Fitness Coach Nimai Delgado ON: How Failure Is A Part Of Success
Having compassion towards yourself. whenever you're learning something is a. skill. Yes, you may be not where you. want to be. That's okay. The. best-selling author and host. The number one health and wellness. podcast. with Jay Shetty. Hey everyone, welcome back to On. Purpose, the number one health podcast. in the world thanks to each and every. one of you that come back every week to. become happier, healthier, and more. healed. And that's my goal here. My goal. is to introduce you to people who can.
help us become happier, help us become. healthier, and help us become more. healed in our lives. That's what I'm. committed to, and I'm grateful that. you're here listening and committed to. that same mission. Today's guest is. going to help us do just that. I'm. talking about a dear friend of mine who. I've been getting to know over the last. few years. We've known each other in. different incarnations, which I'll. explain as the podcast goes through, but. for those of you who don't know him, Nimai Delgado was raised as a vegetarian. by virtue of his spiritual beliefs and.
has actually never eaten meat in his. life. Nimai became the world's first. vegan IFBB professional bodybuilder, proving that you don't need animal. products to be an elite athlete. Nimai. is a motivational speaker and shares his. story all over the world to bring. awareness to the many benefits of a. plant-based lifestyle and the importance. of exercising our bodies and our. compassion. Nimai has also founded VEG. Nutrition and all-natural supplement. company and veganfitness.com.
where he has coached thousands of. clients along with a handful of. phenomenal celebrities and athletes. doing their best while being. plant-based. Please welcome to the show. Nimai Delgado. Nimai, it's great to have. you here, man. Jay, I am so excited to be here. Thank. you so much for having me, bro. No, it's. it's great to finally have you here. We've talked about this for a while. Yeah, it's been a long time coming. It's been a long time coming, and I'm. glad you're coming on now. And I love. how we talk about people exercising. their bodies and exercising their.
compassion. I I think that idea is. really beautiful. And I can honestly say. that you're one of the toughest, strongest guys I know, but at the same. time you're also one of the sweetest, kindest guys I know. And I think that. combination is really powerful, but I I. want to talk about your journey today. I. want to talk about some of your insights. today. You know, we have a big community. here who wants to be healthier, who. wants to be happier. Uh let's start with right now. Like what. makes you feel happy and healthy right.
now? Today. That's such a good question. Yeah, I think. first of all, it it just begins with. waking up feeling. like I have purpose. Definitely waking. up, tending to myself first and. foremost, my morning routine, my water, my meditation practices, all of these. things that have I've slowly built the. practice of over the course of 10, 15. years that have now been so ingrained. into the fabric of who I am. And that is. what really keeps me feeling good and.
showing up for whatever the day has to. throw at me. So, I mean, once you find that, then it really does. allow you to like live in that that. healthy space to where you can show up. and handle anything, really. Yeah, and. I've seen you share some of those on. Instagram and on social media. Could you. walk us through like what have become. those key principles of your morning. routine or evening routine that you turn. to and and which are the ones that. you've developed? Mhm. Yeah, so first of all, it's what. time I wake up. Uh I'm sure you've had.
plenty of guests on the show that talk. about the benefits of waking up early. I. try to wake up at the same time every. morning. So, for me that's anywhere like. around 6:00 and yeah, I don't I don't. have a alarm clock. I just naturally. wake up at that time. My body's just. like, all right, ready to go. And then I. just drink my cup of water and I will. find a a space. I have a little. meditation station in my house with my. red light, and I'll just sit and just. breathe. And it's not perfect every. morning. This is what I don't want to. preach or come on here and talk about is.
perfection. I really. am not a perfect person, and I want to. really first and foremost. make that clear because it's not. perfect. But the days that I do show up, I show up to the degree that I can. So. sometimes that's 20 minutes, sometimes. that's longer, sometimes it's even five. And for me that tone of of really. setting the tone for the rest of my day. with intention, with that piece of just. tapping into whatever my body needs that. morning, and then letting that dictate.
how I operate for the rest of the day. Mhm. That's beautiful. And what are the. benefits of red light for those who. don't know because you said you meditate. there with the red light. What what's. that for? Yeah, so there's there's. plenty of benefits behind red light. I'm. not an expert in it, but I believe it. was developed by NASA. They have like. over 500 different scientific studies. that show some of the benefits. I. believe it's the main benefit is with. ATP production, so it's the energy. produced by your cells. So it helps you. rejuvenate cells and. um. get rid of old damaged cells and replace. them with new cells. So for somebody who.
wants to recover from athletic training, it's a great way to start your day. It. also helps with skin if if somebody has. some skin issues there, too. So and it's. also just nice to it provides a little. bit of heat, too. So it can just like. provide that nice ambient lighting in. the morning when it's still dark outside. to just start your day with a little bit. less of this like bright white light. Yeah, yeah, wow. Yeah, that's cool. I I. yeah, I've I've used it for I used it. recently after I had surgery, and so. yeah, yeah, yeah. That That's I was. recommended to use it. I was intrigued.
why someone would use it when they not. had surgery, but that's that's good to. know. Uh. I love that. And I love what you're. saying about not being perfect, right? I. think people often think that when. someone comes on a podcast or they talk. about something that they've nailed it. and their life works like clockwork, and. they wake up at the same time every day, and they meditate for the same amount of. time and. and that's amazing if it if that's true. for you and it happens, but but it. rarely does. I wanted to go backwards. into your life. Today, obviously, you've, you know, famously known for. being in the documentary Game Changers.
and that was executive produced by James. Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton and, you know, people. that you know well as well. And that's incredible to see how far. plant-based lifestyle, vegan lifestyle, athletic ability has come. I guess my question is, do you feel that. you, at this stage, before we go back, kind of what do you feel you proved to. yourself? Like, when I when I read. things like you've never read to me.
and that, you know, you don't need. animal products to be an elite athlete. Is that something you set out to do? Is. that something that was important to you. or is that something that kind of has. just happened in society as something. that interests people? So, for me, personally, it was never. something that I had set out to do. I. had, honestly, been ashamed of being. plant-based. I was, like you mentioned. earlier in the podcast, I was raised. vegetarian by virtue of my parents'. spiritual beliefs, of which I was raised. with as well. And one of those beliefs. is ahimsa, which I'm sure you're very.
familiar with, which is just trying to. live a life. and not contribute to any unnecessary. harm or suffering and try to lead with. compassion. So, by virtue of trying to. follow that, it leads me to make the. choice to not consume animal products. And when I was raised vegetarian, I grew. up in Mississippi and there weren't too. many vegetarians in Mississippi and I. would constantly get questioned and and. asked about my spiritual beliefs. whenever I was younger and I didn't have. the vernacular or the language to really.
explain myself. So, I tended to become. more withdrawn or just a little bit more. avoidant whenever people would ask me. that question. And it really wasn't. until my later years when I was mid-20s. when I leaned into that part of myself. and started to really embrace and own my. belief in being proud of that belief. And that's what ultimately led me to. finding my purpose because people. started to ask me once I they I started.
winning bodybuilding competitions, they. started to ask me how do how are you. doing this? And the question that I once. avoided so much about why I was. vegetarian now became this really. interesting topic for people that wanted. to learn more from it. So, I started. sharing more online and then just. naturally fell into this place where I. was teaching people, which was really. exciting for me. Yeah, I think so many. of us as kids have beliefs or values. that we follow because of our parents.
