In Search Of Excellence

Welcome to In Search of Excellence and the second part of our conversation with Dr. Mike Roizen.
Dr. Mike is a world-renowned physician and author whose work has helped tens of millions of people improve their health and wellness through lifestyle changes, and whose purpose in life is to spread the message that we get to control our genes to a large degree.
Dr. Mike formerly served as the Chairman of the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, and Dean of the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Chicago, and in 1997, he left to co-founded a company called Real Age, a consumer health media company that inspires people to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Shortly after selling the company, Dr. Roizen was named Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, the first such position at a major healthcare institution in the United States. Dr. Mike has published more than 185 peer-reviewed scientific papers, has written 18 books, including 4 New York Times bestsellers, and has received 13 and many foreign patents.
00:55 Stress management
- Most stressful events are financial
- The Christmas Eve story
- Stress management technique
- 10 breaths in the morning and evening
04:25 Vaccines in general and COVID-19 booster
- The initial COVID vaccination and the first booster were beneficial
- Long COVID and Spanish flu
- Dr. Mike is scared of the inflammation
- Flu vaccine 10 years in a row decreases the risk of dementia by 40%
11:15 Food recommendations
- Eat things that are healthy, that you love and that will love you back
- Eating bad food in moderation
- Fruit is a sugar and fruit is bound to fiber and is not easily absorbed
- 20g a day is fine
18:30 Obesity and fat reduction
- Obesity, especially obesity around your waist, causes inflammation
- White vs. brown fat
- Side effects of drugs for reducing fat
- We don’t know the long-term risk
22:40 Are hot sauna and cold plunge useful?
- We have more data on the sauna
- Sauna decreases heart disease and stroke risk
- Increases longevity
24:05 Effectiveness of vitamins and supplements
- The longevity playbook analyzed 53 supplements
- 15 have enough data on humans
- Creatine was a surprise
26:25 Can we live 120 years and do we really want to?
- As a society, we need to
- We are not producing enough kids
- The working age will go from 40 to 60 years
- The whole body will have a chance to get younger
- Old people can be functional as young people
30:45 Is there just a simple checklist that we should be looking at every day?
- Do what you love doing
- There are many choices but do what you love and add things on

Sponsors:
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Joe is the founder and former CEO of Morningstar, a financial services and investment research firm that is one of the most recognized companies in finance. It provides investment research and investment management services to many millions of people around the world.

Morningstar has a market value of $10.6 billion and Joe earned his spot on the Forbes 400 with a reported net worth of $5.6 billion.
Joe also owns magazines Inc. and Fast Company, as well as two professional soccer teams – the Chicago Fire in the MLS and FC Lugano in UEFA League.

Time stamps:
02:11 Joe’s childhood

• Had a lot of unstructured time
• Liked to do various projects

06:33 Joe’s first entrepreneurial experience

• Went to a ham fest with a friend
• Bought Drake 2B receiver for $200

09:19 The Room 607

• Studied at the University of Chicago
• Lived in a new dorm with no place to buy soda or snacks

11:20 The magic of boldness

• You grow by going beyond your comfort zone
• Just give it a try and be willing to stand out

16:34 The Christmas tree business

• Rented a truck, bought Christmas trees, and set up a shop
• Learned that managing your inventory is the key to success
• Broke even, but learned a lot

19:50 Should starting a company be fun?

• It should be fun and you should enjoy it
• Finding something you are passionate enough

21:04 How important is perseverance as part of the passion?

• Left it and went into investing
• Real entrepreneurs won’t give up until they find a solution

26:27 Funding an entrepreneur that failed

• Joe would fund entrepreneurs that failed
• Failure is a great lesson, not a black mark

28:07 A night manager at Arby’s

• Wanted to start a concept of healthy fast food
• Got a job of a night shift manager at Arby’s in Chicago
• Found out he hated it

32:06 How important is customer satisfaction and customer service to our success?

• Satisfying customers is extremely important
• Learning to deal with people is highly valuable

34:18 How did Joe get excited about investing?

