CRISTINA ROSE 0:04
Hey friends, welcome to this week’s episode of “Not Your Momma’s Podcast”. I’m so excited. We have Gil, a dynamic health and wellness coach and co founder of Empower men, dedicated to transforming lives through a holistic approach to help and financial well being Gil, thank you so much for coming on. And, you know, enlightening us about Empower men.
GIL SOARES 0:25
Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here. I’m excited. I know my partner has been here before. So he recommended me to be here and talk to you today. So I appreciate it. And thanks for your time.
CRISTINA ROSE 0:35
So you know, what key advice you have for someone looking to you know, make that positive transformation and having that long lasting change in their health and wellness journey.
GIL SOARES 0:45
Yeah, depending on where you’re coming from, like, what’s your goal, if your goal is really to lose weight, or, you know, it’s something that comes through mindset, I think the first thing you can implement is something that’s sustainable, because that’s what I see most people fail, because they want to go lean, they go like crash diets, they tried to go so hard, because they want that goal so bad, and then they’re not able to sustain it. It’s actually a study that says, from people that lose weight, within a year, 70% of the people gain all the weight back within two, three years, 85% of the people and within four years is 95. So that means that 95% diets fail, which is crazy. So if you implement something that’s sustainable, that’s actually you know, that’s because the most the hard thing is people to be dedicated, have consistence and just keep doing the same thing over and over. If that step is going to be too hard, too complicated, you have to work out this many hours, you have to eat this much. So aggressive people not gonna be able to sustain it. So it has to be sustainable. That’s, that’s easy to implement.
CRISTINA ROSE 1:54
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GIL SOARES 3:15
Yeah, for life. If he comes from a weight loss standpoint, I feel like the first thing we like to do but first of all, we’d like to do the bloodwork because we want to see you know how healthy you actually are. And you know, consult with a doctor longevity Doctor especially. And then from there, we really like to implement intermittent fasting. Just because for the people I used to eat all the time, just by skipping breakfast is a game changer for those kinds of people. And if you don’t like to workout, or you don’t use normally workout, just by starting to the 10 minutes, 15 minutes daily, which doesn’t sit for 15 minutes, everyone can do it, right. So it’s not like, oh, I have to go to the gym, learn to use all these machines now just have a stationary bike at home, you’re gonna go for a walk, you know, stuff that’s very simple. And then obviously, the diet and nutrition is super important. And then we pretty much put up a game plan together like this is what you’re going to do. This is the first time you’re going to eat this is the kind of foods you’re going to avoid this kind of foods you will prefer to choose. And just by doing that, that small step, which is nothing aggressive. He’s just like, Oh, I just skipped breakfast. I don’t have to think about it. Right. So intermittent fasting 16 hour daily. So I have maybe stop eating at 8pm and start eating at 12pm Next day, okay, well I can do that. You know, drink more water. Great. So that’s not nothing crazy. Another thing we do with a mindset because mindset is really a big deal when it comes to right so we implement some books as well we have atomic habits, which we love, especially for people that are kind of creating new systems and new habits because that’s what’s gonna keep you you know, the sustain habit sustained actions that you have every day right. So how to implement them. And normally he’s like if you have one habit you do every day you implement another one so people forget take their vitamins. If you have your vitamins now as to when you brush your teeth, you brush your teeth every morning every day. Oh, the brush my teeth, and I take my vitamins. So it’s, like, easy to implement. So yeah, we just try to stay away from everything that’s complicated. And we anything is complex, and we’ll make it very simple. That’s, that’s the easiest way to start.
