Thirty Minute Mentors Podcast Transcript: Jillian Michaels

I recently interviewed Jillian Michaels on my podcast, Thirty Minute Mentors. Here is a transcript of our interview:

Adam: Our guest today is one of America's leading fitness experts. Jillian Michaels is an eight time New York Times bestselling author, was the star of the hit TV show The Biggest Loser and is the creator of the fitness app. Jillian, thank you for joining us.

Jillian: Thanks so much for having me.

Adam: Jillian, you grew up in my hometown of Tarzana, which for listeners outside of the San Fernando Valley, is a suburb of LA. And you attended Cal State Northridge working part-time as a bartender and as a personal trainer. Can you take listeners back to your early days and how you went from Jillian Michaels, CSUN student to Jillian Michaels, NBC primetime star and household name?

Jillian: Oh, gosh, how do I make that fit int- let's see, I was an overweight kid. I got into martial arts at about 12 by the time I was 15, I was fit. By the time I was 17. I graduated high school not because I was a genius, but because my birthday was on a bit of a strange date. So I was always the youngest in my class, I was training for my black belt. I struggled out at CSUN and didn't graduate. Actually, I was training people because I fell into it by accident. People would see me at the gym training for my black belt and they thought that I was a personal trainer. I think I was making about like five or six bucks an hour, minimum wage delivering pizzas. And back in the day, you got like, you know, people rounded up on your tip, it was not Postmates $10, $11. There is like $1 if you were lucky, this was making, I don't know, five to eight bucks an hour. And the thought of personal training for maybe $15 an hour seemed amazing. So I got my first little training certification. And I did that for a very long time. I loved it. I took it for granted. By the time I was 24, I was getting a rash of crap from friends who were Ivy League graduates working in the entertainment industry telling me that I needed to get a real job. So I decided, what else can you do in Los Angeles? I got into the entertainment industry. And I worked at a talent agency. So from 24 to 27 I still trained and did martial arts and worked out because I was still obsessed with nutrition and food and fitness and looking and feeling my best. But it was just a personal hobby. But by the time I was 27 I'd never made less money, never been more miserable, which I think is a great lesson. It's like the more security you seek, the less you'll have. And the more you follow your heart and your passion, then fate sort of takes over. Right? Serendipity does its thing. You have unlimited potential and possibility but not when you do things you hate, because you think you should. So anyway, by 27, I was out of that job, went back to training again, by accident, I had to make money. So I started working at a sports medicine facility as an aide to physical therapists. So I would help to rehabilitate patients under their supervision. But I was bringing in a bunch of clients from my time at the talent agency and ended up building this guy's practice and thought like I could do this myself, why don't I build my own business. So by the time I was 30, I opened up my own sports medicine facility with the physical therapist, the chiropractor, and the physiatrist working with me or for me. And then by the time I was 31, I ended up getting Biggest Loser because somebody who worked at the talent agency with me heard about the job, asked me if I wanted to go out for it. I was reluctant, because of the name of the show, but I ended up going out and got the job. And the rest is history. So I tried to make that as quick as possible. But it is a bit of a saga.

Adam: I love it. And to highlight some key points for listeners, you were really focused on pursuing your passions, not being afraid to take risks, not being wedded to the traditional playbook that says, you have to do this with your life. You have to do this with your career. And I'm curious from your perspective, what do you believe are the things that you did to get to where you are today that others didn't do and in your experience? What are the most important things that listeners should focus on to reach their purse on professional goals?

