Ryan: Absolutely. I’m ready to get this ball rolling, John.

John: Yes! Ryan graduated with a degree in exercise physiology and nutrition, and recently quit his job a few months ago to follow his passion, which is getting people in shape through modern science. He believes in the new fit lifestyle and is the founder of the Modern Diet Revolution. Ryan, take a minute, fill in the gaps from that intro, and give us a little glimpse of your personal life.

Ryan: Absolutely, John. I would be honored to. So, I got into fitness and nutrition when I was 13 years old, so a long time ago. That was 13 years ago because I’m 26 right now. So, it’s always been my passion to do it for a living. But I never knew how. That’s when I thought exercise physiology was the answer to that. Well, after graduation and moving to Orlando in 2014, I started to piece together business ideas.

Roughly two years into planning, testing, and getting feedback from all my clients, I started to basically put a whole program in place. Whenever I knew that I could make $1,000.00 on the side, and I was making $1,000.00 on the side, I would quit my job. So, that time came roughly two months ago when I hit that $1,000.00-a-month mark. And, even though that wasn’t enough to pay all my bills, I just knew that I had something going here. And I was ready to start scaling it. And that’s where we are now. So, I quit my job two months ago. I am getting married in five months –

John: Whoa!

Ryan: – well, from this date, yes. March 18th, I’m getting married. So, three months, actually. And so, it’s not really the best time to quit my job, but I just decided, “Hey, let’s go for it.”

John: There’s never a best time to quit your job, Fire Nation. Just remember that. And what I love about what Ryan’s talking about – bootstrapping, Fire Nation. You should cut all excess expenses – get rid of all that silly spending that we do. If you really wanna be an entrepreneur, then just get down to the core. What is it that you can survive on for a year, for 18 months, for two years, until you can start generating real revenue? And invest in yourself – invest in your business. You gotta bootstrap it. Believe me, you’ll look back on the bootstrapping days with fond memories.

Now, Ryan, your area of expertise is nutrition – something that I’m really passionate about. I’m trying to learn as much as I can as I get into my late thirties. I just turned 37. So, I’m only going one way, and that’s not up and down. That’s side to side here. So, what don’t we know about nutrition that we should know? What’s some ninja tip, tool, or tactic? What’s just something that most people are clueless about that we shouldn’t be?

Ryan: Well, one of the biggest things I started diving into and helping people out with is fighting inflammation. And not the acute inflammation I’m talking about. I’m talking about the chronic inflammation that resides in your intestinal tract, in your gastrointestinal tract. That is – from my experience – is holding back the majority of people from reaching their true potential in their true health.

And it’s one of those things that, if you have chronic inflammation, it can start to cause a lot of different problems. It can start to damage the arteries in your heart. It can cause heart disease. It can make you have brain faults – you’re just not thinking as clearly throughout the day. And to me, being able to think clearly is obviously very important, not just for my business, but just for everyday life. So, inflammation is holding back a lot of people.

John: Fix your gut, Fire Nation. You gotta fix your gut. It’s just a reality. That gut – there’s a lot of stuff going on down there that’s so critical to your overall health. Now, Ryan, do you have a couple resources – maybe it’s a book, maybe it’s a website – that you think you can point us to so we can maybe start the learning process about fighting this inflammation in our intestines?

Ryan: I’ve created a post-holiday detox challenge, which just started five days ago. So, this is December 20th. It started on December 15th. But the doors are actually gonna be closed on January 2nd. But I created a gift for Fire Nation here, that they can actually join in the post-holiday detox challenge after it’s closed. Specifically, just for the Fire Nation here.

John: What is your Freedom Journal journey, Ryan? Give us the details of how you heard about the Freedom Journal. What was the goal that you set? And how are you crushing it?

Ryan: Just from following your podcasts, that’s when I started hearing more and more about the Freedom Journal, and I have basically self-diagnosed ADHD. And I knew the Freedom Journal just from hearing about it and what it could offer. I knew it would be something to help me keep my goals in line. And that’s what I needed. I needed something to help me keep accountable. So, I did pick up a Freedom Journal, and my goal for the Freedom Journal was – honestly, I had two goals. One was to get on your podcast through My Success Story. So, that’s a pretty funny story right there.

John: Boom.

