CRISTINA ROSE 0:15
Hey friends, welcome to this week’s episode of “Not Your Momma’s Podcast”. I’m so excited. Today we have Bradley, a “transformative advocate who turned his weight loss journey into a passion for personal growth”. From male modelling to coaching, he now empowers others and health and finances, co founding in power men, or holistic transformation. Brad, thank you so much for coming on the show today. It’s such an honor to have you on.
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 0:41
Thank you so much, Christina, I love that introduction. I’m just going to use that. And I’m just going to tell everyone to use that same intro because that was just so seamless and flattering. And it just flowed so nicely. So thank you.
CRISTINA ROSE 0:54
Oh, yeah, you’re welcome. You know, I’m really excited to dive into the topic today, you know, talking about fatherhood and like men empowerment. But you know, there are so much information out there, there’s videos, there’s books, you know, we have all the information out there. But why is it that people do not achieve their goals?
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 1:15
I mean, look, we know that information has been at our fingertips since pretty much the internet, right? When Google had its search engine, we’re like, okay, anything in the world we want to accomplish is right there. And yet, we still have people that are overweight, that are in debt that have not found, you know, peace in their relationships, all these things. And it’s because there’s over information, and there’s under execution or under implementation. So all these things that we need to do, it really comes down to, what are we doing to accomplish it? And how consistent aren’t we? And then when you dissect, why aren’t people consistent? Why is it so difficult for people to do the things they need to do that they know they need to do? That’s a different conversation, that’s where you really find some solutions. And that’s where I believe accountability is one that also environment is massive. And I live in Southern California, in West Hollywood, and I’m surrounded by $14, smoothies, and organic salads, and lots of gyms and fitness studios. And it’s 75 and sunny. And so it’s easy for me to be healthier in physical health, also easier for me to be lost in Vanity, because of my environment, and other people in other surroundings where it’s freezing cold, and they’re around unhealthy food options and all the stuff there. That’s what’s normal to them. So, to me, those are the two things that really dictate our trajectory is just environments. And if we’re being accountable to something bigger, whether it’s another person, or it’s just that is strong enough for us to look at ourselves in the mirror and actually take the right action every single day.
CRISTINA ROSE 2:57
Yeah, like to talk about and like help people with like, their finances and things like that. And I know that’s something that, you know, you have to like always, like constantly be thinking about and making that commitment. What are some ways that people can get better with like their money this year? And where do you recommend, they begin?
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 3:15
I mean, you know, what’s interesting is that I’ve lost weight as a kid. And then I’ve gone through, you know, a lot of financial training and help clients with that. And it’s the same thing, it’s really just becoming aware of where your situation is right now, getting enough information, and then just having daily habits that back it up ongoing, because whether it’s your health or your finances, it’s a lifelong journey. And so, if you’re looking to just get in better financial shape, it’s really, Alright, I gotta set a time with my partner, or if it’s just you, where I got 90 minutes to go through my entire income statements, my credit cards, my bank statement, I just want to see everything that is going on, and get a clearer picture, because you can’t really do anything without a clear picture. You know, if you go if your car is making a sound, you go to the mechanic and McCain’s like great, you know, drop it off, and I’ll look under the hood. And you say, no, no, you can’t look under the hood. And let me just describe it’s just kind of making this noise, but like, I won’t let you really look under the hood and see exactly what’s going on. You’re not going to know. So I mean for me, you know, I hate the word budgeting. I hate how dry and boring and yes, lt’s like taxes, the DMV, administrative work, there’s all these things where it should be a lot simpler. And so for me, it’s like once you have a clear picture, it’s eliminate waste, which is just parking tickets. It’s the unused memberships, it’s the stuff that you’re not getting any value from and then it’s just spending with more intention and attention. And then you really see alright, this, this gym membership or this, whatever. This Netflix membership brings me so much value for the price. It’s just being We’re mindful of that, and then just investing heavily. And then that those my three things, that’s, that’s all I do is eliminate as much waste as possible, spend with as much intention and attention as possible, and then invest heavily. And that’s the investing is usually in myself first. And then it’s other investments after that.
CRISTINA ROSE 5:18
Yeah, no. And I think the important key is like investing in yourself first. And you know, and that brings me to a good point, I kind of want to switch gears a little bit, because I love the conversation that we were having a little bit earlier before we started recording. And I just wanted to know, like, you know, why did you create, like, empower men, and what is the mission behind it?