Jillian: Well, I did fall into that trap that was the 24 to 27 trap of like, this is what I should do, not what I want to do. It's like a responsible thing. So I fell into it. But fate pushed me out of it. And I don't think I was ever unhappy. Like I said, I never made less money, and ended up kind of down and out of 27, scraping change out of my couch to pay for gas money, to get to interviews. So I kind of had no choice but life really forced me back to where I was meant to be. So I think looking for the lessons and the failures and the setbacks, which we hear all the time, but you really have to do it. And in some cases, it doesn't present itself to you. It's not like, oh, there's the lesson, you know, this big, shining, you know, bright neon light, it's more about in certain cases, creating a meaning, finding meaning and a purpose. So, you know, when my career in the entertainment industry behind the scenes fell apart, a little bit of fate, and a little bit of ingenuity kind of brought me back to my original purpose and path. And then you start to listen to your heart. It's like when you wake up in the morning, and you're not miserable, hey, that's saying something, right. And a lot of times, we feel that doing what we love is irresponsible. And there's no way to make a career out of it. But you've got, you know, you look at Cesar Milan, you get a guy who really likes dogs. You know, look at Martha Stewart, she left a job on Wall Street to start a catering company in her basement. I don't know if anybody remembers Mrs. Fields from the 80’s- a soccer mom with a good cookie recipe who enjoyed baking, you know, my point is that if you love something, the sky's the limit. So the key is to follow your heart and follow your passion. Because it allows for authenticity. It allows you to tolerate the sacrifice and the work associated with achieving your goal. It makes you the best at what you do, which also brings longevity. Because if you make a promise, you have to deliver on that promise, whether it's I'm going to train your dog, or it's going to be the best cookie you ever ate. Or I'm going to help you lose 50 pounds, you make that promise you might get someone's business initially. But if you don't deliver on the promise, you don't keep it. So passion, authenticity, and perseverance - those are the three keys.

Adam: Jillian, I can't speak for all of the people listening to this podcast, but you can't grow up in the San Fernando Valley and walk into a mall, at least back in the era when we grew up in the San Fernando Valley, and not know Mrs. fields.

Jillian: I know, right

Adam: I definitely recall that quite vividly. I wanted to ask you about any setbacks that you experienced that really stand out. You've experienced many highs, you've experienced some lows. Would you consider telling us about one or two notable failures and how did you overcome them?

Jillian: Oh, my god, there's so many. They happen all the time. I deal with them all the time. I mean, you know, the first way you deal with them is sort of, you know, what we talked about where it's looking for, you know, what am I responsible for here in this scenario, right? And what can I fix? And how can I re-approach more intelligently? And then I really do believe that those things are preparing you for the right person, place, opportunity, or thing that's just around the corner in life waiting for you to be ready for it. And these failures are telling you in most cases, learn something, change, evolve, grow, there are certain things that are out of your control. But to a certain extent, I almost wonder if they don't just delay you and shift your thinking a little bit. So for example, there was a job before The Biggest Loser called Flab to Fab and it was a TV show on VHS1 and that job I wanted, and I didn't get it. And I thought for sure I had it. It was oh, you're the one, you're in. It's happening. I didn't get the job and I was totally humiliated and embarrassed that I ended up learning that the reason I didn't get the job is because they thought I was too much of a “celebrity trainer.” And I wouldn't be relatable enough to soccer moms, you know the guys with a dad bod and all of that to win. The Biggest Loser came up instead of walking in with you know, the recommendations from the Amanda Pete's and the Vanessa Marcel's and Pink, Julia Roberts and all that. I had images of the soccer moms and the 70-year-olds that I helped rehabilitate with spinal stenosis and that's the job I ended up getting. Flab to Fab was one season, The Biggest Loser was well over a decade and provided me with an international platform to build a brand. I mean, that's one setback of so so so so many and they can really mess with you. You can definitely question like, do I still have it? Is this just? Is this a sign that it's over? Do I need to quit? But almost always, it really is just a giant, huge lesson for you to improve for the right opportunity that's waiting around the corner. And if it is meant to be a lesson in understanding what the F is out of your control, you know that itself is a really important thing to learn.

Adam: I could not agree with you more, every single thing you said is so applicable to everyone listening to this podcast and aligns with every leader who I've interviewed. Failure is the gateway to success. If you haven't failed, you haven't tried. And one of the areas that so many of us fail so often around is exercise, nutrition, fitness. I want to spend a couple of minutes getting your thoughts on those topics. Firstly, what does your workout routine look like?

Jillian: It just depends. I go through moods and phases. But I listen to myself, you know? I know what I need to do. But I don't always want to do it. So it's like I need to go to the gym and hammer my lower body. So I don't do it as often as I should. But I might jump rope, ride bike, climb the Stairmaster while I answer emails, like on the days, I just am not in the mood, I know that I should be doing HIIT training, I know that I should be doing more mobility work and yoga. And I try for 30 days, like I said, where you just think I would literally rather stick needles in my eyes that do that right? In which case, you know, you watch your diet, you're mindful of what you consume because it's mitigating you not moving your body as much that day or as intensely or at all on the uncertain days. And like there are days where I literally will just play Beat Sabre on Oculus, I'm not kidding. Like on my virtual reality. I'm like, you know what? I just can't like I'm having a such a crappy day, or a crappy week or another crappy year. And it's like it all just bears down on you at once. And I'll play Beat Sabre for 30 minutes or 45 minutes. And is it a great workout? No. Is it a lot better than me doing nothing? Yes. And then the next day, I'm like, alright, get your ass up off of the bed or the couch or the desk and do 20 minutes of HIIT training, skip rope, do push-ups, do lunges, do pull-ups, do squats. So it runs the gamut. Like I know what I should do. I don't always have the desire to push myself to do it. But I do something. And on that day, something is good enough, if that makes sense.

