Speaker 1: 0:00

At some point in time, every single person has to silence the noise, silence their self-talk and, one day at a time, discipline, consistency, high energy Are you feeling that from Lexi and her story?

Speaker 2: 0:14

And here we are, about four and a half years later, and I'm full-time Lexi J Wellness. I've got a team behind me and we've impacted I'm proud to say tens of thousands of people across the United States.

Speaker 1: 0:38

Welcome back to another episode of the Burn. I am Ben Newman and you know how we do this. Every single week we're going to bring you a story of an athlete, an entertainer, a celebrity, somebody from the business world who helps us understand that why and purpose is not enough. There's this underlying burn that ignites your why and purpose and causes you to show up on the days you don't feel like it, and especially after you win. So I got a big smile on my face because today's guest is a special guest.

Speaker 1: 1:11

I bet she doesn't even know how much she inspires me, but she is part of the First Form family, which you all know means so much to me. But when I think of Lexi Johnson, I think of somebody who attacks life every single day, I think of somebody who lives discipline, I think of somebody who drives consistency and I think of somebody who has committed to serving and making a difference in other people's lives, which is what brings joy to all of her energy. Because if you're not following her on social media, you better start following her on social media. You'll know what I'm talking about the joy and energy she brings to everything that she does, whether it's an amazing event in incredible places, which we will talk about later, or it's something she chooses to do for First Form, or something she chooses to do for first form, or something she does to give back outside of Kansas City and across the country. I think you guys are going to love this conversation. I think you will be inspired by this conversation. My friend Lexi Johnson, welcome to the Burn.

Speaker 2: 2:20

That was so flattering. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited.

Speaker 1: 2:24

Well, I'm excited for many, many reasons, which I told you before we hit record. I may surprise you with some of them, but I really want to start with the topic of comfort, uncover some of what your burn is. When I look at your story and I think about the life that you and Brett have and just the amazing things that you guys have done. And you had a great job as a dental hygienist and that's a fantastic job and there was probably some comfort that you had with that job and some consistency that you had with that job. And you decided to turn your life upside down and get uncomfortable and chase your dreams.

Speaker 1: 3:10

And I think there's a lot of people listening who choose to stay comfortable rather than chasing their dreams. They choose to just continue to do what they've always done rather than chasing what they could be. And I think your story is such a powerful example of getting uncomfortable and really chasing your dreams. Tell us a little bit about that decision. Was it fueled by the burn? Like what caused you to leave comfort to go? Now do the amazing things you're doing.

Speaker 2: 3:38

Yeah, so I was a dental hygienist and when the pandemic shut my gym down, I decided to take on a side hustle. That ended up being a full-time job while I was working my full-time job of doing at-home full-length dumbbell only workouts. So I wanted to to give men and women across the across the country an opportunity to really just pour into themselves in that unknown situation, like everyone was in that cruddy situation together, and I felt like there was a window of opportunity for people to really to develop when the world was crumbling around us. But you talk about the burn and, as you're saying that, I can pinpoint very specifically what that brings me back to.

Speaker 2: 4:18

So my dad was overweight my entire life. He had four heart attacks, which I mean four heart attacks is terrifying and especially you're a father but you always think your dad is just larger than life and he's invincible. My dad's a firefighter, so I felt like he was the toughest guy on the planet and to see him hooked up to machines and lying in a hospital bed just helpless, it really shocked me to my core. His first heart attack was when I was in junior high and I, one after the other, he just kept choosing those four habits that were landing him back in the hospital. And it was just so frustrating from the outside looking in, because it felt like suicide by lifestyle, like he was just choosing these things day in and day out and eventually the other shoe was going to drop and he was not going to survive a fifth heart attack. So this happened for really my entire childhood, into my early adulthood, and anytime I had tried to have a conversation with him I just didn't have the confidence or the tools to really navigate that well, and you know, tell him how it was affecting me, tell him what he needed to hear the hard truth that I can now.

