Speaker 1: 0:00

The doctors thought it was a degenerative issue. For about six months I lived with this belief that I was dying in 10 years. They told me I had 10 years to live. They didn't think I was going to hit my 34th birthday.

Speaker 2: 0:12

And that realization, man, that lights a fire inside of you, limiting our excuses to become unstoppable. Once people identify that burn, they start to realize pain can be a strength. 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, a coach, somebody from the business world who helps us continue to highlight that why and purpose is not enough. It's that underlying burn that ignites your why and purpose, that causes you to be disciplined on the days you don't feel like it and especially after you win. And today's guest knows all about winning. Today's guest knows all about overcoming adversity, and today's guest knows all about persevering.

Speaker 2: 1:19

I am so fired up for the opportunity for you to meet my friend Nate Green. Nate is a friend through Chris Cauley, a mutual connection. She's the fuel behind BNC Publishing. She's the fuel for publishing the bestselling book by Nate Green Suck Less and Do Better. We will make sure, don't worry, we'll have it in the notes for the show, very easy for you to pick up your copy, which I strongly recommend that you do. But Nate not only has become a friend, he's actually become part of our BNC coaching family. He was part of our coach to coaches program and now he is one of our ongoing coaches inside of our uncommon live coaching platform. You'll find him speaking on stages all across the country. You'll find him consulting corporations and organizations and teams all across the country, and today we get to dive in to ways that you can suck less and do better. My friend, nate Green, welcome to the burn Long overdue. Welcome to the burn overdue welcome to the burn ben.

Speaker 1: 2:26

Thank you so much.

Speaker 2: 2:27

I'm so excited about spending some time with you here well, I'm so excited as well and I I want to jump right in. I want to talk about your burn, but I want to set the table first with something that many people may not know about you and similar similar to people. See, you know all my sports things behind me. They don't realize that 70% of my work is still corporate. They think I do all this work in sports. I'm so far removed from when I was a financial advisor that people even forget that I was a high performing financial advisor. You are a police officer who then transitioned to becoming a business owner, who then has exited multiple business, including eight figure exits. How in the hell does a cop become a business owner to exiting to a bestselling author? Sometimes, when I look at your bio, I'm like Nate isn't old enough to do all of the things that he's done, so I'd love to just start there and then, uh, I'm sure we're going to capture your burn and people are going to hear how amazing your story is.

Speaker 1: 3:32

No, I appreciate that. Yeah, it's crazy Cause I was just talking to somebody over the weekend. I'm like man, I feel like I've lived like three different lives, and it's it's crazy Cause. You know, going back to when I was 19, or even 18, I got accepted into police academy. As an exception, I was too young, and they allowed me in because I guess I just had really good articulation skills, and so they all, they allowed me into the police academy and then I was hired as a cop at 19 years old. I couldn't even buy my own bullets. My lieutenant had to go buy my practice rounds for me so I could actually go to the range and shoot is. It was absolutely crazy. But yet I could, you know, arrest people and do everything else, but I couldn't buy bullets. And so, yeah, when I was 23 years old, I actually had a car accident.

Speaker 1: 4:13

I was paralyzed from the waist down for about three months and then, right after that, my brain and my heart didn't work well together. They considered it a form of heart failure, because I just kept on passing out, my heart kept on stopping, and then the doctors thought it was a degenerative issue. For about six months I lived with this belief that I was dying in 10 years. They told me I had 10 years to live. They didn't think I was going to hit my 34th birthday. And that realization, man, that lights a fire inside of you, that shakes you up. And even though six months later they came back, like Mr Green, we apologize, we misdiagnosed. There's something about that. When that hits, you can't take that back. And even though, just in case anybody's wondering, I'm 40 now and I didn't die at 34. So we're good, we made it past, in case there's any confusion.

Speaker 1: 5:04

And so in that process it was great. God gave me some great wisdom when I was a cop, before all my heart failure, and he told me to dig deeper into me. So I pushed hard into trying to figure out who I was, what I was built for, what I could take on in life. And then that's when the transition happened post this retirement. You know, when I was 23 years old, I immediately went into the financial industries, which obviously you are familiar with the financial industries. But I started on the other side. I started in the accounting and the tax side of the coin, building and scaling businesses on that side, and then we crossed over into scaled a financial wealth management firm as well.