Adam: What are your best fitness tips for listeners who want to be as physically fit as Jillian Michaels?

Jillian: Well, I mean, look, you have to surround your fitness regimen with healthy habits overall. So you know, we know that you've got to eat right? You can't overeat. And you have to use common sense with your food choices. These two things go hand in hand, and I kind of think of it like a car, right? You're trying to reach a destination, let's say it's 20 miles away. If you're eating right, but you're not working out or you're working out, but you're not eating right, you're sort of in neutral, you're not really going anywhere. If you're not doing either, you're in reverse going the wrong direction. And if you're doing both, you're in drive. Now the degree to which you're doing both is going to determine which gear you're in. But honestly, if you're in drive, or even in neutral, somedays just holding your ground, that's excellent. That's to be celebrated. And there are days where the car goes in reverse. But the key is to have more steps forward than steps back in order to win. So consistency is going to be critical- matching sleep and healthy nutrition with your fitness is going to be critical. And then from there, it's a matter of how quickly you want to achieve those goals. And what exactly are those goals so if the goal is muscle gain, if the goal is weight loss, endurance, if the goal is rehabilitation if it's flexibility, that will tweak the regimen a bit, but ultimately the rules are consistency and a holistic approach that involves stress management, supplementation, sleep, and nutrition.

Adam: Diving a little bit deeper on the topic of nutrition. What advice would you share with listeners? What are your go-to tips and principles?

Jillian: Honestly, this is so simple. And I noticed I didn't say easy, but it is so, so simple. And you can have a million people arguing because they wrote a different book about some study that says it isn't but it is- calories or units of energy. Right? So we burn calories over the course of our day. We burn calories just by breathing, we burn calories just by our hair growing. So involuntary bodily functions require energy. Activity requires energy. And exercise requires a lot of energy. So if we consume foods, all of which have an energy content, if we consume more energy than we burn in a day, no matter how healthy and if we're determining healthy by the micronutrients in the food, the vitamins, the minerals, the polyphenols, the antioxidants, the healthy fats, it's irrelevant when it comes to your weight. I can eat pubblicato and walnuts and wild salmon and olive oil, all amazing foods with tremendous nutritional benefits, but also very high in calories. So if I over-consume my calories, if I take in more energy than my body is utilizing in a day, that energy will be stored as fat. And as fat accumulates in the body over time, it wreaks havoc, it goes between the organs, it goes in the organs, it messes up our endocrine system, it releases inflammatory proteins, and the list goes on and on and on and on. An excess in body fat is linked to over 70 plus diseases from glaucoma, erectile dysfunction to dementia, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. So you do have to watch how much energy you eat. So moving on to that next piece, which is the nutrient contents of the food. You want to avoid crap in your food. So the first thing you want to think about is avoiding as often as possible fake colors, fake sugars, fake fats, preservatives, antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, fungicides, things that are not food. While they happen to be in our food, they are not food. And we should be mindful, that's common sense, period. Now you won't be able to achieve it all the time. I don't achieve it all the time. If I go out to dinner, and I have a salad, I doubt that spinach is organic. I would like it to be. I try to find places where it is. I try to make better choices and choose from the clean 15 fruits and vegetables that have far less pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, when I go out like broccoli is going to be a better choice to have instead of the spinach salad if I go out because broccoli has less pesticides. But the bottom line is if you can make the healthier choice if you can strip out the garbage, 80% of the time, you're winning. So using common sense with food choices by removing the chemicals, the fake foods, the overly processed foods, that's huge, by consuming foods in their most whole form whole grains. You know, you get wild-caught salmon, not farmed salmon that's injected with dyes and the fish is fed a bunch of crap. Grass-fed beef, food in its most natural pull form, you should be eating all three of the macronutrients in their most natural and whole form. Fats, carbohydrates, proteins, but it's not bacon with nitrates and nitrates and dye and preservatives and animals fed hormones and antibiotics. It's clean, organic meat. You don't need a ton of it. Clean, organic dairy, whole grains, real common sense stuff, and don't overeat it. That is the end of this conversation. And people can come at you with a million different arguments about hormones, and microbiomes. And I could go on and on and on. And I know all the studies and I've written all the books. I actually haven't written the microbiome book yet, but I'm thinking about it. But I wrote the hormone book first. I wrote it, I don't know, 15 years ago, and it was called Master Your Metabolism. But what messes up your hormones, and your microbiomes is not eating the way I just mentioned, and not exercising. So when you're sedentary and you eat crappy food, don't move your body, you don't sleep, you don't manage your stress, these things get messed up over time. The way to get them back into shape is by doing everything we just talked about. And in some cases, it works as follows. It's kind of like, let's say something bad happens in your life, and you become depressed. That's a circumstantial depression, situational depression, but that situational depression can become biochemical. And you can have a chemical depression. And in that case, it might require a psychiatrist to come in and say okay, you're in this spiderweb right, and now you're in this biochemical loop, and we need to help put a floor under you with some antidepressants, and a professional will go in, monitor what's going on with your brain chemistry, your mood, very slowly try different medications to help you break out of that cycle. So if you've developed type two diabetes or PCLS or hyperthyroidism from eating crap, not working out, being in toxic environments, and so on, they need an endocrinologist to come in and help you with something like a Metformin or like a Thyroxine, which is a thyroid medication, but they can put you on that and in most cases get you off of it very quickly if you're eating right and exercising. So the reality is, this is a common-sense game period and anybody who tells you it isn't, he's trying to sell you something. Follow your gut and follow common sense. Don't ever eat fake food, move your body. Period. Move your body consistently, and get sleep.

