Habits and Hustle - Episode 249: Jake Steinfeld: How to Put Yourself In The Driver’s Seat of Your Life

Episode Date: June 13, 2023

Do you sometimes feel like you’re in the passenger seat of your life? In this episode of Habits and Hustle, I chat with Jake Steinfeld, aka Body By Jake, about how he used his love and passion for ...fitness to get into Hollywood and build some of the biggest businesses in the fitness industry ever. For the longest time, Jake felt like life was happening to him - until he didn’t want that to be the case anymore. After he lost a huge opportunity in Hollywood, he decided to venture out on his own and become the king of infomercials in the fitness world. Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, he learned a lot of lessons and got a couple of slaps in the face, but he eventually put himself in the driver’s seat of his own life. Jake also shares what clients he had when he first started in the fitness industry as a trainer, how he grew his network as he was building his business, and why he considers the infomercial business to be a lot more profitable than the movie industry can ever be. Jake "Body by Jake" Steinfeld has been an innovator and entrepreneur since creating the personal fitness training industry. He established "Body by Jake" Inc. in 1980 to the benefits of healthy living - and the motivation to get there. Jake also created FiT TV, America's first 24-hour fitness lifestyle television network which he sold to News Corp. He is the founder of Major League Lacrosse and the World Series of Youth Lacrosse. He was also appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as Chairman of the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness. What we discuss: 00:33: About Jake 10:14: How did Jake grow up? 18:40: Why did Jake know he wouldn’t make it as a bodybuilder? 23:48: How did Jake get his first client? 28:30: What happened when Jake got approached by a publisher? 31:56: What happened to Jake’s stutter? 36:16: Who thought Jake the most?  37:32: For how long did Jake train people? 41:03: What are the slaps in the face that Jake got? 46:18: Did Jake ever think of leveraging the relationships he had developed? 50:08: Who else did Jake train? 59:22: Did Jake always consider himself to be entrepreneurial? 01:04:59: How did Jake grow his network? 01:06:51: What did Jake do with the money he acquired from selling his business? 01:09:21: How did Jake get his first advertisers for his magazine? 01:14:08: How did Jake get started with infomercials? 01:21:26: What’s the greatest thing about the infomercial business? 01:23:43: Did Jake own a piece of every company he promoted? 01:28:10: What are Jake’s workouts like? 01:40:40: How can you learn more about Jake? Key takeaways: You shouldn’t be afraid of asking people for favors or chasing any type of business opportunity. Someone telling you “no” is already a good start - it’s halfway towards being a yes. So whenever you are faced with a no, consider yourself to be closer to a “yes” than you’ve ever been and keep pushing. If you want to take control of your destiny and be in the driver’s seat of your life, you need to go out and build what it is you want for yourself. If you don’t do that, you will forever be in the passenger seat of your life and waiting for opportunities and disappointments to fall into your lap.  Your network is truly your net worth. When you invest a lot of time and energy into developing a relationship with someone — especially people with power and influence — don’t be afraid to ask for a favor when you need one. Just be sure that you can scratch their back in the future if you’re asking them to scratch yours.  To learn more about Jake: Website: http://bodybyjake.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbodybyjake My links: Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:01:02 I have today on the podcast, someone that I'm very excited to talk to, his name is Body by Jake, by the way, until very recently, I didn't even realize that you're, like, you're head elastic. Well, that you had a laugh. Yes. Like, I thought you were like Madonna, like Body by Jake, is your name. Well, I love that. I think that's great.
Starting point is 00:01:20 Jennifer, it's great to be, I'm gonna lower the mic a little bit. Go ahead, lower, do whatever you need to do. Okay. Perfect. This is like the OG in fitness, everybody. So like I said, if you don't know who Body by Jake is and you're a fitness person, you must be living under a rock because he is legit, a legend. He's created or like you're like the king of infomercials.
Starting point is 00:01:40 Number one. Wow, thank you. You're welcome. You've sold over $2.5 billion of fitness products. Yes. You created FitTV and sold it to Was it Fox? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. He has a new drink or a new protein shake drink called. Yeah, protein and then we launch an energy called Don Quitt. Don Quitt. Great name for you. Yeah. And I mean, I want to hear everything from like chronologically from the beginning to where you are now. Oh my goodness.
Starting point is 00:02:06 Yeah, chronologically. Well, listen, since the sun has come out now, it makes us feel better with living in a lake. Now we're smiling. This is great. It's great to be here, Jennifer. I've heard a lot about you too. So it's awesome to see what you have done
Starting point is 00:02:18 and what you're doing and your mindset, which I really like. And that's why I'm sitting here. But thank you. This was never the plan for me. I'll take you way back. I was born in Brooklyn, New York. I was an overweight kid, I had a bed stutter, growing up. My dad bought me a set of weights when I was 13 years old.
Starting point is 00:02:38 Life is about moments. We'll talk a lot about today. His life is about moments. And I'll never forget that moment, because it was the summertime, my dad was a guy who would only ask you to do something once, I'm the oldest of four kids. And if you didn't take to it, it was over. And I'll never forget the moment.
Starting point is 00:02:57 He called me out into the backyard. He had a weight bench set up with a straight bar, and two look like plastic weights on the end of each sign, right? And he said, come on, let's do some bench pressin' and I kind of looked down at my twinkies and I said, you know, dad, this is not for me and like I said, that was the end of it. Now, I lived in the basement,
Starting point is 00:03:17 which was the cool thing in New York, you know, the oldest son, I lived in the basement. I'll date myself, this is the 70s. So I had my black light posters. I had Jimmy Hendrix on that wall. I had Alice Cooper on this wall. I also used to love to listen to Frank Sinatra's. I did it my way.
Starting point is 00:03:34 And I was not good in school. I was not a student. And I was socially. I had a lot of friends. But a little shy because of the stutter. I mean, I remember it specifically when a teacher would say, we're going to read out loud today.
Starting point is 00:03:47 If you remember growing up in a teacher, so let's take a paragraph. Yeah. And we'll read out loud. I would count the kids to where it was going to be up to me. Now, I could read, but I got so nervous that when you stutter a D or a B or a T or an H. And once you get caught up, you're done. It's like a freight train,
Starting point is 00:04:08 crashed two freight trains, crashing into each other. And I would memorize a paragraph, but inevitably I would start the stutter. My friends would laugh. And I was small enough to sit behind two kids that started worse than me. So by the time they got to me,
Starting point is 00:04:24 the kids were all ready. I said like my angel. So it was, you know, it was that kind of moments. But so here I am at this moment, I'm not a school, I don't really love school. I don't know how to study. I don't know what to underline. We're supposed to underline things and I'm at my desk because I have to do homework at night, like I had to do every night, but whatever the reason was, this night was different. And for some reason, I kind of glanced into the laundry room, which was right off of my bedroom door.
Starting point is 00:04:56 And there was this bar, it was an easy curl bar, bent bar, that my father had bought, along with the bench, that I never touched. And it was sticking out. And I look back, I look back, I look the bench, that I never touched, and it was sticking out. And I look back, I look back, I look down, I'm underlining everything who knows what I'm doing. And for some reason I got up, I walked into the laundry room, I picked up this easy curl bar, I walked into my bedroom,
Starting point is 00:05:16 I had this little skinny mirror that was behind my door, and I had an ottoman, you know what I, one of those ottoman's, right? I put the skinny mirror on top of my ottoman. I had Frank Sinatra as I did it myoman, you know, one of those ottoman's, right? I put the skinny mirror on top of my ottoman. I had Frank Sinatra as I did it my way, the album, on my record player. I queued up the album to where there was like 20 seconds of wild applause for Frank, right?
Starting point is 00:05:35 I queued up to those 20 seconds. I had this, oh, let me tell you, I had an afro. I had this Yes, No Mustache, which was like a little bit of hair here. I'm 13, right? No hair here. I thought I was cool, right? And I had my t-shirt on, my underpants, my stomach hanging over my underpants, right? And it was a great look.
Starting point is 00:05:57 Oh, by the way, I had braces too, right? He was an aerial looker. He was a great look, you know. Don't get me started. So I queued up the song. I put the cans on right my headphones, and I started doing bicep curls, and I'm looking in the mirror.
Starting point is 00:06:12 Jake's time fell doing his bicep curls to 20,000 screaming fans, it matters in Square Garden. Oh my gosh. And that was where the insanity began, because right there, the weights and I connected, like nothing else connected. I mean, I played Little League Baseball, I played basketball, but this was something different.
Starting point is 00:06:31 And it made me feel good. I stood up straight. I started working out, you know, the girls started to recognize. And I immediately said, one day, I'm gonna go to California, and I'm gonna become Mr. America, and everyone on my friends laughed, and everybody, you know,
Starting point is 00:06:44 when you tell someone a dream and how that happens in your life, a lot of people do it ingest, but a lot of people sometimes do it because they don't want to see you get hurt. Oh, you don't try that. That's that, stay, go to college. Right.
Starting point is 00:06:59 To the safe route. To the safe route, right? And how many people who are listening to this? Because, you know, like I said, life is about moments and you have to take shots. Because if you don't take shots, what happens in life, I can talk about this now at 65 years old, where you never want to look in the mirror and say,
Starting point is 00:07:17 you know, at 22, I had this idea, or at 27, or at 35, or at 40, I was going to do this and you didn't. Because the thing that you learn most in life is that you can be successful and you hit a, you know, a bad patch and you can become successful again. You can make money, you can lose money, but the one thing you can never get back is time. And here I was telling everybody, I'm going to become Missed America. And well, I went to college upstate New York, you know, Cornell University, you know, Cornell, great school, right? 100% yeah, I went to the store, the school beside it. I went
Starting point is 00:07:55 to Portland. Yeah, right, right, right down the street. Yeah, so you know the bit. I know, I know that you know the bit. Where I last in three months, and it where where basically, it snowed every day since the day you get up there. And it's not too conducive to walk around in your gold lamb-a-posing trunks in 18 inches of snow, you know? And I remember the moment, right, where my mother who used to call in, used to call me every day, just to check in.
Starting point is 00:08:22 Right, right, right. House Polyside, House English, this, and I finally get up enough courage. I finally said, ma, I'm gonna go to California to become a bodybuilder, silence on a phone. Herbie, pick up the phone and talk to your kid. I'm putting my head in the oven. And I'll never forget the bus ride home
Starting point is 00:08:42 from upstate New York to Baldwin Long Island. Like, oh my God, I said it. That it was like a thousand pound weight lifted off on my back, but there I was afraid that, oh my God, maybe they'll let me go, you know, and I'm gonna have to do this thing. How old are you at this point? 18.
Starting point is 00:08:58 I'm 18 years old, and I got home. My parents did what parents would do. Look, my father said, get it out of your system. You'll be back in six months. You can come back home. We're not gonna take you out of college, you know, but just go do whatever you gotta do. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:09:15 And I had a girlfriend at the time, and I had a bunch of my buddies, and I went to see them, and they said, you crazy, you're never gonna become Miss America. What are you doing? What's wrong with you? You know, it's not going to happen. And you see that everybody around me,
Starting point is 00:09:29 and it took time to learn that there were some people who believe that if Jennifer is successful, that means I can't be successful. So that there's not enough success to go around, which I think is bullshit, because all boats rise. So if Jennifer is successful, we have friends, maybe there's a chance that I can see what she's doing.
Starting point is 00:09:47 We could all be successful. There's plenty of room. 100%. But I also think there's also a piece to it where, you know, they're not doing what they want to do. And so there's an envy, a jealousy, that you're actually going out there and doing it. Like, subconsciously, people have all sorts of reasons.
Starting point is 00:10:03 Why? But they have, everybody has dreams. Everybody has dreams. Everybody has a dream, but about 99.9% of the people don't ever act on those dreams. They don't attempt it. Because they're afraid to fail. And the great thing about not being
Starting point is 00:10:17 graded at school is I brought the flag home a lot on my report called F's. You know what I mean? So you say you used to bring the flag home. That's hilarious. And it's interesting because it's always the kids with the sea average, high of the kids with the A average because kids who are so wound up,
Starting point is 00:10:37 I have to be perfect. That's not business. That's not an entrepreneur. As you know, in what you've done in your career, there is no straight line to success. There is no straight line to success. There is no straight line to yeses, right? Like, we've had this conversation. I get told no a thousand times a day.
Starting point is 00:10:54 To me, no is halfway to yes. And I make the trek out to LA. I'm out here for a couple of months. And- Where'd you move, Venice Beach? No, I wish. I have my parents had a friend, he went a friend who told somebody else who said, oh, your son is good at code of California,
Starting point is 00:11:11 he asked to live in the San Fernando Valley. So, okay, I don't, what is that? What is the San Fernando Valley? Is it close to Gold's Gym, which by the way, Gold's Gym, Joe Gold at that moment, had sold his name and he opened up a place called World Gym. Oh, yeah on Main Street I remember that. Yep in Santa Monica, right? And it was on the second floor, second story and it was all men only guys no music, right?
Starting point is 00:11:36 There was no music no women just guys and it was all muscleheads. Yeah, that's all it was Oh, and I had a white That's all it was. And I had a white 1977 Camaro. My dad gave me a $200 in some odd dollars to have helped Lisa Carr and something to help it rent. And then I'm on my own. And I had this white Camaro with Jake 77 on the license plate.