Speaker 2: 5:41

So help us understand the importance of what one day at a time means to you, because I know you've gone through being paralyzed, just like you had mentioned to who, getting that second life after the medical diagnosis, to now living beyond 34, to where you have to imagine now you're in the sixth year of living beyond whatever they thought you would. How important is one day at a time? Where does the fuel come from? Where does the burn come from? Do you feel like you're living on borrowed time almost in some regards?

Speaker 1: 6:18

You know it's living on blessed time and that's kind of the way I think about it. It's like every day is this opportunity to go beyond what I ever thought I could, or whatever the doctors thought I could or whatever you know life thought I could. And that goes beyond just outliving this 10-year mark. It goes beyond the expectations that were put on me as a child my ADHD and all the other issues I struggled with that were put on me as a child my ADHD and all the other issues I struggled with. For me it was pushing beyond and showing up like the best version of myself could to be a demonstration and a hope to other people. And that has been what you call the burn, that fire inside of me everywhere, from law enforcement all the way through, is how could I show up today, and sometimes it's even moment by moment how can I show up in this moment to be a demonstration of hope, show people that we have purpose beyond? How can we show up to give people that glimpse, that light in that very moment? And, as you call it, your burn man, I tell you what that is so incredible.

Speaker 1: 7:19

You know, part of my burn started all the way back when I was 13 or 14 year old. I lost a few friends to suicide during that time and it was very tough. One was a few years older than me. She was deaf and she felt like she was the outcast, just not good enough. And through all of our relationship, all of our friendship, you know, there's that season where you hope that you show up enough and you and you hope that you demonstrate enough. But in the end, when they choose to go to that extreme, you're left with regrets and in those moments it's like I never want to be the guy that doesn't go far enough again.

Speaker 1: 7:59

And and that comes by actions, that comes by talking to the person that that you're not sure. Hey, I just want to run in and grab my coffee. No, take the moment, take the time. And then it comes down to how do you show up every day, how do you live your life? You know, you, with how many that you're? You're 2000 and some change days of your constant, insane, uncommon workout, which is incredible. I love that. The unrequired um and and that dedication, how you show up, gives people hope to show up again. And that's where I hope to be that connector to give people hope every single day to go beyond even what doctors say, even what your parents say, even what the teacher said, even what the people around you said, and show up, like only you can, with that grit and determination and I think that's the the beautiful part of your story.

Speaker 2: 8:46

It's the almost, it's the continued challenge, the continued adversity, the continued fight, the continued having to connect to that burn.

Speaker 2: 8:54

There's so many other personal challenges where you've had to step in as a protector for for family and loved ones and it just it's extraordinary what you have persevered, which is one of the reasons why I think it makes you a great coach. It's why I knew, because of your example and what you'd been through, that you would be an incredible addition to our coaching and speaking family and to become part of Uncommon Live, because for the first four years it was Sean O'Brien and I were the ones who were coaching and delivering content. Now you, as a additional arm of accountability, have been an additional voice of adversity, challenge and the strength that we build during those times. I know one of the main concepts of the book is limiting our excuses to become unstoppable. Once people identify that burn, they start to realize pain can be a strength. What are some of the things that you recommend for people? To stop making excuses, to stop listening to the self-talk, to really live that unstoppable mindset with great action.

Speaker 1: 9:56

Man, it's silencing the noise every day of the week. I mean, how many times do we wake up and sometimes, like those are the days that you don't want to do the week. I mean, how many times do we wake up and sometimes, like those are the days that you don't want to do the work? Sometimes you might feel insecure in that day. You know, as you speak on and preach on me, it's the standard. How are you going to show up each and every day? And in my life, you know, it's not about feelings, it's about focus. And so that's really where having that focus and having that dedication of not not just who you want to become but exactly what you want to achieve and showing up every single day, shutting out the noise of comparison, of all these different aspects, of who other people want you to be, what your parents said you could or couldn't be, but shutting down that noise and silencing those voices and sticking to the truth of who you can become in each and every day, chasing after that moment by moment.