• Book mention: John Train, The Money Masters
• Started working in an investing company - Harris associates

38:47 The great revelation about the mutual fund industry

• Had a lot of reports and other material
• Realized that he had valuable data
• Looked deeply at the mutual fund industry
• It was a very obscure industry

49:27 How important is it to do research when starting a company?

• Research + instincts + judgement
• The data is out there and it is extremely important to research

Sponsors:
Sandee | Bliss: Beaches
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Steve Romick grew up in a tight-knit family in the San Fernando Valley and was very driven from a very young age. Even as a five-year-old, he wasn’t interested in failure and never gave up easily, a personality trait that has carried Steve through his career. Today Steve manages nearly $20 billion in assets and is a managing partner at First Pacific Advisors (FPA), an LA-based money management firm that manages $29 billion.
Steve’s passion to succeed, proficiency with numbers, and strong dislike of losing money have guided him to an accomplished career in money management, including the recognition of being named the 2013 Morningstar US Allocation Fund of the Year and earned him a nomination for Morningstar Manager of the Decade. Steve’s knowledge and perspective about money management and investing are built on 30 years of experience and understanding of risk and reward.
In this episode, Randall and Steve talk about Steve’s first experience with wealth management as an intern (and later an employee) for Kaplan, Nathan, & Co., the importance of self-education and self-awareness in investing, how to grow a money management firm, modern investment strategies, and how to be a successful money manager.
Topics Include:
- How Steve’s father influenced his interest in philanthropy
- The importance of reading and understanding shareholder reports
- How to encourage people to learn and understand their investments
- Who shouldn’t invest in a mutual fund
- Low risk/high reward investments
- Defining a hedge fund vs a mutual fund
- Advice for getting a job in this industry
- The ins-and-outs of growth at money management firm
- The story behind his nomination for the Morningstar Manager of the Decade
- What is the S&P 500 and why does it matter?
- Defining the MSCI ACWI Index
- Active vs passive investing
- Why you should avoid secularly challenged businesses when deciding to invest
- The two most important ingredients for success
- Whether people should use a money manager or manage their own money
- And other topics...
Steve Romick is the managing partner at First Pacific Advisors, a money management firm based in Los Angeles that manages $29 billion across multiple investment strategies. Before joining First Pacific Advisors, Steve was the chairman of Crescent Management and worked in for Kaplan, Nathan, & Co. In addition to managing the $10 billion FPA Crescent Mutual Fund, he also co-manages the FPA Hawkeye Hedge Fund and other multi-advisor strategies.
He serves on many philanthropic boards, including Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Our House, and Phase One.
In 2013, Steve was the recipient of Morningstar’s U.S. Allocation Fund Manager of the Year and was nominated for the Morningstar Manager of the Decade. He earned a BS in Education from Northwestern University and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three kids.

Sponsors:
Sandee | Bliss: Beaches
Want to Connect? Reach out to us online!
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Welcome to another episode of In Search of Excellence! My guest today is the incredible Flex Lewis. Flex is a serial entrepreneur, coach, motivational speaker, and one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He has won 7 consecutive Mr. Olympia titles.

He's also the co-owner of Arsenal, strength gym equipment, the fastest-growing fitness equipment company in the world and the owner of the famous Dragon's Lair Gym in Las Vegas.

Time stamps:

00:55 Flex’s family and background

• Grew up in a loving home in Wales
• His father was a steel worker and his mother a nurse
• Decided to be a millionaire as a kid

03:52 Born with a rugby ball in the mouth

• He started playing rugby at the age of 6
• His full name is Steven James Lewis
• Flex is a nickname he got as a kid

06:27 The pressure to better himself

• A pressure to become better
• His first entrepreneurial moment
  • Delivering papers on his bike
• Learned responsibility and dealing with money

13:22 Investing the money he earned

• Bought a male and female finch
• Started breeding and selling them

15:57 Starting a moving company

• Powerlifting and starting a moving company
• Bought his first truck and developed the business
• Went an extra mile to do a good job