Starting point is 00:12:00 I got one of those license plate. Oh, it's like Maddie Rins. I always put the very low profile. It's very important as an entrepreneur. And I used to drive to World Gym every day and from the San Fernando Valley over the hill. So if you know the 405 to the 10 and, you know, how long did it take like an hour?
Starting point is 00:12:17 Well, however it took, it was like not close. It was not close. It was like a three hour trek back for us. And it was, I was in the mecca. And I said, when I came to LA, summer 1977, it's when the dinosaurs still roam the earth. What I mean by that is, in the world of bodybuilding, pump an eye and it just come out,
Starting point is 00:12:34 Arnold, Louie, all the big bodybuilders, and they were there. So it was like the muscle magazines came to life for me. And here it was, it living color like, oh my God, man, I'm nowhere near the size of these guys. You know? And. Well, you working out with our Juicy Arnold Schwarzenger every day?
Starting point is 00:12:53 Well, listen, I've known Arnold since I'm 19. Yeah. And Arnold and I have been friends now. Yeah, well, we've been very good friends for, when he was governor, he named me chair the fitness council in California in 2006, but we could talk about that. But at that moment, when he was governor, he named me chair of the fitness council in California in 2006, but we could talk about that. Yeah, but at that moment when he was, you were 19, how old was he like maybe 26?
Starting point is 00:13:11 Well, whatever, whatever. He was a king, and it all was. But he was a king already back then. Well, he was a king because he was Mr. Olympia, but that movie pumping eye in it. Oh, it's huge. Oh, it's huge. Which was a major thing. I'll give you a great little story.
Starting point is 00:13:23 And this, I don't tell us a lot. Before I got to LA, I'm in New York, I'm upstate. My grandmother, who is my biggest fan, right, who is my mentor. When I told everyone I was going to be a bodybuilder, everyone said no. And she said, whatever we have to do, let's get it done. You know, in her great words. Yeah. And I never forget getting a phone call from her. She says, look, darling, I got two tickets for us. Let's get it done. You know in her great words. Yeah, and I never forget getting a phone call from a she says look darling
Starting point is 00:13:45 I got two tickets for us. There's a screening of a new movie called pumping iron, right? I want you to come down to New York City and you and I are gonna go and I was like oh my god This is crazy. So I take the bus down to New York now. This is why my in between my three months of being in New York Before I get to LA everything, I'm sitting in a theater on Madison Avenue, right? It's October, November, so it's a little snowy. It's a cold day, not knowing what Pump and I in was, but knowing that all of Schwarz-Negger's in this movie, right?
Starting point is 00:14:20 I'm thinking, I'm just thinking, this guy's going to beat him, I'm going to meet this guy, right? And we walk in, and I had never seen, with the exception of, right, I trained at a place in Long Island called Future Man. And there was a guy that ran the place, I won't use his name because I'm gonna say something not great, is he had won the Mr. Apollo contest in 1975.
Starting point is 00:14:42 And I was in 11th grade. And I entered the Mr. Teenage Del Marva, Delaware, Maryland of Virginia, on a park bench on a lake in Delaware. I asked this guy I walked up to him, took me enough courage to walk up to this guy, Mr. Apollo, could you teach me how to pose and I'm in 11th grade, right? Yeah. And he goes, no. I was hot-brooding, and I walked away and his training partner comes over to me. And he goes, Jake, listen, don't worry. You know, Mr. Apollo, he doesn't want to help you
Starting point is 00:15:09 because your shoulder's a bigger than his. I go, I'm 17. He's a grownup. You know what I mean? I just get a... So, I never forget being on that, on that, on that park bench. I came in fifth place. I had the sudden tan all over me.
Starting point is 00:15:23 One of my brothers came with me. My grandma came with me. I had Johnson's baby oil on. I figured maybe I'll choose a number. I'll get a number that I can watch a bunch of guys pose first. And you know, number one, number one. I get up on that thing and I do a double ladsprit like this. My thumbs come flying off, you know, like a grease water melon.
Starting point is 00:15:44 And I came in fifth place, which thumbs come flying off, you know, like a grease-water melon, man. I came in fifth place, which was, I got a plaque and it was like a great moment. So, Katu, here I am in New York City, I had never seen a real bodybuild with the exception of Mr. Apollo. Right. And this guy, if you know bodybuilding,
Starting point is 00:15:59 was Ed Cornie, who was Mr. Hawaii, had one Mr. Universe, he's on stage before the movie begins and he's doing this posing routine. And I'm like this, I'm out of my mind. Like, grandma, this is the greatest thing in the world. He does this incredible. He was just an artist the way he posed and everything. It was over the lights come down, the movie comes up. I mean, look, Pump and I and it's like my going to win.
Starting point is 00:16:22 I know, exactly. I mean, it's incredible. The movie is over and I is like my going to win. I know, exactly. I mean, it's incredible. Movie is over, and I'm looking around like, where's Arnold? You know, Arnold's here, for sure. And the little disappointed that I don't see the dude in the audience. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:16:34 So I don't know from a screening. Usually you go to a screening, everyone sits through all the credits and everything. I got up with my cram-off. Movie's over. Let's get out of here, you know? Right, right, right. We walk out, I got up with my grandma. Moobies over, let's get out of here. Right, right, right. We walk out, I'm never forgetting this data.
Starting point is 00:16:48 Two huge doors, we push it open into this foyer, right? And there's Arnold standing right there with his girlfriend, with him, his blonde girl. And I walk right over to him and I just shake his hand. And I don't say any words. And I'm just shaking his hand like this. And it felt like I was there for two hours and people started coming out and he finally broke away from me like you know
Starting point is 00:17:11 okay exactly like it's good. Keep this guy yeah keep an eye on this guy yeah and I just stood there right until everybody left and then truly everybody left and I'll walked out with his girlfriend, and it was kind of snowing, and my grandma says, don't you want to say something to Arnold Schwarzenegger? I said, like this. Yeah, you're no idea what to say. She looks at me. She walks outside, and she goes, Arnold, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Starting point is 00:17:41 He turns around and says, are you doing? Are you doing, How you doing? You like the movie, you know? And he says, my grandson has a question for you. And he comes back in, like I said, this is all straight up true, because back in with his girlfriend, right? And he says, an Arnold always speaks about himself
Starting point is 00:17:59 in the third person. So he says, how you doing? Do you have a question for Arnold? And I said, what do you do for your calves? That was my question. That was your big question. He answered and it sounded like Charlie Brown. I'm sure. And then he turned around and walked out and my grandmother looks at me. What do you do for your calves? What's wrong with you? What do you care? What is that?
Starting point is 00:18:26 So, all I remember is that you did this. I love your grandmother. She, you know, she was, she was amazing. And that was an incredible moment. And then, here I am in LA, seeing these guys in real life. And I had entered the Mr. Southern California contest, 1978. I came in second place. I read all the monster magazines.
Starting point is 00:18:44 Everybody said, he'd 18 eggs, 24 chickens a day. You two could second place. I read all the last magazines. Everybody said, eat 18 eggs, 24 chickens a day. You two could become Mr. America. I clucked a lot, but it didn't happen for me because I never took steroids. And one thing that no one ever talked about in the magazines were steroids. And I had to make a decision because here I am 19 years old now. And I don't want to go back to New York, Louza, right? So all I kept here is my friends, my girlfriend, my family, and the only thing in order to compete professionally, you have to take steroids. And it's common knowledge today. There's nothing behind closed doors anymore.
Starting point is 00:19:18 Is there natural, except that no one really knows that? There is today, but back then there was nothing natural. There was nothing natural. No, nothing natural. Anyway, so what ended up happening was I'm not saffered, no one really has a day. There is today, back then there was nothing natural. There was nothing natural, yeah. No, nothing natural. Anyway, so what ended up happening was, I decided because I was afraid, not to take steroids. And I just knew that my dream of being Mr. America was not gonna happen. I knew I wasn't gonna go back to New York.
Starting point is 00:19:37 I love working out, and I love how I felt. So I said, whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen because I love how I feel when I'm training. And I'm living in Studio City, California, and an apartment complex. So you moved from San Fernando Valley. Yes. Okay. And now I'm in Studio City. And for a short amount of time, so what ended up happening was I'm at the gym. And a couple of things happened at World Gym that I'm kind of skating over, but two major things. One, this guy comes up to me and says, hey, you know, your facial structure looks a lot like
Starting point is 00:20:08 Louis Fregno's. Have you ever done stunts before? And I say, well, you know, I grew up in New York, sure, I've done plenty of stunts. You know, and they said, well, they're cast in a double for this new TV show, The Incredible Hulk. For Louis, you should go down to Universal Studios. I go, okay, what do you do? They go, just go down there.
Starting point is 00:20:26 They give me a guy's name. I went down, they put me in green paint. I think I sent you to picture. And, oh, no, I did. Oh, I gotta say. No, you said it to me. Yeah. And, you know, there's no lines.
Starting point is 00:20:38 I'm not memorizing a line, you know. And, you know, you gotta grow. They have me in front of this. Got my corduroy cuddle also on and, you know, green paint. And you know, I'm in the shower. I come out. They go, could you start working on Monday? And I said, doing what?
Starting point is 00:20:55 They said, well, the double-fullou Farrigno. And I did the double stuff for part of the first season of the Incredible Hulk. And then they moved me to the Universal Studios tour where I was the Incredible Hulk up there. And I used to go back to the gym, right? And this one day I met the gym because I trained early in the morning
Starting point is 00:21:13 and a lot of different kind of very interesting people. Tommy Chong from Cheech and Chong. You should train there. And Tommy is an incredible guy. Incredible shape to this day. He is? Yeah, oh yeah, oh, he's staring at me, right? Uh-huh.
Starting point is 00:21:27 Now remember, I'm now almost 20 years old and he's looking at me and he's gone. And I recognize him from up and smoke the movie, right? Of course, yeah. And Tommy comes up to me and he sees, he's looking at me and he goes, dude, you're sweating green, man. And it was how, because, you're sweating green, man. And it was how, because, you know, I had this oil base on my face and it's water based from my neck down,
Starting point is 00:21:51 but I'm touched up like eight times during the day. I did. And, you know. So you played the double. Yeah, the double. The double. Right, exactly. As a side gig.
Starting point is 00:22:01 As the gig. What do you mean? As the oh, as the gig. Well, my side gig was bouncing in a bar too. I was bouncing in a bar. So you're a bouncer? I was a bouncer. You were the incredible hub.
Starting point is 00:22:11 The incredible hub, exactly. Right? So you were like jacked back then. I was. Yeah, I weighed 250. How much do you weigh now? 220. Blazing deals, boundless options.
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Starting point is 00:22:49 Get grilling at Whole Foods Market Terms Apply. Keep coming back! You got plenty of space! Oof, not how you would have done that. You like working with people you can rely on, like USAA, who has helped guide the military community for the past 100 years. USAA, get a quote today.
Starting point is 00:23:06 Okay, and you are not on any steroids. I never took anything. I never took anything. I never took anything. I never took anything. Never took anything. And that was a thing, you know. So you naturally were in love with me that big.
Starting point is 00:23:16 Yeah, but I was big, but you know, you don't get ripped. So I mean, I was big for the midst of Southern California contest. I went from 230 to 201. Okay. And I was, I mean, I was big for the midst of Southern California contest. I went from 230 to 201, okay? And I was, I mean, I was ripped, but I got, I smoothed out right before the contest. You know, like timing was off. You go to zero cobs and you look great, but you can't spell your name.
Starting point is 00:23:38 No, we can't spell it. So it's a much less name. Totally. Look at my hands. I gotta say, let me hit this for you. Yeah, yeah. I to have to say it. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, right, because it was very close to Universal Studios. So, in between doing the Hulk stuff at the studio tour,
Starting point is 00:24:07 bouncing in a bar, every good muscle head, I catch rays, you know, sitting in the sun, and paying for it now, but I sit in the sun. And this one day, this actress comes over to me, and I know she's an actress, because she introduces herself as an actress, and she was getting ready to do a club Med commercial and she had six weeks to get in shape and she said, you know, I really I need help and You know, I like you Jake, but I don't want to look like you now remember so this is 1980
Starting point is 00:24:39 So this is at the time when little before Jane had come on to the scene, Jane finally came on the scene, but at that time, you know, women were very intimidated by using weights, thinking they were going to get big muscles. But they doing a robot back then. It was not much going on. No, not even a robot. There wasn't really much going on, right? So it was mostly just sad.
Starting point is 00:24:59 So it was, yeah, I mean, there was, yeah, there was just guys doing, now there was women exercising, obviously. But here we are, and she says, could you help me? And I said, okay, she goes, could you come with a workout for me? And I said, okay, I think I could do that. She goes, how much is it going to cost? I go, oh my gosh, give me gas money. My 1977 white Camaro, Jake's 77, on the license plate.
Starting point is 00:25:26 And she said, could you come to my boyfriend's house and do the workout there? And I said, no problem. She gave me an address and Beverly Hills. I'll be there. So I came up with this workout. It was a 30 minute workout. Because when I go to the gym, to this day,
Starting point is 00:25:39 I mean, I have a gym in my home, but when I used to go to a gym, even when I was having a bodybuilding stuff, I loved the gym, but when I used to go to a gym, even when I was having a inter-body building stuff, I loved the gym, but I never loved hanging out in the gym. I got my workout done and I got out. And I thought, okay, this woman needs to get in shape. She got to where Bikini is what she said. She looked great to begin with.