Speaker 2: 10:48

I've got a quote that I want to run by you because I think everything you said kind of speaks to this and I'm just going to go for it. You and I are guys, which I think is one of the reasons why we like coaching is you're not getting a bunch of sugarcoating, you're not getting a bunch of fluff, like we want to get into the details and really help people. But if you don't invest in yourself, then nobody's going to want to invest in you, and I think that's kind of a profound statement. We could go many different directions, but somebody who has coached and consulted mergers and acquisitions, selling your own business, helping other people, do that.

Speaker 2: 11:25

Why is it important for people to invest in themselves? I'll let you take that whatever direction you want to go, because there's many different connotations of that. But why is it important that when you stop making the excuses, you start leaning in? Why is it important? And a lot of times it scares people because the world says it's not the time and the markets aren't good and this happened and that happened. Why do we have to continue to invest in ourselves, whether it be our businesses, our lives, saving money? Why is that so important? Because I believe it provides choices and we all want the power to choose. But if we don't invest in ourselves and our work, if we don't invest in ourselves financially, it's pretty hard to ever have the power to choose the things you want. Why is that important?

Speaker 1: 12:15

this world is going to rip from you, it's going to tear from you, it's going to pull from you. You think about it from the day, from every single day when you wake up. There's needs needs from the people you coach, needs from the family that you have, needs from the people from your past, from your future. Everybody has needs and there's needs for you to show up in so many different ways. So how can you keep on pouring out if you're never pouring in? And that's the way I look at it is every single day. You got to show up and you got to pour into yourself. You got to feed it before you deplete it, and so, every single day, morning routines are absolutely vital. You know, whether it's your workout, your stretches, whether it's you know, for me it's audio books, it's reading the Bible, it's walking through and diving deep into filling myself up in every different way I can. I get up at 4.30 because I love it. Any day that I. If I don't get up early, man, I feel like I missed something.

Speaker 1: 13:05

I feel like my day isn't right and I feel like I'm not ready to pour out that day because I didn't get the time to feed it. And that's for me. You know, with coaching, with having, you know, audio books and reading, and basically just constantly pouring into yourself from every different aspect, man, if you don't do that, you're not going to be ready to give. And that's for me, you know. You can talk about that from investing. You know, if you're not willing to save, you're not willing to invest in yourself. On the saving side of the coin, the one opportunities present itself, you're not going to have the funds available. It's exactly the same across the board. If you don't take the time to feed yourself, to feed your savings, to feed your health and nutrition, you're not going to be ready on the other side.

Speaker 2: 13:46

What can you share with us for maybe that individual who wants to start a business, that individual who they've made some of the right choices, that individual who's maybe scared to step in and take that next level of ownership? What do you typically share with those individuals who might be fearful? They've had success but they fear that next step, they fear that next phase of ownership.

Speaker 1: 14:12

I tell people pause and discovery. You take a second, you figure out what is holding you back, you start uncovering all the greatest aspects of you and then you really get to know you from a different perspective. Not not the way we are told to know ourselves, not the way that we're told to compare ourselves, but really understanding who you are personality tests, career tests, cognitive tests really understand your strengths, everything great about you, connect with with them, understand them and then make sure that every single thing that you're moving forward with connects to what you want to achieve, but also lets you leverage the greatest version of you.

Speaker 2: 14:52

And that greatest version of you is that version where you become unstoppable. And I know that unstoppable individual that you like to talk about and I you know. I think a lot of times people hear things like that and they say, well, that's so trite, you know it's, you know how do you ever become unstoppable? Yet there's plenty of examples in the world of people who have done it. Well. How did they do it? They did it with great discipline, they did it with great consistency, they did it with tremendous belief. They just took the action and did more than others were willing to do. And then they did.

Speaker 2: 15:37

As we like to talk about things that you share with people in your work consulting, growth, pushing the envelope, getting people to get uncomfortable in order to suck less and do better and yes, if you didn't capture it earlier, that is the title of his bestselling book. He may, just a little foreshadow, be working on another book, so make sure to follow Nate, which we're going to make it easy on social media in the caption as well. Make sure you grab a copy of Suck Less and Do Better, but to become unstoppable. What are the one or two or three of your favorite things that you share in the book, even though still people still need to go by and read the whole book. What are one or two or three things you'd love to leave with our listeners so that they could immediately implement attacking what it looks like to become unstoppable?