22:05 Learning from the Quadfather

• Spent weekends at his grandparents
• Discovered a book by Tom Platz at 12
• The book changed his life
• Found weights and started doing squats

26:23 His parents’ worries

• His parents were afraid it would stunt his growth
• Stayed away from training weights for a number of years
• Funny story about his father catching him squatting

28:30 Steve Naylor and his influence

• Flex had a lot of admiration for Steve
• He was drawn by his humility
• Started training with Steve
• Bodybuilding is all about mind-muscle connection

32:19 Elbow injury and getting a tattoo

• Spent the whole summer building his motocross bike
• Had an accident and broke his elbow
• After removing the plaster cast, his arm was dead
• Had to make it stronger by himself
• A tattoo on the weakened arm

38:53 Working in silence and achieving things

• Didn’t like school but liked PE teachers
• He had dyslexia or ADHD, was labeled stupid
• How schools were failing kids by discouraging them
• Practicing a handstand and the first day at school

47:26 The first powerlifting competition

• From high-level rugby to powerlifting show
• Bodybuilding in Wales is a big thing
• The competition was held in the Royal Princess Theatre

51:59 Getting on a bodybuilding stage

• Was drawn by a free gym membership
• Changed his diet and watched a lot of VHS videos
• The competition and the alter ego
• Performed great and won the show
• Deciding to prepare for British nationals
• A 20-year relationship with his coach
• The importance of loyalty

1:01:40 Chasing dreams and making sacrifices

• Winning the British Nationals
• Got an invitation from Gol

Sponsors:
Sandee | Bliss: Beaches
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Keaton Hoskins is a serial entrepreneur, coach, motivational speaker, and author, known for his dynamic approach to business and personal development. A key figure on the popular reality TV show "Diesel Brothers," which aired on the Discovery Channel, Keaton leveraged his passion for diesel trucks into a thriving entertainment and merchandise business. His entrepreneurial journey is marked by innovative business strategies, particularly in leveraging social media and unique marketing tactics such as vehicle giveaways. Beyond entertainment, Keaton has ventured into various industries, including fitness, dental, and plastic surgery, often employing groundbreaking financial models to expand service accessibility. His story, rich with lessons on overcoming adversity and harnessing personal hardships for professional growth, is a source of inspiration. Keaton's experiences underscore the importance of resilience, strategic innovation, and the power of a well-structured business model in achieving success.
0:00 - Keaton on the hard work needed to launch a business.

0:55 - Podcast introduction by Randall Kaplan.

1:41 - Keaton's gratitude for the podcast appearance.

1:57 - Keaton reflects on his father's impactful life lessons.

4:44 - Discussion on career expectations set by parents.

6:15 - Keaton's early leadership roles due to his father’s health.

9:57 - Keaton's passion for football and its influence on him.

11:17 - Keaton's aspirations and athletic career.

12:41 - Introduction to diesel trucks and their influence.

14:08 - Keaton's transformative spiritual mission.

17:18 - Keaton explains the missionary commitment.

19:49 - Pivotal moments post his father's death leading to medicine.

22:17 - Reflections on his father’s last words and their impact.

24:25 - Transition from medicine to entrepreneurship.

28:22 - Innovative business models in dental and plastic surgery.

31:01 - Keaton on achieving business success through numerous conversations.

33:03 - Importance of having 2000 business conversations.

35:10 - Challenges and hard work in entrepreneurship.

37:07 - Work ethic comparisons across generations.

39:20 - Effective business models adapting to customer finances.

41:08 - Expanding access to medical procedures through financing.

44:23 - Popularity of breast augmentation in Utah.

46:28 - Origin of the Diesel Brothers reality show.

49:12 - Utilizing social media and giveaways for business growth.

51:46 - Lessons learned from entrepreneurial ventures.

53:36 - Sale of businesses and new ventures.

56:03 - Importance of building business infrastructure.

58:12 - Financial models and business scalability.

1:00:25 - The necessity of perseverance in business.

1:02:40 - Recap and teaser for the next podcast part.

Sponsors:
Sandee | Bliss: Beaches
Want to Connect? Reach out to us online!
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn