0 (2s):
Who's ready to rock today? Fire Nation, JLD here. And welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. With great shows like My First Million. Today we'll be talking about defying the odds to drop these value bombs. I have brought Joe Rivera into EO Fire Studios. Joe went from Park Ave to Park Bench. He was making seven figures a year and lost it all to substance abuse. Through achieving sobriety and building a three-pillar system, he's been able to not only build another multimillion-dollar business but have also created wealth emotionally and spiritually as well. And Fire Nation, today we'll talk about that three-pillar system. We'll talk about the story of losing everything to substance abuse.

0 (43s):
We'll talk about being spiritual and creating wealth at the same time, and so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Joe and our sponsors. Is this your year? Visit ThriveTimeshow.com/eofire to see how Clay Clark's business coaching has helped thousands of entrepreneurs to dramatically increase profitability. It's month to month and less money than an average minimum wage employee. Schedule your free consultation today at thrivetimeshow.com/EOFire. Online Marketing Made Easy podcast hosted by Amy Porterfield is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with a focus on online business.

0 (1m 23s):
Amy and her guests break down big ideas and strategies into actionable step-by-step processes. In a recent episode, Amy talks with Michael Hyatt about science back data on how thoughts influence your success. Listen to online marketing made easy. Wherever you get your podcasts, Joe, say What's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1 (1m 48s):
Hey, what's up? Fire Nation success hinges on having spirituality in your life Without it. I don't believe there's a way to create success on your own terms and really live in self-fulfillment

0 (2m 4s):
In Fire Nation. We'll be delving deeper into this topic, into this theme as we chat today. And as you heard in the intro, we're talking today about defying the odds. And if you listened to a little bit about Joe, you know that he has defied the odds for sure. And part of that is because he created a three pillared system that is focused on perseverance, growth, and spirituality. Joe, let's break these three pillars down one by one. Let's talk about it.

1 (2m 37s):
Sure. You know, the perseverance is, is we, we kind of dig into figuring out the why, but not just figuring out the why, but also being able to figure out the what. Because I believe without the, without the what, the why won't be accomplished. Also, you know, we, we kind of dig in on, on what we get clarity on what the obstacles that need to be overcome are. Because we face challenges every day, especially in this world we're living in now. But if you don't have clarity on what those challenges are to be, to overcome it, it's not gonna be possible to be able to achieve, overcome those obstacles.

1 (3m 17s):
And, and we build the pers perseverance kit, I call it the perseverance toolkit that we're able to, to, to build to help you be able to overcome that adversity. And, and then when it comes to growth, John, we, we dig into uncovering what your core values are, right? And being able to crack through those limited beliefs because we're all, everyone has these limited beliefs that most of them are kind of built up from childhood, right? And, and in order to be able to really crack those limited beliefs, you have to know what your core values are. You have to know that it's within you the whole time to be able to crack through those limited beliefs. And that's where we find what, what I like to call the leader within a and that's gonna lead you towards knowing that you always have it within you to be able to overcome these obstacles and crack through these limited beliefs.

1 (4m 10s):
But you're not gonna do it without creating an action plan, which is something else we, we, we uncover and, and take care of in the growth side of of things. And being able to really learn how to take not only just build the action plan because yeah, a a person without a plan lacks direction, deals with unmanageability, and that's when things completely spiral outta control. But you have to learn to really take action, enormous action on that action plan. And then the spirituality side, man, I think this is my favorite, my favorite pillar because it really unlocks your maximum potential. And it's not a lot of people think, oh, spirituality, we're going into the religion.

1 (4m 52s):
Woo woo. No, there's a big difference between reg religion and spirituality. It's not just about, yeah, it, it's definitely has to do with having a higher power greater than yourself. I call it god, you may call it the universe, the infinite intelligence, whatever you believe. Having that higher power is extremely important. But also you wanna be able to create a daily, create routine. You want to be able to f find your purpose, but not just talk about being in, in your purpose, but really walk in your purpose and, and create your own legacy. And that's what the spirituality side is able to tap into.

0 (5m 29s):
Now, we're gonna get into your story in a few minutes, so let's leave that alone for a second. I wanna focus right now on the perseverance side of things with this three pillar system. Can you give us an example on, on how you focused on perseverance in the last few months with your business, with your life?