Speaker 2: 5:18

So I had decided when I was in college, I was home for Thanksgiving break and I said I was just going to write a letter. I'll leave it on his nightstand and I'll just go back to school. That way I can say everything I need to. And in that letter I said selfishly I need you there to walk me down the aisle. I want you to meet my kids. I just I feel like the way that you're living is one that's satisfied with 50 years and that's unacceptable to me, like I need you to do this. And he called me as I was on my way back to school and we had a really hard, hard conversation and I feel like rooting that back and how it was affecting me and how I wanted him to be around. How you know, my mom needed him around, his grandkids needed him around. That really hit home and he gave me that letter back when he lost a hundred pounds.

Speaker 2: 5:59

So he's he'd lost 120 pounds and kept it off for the past four years now and seeing that entire transformation, I got a front row seat to really not just one person changing their life, but seeing how it affects every single person that comes into contact with him. Because my dad took that step. I have a better dad. I got a better dad of the deal. My mom got a better husband. He got a promotion at work, so now he is a captain. He's a reliable figure in that department. My nieces and nephews get to, you know, shoot hoops and ride bikes with their grandpa and now it's inconceivable to them that he would ever be on the sidelines and not be an active participant in their life.

Speaker 2: 6:40

Thinking that a girl from a town of 400 could actually make a difference could impact at scale. Because when you come up and we talked about this before we started recording. But when you graduate from a town and you graduate with 20 kids, everyone comes back. Everyone does what everyone in that little town does and it didn't seem possible for me to be able to change the world or make an impact. And seeing that in my dad it just got me thinking, kind of got my wheels turning. As far as you know, if I could just help one mom, then it wouldn't stop with her, it would impact her kids, it would impact, you know, the people that she worked with her spouse, and if I could just do that one person at a time, I would eventually make a really big impact.

Speaker 2: 7:16

So for me to take that leap from dental hygiene, as that was, you know, be happening in my personal life, I felt like you know, I would be doing myself and so many other people's a disservice if I didn't go for it. The worst thing that would happen is I just I decided that you know I failed, but I wasn't going to, I was going to let that failure be on me, I wasn't going to leave it up to chance as if I just didn't go for it, because that's a that's a failure in itself. So I did that full time for a year before quitting dental hygiene. And here we are, about four and a half years later and I'm full time Lexi J Wellness. I've got a team behind me and we've impacted I'm proud to say tens of thousands of people across the United States.

Speaker 2: 7:57

Yeah it's and.

Speaker 1: 7:58

I was. I was gonna say before you just said it, but Lexi J Wellness was born through that amazing story and the number of lives that you've touched has just been incredible. And you know, one of the things that First Form does every single year is they choose that athlete of the year. I think it's somebody who embodies First Form and the integrity and the values and the meaning behind the company and having that, you know, belief in yourself that you can do anything and anything is possible.

Speaker 1: 8:28

And I remember seeing the video a long time ago and quick shout out to our mutual friend, Josh Buford from from Alma, Missouri, who got us connected. He's the old quarterbacks coach at Kansas state who's now at Texas A&M, but Josh is a great guy, Originally made the connection for us and I think of watching one of the initial videos that I saw after. You know he had told me about you and we got connected and it was you seeing that poster of you out at like Summer Smash and they just drape it down and bang, there you are. What did that feel like to know everything you just shared and then to see something like that on such a national stage with a brand like First Form what did that feel like?

Speaker 2: 9:12

It was such a surreal moment and I'm glad that people captured it on video because I don't feel like I could soak it in. It just didn't feel real. But to see that and then to go up on stage and to be given the opportunity to speak to other people just like me that are just starting, or maybe they're in that position where they're working a nine to five that's not fulfilling them, that they have that burn, that they feel you know I can be contributing more, I could be more useful, I could be giving back, and to let them know that it's possible. I think that it's so important to share that story and to let them know that I am just like them. I'm no different.

Speaker 2: 9:46

It's just that I just decided to start and never quit, and it was a really empowering moment after, just to be able to interact with those people that are in that position, that I was in just a few steps back just to give them that belief. I think that it's incredibly empowering to be able to see someone that came from a similar situation or that you know didn't start, you know, on the top of the mountain where we often think we see these people on social media or in positions like yours and you think, well, ben Newman was born in that spot and that's not the case. Those people, just they decided to start and they're not giving up. It's just one day at a time, and then once you kind of conceive that it's just consistency and allowing time to pass that it's absolutely in the cards for you as well.

