July 28, 2025 • 44 mins
"Life gave me so much more than it ever took from me." These powerful words come from John Carter, a man who, by all accounts, should be bitter about his circumstances. Shot in the back of the head after an encounter tied to his attempt to follow in his mafioso father's footsteps, John survived a three-month coma and six additional months of hospitalization, only to fall into the depths of addiction while wheelchair-bound.
John's vivid recollections of his coma experience—a continuous dream of swimming races where the winner gets to go home—reveal the first seeds of his transformation. When he finally woke, his troubles were far from over. At rock bottom, weighing over 300 pounds and dealing drugs from his wheelchair, John found an unlikely salvation when police raided his apartment. "I was happy," he recalls about his arrest, recognizing it as the intervention he desperately needed.
The turning point came in prison, where three inmates who knew his father took him to the gym daily, determined to get him out of his wheelchair. Through consistent training, John grew stronger physically and mentally. This unexpected introduction to fitness became his pathway to a new life. After release, despite rejections due to his speech impediment and limp, John persevered and eventually found work as a personal trainer. Today, he owns his gym, maintains long-term clients, and volunteers providing service dogs to people with mobility challenges.
What makes John's story truly remarkable isn't just his physical transformation, but his complete absence of regret. When asked if he would change anything about his difficult journey, his answer is unwavering: "No." Every challenge led him exactly where he needs to be—helping others overcome their own obstacles, supporting his family including his mother with dementia, and living with profound purpose.
Ready to rethink what's possible in your own life? Listen to this powerful conversation that will challenge your perceptions of limitations and inspire you to embrace your challenges rather than run from them.
Learn More at: www.Redefine-Fitness.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hello and welcome to Health and Fitness Redefined.
I'm your host, anthony.
Amen and welcome to anothergreat episode for all of you
today.
I hope you enjoyed last week'sepisode.
We dove deep into dementia,alzheimer's and we went way over
showtime, but I think it was soworth it.
But back for today.
We have another awesome,inspirational story for you guys
(00:30):
of someone who went through alot, overcame a lot, and you
know, if you watch the showoften, that these are the things
I I love the most out ofeverything about this field.
So, without further ado, let mewelcome to today's show, john.
John, it's a pleasure to haveyou on today.
Thank you, anthony.
It's a pleasure to be here.
(00:51):
Buddy, really excited to hearabout your story and what led
that to you actually own a gym,like myself, and then even take
it a step further, which writinga book about your life, which
is definitely something I wouldlove to do for myself too.
But before we dive into that,tell us a little bit about what
the catalyst was that drove youinto the fitness world anthony.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Thank you so much, buddy.
Um, I would just like to giveyou a little, a little uh
forward, to bring you up to dateto where I I started to write
my book about my incidents thathappened to me Growing up.
Anthony, I grew up in a veryunconventional childhood.
My father was in the mafia, themob, and that's how I grew up
(01:36):
and, Anthony, I love my dad.
He never missed a ball game.
He was the best father in theworld, and so when he died,
Anthony, I wanted to wear hisshoes, but I was not his size,
Anthony, and so immediately Ifound myself in a world of
trouble.
(01:56):
This man, instead of paying mea gambling death that he owed,
decided to attempt to murder meand he shot me in the back of
the head.
And Anthony in this story,being shot in the back of the
head was the easy part.
As my life spiraled out ofcontrol with drug addiction,
(02:19):
gambling addiction, alcoholaddiction, eating addictions.
My life was a mess, Anthony, itsounds that alcohol addiction
eating addictions, my life was amess.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I think it sounds that.
I mean, that's kind of the tipand point for anyone who's
getting shot in the back of thehead.
So just tell me a little bitmore about how that scenario
happened and what you felt likeimmediately afterwards and kind
of what recovery looked likeafterwards and kind of what
recovery looked like.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Sure, so when I got shot, I immediately went out and
I did three months in a comaand another six months on top of
that in the hospital, so atotal of nine months in the
hospital.
Anthony, the first 90 days whenI was in a coma was one long
(03:06):
dream.
