s how I kind of wind down the day. Let’s try one time. Let’s see what happens. Just one time. See how it feels.
Danny Miranda: One time less ice cream. One time no ice cream.
Adam Gilbert: Exactly.
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: And that’s just a very overly simplic, simplistic version. But that. It’s just like, let’s just try, you know, and we break it down. And it’s also having someone there you can lean into, right. You can talk with your. Your issues about.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, It. It’s really a remarkable service. What aspects or what areas of life do you think? The fitness coaching that you do and the fitness accountability. Where else could we use this sort of accountability in. In lives and habits?
Adam Gilbert: How.
Danny Miranda: How could you not expand your own operation? But what other ideas do you come across for businesses that are similar to yours that you’ve thought about?
Adam Gilbert: So, I mean, I’ve had a lot of people come to me, hey, you should do this for money. Money managing money, budgeting. Interesting. I’ve had a lot of people throughout the years, relationships, you know, you know, accountability around relationships, making time for people. I mean, it’s limitless, right? Yeah, but it’s also. I mean, it’s limitless, but it’s also Is there a market for it? Do people. Are people willing to pay to solve this problem? You know, but in terms of. In terms of aspects of life, facets of life, I think it’s. It’s truly limitless.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah.
Danny Miranda: And also, like, does that problem call to you in a way that makes it your life’s mission?
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Danny Miranda: Like, people can hop on a new idea or new trend, but then it’s like, does it really call to their heart? And that’s what they’ll find out a year into it if people aren’t subscribing. Yeah.
Adam Gilbert: So for me, I call it, like, it’s like opportunity versus mission. So, like, you know, I remember when Groupon was hot, like, there was like, I don’t know, hundreds of thousands Groupon clones. Right, Right. That’s an opportunity. You’re chasing opportunity. When you’re chasing a mission, you’re. It’s. It’s. Your success is inevitable because you’re not ever going to stop.
Danny Miranda: Right.
Adam Gilbert: Your success is inevitable. I just, I could tell. I can hear what you said, like, you’re going to keep doing this no matter what. I will keep doing this no matter what. This is my life’s work. This is a mission for me. If you’re chasing an opportunity, then eventually you’re going to be onto the next opportunity.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, I appreciate you saying that, and it is true, and. But I just want to help people get to that place themselves. Are there any stories of friends of yours who have. Or yourself who have found their mission unexpectedly? And how have they gone about finding their mission unexpectedly? Does anything come to mind for you?
Adam Gilbert: Trying to think.
Danny Miranda: Yeah. I mean, it’s. It’s tough, right? Because, like, I think I want this podcast to be a place where people could be like, huh. I never thought I’d find my mission in that place or them to look at themselves in a way. I know for me, meditation was a key part in me finding my mission. That’s why I speak about it so excitedly and. And journaling, too. So I want more people to do that because the better you get to know yourself, the better you can get to know your potential mission.
Adam Gilbert: Totally. Well. I mean, it’s interesting. I’m trying to think. You know, it’s like I feel like with my friends that entrepreneurs or started their own thing or. It’s like so ingrained who they are. I don’t even remember, like, their light bulb moment. But I will say this about passion. I think a lot of people think passion just comes to you. It’s like a lightning bolt I think ultimately people are passionate at things they’re good at, which is a big distinction. And it also could be like, hey, what am I. What do I want to get good at? Because if you’re really good at something, you’re likely going to be passionate about it, although that’s not always the case.
Danny Miranda: Were you good at accounting?
Adam Gilbert: No, but I also. I, I mean, I was. I was. I guess I was okay. I mean, I got a job at the big four county firm, but, like, just today, I spoke with a, you know, a lawyer who is a partner at one of the best law firms in the world. You know, clearly they’re very good at what they do, but, you know, they’re not passionate.
Danny Miranda: Yeah.
Adam Gilbert: So it’s, it’s tricky. But I think I do think you have to be good at it for. To be passionate. I’m trying to think, though. How can we help people find that? I mean, again, I think it’s what means a lot to you. If money were no issue, I think that’s big. What would you do? Um, because I think a lot of people chase money chasing opportunity, and I think that I, I, that doesn’t last, in my opinion. Um, so I think it’s, what would you do if money were no object? If someone gave you, you know, all the money in the world, what would you choose to work on? And, and if someone says, nothing, I want to sit on the beach. And they’re not the type of person I think that likely will have a.
Danny Miranda: Mission or maybe something about the beach is calling to them, perhaps. No, but one. One thing that I always ask people is like, what would you do if you had a year to live? And that’s not necessarily what you should actually do, but it sometimes gets people in the right frame of mind of thinking, oh, like, I would quit this or do this. And it can be a helpful way to push someone to do what’s actually calling to them.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, that’s interesting. I mean, if I had a year to live, I mean, I mean, I spend a ton of time with my kids, Zachary and Asher, so, I mean, I guess I would certainly spend as much time with them as possible, but I would still do mbt because it’s so important to me. I, I know. Actually, something that just came to mind is like, do you have a book in you?
Adam Gilbert: Right.
Adam Gilbert: Like, there’s this something in you that you need to get out. Maybe that’s your mission. And again, you know, I think that could be helpful. But your question is also, like, how do we get that out of someone. But I don’t know. If you had to write a book, what would the book be about?