And then we feel embarrassed about them. when we're questioned because they're. not our beliefs and values at the time. Like you said, we don't know how to. explain why we do this or why we don't. do this. Often on those occasions, sometimes as we grow older, we leave. those values. We go the other way. I. know so many people that grew up with. certain values, especially when they're. spiritual-based, that kids end up going the other way. where they're like, "Well, I don't want. anything to do with that because it. doesn't even make any sense." Because. their parents never explained to them.
why you do that or it's important, so. they don't know why. What do you think stopped you from like. going the other way and and just like. being like, "Well, no no one in. Mississippi gets it, so why am I. bothering to do this?" As a child, it's. really easy to understand the concept of. not wanting to harm an animal. Uh this. is why, you know, most people will take. their children to petting zoos and not. slaughterhouses because kids naturally. have an affinity to animals and want to. learn from them and care for them or be. around them. And I think that just.
really stuck with me because I grew up. on a cattle farm and I had such close. proximity to animals that I had such a. deep connection with them and I think. fundamentally I understood that in order. for me to end up on my plate, an animal. would have to suffer or be killed. And I. just didn't want to contribute with. that. It just never felt aligned in my. body and I was doing just fine without. it. So, I continuously heard people tell. me that if, you know, I need meat to be. big and strong, I need meat to grow up. for protein, for all the other. nutrients. And here I was, you know,
fairly athletic even as a kid, just. living this experience and I just knew. in my heart that I didn't need it. So, I. just continued to. go by feeling and really just stop. caring what other people told me I. needed and just like really started. tuning into what I felt like was right. for me. I feel like there's a lot of. people who want to be plant-based or. vegan, but then they go back to eating. meat because they're told they're. lacking something or they need. something. And often people feel it. themselves, like they feel better when.
they're eating meat in terms of their. body, even if they don't agree with it. morally. I've I've met a lot of people. like that. Mhm. Uh and I guess my point. is you And that's what I'm hearing from. you is everyone's so unique and so. different. What nutrients did you have. to be more proactive to find as someone. who's vegan and be more thoughtful about. uh let's start there first. Yeah, so I. mean the the first topic that most. people tend to uh bring up is protein. Protein is an important nutrient that.
has many purposes in the body including. recovery, including many um just for. overall health and and vitality you need. protein. I'm not denying that, but I. think that there's a lack of education. when it comes to the amount of protein. that plants provide. So, I, growing up, never really concerned myself with an. amount of protein. I just ate what my. parents would provide me with and that. was like lentils, um you know, pastas, things that naturally contain protein,
but it doesn't have animal protein. So, that is the biggest. kind of conversation that I normally. have on a daily basis is where do you. get your protein from? And I think it's. important to realize for people. understanding how much protein you. actually need. And everybody's. different, like you said. I'm not here. to tell anybody how to live their life. That's not It's not my intention. whatsoever. I'm here to just talk about. my experience and and have the. conversation with people who are. genuinely interested in learning about. this lifestyle and possibly feeling uh.
even more vitality, which is what I. experienced whenever I went fully. plant-based. So, protein, uh the other. big one is B12. So, B12 is a micronutrient that, um you. know, we don't naturally get in our diet. based off the sterile nature of the way. that we grow our crops. We used to get. it from soil and streams of water. So, now. um most B12 is supplemented and even. given to animals. So, people that. consume animal products are getting. supplemented B12 that are fed to the.
animals. So, you're getting getting it. uh second hand. So, it's not just a. vegan issue at this point in time. It's. a general population issue that people I. believe up to 40% of the population has. sub-optimal levels of B12. So, supplementing with that is a wise choice. just to kind of ensure that. And then. the other one is iron. I mean, that's. another big one for anybody that has uh. potentially anemia or anything like. that. Uh but there are plenty of. vegetables that provide more than enough. iron. It's just about really.
understanding how to eat and consume a. diverse amount of vegetables in your. diet that. will cover these nutritional gaps. And. it all boils down to education first and. foremost. Yeah, I know. And and I agree. with you that, you know, for me as well, I don't. definitely not a proponent or an. evangelist of a certain type of. lifestyle. And, you know, I think. everyone has to make their own. decisions. I know that I went from being. vegetarian to being plant-based. overnight, which I think I would have. done differently had I known what I know.
now. I think I would have done things. more gradually and been more aware of. things like B12 and omega-3s and these. kind of things that. and iron and so many other things. I I. still would have made the decision to. become plant plant-based. I feel far. more energetic today. I feel far more. uh immune my immunity is far stronger. today. Like I feel much better being. plant-based without a doubt. I just wish. I made my journey towards it a lot. easier. And so, I'm very mindful now.
where it was like I went from the. literally being vegetarian to. plant-based like literally overnight. Yeah. Yeah, so did I. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And and I think there were a. few things that I could have avoided if. if I didn't do that. So. But with with your journey, so you grew. up in Mississippi in a spiritual home. You're. you're already vegetarian and and I. guess what when you're brought up in a. spiritual environment and I don't meet. many people. I don't think many people. who grew up directly in a spiritual. environment.
A, what does that mean? And B, like how did that affect your values and. goals and ambitions in life? Like how. did that Yeah, so it definitely gave me. perspective because the environment that. I grew up in it was a it was a. faith-based community. Um the the. difference was that the the the. spiritual belief was very different than. the surrounding spiritual beliefs. because we were a Hare Krishna community. which uh. uh division of Hinduism. So, my parents. actually converted from Catholicism to.