Starting point is 00:25:58 I think what she really needed was the confidence in the self-esteem to put that bikini on in front of a lot of people on a set, right? So you know being on a set at that timeini on in front of a lot of people on a set, right? So you know being on a set at that time, especially, is a lot of people. So she wanted to feel confidence. So, okay, she wanted to work out. And I came up with a 30-minute workout, figuring that's going to be plenty, right? She won't even make it to the 30 minutes. And I improvise with a broomstick, a towel, and a chair. And basically, the chair is for dips and pushups. Towel is for resistance training, right?
Starting point is 00:26:28 If I pulled down on this towel, Jennifer, and you pull up on the towel, you do your biceps, you could do your triceps over the head, we could do lap pulls, and the broomstick was for stretching, right? Lunges and stretching and squatting. Super simple, right? Went to a boyfriend's house and knocked on the door,
Starting point is 00:26:45 and if you weren't on the cover, a muscle head digested. I didn't know you were, and guy answers the door. It turns out to be Francis Fulcopola. And I just said, oh, this guy could use your workout too, you know? And she started getting into great shape, and they started going to parties, and people started saying, you know, my God, you look great. What are you doing? This guy, Jay, he comes to the house. He's got this 30 minute workout with a broomstick and a towel. He's really funny.
Starting point is 00:27:12 He eats too much. They had a great fridge and after the workout, I would sit down. I had no money. So they had chicken and all kinds of stuff and they refrigerated. So I would sit down and talk to them and I would eat. And you started training Francis right away? It wasn't even, I never trained him. Oh, you never trained him, okay.
Starting point is 00:27:27 No, no, no, it was just, yeah. Okay. And the crazy thing was, it wasn't even Francis. It was this girl's boyfriend who was staying at the house, one of his producers. So it's just a timing, it's about moment. Life is about moments. And so, people started saying,
Starting point is 00:27:44 what's a great idea? What's the guy's phone number? And the one thing that I never did, now this is gonna date me, right? But when you would move somewhere, you would have to list your phone number in the phone book. Right? There was no cell phones, right? I came to LA, I was 18 years old. I didn't forgot to list my name.
Starting point is 00:28:03 So I had an unlisted phone number. And one thing about this town is if you're good and people want to get a hold of you and they can't, they seem to want you more. And it became this mystique of who is this guy? Get them, find them. And now I had moved to Westwood, on veteran I lived. Okay.
Starting point is 00:28:21 I should not get far from where you are now. Oh my God. Yeah, yeah. And on my little answering machine, that I used to have that little box, used to dial your phone number and then put the, and then the machine would roll backwards, right? And you hear messages.
Starting point is 00:28:37 Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Priscilla Presley, Beth Middler, Warren Beatty, Barbara Streisand. They all called you? They all called. At the same time, like what happened?, Barbara Streisand. They all called you? They all called. At the same time, like, what happened? Not at the same minute. But who called you first?
Starting point is 00:28:48 But it was Steven Spielberg. Okay, he says what to you? They, well, somebody called for Steven Spielberg and said, you know, we hear what you do. Would you please come to this house here in Beno de Canyon? So who was the one who, so if you went from the girlfriend? Well, when I went to the, so what really had to be, I'm gonna be very straight.
Starting point is 00:29:07 So the first, the first, it was, it kinda, it happened at once. It really did. There was nothing and then it was insane. And then it was like from these people, I learned, first of all, I started traveling with them. I train Harrison, you know, for Temple of Doom. Oh, you did? For Indiana Jones? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:29:25 But how did you advocate? So I want to know, these are the devils and the details. You went from this girl doing a broom and towel. Right. Okay, so everyone wanted your number. Who was the first person that actually called you? Was it Steven Spielberg? Yeah, it was Spielberg.
Starting point is 00:29:38 And to do Temple, to do one for him. No, gosh, no for him, he had just finished ET. As a matter of fact, ET was coming out. Okay. So ET was coming out. He just wanted for his head, you know? Was there, was there, was training even a thing? No, it wasn't a thing at all, right?
Starting point is 00:29:53 So was it kind of like this, was it like this? Here's, let me just tell you this, okay? So here's, here's the deal. So I'm training these people. And a publicist reaches out to me. A publicist, I don't know anything, a publicist and says, Hey, I'm hearing these people, and a publicist reaches out to me. A publicist, I don't know anything, a publicist that says, hey, I'm hearing your name everywhere at these Hollywood parties.
Starting point is 00:30:09 I love what you're doing, what's the name of your company. And I go, I didn't have it. There was no name for my company. And I just said to her, body by Jake, and she goes, wow, that's tremendous. That's really cool. So it gave me this idea, and this is all, it gave me a real time.
Starting point is 00:30:27 I had 12 t-shirts made up, right? And I gave them to the 12, my 12 original clients, right? And I never forget, it said, Body by Jake on the front, on the back, it said, the Steinfeld method, okay? Really? Cheers to the story.
Starting point is 00:30:42 And I'll never forget, given the t-shirtshirt to Steven Spielberg, who I call Wheels. I give everyone a nickname. I've done it since I was a kid. Every grade I've ever been in, everyone that we meet, I meet, I give a nickname too. And it kind of breaks the ice and it kind of levels the playing field. Yeah. So whether you're a billionaire, whoever you are, now we're level and we went to junior high together. I love it. And it's a really fun thing to do and it takes the ego out of people and it just makes everyone relaxed. So Spielberg had called Wheels, Harrison, his age, you know, there are some fun names,
Starting point is 00:31:16 but what happened was it really simple is that these people, it really worked for them and people got engaged with it. And this publicist and I hand this t shirt to Steven Spielberg and he goes, wow, body by Jake, he goes Jake. That's a brand. You know, that's a brand. He goes, the Steinfeld method, he goes, lose it. It sounds like that's a fad.
Starting point is 00:31:37 You know, he goes, fads come and go, but brands could live forever. And that was in 1981, he told me that. And it was really interesting. Wow. And then was in 1981, he told me that. And it was really interesting. Wow. And then People Magazine did an article on me. I was training Terry Gar, if you remember Terry, right?
Starting point is 00:31:52 Yeah. And Totsi. And I started right off the bat with these people. I would say I wanted an end credit. Like I have end credit, body by J. is end credit in the end of Jones and the Temple of Doom. We get end credit in like 50 movies. Because you know, you know, you're credit- Do you think of that yourself? like I have N.C.B. by J.K.S. and C.D. in the end of Jones in the Temple of Doom. We get N.C.D. in like 50 movies.
Starting point is 00:32:07 Because you know, you think about yourself? That was all, but you know why? Because I'm hanging around with these people. Here's the thing, I mentioned those people's incredible names. I learned about life from these people, the great and the bad altogether. I went to your home.
Starting point is 00:32:23 I was with you. We traveled together. I mean, I'm on the one-of-jet with Steven Spielberg and Michael Jackson. You know? Incredible moments. And it's just what it did for me. It just gave me all the incentive to say,
Starting point is 00:32:36 you know what? I might never direct an ET2, but I'm gonna have my own success in life. And just like when I speak, and I say that, you know, you very rarely get a chance to meet these kinds of people, but you learn, they're just like when I speak and I say that, you know, you very, very get a chance to meet these kinds of people, but you learn, they're just like us. The only difference is they had a dream and they never quit on their dream and they never took no for an answer. I said, ah, okay, okay,
Starting point is 00:32:56 I can do this. What is this? I don't know, but I'm going to create it. Yeah. And the world that you be, what you make them believe you are. And for me, fitness and working out, truly was a means to an end. I mean, I train six days a week to this day. I love it. Man, it's my drug. It's my, you know, I would be banging off the walls, you know. Right. Today they call it ADHD. And I mean, I'm sure that's what I had growing up. I mean, between that and a stutter and being overweight and having an afro-obraises, you're exactly, if you turned out okay, what happened?
Starting point is 00:33:32 What happened exactly? What happened to the stutter? It's gone. You know, it's interesting, the stutter, and thankfully for my parents, you know, they, school wanted to put me in like that room, in 22, and they said, no, keep them right where he is.
Starting point is 00:33:48 And I had a deal with it. And I think it was the greatest thing for me. You know, look, I got made fun of a lot as a kid, you know. And there were still moments where, you know, you get caught up, things get tight. But I learned how to breathe through it. So if you get, you know, when you speak, you don't speak from here. You speak from here. So, a stutterer, what happens is, well,
Starting point is 00:34:12 I've done a lot of stuff. I was given an award at the first, the National Stutterers Association, right? Me, Carly Simon, and Kenyan Martin, the basketball player. And Carly has a starter too. I don't know if you know that enough. No, never, never, never. But when she sings, she doesn't starter. And I'll never forget when I spoke to an entire room
Starting point is 00:34:38 of kids who started. And I remember what the worst you can do to someone who's started is try to help them. Meaning, if I'm sitting here and I'm going this gen- and you go, Jennifer, I would have shut you down. I would have taken the mic off and walked away. I mean, I'd be see- I was a little kid. I didn't have a mic on, that wouldn't be a good idea.
Starting point is 00:34:57 But, you know, I would walk away. Right, as it were so. But you learn. And like, we all have, everybody has their own mischegas. It's like my grandmother would say. My grandmother would say, right? I love your grandma. She's such a Jewish grandmother.
Starting point is 00:35:09 I believe in both. The best of all time. Yeah, I mean, and we all have what we have to deal with. But I was very fortunate that I had parents who, you know, it wasn't about tough love. It was about the fact that, you know, hey, he'll get through it. And I did.
Starting point is 00:35:24 I did. I never thankfully, I didn't have, I don't say thankfully, I never speeds pathologist. I mean, you know, none of that kind of stuff. And I'll never forget the moment. I have four kids. So where my daughter Morgan was born, it was an incredible moment. Obviously, I mean kids, you know, Jennifer. And I was taking her to preschool. And she's in our car seat in the back seat and we're on PCH right and we're looking at the ocean and we had radio Disney on at the time I don't even know if they have radio Disney. I don't know. Okay. Yeah, she's 30 now lives in London doing great
Starting point is 00:35:55 And she was at real talk up and then all of a sudden she started going Like this like I hit the brakes and I was frightened and for like a week, she was stuttering. And I would literally, this isn't the truth. I would sit in my office and cry and tell my wife, I go, I did this. This is a curse, right? I don't know what I did, why is she stuttering? So I decided I was gonna call a speech tutor, right?
Starting point is 00:36:23 And I asked, I said, whoever the person was was dying to my, I get the person on the phone, this woman says, can I ask you a couple of questions? I said, yes. She said, are you always asking your daughter questions? I go, well, yeah. She goes, well, when people are around, do you ask her to do things?
Starting point is 00:36:38 Like show off a little bit, like, because she speaks. I go, yes. She goes, do you ever give your daughter a chance to say something before you say something? I go, yes, she goes, do you ever give you a daughter a chance to say something before you say something? I go, no. She goes, okay, you're gonna do this for me for two weeks. You're gonna shut up. Okay.
Starting point is 00:36:53 That's hilarious. And for two weeks, I did it. And fortunately, she came right back to it. But it was a moment where I got, you know, because it's a defining moment for me of being a starter. It's who I, it's always there. Right, right. That's what my daughter doing it.
Starting point is 00:37:09 And I mean, listen, I still go to school like when they're grown-ups now. I have four kids. But when I used to go to school, like open school nights and things like that, I still found myself counting, even as who I, you know, a successful guy. I don't TV shows counting to the point of when they got to me. of counting even as who I, you know, a successful guy.
Starting point is 00:37:25 I don't TV shows counting to the point that when they got to me, I know, because I was gonna say true story. I love that, because those things still live within you. Of course they do. You know, you just, you just, you just,
Starting point is 00:37:38 no matter how successful you are, those still, those things that like gave you so much self-taught. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's so interesting. Of all the people that you worked with, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, who taught you the most and who did you like the best?
Starting point is 00:37:50 Oh my gosh, I have a very blessed, they're their own way, every single one of them have been great to me. The one that taught me so much. Not taught, but who did you look? Well, Spielberg was like, became my big brother, man. Right. And he gave me this ability, this, I mean, he opened the door
Starting point is 00:38:10 to me, universal studios. I mean, in 1983, I did my first exercise video. I had a dream to, because of who I'm training. Yeah. You were training legitimately the biggest, like at that time, I mean, he was like, the God. Oh, he was still is, but like. But all those that time, I mean, he was like the God. Oh, he was still is, but like. But all those guys were, I mean, every single one of them,
Starting point is 00:38:30 and I would go to Universal Studios and I would be able to walk into the commentary and sit with Lou Wasserman, who if you don't know who he was, he's the chairman at Universal Studios. And I would say, no, no, no, no. But he was, became a friend because of Spielberg. And I had this dream to do the first original soundtrack to an exercise video, right?
Starting point is 00:38:50 And we got music. I went to Irving Azoff. It was the biggest man in music. He was running MCA records. I would never have been afforded that opportunity if it wasn't for the relationship that I had with Steven Spielberg. You know. How long did you train him for, by the way?