Ryan: And then, my main goal was to build a fully-functional funnel. And I wanted to create a funnel to help excel my business because, obviously, I just quit two months ago. So, I needed a way to pay my bills. So, the post-holiday detox challenge was the start of my funnel. And, by the time that this podcast, I guess, goes live, I am gonna be in the heart of the funnel, in the launch of it. So, I’m hoping that it goes really well. So far, with the five days of the launch, I have collected over 250 leads, which just excites me like crazy and gets me motivated.

So, that is extremely awesome. I never would have imagined to collect 250 leads within five days. But just piecing everything together – putting all the pieces to the puzzle – it’s coming along great. And I have to thank the Freedom Journal for that.

John: Well, Ryan, we thank you for investing in yourself, for trusting in us, and for just following the system. Because, Fire Nation, the Freedom Journal is a process. It’s 100 days. It’s holding your hand. It’s ten-day sprints to accomplish micro-goals. It’s quarterly reviews to look back over the previous 25 days and figure out where you are struggling and, of course, where you’re succeeding, and amplify those wins and fix those struggles. And then, of course, every day and every night, you’re doing tasks, you’re doing reflections, you’re doing affirmations. You’re just making things happen.

And now, Ryan, moving on to the next topic, we’re gonna be talking about productivity, discipline, and focus. And you have a lot of stuff going on. I mean, you’re getting married in a couple months here. You’re launching a course. You’re just doing all this stuff. How do you, as an individual, define productivity?

Ryan: Productivity, to me, means moving in the direction of your goals 24/7. Whenever you have a second to spare, you should be on the grind and reaching your goals. And that is something that I try to do on a daily basis.

John: Where do you struggle with that? What are some things that crop up in your life that make you less productive?

Ryan: Absolutely. Like I mentioned earlier, I definitely have self-diagnosed ADHD because I basically try to do it all. So, I gotta make sure I do stay 100 percent focused on the given task. And, like I mentioned earlier, the Freedom Journal has made me stay on task with my productivity. So, that’s one of the biggest struggles is just staying on task. And I need something in place to help me do that. And before, I was just writing stuff down on a piece of paper – like a task list – and it would always get kinda pushed to the side because there was really no accountability to that. So, that’s just why I picked up the Freedom Journal, how it was a game-changer for me.

John: That’s why I like to say that the Freedom Journal is your accountability partner that won’t let you fail, Fire Nation.

Ryan: Absolutely.

John: Now let’s talk about discipline, the root of that word being “disciple.” How do you define discipline, in your own words?

Ryan: Staying regimented in my daily actions. And one of the biggest struggles with that is, whenever my fiancée wants to go do something spontaneous, that always throws me off my game. Because I have to keep her happy, but I also have to make sure I stay structured, as well. So, I have to make sure everything is balanced out, but being disciplined, I have to just stay regimented in my daily actions.

John: See, what I love about what the Mastery Journal is gonna do for people is that I’ve broken up your day into four focus sessions. And you can just kind of turn to your loved one and say, “Honey, look it. These are four sessions. They’re only gonna be 45 minutes each, give or take a few minutes. Whatever works for you. I need these four sessions today. This is gonna take my business and our life to the next level. After this is done, it’s you and me. We’re gonna go do that thing, but I gotta get these done first. I need you on my team. Let’s make that happen.”

And again, since it’s there, black and white, in the page, it’s just gonna be so much easier to get your friends, your family, your loved ones, your team, on board.

Ryan: That’s the whole thing.

John: Now let’s talk about focus, Ryan. For me, it’s following one course until success. Put those blinders on. Cut out those distractions. Easier said than done. So, how do you define focus?

Ryan: I have to keep my eyes on a target. I definitely like to be laser-focused when trying to reach my goal and it’s something that I have to try to do 100 percent. I have to give 100 percent effort all the time. So, I just gotta make sure I keep my eyes on the prize. Make sure I keep my head up, keep grinding in the direction that I’m trying to go. And never let anything derail me from that.

John: So, you have self-diagnosed ADHD. You have your fiancée, who is bugging you to go outside and play all the time.

Ryan: Absolutely.

John: Do you use any tools, any resources, that help you focus intra-day? Is there anything that helps you?

Ryan: To help me focus, I’ve really never – I really never knew I had self-diagnosed ADHD until I started planning my business out. So, I never really found anything to keep me focused. And I keep mentioning this, but the Freedom Journal – it keeps me focused.

John: Hey, I’m not gonna stop you from talking about the Freedom Journal, brother.