Speaker 1: 10:26

I love it. And you actually just dropped the foreshadow and you have no idea what I was going to talk about next, which is one of the main reasons why I wanted to have you on the show. So crazy the foreshadow that you just dropped. But no, I did not just land where I am in my life. I mean, I'm a hardworking kid. I mean I was selling hot dogs for $3.25 an hour when I was 13 years old. I always had jobs, from busboy to waiter to everything, and one of the pieces of my story which I'm trying to think I don't know if I've ever spoke about it on the burn. And this is really like. It's like one of the main reasons like we have to have Lexi on the show. Lexi, I was 125 pounds in fifth grade and I was very heavy and I was teased. I remember the presidential physical fitness award. I step on the scale and I'm like why do we have to do this fitness assessment?

Speaker 1: 11:25

Right Like there's nothing fitness about me. And I remember standing on the on the scale and a kid behind me you know they read off my number and I mean I was heavy, I mean I, it was uncomfortable and this kid calls me beluga butt and all of a sudden everybody's laughing and he's laughing and it hurt me so deep to the core and I've struggled with body image issues ever since. I mean it became to where my father, would you know, say things to me that were completely out of line and they were demeaning and they were hurtful and I was always able to.

Speaker 1: 12:01

I mean, back then I didn't call it a burn, but I was able to turn it into this burn by my love for basketball and, thank goodness, I got to six foot two. I stretched out a little bit and lost some of my body fat, but you know, a lot of it was, it was pain that caused me to say I'm not going to be heavy again, Right, and so I've gone through all of these body image issues which now, you know, people are like oh my gosh, it's crazy. You work out every day, you do this crazy workout. Well, a lot of it is just like I know I'm not going back there and this is the way that I know how to control it. Going back there and this is the way that I know how to control it.

Speaker 1: 12:40

But I share this to bring up for you the video that I thought was absolutely beautiful, because so many people struggle with body image in so many different ways. Right, it could be somebody who is heavy as a kid, like me, and then all of a sudden saying I will never go back there. I cannot go back there. I don't want that I don't want to be teased. I don't like how that felt.

Speaker 1: 12:59

And you put out this absolutely beautiful video on social media where you just, with amazing transparency and vulnerability, and you told your story really, which is the way that I viewed the story was, this is the way society says Lexi Johnson should be, but Lexi Johnson is going to be who Lexi Johnson is supposed to be, and to now see how you lead, to now see the energy that you bring to others, to now see the health that you live with, it is so beautiful. I'm going to shut up. Thank you for inspiring me, because I don't know if I would have gone this angle on a burn episode if it wasn't for watching that video, and I think this is so important for people who struggle with body image, who struggle with the way society tells them they're supposed to look. Let me be quiet. Tell your story, because it really is amazing.

Speaker 2: 13:52

Yeah, so in the video that he's mentioning, and to give a little backstory, I've always been an athlete growing up and you know, as we know, muscle is really dense. It's going to take, or it's going to cause you to weigh a little bit more than maybe you appear. So I remember being in high school and as a girl I was 150 pounds. I'm five, eight, so I'm a little bit taller. But I remember, like, looking to the left and right and all my friends were like 120, and anybody that I saw on social media or anybody on TV, they were 120 or 130. So I felt like something's wrong with me, that I am this heavy. So then I got into my head that I'm going to be 130 pounds. Like, come hell or high water, I'm going to make it happen. I would make deals with myself as far as, like I'm not going to get off this treadmill until I hit X number, like it doesn't matter how miserable I am, I'm going to make it happen. And I just had that number in my head and it was fixated and I felt like as soon as I stepped on the scale, if it read 130, then boom, all the problems in the world would disappear. I would be so carefree and happy. And I worked my ass off to get to 130. And every single day I was thinking once I get there, then I will stop feeling this way, I'll stop feeling unworthy, I'll stop feeling you know less, less than. And I stepped on the scale and it read 130. And my immediate thought was like I bet, I bet at 128 would probably feel even better. And it was then that I realized it's, it's not going to stop. It wouldn't stop there Because once I hit 128, I bet 125 would be even more appealing.

