Arik Armstead: Jacksonville Jaguars & How to Spend Your First NFL Check | 106

Dana White: Podcast Interview on His First Fight, Joe Rogan, the Mafia, & Building the UFC | E111

My guest today is the incredible Dana White. For last 23 years Dan has been the President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the leading mixed martial arts company in the world. During these 23 years, Dana has transformed the UFC from an unwanted, unloved, unsuccessful company heavily indebted into one of the greatest and largest sports franchises in history. And he's viewed by many as the greatest sports promoter in history. He is also the founder of Power Slap, a slap fighting promotion company owned by Ultimate Fighting Championship showcasing his innovative spirit in sports promotions.

00:00 - Introduction

03:18 - Dana's Tough Childhood

10:12 - Dana's First Fight

17:58 - Dana's Work Experience as a Bellman

25:18 - Move to Las Vegas

27:15 - Timing is Everything

34:29 - Is College Important

40:44 - Cleaning Up the UFC

43:06 - The Ultimate Fighter Breakthrough

48:09 - The American Dream, Hardship, and Perseverance

Sponsors:
Sandee | Bliss: Beaches

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Lele Pons: Her Funny Vines, Music Career, and Staying Relevant Over Time | E110

My guest today is incredible, Lele Pons. Lele is an actress, writer, producer, director, singer, model, brand ambassador, and is one of the most important content creators of all time. She has 54 million followers on Instagram, 39.1 million followers on TikTok, and as 18 million subscribers on her YouTube channel. She stars in "The Secret Life of Lele Pons" – a YouTube Documentary series that provides a look at our personal life, – and is the host of the podcast "Best Kept Secrets with Lele Pons" on Spotify.

00:00 - Introduction

01:47 - Dancing with the Stars Experience

05:12 - Realizing and Handling Fame

10:01 - The Pressures of Fame

12:11 - Staying Humble

23:59 - Risky Adventures and Sharks

34:18 - Meeting and Falling in Love

49:12 - Idols and Meeting Shakira

59:52 - Work Ethic and Preparation

Sponsors:
Sandee | Bliss: Beaches

Want to Connect? Reach out to us online!
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Where is Lele Pons Now? | Podcast Interview With The Venezuelan Social Media Superstar | E109

My guest today is incredible, Lele Pons. Lele is an actress, writer, producer, director, singer, model, brand ambassador, and is one of the most important content creators of all time. She has 54 million followers on Instagram, 39.1 million followers on TikTok, and as 18 million subscribers on her YouTube channel. She stars in "The Secret Life of Lele Pons" – a YouTube Documentary series that provides a look at our personal life, – and is the host of the podcast "Best Kept Secrets with Lele Pons" on Spotify.

00:00 Introduction and Early Influences

03:35 Getting Kidnapped as a Child

05:17 Health Challenges, Diagnosis, and Anxiety

07:49 OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

12:50 Exploring Tourette Syndrome

16:05 Dealing with ADHD and Executive Functioning

19:45 Bullying, School Experiences, and Coping Mechanisms

34:40 The Start of Vine

44:45 Being Original and the Source of Creativity

48:50 Body Image and Content Editing

57:39 Lele's Father

Sponsors:
Sandee | Bliss: Beaches

Want to Connect? Reach out to us online!
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Flex Lewis: The Gym Rat’s Road to Riches – Bench Presses, Business Plans, and Brand Building | E108

Welcome to another episode of In Search of Excellence! My guest today is the incredible Flex Lewis. Flex is a serial entrepreneur, coach, motivational speaker, and one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He has won 7 consecutive Mr. Olympia titles.

He's also the co-owner of Arsenal, strength gym equipment, the fastest-growing fitness equipment company in the world, and the owner of the famous Dragon's Lair Gym in Las Vegas.

01:21 - Joe Gold recruiting Flex Lewis and living with John Cena and Hulk Hogan

11:50 - Motivation and background of Mr. Olympia

25:15 - Flex's last Mr. Olympia

28:00 - Flex's parents supporting him

38:20 - Hustling, relationships, and free protein powder

49:45 - Having a long-term view and the shelf life of careers

1:00:33 - Dana White

1:10:05 - Extreme Preparation

1:17:09 - Flex's family

1:23:54 - Extra questions, Joe Rogan, and pigeons on creatine

Sponsors:
Sandee | Bliss: Beaches

Want to Connect? Reach out to us online!
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Flex Lewis Unfiltered Interview: Training Motivation, Workouts & Bodybuilding for Mr. Olympia | E107

Welcome to another episode of In Search of Excellence! My guest today is the incredible Flex Lewis. Flex is a serial entrepreneur, coach, motivational speaker, and one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He has won 7 consecutive Mr. Olympia titles.

He's also the co-owner of Arsenal, strength gym equipment, the fastest-growing fitness equipment company in the world and the owner of the famous Dragon's Lair Gym in Las Vegas.

Time stamps:

00:55 Flex’s family and background

• Grew up in a loving home in Wales
• His father was a steel worker and his mother a nurse
• Decided to be a millionaire as a kid

03:52 Born with a rugby ball in the mouth

• He started playing rugby at the age of 6
• His full name is Steven James Lewis
• Flex is a nickname he got as a kid

06:27 The pressure to better himself

• A pressure to become better
• His first entrepreneurial moment
  • Delivering papers on his bike
• Learned responsibility and dealing with money

13:22 Investing the money he earned

• Bought a male and female finch
• Started breeding and selling them

15:57 Starting a moving company

• Powerlifting and starting a moving company
• Bought his first truck and developed the business
• Went an extra mile to do a good job

22:05 Learning from the Quadfather

• Spent weekends at his grandparents
• Discovered a book by Tom Platz at 12
• The book changed his life
• Found weights and started doing squats

26:23 His parents’ worries

• His parents were afraid it would stunt his growth
• Stayed away from training weights for a number of years
• Funny story about his father catching him squatting

28:30 Steve Naylor and his influence

• Flex had a lot of admiration for Steve
• He was drawn by his humility
• Started training with Steve
• Bodybuilding is all about mind-muscle connection

32:19 Elbow injury and getting a tattoo

• Spent the whole summer building his motocross bike
• Had an accident and broke his elbow
• After removing the plaster cast, his arm was dead
• Had to make it stronger by himself
• A tattoo on the weakened arm

38:53 Working in silence and achieving things

• Didn’t like school but liked PE teachers
• He had dyslexia or ADHD, was labeled stupid
• How schools were failing kids by discouraging them
• Practicing a handstand and the first day at school

47:26 The first powerlifting competition

• From high-level rugby to powerlifting show
• Bodybuilding in Wales is a big thing
• The competition was held in the Royal Princess Theatre

51:59 Getting on a bodybuilding stage

• Was drawn by a free gym membership
• Changed his diet and watched a lot of VHS videos
• The competition and the alter ego
• Performed great and won the show
• Deciding to prepare for British nationals
• A 20-year relationship with his coach
• The importance of loyalty

1:01:40 Chasing dreams and making sacrifices

• Winning the British Nationals
• Got an invitation from Gol

Sponsors:
Sandee | Bliss: Beaches

Want to Connect? Reach out to us online!
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn