Speaker 1: 0:00

And when I woke up from surgery, the doctors told me that you most likely will walk again, but you're probably going to need a walker, a cane, crutches, but you're most likely never going to run again and again. That was the spark, that was my burn at that point. Oh yeah, watch me.

Speaker 2: 0:21

We always hear the you know the proverbial saying of you know, when they tell you that you can't walk, then choose to run, like you were literally told you would not walk and you run. 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 business owner, another coach, somebody who's recognized that why and purpose is not enough. There's this underlying burn that helps you ignite your why and purpose is not enough. There's this underlying burn that helps you ignite your why and purpose that then causes you to show up on the days you don't feel like it, and especially after you win. Today is a fun episode for me because you have the opportunity to meet somebody who's now become a friend. After we met at an event with one of our mutual friends, the amazing Amberly Lago, always got to give Amberly a shout out when you can, and then we had the opportunity to stay connected for him to go through our coach to coaches program to where I got to learn so much about the success he was already having before he joined the program, from his Positive Persistence podcast to being the founder of the Persistence, the Positive Persistence, to the founder of the Rinse Method and all of the coaching, being a fit body gym owner. I mean you talk about somebody who was already having success but said I want more success, but said I want more success. And the uniqueness of Ian Bowen's story is that he actually, even though was clear and was having success in coaching others, this concept of the burn was new for him and we actually had to go through a couple of evolutions, some side conversations, some back and forth to help him uncover what that burn was.

Speaker 2: 2:25

And I just want to share one of the great things about Ian. Where I'm excited for this interview and I wanted to have Ian on the show is because Ian is somebody who chooses to take action. You know, there's a lot of people we go to an event or we meet somebody and we just keep telling people how great we want to be. But Ian has taken such significant action growth from his programs, his podcast, speaking on more stages, being recognized and being on good morning america. So there was an amazing piece on overcoming adversity that we're going to make sure we link in the caption of the show notes here so that you can also watch that piece in addition to the interview. But, uh, now that I'm excited to get this interview going from sharing all this greatness about you, ian, welcome to the burn. It's so great to finally have you on the show.

Speaker 1: 3:11

Ben, thank you so much. It has been an honor and a privilege to have you as a friend, to get to know you and just to be a student of your coaching and your tutelage. So this is a great, great opportunity to be on the show. So thanks for having me.

Speaker 2: 3:27

Well, ian, let's dive right in, if you don't mind, starting with, maybe, your story of your passion. You maybe didn't call it the burn, but there were things that drove you with the success and the different things you've done in your life. But what was the burn? Maybe before we met, or you heard me articulated as the burn. What was that driver? And then walk us through because I hear this a lot People say, well, no matter how many episodes like I, struggle with this concept of the burn and then how you've been able to find that burn for you. I think this will be so helpful for our listeners.

Speaker 1: 4:00

You know, yeah, so going through the the coach to coach program and talking about the burn, I thought I knew what it was.

Speaker 1: 4:09

And this goes back to my past, my, my childhood, and having a relationship with a father who was very strict and expected a lot from me strict and expected a lot from me and I was always seeking his approval and never receiving it.

Speaker 1: 4:32

And so I always had this I'll show you mentality kind of a chip on my shoulder, if you will, and I joke about this is that I've always had an adverse relationship with authority and people thinking that I can't do something, and that's always been my driving force and, to use a phrase that we've talked about recently, I've always had a high standard that I've set for myself to make sure that I, I guess, live up to that expectation for myself, that I'll be able to prove to others that I am good enough, and so I always thought that that was, that was my burn.

Speaker 1: 5:13

And when I entered your program, sure enough, shortly before I did, I had someone tell me you can't. They told me they have what it takes to be a speaker and a coach. They told me they have what it takes to be a speaker and a coach, and for me, that's all I need, because that's all I've ever needed. Back even further, back in 2009, I was diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis and in order for that diagnosis to take place this was a rare disease I had to have spinal cord surgery, and that spinal cord surgery rendered me paralyzed from the chest down and when I woke up from surgery, the doctors told me that you most likely will walk again, but you're probably going to need a walker, a cane, crutches, but you're most likely never going to run again.

Speaker 2: 6:10

No-transcript watch me.

Speaker 1: 6:14

I'm going to prove you wrong mentality and that's been what has fueled me for years. But as I entered into, I guess, another season in my life, my burn has changed, and I found that that's okay, because I'm a different person now than I was before. So it makes sense that my burn changed. My purpose, my why, has changed, and that has now morphed into coaching others and using all of my life experience and the tools that I have acquired over the last 49 years old this year, 48 years of my life in helping others realize that they, too, can achieve what is once thought to have been impossible, insurmountable, unthinkable, undoable, but they have the power within them to be amazing, and that is is my desire, that is my, my purpose, that is my is my desire, that is my, my purpose, that is my, that is my new burn.