Adam: To that end, do you have any other tips for listeners on how to increase energy and how to improve focus? Any thoughts on meditation tips around enhancing mindfulness?

Jillian: I mean, look, I am the queen of looking for any extra edge I can find. The benefits of meditation are staggering. I mean, I've read every study I wrote about it in my last book, I've talked to every expert I can find. The reality is some of us struggle with it. I struggle with it. I am terrible at it, but it doesn't mean you give up. The benefits are damn near baffling. Some of us take to it well, some of us don't. But don't give up on it. Even if it's, like, you know, five minutes in the morning, 10 minutes on your lunch break, 15 minutes before bed. Try to grab those moments of peace and chill. And we get a little better at it as we, you know, we practice consistently. Try to do it four times a week. You don't need hour-long sessions, 45-minute sessions. I'm huge on supplementation- huge to the degree of almost, you know being a bit unrelatable. However, as a person who does have ADD and does need to be focused all the time I've become, I don't even know what the word is- religious, methodical, meticulous, obsessive about how to streamline my focus, and I utilize different supplements. So I utilize everything from ashwagandha to strategic caffeine and supplementation throughout my day. Matcha. Saffron hydration is critical. Sleep is critical. And we're really starting to see the overwhelming benefits for mood, cognitive function, helping with anxiety and depression in even Alzheimer's patients. So there's actually a supplement company that I invested in called The Alaya Naturals. There's a founder, her name's Shauna Reiter. And she was talking to me about how she's going to be developing this saffron product for exactly the things we were talking about. But it's harder to find right now, because it's very expensive and the supply is not tremendous. With that said, you can find other supplements. There's something on the market right now called subforea that I take, and I take all the Alaya Naturals stuff, and that in conjunction with sleep and hydration and caffeine, no more than 400 milligrams- 200 in the morning and 200 in the early afternoon helped me tremendously with my focus.

Adam: Jillian, on The Biggest Loser a big part of your job was to motivate candidates to lose weight to get into better shape. And you use all kinds of tactics. Now, that was a TV show. And you were working with a subset of people, people who you felt needed to turn their health around or they would face extremely dire consequences. But I wanted to ask you more broadly what you thought the most effective ways are to motivate people, people you're working with as a trainer, people you're working with in business and what you believe are the most effective ways to motivate yourself.