But it was not your typicaldream where it was kind of fancy
and foggy.
This was very vivid, like Iremember today.
This happened in 1992, anthony,I remember today like it was
yesterday.
The smells, it was all real tome.
So the moral of this dream waswe were in a hospital, I was
(03:29):
chained to a bed and I didn'tknow what was wrong with me, and
every day we had a swimmingrace and the winner of this race
got to go home.
Now, remember, this was all adream.
Anthony hurt so bad to get inthat pool.
The pain was excruciating and Ikept losing and losing, and
(03:53):
losing.
This is the first time in mylife.
I said to him, even though itwas a dream, it was my first
time in my life.
I said I quit, that's it, Igive up, I'm not getting out of
this bed again.
That night an old man sat on mybed I have no recollection of,
(04:16):
I have no idea who it was and hesaid you're not going to quit,
you are not alone and I'm goingto help you.
I'm going to help you, I'mgoing to train you.
And this is where the firsttraining came into my life,
anthony.
He said I'm going to train you,and every day he took me down
to that pool and he trained meand he trained me.
(04:38):
So now it's a day of the bigrace.
He gets me down to the pool,gives me a big pep talk, he's
cheering me on.
He's being a coach, he's beinga trainer.
Anthony, I remember swimmingwith a bad health.
I hit the wall and I woke.
I woke out of the coma.
So, thank God, I didn't quit,anthony, and that was my first
(05:02):
Thank God.
I didn't quit, anthony, andthat was my first person in the
world that trained me.
And so now I'm in a hospital.
I serve nine months now, and nowI get out, I go home, I'm in a
wheelchair, I go to my mother'sbasement apartment and
(05:24):
immediately, anthony, depressionset set in and I was very
depressed.
I just started eating andeating, and eating, and before I
knew it, I was adding alcohol.
I thought my life was a mess,anthony.
And then cocaine came in.
Now I'm sitting in my houseweighing 300 pounds, sitting in
(05:47):
a wheelchair.
I just got shot in the head andmy big, bright idea was to
become a drug dealer.
That was a great choice.
So now I'm sitting in my houseand I can't afford my drugs
anymore.
So that's why I became a drugdealer.
I couldn't afford my habit.
(06:08):
But, anthony, the cops did nottake too kind to this.
So I'm sitting in my apartmentand boom, the door comes bashing
in.
Ten cops come rolling in withthe guns pointed at me.
I said oh, I thought I was dead.
I thought I was being robbed.
(06:29):
I didn't know.
Then I heard the walkie-talkiesand I said to myself oh, thank
goodness, this is over.
Anthony, it was hell being inthat wheelchair, being in that
apartment, being addicted todrugs and alcohol, thinking my
life was over.
It was complete hell.
(06:49):
I remember the cop looking atme and saying because I was
smiling, I was happy.
I was happy.
And the cop said what the hellare you smiling about here?
You're in a lot of trouble.
I said, sir, you don'tunderstand.
This is a good thing that'shappening right now.
So they take me to jail.
But I get bailed out of jail.
(07:11):
So now I'm sitting in theparking lot of jail of the
police station weighing over 300pounds in a wheelchair.
No money, no drugs, nowhere togo.
My friend says to me you needto get sober, you need to go to
detox.
So at that time I had nochoices in my life.
(07:33):
So off the ducks I went andfrom detox I wanted to enter a
halfway house.
I want to continue with mysobriety.
So from detox to go to ahalfway house.
But I had to be interviewed forthis halfway house.
So I remember going in and I'msitting in the office and I'm
(07:55):
waiting for the executivedirector to come in to interview
me and see if I'm accepted forthis halfway house.
This woman comes walking in.
You can see there's somethingwrong with her.
She was bouncing off, she satdown and she proceeded to tell
me her story, how she was in acocaine-induced coma 20 years
(08:18):
prior to this.
This is in 1994 now, so she wasalready sober for 20 years.
She's telling me how she was ina wheelchair and how she got
out.
I can just remember looking ather.
I could not believe she got outof that wheelchair.
