Ryan Blair: From Gang Member to Multimillionaire

Ryan Blair: From Gang Member to Multimillionaire

What does it take to go from the lowest and most forgotten dregs of society to the top of the world? Ryan Blair went from a gang member and a high school dropout to the CEO of a company worth $600 million at its peak. Hear his incredible life story in my interview with him.

His autobiography, “Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: How I Went from Gang Member to Multimillionaire Entrepreneur” was ranked 3rd in The New York Times Best Seller list for August 2011 and was a number one New York Times Hardcover Business Book bestseller in September 2011. Ryan Blair was named by Ernst & Young as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012. He took lifestyle and weight loss company ViSalus (Now known as Vi) from $60 million in debt to $150 in revenue. At its peak, ViSalus was valued at $600 million.

But all that money is meaningless if you waste it on self-destruction. Find out how Ryan learned to appreciate what he had in life and take care of himself physically, emotionally, and spiritually. All that and more, in this video episode of the Daily Edge.

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December 5, 2019August 23, 2021

Conversation starters for troubled marriages

After taking a week off so Raul could teach a boot camp, the GMS Podcast is back. In this episode, Raul and Vivian discuss how difficult it is for men to be vulnerable. As men, we have been conditioned to not ask for help, and to armor yourself in order to go into battle. But that armor becomes isolating, and ends up becoming a barrier to connecting with your partner, with your friends, and with God.

Men have a tendency of overcompensating for being a strong lion at work, by being a weak pussycat at home because they don’t know how to balance their own needs and their partner’s needs. Women also have a tendency to stay in a nurturing, mother energy, even in situations when it’s appropriate to bring out the temptress state and let loose. As a result, a relationship can get stale and an unspoken frustration seeps in. The best way to deal with this is to have clear conversations to set a strategy to meet an expressed (not tacitly understood) goal. Both partners have to take responsibility, but there is no upside in complaining or blaming.

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December 2, 2019August 23, 2021

GRATITUDE V.S. POSITIVITY

Gratitude v.s. Positivity

Gratitude is different from positivity. In this episode of the GMS Podcast, Raul and Vivian give their definition of what the difference is between positivity and gratitude. Gratitude is a part of your brain that needs to be exercised. You can do this by taking a moment every day to journal what you have and what you’re grateful for. Another way to do this is to volunteer and help other people who have less than you.

Positivity can mask a lot of emotions. It’s only on the outside, so you put on a brave face or you tell yourself that everything will work out later, but you aren’t doing the inner work that it takes to appreciate what you have. So positivity always runs out. The inner work starts when you focus on yourself what what you can change.

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November 7, 2019August 11, 2021

How to Handle Arguments in a Relationship

Why do men and women argue? Is it possible to have conflict but still have a good relationship? Do men and women really argue differently?

This podcast will answer all of those questions and more on this episode of God Money & Sex. Raul and Vivian Villacis discuss conflict in relationships as they break down in detail an argument from early on in their marriage. The argument, a miscommunication about what Vivian wanted from Raul when they were running late for a party, encapsulates everything that leaves men confused and women still angry long after the inciting incident has passed. They revisit the incident in in spirit knowing now what they have learned in their twenty years of marriage.

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November 4, 2019August 11, 2021

How SnapFitness Founder Peter Taunton Creates Energy

How to overcome a Victim Mentality | 5 Traps to avoid

Although there is a lot about this current crisis that is beyond your control, that doesn’t stop you from taking ownership of the things that you can control, because there is no upside to complaining. In fact, the victim mentality is one of the biggest ways you can sabotage your growth. Instead of letting other people’s victim mentality dictate your behavior, you need to stand strong and remain a leader.

Here are ways to avoid the victim mentality:

1- Comparing yourself to others
The moment you compare yourself to others, you lose. The only person you are competing with is you from yesterday.

2- Doubting your value.
Every time you second guess yourself, you lose certainty. Stop basing your value on what other people think.

3- Trying to please everyone
It’s impossible to please everyone. If you try, you’re only going to end up not pleasing yourself. When you bend for others you will blame them for the choices you made. That’s what happens when you start pleasing everyone else, you blame them when you’re unhappy with the results.

4- Letting your pride rob you from asking for help.
Don’t let your ego stop you from raising your hand and admitting you don’t have all the answers. Humility kills the victim mentality when you own your shit. The moment you think you’re going to do it all by yourself, you’re going to lose.

5 – Don’t be a savior unless you want to be crucified
Being a savior feels good, but eventually, you will become the victim when you don’t get the credit you think you deserve. You have to feed the King first. Instead of giving joy to others and draining yourself, fill yourself with joy until you are overflowing with it.

The victim mentality is as contagious and dangerous as any virus. Playing the victim card is easy. Leading and taking ownership is hard. The only way to find the solution is to take responsibility. There is zero upside to being a victim.

You were made for times like this. This is when you rise up and become the leader you were meant to be.

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October 23, 2019June 23, 2020

How Spartan Race Founder Joe Desena found his PURPOSE | Daily EDGE: Emotional intelligence Podcast

This week, it was my honor and privilege to have Joe Desana, the founder of the Spartan Race, as my first guest on the Raul Villacis Experience, a long-form companion podcast to The Daily Edge. Joe has been a best-selling author, a key note speaker, and of course the founder and organizer of the Spartan Race.

Joe grew up on what many of us would call “the wrong side of the tracks.” He essentially grew up as a background actor in a real-life mob movie. But his mother made sure he wouldn’t follow that path, and set him up for later success in life. Several times in life, he became successful, then risked everything he had to start over and pursue greatness. His interest in physical fitness and his desire to test his own toughness lead him to create the Spartan Death Race. In this interview, Joe tells me how and why he chose the life he has now.

Show Notes:

0:40 Intro

1:14 What is Joe’s story? / Origin story

6:15 Joe met a guy at Cornell…

8:32 Joe takes a big risk by taking a new job

11:2 2 Many of Joe’s friends ended up in jail, but Joe stayed straight

14:12 “Was I tough enough?”

10:06 When was the threshold?

21:27 Bird discussion

22:48 Joe talks about the transition from wall street to organizing races.

25:32 You can find your purpose. You can also find a new purpose as you grow

28:57 The tunnel

31:15 Money can fuel purpose until your purpose is profitable

32:34 You better figure it out…

34:42 Married bliss

36:54 What attitudes are necessary to succeed?

38:38 What is the next step?

Joe shows off his kettle bells and home gym

43:20 Joe promotes his favorite tea

44:44 When is the next race?

47:00 end

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