1 (5m 47s):
Life throws curve balls every day, especially in these changing times. So really reminding myself of, of what my why is and, and, and the reason I'm doing what I'm doing. You know, I I I do this and we're gonna get more into it in my story, but I do it because o of people in the past who had to overcome a struggle like I did. And maybe they felt they couldn't overcome that obstacle that they're facing in their life. And, and I'm doing it for those people. And the people who passed away who struggled with, with substance abuse and, and they weren't able to, but but their families continue to, to have that pain and to, to be able to show people that you know this, there is a better way, there is another way to live life.

1 (6m 29s):
You don't have to just give up. You can really claw your way back to the top.

0 (6m 33s):
Okay, let's talk about this story that you have cuz it is an amazing one. I mean, you lost everything and I mean everything. It's a substance abuse from seven figures to essentially nothing because of that abuse. Tell us that story.

1 (6m 49s):
I went from Park Avenue to park bench. I was emotionally, financially, and spiritually bankrupt. I lost everything. I even almost lost my life. I had my dream job in the financial industry as a stockbroker. I was 25 years old, making seven figures a year. I thought I was on top of the world. I was putting in late nights one night at the office and someone approached me and they said to me, Hey Joe, you think you're a top producer now? Take this little round pill and you're gonna produce even more. I was already smoking weed, drinking or having some kind of mood altering substance in my body every single day for the past 10 years at this point.

1 (7m 31s):
So I said, why not? And that's when I got introduced to opiates. And that's when my battle with substance abuse took off to the next level. My life went dark and became completely unmanageable. John. I was risking my life every single day. I overdosed twice The last time. It took six can to Narcan to bring me back to life, six freaking can to Narcan. And that same night I'm laying in the hospital bed, I wake up, I pull the EKG, electrodes off my body, leave the hospital against medical advice, and then when I get outside, I'm shivering looking like a crackhead like Pookie from New Jack City.

1 (8m 17s):
And the first thing I do, I go call the dealer again to go get high. I mean, talk about feeling powerless over drugs and alcohol. Then came a weekend that literally changed my life forever. My sister and I went to an event. At that event, something clicked. I looked at my sister, she looked at me and we both started crying. She knew exactly what I was gonna say and then the words came out. The words my family were probably waiting to hear for years, they were waiting to hear for years. I said, I, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm a shell of my true self.

1 (8m 58s):
I was tired of writing my obituary. I wanted to begin creating my legacy. After that, I made the decision to achieve sobriety. You know, and, and, and my story's not unique. Many people struggle with vices that create character defects. Mine was drugs and alcohol. Yours might be gambling, sex, shopping, overeating, whatever it may be. It creates character defects. It it causes life to become unmanageable. Some people lack direction and, and a lot deal with unmanageability. I, i I believe you don't have to live like that. There's a better way to live life. It took me nearly a decade to regain control of the steering wheel in my life.

1 (9m 43s):
Over the years, I had a lot of coaches, I've done a lot of self-help programs. Some have worked, some have not worked. However, I was able to build a three pillar system that helped me create wealth financially, emotionally, and spiritually. I used to live an unmanageable life, man, where lack direction didn't finish things that I started, I couldn't get outta my own way. Now I live an incredible life where I know the direction I'm going, I know what my goals are, and when I start something, I finish it and I shadow those goals. Cause I've built a three pillar system, like I said, that's really helped me be able to hone in and create wealth financially, emotionally, and spiritually.

0 (10m 28s):
Fire Nation. This is powerful stuff. And I think the really key takeaway I want you to be thinking about here is, this happened to Joe before he had these three pillars in his life. I don't wanna put words in his mouth, but if he had these three pillars, this perseverance, this focus on growth, this focus on spirituality, it is a lot less likely he would've gone down that road or would've gone that far down that road or taken so far or so long to get back on the right path. So what are your pillars in your life? Fire Nation. Think about that. We're gonna be talking really powerfully about spiritual and creating wealth at the same time being spiritual, creating wealth.

0 (11m 10s):
It is possible Fire Nation to do these things at the same time. We'll discuss that and more when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Are you ready to grow your business? Now? What if you could learn the proven systems and processes that have been used to grow thousands of multimillion dollar success stories at thrivetimeshow.com/EOFire. See how Clay Clark's proven business coaching has helped thousands of entrepreneurs to increase profitability dramatically. Clay's proven business coaching program is month to month and less money than hiring a minimum wage employee. Sounds too good to be true. Go to Thrivetimeshow.com/eofire to see thousands of documented client testimonials. Because Clay only takes on 160 clients, he personally designs your business plan for you.

