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Hey Reader, I posted a video the other day of Jagger throwing a bunch of balls at Dave and Buster's. He was targeting Cucuis and having the time of his life…
Instantly, my inbox was flooded with messages. People kept saying how much they couldn't believe he's grown. They repeated the old cliches about time flying. They said time's a thief and life happens way too fast. But I watched that video and realized something different… These last two years of my life haven't flown by at all. I've been more present than ever. It actually feels much longer than two years. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because of a harsh reality I noticed. We can physically watch our kids develop. But we can't mentally see how we're evolving. A lot of people settle into being the Ghost Parent. They're physically in the room, but their energy is completely drained. Look at your kid. Now look in the mirror. Are you growing as fast as they are? Use their birthdays as a timestamp. Last year, you were too exhausted to play tag. This year, you're chasing them across the yard without losing your breath. Pull up a photo of yourself from two years ago… Are you sleeping better, thinking clearer, and moving faster today? If not, it's time to fix the engine. Tomorrow morning, when your kid shows you something new they've learned, make a choice. Decide exactly what new habit you're going to build by this time next year. Let's grow together.
PS: What's one way you've mentally grown in the last two years? Hit REPLY and let me know. |
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“I never want to get married. I never want to have kids,” I said. We were sitting in her apartment in Costa Mesa. The room lost its life. She looked down, then turned to face me. “Ever?” Courtney responded. I looked away and shook my head. “Well, not in the foreseeable future.” Her eyes swelled with tears before she turned and walked to her room. I wanted to chase her. But instead, I walked out and pulled shut the heaviest door of my life. And then we broke up… Or so I thought. That conversation feels like a lifetime ago. Tomorrow, Courtney and I are celebrating our five-year wedding anniversary.
My younger self was terrified of turning into my father. I thought building a wall was the safest way to protect myself. But I soon realized I shouldn't let my disdain for his behavior block me from the life I truly wanted. We originally planned to continue our epic global Steak House Tour to celebrate this five-year milestone. A night of fine dining at Ruth Chris's or Mastros…. But instead, we are packing up the stroller, apple juice, diapers and taking two-year-old Jagger to Disneyland. And honestly? I wouldn't trade it for the world. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because growth requires sacrifice. Change is constant, but growth is a choice. We often lock ourselves into a rigid idea of who we are. We think we have to stick to the script we wrote years ago… But a growing family requires new choices. A growing body requires a new approach to fitness. When Court, Jagger, Kona, (yes, they count although they don't speak) and I meet to discuss our dreams, we always begin with the end in mind. Our Champagne Dreams today looks very different than it did years ago. I want to be present for my family. I want to chase Mickey Mouse instead of a Michelin star. You have to be willing to let go of the person you were to become the person you are meant to be… But what about you, Reader? What old script are you still holding onto? Where are you fighting change instead of leaning into growth? You got this. Let's make it happen.
P.S. I’ve survived my fair share of triathlons, but dodging crowds and chasing Jagger through Toontown tomorrow is the ultimate test of human endurance. Pray for my step count… |
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Hey Reader, Last month was an absolute whirlwind of moving, sleepless nights, and pure chaos. Through all that turmoil, my son Jagger started school. Courtney and I decided to drop him off together. We agreed to be swift and not make a big deal out of it. I looked at Courtney and asked, “Ready?” We walked Jagger to the classroom and told him we loved him. We said, “Mama and Dada will be back.” Then we didn't look back and walked away in stoic silence. We just drove back in the Tesla in tense silence as we waited for the first update from his teacher. I was terrified he wouldn't nap or that he'd have one of his “Dark Jagger” moments. I kept reloading the app looking for a message. Then it finally came….