Hinduism in Argentina and they are. deeply spiritual people. They decided. that they wanted to devote devote them. their lives to their spiritual practice. So, they. renounced all their possessions and they. decided to go live in the temple. I. mean, you have had a you know that. experience. And they had my brother, they had my sister and they bounced. around South America, and then. eventually was told about an opportunity. to come live in a spiritual community in. South Mississippi. And so they.
immigrated to the United States with. basically $200 in their pockets and two. and a half kids, pregnant with me. And. that's where I was born and raised, and. it was really quite unique because it. was a community. Like I remember calling. all of the mothers in the community. mother because we would go to the. temple, we would go around the farm, we. had cows, we had our own garden. Everybody had a role in the community, and it was really beautiful. Now that I. Now that I look back at it before.
when I was younger and I started to. integrate into the more. traditional southern culture cuz I went. to public school, that brought about a. lot of challenges for me because it was. like I was living in this bubble and. then venturing out into the other world. Was that for high school? It was from. all the way from kindergarten to to high. school. So you were saying going from. home to then going to Yes. kindergarten and high school. So you. went to a a public public school. public school, but you was Yeah, right.
Yeah. Yeah, so that brought about its. own challenges because like I said, I. was just very different from my peers, and it made me appreciate other people. and their differences because I would. get questions so much about my spiritual. beliefs, my practices, my family, my. home life, and also hear much of the. judgments that came along with being so. different. And. you know, I I appear the way I do, so I. don't look like like a like a Hindu.
person, you know, like most people. associate Hinduism with being from. India, and much of the culture that I. grew up with in that community were. Indian. So I kind of felt like an. outcast within the community, and then. felt like an outcast outside of that. community as well. So it was very. difficult for me to find my own. identity. So, I got very good at. observing other people and and really. just having compassion for different. forms of life without judging because I. knew what it was like to be judged. growing up. Yeah. Wow, yeah. And that's that's hard,
right? Like when you grow up. without feeling like home's not home, and then away from home doesn't feel. like home. And. but it sounds like you were able to. process it in a healthy way. Right? Like the ability to learn not to. judge, the ability to be okay with. people having differences, the ability. to understand that. everyone was unique and everyone was, you know, on their own path or whatever. it may be. Like that sounds like a. really healthy mindset. The second part. of my question was like how did that. impact your.
ambitions and goals and what you wanted. to do or be because you're getting. exposed to these two very different. worlds. Like you have the public school. academic world and then you have this. private life of spirituality. Like how. did that impact what you wanted to do. with your life? Yeah. Yeah. So, we So, we moved out of. that community when I was about 9 years. old. And. you know, we were immigrants. My parents. didn't speak any English whenever they. arrived to the United States. So, they. had to find their way in this world and. pay for their kids. And we were very.
spiritually rich but materialistically. very poor. So, money was always a topic. of conversation and always a source of. anxiety for for my family. So, for me, that really gave birth to the to. the desire to be financially stable. So, I was always good at math. I was always. good at sciences. I preferred math and. science over English and literature. because there was a definitive answer. and I really appreciated that. And um so, I I pursued engineering. My. grandpa was a pilot for many years and.
he used to bring me to the airports and. I was always fascinated with. aeronautics, with planes. And so, my. original intention was to become an. aeronautical engineer. And when I went. to college, there was no. degree for that. So, I switched to the. next best thing, which was mechanical. engineering. So, I got my degree in. mechanical engineering. But, what's. interesting though is that I never. really felt a strong connection to it. It was purely coming from the place of. what it what position or what career can. I have that's going to provide that. security, that financial stability.
because I didn't want to be in the. position that I witnessed growing up so. much. Yeah, and I think that's so. interesting because. I feel like if most of us look to what. we pursue, it comes from a pain we had. in our childhood or our past where it's. like you're pursuing something because. you didn't have it growing up. Or you're. pursuing something because you did have. it growing up. And I don't know if we. all ever stopped to think why am I. pursuing this? Like, when was it where. you started to realize why am I pursuing.
this? That maybe that was only because you. didn't have money growing up and then. your pursuit shifting. But, when was. that moment where you were like, I don't. think this is what I really want to do. First day on the job. Really? Like that. quick? What was the reason? So, originally when I was when I was. engineering, I wanted to get into. renewable and sustainable energy. And. that was my goal. And then, I had all. these job offers after I was graduating. and ended up going with the highest. offer, which was oil and gas. So, it was. completely contradictory.
to what I originally intended on doing. So, I sold out. Um not ashamed to say. it. And what what I found was that you. know, I started they started me off at a. at a six figure salary. So, my my first. year at 22, 23, I was making like 150. grand a year. And I thought to myself, wow, I have made it. Like, I remember. crying the first when I got the offer. cuz I was like, wow, I finally made it. I can take care of my family now. And. the first day on the job, I. realized that I was like, this is not. what I want to do. Like, I'm going to.
have to do this for the next 40 years. and then retire. Like, I quickly saw the. timeline of what my life was going to be. like. And that feeling is not a great. feeling because I had just dedicated. 5 years to getting my degree and had an. incredible amount of debt. And I just stuck through it, you know, I. I I lived with that for 5 years before I. finally built up enough courage to leave. that career and pursue something that. was more meaningful for me. But it But. it took me. 5 years of of really suffering with that.
and living with that to finally create. enough discomfort for me to be like, you. know what? This money is not everything. And I really feel like I have a deeper. purpose and I feel like I can make a. greater impact in the world and be of. better service to people by leaning into. this thing that I had been doing on the. side, which was uh. basically teaching people how to be. vegan and in shape. That's yeah, I I. want to dive into that with you because. I I remember setting out too. I really. wanted to do art and design at.
university, like at college. That was. what I wanted to do. That was my. favorite subject in high school. And. I traded it to do a business degree, even though I did focus on and. discovered behavioral science, which I. fell in love with, which was actually my. passion with art and design, which I. later discovered. But I sold out too because I was just. told so many times that art and design. wouldn't make money. Yeah. And so I was like, oh yeah, you. got to make a smart decision. And then I. would become a monk anyway on top of all. of it. So So it all went out the window.
But a lot of people feel that way where. they have something that's calling them, something that's pulling them towards. it, but then they push it away because. something feels more realistic or. something else feels like the right. thing to do. And it's amazing that you noticed it on. day one. And I've created now. a new methodology, and I'm repeating. this because I hope I remember to use it. again and again and again. And there are. times when I remember it, there are. times when I. wish I remembered it. But I came up with.
a methodology of how I make decisions. because I found that money was always. such a tempting tantalizing thing or. whatever. That's one of those, but I. think there are so many things in the. world that are just so attractive and. lucrative that they distract us from. what we truly want. And so I came up with something that I. call. uh ESM. And the E stands for energy. So, the. first thing I ask is, does this give me. energy? Does this person give me energy?