Starting point is 00:39:04 How many years? For eight years. Eight years? Yeah, but all I did, Steven Spielberg. You know. How long did you train him for, by the way? How many years? For eight years. Eight years? Yeah, but all I did, body by J. me doing the training with people was eight years. And then I woke up one morning and I said, today, it was in 1988, I said 87, I said, today is the last day I trained somebody. Because what's starting to happen
Starting point is 00:39:21 was there were a lot of people becoming trainers. And I had a television show on now. I had my body by J. Show Ted Turner. Gave me my start. You had this show already? Oh yeah, yeah. So you were still training, Steve and Spielberg, when you got the show?
Starting point is 00:39:34 Well, I trained a bunch of, yeah, I was training some people. I had my brothers come in and started training. Most of the people, but I woke up this one morning saying, you know what, there's no more, there's not one other person that I want to train train and I've done what I've done with it. It's been great. And it's given me this ability to now turn right on cable news network, right? These fitness breaks.
Starting point is 00:39:55 I did that with Global. I did books with Simon and Schuster, my exercise videos with MCA. With us all in the 80s, still, the 80s and 90s. All 80s. All 80s. Yeah, 80s were,s. Yeah, all 80s. All 80s. 80s were, that's one at all really popped from me. Not nothing in the 90s. Oh, the 90s was, that's the infomercial.
Starting point is 00:40:12 Because it was the 90s, that was different stage. Well, the infomercial, and then 5th TV, and then it was a completely different. 100%. It was a different realm of business. It was the next phase. Right. Let's stay in the state. I love this 80s phase, because it's so fast. So did you train Michael Jackson? Did you train?
Starting point is 00:40:29 No, I was on, I just knew Michael because of Steven Spielberg, right? And I took to, I was going to New York with wheels. Did you travel with wheels? Yeah, and we're on a wanted jet. And he said we have a guest and Michael Jackson shows up. And he had my exercise video, and he had ET. And for the plane ride over, he was asking me questions
Starting point is 00:40:48 about lighting and things like that. And the rest of the trip, he was asking Steven about ET, why this scene, why, it was amazing. And he was incredible. He was an incredibly sweet guy. It was always nice. Listen, I mean, I trained Bett Midler who I love, right? I mean, I trained Bett for Down and Out and Beverly Hills.
Starting point is 00:41:07 Oh, my God, I still love that movie. When she was, she was at a business before that, right? She was. She had done a film called Jynxed that didn't do anything. And then Disney asked me to train her for Down and Out and Beverly Hills. And it became a big hit. And then I trained her again for ruthless people.
Starting point is 00:41:24 And if you ever watch ruthless people again, she gets locked in a basement. And the workout she does, I developed the workout because it's with paint cans and a broomstick. That's right. I read as she got super fit. And she got super fit. And she, of all people, sat on Johnny Carson. Yeah. And he said to Bet, you look great, what are you doing?
Starting point is 00:41:48 And Johnny says, you're working with Body by Jake, and she goes, no, don't say that name. And she stood on the, I mean, literally stood on his desk, and they did this like two and a half minutes on me, and it was just incredible. And she was, it was a bit, but it was absolutely incredible. And she's always been dynamite to me. And I mean, it was a bit, but it was absolutely incredible. And she's always been dynamite to me. And I mean, it's been, listen Jennifer,
Starting point is 00:42:10 I've been very blessed, man. And the thing that you learn, you can't do things by yourself, ever in life. And the people that surround you who help you to motivate you, to push you and support you, that's the most important thing. You have to have that dream, though, and you can't be afraid to fail.
Starting point is 00:42:28 And that's really it. Because, look, I'm giving you all the good stuff. You know, you get smacked in the face. Tell me a couple of smacks in the face that you had. I mean, it sounds to me you were really blessed. Especially early on. First thing, listen, first thing out of the box, I tell you about Tommy Chong, right?
Starting point is 00:42:44 So here it is, this is 1978. First thing, listen, first thing out of the box. I tell you about Tommy Chong, right? So here it is, this is 1978, and it's Tommy Chong and I become friends because of dude. You sweat and green, man. Right. So I started telling him these crazy stories that used to happen to me when I was doing the Hulk at the Universal Studios tour.
Starting point is 00:43:01 So he and Cheech wrote me into their next movie called Cheech and Chonk's next movie. And the character was the amazing Wamba. And I was all red, right? But I was like a fuck up Hulk. So I smoked up, I went through the wrong walls, helped the wrong people. I mean the script was incredible. They're produced for the time in a Howard Brown, truly called my parents in New York and said, I could show you, in Hollywood Reporter and also variety, when they would list the films, upcoming films, it would say, you know, films that are in production.
Starting point is 00:43:33 Cheats and Chongs, next movie, Cheats and Chongs, Jake Steinfeld. Right? They wrote me this incredible role. So I'm on the set for three days, and I'm having a ball. Now, the character's insane. I have a, they kept one scene in the movie,
Starting point is 00:43:48 but I'm in red paint, I'm in a black speedo, pubic hair coming out of everywhere. You know, it's teaching chump. And, and, there's this great producer, his name is Peter McGregor Scott, English guy with a handlebar mustache, and he and I became friends. So I'm living in studio city like I told you and
Starting point is 00:44:05 I got a call this one day like on the fourth day and I'm having a time my life. I'm telling everybody I'm gonna be a star man. I'm gonna be a star. This is it forget it and PD calls me and He says mate. I don't have to get I got good news and I got bad news and I said yeah, yeah, Pety what's up? He says listen We're gonna pay you don't worry. I go what does that mean? He says look We got to cut the role. What do you mean? You got to cut the role? He says Jake when the unit because it's universal studios the Hulk is on TV right now, right universal They said well when they're looking at dailies and dailaly's are, you know, at the end of the day,
Starting point is 00:44:46 the director, the producers, the studio, looks at what was shot. Everyone is looking at you, and they're not looking at Tommy and Cheech. You're 250 pounds, you're in red paint, and you're in Cuba, come on out of everywhere. Oh my God. I should show to... Pety, tell me what to do.
Starting point is 00:45:02 Do I not do red? What? You tell me. I'll stay on the back. Nate, tell me what to do. Do I not do red? What? You tell me. I'll stand on the back. Nate, it's just the way it is. And that moment was, I said, I'm not going to be a person who sits by a phone or someone tells me I'm done, right? And I said, I'm going to make, I've got to make my own way.
Starting point is 00:45:18 It might not work. It might not work all the time. But if anyone's going to fail at it, let me fail on my own. Right. Like, I tell people, I don't want to be the guy sitting next to you taking me off the cliff. Yeah. I much rather dressed up as an actor.
Starting point is 00:45:32 Hit the gas and go 110 on my way. Vitamin water just dropped a new zero sugar flavor called with love. Get the taste of raspberry and dark chocolate for the all warm, all fuzzy, all self-care, zero self-doubt you. Grab a with love today. Vitamin water's zero sugar, nourish every you.
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Starting point is 00:47:00 Right, you basically control your destiny that way. Versus having some Yahoo tell you what's what it is even Oh, it's someone who has anything you learn too Yeah, or you like if you're casting for something and you want something you have somebody in your mind Other people are making the decision about you about you about you who says by the way It's got nothing to do. Yeah, it's arbitrary Human that's all right, but it takes time to understand that and learn that. So when people watch this, I hope they hear the words
Starting point is 00:47:29 that it isn't them. Today, we, everybody with mental health and the challenges of people. And this is why exercise is such an important thing, no matter how depressed you are or how much anxiety you have, get outside and exercise, do something, do a push-up, do a sit-up. It's the best antidepressant in the world.
Starting point is 00:47:48 And it's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way.
Starting point is 00:47:57 It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. It's been proven by the way. success. And how do you just keep parlaying, you know, as I did the famous by association
Starting point is 00:48:05 into videos and books and television shows and I had a dream to create a television network. I never had the background to do that. But I said, I'm going to do this because of the people that I knew. I saw what they did. They made magic out of nothing, right? They just said, and my note to everyone here is just believe, right? If you believe you're going to achieve, in your mind, put the flag in the sand, say you're going to do it, don't back down if you really believe. If you really believe you got a persevere because you're going to hit a thousand potholes at 822. 100%. Right? But you got lucky, and I said, opportunity, I know what, you know, luck is when you make your own opportunities, but you move to LA, you got lucky with the people that you got to train. Like most people don't get
Starting point is 00:48:51 the opportunity. Right? But right. I'm talking about 100% I know. If I decide all of a sudden, the first person that came to me was a professor from Northridge or Santa Barbara, I probably, obviously might not be sitting here talking to you today. But maybe you would have created an entire curriculum on exercise that would have taken you. Maybe I would have been a professor of linguistics. Maybe, or like some kind of physiology that no one's at her to have or something.
Starting point is 00:49:18 But that was my question. Like, did you have the wherewithal to be like, OK, I'm sitting here. I have Steven Spielberg as a client. I have Harrison Ford. I have this in thisal to be like, okay, I'm sitting here. I have Steven Spielberg as a client. I have Harrison Ford. I have this in this where you like thinking always of how to leverage those relationships into a way that can be beneficial. Where you're like, hey, wouldn't it be cool if I created Fit TV? And then did you get like, did he help you, did he introduce you, or like even the
Starting point is 00:49:41 Ted Turner C&N thing when you did those pieces. Well, the Ted Turner thing, that was a perfect example. Yeah. Who got you to that place? Did you think about it? No, I had no idea that he is a thing. Let me just kind of break the question now. It's a good one. To me, it was, these guys, I said, hey, I'm
Starting point is 00:49:59 going to do a book. Would you mind being in the book with me? No problem, Jake. Right. So you're already thinking about things. Well, I was thinking about it because they were pushing me to do things. Would you mind being in the book with me? No problem, Jake. Right. So you're already thinking about things. Well, I was thinking about it because they were pushing me to do things.
Starting point is 00:50:09 And I was watching them do their things. It's like, wait a second, man. How about me being in the book with you, you know? Yeah. And like, do you really worth thinking like that? Oh, John Landis casted me and into the night, you know, with Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Fyfe, or I've been in some monster movies.
Starting point is 00:50:24 John Landis, who has been probably one of my, not only a dearest friends, but a guy who believed in me more as an actor than as a fitness. Really? And he was always, to this day, would say, what's wrong with you? Why did you ever stay with that fitness thing? You could have really done it.
Starting point is 00:50:39 You could have been a really good actor. I mean, and he put his money where his mouth is. I mean, no, there weren't huge roles, but he cast me in into the night. I mean, and he put his money where his mouth is. I mean, no, there were huge roles, but he cast me in into the night. I did an episode, I remember Dream On on HBO. Oh my God, dear. Yeah. A great role, opposite Donna Mills,
Starting point is 00:50:56 a great Donna Mills. Oh my God, from Not's Land, I used to be very friendly with her. You were talking about her. I just literally just saw her at Freeze, the art festival. Really? Is she still married to? I don't know.
Starting point is 00:51:09 I saw her. She's awesome. She's dynamite. She's dynamite. But I was in coming to America. You were? I was a cab driver. I'm coming to America.
Starting point is 00:51:17 Oh my god. Yes, I remember. Yeah, yeah. Which, no matter where I go around the world, people were talking about lines. That's what it's amazing. What was the line? I mean, it's a whole bunch of lines, but one of them is a, you know,
Starting point is 00:51:28 when Kennedy Airport and Eddie Murphy comes out and says stop when I jump out of the car, you dumb fuck. Oh my God, that was you? Yeah, that's me. Yeah, that's me. And then I take them to Queens. Oh my God, I do remember this.
Starting point is 00:51:42 You know, and I was with there, we were there for a week and a half shooting that. But John has been a great supporter and a great friend of mine. Spielberg too. I mean, look, they gave me the opportunity. I was in money pit. You were?
Starting point is 00:51:55 Yeah, I was the head painter in the house in money pit. But like with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long, I was in a movie called Tough Guys with Bert Landcast from Kurt Douglas. I mean, you know. They cast a tune all these movies. Yeah. And you didn't want to be an actor.
Starting point is 00:52:07 I did. I know it was really, I was having fun doing that. So what happened? And then I started the fitness stuff just to happen more. Yeah. And then what started to happen was this. I'm training people, acting, you know, I'm getting a lot of notoriety people, magazines.
Starting point is 00:52:22 Remember, this is way before social media, Jennifer. This is 1980, in the war. Were there any other personal trainers about this? No, there was nobody. Because Gunner peter sins around your age. Well, Gunner is way after me. I've mentored Gunner. Really?
Starting point is 00:52:36 Because you're not that much older than him. I'm sure I'm not, but he came in and he's a really good dude. He's doing gangbusters now. He's doing well, yeah, but he was not. Really good guy. So who was around when you were around? Is there anybody? Was there anybody?
Starting point is 00:52:48 There was nobody when I said, I was the first one to do personal fitness training and I made it in occupation. And it was just that simple. It's amazing. Okay, who else did you train? John London, Steven Spielberg, Batonidler, who else? Well, I train Heff, I train you,
Starting point is 00:53:05 I train him. Well, the whole moment was, I'm living in Westwood, on Veterans. Yes. And the People Magazine article had just come out, and all my entry machine was a voicemail from Ted Turner, guy named Ted Turner, who said, please call. I saw this article on your People Magazine.