Speaker 2: 15:21

And I decided I have to change my mindset, because I can look in the mirror and I can see that all the hard work is paying off, that I have this physically fit body, but I am not well in the head, as far as I don't feel good Mentally, my mindset is poor and it's just a race to zero at this point. So I pivoted and I'm like I'm. I'm an athlete, I am going to be as strong as possible, I'm going to be as physically fit as possible and that scale I'm not going to let three digits on my bathroom floor dictate. You know my mindset and my head space and the way that I lead in the way that I show up. So from there I really just started training like an athlete, like I used to, the way that I actually enjoy the way that you know, causes me, or leads me, to be as functionally fit as possible.

Speaker 2: 16:02

And now I I'm very vocal and transparent about how much I weigh. I weigh like 168, 170 some days, and if you would have told me that in high school I would have passed away. I would have thought that I was morbidly obese. Just because I had that in my head, that 150 was so heavy that I couldn't conceive of anything heavier. And now you know, no one believes it. It's a funny party trick when people guess what I weigh or tell them they're like there's no way. Um, and it's simply just because I I'm, I'm physically fit, I have a lot of muscle on my body. But as a woman with a and I'm thinking back to myself in high school there are girls that are being led and being I bring to the table that those that scale on my bathroom floor. It no longer weighs on me mentally.

Speaker 1: 17:08

It's so beautiful seeing how you stepped into that worthiness and that strength and that real energy of yours. Right, because I think we battle, that we're supposed to be a certain way rather than being the way we were destined to be, and I just want I want to frame a couple of things that you've said. Um, I want everybody to think anybody who struggles with I'm just going to stay where I am. Or I grew up in a small town, I could never do this. Or I grew up in a big city, so I could never do this. Whatever self-talk you have to, whether it be body image issues or I'm comfortable in this great job. I could just stay in this job forever. But I have dreams I want everybody to kind of think about, maybe self-talk that you have. And then I want you to walk through what Lexi has shared.

Speaker 1: 17:56

20 people in a graduating class in high school A lot of people don't make it out of small towns. I mean Amy, my wife, graduated with 28 people from Edinburgh, illinois, so I know what it was like for her to think big and go become a VP at Anheuser-Busch. I mean, these are things that just don't happen. And so you pay attention to Lexi's story. You pay attention to all these things. Here's what I want you to realize At some point in time, every single person has to silence the noise, silence their self-talk, and one day at a time. This is how I set the table for today discipline, consistency, high energy. Are you feeling that from Lexi and her story? Right, you have to step into that, one day at a time to ever live your dreams, and I know your dreams are bigger than what we've already seen, but I just want to paint a picture for how big you are doing things. So Lexi is a Kansas City Chiefs fan, so another one of my videos that I'm just like holy cow, lexi, go get it, because you are doing it big Was.

Speaker 1: 18:59

Lexi does these national events. She does them all over the country and we're going to make it so easy for you to either connect with her online, for you to train through Lexi J Wellness online, or for you to attend some of these mega in-person events that she does, but you're going to follow her, capture her energy. I know that she can help you in so many different ways, so we'll get you connected, but I watched the video of you doing an event at Arrowhead Stadium, and so for anybody who has doubted yourself, doubted what does it look like to think big, doubted? And I'm telling you right now like, yes, that is huge that you did that. Lexi, you are going even bigger because I think you're just scratching the surface, because individuals who live with awesome authenticity, vulnerability, transparency, living your real you, with your authentic energy, it's just not going to stop for you. But what was that like for you to step into Arrowhead Stadium and to have a workout and to be walking those stairs, knowing your story, knowing you chased your dreams. I think it is just awesome.

Speaker 2: 20:02

That night. It was like a culmination of so many different things in that story. So the event itself was a 9-11 memorial stair climb and we raised money for a local charity. We ended up raising over $22,000 in four weeks. It was a quick flash to bang but it was such a success.