Does this project give me energy? Does. the work energize me? Do I want to bring. my energy to this? Like, is this an. energy fit? And that's a question I was. asked myself. If the answer is yes, then. I move forward to the S, and the S is. strategy. Okay, my energy feels good. It's like my. heart feels good, but is this strategic? Like, does this strategically make. sense? Does it make sense on the basis. of do we also have the right idea? Sometimes something makes sense. energetically, but if there isn't a. strategy behind it, it won't last. It's.
not sustainable. So, is there strategy. behind this? Is there an effective. method behind this? A system? A process. that I can get behind and that my energy. will be directed clearly? I think a lot. of the time you feel like, oh, the. energy's amazing, a very LA thing as. well, and it's like you're like, the. energy's really good, but then it just. kind of goes splat, right? Like, it's. just everywhere. And so, like, is my. energy directed? If the answer is yes, then I go to the M, which stands for. money. And it's like, does this make. commercial sense? Does this make sense.
financially? Does it make And so, money. is an important part of my methodology. It's just the third most important. metric, and I only get to ask that. question if I go through the first two. And that stops you from doing things. just for something at the end. I love. that. and it and and at least it's helped me. Yeah. No, I love that because, you know, I never I never had that process. For. me, it was always the lucrative, like, what can provide the most money, and I. will endure whatever I need to to. provide. And I'm not saying that money's.
not important. I Everybody has to. provide for themselves, and everybody's. in different situations. And for me, personally, engineering just really. clearly. it was clear to me that it wasn't. energizing me. It was very much draining. me. So, going to work every day was not. something I looked forward to. I I. looked for reasons to leave. I was. constantly distracted about the other. life that I had wanted for myself. And. you know, I used to think that. doing something that you love and making.
money were mutually exclusive. Same. Same. Yeah. know that you could marry the two. And. now I believe that a career is I define. career as a a profitable source of. pleasure. So, doing something that I. love first and foremost, you will. every time get really good at it. And. when you're good at anything, you can. master it, and you can teach it to. others. And I never once in a million. years thought that I would be doing what. I'm doing, but I did it just on the side.
for free because it brought me that much. joy and fulfillment just for myself. And. once I started to see the ripple and the. curiosity from other people, and thought. to myself, "Wow, I can really make a. difference in somebody's life just by. sharing how I'm living." And that's when. I really found the conviction to say, "You know what? This is something that I. want to pursue. Even if it doesn't make. sense logically, I'm going to listen to. my heart for once because I've been. listening to my brain this entire time. I'm going to drop in and listen to my. heart and what my gut is telling me. My.
gut is telling me to to pursue this, to. follow this.". Yes. Yeah, no, I I think that's I love. that your definition of what a career. is. That's That's really cool. And And I I can agree with you more. I I. remember. literally, and this is crazy for me to. think about it, I didn't know. And when. I say I didn't know, I mean like my mind. didn't process that that was any other. career out of being. a doctor, a lawyer, or in business. Like.
I literally thought those were the only. three careers that existed. Not because. I didn't I I didn't know anyone who. didn't do any of those things apart from. obviously if people were teachers or if. people. you know, my my my uncle owned a grocery. store and things like that, like a local. grocery store, local grocery store. And so things like that, but I didn't. have context over you could be something. else. And therefore it was those three. things, and I never liked medicine, I. never liked law, and so I had to do.
business, and because art and design. wasn't a career. So, I get that, and I. think a lot of people live that way and. feel that way. And I also think today we've created a. culture where it's like you have to be. an entrepreneur, and that I disagree. with, too. Like I don't think doing what. you love means doing it as an. entrepreneur. I think there are. phenomenally talented people who work. inside organizations. And when you think. about some of the CEOs of the biggest. companies today, they didn't found them. Like Sundar Pichai, who's CEO of Google, or Tim Cook, who's CEO of Apple, like.
they didn't build those companies. And. they became so successful within an. organization that they run. And so, I do. think that we're also living at that. other extreme now, where it's like you. have to quit your job and do something. you love. And I'm like, well, that. doesn't make sense, either. Like maybe. some people are going to find what they. love inside a career, and inside a. workplace. And I think I think both need. to be balanced. So, we went from like. you have to work an amazing job as an. engineer and do something you hate and. get paid. And now it's like you have to.
quit everything and do what you love. And it's like, well, there's a spectrum. there. Definitely. to know how you survived the five years, because I love that answer, that you. knew it on the first day, but you had to. survive and suffer for five years. I. think that's very, very real. Because you're in your head trying to. figure that out. Like. how did you deal and cope with those 5. years? Did you adopt bad habits? What. did you do because I think often times. that's when people turn to like. different things. I don't know if you.
did, but. yeah, what did you do and then how did. you finally get out? Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean there's. when you don't when you live that way, obviously I'm. you you find escape. Right? There's. there's ways to escape. And thankfully, my escape was. the gym. And. Right. anytime I would get off work. That's a good escape though. a yeah, it was a great escape for me. Yeah, yeah. And I would go to the gym. and I would really just. find peace. And it was it was like my. therapy. I would go to the gym and and I.
really do love training. I love the art. of learning how this this vessel works. and how I can really optimize the. movements and how it feels and and it. just really sink into the the process of. of developing my physical self. And what. I learned in that process was how many. benefits mentally there are as well. because it requires discipline, it. requires sacrifice, it requires. intention and attention to detail. So, that's where I really found enjoyment. was really in the process of learning.
how to develop my physical self. And. as far as. dealing with, you know, the 5 years, I. had thought about quitting. I mean, I. also am a realist and knew that I had to. provide for myself and I would also be. giving up a very good opportunity and. didn't have the clarity of what that. next thing would be. And all the while I. was doing this other thing, it was right. in front of me the whole time, but I. needed to really. find that path. Like I needed the.
contrast of doing something that I. didn't like doing because that gave me. the clarity to find something that I. really did. So, I don't regret anything. in my life that was painful or. challenging because it's really shaped. who I am today and given me the. opportunity to have the clarity to. pursue the things that really resonate. with me. Yeah. Yeah. And I guess you can. deal with You know what your clients are. dealing with, too. Mhm. In terms of the. stress of the workplace, the stress of.
what they're going through, and you. you've been in their shoes. You know you. know what it looks like, and. I think that the thing that came to my. mind when you were saying that was. you knew that you were falling in love. with with working out, and you were. falling in love with this other thing on. the side. I have a friend that Well, she. she used to be working inside of a. company, and she was stressed and hated. it in the same sense as you do did. And. but she loved presenting. And so then she joined a company where.