Starting point is 00:53:20 I'd like to talk to you about a fitness show. And I thought, I don't know who this guy is. And he said he has a cable network, a cable news network. Now, in 1981, Westwood didn't have cable. So there was no cable. I don't know what cable was. Right? I never even saw it.
Starting point is 00:53:36 It was called cable news network. Yes. So I literally once again, life's about moments. I'm on my way to the Playboy Mansion. I'm training Hef and his girlfriend at the time. And I had just mentioned, you know, Ted Turner. He goes, of course, you know, Ted Turner. He said, he's a, wants me to do a fitness show.
Starting point is 00:53:53 I said, you know, and I'm thinking to myself, listen, I don't want to become Jake Lillane. That was the thing in my mind. This could be because, and Jack is great, but you know, it was great. The terrific guy became a great friend of mine too. And he was, you know, the fitness guy that he did in the 50s and 60s on television.
Starting point is 00:54:10 Yeah. And an awesome, great, incredible sense of human is wife Elaine Lillian who's still alive today. Terrific. Elaine Lillian is her name. Elaine Lillian, yeah. And she's dynamite, but Jack was awesome. And we had some great fun.
Starting point is 00:54:25 I'll tell you a funny story, you talk about stuff that didn't work out. But I said to Hef, I said, hey, I got an idea. What if I did a commercial on this cable news network thing that he would pay for that would promote me? He goes, what are you thinking about? I said, I don't know. I would do like a fitness break. Fitness break by Jake. And could I use 12 playmates is what I said. And I said,
Starting point is 00:54:50 yeah, sure. I said, okay. Then I asked Spielberg because he had a house on Broad Beach in Malibu. Can I use the beach? He said, sure. Remember, this is 1981. This is not, you know, the time was, it was an amazing moment in this town. Yeah, totally, yeah. Everybody was the, the, the freeness, the entrepreneur world was just popping. So not, yeah. And I was in the middle of it with these people, right? And they took me in. And Ted Turner gave me $30,000 to do 200,
Starting point is 00:55:19 one minute vignettes that went something like this. Hey, I'm Jacob, I'm Jake. And here's your fitness tip of the day. Today, we're gonna work the old Batissimo. I gave nicknames to the, you know, Abidabis, Batissimo, and here is Jennifer and Melinda. And they're gonna help us along with the exercise. And they have a broomstick, grab your broomstick.
Starting point is 00:55:38 We're gonna do 10 lunges. One, two, it's a beautiful day here in Malibu. Remember, stick to the fight when your heart is hit. It's when things seem worse that you must not quit. Don't quit. See you tomorrow. And that was the bit. And-
Starting point is 00:55:49 He did 30 of these. 200 of them. Oh, for 30,000. Right, exactly. We shot it in three days. We shot everything in three days. And that's before an iPhone. You ever remember, we got to set the table.
Starting point is 00:56:01 Now, Arminos to me, they ran about three times a day here in the States, right? But they ran about 10 or 12, 15 times every hour around the world, because Ted didn't have any, you know, there was no programming around the world. So, I don't know, I'm older, but, you know, the early days of cable news network, there was a weatherman named Flip Spiceland, who would throw it to the Jake theme music. And I have letters that are framed, Craig is here, my sister's been here for a long time, from the Reagan White House saying here at Casa Blanca, which they call the White House back then, when the Jake theme song comes on, everybody here stops to see what exercise
Starting point is 00:56:43 Jake is doing and to see his guests, which were the playmates. Were the playmates in every two of all 200 of them? Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah, sometimes two, sometimes one, but it was great. Now it was incredible. So cut to now, they get ready to do temple, to do or
Starting point is 00:57:11 Raiders and I'm with Spielberg and Bob Zamekis, right Bob Zamekis hadn't been a big star yet, right? Okay, and you know the big director. Yeah, right where he threw that put and We just got off the plane and these people start like coming over to us and I said to wheels I said don't worry. I'll take care of this because if're gonna rush him you know and these people come up they go right mate I want you to keep fit man like this and I said hey you're doing you know and I said it's my friend wheels and it's Bob you know it was it was a great it was a classic that classic moment amazing it was a classic moment. Amazing. It was a classic moment. That's hilarious. Okay, and so then what happened? What's Phase 2 now?
Starting point is 00:57:48 I can't believe early in Phase 2. No, but the Phase 2 was, you know, after I kind of stopped. So basically, I did in 1989, this is a lot longer, but I'm gonna condense it. I did a sitcom called Big Brother Jake. You did? On the Family Channel. Yeah, with Tim and Pat Robertson. Okay, so you're taking a TV show?
Starting point is 00:58:13 Oh, yeah. That wasn't fitness. No, no, no. It was a half-hour sitcom. That with Tim Robertson, who is dynamite, he and I became great friends. We shot the show and I lived in Virginia Beach in Virginia. My daughter, Morgan, was born, Tracey, my wife. Our daughter was born in Norfolk, Virginia.
Starting point is 00:58:30 Wow. Yeah. And we did a hundred episodes of Big Brother Jake and Tim Robertson who... A lot of episodes. Yeah, we did five years. The five years of the show. It was incredible.
Starting point is 00:58:40 I fought because I wanted to do the show in LA and the best thing that never happened was to do the show in LA, and the best thing that never happened was to do the show in VB, to be able to do the show, because I was able to continue everything I would be able to focus, I remember, I had a memorizer script, which I hadn't really done before, right? My fitness shows, I have teleprompter, I mean, you know,
Starting point is 00:59:00 Wait, were you in half fitness shows that, did you? Oh yeah, no, I was doing, I did, I did my show, first I did the fitness break by Jake. Yeah, then what happened? Then I did a show in first run syndication with Samuel Goldman Jr. Right, tell it body by Jake. That was a body by Jake.
Starting point is 00:59:16 I did a hundred episodes of that that ran all over the country. Okay, but wait, so you were the case, so you stopped 1988-ish training people. You're like, I'm not doing this anymore. Right, but 87, I did the syndicated show. 87, 88, 89, I did the syndicated show. Of Body Paget.
Starting point is 00:59:35 Body Paget. But was that after The Vignettes? After The Vignettes. After The Vignettes. And then I moved over to ESPN. Right, OK. Because Steve Bornsdine, the great Steve Bornsdine, a media genius who not only really shaped ESPN
Starting point is 00:59:51 in Sports Center but launched the NFL network reached out to me saying, hey, we wanna make it awfully, you can't refuse, which would come over because my audience was basically women and they wanted to bring more women to ESPN. Right. And they had a fitness block on ESPN. So I did that for my goodness.
Starting point is 01:00:09 For I did about 350 episodes of Body by Jake on ESPN. And what did you do on the show, really? My show was everything, I tried to do everything but fitness, right? I did cooking. I did cold opens where like Saturday Night Live. Yeah. Like I would have celebrities come on. I have Don King, whoever, so I shot a season in Vegas, right?
Starting point is 01:00:29 Okay. Steve Wynn became a friend of mine, and we're at the Mirage. The Mirage, right? The Mirage. It was at the Mirage where they had just literally just opened the hotel and certainly had his tent for Cirque du Soleil. Steve erected a tent for me, and I had everybody, I mean, I had Mala Mapples, Donald was off camera, right?
Starting point is 01:00:49 Don King, Tommy Lissor, Raleimessimino, Steve Sacks, all the people from Cirque du Soleil would come on and we would do a called Barbara Eden, you know. Gosh, Tony Dianne. Tony Dianne. And you what are you doing? We would do a cold open where I would play Tony's role in Who's the Boss and he would be me.
Starting point is 01:01:07 As a cold open, we throw to commercial, he'd come on and make a salad and we'd talk about that. And then I'd have, we would do motivation, inspiration. We had three and a half minutes of exercise, a actual, like an exercise spot. Because my thing was more about motivation and inspiration. Yeah. And about mental. If you think about it today, mental wellness. You know what's so funny?
Starting point is 01:01:30 This is why it's like so funny how things got to get repackaged differently. But the core is always the same. Like the basics, like it's not fitness isn't about the squat or the lunge. It's about what it does for your head and your mental acuteness, your cognitive ability, your confidence, all these other things. than about the squat or the lunge. It's about what it does for your head and your mental acuteness. It's your cognitive ability.
Starting point is 01:01:46 It's confidence. All these other things. It's just how it's presented. It's all how it's packaged. It's all how it's packaged and presented. It really is. And for me, I loved to make people smile. That's what I do.
Starting point is 01:01:59 That's my life. I mean, I like to make people happy. You're good at it, too. Well, thank you. No, you have your personality. It's like you're like a perfect person to be body by Jake. Like, now it all makes sense to me, you know what I mean?
Starting point is 01:02:11 No, it's true. But like, but like the entrepreneurial spirit of you is obviously very ingrained, right? Like, so you always have that? No, I just have. I mean, my feeling was my life when I came to LA and I said, if I could be on the cover of a magazine, that just happened. I mean, my feeling was my life when I came to LA and I said, if I could be on the cover of a magazine, that's it.
Starting point is 01:02:29 I'm going home, I'm a winner. And when that happened, I said, oh gosh, it was, oh my, I don't even remember now. It was a... Muscle and fitness. No, no, I was never in the cover of that. No. No, never made that one.
Starting point is 01:02:44 It was something else. It was something else It was something that was a big oversized like like a look at a newspaper magazine It was one of those like a LA weekly or something not an early week something like that But sports something sports light sports style. It was called sports styles It was course style. Okay, and I saw myself on it and I said okay How can I parlay this to the next thing? And I knew right there. Right.
Starting point is 01:03:07 That's when things started to click for me. And do you still apply the way talk to all the same people? Do you still talk to Steven Spielberg? Yes. Are you kidding me all the time? Yes. Are you still like friends with them? I'm friends with them.
Starting point is 01:03:19 Yeah, awesome. And so, okay, so then how did Fit TV happen? Fit TV happened. I'm doing the sitcom. Okay. In Virginia. Cold Big Brother Jake. Okay. Tim Robertson and Pat Robertson. Pat Robertson, the 700 Club, the Evangelical preacher, right?
Starting point is 01:03:33 It became incredible friends of mine and great supporters of mine. And they were expanding their family channel business. And I went to them because they gave me a great opportunity to do my sitcom and I said listen I had this idea to launch a 24 hour fitness television network right what year are we talking now this is 93 I started with it 93 so by this point of course Jane Fonda's oh oh Jane's doing this people now for a while I'll tell you this now because we can talk about it again but I trained Jane, right?
Starting point is 01:04:05 Oh, wow, yeah. And we had, and have a great relationship, a great relationship, and she was awesome. But like anything, we were never supposed to talk about it, but I saw her on a plane, and she says, you could talk about the fact that you trained me, Jake, and I said, okay, every time I remember, I'm gonna mention it like that, you know.
Starting point is 01:04:24 But she's awesome. Jane has been dynamite than just a great person. Every time I remember, I would have mentioned it like that. Exactly. But she's awesome. Jane has been dynamite than just a great person. But also, she became a fitness person through Biax and then too. Like, she was, yes. Yes, but she was real. She was sincere about it. She was really sincere about it, right?
Starting point is 01:04:38 I don't know. I don't know, was that a remember? No, but what she did was great and inspired lots of people. Rich Simmons, the same thing, Richard and I have been great friends for a long time. I'll tell you a great story there, because it happens with all of us. Well, that's what he was around in your time. Yeah, sure. But remember, we all did different things.
Starting point is 01:04:56 Different, man. And that's what I mean by this. Plenty of room for everybody to be successful. Exactly. My audience wasn't Richard's audience. It wasn't Jane's audience. It wasn't, you know, But Kathy Smith or whatever it might be. I'm just saying.
Starting point is 01:05:09 No, who was your audience back then, women who were? My audience was, the people who had a hard time just getting started. Okay, so that was my audience, you know. Okay, fair. And because of, look, all the different things that I've done, it just added people to it. So... What happened? So what was the story with Richard Simmons?
Starting point is 01:05:28 So, I'll say this, so the sitcom, I'm doing Big Brother Jake, and I go to the Robertsons, I say, I have this idea. Look, my life is fitness, right? That's what I do. The sitcom, it was great for me, and it worked out really well for the family channel. I said, I want to launch this 24-hour fitness television network. Now, if you remember, Ted Turner had something called
Starting point is 01:05:48 headline news. Now, headline news used to be a wheel. It was an hour wheel that was local news, a world news, and it was broken up into slices. Now, if I was gonna program a 24-hour fitness television network, I couldn't just program fitness shows. By the way, you'd murder yourself watching that. That's the ESPN block was murderous to watch.