CRISTINA ROSE 5:17
I know like for me, like, I’ll be on track. I’m doing so good. And I’m like, Okay, well, I’m gonna, like reward myself, like, whatever that looks like. And then sometimes it’s just downhill spiral from there. You know what I’m like, oh, man, I haven’t done what I was supposed to be doing. Because I was just too busy. Like giving myself a pat on the back. I guess, like, we’re doing so well for like, a month, you know, and I feel like that’s like what we do a lot, too. You know, it’s like, oh, we’re doing well. And then we kind of like, give up on ourselves. Because, for whatever reason, you know, and I mean, and I think it is super important to keep that like mental game strong and having people like you to, you know, keep someone on track and have that like accountability. Introducing Ashton rodenhiser, our visionary, our graphic magician. Step into the extraordinary world of visual storytelling with Ashton, our graphic magician, experience the magic of turning ideas into captivating visuals, where every stroke sparks creativity, and ignite imagination, passionate about empowering moms, kids and women. Ashton transforms, learning and communication through her giant charts and visual note taking expertise. With mind, I created creative consulting, she’s on a mission to uplift creativity and help others communicate ideas. Effectively, Ashton’s silent illustrations that break down complex concepts into easily understandable visuals, inspiring others to embrace her techniques, join Ashton as she teaches sketchnoting skills to students and professionals making doodling and drawing their best thinking and learning tools. Join her at sketchnote dot school. And I know like within power, man, you do like your coaching and like, so how do you approach like you’re coaching, you know, others to achieve that permanent weight loss and increase that energy that they’re looking for? You know, and what are some common misconceptions you often encounter that you help people overcome?
GIL SOARES 7:30
Yeah, so number one, definitely the accountability is a big deal, right? Because we literally hear babysitting all the way. And my goal, and this is not great for business. But that’s my philosophy. My goal is to teach you everything that I know in three months, which is plenty of time for you to learn that. So then you don’t need. I know that’s not good for business, because then you have to recycle people every three months. Right? But that means that you are set for life, because you build new systems, you build a new lifestyle. And believe me, when you feel amazing, you don’t want to go back, you definitely don’t want to go back. Misconceptions is people think I need to starve to lose weight. And that’s so far from the truth. Because when you actually give these people like what they can eat, they’re like, I’m actually eating a lot more food than I was before. How I’m going to lose weight was like, well, that’s the difference between eight 400 grams of vegetables, right? Or a cheeseburger and McDonald’s. So you eating 100 calories, or 900. So like, people say, I eat so little, but I gained weight. I don’t know why. Because like, what’s your selection of foods? We know. And most people think most of the times they think they’re eating healthy. They come to us like I’m eating healthier, right? Look, this is what I’m eating. I’m eating fried chicken from tick flames. Like Yeah.
CRISTINA ROSE 8:45
So in your, in your experience with Empower men, you know, what are some fundamental steps individuals can take to enhance you know, both their physical and financial well being, you know, simultaneously because I think you kind of help people with the financial sector of it, too, right?
GIL SOARES 8:59
Yeah, we wanted to overcome every objection. That’s how we started the business. Because, you know, we noticed that, you know, Kleenex, or, you know, any, like wellness brand, he’s like, Hey, come here, buy this for me, and it will be healthy. But it was never like, some sort of, like, you know, I help you back. So we wanted to create that like something that would help you back and we know that health and finance goes together, right? You could say, Hey, I needed to eat organic every day and he’s taking supplements to go to the gym in person. Yeah, I love to but I have no money. And like how can we address those people? So for us like the what Brad came into the picture when we’re trying to create this this business because Brad is a financial background. I’m more like the health wellness guy and he’s more the finance dude. So we kind of like put these things together where we first of all, we’re going to help you save $1,000 Because there’s so much that we have the lowest program we have is $1,000 So if I can save you $1,000 Then you’re not spending more money. You just repurposing that money. There you already then. And then obviously, there’s a referral. That is, we have a referral program that we have to our goal was for these people to come to get a transformation any days and be completely free. Yeah, that’s that was our goal. So if you get your finances Right, right, then we overcome that objection. And then is like is too hard? Or I have no time. Perfect. This is exactly for you. Because this is where people they have no time. Yeah, the call comes like, because you already, you probably don’t manage your time properly. Because most people have 15-20 minutes a day, if you don’t have 15 minutes, 20 minutes a day, like something is wrong, that then you’re not prioritizing your health, you have to Yeah, so when you go through it, is pretty much we do an audit in people’s finances and people’s health. And we just like, and it’s very individual is very different from person to person. So it’s hard for me to say this is the system for everybody. But because everyone is different, that we pretty much come to their lives, do an audit, to see what the things are wrong. They come like really quick, when someone is talking within 15 minutes, we already know, okay, this is what you need. And we’re pretty much we come with a strategy.
CRISTINA ROSE 11:04
And you can pretty much do this from anywhere you don’t have to be, you know, living in your location, this is this can be something that you can help, like over zoom, like, it doesn’t matter. Like you’re not limited to an area. So that’s what’s great. You have like a big reach, you can help anybody
GIL SOARES 11:19
That’s correct. We have four calls a week. So Mondays are the accountability call. That’s where we like put the intentions and the homework for the week. On Wednesdays mornings, that recap of the countability call for the people that couldn’t be on Monday. And then at 6pm is more of like a network call for individual entrepreneurs like ourselves come together, like, hey, what do you do? How can I help you? How can we help me? How can we like help each other, it’s more like that. And on Fridays, at 12pm. It’s my call where a couple of weeks, some new ones, you have your protocols in what’s new biohacking, or bring some specialist, some doctors, some, you know, nutrition specialist, so we can educate our members.
CRISTINA ROSE 11:58
Yeah and you know, the most important thing is education and knowledge, you know, you’re not going to be able to get to where you’re going if you’re not educated in knowledge. And I really love the fact that you guys bring in experts to kind of add that little extra sprinkle on you know, someone’s health and wellness journey.
GIL SOARES 12:15
Yeah, because everyone is different. Obviously, there is always new things, new research coming out. And you have to be updated with that. And the best way to be a better with it is not saying you know, at all because we don’t know at all. So we bring people that do No at all, because they’re that’s all they do. So you know, we can’t compete, you know, I can be here like can be a great accountability coach. You know, because a lot of this is psychology as well, like you said, mindset is literally everything. You know, and for these people, a lot of these people will really ease believe they can because most of these guys like you see they want, they come in they’re like 50-60 pounds overweight, no self esteem. Yeah, completely, like, knew these people, like I wish I could run through my driveway to, to my front door, let’s say they come to us. And when we tell them like, I can promise you that 90 days from today, you will be a different person. And they kind of like don’t really understand it, like what are you different person, but when it comes day 45 off way they already different people, they talk different, they have a lot more self esteem, what is really self esteem is you keep the promises you make, right? If you keep making promises tomorrow, I’m gonna go to the gym tomorrow, I’m gonna and then he don’t, then he’s just disappointing yourself, which brings your value down, then you don’t trust yourself, then you feel like you have no value. Right? So it’s really a great purposing and fixing them mentality. And thereby the 90 when they lose 50-60 pounds, different people. Yeah, completely for people.
CRISTINA ROSE 13:39
You know, and I really liked that you’re focusing on men, because I do sometimes feel men get lost and like the noise of things going on. I like that little forgotten about sometimes because it’s like men have it different in the world than women. And, you know, there is like a mental health crisis, I think in our men. And so I really liked that you’re focused on really helping them. Because we all are important, you know, and we all matter. And you know, men’s struggles are different than women’s struggles. And I really appreciate you know, taking the time to kind of help you know, forge our men and make them great.
GIL SOARES 14:17
Yeah the difference between men and women and we thought about that in the beginning like should we just have man shoes? Should we have both? And the reason we didn’t have both is because sometimes like men or women wouldn’t feel comfortable to share certain things because there is a men in the room. There’s a woman in the room so we wanted to separate that for them to feel comfortable. And second is because in a women talk woman goes like listen, I’m struggling with this, you know, like I need help, but men don’t exactly just like you know, I don’t want to share my emotions my feelings like they see as a weakness. So we really created a space where we allow that to happen. And he happens a lot like I can give you an example like we had this person that came in lost a lot of weight, you know, from no confidence to feeling that cocky, almost like very confident, very happy, very comfortable with himself. And then his partners are getting insecure. And saying they’re not very happy for his success. And we’re like, there is no reason for that to happen because she should be happy for you. Right? Yeah. But is that an insecurity like, Oh, is he going to leave me now? Because it looks so good, right? It’s just like, and then we have to address that. And, you know, we love Jay Shetty. So we recommend actually his book for them to read together. So you know, winning a communication improves. You know, like, you have to ask her like, why do you feel this way? Like, just listen to her, literally, you don’t have to do much more just listen, right? communicate to her like, Listen, I’m improving my health, to be better for myself and for us, right? And then listen to what she has to say and understand where she’s coming from. And the moment they started talking and reading together two weeks later is like this is my relationship is the best ever been. I’m happy. I’m the healthiest everything. So it’s hard to explain him in what we do. Because it’s there’s so many levels of this, there is a financial part, there’s a health part that is a relationship part, like, you know, it’s very complex, but very purpose driven.