she's a public speaking coach, and she. goes back to the company she used to. work at and teach public speaking. Like. she teaches communication, not just. public speaking, but teaches. communication, teaches negotiation, teaches people skills, and she's so much. happier doing it. And I love seeing. those stories where people. have the courage to figure out the. switch, but it sounds like you were. doing a lot in your evenings and. weekends. to build this other route and build this. other path. When you made the switch. over,
did it feel like because I'm guessing. when you first did it, were you able to. replace your salary completely? No, right? That's Yeah, that's My friend, she's it's taken her 3 years to replace. her salary that she made before. But she's doing good now, and so yeah. I. think that working as an engineer and. and going through that getting my degree. really helped me think like an engineer, obviously. So, I approached it with that. engineering approach of like, how can I. take this thing that I really want to do.
and create systems and processes for me. to make it financially so I could pay. for my bills. Essentially, that was my. goal. It was like, can I just cover my. bills at that point in time? And what I. wanted to do was reach as many people as. possible. So I partnered up with a. software engineer and we decided to. build a whole platform of how can I. really systematize delivering the. content, teaching people how to lift, providing educational content, and then. also the meal planning, which is the. most important part whenever people are. trying to get in shape is figuring out.
what to eat. So we developed a whole. algorithm and a whole platform to be. able to serve thousands of clients at a. time and it took months of planning. I. wasn't making any money. I was just kind. of siphoning away all my savings. And. what's what's really interesting is that. first week whenever we launched our very. first program and very first offer, I. made more in a week than I made in a. year as an engineer. And that's that was. the moment for me that I was like, wow, this is very possible for me to continue. to pursue. And obviously that's that's.
my experience, but it it takes that. level of of planning and really having. an approach that is, you know, risk-averse. You know, I'm not. suggesting for anybody to go quit their. job. I think that having a plan of. action and having a timeline. makes the most sense for you to not put. yourself in a compromising position. So. that's the way that I did it and it's. it's panned out very very well because. it's given me the space to still work. with so many people and still get to do. what I love and not be so focused on in.
the business, just working in the. business if that makes sense. And it also shows that a lot of our. experiences are not wasted. Like No, no. First of all, growing up in a spiritual. community made you vegetarian, made you. have ahimsa, made you appreciate. ah life forms. Like that's a useful. experience even if at that time you felt. alone and disconnected from the people. you were around. Then you go off and you. study engineering, which again you're. like, I don't want to be an engineer, but your engineering skills are the ones. that you use to launch your passion.
Yeah. And then it's like you discover. what you love doing, which is working. out. And now what you do is mixing. compassion, working out, and. engineering. And I I love that idea that. encouraging people to collect passions. and curate their passion. And that's how. you create your passion. Is that you're. constantly collecting experiences, and. then you're bringing them together. rather than like, I found this one thing. and everything before this was a waste. of time. And even in my journey, I feel.
the same way. It's like, I loved art and. design growing up, which has massively. impacted my career today because I look. at everything through the lens of art. and design. And then. I was fortunately great at economics and. good at understanding business and then. behavioral science. And that was That's. obviously been very useful in my life. today. And then obviously I fell in love. with philosophy and I fell in love with. teaching and I fell in love with. mentorship and I fell in love with the. wisdom that I learned from the monks. And now my life is all three of those.
things put together. And I wouldn't. trade any of those experiences. So if. anyone's in a bad place right now or if. anyone's in a hard place right now where. they don't enjoy what they do or they. feel they studied the wrong thing at. university or college or whatever it is, none of that's wasted because you're. just collecting experiences that will be. useful if you look at it that way in. what you're building. And that isn't a. mindset. That's just true. That any. skill you learn right now is going to be. useful later on. Mhm. Yeah, I I I I believe in this this.
like inclusion-based universe where. everything is happening for your. benefit. Every experience that you go. through is happening for you and you can. be the beneficiary even if some very. challenging times. And I believe that. from the soul's perspective, we call in. these experiences so that we can develop. the strength or the resilience or the. perspective to transcend them. So when I. look back at my childhood, although it. was had its moments of of of beauty and. and so much beauty in my life, there was.
also so much challenge and and and. strife as well. And I see those moments. now as what really shaped me and and. primed me for what I'm doing today. because once at one point the thing that. I was most ashamed of is the thing that. I I really lead with now. So, just. remembering that in any time of. challenge that this is teaching you. something and in some time maybe you. can't see it right there, but you are. the beneficiary of this challenging.
moment and it will allow you to keep. growing. It's like, you know, there's so. many parallels between the gym and life, you know, it's like you're under the bar. at doing squats and it's very very. uncomfortable. You want it to stop. You. want to drop the weight. You're like, "No more. I can't handle anymore." And. then you push through and on the other. side of that, you develop the strength. and the resilience and your body adapts. and you grow so that you can handle that. plus some next time. So, that's that's. the way that I really try to approach. any challenge these days is like, "Okay, bring it on. I accept the challenge.
because I called this experience into my. life so that I could transcend it.". What's the mindset and where did. bodybuilding come into it? Like, where. what's the mindset behind. wanting to do that? Where does that come. from and what was that journey like. because. I think we hear about it a lot I think. from. celebrities in the media who have to. look a certain way for movies or. things like that and then they come out. years later and they tell you how. unhealthy it was and but during when the. movies I think it was Zac Efron recently. it was like you know, he talked about.
the Baywatch. movie and it's obviously when you watch. that movie you're like, "God, Zac Zac. looks incredible." Yeah. And he did and. then, you know, he was on TV shows at. the time but then I think he came out. recently and he was talking about how. unhealthy it was or how he didn't feel. great about it and I think a lot of men. talk about that afterwards as well and. women of course talk about it but I feel. like it's It's when a couple of men. start opening up about how even though. they look great and every guy wanted to. look like them, it it wasn't healthy. But for you, how how is that journey. been for you? And I'm intrigued to I've.
never asked you this before, so. Yeah, no, it was a bit of an arc for me, you know. I remember always being the. small kid and growing up, so there was a. bit of insecurity there. And so. definitely ego played a big part in for. me to want to develop myself because it, you know, it quite literally builds. layers between you and everybody else. And if you're trying to protect your. fragile nature or your little wounded. self, then this is a great way to do. that even if it's masked through other. things. So, that was that was a big. journey for me because originally when I. got into it, I had I had that reason.