Starting point is 01:06:08 Yeah. I mean, if you looked at the ratings there, it was it went, it was all over the place. That's what said to me, I need to do something different. I'm getting lost in this block of fitness shows. Yeah. It doesn't mean anything. So I looked at headline news and I said, ah, this is the way to do it. So, you know, I talked to Ted once again
Starting point is 01:06:28 who became a mentor to me. Wow. And all these guys, I mean, they became mentors and friends. I could ask them, the late great Steve Ross, who put time and water together. I met through wheels, right? Who was one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time. I used to sit with him at the Belé hotel in his bungalow,
Starting point is 01:06:44 and he would tell me stories. I love it. You know?. I used to sit with him at the Belé hotel in his bungalow and he would tell me stories. I love it. Yeah. And I would just sit with him. I mean, look, up until this last minute, Bert Backrack, who just passed away. Yeah. At the time was married to Carol Barosagel,
Starting point is 01:06:56 a long time ago, he used to train Carol and Bert was a friend. Bert and his wife, Jane, are dear friends of ours and I used to sit with Bert at the end. And I would just ask him, tell me stories. And he would tell me stories about Fire Island and things like that. Him starting out on the music business. And I mean, stuff that, you know, you sit there saying, boy, I'd love to tape this, but
Starting point is 01:07:16 you go, my God, I can't. It was just beautiful. And I've been afforded that opportunity with these people. So with Tim and Pat, I sat with them and I said, here's the idea, this is real. So they said, look, we'll incubate your network on the family channel from six to eight in the morning, it'll give you a two hour block,
Starting point is 01:07:35 but I had to go out and it was called the hunting license and go build, subscribe a ship. So I grew fit TV to 28 million homes and I sold it to Rupert Murdock. And it was an incredible moment for me in my life. And then from there my... Well, wait, wait, you sold it. So you grew it to 28. How did you do it?
Starting point is 01:07:58 I went to all the cable providers, you know. Guys like Jimmy Dullin from cable vision who owns Manus and Squared Garden. Leo Hendry and the guys John Malone at the time TCI, Ralph Roberts, Brian Roberts, Comcast. At the time Comcast was like the number nine family. You know, now they're number one. Did you make all the calls?
Starting point is 01:08:17 You called calls? These people were, where'd you do? I went. There was no calling. I just got on a plane. Oh yeah, yeah. Did you, you basically scheduled me had the relationship with the Robertsons who basically were very helpful for me to guide me to where I got it Where I have to go right they said you should call this person called that person go there and I went and sat with them and
Starting point is 01:08:37 You know Amos Haas that are you know the guys from all different cable operators right and I would And you grew it to 28 million oh, yeah, so then did you call up? from all different cable operators. Right. And I would... And you grew it to 28 million. It's a million homes, yeah. So then did you call up, like, who called who? Like, I want to know. It was a great moment, you know. They made a deal with us and...
Starting point is 01:08:56 Without your part, so did it. No, no, no, no, no. How much did you own a Fit TV at the time? Oh, I own a nice little piece. Like 50%. No. Gosh, no. But another 20%. I don't know. The raw person don't have an
Starting point is 01:09:08 inch of it. Oh, it was, it was, let's put it this way. It was incredible. It was a great moment in my life that, or not, because I still can't add, when I was going like this, it still was going to a lot of money. How much do you sell it for? For half a billion dollars. Half a billion to Fox. a billion, two, Fox. And so, but when you made this deal with these two guys, Pat and the other guy, how much of the fit to be did you own? They own the majority. Listen, yes, exactly.
Starting point is 01:09:36 And all I can tell you is that when I sold it, my dream, my basketball is my first love, right? And I wanted to buy an NBA team. So that was something that I really wanted to do. God, okay. And at the time and Hollywood everybody was buying my analogue baseball teams. So this was 1998, right?
Starting point is 01:09:55 This is 98, 97, 98. So simultaneously, I self-fit and I launch because now on demand is becoming a big thing in cable. Remember those set top boxes that you put on top? So I went to two of the people that I sold exercise my whole idea of 5 TV to Comcast and Time Warner as please would you put us on to be my partners in this new venture called on demand.
Starting point is 01:10:21 Wow, yeah. So we launched something called exercise TV, which was the first on The Man fitness television network for fitness. And during that time, I love basketball and trying to figure out, okay, who do I go to? And there's nobody in town that I could really talk to, mentor me on that.
Starting point is 01:10:38 And I was doing a short live magazine called Body by Jake. It's 1997, with a company called Hischette Philopochi. Yeah, oh yeah. Right? And the publisher is a terrific guy, David Pecker, who is in the news today, unfortunately, or fortunately, whatever. It's always been a great guy.
Starting point is 01:10:55 It was a great guy to me. Hischette did my book, I told you. And yeah, and we have six weeks to go before the first issue comes out, I have zero advertisers. I mean, I'm not kidding now. It's not like I have one or two comes out, I have zero advertisers. I mean, I'm not kidding now. It's not like I have one or two. Jennifer, I have zero. I have nothing. And I used to do a thing called dialing for dollars. I call it, right? Remember, we just wait before the internet, wait before social media, iPhones. I used to read every magazine, you know, advertising
Starting point is 01:11:21 age and week. If I recognize the name, I circle, if I didn't recognize a name, I'd circle it and just call. Right? What's the worst that happens? They tell you, fuck off and you, oh, they just hang up the phone. Right. You're no worse off than you were before. Hey, listen, like I said to you, Noah's halfway to yes.
Starting point is 01:11:37 Exactly. It's if we just get started. We're just getting started. Exactly. Because you know why you have to believe. If you don't believe in what you're doing, then if someone tells you no, you go, okay, and you leave.
Starting point is 01:11:50 As opposed to, I'm telling you, I believe in this, I'm gonna keep going until I get that yes. That's the difference. So, I see this guy's name in advertising age, who now has become the CMO at Ford. I go, my God, I know this guy. He used to be a Reebok, so I call him up. And I said, Dave, what are you doing?
Starting point is 01:12:09 It's Jake, goes, oh my God, Jake, it's going to hear from me. I said, buddy, congratulations. He goes, thanks a million. I said, listen, I got this new magazine. And it's coming out in six weeks. And I was a good guy to this guy. He was always nice to me. I said, I need five pages.
Starting point is 01:12:22 Because Jake, I just got here a week ago. I said, that's why I didn't ask you for 10 pages. You know? I can't do it. I can't do it. I could do it maybe a couple of months. I go, I don't have a couple of months. I'm at a business in a couple of months.
Starting point is 01:12:37 He says, I can't do it. I said, okay, how about I deliver John Kennedy Jr. Because what? I said, yeah. If I bring John Kennedy Jr. to Detroit, he goes, wait. If I bring John Kennedy Jr. to Detroit, he goes, wait, you'll bring John Kennedy Jr. to my place here in Detroit? I go, that's what I said.
Starting point is 01:12:49 He goes, all right, now he was doing a magazine called George. Yeah, I remember. Right? And I also said, as I was just spitting out, I said, and I could bring Ralph Laurence Son. David, who at the time was probably 20 years old, who was doing a custom pub job called Swing magazine. It was a magazine with kids were doing in their 20s.
Starting point is 01:13:07 He goes, John Kennedy Jr. you bring to Detroit, you get him to Detroit, I'll find a couple of pages for you. I go, done. I hang up the phone. I had never met John, right? You haven't? No, I had met John, right? I called David Pecker and I told him a story.
Starting point is 01:13:23 I said, listen, could you introduce me to John? What did you even say him of all people? Well, at the time, John Kennedy, that's something like, why? It's a shit. It was the biggest name in the world. Well, it's the same published. He's with my publisher, right?
Starting point is 01:13:37 Exactly, you might have heard. And I am part of this. He doesn't know it yet. He doesn't have any idea about part of this. And David says, come to New York and I'll introduce you. So I flew to New York. We hung out for a couple of days. He was incredible.
Starting point is 01:13:50 We all got on a plane. flew to Detroit. He got him? Yeah, well, yeah. We got on a plane, David Pecker, myself, and John Kennedy and David Lauren. And went down and I got some pages and John Kennedy was, listen, I've been around a lot of famous people, man in my life, and this guy was above that, man.
Starting point is 01:14:08 It was people were just mesmerized. Mesmerized? It was really sensational. By the way, I'm still, even now, I'm mesmerized by you even talking about that. No, I was just a sensation. No, people were so... I don't know what it was.
Starting point is 01:14:18 A stash of him. It was just the royalty stature of him. He was beautiful, and he had some type of like... He's just a charisma is it There was like a charisma That's a truth anyway, but he was so down to earth and such a great guy Yes, and David Lauren who was a kid at the time now runs his dad's business who is just an incredible He does David Lauren. Yeah, oh my god. What he's been able to do with his father's company with with with Polo with Ralph Lauren
Starting point is 01:14:43 I didn't know It's amazing. It's a genius. Now he's a man, I guess. Yeah, I guess I've never been to anymore. He's a genius. Anyway, so on the plane ride home, right? Those guys go back privately, I said, flying dirty, back commercial. And we each switched magazines.
Starting point is 01:14:58 Obviously, I knew George, but I didn't know about swing. So I'm opening up swing magazine. Remember, I just saw for TV. I have this dream to become. I want to know about swing. So I'm opening up swing mag, as you remember, I just saw fit TV, I had this dream to become, I wanna own an MBA, I wanna buy an MBA too. And I opened this article, a guy holding a lacrosse stick. And I said, oh, you know, I played lacrosse in high school. And I'm reading this story about this guy named Dave Morrow,
Starting point is 01:15:19 who grew up in Detroit, was a hockey player, a teacher got him play in lacrosse, he ended up going to Princeton, won a national title there, but what intrigued me was that he started this company in his dorm room called Warrior. And it was like, this guy's making LaCrosse a lifestyle. He said, he's on to something. I said, let me call him. So I got home, I called David Lauren, and I said,
Starting point is 01:15:41 hey, I read the magazine, really cool. So this guy, could I get the writer, I need to get a phone number. He said, sure. So I called Dave M and I said, hey, I read the magazine, really cool. So this guy, could I get the writer, I need to get a phone number, he's so sure. So I called Dave Morrow on the phone and I asked him a simple question, is this such a thing as pro-autolacross? And he said, no, I go, well, there is now. And that was May 1998.
Starting point is 01:15:58 And he and I went on this adventure to launch the first professional outdoor lacrosse league called Major League Lacrosse. Wow, where is it now? And we did it for 20 years. It's now assimilated into another league and it continues to grow. Is it successful?
Starting point is 01:16:15 It was incredibly successful. Monotarily, it was considered absolutely not. But the sports business, you know, is very challenging. And there was no roadmap. There was no book you read. How do you start a professional sports league? Right.
Starting point is 01:16:29 And it was the greatest adventure. We wrote a book. There's a book called Take a Shot that tells the story of how we found in Major League LaCrosse and we're doing a documentary, the real one. Because there's a new group of guys who have this new league
Starting point is 01:16:41 and they assimilated Major League LaCrosse into this thing and they tell us different story. So yeah it's exciting but it's it's kind of fun. So it's still going on. Yeah sure no absolutely. Are you how much time do you spend? I don't spend any time anymore. No more nothing. No more time. No no no but there's a bunch of different things. Mostly today a lot of things that I do it's about giving back. I've been we talked about this before. Yeah. But wait don't even about giving back. I've been, we talked about this before. Yeah. Well, wait, don't even get there yet.
Starting point is 01:17:05 I've not been there yet. I'm chronological. Okay. Then, how did you get into all the infomercials? Oh my God. That's how, you forgot the big people. Well, the big thing I know, right? No, it's true.
Starting point is 01:17:14 It wasn't this, it was the infomercial piece of your professional life, the most successful piece. Yes. Because you sold like a billion dollars. Yeah, well, 50V was probably 50. V was was was a huge But yes, the infomercial business I had no interest in getting involved in because when I looked at it in 91 right when when it used to be the guy the colorful sweaters and The kitchen magicians and all that stuff like that and when someone approached me on it
Starting point is 01:17:41 I said no thanks, you know here I was I'm doing movies and television shows and my own things. I go, I'm not going to do it for commercials. This was before Beach Body. I was like in the same time. Jennifer. Jennifer. Yes, tell me. It was 15 years before Beach Body.
Starting point is 01:17:56 Okay, no Beach Body. But listen, Beach Body came out with P90X in 2000, right? There was a 2000. I thought so. Really? That long was a 2000. I thought so. Really? That long, oh, 2000. Maybe, I'm not sure. Well, my first information came out in 92.
Starting point is 01:18:09 Okay, so you were so, wait, before, just, I'm trying to get chronological. No, no, I'm only kidding. I know, of course I can. No, no, but the whole thing is, is that for me, I thought if I was going to do this, then, you know, it has to be authentic. Totally. And the first product we came out with now, I had some great people that I brought in,
Starting point is 01:18:30 with terrific people that helped me. This wasn't an industry that I knew about. I mean, it was very new. Was it through like, Gumt the Ranker? I didn't know. No, we did it on our own. So we did it on our own. Yeah. Amazing. And who held you?
Starting point is 01:18:45 It's as well. A great guy who was one of my partners a long time ago, and he's Phil Scottie, who was really a bright dude. Oh, okay. And we kind of teamed up, and he was terrific. He was really sensational. And we brought in different people to do different shows with us.
Starting point is 01:19:01 And for me, I looked into the camera, and I did what I had no idea how it was gonna work, but I had this passion, like I said, I wanna help. I wanna make you feel good about yourself. And if this could do it, then this is what you have to do these exercises, right? To do these exercises, I can't guarantee that you're gonna get an incredible shape or you're gonna feel better about yourself. And if you feel better about yourself,
Starting point is 01:19:28 you're going to stand up a little bit straighter, you're going to look in that mirror, and you're going to feel proud of who you are, you're going to have that popping-ass step that maybe you're going to go out and do something extra today. Great. That you didn't do yesterday. And that's the essence of everything that we did, whether it was the firm flex, the hip and thigh sculptor, the ab and back plus, the abs, scissors, and for a string of many years, we had a lot of success, a bunch of products. How many would you say?