He cried for 40 minutes… I couldn't hear him, but I could feel his little heart at home. But then something clicked for the little guy. He calmed down and actually started loving it. He loved the novelty, the new friends, and the playtime. But most importantly, he loved the routine. A few days later, he asked us, “School?” “Sorry buddy, not on Saturdays..” I smiled. As the dust settled on our chaotic month, I had to look at our own household routines. Everything from our meal planning and bedtime to my workouts had taken a hit… We were suffering from massive decision fatigue. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because routines dictate our reality. You have to actively build systems that serve your health, your family, and your fitness. Test this system out tomorrow morning: before you pour your coffee, drink 30oz of water and take four deep nasal breaths. You'll physically feel the morning fog lift within twenty minutes. Build the systems that build the life and health you desire. That's exactly what my high-performing clients are doing… When chaos hits, they don't rely on willpower. They stack simple daily dominos, like stretching before checking their phones, to guarantee their energy never crashes. They take the unpredictable and make it predictable. They turn chaos into calm. You can't out-logic biological burnout. It's time to stop treating your health like a 2 AM fire drill and build a standard operating procedure for a body that won't quit on you. Let's make it happen. 💪 LivFit 365 High-PerformersPlease take a moment to recognize the outstanding achievers who are building high-performance human systems. Jesse Galeana Talk about building a legendary family legacy. Jesse and his wife shredded fifty pounds together by locking in bulletproof household guardrails. The man is unstoppable. Phu Phan Building a powerhouse starts with Air. Adhering to his breathing moments transformed him into a completely anchored father and business owner. Yolanda Phan She knows her body is the ultimate sanctuary. Leveraging physical presence to bring peace makes her an absolute rock for her kids. Glanda Phan She completely mastered the Survival Chain. Hitting a year of consistency by honoring the right order is the ultimate recipe for massive success. Dr. Omar Guzman Triathlete ✔️ Omar embraced the fear of the open water, and came out with his first triathlon medal. Small strokes, huge changes. Congrats! Krystal Guzman Chaos stands no chance against her drive. Crushing a 13.1 mile run with her mom is a beautifully powerful moment for her entire family. Kim Travis Drop the mic because she's winning the Life Game. Hitting her lowest weight in years cements that her next upgrade is her greatest yet. Anna Shad Beauty and strength are completely colliding right here. Her unrelenting commitment to leveling up proves she is designing a beautifully unshakable architecture. Fred Ghamari We love a guy who protects his bandwidth. Minimizing mental loops to lower stress makes him the ultimate present father and husband. Kristin Erickson Mastering the Nightly Street Sweeper is her secret weapon. Leveraging the breath to bring deep calm guarantees her days and nights are optimized. Yes Ordorica She officially upgraded her Internal Operating System. Cementing new breath techniques completely revolutionized every single facet of her glowing well being. Mike Celeya This guy is slaying absolute dragons out there. Getting stronger with every single challenge guarantees he's climbing straight to the elite tier. Colleen Smith Simple done with fierce consistency is pure magic. Liberating herself through daily habits shows she finally built a house that is fireproof. Mitch Moshe He's absolutely operating at He Man status. Committing to higher consistency to banish back pain proves we completely control our own hardware. Pooneh Mashadi Life keeps throwing heavy tests her way. Always having the right answer through fierce consistency shows her armor is completely bulletproof. Karla Ceja She's making massive waves. Conquering the ocean to prove her potential shows her family exactly what true courage really looks like. Carol Gorelick She finally put herself at the top of the list. Carving out time for her own personal growth will open doors we thought were closed. Nicole Collins Life moves fast but she steers the ship perfectly. Making time for herself with absolute grace ensures her next brilliant version is already here. Alex Flores Say goodbye to the panza and hello to peace. Committing to his breathing for dramatic mental improvements makes this father an absolute titan. LivFit 365 Family Fitness CoachingPlease welcome my new families. Your success is why I exist. I promise to do my absolute best to ensure you succeed. Eddie Chavez Welcome to the LivFit Fam. I'm grateful to serve you. LivFit Coaching Calls – Fridays (12 pm PST/ 3pm PST)Want the ultimate fitness cheat sheet? I've packed 22 years of experience into these sessions, giving you the tools and knowledge to transform your body and mind. No more wasted time, just pure, results-driven knowledge to help you eat right, train effectively, and make healthy habits stick. LivFit Live Group Workouts – Saturdays (8am PST/ 11am EST)Say goodbye to boring workouts and hello to a fitness experience that's as unique as you are! Our live group sessions offer a dynamic blend of everything your body and mind need: strength, cardio, flexibility, meditation… and maybe even a few laughs along the way.
