Becoming Kings

Our work might be killing us.

Before I became who I am today, before I even thought about opening my gyms, and a little before my old life imploded, the job that paid the bills and enabled my lifestyle sucked away my soul, every single day. 

At trade shows I could see men, two or three times my senior, who were practically husks of who they could have been had then done something far more meaningful. Something needed to be changed, however I couldn’t see the solution back then.

More than a decade later, the problem is clear as day… 

Our jobs often threaten our wellbeing. 

For some on a physical level, for others on a mental/emotional level. For my guest, Jimmy, it landed him in hot water. 

Living for the wrong things and justifying his lowest lows with monetary stability, all of it contributed to degrading his sense of humanity. That is until it all launched out of him like a volcano; ending with him being ejected from his career. 

And it was the best thing to ever happen to him!

Today, his mission is to live with purpose—to work towards a life of legacy, rather than regret. In this episode, Jimmy and I dissect the truth behind life-breakdowns and how you can harness the power of a hard reset to live a life you can be proud of. 

In this episode you’ll learn about…

• Jimmy the dog lover. (1:06)
• A fish doesn’t know it’s wet. (9:06)
• Self-trust takes time. (18:01)
• Jimmy’s military experience. (26:22)
• Lessons of Legacy. (34:24)
• Defeating boredom. (41:58)
• Shedding layers & self-forgiveness. (47:32)

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10,000 hours or bust.

Our greatness is often defined through consistency. Tony Robbins’ go-to challenge for anyone who says they desire something and can’t achieve it, is to reexamine their habits. 

Turning attention inward is important at times, because it shows us where we’re being consistent, and where we’re dropping the ball. By taking aim at success for the long term, and slating repeatable, consistent actions into each day you can reach it. 

Trouble is, even though we take aim, sometimes we just miss. In fact, I’ve been doing this podcast for nearly 200 episodes and I nearly missed recording this one… And it was in that moment of failure that I chose to buckle down and get it done anyway. 

Consistency isn’t just for when things are going great, it’s also for when we’re off our game. 
In fact, it’s what helps us continue to show up each and every day. So, in this episode we’re tackling (if you haven’t figured it out already) consistency, and how we can be more like the great people who inspire us.

In this episode you’ll learn about…

• Consistency is not always sexy. (0:38)
• You win some, you lose some. (2:50)
• All those that struggle, are not consistent. (4:59)
• Success is not complex. (7:06)
• Consistency wins the day. (9:01)

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Figuring out what needs to be healed.

Many of us struggle with persistently running the same patterns we learned in childhood, as adults.

It’s a bit like Groundhog Day, where instead of living the same day over and over, similar stimuli force you into the same set of conversations, thoughts, and habits. 

In my life I’ve found this kind of situation is caused by barriers created by relational wounds. Most have been caused by my father, however I’ve recently discovered that the rest of the picture may be dictated by the wounds my mother has left. 

Only thing is, these are a bit harder to address because my mother passed away some years ago. In the present, I’ve been working with my coach to start doing the work of understanding (and overcoming) the damage. As we’ve talked, it’s become increasingly clear to me that many other people in the world are living with these wounds totally unaddressed. 

They’ve negatively impacted my life, and that’s why in this episode we’re digging in, breaking up the scar tissue, and truly beginning the healing process. My hope is that after you’re done listening you can experience the release of healing by having those conversations with your parents (or parental figures).

In this episode you’ll learn about…

• One week away from the podcast rebrand. (0:57)
• Time to step into The Arena. (1:18)
• Play a big game. (4:32)
• Happy day or meltdown? (7:52)
• Mr. Pleaser and Mr. Resentment. (10:51)
• Speak those needs my man! (14:11)
• The mother and father wounds. (16:23)

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Where is your energy now?

“Our bodies are in the now… They’re NOT in the future or in the past.” – Cathy Hawk

If you were to live into the moment, what would you do right after you listen to this podcast? Cathy would ask you what you’d do right now, however I’d prefer you listen to this episode first 😉 

If you’ve never heard about Cathy Hawk before, you’re in luck. As a coach, author, and the founder of Clarity International, her mission in life is to activate as many people as possible, so they can experience the joy of living the lives they always wanted to experience.