Starting point is 01:19:56 But home shopping, I did 15 years on home shopping, and that was incredible. Selling, I'm sure you've, have you done it? I've done a couple of them. They were like, I had a pair of shoes. Do you know what's really, I was supposed to show you a back when, I don't know, this is so crazy. My first company was called No Jam Required.
Starting point is 01:20:13 Right. And I created this shoe called the NGR shoe that had this interchangeable weighted midsole in the shoe that basically it was like a weighted shoe. Right. But the way it was in the shoe was that, it was easier on your joints than wearing weights, like ankle weights or whatever.
Starting point is 01:20:29 Right, right, right, right. That, oh my God, I didn't think, you know, all the times that we've spoken recently, I didn't even remember this until just now. And I had a bunch of people want to introduce me to you. In fact, do you remember a girl, and she became, I became friends with her later,
Starting point is 01:20:47 but because there was a girl who did an infomercial with you, her name was Ashley, Maryette. Do you remember her? Ashley. She's like someone saying, hey, J.J., get from New York, you know, Mike. Ashley. You don't know Ashley.
Starting point is 01:21:01 I don't know what I don't know. But no, she was just a girl that was in one of your videos. A very nice girl, but that's someone who was going to introduce me to you. That's funny. I don't know but no she was just a girl that was in one of your video I'm very nice girl, but that's not who was gonna introduce me. That's funny. I don't remember Kathy Smith someone in the Kathy's awesome. I love Kathy. Kathy was nice. I there was a girl because I'm Canadian and I moved here And that's good. Well HSN Canada, you know, that was a they wanted to have my so that's how I was So HSN Canada right right right what I moved here long story short I sold the company to this guy who owns a shoe company
Starting point is 01:21:27 But now what company was it that you sold? I so it was called it was a shoe company I sold to this guy who owns like a bunch of shoe and how much did you make in that? When you're when I'm on your podcast, I'll tell you everything. How many? Can you know? I sold it for a bit, but I'll tell you what happened the guy What percentage of the company did you? I owned all of it. Did you? I created it.
Starting point is 01:21:48 Yes. Wow, and you were able to hold on to everything. It was a different situation. I created the shoe, and I was really young. It was my first thing. I never knew anything about any of this stuff, but I had a book called No Jim Required as my first book. In fact, actually, is it over there?
Starting point is 01:22:00 Oh, it was right there. Can I show it to him really fast? Over here. Oh my gosh. This is so early. Are you what's in really fast? Over here. Oh my gosh. This is so early. Are you not that bad? Jennifer, go and off camera now.
Starting point is 01:22:10 Look at this. This is my first book. Let me see. Look at you. This is great. I was just kidding. I was just kidding. I was just kidding.
Starting point is 01:22:18 I was just kidding. I was just kidding. And then that was from a long time ago. You look great. That's awesome. Anyway, so I started this. And because of the book name, a blah, blah, blah, I created this shoe shoe The whole idea behind No Jim required was that I was I was creating simple ways for people to be fit and healthy without the gym
Starting point is 01:22:32 That's awesome. But anyway the reason why I'm not this is not a podcast about me the point is I had a pair of shoes I was supposed to give them to someone wanting me to give them to you to do an infomercial. I don't remember what happened That's funny. Yeah. That was funny. There was so, you know, during that period of. That's so funny. For real, 92 to probably 2008, right?
Starting point is 01:22:57 We had a string of successful shows. That word is really amazing. Yeah. This was older. There was a 2010, I remember. But I used to see, I mean, this was older. There's a 2010, I remember. But I used to see, I mean, we would see hundreds of products would come to the office, whether they were like a product-like shoe or on a napkin or a prototype or a
Starting point is 01:23:20 video or something like that. And what happened? I would look at everything. You would. I'd say this, I would look at everything. And probably the biggest hit that I ever had, which was the abs, is there, right? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:23:31 Everyone loves abs stuff. Yeah. That was, I looked at a video. It was this massive contraption. And I'm about to turn it off. And the guy comes around to the side, and he goes, and you can do your abs like this using your own body weight. And I go, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, let's put that back.
Starting point is 01:23:51 And I said, let's get this guy in the phone. I called him and I said, look, the machine is the machine. Can you separate the ab thing from everything else? He said, I think I can. I said, well, we'll help you. And that was a, that was a monster. Yeah, it was a monster. But you know what, the information business is a great business. It was a great business. And hopefully, we'll be again, we have, I'm going to, we're getting back into it. Yeah. Are you giving it back into it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, we have something pretty exciting. Really? Yeah,
Starting point is 01:24:21 yeah, yeah. What's great about that business is this. It's not like the movie business, so the TV business, so you have to invest lots of money, like a movie. You spend $100 million and you have one weekend, and then it doesn't work, you're in a business. Yeah. And the infomercial business, at least back in the day, you would test the product.
Starting point is 01:24:37 So there's a finite amount of money that you could lose. Today, with digital media and everything else, there's so many different things that you can try, with offers and things like that, there's so many different things that you can try with offers and things like that to see if something resonates, something works with somebody. So it is quite intriguing. It is.
Starting point is 01:24:52 It was a great run. I mean, I love doing home shopping. As much as, you know, it wears on you being away for a time when we were having kids and we were being away on weekends, but being down there and Tampa, St. Pete. Yeah, where was QVC's that was a big filly? Yeah, Philly.
Starting point is 01:25:09 Did you want to be a QVC? I started at QVC and my guys, actually the Turner guys, ended up running HSA. Yes, I remember. Jerry Hogan, who was a great friend of mine and terrific man. So you went there. It had me, Jake, who I want to make an offer, would you come over and I said, I'd love to.
Starting point is 01:25:26 So they guarantee me hours and it was beautiful. And live television man is the greatest. Because that shows, you know, it's like a comic getting up. A hundred percent. You know, later in the chronological stuff we're talking about, I had this dream to do one man show, which I did in Las Vegas. I did one night at the NGM Grand The Hollywood Theater. We sold it out.
Starting point is 01:25:46 You did? How many people? Tom Jones opened up for me. He was incredible. When? Yeah, this was, man, a few years ago. And how many people showed up? 735. Filled up the NGM Grand The,
Starting point is 01:25:58 it was called The Hollywood Theater. That's amazing. It was awesome. It was really, really fun. But live television, you have your fitness product here. Yeah, you got to go. And there's a little computer screen off to the side. And it says, you know, calls on hold, calls online. It's before the internet also. And dollars per minute you were doing. So you would look and see when I was working, it was great.
Starting point is 01:26:22 When it wasn't, you thought there was a power out. Yeah, right. Exactly, right. That's right. But it happens. You know, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work. And sometimes it doesn't. So did you own a piece of every product? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:26:34 That was something that like, yeah, it's all the pens of deal you make a deal. You make a deal. Sure. But when you were at HSN, though, was it really, were you more of a spokesperson or were you more? It was my product. It was my product.
Starting point is 01:26:43 Only my product. And you brought them to stuff. My product. Yeah. Because you would 10 deals, like, let's say, for example, I did give you these shoes. You and I would make a deal. Then you would go on, you would go on ages and I wouldn't do it. I'd have you do it, right?
Starting point is 01:26:55 But it was still under your name. Oh, oh, oh, oh, back in the day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly. And that's why I mean. Right. And so that's the gap. So was that the most, in that that the product piece of your professional life?
Starting point is 01:27:07 Was that the most lucrative, or was it still the fit TV, the most lucrative? I would say both. Both are really. But they were great. It was very blessed. It was incredible. It was a great moment.
Starting point is 01:27:19 Those were great moments. You've had such an amazing career. Unbelievable. I'm sorry we're going for so long, but then let's go into the product. Like you have this new product. Well, yeah, so, but through all this time, you know, a big part of what I've been doing is giving back. And I think that's a really important thing you have to do. And for me, my passion is kids.
Starting point is 01:27:39 I mean, I love via four kids. And my daughter Morgan, Nick, Zach, and Luke, they're grown-ups now. My youngest guy is a senior at USC. Gonna graduate in May. So unbelievable. My daughter Morgan's 30, Nick is 28. Zach's 23, Luke is 21. So, you know, but kids, I always wanna see
Starting point is 01:27:57 how can we make this next generation better? Give them something to empower them. And fitness was for me. So, my belief is, I've always said, I wanted to put a fitness center in every elementary and middle school in this great country of ours. And I love that.
Starting point is 01:28:13 And, as I said earlier in the conversation, Arnold, when he was governor, named me Chair of the Fitness Council, he was in California. I served for him during his administration then a year with Jerry Brown, and then became the chair of the National Foundation for Governance Fitness Councils.
Starting point is 01:28:26 And I've been in this position, this is my 10th year. And I have a simple mission here, is to literally put, as many fitness centers, don't quit fitness centers in elementary and middle schools around the country. Each year, I choose four states. I call governors cold. I've got three brand new $100,000 don't quit fitness centers as a gift
Starting point is 01:28:45 to gift to your state, Governor Jennifer. Wow. You just have to pick up the phone. And it's been great. This year, we're doing Iowa, Montana, Wyoming, and Vermont. And that puts us at 46 states. And next year we'll be, we'll get to 50. I said 50, I hang it up.
Starting point is 01:29:01 And that's amazing. Coca-Cola has been a partner of mine since the beginning-Cola has been a partner of mine since the beginning. Nike has been a partner of mine since the beginning. And Anthem has been a partner of mine. It wheels up through their iterations that they're this terrific guy, Candy Dector, who had a company called Marquis Jett, sold it to Warren Buffett, and then started wheels up, which is a public company.
Starting point is 01:29:22 Wow. He does it private effort. He's a partner of yours with this? Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They've been great because we go to places where no one goes to and hard to get to these places. So we've been able to, he flies us to these places, which has been, which has been great.
Starting point is 01:29:37 And the greatest thing in the world is you go to a school where there's not a fitness center in 30, 40, 50 miles around. And this fitness center becomes the hub of the community. And so, as I said, not just for the kids and the teachers, but the moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles get a chance to exercise too. And it becomes a community thing. And we have found that test scores are up,
Starting point is 01:30:00 gang violence down, teenage pregnancy down, this upward spiral of success. And kids are in school, they're less fidgety, they're more focused, they do better on their tests, they're proud of themselves, their teachers are proud of them, their parents are proud of them. As I said, this upward spiral of, you know, I can believe in myself. All from doing a push-up and a sit-up and a pull-down and a bicep curl. You believe that? It's 100%. I love how you're so good.
Starting point is 01:30:27 You keep us saying my name. It's so endearing because you say the process the same. I agree. No, but when someone says your name, it's like from how to win friends and everyone's people. Have you read the Del Carnage book? No. Always repeat someone's name because it makes them feel much
Starting point is 01:30:43 more endeared by you and close to you. So if I said to you, Jake, please continue, Jake. Jake, you know what's really funny, Jake? How you say this, Jake? Versus me not saying your name at all. Oh, that's interesting. You never heard that. No, that's great.
Starting point is 01:30:55 Oh, see, Jake. You would do that. That's been your secret sauce, Jake. That's my rap adieu, Jennifer. Okay, so, one more thing to say. I mean, God, okay, don't quit know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know,
Starting point is 01:31:07 you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know,
Starting point is 01:31:15 you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know,
Starting point is 01:31:23 you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you great fitness story. I want to give you this because that's as interesting as. I want to even ask you what you do for fitness. So, well, when I train, I'm up at 430 in the morning and I have a gym in my house and I do a 42 minute workout. I still, I still my old school, you know, Monday, no, 42. Monday and Thursday, chest and thighs, Tuesday, Friday,
Starting point is 01:31:43 back and buys, Wednesday, Saturday, I do cardio. I stop training my legs, you know. You do? You do splits, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I've been doing it for a long time. I still throw a lot of iron around. You do. Yeah, I know.
Starting point is 01:31:57 And you do cardio, though, now. I do my cardio, but I always do cardio. But my Wednesday Saturday is a bigger cardio day, where I'll do treadmill, recumbibi and I'll do like a spinning bike 45 minutes. So you do cardio for 45 minutes on those two days But no, I'll kind of split it up. Okay, so give me a I want to do so basically it's this it's You can't leave without telling me I do hundred rep sets So I'll start out with seven minutes on a treadmill, right? And then I'll jump off and I'll do my abs, right? For seven minutes. For I'll do 700 reps there. And then I'll do...
Starting point is 01:32:34 700 reps. So I'll do three different three or four different movements, right? To get the 700 reps. Okay. And then I'm back on the treadmill for seven minutes. then I do a body part So I do my chest and I'll do a chest press for a hundred reps a bench for a hundred reps. Yeah So are you doing it straight up? Stopping or no, no, I don't stop. No, no, there's no stopping. So how much weight can you be doing? I'm doing I do 80 pound dumbbells What I'm doing you can do a hundred of this. Yeah, but remember the way I do it is I don't walk out So I'm not locking out. I'm doing... You can do a hundred of this. Yeah. But remember, the way I do it is I don't walk out. So I'm not locking out. I'm doing here. So the muscles engage, right?