Ryan: Absolutely. But that is honestly one of the things that keeps me focused. I don’t know. Is there any programs or software out there that helps you stay focused?

John: There’s so many. It’s called Google. Check it out for sure. But there is one that I will share with you, Fire Nation, right now. Focus@will. It is incredible. Because I just don’t like working in silence. I get a little creeped out sometimes. Maybe I start to listen to people talking outside or doing this or that. But when I have focus@will playing over my speakers, I am just so in the zone. I am so focused. And it just helps me so much because this is scientifically-proven music to help you get into that state of flow, to help you get into that state of focus. So, check out focus@will, Fire Nation. You will love it.

Ryan: Yeah, I’m definitely gonna check that out for sure, too.

John: Now, one thing that I do wanna talk about, Fire Nation, is you mastering productivity, you mastering discipline, you mastering focus. I’ve created the system, the tool, the guide for you to do just that. It’s pretty simple. It’s themasteryjournal.com. So, just go check it out. The video there is killer, all shot onsite here in Puerto Rico at my home. Amy Porterfield helped with the intro, did an amazing job there. It was a blast overall. Check us out. And don’t go anywhere, Ryan, because we are gonna crush the lightning rounds after we thank our sponsors.

Ryan, are you prepared for the lightning rounds?

Ryan: Absolutely. Let’s get it started.

John: What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur?

Ryan: It’s fear. Fear like everyone else. Not being able to pay the bills and make ends meet. And I know that’s a typical cliché thing, but that was the biggest thing. That’s why I wanted to make sure I hit that $1,000.00 a month on the side before I quit my job. And even though that doesn’t pay all my bills, I know it’s a good start. But fear was definitely – definitely – holding me back.

John: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Ryan: This might sound simple and basic, but it was just, “Take action.” And I’ve found that the most basic advice is the best advice. So, just take action.

John: Can you share a personal habit that contributes to your success?

Ryan: I’m very determined, and my willingness to never give up – I have a fear that this funnel won’t work. But then, I know if it doesn’t work, I’ll break it down like a science project and figure out why it didn’t work. Fix it, and try it again. So, my willingness to keep moving forward.

John: Fall down eight times, Fire Nation – get up nine. Can you share an internet resource with Fire Nation?

Ryan: Canva. Canva was a complete game-change for me because it helped me do all my basic graphics, my ads, my imagery. I don’t have to hire a graphic designer to do the stuff I need to get done.

John: Recommend one book and why.

Ryan: One book and why. That’s gonna have to be The 10X Rule, by Grant Cardone. And I believe he was just on your podcast just recently.

John: Yeah.

Ryan: Yeah. And just having him in the back of my mind, just always telling me to 10X my goals, is very motivating. I think I’ve probably listened to his book a good, probably, 10 or 12 times. A lot.

John: Yeah. I’m glad you said “listened,” too, because that was gonna be my next thing is – you have to listen to Grant’s books. You don’t have to read them because he actually reads all of his books. And he does the audio version of it. And he’s just so inspiring. He just really kind of takes his own words and just takes it – excuse me – to the next level, which is incredible.

Ryan: He absolutely does.

John: And if you haven’t already, Fire Nation, head over to EOFirebook.com, and you can get that book for free on Audible. So, definitely check that out. And Ryan, let’s end today on Fire with you giving us a parting piece of guidance, the best way that we can connect with you, and then we’ll say goodbye.

Ryan: Do not wait until some sort of health condition arises that makes you take a step back and reflect on your health. Instead, be proactive and start getting healthy now so you can potentially prevent that from even happening in the first place. And, as I mentioned earlier, my post-holiday detox challenge – it did launch on December 15th. But the doors are closed on January 1st. However, I have put together a resource for everyone here on EOFire that I have created specifically for you guys, that you guys can still sign up for the challenge, even though the challenge is technically closed.

So, we’re gonna put the link in the show notes, and you guys can go and check that out. You can also check out my website at www.moderndietrevolution.com, where I provide a ton of value and articles on a daily. And go and check it out.

John: Wow. Fire Nation, you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And you’ve been hanging out with RF and JLD today. So, keep up the heat and head on over to EOFire.com. All the links that we’ve been talking about today will be hanging out there. These are the best show notes in the biz. Time stamps, links galore. And Ryan, I wanna thank you for sharing your journey with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you, and we’ll catch you on the flip side.

Ryan: Thank you so much, John. I really appreciate it.