Speaker 1: 0:00

On this burn episode, we're going to take you back to one of the highest rated episodes ever with Sal Frisella. Many people know the strength of Ben and Sal's relationship, which is why we are now having our second St Louis Summit at First Form Headquarters on April 12th. So, in advance and anticipation of this upcoming event, enjoy this incredible episode with Ben Newman and Sal Frisella.

Speaker 2: 0:43

Another episode of the Burn. The Burn. This one I'm excited about and I'm going to tell you why. Because what everybody would want to hear is stories about first form and money and all that. We're not going there. I want to go back 10 years.

Speaker 2: 0:56

I walk into Supplement Superstore and your ass comes walking over with that same grin and neither of us had any clue we'd be sitting here having a conversation like this and I think about the energy we had that day. I think about, even though my relationship I've always felt with you, it's one of those guys every time I see you, it's like we pick up where we left off and the times we've actually spent together really not that much time, but it's like one of those, like I would do anything for you. And it was that energy, it was that passion. I could tell you loved what you did. Now, after that, we always had this great connection. Now I want to fast forward to our first Summer Smash ever. Yeah Right, first Summer Smash. You and I are doing that damn mud run Neither of us was in the shape that we're in right now we're literally pulling each other up.

Speaker 2: 1:45

Yeah, we got our, like we had a team if you remember it was Raquel and like we're like recruiting people Come with my customers.

Speaker 3: 1:50

Oh, how are we going to?

Speaker 2: 1:51

finish this thing. Yeah, People are getting their fingers tips of their fingers cut off. And we're just like but we got to go, that's right, and I know you were thinking the same thing and so I think of those types of moments and I think of your career decisions.

Speaker 2: 2:14

I think of how much you love your family, cause I pay attention to your Instagram stories and you know Sal's a big old dude. Sal's a former professional baseball player Cardinals, minor leagues, all that stuff but when we strip all that away, what I think is most important to why we have this show, it's the burn it's like. So what caused you to be sitting here today after 10 years, because I know this has been painful, I know, leaving a job like J&J, where you were one of the top guys in the entire country, right Fighting through it, now doing Ironmans? All I want to know, because I've never asked you what is that burn for you? What causes you to fight the?

Speaker 3: 2:47

way that you fight man.

Speaker 3: 2:48

Well, I think it's transitional, right, but I mean today, and I think you know, as you get older, you start really figuring out why you're here and you know when I made that, I mean the reason we have, the relation we have with the mud runs actually a great analogy because you know we'd help each other, no matter what, right Through thick and thin, through bullshit or not. But I mean for me personally, like what gives me that? That fire, like you know, I realized that you know 10 years you talk about 10 years happens like that. It's fast, it's super fast. And you know you're going to have a story that's told about you through life. You're going to, you're going to have your, your life.

Speaker 3: 3:22

But some of our stories are better or more fulfilled than others and I always look for me personally. You know my dad was in business and you know there's still times when I'll go into Home Depot with my son, enzo and a guy who I have no idea who this guy is. We'll walk up and be like, hey, you're Sal. You know your daddy put me in business. You know your daddy loaned me $20,000 back in 1977. I now have a hundred guys. I think about how much that means to me, you know, because it's like here's my dad, who I know what type of human he is and these stories are going to live on, and he's able to tell it to me, his son, who you know he sacrificed a lot of time with us when we were kids and in front of his grandson, and I know how important that is to me, you know, because, for me personally, I made that leap of faith to get into what I love to do, which is help people. Like I love I absolutely love looking into the eyeballs of somebody who's struggling physically and letting them know like I can help you. Like it's not about selling supplements, about teaching them and giving them an education on how they can change their life. Like I can help you be a better dad, be a better mother, be a better brother, a leader, a father, whatever, whatever it needs to be. You got to give me the work, but I'll give you this. Like I have that in me I'm a fat guy at heart Like I know the effort it's going to take, I know the journey you're going to go through. So, like, when I look them in the eyeballs, like I can speak to them and I know that struggle is real, because I've struggled with it as well. And so when you look at, what I used to do is, I was good at sales, but I didn't love. I loved the sales aspect. I didn't love what I, what I did every day.

Speaker 3: 4:56

And so I think about the bigger picture and fast forward 10 years. You know, I try to make my life so that when I die, um, that same interaction can happen with my kids and and and my grandkids. You know that the people that I've positively impacted their life, maybe I've helped them lose 20, 30, 40, 50 pounds, but greater than that, I've given them their life back because I've taught them how to gain control of their physical self and they can go out and and and be happy with their life and be fulfilled with their life. And you watch these people transition and change and that's that's what makes me tick, that's what makes me burn, and then you start to see the compounding effects on that in their life.

Speaker 3: 5:34

And I think I always tell people all the time like you know, legacy is like the cool.

Speaker 3: 5:37

Actually, you've been speaking about legacy for a long ass time, and it's funny because I talk about legacy as well. Now you're seeing everybody on the internet start talking about legacy, but there's a, there's a fake way to talk about legacy and there's what comes from the soul. You know, I believe, when I die, like if the line to see me at my funeral is not from here to China, I didn't do it well enough, you know, because we're gifted with the ability of social media and the internet and you know things like this to go out and show thousands of people to try to help them change and transform their lives. But when I die, my kids will be there, hopefully, and I want that line to be really long, and I want that line to be really long and I want those stories to be really fucking big. And so it's kind of an ego thing you're gonna from that standpoint, but I think if I, if that lines really long, that means that I found my calling to do what I do best, which is help people change your life.

Speaker 2: 6:26

That's my burn so one things I think will help people, because this hits deep. You're on the verge of tears over there yeah, you're gonna make me.

Speaker 3: 6:32

Yeah. Yeah, we're two of those guys. We can admit it. We can admit it I'm cool with it.

Speaker 2: 6:38

I know when you're going through an iron man or I. I should say I've done marathons, half marathons quarter iron man yeah, that the burn.

Speaker 2: 6:48

how do you tap into it? Because I think we can talk about it. People can get fired up about it, like what lights lights them up inside. But for you, if you could leave us with, how do you tap that burn when you, absolutely you wake up and you're like man? I want no part of this, because I think people think just because we lead, we coach, we do these things, we wake up every day and it's been let's go get.

Speaker 3: 7:14

It's not. It's just not that way. No, how do you tap it? Not only is it not that way, sometimes because you live that progressive mentality like that, sometimes it's harder. At least that you know. Maybe that's the poor me attitude that comes out of you, but you tap into it because you realize like you have a gift every single day, every single day, and I always. It's weird because you know I talk about death a lot. I'm cool with it. That's why A lot of people it's kind of like the EBGB land for them.

Speaker 3: 7:35

For me, it's like you're going to die or we support an organization in Haiti, and I look about the gift that we have every single day clean water. I have the opportunity to eat healthy food, make great decisions. I have an opportunity to do that, and so whenever I get into my weird dark zone, I think about the example again that I'm going to leave my kids and I think about how blessed I am to be and have the opportunity of who I am, and I can play the poor me card in my brain or I can wash them out and keep moving. I always call it right foot, left foot, like whenever I get into that I want to quit zone, or I'm fucking stupid for doing this, or why the fuck did I do this? You know, I, I really I tap back to myself and I say remember, this is, this is your duty. You have a gift, this is part of that journey and this is an opportunity that you have.

Speaker 3: 8:21

So most people don't have the opportunity to do what I do every day, and so for me to to tap out of that, I think, is one. It's weak. Two, I like being in that place, man. That place is fun for me because I battle with myself, and that's the toughest battle. The toughest battle you'll ever fight in your entire life is the person that looks back at you in the mirror because you're the first person to quit on yourself, and that's what I realized is like I got to find a purpose that's bigger than me, which is my kids.

Speaker 3: 8:45

It was my original why on, why my fitness journey really made sense to me, and then you know finding kids of haiti and other kids around the world that you know they aren't blessed with the same opportunity that I have. So I could. I could complain about this temporary pain that I'm choosing to put myself through, or I could swallow it and keep fucking moving, you know, and so I always lean, I always think like real pain is those kids in haiti who have to walk three or four miles just to get clean drinking water. My little water stop is only another mile ahead. I'll be just fine, you know.

Speaker 2: 9:18

So that's how I get through that pain. Well, I can't thank you enough for you continuing to be you, Because one thing I'll tell you you're the same dude when I walked in. It's the same, and the fire, the energy in your eyes, and then the smile it's still there. And I appreciate you taking the time to share that burn, because I think what this does it helps people realize how important it is to tap into that for them, Of course.

Speaker 3: 9:40

You know, and it's your obligation to yourself and to your future self to live the very best life that you can. And I think you know, as I've gotten older, you know to have a no regret mentality. And I'm not saying like go jump off buildings and do stupid shit. I'm saying like to live the best life that you possibly can. It's something that, looking back, when I made that, that leap of faith because that's what it is right you have to you're believing in yourself that you can go make that happen. It's scary, it's fucking scary. But I'm going to tell you like you're going to learn a lot about yourself, and the person that comes out on the other end is a much better version of you than the one that you're looking at right now. And so jump man, like go, go for it and don't ever forget who. You are Just as likely to shake your hands and punch you in the mouth and I'll drink a beer with it right.

Speaker 3: 10:24

So that's me. I'm a Hoosier from South County, I wear cowboy boots and drive a pickup truck. It's always going to be me. Thank you, brother.