Jillian: Well, first of all, you have to appreciate that everyone is different, and one size does not fit all. The second thing you have to understand is the difference between inspiration and motivation. So inspiration is something that comes from outside of us. We read a story, we hear a talk, we listen to a song we heard, a show we watched, what have you- something that we went, wow, I'm moved, I relate. If they can do it, I can do it. Something that moves us and catalyzes our interaction. Motivation is something that comes from inside of us. And that is the why and this comes from Nietzsche, right? And Viktor Frankl. If you've got the why to live for you can tolerate the how - the how being the work and the sacrifice associated with the goal. So what you can do when working with other people is help them identify their why. So from an inspiration standpoint, you lead by example. So that goes without saying, right? You walk the walk, you talk the talk, you blazed the trail. And some people will see you and go, wow, they motivate me, they inspire me. If they can do it, I can do it. That's the inspiration component, the motivation component, all we can really do is ask leading questions, start to open somebody's mind up to the possibilities. If we're working with them directly, we give them or facilitate for them small accomplishments that help to gradually rebuild their confidence, their self-worth and their belief in their abilities because a lot of times people have these limiting beliefs of who they are, what they can and can't do. And they don't believe in a reality they haven't experienced. So if you give them an achievement that they didn't think possible, no matter how small, that's what this is. Small successes, equal big successes over time, small wins, because they're gradually redefining somebody's self-image, and gradually building their confidence, self-worth and self-esteem. So you put goals within the learning zone, and then you give them the tools and the information to achieve those small goals. So now you're helping, right? You're helping them believe in themselves and believe in that possibility, while simultaneously helping them determine why it's worth doing the work. Is it looking great in your wedding dress? Is it you know, looking great at Spring Break in a two-piece instead of a one-piece, if you're dealing with a teenager. Is it you know, walking your daughter down the aisle, if you've got a 60-year-old guy who just had a quadruple bypass? Is it you know, who knows living to be a centenarian? What is it? What does that person care about, and helping them figure out what they care about- being a role model for their kids, right? Just looking better and feeling good about the way they look. But it's going to be different for each person. So those three things are the ways you want to tackle it. Lead by example, to inspire and help rebuild their confidence with small accomplishments in the learning zone and give them the tools and the knowledge to achieve those small things. And then asking them leading questions and getting them thinking about what it is they're really passionate about so they can tolerate the work associated with change.

Adam: That advice is applicable, whether you're a personal trainer or whether you're leading any organization. And to that end, I wanted to ask you, what do you believe are the key characteristics of an effective leader and how can anyone listening to our conversation become a better leader?

Jillian: I can't say that I'm a tremendous leader. What I can tell you is that when I deal with employees, I really try hard to build. Like the break part. I'm not that into if I have to break you, if I've got to reprimand you constantly. And that's an employee I actually don't want to deal with. I don't enjoy that. I like teaching and I like helping somebody grow. I like helping someone recognize their potential. But I'm not into the person that shows up late and likes going after that person, or reprimanding them. That's not me. If I have to deal with that then that person's gone. I don't want to deal with it. I might mention it once. And then they're out. Because to me, if you show me who you are, I believe you. If you're struggling with something, and I see that person trying, then I'm going to go in and I'm going to pour a lot of effort and a lot of energy into teaching them and guiding them and giving them the tools and grooming them. So if you show up with a willing mind, a willing heart, and an open mind, right? That's the employee I'm gonna focus on. And to me, it's a lot of building. It's a lot of educating, building, educating, building. If I've got to break that person, that's not me, I'm not interested. And I am not a great leader to talk to you because you're the first one out, I don't want to deal with it.

Adam: I think that's important for everyone to soak in. And I want to ask you a little bit more about your business experience. You launched The Fitness App a number of years ago. What are the best lessons you learn from your journey as a fitness entrepreneur?