CRISTINA ROSE 16:06
I love it. Well, Gil, it is time for the Power Mom Chronicles. And I cannot wait to dive in and figure out what your answers are.
And my first one to you is what’s a game changing lesson life has taught you?
GIL SOARES 16:22
Well, I just kind of just said that. Like, sometimes you just believe you can do things that you before you didn’t like, I’m from Portugal, I’m from a very small village. When I left were 900 people in my village. Okay, so very, very small. So you don’t really think you can’t because you haven’t seen a role model. They’ve done it. So sometimes you have to be your role model, and you have to do it and create a path for other people to follow.
CRISTINA ROSE 16:44
That’s a great answer. And then my second one to you is reflecting on your journey, what practical lessons or insights can our listeners apply to improve their own lives?
GIL SOARES 16:55
Yeah, I think you can do so much more than you think. Listen, like I was just to give you an example. I’m from Portugal, right? I haven’t even speak English. It’s Portuguese, right from small village. Like I haven’t, I had to leave school at 14 years old. So I haven’t really an education. So for me to think that could be leaving America that’s like, No way, right? Yeah, or travel the world, I actually might even if you know, my background, I worked as an international model for last 13 years. So I’ve traveled from each and every country. And if leaving peers, like in Europe for you know, Paris for three months in Milan for three months in Singapore, and I’ve just traveled all around Europe and Asia and all of this places. So it just like you can do so much more than you think. And, you know, that’s kind of the big lesson for me, because I feel like I revisit that all the time.
CRISTINA ROSE 17:36
Yeah, well, you’re your own role model. You know. I love it. You know and then I offer a piece of wisdom for moms, men, anybody really striving to find their own strength and voice.
GIL SOARES 17:51
This of wisdom I mean, it has to do with a life or career like for me was what I am really good at that other people find that really hard. So for me was health, very rich comes very easy. Very passionate. I love it. I’ve been doing like martial arts, I compete I do all that stuff. So for me, it was like it comes very easy. And but for other people, it feels very hard. So that’s, what I found my passion to do something that empowering other people to strive to be better. And that is the money that is the purpose that the overall happiness. So that’s what was for me.
CRISTINA ROSE 18:26
And the best advice you’ve ever received.
GIL SOARES 18:30
Best advice I ever received. That’s a hard one. I don’t know the best advice I ever received. I don’t know. That’s a that’s a very deep question ever. I guess I had a lot of different moments in my life. I don’t know, I actually have an answer. I’ll come back for them.
CRISTINA ROSE 18:58
I feel like for some reason, I feel like just saying just do it. Do it like you can do it. Like, you know, you are more powerful than you think you are. And I just took it from like the Nike logo, like just do it. But that’s like what I was thinking.
GIL SOARES 19:18
No, yeah, no, that has some, because I do remember like, first time I got an opportunity to model I was like 20 years old and I’m like, I don’t even know what this is. Because I don’t I didn’t know what being a model meant. Like you got to be a model is like what is that? Like? I didn’t know I’m from a village I made shoes for a living. That’s, you know what I mean? I didn’t know anything. I didn’t speak English nothing. So it was more just get started. Just get moving. You know, basically just do like you’re just saying but it’s just get started. Because when you get started then you know you’ll learn things you will go through things and when you look back has been 20 years and you’re like wow, if I never started I wouldn’t ever be here right? So I guess you’re right. You know, just get started. Just do it.
CRISTINA ROSE 19:57
Alright, y’all. Well, thank you so much for coming on this week’s up 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 thanks for listening
GIL SOARES 20:10
Thanks for having me.