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 5:37
I mean, empower men is a transformation for men, a lot of fathers, a lot of husbands to regain confidence to lose the weight that they’ve put on because their family life, their career, life, just obligations have really piled on. And so health is obviously gets harder when you get into your 30s, and then 40s, and then 50s. But a lot of men, they feel lonely, they, their health is gone, their confidence has gone with it, for life is gone. And then another big issue is that testosterone levels for men have plummeted decade after a decade. And so you have a lot of hormone disruptors in the environment, in our skincare products in our food, all of this. And so when testosterone is low, and I speak from someone who had low testosterone in his early 30s, you don’t have a zet, you don’t have a drive, you don’t have a drive, not just sexually, but in terms of building a career in terms of going on adventures in terms of just attacking life the way you did when you were in your 20s. And when I learned that there are men in their 60s Back in the 1960s, that have the same level of testosterone as men in their 20s. Now, I was like, this is horrible what like, so the first thing was for me is just, I want to be in an optimal healthy space. Because if I invest in myself there, I’m gonna have the energy to do all these things. And so we’re, you know, empowerment is a movement to help that everyday father, everyday husband, who has kids who has a career who understands that the middle class is getting forced out and rent is higher than ever mortgages are higher inflation, and help them afford optimal health so that you can be the best father, the best husband, the best professional possible. And so it’s really a culmination of my entire life, as well as my business partner Gil’s entire life, and what we’re most passionate about and what has helped us the most.
CRISTINA ROSE 7:37
Yeah, you know, so as the co founder of Empower men, like what community based strategies have proven effective for everyday men seeking affordable investments in their health.
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 7:47
The way our community works is that we have courses they’re talking about this is these are 51, plus quick hitting hacks to save you big money because financial literacy is not taught. So here’s some stuff to help you shave off some of these expenses and help you direct it into something that’s going to be more beneficial for you and your family. But in terms of what’s really making a difference, because we have a couple of guys now, both of them, fathers, both of them with two kids, both of them. Professionals have 40 hour plus work weeks, one guy has a 20 hour week side business, he lost 26 pounds in one month, which is like stupid, no, no, no hormones, no supplements, no fat loss things just, he’s like, I got to do it for my kid. It’s right. And what I asked him, I said, So what really clicked for you like, what is it for you instead, the calls the accountability calls, we have four calls for optional calls a week, he says, I just plug in, because all my friends are just their contents. They’re okay with just watching football and drinking beer and all this and I know that my daughter and my son deserve more. And so what we found is that there are other guys out there that want better, but it’s hard to hard to do better for yourself when you feel like you’re the only one. And so these guys are in Tampa, Florida. They’re in Austin, Texas, they’re in Big Bear, California. And yet we all come together knowing that hey, we want to do better for ourselves and just facilitating that for these guys. You know, it’s been very fulfilling, but that’s what they’ve needed is just the abilities, ability to say hey, this is what I’m struggling with. And I just need someone to believe in me and hold me accountable the way I always had growing up.
CRISTINA ROSE 9:30
Yeah, no, I love that. I think you know, sometimes men get lost in society. You know, women are very like, oh, here we are, like equality which is great. But you know, sometimes we forget that men need mental health to you know, they have a lot of burden and a lot to carry. And sometimes I feel like they’re forgotten about because they are struggling and they need resources. And it’s like, sometimes like maybe they were lacking things in their childhood that they want to bring to the table with their relationships and now with their or children and their spouse and stuff? And it’s like, well, how do I even do that? If I’m, you know, have all these, like, past traumas, etc. So I think it’s great to have, you know, resources like you that men can go to and, you know, even for women to kind of like understand like, what their husbands going through, you know, so that they can show up and be there for them too.
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 10:21
Yeah, you know, what’s interesting is, like, so I love personal development. That’s the one thing I my confidence is based on how much personal growth I’ve done. And so one cool thing of that what we’re doing is, every month, there’s a book of the month. And these, these are books that some of the guys may have heard of, but they, you know, they haven’t read or it’s like, whatever, it’s not a girl thing. And so for December, our monthly theme is relationships. And so we have Jay Shetty has eight rules of love. And I haven’t read it yet. But I said, Hey, you know what, we need to become better husbands as well better spouses and increase our emotional intelligence, because we need to do that for everyone’s sake. But we don’t want to get to the point where we’re making all the money, we’re doing all this. And yet, our EQ is so low that we are now causing these other issues in our life, you know, and a lot of people only especially men get to the point where they look at the inner, you know, the inner child healing the inner child, the traumas, when they go through something horrific. And I said, Well, why does it have to be that way, when we can learn about this stuff before it gets to that point, same as before, the doctor says you have six months to live because you’ve been ignoring your health, and now you have your 400 pounds, and you have these health issues. Let’s see what we can do before we have that big wake up call from the world.