Jillian: Gosh, I would say as an entrepreneur in general, one of the most serious lessons I've learned, and this is no joke- is legal advice. You must be so, so careful with any legal advice you take, and we're very quick to presume that the lawyers or you know, it transcends business, it could be the doctor, it could be, who knows, but that they're gonna know better. And in some cases, when we're intimidated by things, we take a hands-off approach, right? Oh, they got it, they'll deal with it. So they're micromanaging or we have hands-off, both being extremely dangerous and detrimental. The key is to be involved and make sure that you have your hands on everything. Make sure you understand everything, but you can't micromanage it and you can't walk away from it. So I've gotten bad legal advice a couple of times, and it has been literally borderline catastrophic. You’ve got to read everything in the contract, you got to make sure you understand it. Make the person explain it to you, get a second opinion on it, pay the money, because it's worth it because you will pay tenfold if you don't down the road. It's absolutely critical that you have good legal advice. I would say that you really need to educate yourself before taking action. And I'm not asking for the perfect plan because if you sit there and you're trying to make everything perfect, then you're never going to act. But before you begin something, you better know everything about it, or everything that you can do as much as you can know, to mitigate an absolute catastrophe. Because so often we think that action, right, we bring action to our intention, and everything's great. It's the exact opposite. If you bring misinformed action to intentions, you're going to have a disaster on your hands. If you don't do your homework, and you open up a business, but you didn't know anything about payroll taxes and insurance for that business and all the different laws, rules, fees, taxes, costs associated with that business, you're going out of business. So making sure that you understand almost every single component of that industry and you're best prepared before going in are going to mitigate failures and make them less severe. So you can learn from them and move forward, instead of having them devastate you financially or professionally. And those would be the two things that I recommend. The most fervently are, don't micromanage and don't hands off it, make sure that you know what's going on in every aspect of your business, make sure that you know everything you sign that you have solid legal advice, it's been double-checked, and make sure you do your homework before bringing action to any plan.

Adam: Jillian, I heard some really interesting lessons in there; bring in experts, but make sure you understand what they're talking about. Something that I've shared with listeners a number of times on this podcast, a great quote from John Wooden; “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” And number three, being an entrepreneur is really, really hard. I want to ask you one last question. What can anyone do to develop a winning mindset?

Jillian: You know, if we're going to speak frankly, I think that there are certain things in life that happen to us, right? I was listening to Eckhart Tolle, the other day, give a talk. I was watching it on YouTube. And he was talking about how the nature of life is disruptive. And he's like, you might have a day where your job's going good and your health is solid, and your relationship is fantastic. Your car didn’t break down, your kids aren't having a problem or a meltdown or an issue. And he's like that might happen. But it's brief and fleeting before the shoe drops. And he's like, maybe you notice, and I literally could not help but laugh out loud- and it goes and I'm here to tell you it's not just you. But I think so often we do feel like why me? Am I the epitome of Murphy's Law? And the more that life goes on and bad shit happens, which it does, I think in some cases, it can shift the way that we think. It can shift our confidence and it can create these bad thought patterns of like, I'm cursed, I'm a victim, I can't get out of this. I can't fix this, nothing is working. And we start to literally only see the bad which, to a certain extent is a survival mechanism, right? We've evolved to see threats and danger. But it almost begets itself, right? Because the more it happens to you, the more it changes the way you think and the way you feel and what you believe, which then changes your actions, which then determines your reality, so becomes this vicious cycle. So I would say if you're caught up in this cycle of like, I keep losing, I keep failing, it keeps falling apart, bad things keep happening to me. Everybody's crooked. Everybody's bad. This is life. So the first thing you need to know is it's not you, you're not a victim. This is the nature of life and everyone's going through it. Then the next thing you need to figure out is what can you do that is in your control? What are you responsible for, and change that piece, because you're not a victim there. And then from that part, start to look for the things that are working, start to train your brain to find the things that are going your way. And I have to do this personally, all the time. Like I took a friend to the gym the other day, and I was like, oh, it's gonna be a pain and they're gonna want you to fill out all this shit and they're gonna give us a hard time. And they're gonna think I'm trying to train you. And the kid was lovely because they go, I have a guest pass no problem. Let me just see his ID. Okay, great. You guys want to tour today? No. All right, go ahead. And I was like, oh my god, that was so easy. Look how easy that was. And I started to constantly focus on what's working for me. What am I doing, that's working? What went my way? What people were nice and kind? And I trained my brain to see the good and the positive, I trained my brain to understand that I'm not a victim, that shit happens to everyone. And then I learned what I can do with those things that went south, and what opportunities for growth as it provided me and that was Eckhart Tolle’s point is that these things happen to make you grow, to make you change, to make you evolve. And that's what you need to remember is that when things are going sideways, they're going sideways for a reason. They're trying to teach you something, and they're trying to teach you something so that you get better. And you achieve. What did you use? You're here to achieve, you're not an accident. You were not created by accident. Everybody is here for a reason. These things are designed to make you better prepared for the right opportunities, as I mentioned a bit earlier. Think of it that way.

Adam: Jillian, thank you for all the great advice and thank you for being a part of Thirty Minute Mentors.

Jillian: Oh my gosh, it's my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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