And then the more I did it, the more I. really started to to do it because I. loved it and didn't train because I. didn't like myself or the thought of if. I'm out of shape, nobody will like me or. I won't like myself. And started. shifting and reframing that to I I. really love taking care of myself. because I feel good when I do. And. that's what really led me to lean into. it and and to continue to discover ways. in which I could just develop myself. further. And and then somebody actually.
suggested it to me in the gym one time. They said, "Hey, there's this show. coming up locally and you should do it. You look great." And I was like, "Yeah, right. You You could not pay me to do. that." And then I thought about it. I. was like, you know, I don't have. anything else going on. Um this could be some new challenge, some something exciting. I did it and. ended up winning the first show that I. competed in. So obviously when you excel. at something, it it motivates you even. further. So yeah, yeah. So then the the. marriage of like teaching people how to. do what I did without eating any animal. products felt really aligned with me.
because I had heard up until that point. that you couldn't win a bodybuilding. show or or bodybuilders need animal. protein. So here I was showing other. people that you could do it. And that's. what I really felt the call beyond. myself to say, "Hey, if I can inspire. other people to live more. compassionately, then this is worth me. pursuing because it brings me that much. more fulfillment and I see the. difference that it's making in in maybe. that they might be complete strangers to. me, but it's nice to know that people. are out there listening. Yeah. And.
that's when I continued and eventually. became pro, eventually did that for a. few years, but then afterwards I got. wrapped up in the identity of like being. a bodybuilder and that's when I started. to recognize that hey, maybe this isn't. for me anymore because I'm I'm attaching. so much of who I am to what I look like. and that doesn't feel good anymore. So. that's when I decided to step away from. the sport altogether and just retire in. 2018. I mean, that's that's a real. journey because like you said, it often. starts with like ego or validation from.
ourselves, from others. Then you kind of get to a point if. you're lucky where you're like, okay, now I'm doing it for myself and I enjoy. it. Talk to me a bit about that journey. because I think that's the hardest part. of that journey is like going from like. I do this because I want the validation. for myself and others and I want to. protect. you know, the the younger me. to I'm actually going to do this because. I like feeling better. Like walk me. through some of the steps there because. I feel like yeah, that that feels like a.
long long journey. Mhm. Yeah, it was for. sure. And you know, it the ego's a funny. thing because once you shine the light. of awareness on a part of your ego, it. just kind of dances into the shadow and. it becomes a little bit more insidious. and tricky and shows up in new ways. So. for me, it it kept showing up in. different ways to where I was realizing. that it wasn't bringing me happiness. anymore. Like I felt this obligation, this pressure to be this person and at. the time my following was continuously.
rising as as my popularity grew and the. really just the exposure to people's. comments and things that they had to say. about me, I started to notice how much. it was affecting me and specifically. focusing on negativity. And I was like, "Why am I really focusing on this and. allowing it to really disrupt my. internal state?" And that's when I. started to get real with myself and. saying, "Oh, because I am seeking this. validation and it means so much to me. and then when people think highly of me.
and when they don't, it really affects. me mentally." So, that's when I started. to to take take a step back, do more. self-reflection and say, "Maybe I'm not. doing this for the right reasons anymore. and I should explore that." Yeah, and I. and I like that reflection because I. always try and walk into things with the. right intention. And then I try and reflect on my. intention while I'm doing it. And I can often find that it's easy for. your intention to get distorted. And. then I ask myself, "Can I bring my. intention back to doing it for the right. thing?" And then if I can't, that's when.
I leave it. So, my goal is always I try. and start with the right motivation, the. right approach. And then it's natural. for it to get distorted. That's always. going to happen to any of us because. we're not perfect, because we're not we. haven't got everything figured out. And. so, I'll realize that, "Oh, maybe I did. kind of go too far this way." And then. I'll see if I have the ability to come. back. And sometimes I do and sometimes I. don't. And so, it sounds like you went. through that same process of you know, can I do this again for the right.
reasons? When you were. doing it at its peak and you had people. coming up to you talking to you about. compassion and plant-based life and. veganism, like did people notice that? Were they aware of that? And then what. would they say to you? Like what were. what was people's reactions? I'm just. intrigued. Uh yeah, I mean, there's. always a lot of curiosity, a lot of. interest whenever you hear somebody. doing something that's uh unorthodox. So, a vegan bodybuilder is a is a. oxymoron for a lot of people. They don't. believe it's possible. So, to see. somebody doing it and competing at the.
highest level, um it brought its own pressures to me. because people, especially the vegan. movement, tended to pedestalize me and. use me as this poster boy, this example. for. somebody who could do this, which I. enjoyed and then also equally didn't. enjoy because I would be thrown into. arguments online and and people would. just use me as this. example where I I just open up my phone. and just see all these comments of. people arguing back and forth. And. again, my my goal was to never be.
polarizing online or it was it was to. inspire the people that really wanted to. live this way. So, that's that also played a huge impact. into reassessing what kind of message. I'm putting out there and to really. again just lead lead with compassion and. and show that you can coexist with. people who have different views on life, different perspectives than you. We're. we're often more times more common than. we are different. Yeah. So, that's that's another reason why I felt. like bodybuilding is a sport of.
comparison. It's me. literally lined up to another person and. comparing the two. And I always. approached that sport with it's always. just me versus me. I could never control. what anybody else was doing outside of, you know, that experience. It was like. you step on stage, it's not me versus. these other guys, it's just me versus. who I was yesterday. But that's really. when I wanted to step away from the. sport so I could continue to focus on. the thing that I originally wanted to. do, which was to help serve people in my.
highest capacity, which is when I. started coaching after I left. bodybuilding. Yeah, and that's and. that's what I find interesting too. It's. a. knowing when to quit something. and quitting stuff is such a good skill. that I think's underrated. Like we rate. people in society for how long they can. do something as opposed to how quickly. they can let go of something that. doesn't serve them or serve others. anymore. And I'm more interested in that.
sometimes where I think about like I let. go of being a monk at a time when I. didn't feel like it served me or served. others anymore. I let go of my corporate. career because it didn't serve me or. serve others anymore. I let go of the first content I created. We don't make content like that anymore. because it didn't serve me or serve. others anymore. And it's like we've. we've evolved in so many ways and I. often think that we keep putting time. you've done something on a pedestal as. opposed to. time you stopped doing things that.
didn't make sense to you anymore. And so. even hearing that from your perspective. and it's like we did this bodybuilding, we achieved so much and then I had to. leave it behind in order to move into. coaching. And and you know, in the coaching space, you've worked with some incredible. people and you don't have to name anyone. or whatever you whatever you feel. comfortable with, but in the idea of. like when you're coaching someone or. anyone who's thinking about becoming a. coach or thinking about becoming. a a trainer, a guide, a teacher in any. capacity, what what were the things that. have been really important that you've. learned through coaching other people.
who are high performers? Yeah, it's it's. it's realizing that it's not about me. It's not about me coaching them. It's. about me helping my client discover the. the power that they contain within. themselves. So, often times people think. that they're not one who could possibly. get into shape or do the things that. they commit because they just get in. their own way. So, what I found is that those are symptoms. of of underlying beliefs. Maybe they're.