That wheelchair was hellishlyand this woman just told me she
(08:41):
got out of it.
I couldn't believe it.
I didn't think it was possible.
This is the first time in mylife I seen somebody get over
something like this.
I was in total awe.
She was glowing, she was happy,she was smiling.
I said I want what she has.
I want that, anthony.
(09:03):
She actually wrote the forewordin my book.
She's my very good friend today.
She just wrote my foreword.
She's an awesome person.
I listened, I was in love withher.
I listened to every word shesaid.
She was like God to me.
I listened to everything.
(09:23):
I did everything she said.
I did everything she said.
I wanted what she had, anthony,but I still had this court case
hanging over my head.
Now I've been sober now in thehalfway house for eight months.
So I'm saying I remember goingto court.
Deb took me to court, I rolledin.
I remember saying this judge isgoing to go easy on me.
(09:48):
Anthony.
I'm in a wheelchair.
I've been sober for nine months.
I have a lot of support aroundme.
My first offense he looked downat me.
I was in my wheelchair.
He said Mr Carter.
He said we don't discriminatein this courtroom you will get
(10:08):
the same sentence any drugdealer in my community gets.
Anthony gave me 10 years.
I was so limitedly hurt andupset at the moment but that
turned to gratitude.
Later on I'll explain it.
But I was so.
He's putting me in prison withwith mass murderers.
(10:31):
I'm in a wheelchair, my firstoffense.
I was in shock, but dad lookedat me.
She said, john, face your fears, you're not alone.
And Face your fears, you're notalone and you're gonna get
through this.
I'll be with you.
Anthony.
My whole life I felt alone.
She said to me you're not aloneand I listened to every word
(10:57):
she said.
No matter what she said, Ilistened to her.
So what did I do?
Off the post, I went.
Anthony, I'm a big guy, I'm6'2".
I cried like a baby.
Those big doors slammed behindme.
I was in a cell no bigger thana bathroom and I cried and cried
(11:22):
and cried.
So this is where fitness cameinto my life, anthony.
This is where fitness came in.
Three guys answered myself thenext morning, anthony, I was
petrified.
I said, oh my shit, I'm introuble here and my father had a
(11:44):
good name in the crime.
So the three men said to methey said we're friends of your
dad's and we're here to help you.
And we're going to stop bygetting you out of that
wheelchair, anthony.
I've been in this wheelchairfor years now.
They said we don't care ifwe're going to carry you, you're
(12:06):
getting out of that wheelchair,anthony.
For months they took me to theprison gym.
They trained me and trained me.
I was getting stronger andstronger, using that chair less
and less, and who would havethought three convicts in prison
would have taught me such avaluable lesson about fitness?
(12:29):
See, anthony, I always feltalone, but now I'm putting the
dots together.
I'm feeling good physically,but, anthony, I was feeling
awesome mentally.
Buddy, I was not alone.
I was in a little cell, in alittle cell in jail, but feeling
(12:50):
good about myself, feeling goodabout the future.
In jail, anthony, recidivism isreal.
I seen people coming in andgetting out like a revolving
door all the time.
I remember saying to myself Idon't want this.
(13:12):
I talked to my.
I went back to my cell thatnight.
I was talking to my dad, whowas in heaven.
I said dad, please, pleaseguide me here.
Dad, please, please guide mehere.
And I remember a lesson hetaught me when I was a young kid
(13:32):
fail to plan, plan to fail.
So I said you know what?
I'm gonna make myself a planbecause I don't want this.
So immediately I called them up.
He says I've been waiting forthis call.
Of course we're going to helpyou.
You're not alone, you're goingto come right back to the half
house.
And Anthony, thank God I was 32years old.
(13:57):
I was just getting out of jail.
They gave me $100 and a busticket.
What were my chances if I wentback to where I came from with
$100 at 32?
Nothing.
I'd be still sitting in thatbar.
So I got on the bus, I took awalk, I came to Boston.
(14:17):
I went back to the halfwayhouse, thank goodness.
Thank goodness, because where Iam now it's unbelievable.