Speaker 2: 7:24

I you know, and I love that you're sharing it in that context, because I think a lot of times you do hear people say well, ben, I didn't go through what you went through with your mom to have this burn that lasts forever. I'm so glad that your story unfolds the way that it does, with the evolution of one burn now to another burn. Somebody could have 16 different burns in their life. There's nothing that says that it's one thing and one thing forever. Mine just happens to be so significant with the pain and the embracing of one day at a time for the days my mom no longer has. That will always be mine.

Speaker 2: 7:51

But there's power in you having that awareness to change it.

Speaker 2: 7:56

And I know you still pull from the strength of being told that you can't do things to now lean in even more to this burn.

Speaker 2: 8:02

Because there have been physical things and this is one of the things I love about you and why I believe people are attracted to you for you to be their coach or for you to speak is because you actually do what you say you're going to do, even when your body says that's not supposed to be possible for you. So share with us, because I think a lot of times people say, oh well, you know, somebody told me I couldn't do this, I'm just not going to do it, whereas you become this. Well, you tell me I can't do it, but watch me do it. And there are things that you've decided to do physically that you were told you would never do after your diagnosis and fighting through it. I'd love for you to maybe share an example of what it looks like to lean into the pain in order to do something that really is unthinkable for you in terms of what you've been delivered, in terms of your health.

Speaker 1: 8:52

Yeah, I think that you know, we do a grave disservice, first of all to ourselves when we allow someone else's perception of our capabilities become our reality. Because once we've done that, once we listen to them and unfortunately, sometimes they say a lot and if it's negative we buy into that and we allow that to become our driving mindset. And I'll tell you in that moment where the experts these are the experts at the Mayo Clinic, like this is the experts of experts are telling me that you're never going to run again, telling me that you're never going to run again being an athlete all my life up to that point, that just wasn't part of what my plan was for life. Right, so I was not going to be relegated to a wheelchair for the rest of my life and you know that is not taking anything away from those of us who are, there's nothing wrong with that but for me that just wasn't going to be the plan. And so in that moment, I decided that I was going to do everything in my power to make a full recovery, which full transparency I am still working at.

Speaker 1: 10:12

This is 15 years plus and I still have deficiencies from that surgery and I'm reminded every single day that my body doesn't work like it was designed to or like it used to recovered from that surgery, but it took me a while to realize that that's never going to happen. I'm never going to be 100% of the person that I used to be before the surgery, so I had to lean into understanding that and then from there lean into becoming the best version as I am now, as I am now being 100% of the person that I can be now, and there are only two options, and that is either I make it or I make it that's where I love your mindset, you know, because I've always been a big believer.

Speaker 2: 11:16

it's action and habits, discipline, but also the mindset, and I think you're living proof that you know your podcast, the positive persistence podcast, is not just the name of a podcast that sounds good like we should all remain, you know, persistent, how positive we are. You're living that every day and so if you could speak to the importance, in terms of how you see it, of having that positive persistence and then how the rinse method right, because I think that's one of the beautiful things about you and your story, that this isn't some you thought, oh, these two words sound really great together and so that I'm going to build a talk around this or I'm going to write a book around it. Like you are living what you share. So please dive into the positive persistence and the rinse method, because you're living what you share and teach and coach to every day, which I think is so powerful.

Speaker 1: 12:12

Yeah, thank you. You know, positive persistence was born out of just answering a question of you know, coaching people for years and then them asking me like, how do you, how did you do what you've done? And it always came back to just staying positive and being persistent because I know what the other option will bring me. I know because I've been in that. I've been in that season of my life where I've been depressed, that season of my life where negative thoughts were the ones that were driving my reality, driving my mindset. So why not be positive, why not be persistent? Because we already know what's going to happen. If we're not, why don't we find out what happens if we are and do that on a consistent basis? So that's kind of where the positive persistence came from and that's something that has just been part of my DNA from from the beginning. But the rinse method is that was was born out of everything that I've done from that day of having that surgery and, as I look back further in my life, the other obstacles that I was able to overcome as well. And that is talking about just remembering the things that we have accomplished. And we kind of alluded to this earlier when we were talking and remembering about all the things that we've done in the past that have got us to this point. It may not be the same scenario that we're in, it may not be the same situation that we're in, but it's the same feelings, the same emotions that we may be having now when we are dealing with adversity that we've dealt with before in our lives at some point and somehow we overcame it before. So it's okay to remember that we have the power to do it again.

