081 - Making an Impact and Choosing Purpose Over a Paycheck With Seth Pearson

02/04/20 • 55 min

Seth is a married father to 5 children as well as a former U.S. Marine where he taught chemical defense and was a black-belt combat instructor. He then worked as a security contractor and even took an oil field job, working 100+ hours a week. He now runs fitness coaching programs, both in person and remotely.

Seth and I share a common interest in helping others through fitness and although I was only recently introduced to him, I was blown away by his raw passion and his commitment to serving others.

We spoke about the importance of doing work that fulfills you and why waking up with a sense of purpose is so important. He mentioned a quote that stuck with me, which was "your playing small doesn't serve the world. We are all meant to shine".

On that note, Seth went all in on his coaching career and even turned down an offer to make $12k/month at a time when he was only making $400/month.

Given the fact that he has 5 kids and a wife who stays at home, it was a decision that put his commitment to the test. He chose purpose over a paycheck and while some may look at it as stupidity or even selfishness, I see passion and determination.

It takes balls and a hardcore belief in yourself and your mission to look that far ahead and go after your dreams with so much uncertainty. I admire him a great deal for having that conviction and not doing what most would do in that situation and play it safe.

Seth has been teaching boot camp classes for Camp Gladiator and has recently started developing an in-depth coaching experience for busy parents that runs much deeper than surface things like just a workout plan or diet.

We talk about the importance of our mindset and environments when it comes to succeeding with our fitness goals and looking at "big picture" things instead of just weight loss.

His philosophy on fitness is:

Get up
Dress up
Show up
Never give up

He truly wants to impact people's lives in a meaningful way and I'm sure you'll be as inspired by him as I was.

Seth and I share a common interest in helping others through fitness and although I was only recently introduced to him, I was blown away by his raw passion and his commitment to serving others.

On that note, Seth went all in on his coaching career and even turned down an offer to make $12k/month at a time when he was only making $400/month.

We talk about the importance of our mindset and environments when it comes to succeeding with our fitness goals and looking at "big picture" things instead of just weight loss.

His philosophy on fitness is:

Get up
Dress up
Show up
Never give up

He truly wants to impact people's lives in a meaningful way and I'm sure you'll be as inspired by him as I was.

Previous Episode

080 - Finding The Spark and Going All In On His Health With Jorge Rosa

Jorge Rosa has been a member of the Fit Dad Nation community for years. He's a busy father of two, a business owner, and former fat guy.

After high school, he left behind sports and went to culinary school, where he went from a lean and fit 135 pounds to over 250 pounds in just over a year.

For years, Jorge struggled to prioritize himself and always seemed to have more things to do than he had time. He was working two full-time jobs, working 18 hours a day at one point, and building his side hustle at the same time.

This started his real struggle with weight and over the last 15 years, he's fluctuated up and down, always seeming to find more excuses than results.

His wife also struggled with post-partum depression and he spent any extra time he had with her and his young children. Of course, his health suffered. His eating was sporadic, his sleep was hard to come by, and there was definitely no time to hit the gym.

But his hard work and dedication paid off and he was able to start his own business, finally giving him more flexibility with his time. But it wasn't until January 2020 when we started our Project 45 Challenge in the FDN Inner Circle that Jorge went all in on his health.

I've seen him start and stop many of our programs and monthly challenges and I know at some point things would "click" for him and he'd find his inspiration and motivation.

And in today's show, he shares what brought on the changes, how it's impacted his family, relationships, and quality of life.

And it's inspiring as hell, honestly.

Any time I see a dad make the firm commitment to himself and then get after it with 100% focus and dedication is a reminder of why I do what I do.

This is a show for regular dads by regular dads and Jorge's story shows us that regardless of all the sh*t we have going on in our lives, sometimes all it takes is that spark to set you on fire.

Next Episode

082 - How My Parents Lives Led To My Dedication To Health and Fitness

For today's show I wanted to share some personal history about my parents and how their significantly different lifestyles led to significantly different outcomes.

This is important because our quality of life is directly related to our daily habits and actions. It's tied to the food we eat, the exercise we do (or don't do) and the environments we choose to put ourselves in.

My mother raised two boys alone and spent her life working hard just to take care of us. She didn't have the time or money for a gym membership or to shop organic. She didn't dedicate any time to being healthier but instead just did her best to survive.

She also managed to pick up a lifelong smoking habit and a number of jobs that required sitting at a desk all day.

She started developing major health issues in her fifties, which isn't much older than I am and spent more time at doctor's offices than anywhere else.

Despite a heart attack in 2005, she picked smoking back up and continued to stay inactive. This led to being diagnosed with severe COPD and ultimately is what led to her passing at age 70.

On the other hand, my father lived in southern California and spent much of his free time outside playing sports.

He found time to exercise every day for most of his life and now at 74, he's as fit as I am. Being retired, he spends 3-4 hours a day swimming, stretching, and using the weight room.

And barring anything catastrophic, he'll probably live to 95 or 100.

The thought of dying early and missing out on my daughter's lives terrifies me. And genetics or accidents aside, we are in control of our health.

We get to choose health or illness with every bite of food we take or every decision to be active or inactive.

My hope is that you hear my story and start making better choices for your longevity. It's all we've got, my friends. Use this life the best you possibly can and squeeze every drop from it.