subconscious beliefs that are preventing. them from doing the things that they. really want to do. So, when I coach and. you know this from from working with me. is that I like to talk a lot during our. sessions and hear what your experience. is like because often time language. reveals so much about how we think. And. ironically, the way that we. view ourselves has a huge impact in the. way that we show up for our our physical. health. So, as I'm training people, it's.
almost like I don't want to call it. therapy, but it's just a really deep. conversation where I learn about my. clients on a level that allows them to. see what kind of capable, powerful. person they are. And then once they. recognize it themselves, then they start. to show up and believe it themselves. Yeah, so yeah, for everyone who's. listening, Nima trained me during the. pandemic, I think it was, for a few. months we worked together. And I I. guarantee Nima's never had anyone.
that he's trained that has been worse. than me. Literally, I would like And And Nima's a. great trainer, and he's everything he. just said he is, like, you know, it was. very like therapeutic working with him, you know, super supportive, constantly. made me look for the power within. myself. And I'd be like, nine times out. of 10 after a session, I'd be lying on. my bed. for 30 minutes. just trying to recover. uh because I love the coolness of my. bed, yeah, and I would just need to sit. there and just like take it in because.
it was so high intensity in a good way. But at the same time, I also broke. through a lot of mental blocks I had. around what I believed, around what my. body could do, or, you know, what what I. believed my body was capable of. Like, we were able to. dial back and start slower and build up. again. And And I think you were so great. at doing that, like I think it's so. beautiful. I as I'm a coach, too, and. I think when I'm being coached, I really. appreciate it when someone makes me feel. like I can get there. And that it's okay. that I'm slower, or that it's taking.
time. I'm already going through all the. self-judgment and self-criticism. The. last thing I need is for someone else to. criticize me, too. And And to have. someone who's supporting you along that. journey, I really felt that with you. I've always felt that with you through. our friendship, but I also felt it very. much in that time. And I think those are. such great skills for all relationships, actually, not just for coaching, but if. you're teaching your partner something, if you're teaching your child something, if you're teaching your parents. something, if we could be more. supportive and notice the goodness in.
them and notice the attempt and notice. the positive attitude that person have. and the fact that they showed up, that. person is going to feel inspired. But, if we criticize them the first time they. fumble or judge them the second time. they make a mistake or point out to them. how much better everyone else that we. train is, that doesn't help anyone. And. I I at one point I had one of my clients. took me to play golf with him and I. don't play golf and I'm I've never.
played golf before that day. And I had a. coach at the center we went to and the. coach was incredible. Very patient, very professional, you. know, very there for me. I was only. there for a day. So, I only got a day of. coaching, but by the end of the day I. was half decent. I was okay, as in I. could do something. And when I came back to LA, because we. we were traveling together, but when I. came back to LA I tried to look for a. golf coach here because I really got. into it. I was like, "Oh, this could be. a cool thing to do." And maybe it'd be.
fun to get into it with Radi and I took. Radi with me and I got a coach who. supposedly worked with like some of the. best of the best and all the rest of it. And. I couldn't take a shot without him. correcting me every second and it almost. became really draining and tiring. because I was like, "I need to hit like. 10 shots to then be corrected." If I'm. corrected in every half of a swing, it's. really hard for me to like find my flow. And I felt so criticized and judged and. everything that I kind of never saw him.
again after like seeing him a couple of. times. And it just showed me that being a coach. is really tough, being a student is. really tough, but often I think we. wrongly coach our friends and family and. that's where I find the coaching. conversation to be most interesting. Even if you're not a coach in your. career, how you try and teach things to. your family, your friends, your kids, your parents goes a long way. I wanted. to hear your thoughts on that. Yeah, I know it it it's meeting people. where they are, right? And and. understanding that everybody is where.
they're at and that is the only place. they could be with the awareness that. they have in that moment. So, really. having compassion cuz really I mean, coaches just help you get one step ahead. at a time. If you try to share something. with someone who's not ready to receive. that message, it's just going to go over. their head. So, I really love starting. with the fundamentals of of helping. people make those small. incremental changes that compound to be. big big difference in their their. physical health, but not just their.
physical health, but like the way that. they believe they have the the. confidence in themselves that they can. achieve the things that they want to. So, like you said, sometimes people are. their own worst critics and and having. compassion towards yourself whenever. you're learning something is a skill and. it's not something that we exercise very. much. So, I really try to help my. clients also exercise that muscle of can. you be compassionate with yourself? Yes, you may be not where you want to be. Maybe you're a bit out of shape. That's.
okay. The difference that you have now. is you have the awareness that you want. to do something about it. You don't have. to judge yourself for the mistakes that. you made. All of that process was or all. of those decisions were coming from a. place that maybe you didn't have the. awareness to, maybe you didn't have the. skill set to, maybe you didn't have the. resources to. But now moving forward, you have the support to and you first. have to. be kind with yourself. Yeah. First and foremost. So, if you if you. feel guilty or if you feel ashamed of.
allowing yourself to get to this point, just know that. yes, it you you you we're always. accountable for what we do, but there's. no need to belittle yourself or or beat. yourself up about it. It's like I I like. to use this example with my clients. If. you were to hand a child a calculus. problem and tell them to solve it and. they weren't able to solve it, would you. yell at them or scream at them or tell. them how stupid they are or how. incapable they are? No, they just don't. have the awareness to solve that problem. and that is the same kind of thinking.
that you could apply towards yourself. Like you would you would be gentle with. them, you would be kind with them, you. would be supportive, you would ask them. what they need to help get them to that. place. So, that's the way that I like to. teach my clients to think about. themselves so that the next time they. show up and they say, "Hey, you know. what? I slipped up." But but slipping up. and giving up are two totally different. things. So, it's okay to slip up. Failure is part of the formula for. success. So, you you you learn, you make. mistakes, you get better, you make more.
advanced mistakes and then you get. better. So, that's the formula that I. like to teach my clients as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I love that. And. what I love about that approach is just. fitness and working out and and anything. we do externally is so much more of an. internal journey. Like it's like. overcoming the inner critic, overcoming the inner judgment, being. able to be kind to ourselves, being able. to be compassionate to ourselves, being. able to. let things go and know when to work. harder and when to pull back. Like it's. such an internal dialogue. It's it's.
completely inner mastery that you're. actually working on. And I often think about me as someone. who I love playing sports. I've never. really loved working out. But that's the part that I can get. behind is that ultimately it's inner. mastery that I'm working on. Even if. working out isn't my favorite thing, even though I do do it because I've. realized its value and benefit. But that ultimately it's inner mastery. that I'm trying to get through. Yeah, yeah, and and focusing more on the. process, too, and not so much the. outcome because the outcome, yes, people.
are motivated by results, but if you're. only motivated by results and they don't. come in the timeline that you expect. them to, then your motivation will tank. So, finding that intrinsic motivation. of not just looking a certain way in the. mirror or seeing a certain number on the. scale or being able to squat. 1,000 lb or anything like that, but. really being intrinsically motivated by. the feeling that you're looking to. achieve by doing this. So, showing up. for yourself, going to the gym, and just.
remembering. or just thinking about the feeling that. you would get once you have that. internal freedom within your body, the. comfort of what it would feel like to. just wake up and and feel good. Just. feel good in your skin and feel capable. of of handling whatever life throws at. you because you have been consistently. training and showing up in this way. So, I really try to preach just focus on the. process. And if you can really. find a way to enjoy the process, to make. it fun, to make it exciting, like.
fitness is not just about going to the. gym. There's many different forms of. fitness. So, if you don't like training. or you don't like lifting weights in the. gym, like you could do tennis, or you. could play soccer, you could go hiking, you could go biking, you could go. paddleboarding. There's so many. different things that once you find the. enjoyment of it, then you're more likely. to keep doing it. Yeah, absolutely. Nima, it's been so dope talking to you, man. It's just like. I feel like there's so many great. lessons from just hearing someone's. journey and you know, even though we've. been friends and we've talked before,
it's like to actually hear your journey. step by step and I I notice this in. everyone that I think is living happier, healthier, and healed lives is that it's. just that they took the time to reflect. and then shift. That's like a common. thread I find in people who are happier, healthier, and more healed is that they. weren't smarter, they weren't better, they weren't. and this applies to me, too. It's like. you didn't It's not that you were above. anyone. And it's not that you were below. It's. not that you were ahead or behind. It's.
that the only difference is you took the. time to reflect and shift your life. according to your reflection. And I find that today we do a lot of. thinking and overthinking. And thinking and overthinking is where. you just let the same thought go over. and over and over again. But reflecting. is asking yourself, "Is this the right. thought? Is this thought useful? Is this. the thought that I want to play again. and again and again?" And if the answer. is no, let me shift my behavior so that.
I can have a different thought or let me. plant a new thought so that it can shift. my behavior. And so I see that through. your journey and it's just I hope that. this conversation encourages you to. listen to your friends, listen to people. around you to to make time and space for. reflection because even reflecting with. you today, I'm it's amazing to see how. many similarities there are, even though. we do very different things or have. achieved very different things. externally, but there's so many similarities in how. we had to pivot and shift. Yeah, I mean.
it I think it really comes down to. listening to yourself, like you said, that self-reflection, that listening to. your gut, listening to that inner. knowing. And you you it's it's much more. difficult to find that without creating. the space to listen. So, for me, that. meditation is also. whenever I move my body. Some people. find it in stillness. I find it in. movement. And that is when I find these. this this connection to this higher. self, if you will, within myself to. where I get all my best ideas, I find.
the most inspiration. So, creating the. space for whatever that looks like for. you to to really tap into the deepest. part of yourself that brings you the. most fulfillment and most joy and most. clarity about who do you want to be? What type of person do you want to show. up as? What type of life do you want to. have? And are you living in alignment. with those those thoughts? Or are you. living incongruently with that? And that. that disparity between the two is. signified by how you feel about it. So,
you're always being shown and being. guided by your your feelings. So, learn. to tap into the good feelings and what. feels right and what feels true for you. and then just continue to follow that. Absolutely. Nima, I love that. We end. every episode with a final five. These. have to be answered in a one word to one. sentence maximum. Um so, Nima, these are your final five. The first question is. what is the best fitness advice you've. ever received or heard? Mm, just be. consistent. Okay, yeah. Just be consistent. That is good advice. All right, the. second question is what is the worst.
fitness advice you've ever heard or. received? That you have to go to a gym. to get fit, you know. I would say that. you have to you don't have to sign up to. a gym to get in shape, you know, just. find what you like to do that's active. and gets you moving and that's what's. most important when it comes to fitness. Yeah, I remember when you turned a. random room in our house into a. home gym during the pandemic. So, yeah, I believe that now after having seen you. do do that. Uh question number three, what how would you define your current. purpose?
To help inspire people to lead with more. compassion. Beautiful. Question number. four, what's something that you used to. value when it came to physical fitness. but that you don't value anymore? I. would say the the. This is a bit superficial but the amount. of weight that I that I lift in the gym. I see so many people lift with their ego. and they're just being very inefficient. with their movement and they're. essentially wasting their time in the. gym. So, leave your ego at the door. whenever you go into the gym and lift. with intention. Don't just go in there.
to swing weight around and look cool but. really go in there with the intention of. of mastering the repetition. If you can. master the repetition of any movement. then you will see so much faster results. than anything else. That's great. I love. that. That's a good piece of advice. Fifth and final question, if you could. create one law that everyone in the. world had to follow, what would it be? To be kind to others, um accept people. where they are and who they are. Um I think that the world would be a. much. much more pleasant place. than what it is right now. We need a lot.
of that. Yeah. Everyone that's Neemai Delgado, make sure you check him out if you don't. know already on social media. We will. put put his handles everywhere and make. sure you tag us uh both me and Neemai. with anything that stood out in this. conversation. I think this was one of. those conversations where. you know, we learned so much about so. many things we go through all the time, things like pivoting your career, things. like knowing when to quit, things like. how to process your early experiences.
and turn them into something else. And. then ultimately, how do you find what. you love and live in that way and. totally create a life around what you. love and what you believe in, whether. that's loving your workout or loving. your career. And so I hope this episode. guides you closer towards that. direction. I hope this episode moves you. in that direction towards your greatest. gifts and your greatest potential. And I. want to say a big thank you to Neemai. for spending his time with us today. Uh thank you so much, man. That was. amazing and it's so good for me to sit.
and learn more about your story and I. hope a lot of people are going to come. and learn from you and grow in so many. different ways. No, thank you so much, Jay. I really. appreciate you inviting me on. I just. want to say that you are such an. inspiration to me as well and to see you. and Roddy show up in the way that you do. and continue to inspire and uplift. everybody. So, thank you for being an. inspiration, too. Thank you so much, man. Thank you. If you loved this. episode, you'll enjoy my conversation. with Meghan Trainor on breaking. generational trauma and how to be. confident from the inside out.
My therapist told me stand in the mirror. naked for 5 minutes. It was already. tough for me to love my body, but after. the C-section scar with all the stretch. marks, now I'm looking at myself like. I've been hacked. But day three when I. did it, I was like, "You know what? Her. thighs are cute.".