Danny Miranda: Yeah, for you? Well, what is it?
Adam Gilbert: Well, for me it would be how about, you know, health and fitness. But for me, my book, and eventually I’m going to write a book. It’s going to be way more about the mindset, psychology and habits of weight loss. There’s been a billion diets out there. You know, 10 of all best selling diet books, or I should say 10 of all best selling books are diet books. Yet it’s the same people who keep buying the books year after year, right? They’re not changing behavior, they’re not changing relationships with food, etc. So our book, my book will be about, you know, how do you actually change your mental and psychology and habits? Because that’s what’s going to lead to sustainable success.
Danny Miranda: I know you’ve been probably writing this book for the last 15 years in your head. Have you actually put pen to paper?
Adam Gilbert: Not yet. I, I, I sincerely believe at this point people don’t need another book. I really believe in coaching and, and what we offer. So at this point I have not. But eventually we’ll get there.
Danny Miranda: Remember, you also thought the same thing about social media. And so maybe another book is, is needed and in store. But I like to end these podcasts with a challenge for people and we spoke about so much of fitness, mission, purpose, your own journey into that. But I’d love to know what’s a challenge you can leave people with to become the best version of themselves.
Adam Gilbert: So one of my mantras is discomfort is your compass. And what I mean by that is if you do what you’ve always done, it’s going to feel natural, it’s going to feel comfortable, right? It’s just going to feel like everyday life. If you do something differently, it’s going to feel uncomfortable. And that’s the idea, right? Because if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’re going to keep getting the same results you’ve always gotten. So you want to let discomfort be your compass because again, if you’re doing something differently, you’re going to get to, you’re going to get to close to where you want to be. So my challenge to you would be let discomfort be your compass, right? So it could be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It could be going one extra rep, it could be talking to someone that you might not normally talk to. It could, it could be sending an email that you might not feel comfortable Doing. Those are examples of discomfort. So my challenge is find an area of discomfort and go for it, seek it.
Danny Miranda: What was the last time in your life that you used discomfort as your compass?
Adam Gilbert: I use discomfort every single day. So for me, I love self imposed discomfort. This morning I worked out. I love just torturing myself. It’s just very self imposed. Discomfort brings me a lot of comfort. So I love that because I find that when I put myself through discomfort and it enables me to deal with the inevitable ups and downs in life.
Danny Miranda: Yeah, but Adam, like, you’re. You’ve been lifting weights since you were probably in fifth grade or something crazy like that. So is that really discomfort, like, for you to, like, go through a training session?
Adam Gilbert: It is.
Adam Gilbert: Because, like there. I mean, there are times where I’m a little nervous before a training session.
Danny Miranda: Really?
Adam Gilbert: I work out by myself. I blast music.
Danny Miranda: What are you nervous about?
Adam Gilbert: Because I know how uncomfortable it’s gonna be. I know how painful it’s gonna be.
Danny Miranda: Interesting.
Adam Gilbert: I mean, obviously there’s a part of me that likes it or otherwise I wouldn’t do it. But like, there is definitely a part of me that, like, if I have a tough day, like, I’m. There’s a part of me that’s like, oh. And one of the things I’ve learned is we spend more energy resisting a task than if we were to just do it. So it’s like there are times, you know, especially back in there to be like, oh, I have to work out, I have to work out. I wind up talking about working out for hours. It’s like, just do it. Obviously easier said than done, but it’s just do it.
Danny Miranda: So, yeah, I love it. Well, Adam, thank you so much for your time. I’m so grateful for you. Where can we send people to connect with you further?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, so you can go to mybodytutor.com that’s our website. You can find us on all the socials, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, all the platforms. All the platforms, yeah. So, you know, we’re. I’m always available. I pride myself on being, you know, available. So if you have any. Have any questions or anything, feel free to reach out. Yeah. And I wanted to thank you. You know, I’ve been fortunate to be on a bunch of podcasts. I was looking forward to this for a long time. You’re very thoughtful. You could tell. I could tell. You do your research. I think there’s a lot of podcast hosts that kind of like their M.O. is like, well, I don’t do any research. Because I just wanted to let the conversation, you know, happen naturally, and it’s like, yes. But you could tell they’re just not doing any work. And there’s no doubt in my mind that you’re going to get to where you want to be. I actually brought you a little gift. I wanted you to.
Danny Miranda: Should I open it now?
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, sure. I think your people might appreciate it.
Danny Miranda: Oh, baby.
Adam Gilbert: Actually, turn it the other way.
Danny Miranda: Okay. What do we got here? This might be the second gift. On camera. Oh, wow. This is awesome. You never know how close you are. Never give up on your dreams. This is beautiful. Wow.
Adam Gilbert: And then on the back, I wrote. You can read that.
Danny Miranda: Wow. Danny, don’t ever be that guy. The sky’s the limit. See you at the top. Adam Gilbert. What a way to end this podcast. I’m so grateful for you.
Adam Gilbert: Yeah, man. My biggest fear is being that guy on the bottom. When I say, don’t be that guy, that’s the guy.
Danny Miranda: I got you. Understood, Loud and clear. Thank you so much, man. You mean to me. Thank you.