P.S. Remember: you don't rise to the level of your willpower; you fall to the level of your systems. Stop fighting biological burnout alone and start stacking daily dominos. |
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Hey Reader You're reading this because you are officially done feeling soft. You want a body and mind that run like a Swiss watch.
I love writing these newsletters, but I only land in your inbox a three times a week. Your stress, on the other hand, doesn't operate on a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday schedule...rats. What happens when you hit that 3:00 PM wall today? The cure takes exactly 60 seconds. I just posted the exact Body Throttle video I use to immediately drop my heart rate over on Instagram. And just yesterday on LinkedIn, I shared a quick story about a founder who used the Drink Domino to completely snap out of a morning fog right before a massive board meeting. I post these rapid-fire wins every single day to help you apply the 5 Daily Dominos in real time. It's the exact stuff you need to consume when you require a fast reset but don't have time to read a full email. Don't take my word for it. Click below, watch the latest 60-second video, and test the breathing technique right now at your desk. See if you don't physically feel your shoulders drop. Let's stay connected between emails. Pick your platform:
PS: Jagger discovered how to turn cardboard boxes into spaceships this weekend, which means my living room is currently a hazard zone. If you need a quick mental escape from your own daily chaos, come hang out on Instagram where my tips are slightly more organized. |
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Hey Reader, I jumped on a Zoom call with a 1-on-1 client this week. I always start my sessions with a standard procedure. I ask what they're grateful for while we do some deep diaphragmatic breathing. It usually sets a great tone… But this time, it didn't work. Instead of gratitude, he went into a complete tailspin. I asked him what he was grateful for. He paused and said, “Well, this week was a crazy week because…” He looked completely frazzled. He seemed distraught and so tired. He was incredibly stressed.
I let him vent about his overflowing inbox, personal problems and his back-to-back meetings. Then I stopped him and asked one question. “How was your breathing this week?” He looked confused, then admitted he'd been fighting a clogged nose all week. He thought he was failing because of his workload. But his real problem wasn't his calendar. It was his airway. We didn't talk about his schedule. We just tackled his very first Daily Domino. I walked him through a quick Body Throttle reset focusing on lateral rib expansion. I had him pinch his nose, close his mouth, and nod his head 10 to 15 times. We repeated this a few times until he could finally breathe through his nose again. He took a massive deep breath in. He instantly said he felt so much better. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because your brain acts according to how your body feels. When your body feels like it's suffocating, your brain matches that feeling. When you run on a cracked foundation, your brain creates imaginary dragons. Every minor annoyance turns into a five-alarm fire. You end up paying a massive 3:00 PM Decision Tax, snapping at your kids, and turning into a Ghost Parent by the time dinner rolls around. When that happens, you need to check in with yourself. Where's your breath right now? Are you holding it? Is it stuck in your upper chest? Is your breathing really quick? Are you hunched over? Those answers will give you absolute clarity on what you're experiencing. They show you exactly how to combat the stress. Take one deep breath in and let one soothing breath out. It stops your brain from making things worse. One deep breath's all you need to start fighting for peace.
PS: If you still don't breathe through your nose always. Please hit REPLY, and let me help you. I'll show you exactly what to do. I don't let any of my family or friends mouth-breathe. It matters that much… |
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Hi Reader, For a long time, I thought a constant, low-grade level of stress was just the price of ambition. I thought it was the fuel giving me the drive to succeed.
It wasn't until I was forced to pause a few years ago that I realized something terrifying: that stress wasn't fueling my potential...it was a hidden drag on my life, keeping me from being fully present with the people who matter most. I recently sat down with the team at CanvasRebel and we ended up talking about this exact realization. We dug into the myth that success has to cost you your life, and how we can actually use our bodies to eliminate stress (not just “manage” it). If you’ve ever felt like your drive is secretly draining you, you can read the short interview here: [CanvasRebel Interview] I’d love to know. Have you ever mistaken stress for ambition? Hit reply and let me know.