Speaker 1: 16:23

So I would love to talk about what I call the outcome equation. It's a very simple. I'm a nerd kind of like you. You know the financial side makes us a little bit of a nerd, so put a little equation behind it. It's very easy to understand. It's the core of who you are, plus the fuel or the burn, plus the lighthouse, the goal that you're chasing after for the rest of your life, the deathbed goals, those three times the multiplier, which is focused action, equals the outcome that you will receive.

Speaker 1: 16:53

No doubt about it, and that's what I love is, if you get your core dialed in you, you get your fuel or your burn locked in and then you set your lighthouse. Man, you just keep on going after that every day, every day, every day. It doesn't matter how you feel, it's all about that focus. And as you start going, every single day, moment by moment, it doesn't matter what insecurities pop in, what feelings come in. You keep on chasing after with the standard of how you show up, and then you will constantly move forward and chase after that and create a reality.

Speaker 2: 17:22

I love that so much. It's such a powerful example out of the book and there's so many other examples. Everybody wants to again pick up a copy of the book.

Speaker 2: 17:30

But one of the things I love about your approach Nate and I picked up on this the first time that we ever connected was the no-nonsense truth about how you speak and I think a lot of that comes from you know, when you've got that accounting background, that financial background, the numbers are the numbers. Two plus two is four, unless you're trying to come up with some goofy explanation for getting somebody to believe something otherwise, like two plus two equals four and it's always going to equal four. And I really loved that no nonsense approach, sticking with that no nonsense, no excuses becoming unstoppable. If there's one thing that you found as a consultant, as a speaker, as a coach, as an author, as a business owner all your work wearing all these hats, continuing to attack capacity at such a high level what would be the one final thing you'd leave for that person who's currently sitting on the sideline getting ready to start the second quarter of this year, who just hasn't capitalized on their opportunity to really buy into how great they can be right now?

Speaker 1: 18:41

opportunity to really buy into how great they can be. Right now, you have to stop letting your cracked lenses, the way you view yourself, keep you from achieving your success. That is destructive. That is the one thing. That is the difference between those that succeed and those that fail.

Speaker 2: 18:54

And that might just and I'll leave it at this be a foreshadow for great things to come from Nate Green. Nate, it is such a pleasure and an honor to have you finally on the burn. It has been incredible to have you part of our family that helps us coach, teach and grow others. Also, a little bit of a foreshadow We've been keeping it close to the vest, but this year's boot camp will be October 5th through the 8th in Texas.

Speaker 2: 19:24

It's our big as Texas boot camp. We have some amazing surprises. One of the surprises is we're going to have an incredible panel discussion of high performers who are part of our family, which will include Chris Cawley, the catalyst for our introduction, as well as Nate green and part of the announcement in the foreshadow you may hear more about if you choose to come join us in Texas. So we will drop all kinds of information on how you can stay connected with Nate, ways that you can pick up, suck less and do better, ways that you can stay connected for all the amazing things he's doing for you to grab onto so that you can go attack your unstoppable self. Nate, my friend, my brother, I appreciate you coming on the burn.

Speaker 1: 20:08

Hey Ben, thank you so much.

Speaker 2: 20:09

I appreciate you, brother, Appreciate you to each and every single one of you listening. Share this episode with somebody who needs these fast hits that connect to your action. You know, a lot of times there's podcasts that are 60 minutes, 90 minutes, two hours, three hours. I like short, sweet and to the point because it takes us right back to action and that's part of why the burn is so important. You could feel Nate's burn when he talks about it. You can understand through the pain and challenge he's been through all these days he's now been given, like the days I have, that my mom never got. Embrace your days, stay connected to your burn. Allow that burn to ignite your why and purpose so that you can show up on the days you don't feel like it and, especially after you win. Continue to share, like, subscribe, Do what you do when you listen to podcasts and you enjoy it. Share this episode and we cannot wait to see you next week for another episode of the Burn.