Speaker 2: 20:19

But, like I said before, my dad's a firefighter, so, knowing his story and the fact that him and I got to climb 110 stairs in that stadium that we grew up going to Chiefs games it was. It was so surreal and, like I said, to think that my dad a decade ago would, would voluntarily do a workout like that, which is it wouldn't be in the cards, it would be a joke. So to do that, to look around and see all these people that came together in the Kansas City community, and it was beyond cool. That is the highlight of my year so far and just something so special because it's one of those things where it feels like that was the culmination of so many different things leading up to that point and it really made it click. As I was, you know, stepping off the stage after greeting and giving the introduction, I felt like this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is just the beginning for us, so that was beyond special.

Speaker 1: 21:15

Well, I think it is. It is beyond special. There's an energy when you watch those things and I told you I was fired up to have you on the show. You probably were like, what are all these reasons? He's trying to tell me and it is just, it is beautiful to watch your story and how you step into your story. I want to mention something that it's kind of a commonality, but a dear friend of mine, Jamie Kern Lima, who I've had on the show, wrote a book called Worthy, and when you mentioned that word earlier, I think your story just represents what it's like to live in worthiness and to know that you're good enough and to know that you're strong enough and to know that when you believe in you, you can do amazing things and change the world. And you are, and so I I appreciate you coming on the show and I appreciate you being an example of what real strength and speaking the right self-talk to yourself does in life.

Speaker 2: 22:04

Thank you. Yeah, you had mentioned earlier just all those self-doubts that we often recite, and something that I think is so powerful is that when you preach those self-limitations, you get to keep them. And if that's your only rhetoric that you're reciting day in and day out is that I can't do it because of X, y Z, you get to keep that self-doubt. But if you start to change that narrative in your head, then it opens up opportunities. Your brain is going to start looking for reasons that you can and it builds that belief. And before anyone else is going to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself and you have to start, you know, just with that mindset.

Speaker 1: 22:37

If you could leave us with this. Where can people come and meet you in person? I know you have some really big events that are going to happen across the country with 2025 right around the corner. Do you mind mentioning a couple of those cities and then for everybody, please? Once again, I want everybody to share this episode with somebody who needs to hear Lexi's story, and I also want to make sure that you get connected with Lexi. We're going to give all the links, everything that you'll need to stay connected to attend events, but what are the events that you're most excited about that you'll be having across the country this year?

Speaker 2: 23:14

I'm super excited. So we have a big one in February in Kansas city. It's called Galentine's. So we have a lot of women. They all come out wearing pink and red. It's just, it's a very high energy, fun environment and especially in the fitness space. Fitness can be a little intimidating, especially for women. My demographic I work largely with you know moms and very, very busy, high demand women. So to give them a space where they can interact and they can be around like minded women that you know are there to get better and to support each other, that one's awesome. We'll be in Arizona in the spring and I believe it's March 1st. We've got my five year anniversary in St anniversary in St Louis. I'm stoked about May 2nd and then we'll. We're planning the 9-11 Memorial stair climb again at Arrowhead, hoping for 9-11. I know that's a Thursday, so we'll have to see if the Chiefs have a home Thursday night football game, but if not, we'll do that on the Saturday.

Speaker 1: 24:04

Well, it's amazing seeing all the things that you're doing, from continuing to step into your belief, and I appreciate how you show up. It is awesome watching how you represent the First Form family and how you represent Lexi J Wellness. Most importantly, which is really your dream and your vision coming to reality, and I hope those listening really start to step into their uncomfort and silence your self-talk and realize that your dreams are right in front of you as well.

Speaker 1: 24:38

Lexi, thank you so much for coming on the show. Thank you so much. Seriously, this is awesome. Everybody, please, I ask, share this episode with somebody who needs to hear it. We all know somebody who's struggling in some way, shape or form, and I think Lexi's story bits and pieces of her story can help people from many different walks of life, whether it is with fitness, whether it is with body image, whether it is with other issues, whether it is with worthiness.

Speaker 1: 25:00

Please share this episode with somebody who needs to hear it and always remember that that why and purpose is not enough. Think about that letter that Lexi wrote to her dad. That became that fuel, that burn, that fire, where she said I'm going to help my father, and look at the tens of thousands of people that has now turned into. Your greatest chapters are just in front of you, just like hers were. So allow that burn to ignite that why and purpose and cause you to show up on the days you don't feel like it, and especially after you win. This has been the Burn and I look forward to seeing you next week.