Speaker 1: 13:57

And then the power of imagination. Ben, for me, this was so crucial for me, and that is the I in the rinse method and being in that hospital bed and not having the ability to move. My imagination was really all that I had. And being able to visualize myself succeeding, visualizing my goal, visualizing what it would be like to walk again, what it would be like to run again.

Speaker 1: 14:24

But it wasn't just that, it wasn't just the visualization piece. The imagination is also how do you feel in that moment? What are the emotions that you're feeling in that moment of that visualization? And that really helps to make it real and start to pull that future towards you. Then the N inference as you are making progress during your journey, noticing your small wins, celebrating those small wins and this was something that I struggled with for a long time and having a small win and not making a big enough deal for me, having the win of moving from a wheelchair to a walker and saying, well, that's not good enough, that's not the end goal. I didn't take time to celebrate that and that was something that was brought to me by my physical therapist, who was five days a week as I was going through my rehab, and she'd have to tell me that you need to realize how far you've come.

Speaker 1: 15:30

And I didn't realize the power in that, because so many of us are so focused on the goal that's way out there that we don't take the time to look back and see how much progress we've made and then realize how much juice that gives us, how much belief that gives us that I've made it this far and what you talked about it, that's the momentum that can carry me further, which goes right into the S and rest, and that is about shifting your mindset and believing that you can, that you will, that you must desire belief and then expectation. Those three things put together are your roadmap to success.

Speaker 1: 16:21

And that's what he and Rince is all about is expectation, but it's twofold, because along this journey, what I've had to realize that you better expect it to be difficult, you better expect it to be hard. No one is going to hand you that win. You're going to have to put in the work to get there. But the other side of the E is that you should also be expecting to win by having your desire, by having your belief, by putting in the reps, putting in the action, as you say, attacking the process, having that belief and that you will expect to win. That again starts to pull that wing towards you. So these principles, they are simple but they're not easy and they take, as you talk about, intentional focus every day to prime your mind so you can have that mindset that will lead you to success success.

Speaker 2: 17:38

Ian, I'm so grateful that we're finally able to make this work. I know with both of our schedules it had been a little bit crazy and I just so appreciative of you coming on the burn. And what I love and I could just keep saying it over and over again and I appreciate is you being an example of what you teach and how you coach and for people to hear your story, because you know we always hear the. You know the proverbial saying of you know when they tell you that you can't walk, then choose to run, but like you were literally told you would not walk and you run, and it is just so powerful for you to be that example. There's no surprise that people are chasing you down for more coaching and more speaking these days and I encourage everybody to stay connected with Ian.

Speaker 2: 18:27

At the positive persistence podcast on social media, we're going to put the rest of his social media links. We're going to put the rest of his social media links. We're going to put a link to the Good Morning America piece. We're going to put all the links to ways that you can stay connected to Ian. But I encourage you to do so because he is a real one who is choosing to not accept what somebody says, but to choose to lean into what he believes. Ian Bowen, my friend, thank you for joining us on the Burn. This has been absolutely awesome to hear your story, to hear how you show up and the example that you are of what it looks like to do what you say you're gonna do in life, regardless of circumstance and feelings. That, my friend, is the standard.

Speaker 1: 19:14

Ben, the pleasure has been all mine. Thank you so much for having me on the show.

Speaker 2: 19:19

To each and every single one of you watching. I want you to do me a favor today. We've heard that statement right. Well, you got to walk before you. I want you to share this with somebody who's struggling right now to take a step, and it doesn't have to be a health circumstance. We all have those friends. It's a health circumstance. They need to hear Ian's story. It's a business circumstance. They've become trapped that they think they can't move or they can't find success again when they once had it. Share this so that they can understand. They've got to imagine they could go through the rinse method. They've got to be able to see it, believe it and do it again.

Speaker 2: 19:56

Please share this episode. I'm just asking you with one person. If you've got three or four men in your life, share it with three or four. There's no cost to enjoy our podcast, but we do ask you to help us connect others to their burn, like the power of Ian's, so that they can fight through the pain in their lives. Thank you for joining us this week on the Burn. You know how we do it every single week bringing you stories of amazing individuals like Ian so you can recognize that why and purpose is not enough. It's that underlying burn that ignites that why and purpose, that causes you to show up on the days you don't feel like it and especially after you win. Let's keep winning together. This has been the Burn and we'll look forward to seeing you next week.