She’s a master of human energy, totally brilliant, and has helped countless people “turn their lights on.” Forget tests, assessments, labels—the coaching world is full of them—it’s really all about finding the ideas that resonate with who you are.

When this happens you can connect with yourself, the world around you, and the people you meet along the way. 

In this episode Cathy and I dig deep into energy, the science behind tapping into it, and how to integrate mental wellbeing, work, and your high-potential future.

In this episode you’ll learn about…

• The “Lights On” Concept. (2:11)
• What fills you up vs drains you? (8:51)
• Where Cathy sees the coaching industry going. (17:05)
• Being the script writer of your life. (26:03)
• Learning from what works vs doesn’t work. (35:40)
• Anger being a catalyst for change. (43:01)
• Heart based tools on their soul’s journey. (51:06)

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How to manage stress before it boils over.

Mindfulness isn’t just for focus and productivity… It’s also for emotional and mental health. 

Stress has a funny way of creeping in and building up pressure, and before we know it, we’re hitting our upper limits of stress tolerance. Discomfort, anger, and even fear begin to leak out, contorting everyday problems to be larger than they are, and negatively impacting those around us. 

Knowing where the worst symptoms express is the key to redirecting yourself before it’s too late. In my experience, this begins when I’m getting up to 8 on my stress scale. Things become so overwhelming, and my emotions so unstable that it’s hard to focus on anything other than what’s stressing me out. 

Obviously, this isn’t healthy for the mind, which is where mindfulness comes in. It’s an incredibly useful skill to practice, however it takes time to master. 

That’s why in this episode of the The Johnny King Show, I’m sharing my insight and learning from a conversation with a friend of mine—a master of mindfulness who showed me three sure-fire steps to help me diffuse my stress before it sabotages the day.

In this episode you’ll learn about…

• Practicing mindfulness. (1:42)
• I don’t have time for this. (4:49)
• Focusing on See, Hear, and Feel. (8:39)
• Being in your heart. (13:05)
• 30 seconds of mindfulness is all it takes. (16:53)

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On rebranding and confronting fear.

More than ten years ago, I had a fateful conversation with a friend who started a chain reaction that made me the Johnny I am today. 

At the time we were both trying to find our way in life, and it wasn’t long after our conversation that he took a leap that made him the enormous success he is today. In that same way, the experience he and I had together primed me to see myself as more than a co-dependant, mediocre husband having to face down the realities of diviorce. 

I could finally see myself as Johnny KING. The KING of my life. 

In celebration of that conversation I’m giving you a peek behind the curtain, sharing a story, and showing you where this journey will be taking us. Part of doing this work is knowing when it’s time to make a fundamental shift.

Which is why The Johnny King Show will become something more… You’ll have to listen to find out what it is!

In this episode you’ll learn about…

• COVID vs being an extrovert. (1:10)
• The big tease. (5:57)
• Life changes with one click of a button. (10:26)
• Walking his talk. (14:24)
• Men who are committed to growth. (18:07)
• Get interested and be informed. (22:06)

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Camaraderie brings the best out of a man.

There’s the “right” way to do things, and then there’s Kyle’s way of doing things. After all the experiences he’s had in his life, the key to his success boils down to one question:

How many distractions are you willing to ruthlessly eliminate?

Ambition struck him at an early age. At fifteen he had started his own business, and it was his drive toward independence and achievement that seemed to bring mentors into his life. Whether it was for finances, athletics, or mindset development, an older, wiser man was there to challenge him to be more than he thought possible. 

His commitment to growth taught him to take hits—literally—as Kyle dropped himself into the world of collegiate boxing. Pushing him beyond his comfort zone with physical pain strengthened his mind, body, and spirit in a way that enables to be the powerful person he is today. 

And it’s through taking his own path in life that he’s found a winning combo to achieving anything you set your mind to. It might be extrapolated from his boxing methodology, however it’s been tested and refined through real life experiences with business and other entrepreneurs. 