PS: We cover a lot of ground in the CanvasRebel interview, but the most important part is halfway through where we break down exactly why “managing” stress is a trap, and how prioritizing simple daily inputs like your breath and movement flips the script entirely. [Read the breakdown here] |
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I was in the park with my son Jagger and our dog, Kona, this weekend… when I thought about a frustrated client I spoke with recently. He is a high-performing dad who has been crushing it for months. He got his step count up, improved his water intake, and dialed in his workouts. But sleep has a lot of moving pieces, and it just wasn't quite there yet. He was getting frustrated. He jokingly pushed his stomach out, rubbed his belly, and said, “What about this, Tony? How do I get rid of this?” I smiled and pointed to my book, Get Me Skinny! I told him I spent the first 16 years of my career solving that exact problem.
I got it so dialed in that I hit 92% accuracy. But you know what happened? Those people who lost 50 or 100 lbs… they didn't keep it off. That reality stung. We essentially know the inputs for weight loss, but if we don't habituate and systematize, we default back. We used to tackle the dominos in the completely wrong order. We would go for exercise, then nutrition, then maybe water… and we completely ignored the breath. Now I know that without optimal breathing and maximizing oxygen flow, your body stays stuck in chronic low-grade stress. You are inadvertently suffocating yourself. It makes weight loss hard, sleep hard, and recovery impossible. In Phase 1 of our LivFit 365 program, we focus on the Breath Domino first to act as your Body Throttle. My client has done great work with his water and breath, and he is almost to that Promised Land. Sleep is the final puzzle. I told him that once we solve that Sleep Domino, I can rest assured that when he is 80, he won't have to worry about Alzheimer's or certain diseases. Because dialing in your sleep system is infinitely more important than just looking good this summer. But we'll do that too… Building this infrastructure is exactly what we do for the entire household. Right now, my coaching program is completely full, and I'm not taking new clients. But I want to give you a free test drive of the survival chain hierarchy today. Take a second to reflect on your past fitness attempts… Did you go after exercise and nutrition first and completely skip the first three dominos of breath, water, and sleep?. Reply and tell me your order of operations. It's Gametime!
PS: Kona successfully stole one of Jagger's toys again today… rats!. I guess I'll be spending my afternoon negotiating a trade with a Golden Retriever. |
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I'd just completed my second Ironman triathlon. My body was completely destroyed. I was recovering in Cancun, Mexico, sitting outside on a quiet patio balcony. The soft tropical rain was falling. I sat there watching the green rainforest trees and digging into my anatomy books. I had this burning passion to write after the success of my first book, Get Me Skinny! So I opened up my NASM fundamentals textbook. I went through and picked out over 50 fitness topics and facts about anatomy. I thought about the clients I train in person and online. I realized something shocking about their faulty motor patterns. Most females don't know how to turn on their back and lat muscles. Most males can't properly flex their glutes. I thought to myself, “They're just going to the gym and swinging a hammer, but there isn't a nail.” They put in all this hard work but get zero results because they aren't working the muscles as intended. It turns out it's a neuromuscular connection issue. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because your time is too valuable to waste. If your brain isn't communicating with your muscles, you'll never see the changes you want. You need calculated movements, not random guessing. That realization is exactly why I wrote my book, Live Fit. But I didn't want to just write a dry manual. We learn best through stories. That's why I created the character of Aubrey. She goes on a Wizard of Oz style journey to learn how to move properly to turbocharge her results. She meets the a doctor, a drill sergeant, and the wise sage. Each character teaches her a critical fitness lesson to fix those faulty patterns. Self-help books completely changed my trajectory. I've read over 500 of them myself. They gave me the insight I needed to grow, and I want to do the exact same for you. Today, my book is completely free to download. I've also partnered with some incredible authors to give you even more self-help resources.