Starting point is 01:33:10 And if I'm doing a bicep curl, I'm here. I'm not... In all the way. Because if you think if you're here, the muscles... A long gait. Not only, but it's not completely engaged. And if it's up here, you're at rest. So I take that out and this out and I'm here, right?
Starting point is 01:33:24 Are you doing a hundred of those? Yeah. What kind of bicep, what kind of weight can you do for your bicep? You know I've bought a machine, or I'm doing 40, 50 pound dumbbells. Okay, and then chest you could do 80, just like that. Yeah, shoulder's back, triceps.
Starting point is 01:33:38 You're not doing lunges or squats anymore? No. Why? You know my thighs always got big and they looked a little goofy and pants. My calves never grew. So, that's why you went out, Arnold, that question. That's why it is.
Starting point is 01:33:50 So listen, never, my calves never grew. What I did, I used to tiny his calves in the world. I showed you the second, but you know, I can actually see through your pants that they're small. They are, they're small. They're definitely small. Thanks, Jennifer.
Starting point is 01:34:03 Thanks, Jennifer. Sorry, Jay. You could pan down, and do that. Pan down to the calves, you know. I're small. They're definitely small. Thanks, Jennifer. Thanks, Jennifer. Sorry, Jay. You could pan down into the calves. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Okay, continue. So you do 100. Yeah, it's a 42 minute workout, and I do it now. It's my drug.
Starting point is 01:34:16 It's always been that way. It's my medicine. It's a... You didn't finish it out. A treadmill, seven, body part, and abs, seven, seven, seven. Two body parts in the back of the treadmill. So it's 42 minutes altogether. And that's what you do all the time.
Starting point is 01:34:28 Mm-hmm. Yeah, same music. I have my- Serious. I've got my 75, so I have ESPN on with no sound. And I- but I go into a different place though. You see, for 30 in the morning, it's dark. I walk into the gym, and I- I just, I'm a very regimented guy.
Starting point is 01:34:46 So it's my reps. My right, my life is reps, right? Totally, I feel this is a very fitnessy thing though. Like I feel a lot of fitness people are very regimented this way. Keeps them on point mentally. It does. Do you write things down? I've got yellow pads.
Starting point is 01:35:03 I do have notes everywhere. I've notes scribbled everywhere. I got it up to, I write things down? I mean, I've got yellow pads all over the place. I do have notes everywhere. I've notes scribble everywhere. I got it up to, I write everything down. You know why? Because you write something down, it becomes real. Yeah. If you have an idea in your mind, it just swirls upstairs. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:35:16 But if you really write something down, that becomes real. I totally agree. So whatever that idea is, you look at it, you read it, you know? I totally agree. And that's the name of the game, that's what I've always done. I agree, do you want to tell me your story quickly? Because the A.H. rep did you? The fit, the story is this, is that, I forgot what year it was, but everybody was doing these
Starting point is 01:35:37 themed restaurants. Yeah. So, the Hard Rock Cafe was already open, but kind of Hollywood was coming, the All-Star Cafe, Models Cafe, Holly Davidson, the Rainforest Cafe, all these places. So I had this idea that I wanted to do something called Eden, like the God of. Universal Studios was just expanding. And because of my relationship with those guys, they were going to give me a restaurant at the new walk,
Starting point is 01:36:05 you know, the new sort of universal walk up there. And I said, I'm gonna put together all the fitness people. So I called Richard, I called Jane, I called Tammy Lee Webb, I called Jacqueline, Jacqueline, Tammy Lee Webb, Richard, myself and Jane. Right, to me were the five people that I thought Tamely Webb, Richard, myself, and Jane. Right? To me, we're the five people that I thought would be the biggest people in the industry. Jane, who at the time was married to Ted, right?
Starting point is 01:36:35 It was great. You know, I said, Jake, I love to do it, but you know, Tess, don't sweat it. So it was Richard, Tamely Webb, and Tamely, I knew, you know, she did buns of steel. Right, remember. But Tammy Lee, I brought on to Fit TV. So she was one of our hosts on Fit TV, and she did great. She's awesome.
Starting point is 01:36:56 And Jacqueline, which I thought would be just a hoot to have. Yeah. And we used Steve, the great late Steve, was passed away, and I used his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. And we were meeting there and we had everything ready to go. Now this is before California pizza kitchen happened. So we were gonna have this great, like the oven was gonna be right out, right out front.
Starting point is 01:37:18 You can see and Eden, there was a big like an orange tree. And I've always made Saturdays my day. You know, I follow not a strict diet, but on Saturdays I eat whatever I want. And I've done that since I was 17 years old. Right. I mean, literally whatever I want. And I thought since it's a theme park,
Starting point is 01:37:37 let's make every day a Saturday. Right. So the menu would be everything Saturday and Richard Superbright Guy had a great business sense for this stuff. He's a really small business guy. Tommy Lee was great, Jack was just funny, and we're at the end of this thing.
Starting point is 01:37:50 We're really, we put a deal together, and I said I had this great idea, guys. Let's sell our videos in when people are waiting to be seated, let's sell our stuff. Oh my gosh. Right, good idea. Right, but they're gonna go eat. They're gonna go buy an exercise and say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, And he goes, no, this is such, this is no brainer, guys.
Starting point is 01:38:26 You're audience, we can all share audiences here. That's the thing. And by the way, we got a bunch of press that we were doing this. And I had gotten more press on doing, doing nothing, right? Because it never happened, right? That, and thankfully, or I could say is thank goodness
Starting point is 01:38:44 because all those theme restaurants, were all, yeah, they were all in total duds. Oh my goodness. But these people were complaining laughter words. They didn't wanna, why? Everybody, but you know what, thankfully it happened, it was one of those crazy moments, but we had about five months together,
Starting point is 01:39:02 where we would meet once, once, once a twice a month. But they liked each other back in the meetings. Yeah, it was great. But not what they didn't want their stuff sold inside each other. They didn't want things stuff sold. Why? Who knows? But you know what?
Starting point is 01:39:14 It was a blessing. It was a blessing because we all say that's a lot of money. 100%. But that's, that was like the fallout because of that. But it was one of those things that, there's something that didn't work out that you'd think would be a perfect thing and a Perfect time at a perfect moment and fortunately Usually I would have pushed it and for some reason I didn't push it It didn't work out. So you know exactly well, and then don't quit
Starting point is 01:39:37 So you know, I got involved in a number of different things. I invested in some beverage companies I was an investor in Zico coconut water you two different things I invested in some beverage companies. I was an investor in Zico Coconut Water. You too. It's you, Brutessi. I know, I feel like everybody was an investor in that thing. I was with Jesse from the beginning. You were.
Starting point is 01:39:51 Well, Jesse and Kenny, yeah, from the beginning. Were you and Jesse the same equal partners? Well, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And then I was an investor in Avion, Tequila. Oh, yeah. Doug Ellen, Kenny Dictor and the guys. And you did Avion guys and I had a you did have you own also. I had a home in their
Starting point is 01:40:07 tucket and those guys. We do a trade out and they'd stay at my place when I left and they cooked up the idea for Turtle to have a job to do a to Keela company and I had some shares in that. That's so too. Too successful things right? Yeah. I didn't do anything. It mean, it was just right place, right time. Yeah. People started thinking, well, you know, it was about the beverage industry. And I'm seeing all these different beverage things.
Starting point is 01:40:31 Every lo-so-so-he-short, I had a couple other ones. And I went to my friends at Coca-Cola, who are my partners. What do you think of this? Too small. You should call this guy. He has this company called LA Libations. It's Think of Silicon Valley as a tech incubator.
Starting point is 01:40:46 This is a beverage incubator. His name is Danny Stepper. And I said, oh, that's interesting. El Segundo, right down the road for me. We get together, we sit down, and we come up with this plan to launch. Don't quit. Now, don't quit.
Starting point is 01:41:00 We didn't really talk about. In 19, well, I was cut from my eighth grade basketball team, right, which was a devastating moment in my life at that time. And a friend gave me a poem called Don Quitt. And don't ask me why, I kept it, don't ask me why. That person gave me the poem, but it became like a Bible verse to me for my life. And in 1981, I trademarked the words Don Quitt.
Starting point is 01:41:22 And I've owned the trademark ever since. And we launched, launched don't quit the beverage, protein shake, right before the pandemic hit. And we've muscleed all the way through, it opened, intended. And we have a thing called don't quit max, which is high protein, 33 grams of protein, 26 vitamins and mineral, one gram of sugar.
Starting point is 01:41:43 And we just now, we Vanemons and Mineral, one gram of sugar, and we just now, we acquired a company called X2, which is an energy drink, sports energy, which 32 sports teams have been using. And a great new group of guys, Madison Square Garden sports that are involved now, fresh $10 million of funding was put in place. We have an incredible product, a great team,
Starting point is 01:42:05 and I'm super excited to see where this goes. Oh my gosh. It's just so fun. You don't quit. No. You don't quit. We don't quit. Look at us, Jennifer.
Starting point is 01:42:15 We don't quit. We've been on that four hours and 60 minutes. I know. I know. How long has it been? I spent about an hour and 40, not about 50. OK, sorry. We can wrap this up.
Starting point is 01:42:24 This has been actually, to me anyway, I'm super fascinated by all of this stuff. So you don't quit, you have a product called Don't Quit. You've had so many different, I mean, the phases that you've had so much success in your career. And I understand why though, because you bring such enthusiasm. And you're like, you're like very likable. You really are. Oh, that's very sweet. You are, you're very likable.
Starting point is 01:42:45 You really are. Oh, that's very sweet. You are. You're super likable. I believe that people have to create their own opportunities and luck. And you're one, obviously. You put yourself in the right places
Starting point is 01:42:55 to meet the right people who are great conduits to other things that were very successful. But it's because of you who you are. If you were a dud, it wouldn't work out this way. Well, but that's interesting. But it's interesting. That's what I say to my kids. It's about personality.
Starting point is 01:43:09 A lot of it is. I mean, especially now, especially you have two kids, right? And I'm sure you sit with them with social media and all the challenges there. What is lost with all of this is that face-to-face communication. The ability to know how to connect with people. Having to connect, right. And socialize properly.
Starting point is 01:43:29 And that's the thing. We can go through a parenting thing now, which we want to do. We do a lot of podcasts on that, right? Right, absolutely. Okay, body by Jake. How do people find you if they want to? You know what? Official body by Jake on Instagram.
Starting point is 01:43:40 Yes, I'm not very good at it. I'm trying. I'm working hard at it. You don't have to be. You've already proven yourself. You don't need to prove yourself on Instagram. Yes, I'm not very good at it. I'm trying. I'm working hard at it. You don't have to be. You've already proven yourself. You don't need to prove yourself on Instagram. I know. I try. You know what? I can stand up for 10,000 people and give a speech. I can then prompt you speech. Yeah. And I'll say, oh, I'm going to post this photo on Instagram. And I'm like, for 30 minutes. What am I supposed to say on this day? Yeah, I go screwed. I just don't do it. And when I poop post, it's a, honestly, you know what?
Starting point is 01:44:09 You're old school, that's why. And that's more important. I much rather get up and speak to people. I totally agree with you. I think it's amazing. But you're awesome. This has been great. I've had a ball.
Starting point is 01:44:18 And, too, this has been really fun. Thank you. I look forward to seeing what you have next. Where can I say this? This is just like, you know, step one in our evolution of friendships. Yeah, and you're probably the only person that I've met that has five treadmills. I know, well this is for your house. You know why? Because I had a deal with Woodway, which is probably why.
Starting point is 01:44:37 And I like treadmills very much. Also, I want to be able to remind myself I should be on that thing. Like I like to... No, really. I jump on. I jump on. I jump on. I do, I want to be able to remind myself I should be on that thing like I like to I do not see my house. I have a cold plunge a sauna. I have like red lights. It's like a wellness resort It's like a wellness resort slash equinox. So are we good? Oh? Okay, good. Thank you Don't quit don't quit. Jennifer, don't quit. Don't quit. Don't quit. Don't quit.
Starting point is 01:45:20 This episode is brought to you by the Yap Media Podcast Network. I'm Holla Taha, CEO of the award-winning digital media empire, YAP Media, and host of YAP Young & Profiting Podcast, a number one entrepreneurship and self-improvement podcast where you can listen, learn, and profit. On Young & Profiting Podcast, I interview the brightest minds in the world, and I turn their wisdom into actionable advice that you can use in your daily life. Each week, we dive into a new topic like the Art of Side Hustles, how to level up your influence and persuasion and goal setting. I interview A-List guests on Young & Profiting. I've got the best guests. Like the world's number one negotiation expert, Chris Voss, Shark Damon John,
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Starting point is 01:46:16 and how I became one of the top podcasters in the world in less than five years. Young and profiting podcast is for all ages. Don't let the name fool you. It's an advanced show. As long as you want to learn and level up, you will be forever young. So join podcast royalty and subscribe to Young and Profiting Podcast. Or, yeah, like it's often called by my app fam on Apple Spotify, Cast Box, or wherever you listen to your podcast.
Starting point is 01:46:35 God bless.

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