CRISTINA ROSE 11:49
Exactly, Well, Brad, it is time for Not Your Momma’s Podcast power mom Chronicles and I cannot wait to dive into these questions and hear your answers. And my first one to you is what’s a game changing life lesson life has taught you.
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 12:03
You know, the pivotal point for me was just how in control I am of my life, right? Because before you know, if you watch the news growing up and all this and you have parents that are complaining about things, and my boss this, you just feel like alright, I’m just a flag in the wind. And wherever the wind goes, that’s where I’m going to wind up. And now just knowing that, well, I live in a free country. And I can go in whatever direction I want. And I can I have all the information, all the wisdom of the greatest people that ever live at my fingertips, and I can absorb that if I want. So just being able to know that I’m in control of way more than I used to think has been huge.
CRISTINA ROSE 12:45
Yeah, yeah, we really can only think we can control is ourselves. So I mean, it’s an important thing to learn how to manage to be able to do okay.
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 12:55
That’s all we got. So the rest of the farm rest of our life is ourselves. That’s guaranteed.
CRISTINA ROSE 13:00
Yeah. So my second question is reflecting back on your journey, what practical lessons or insights can our listeners apply to improve their own lives?
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 13:11
See that the thing I would say is probably the thing they’re doing already. And back in 2014, I was living in South Beach, Miami, and I’ve gotten the biggest validation was that I’d lost weight. And now I was a male model. Wow, this is the coolest thing, all this. But I’ve gotten so far out of personal development, that I met one guy, one very charismatic model guy. And he’s like, Oh, he was all into Tony Robbins, all this stuff. And he reignited the passion in me to just go back down that rabbit hole because I was in this very egoic space of modelling and entertainment and look at me and all that. And I said, alright, well, it’s November 2014. There’s this thing called podcast. And instead of walking around South Beach every morning as my fasted cardio, and listening to music, let me just listen to one podcast per day, just one podcast per day on anything that is going to help me improve and based on whatever is important, is it physical health? Is it financial? Is it relational? Is it spiritual? Just one a day, that one habit from 2014 Up until now has been almost a decade of just incredible growth, incredible wisdom, but also just confidence, knowing that I’m getting better tomorrow. So I think anything personal development related is just at the end of it. Are you excited about who you’re becoming, and being more excited about? Who you’ll be tomorrow versus the person that’s always reminiscing about the past?
CRISTINA ROSE 14:37
Yeah you know, to be excited about your future self like and envision who that is, you know, and then I think the only way to look back is just like, Wow, look how far you’ve come, you know, and like, wow, you see, you can do it and you did do it. And then my third question is offer a piece of wisdom to moms or dads you know, striving to find their strength and their voice
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 15:02
I would say, if you’re looking to find it, keep looking your kids are counting on you. You know, there was a guy that I had messaged a couple of weeks ago who had lost a lot of weight. And he wasn’t part of our group or anything. But I said, Hey, what inspired you. And he said, the way that my six-year-old son at the son looks at me, is just such a different look. And I wanted to be the one that he could look up to, and not be forced to look up to another person’s dad. And that really hit home because I don’t have kids. But I want to be the father that my daughter or my son looks up to and is not forced to look up to someone else’s mom or dad.
CRISTINA ROSE 15:43
Yeah. Oh, wow. That’s pretty powerful. And then the fourth question is the best advice you’ve ever received?
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 15:51
You know, honestly, I think the best advice is probably something I found on Google back in the day or heard on a podcast, but I’ll quote Ed, my let who’s one of my favorite entrepreneurs, and definitely a mentor in a way, but he always says, everything in life is happening for you and not to you. And it’s such a short quote, but when you just flip that mentality and just look through life at that lens of it’s happening for me, and sometimes you just have to really look at that silver lining or really have faith that even though it doesn’t make sense, there is something whether it’s I’m getting a lot of strength, my character is getting developed, whatever it is, like life is way more enjoyable through that lens.
CRISTINA ROSE 16:36
Yeah, yeah. Changing the lens perspective is such a big, such a big game changer. Because you know, life’s a mental game and it’s like, how are you going to look at it? You’re gonna look at negative Are you going to blow didn’t pout about it? Or are you going to try to find solutions and be positive and look into things, you know, full and not empty?
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 16:56
100% Yeah.
CRISTINA ROSE 16:57
Well, Brad, thank you so much for coming on this week’s episode of “Not Your Momma’s Podcast”. All of his links are down below in the show notes. Don’t be shy. Go say hi. And I hope to see you all in the next one.
BRADLEY DE COMARMOND 17:07
Thank you, Christina.