In this episode of The Johnny King Show I sit down with Kyle Matthews of Inspiration Industries to get into the nitty gritty of how to make your own path work, and the strategies that can help you last the entire match.

In this episode you’ll learn about…

• Why his education was worth something. (2:20)
• This is no hobby, this is a business. (12:35)
• Going toe-to-toe with Nyquil. (22:52)
• Reopening his relationship with his dad. (33:43)
• Reengineering life for adventure. (44:46)
• Worth vs Value. (55:07)

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Just another 5 minutes

Procrastination happens to the best of us. Today I found myself on TikTok for 3-4 hours avoiding all the tasks I needed to get done. 

It looked like scrolling social media, texting my girlfriend, and taking a nap, all could be spun into a positive—scrolling allowed me to learn about Cryptocurrency, texting meant a little smile with each reply, napping gave me much needed rest. Even with the positives, I still have the same amount of work to do. 

Once aware of what I was doing, I changed it up and decided it was time to get things done. I threw on some music, grabbed a quick snack to sustain myself and jumped in distraction-free. 

Have you found yourself in a similar procrastination state? This episode is for you then. I’ll give you my 4 best steps to overcoming procrastination.

In this episode you’ll learn about…

• Is 3-4 hours of TikTok healthy? (0:56)
• Bending to pressure. (3:51)
• The perfect storm. (5:42)
• My top 4 tips for avoiding procrastination. (9:26)
• Short bursts of productivity. (12:23)
• Take action and change your state. (15:51)

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Let’s talk about stress, baby. Let’s talk about you and me.

How much stress are you dealing with on a daily basis? At times, it has felt like there’s always this baseline of stress I’m living with and that isn’t what I want. I don’t imagine it’s what you want either if you feel it too. 

Over the past year, I’ve been meditating regularly and during meditation it’s easy to come to the present moment. However, when the session ends, stress immediately comes back to me. Every morning and throughout the day, I want to live in gratitude, abundance, and love—connection with the present moment. 

In my new book “Becoming Kings,” I discuss the ways to living a fulfilling life rather than a life of only achievement is through connection. Connection with our significant other, friends, family, food, ourselves, and the moment. 

A way to improve that connection is by living a stress free life. I don’t mean without stress, rather a change in mindset, instead of calling it stress it’s more like a healthy resistance. Listen to the full episode as I go into depth on how feeling a healthy resistance in life is good.

In this episode you’ll learn about…

• Consistent underlying stress. (1:52)
• Running patterns of stress. (5:56)
• The cost of being the best. (9:51)
• Is Tom Brady human? (13:28)
• How do you live your best life? (16:43)
• Vision for your life. (19:44)

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Interpretation makes the difference

Recently, I sat down with Philip Folsom, an anthropologist who has studied ancient warrior cultures from around the world, and was a warrior himself serving in an elite unit of the United States Army. 

As men, we’ve been domesticated by our mothers as a way to keep us safe. That’s great when we’re children, however it’s a limiting container when we reach a certain age. In generations past we moved from our mother’s house to our father’s house through ceremony and became men; in today’s society that rite of passage no longer exists and as Philip puts it we are all a bunch of adolescent males masquerading as men. 

Joining the Army was Philips self-proclaimed rite of passage, and since then he’s taken the wisdom practices of these cultures and applied them to modern-day leaders so they can upgrade their sustainable resiliency and performance. 

It is his belief that what sets us apart is our ability to adapt and evolve to any situation rather than continuing to say “That’s just how I am.” 

Philip is also known for his discovery of our connection and alliance to wolves more than 35,000 years ago which has made the wolf our oldest ally and greatest teacher. Dive into this episode of The Johnny King Show as Philip and I discuss military drones in the 80s, Wolf Wisdom, and what it means to be great men in today’s society.

In this episode you’ll learn about…

• 30 years of “men’s work”. (0:56)
• What is it about gold? (9:07)
• Book suggestion: Iron John. (18:28)
• The genetic bottleneck of humans. (28:51)
• Multi-generational learning from elders. (39:01)
• The Importance of Kinship. (46:37)
• The K4 Program Overview. (51:09)

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