0 (11m 51s):
Then Clay's team of talented designers, videographers, web developers, workflow maps, and accounting coaches will help you implement that proven plan. See thousands of verify success stories and schedule your free one-on-one 13-point assessment with Mr. Clay Clark himself today at thrivetimeshow.com/EOFire Knowledge will not attract money unless it is organized and directed through practical plans of action. Become the next success story. Schedule your free 13-point assessment today at thrivetimeshow.com/EOFire.

2 (12m 19s):
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0 (12m 49s):
You're back. And as I mentioned before the break, you did not have your three pillars in life when you lost everything to substance abuse. Tell us how big a deal that was not having those pillars with you at that time.

1 (13m 5s):
Oh man, it was, it was instrumental to my, my, my life, my health. I mean, I was like, I, I was literally putting my life on the line every day. I didn't know, I couldn't imagine life without having some type of drug in my system every single day. You know, I, I had a fear of what life would be like without drugs and I I I had no way to, to, to, to cope with life. You know, I lost my mother and my life became completely unmanageable and went dark. And, and I didn't know how to really come back from that. You know, I was born and raised Catholic, John, but, but along the way I completely lost my way.

1 (13m 47s):
I didn't even know what a relationship with God was. I thought it was just saying, our father Hail Mary and asking for forgiveness when necessary. You know, I, I didn't know the difference between religion and spirituality. I had no idea what that even meant. You know, let along a, a, a way to, to, to, to, to go and get, to go and get sober and, and achieve that. I mean, I I had no idea how to do that. I I tried so many times on my own, you know, it just, it, it didn't, it didn't happen, you know? And I, like I said, I I, I lost everything, man. I had a seven figure business completely gone, literally just trying to figure out how I'm gonna get my next fix every morning, you know?

1 (14m 31s):
And, and that was the struggle, you know, it was just, it, it was pathetic.

0 (14m 35s):
So we mentioned this before the break as well. It is possible to be spiritual and create wealth at the same time. A lot of people don't believe that it is. So let's bust that myth right

1 (14m 47s):
Now. Without my spiritual connection, I would not be be where I am, there's no doubt about it. I mean, like I said, I, I was emotionally, financially, spiritually, bankrupt, lost spirituality, didn't even know what it was, didn't, didn't know what a relationship with a higher power greater than myself was. I didn't even know it existed, right? And, and then today I've created spiritual wealth where God's my father, my brother, my mother, my uncle, my best friend, my everything. And when I put that spirituality first, everything else follows in pursuit. And I'm not saying that, you know, everyone has to believe ha has to go out and, and praise God, right? Everyone has a diff a higher power of their own understanding.

1 (15m 30s):
And, but it's really building that relationship and understanding that when you build that relationship and, and you have, that's that, like my, my higher powers my go to it. It's, it's what I connect with when I'm having those down days, when I'm struggling with something and I'm able to really be able to sit with myself and, and, and really just take things in and, and be able to, to understand the situation I'm in. Because especially these days and times, we're gonna deal with difficult situations all the time. And if you don't have your meditation practices in line, if you don't have that relationship with that higher power, you're, you're gonna eventually be empty.

1 (16m 10s):
Empty. How do you, how, how are you gonna live in your purpose? If, if you don't, if you don't get help from some type of higher source, you're not gonna, we don't do it on our own, man. It, it doesn't exist. How many people do, you know, out there make all this money? There's, there's so much money they're making, but oh yeah, they're empty and, and they have no, they, they just have no fulfillment. I mean, you know, God bless his soul. Look in Robin Williams, man, I know you hear about it all the time. And, and it's not just drugs and alcohol, right? That, that make you empty like that. There's so many different vices out there that, that create that emptiness. And I, if you don't have some type of belief that there's something greater than yourself and you're consistently counting on yourself to get yourself out of the hole, you're gonna find emptiness there.

1 (16m 58s):
You know? And how do you consider, how do you, how do you, how do you expect to really live and walk in your purpose? If you don't believe that there's something higher or greater than you that's allowing you to do that, that's creating that path you, that's opening those doors, that's moving those mountains for you. Now, look, I'm not saying that, you know, when you prey on something, oh, it's gonna automatically happen. No, it doesn't work like that, man. Teamwork makes the dream work, man. You gotta be, you wanna, you gotta put the work in also. And then your higher power's gonna continue to open those doors, move those mountains, you're gonna be able to, to create that spirituality. And it's just, it, it's also creating your daily routine.