[Link to Download Live Fit & Partner Books]
PS: Grab your Self Help books for free, and join the 27% of adults who finish a book this year. Here –> <Change Your Life Free Books> |
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I saw my client race through the parking lot and slam on his brakes. He jumped out of his car and completely forgot to say hi to me. He just rushed straight into the studio. Life was happening, and I knew right away he was in total turmoil. He looked right at me and said, “I don't want to do that. I just want to go for a run.” He wanted to get out there and get it done without stretching. It's like a lot of people who refuse to stretch. They feel like they don't have time to slow down.
They think because the world is moving so fast, they'll lose their advantage if they take a pause. So, I just watched him spin. He wasn't present at all. He was totally distracted and replaying all his problems. It highlighted a really important question for me. What do you do when you're practicing your breathing and staying calm, but everyone around you is spinning? You might feel like you need to step in and tell them what to do. But I've learned the hard way that humans hate being told what to do. Everybody craves autonomy. From a toddler to your wife, nobody likes being bossed around. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because the best way to help someone is to simply model the change. We've got to leverage our mirror neurons. When you look calm, the people around you will naturally calm down. If they're still spinning and talking a hundred miles an hour, just slow down and watch them. Are they mouth breathing? Are their pupils dilated? Are they holding their breath? Are their chest and shoulders moving up and down? If they are, know that they're seeing red… Nothing you say will help them, but everything you do will. Breathe and be calm without judging them. I don't even talk about breathing with my clients when they get like this. I just focus on modeling the physical movement of the diaphragm. I do a five-second pull-down inhale through the nose, and then I just let it go. Slow down your own frequency so you can help them find theirs. Let's make it happen today.
PS: I mentioned earlier that nobody likes being bossed around, especially your wife. Seriously, take it from me, as the host of a true crime podcast, Forensic Tales you learn very quickly to just breathe, stay calm, and model good behavior… |
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Jagger was screaming! He was sitting up with his eyes closed and his mouth wide open. The piercing sound bounced off the walls in the middle of the day. That's when I saw him, grabbed him, and hugged him tight. Courtney was right behind me.
“Did the Cucuis get you?” I asked. I was quick to blame the Cucuis on Mama Sofia. I was quick to look out the window instead of looking in the mirror. We completely forgot that we were the ones letting him watch “spookies” before naptime. It just reminded me of how we're quick to blame others for our shortcomings. When something happens right away, it's someone else's fault. When we don't execute, something got in our way. Rarely do we look in the mirror and accept full responsibility for the life we've created. I'm sharing this because we run the exact same script with our bodies. When we hit that brutal 3:00 PM Decision Tax or realize we're turning into a Ghost Parent at the dinner table, we look out the window. We blame the stressful quarter, the endless emails, or the kids' chaotic schedules. If you're waking up with a Swiss Watch body, have tremendous relationships, and your bandwidth is fully protected, kudos to you. You've chosen well. But if your life feels hard, and you don't like what you see in the mirror, then it's time to choose differently. I want to invite you to look at your daily behaviors. Focus entirely on the stuff that's in your control. Maybe it's becoming a 2:00 AM Prisoner to your phone instead of getting your System Reboot. Maybe it's accepting the Soft CEO reality where you win the Money Game in public but lose the Life Game at home. Or maybe it's hitting Wine O'Clock because your baseline is pure exhaustion. There are many ways we refuse to take ownership. But the truth is, there are no Cucuis hiding under your bed stealing your energy. There is no invisible monster causing your afternoon crash. It's just you, and the systems you choose to build. Stop acting like a true-crime detective investigating the scene after you've already lost your temper. Stop reacting to the fallout, and start preventing the crime. Pick just one of your Daily Dominos to master today. Take a single Neuro-Breath before you open your inbox tomorrow morning, and watch how it creates the Breathing Room you need to command your day.
PS: Even throughout the turmoil. The Chueys remain committed to our sleep. It's one of the most important puzzles to solve. |