1 (17m 39s):
A and just being, being fulfilled with yourself.

0 (17m 43s):
So many powerful things shared here at Fire Nation. One of the things I wanna circle back on is how money's not the answer to everything. You really need to understand that. I mean, there's a great kind of joke slash commentary that I really do like about this, where there's two friends, you know, sitting in a bar and in walks this billionaire and this guy turns to his friend and says, Hey, you know that, that guy right there, like, he just made more money and the time it took him to walk in the door to the bar than you'll make in your entire life. And the guy turned to his buddy and said, yeah, bro, I'll have something he'll never have. And the guy's like, well, what, what could that possibly be? And the friend goes, enough, I have enough. Like that guy had found out what his version of enough was, where sometimes those billionaires and those, you know, unbelievably high level celebrities, they're never gonna be able to find enough.

0 (18m 36s):
Like going back to Robin Williams, he didn't find enough whatever his version was of enough, he never found that. And that's sad. And it can be devastating. And Joe, I wanna end with a bang because you've created something called the Reforge Academy. So let's end strong Hair Brother. Tell us all about Reforge Academy. How can we get involved? Break it down.

1 (18m 57s):
Reforge Academy is my 12 week coaching program where we, we dive into those three pillars that we just spoke about and, and we get you to literally walk and live in your purpose. You, you could go to reforge academy.com and, and learn more about the program, set up a call and, and, and, you know, we could see if there's a fit, if there's a fit, we could discuss the strategies, the next steps to go forward and, and build the relationship. You know, and, and this isn't for someone who's not ready to take action, someone who's not gonna re willing to be committed. I mean, this takes commitment on both sides.

1 (19m 37s):
You want to be, if you want an accountability partner to get you to that next level, then go, go to Refuge Academy and, and, and let's, let's set up a time to talk.

0 (19m 47s):
Joe, you shared a lot of value today. What's the one key takeaway you really want to make sure our listeners get from this conversation?

1 (19m 55s):
The one takeaway that I want everyone to really understand is procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is Barry, I'm gonna say that again, right? Because I'm gonna drop the mic with that. But but it's procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried. I mean, there's so many people that go out there and, and, and they say they want to do something, and they don't take action and they allow a month to go by, two months goes by, three months goes by, and then what happens? They're in the same position they were in months ago. Why? Because they didn't take action. Come on man, stop embarrassing yourself.

1 (20m 38s):
You must take action. When you take enormous action, you honor your commitment to yourself and your goal. Keep going. No matter what, when something fails, don't just give up. That's part of the process. You need to, you need to keep going. And, and that and, and, and what's on that other side of when you keep going, you push through. Oh man, I mean the, the, the, the, the other side makes it just so that much more better when you accomplish the goal that you are pushed out to make over there. Because I mean, it's like when you're working out, and you kind of just push through that extra set and, and that little muscle that grows, you don't know it's there, but it's growing and eventually you're gonna start seeing results.

0 (21m 23s):
Fire Nation, if you've been talking the talk, it's time to walk the walk ‘cause you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with and you've been hanging out with JR and JLD today. So, keep up that heat. If you have any direct questions for Joe, find this episode on the podcast listening app. Paolo post a comment, get the conversation going. eofire.com type joe in the search bar, the show's page will pop right up. And Joe, thank you for sharing your truth, knowledge, value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute your brother, and we'll catch you on the flip side.

1 (21m 57s):
Thanks for having me.

0 (21m 58s):
Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Joe for sponsoring today's episode and Fire Nation's successful entrepreneurs accomplish big goals. That's why I created the Freedom Journal to guide you in accomplishing your number one goal in a hundred days. And we're talking step by step. Visit thefreedomjournal.com and I'll catch you there, or I'll catch you on the flip side. Is this your year? Visit ThriveTimeshow.com/eofire to see how Clay Clark's business coaching has helped thousands of entrepreneurs to dramatically increase profitability. It's month to month and less money than an average minimum wage employee. Schedule your free consultation today at thrivetimeshow.com/EOFire.

0 (22m 41s):
Online Marketing Made Easy podcast hosted by Amy Porterfield is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with a focus on online business. Amy and her guests break down big ideas and strategies into actionable step-by-step processes. In a recent episode, Amy talks with Michael Hyatt about science back data on how thoughts influence your success. Listen to online marketing made easy wherever you get your podcasts.