So I knew I wanted to be infitness.
I knew this is what I wanted todo.
So I kept applying to all themajor gyms in Boston.
(14:39):
Nobody was giving me the timeof day I slur, I walk with a
limp.
No one was giving me anything.
So my friend asked me if Iwanted to go train.
So now I'm in my trainingclothes.
I have a pretty good physique,so my slight speech and my gait
(15:01):
kind of takes a back seatbecause I'm in good shape.
So I went to Boston Sports Club,I'm training, and I noticed a
man here.
He's a big, big, muscular guy,intimidating.
So I said, oh, maybe I want toapproach him.
But then I was watching himhere, smile from ear to ear.
(15:21):
He was greeting everybody,giving people towels, very, very
, very friendly man.
I said, ah, this is my chance.
I'm gonna wait till he's alone.
I waited because he was aloneand I went up to him.
I said I'm gonna talk to him.
He said I got a few minutes.
He said we can sit down in myoffice and have a little chat.
(15:44):
After that few minutes turnedinto an hour, hour, hour long
conversation.
And he looks at me and he sayscan you start tomorrow?
And I still didn't tell himabout jail yet.
And he hands me the application.
There's the question, the court.
I said, oh Jesus, here we go.
I said you know what.
(16:05):
I'm going to go for it, I'mgoing to be truthful.
So I told him my whole storywithout batting an eye, like he
looks right at me and says canyou stop tomorrow?
I said I just talked to thenext fellow in here.
He said first of all, thank youfor being honest he said.
(16:27):
Second of all, he said I justwish my mom was alive to hear
you speak.
See, his mother had passed awaya year ago of alcoholism and he
said to me, if she heard youtalk, I think she might not have
that next drink and she wouldstill be alive.
Anthony, what a moment.
(16:51):
So now I go home that night andI get the phone call.
It's my new boss.
He says my morning man justcalled in sick and I'm an hour
away.
I can't get it open to the gym.
Could you do it for me?
I said of course, but I'venever been there, I don't know
(17:14):
what to do.
He gave me the combination tohis gym.
I couldn't believe this manjust gave an ex-felon the
combination to his gym.
So now I go, I open up and atBoston's Sports Club you get
what's called if you join thegym.
It's called a PFW, a privatefree workout, and you get that
(17:40):
as a complimentary for joiningthe gym.
So the man walks in.
It's at six in the morning.
Now he's looking for the manthat I replaced.
I said I can help you.
I got a few minutes.
We can sit down.
We'll have a little talk.
So we go in my office.
I'm talking to him, he startstelling me how he has diabetes.
(18:01):
He has a ruptured L5.
He has this.
Ah, anthony, this is my firstday I was so overwhelmed it's
not that I didn't know what Iwas doing, I was just
overwhelmed.
Not that I didn't know what Iwas doing, I was just
overwhelmed, overwhelmed.
So now I go to the floor.
I said we'll have a littleworkout.
Now we go back into the office.
(18:23):
It's my job to sell him on apackage.
That's my job.
So I hit the menu of the pricesand he says I'll take one of
these 50 packs, anthony.
It's $6,000.
I'm trying to keep a straightface.
Now I see my manager walk in.
(18:46):
I run up to him.
I said, david, this guy wantsto buy a huge package, follow me
.
He says he goes in, he closesthe deal, fences up and he looks
at me and he says John, thispackage was just rolled out
three weeks ago in Boston andyou are the first trainer to
(19:08):
sell one.
How was that?
For my first day, I think.
Now the man that I sold in thatpackage is still my, and this
was back in 2002.
That man is still my client,with his wife, his son and his
daughter.
I turned the whole family.
What a great day that was,anthony.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
That was a really telling story, right.
There's a lot to unpack insideof that.
So I kind of want to go back tobeing in prison, because I
think that's really relevant toyour story, and I hear this from
a couple people because I'vedone hundreds of these already.
(19:52):
It kind of is, like you said,prison is a blessing, people
because I've done I've donehundreds of these already.
It kind of is, like you said,prison is a blessing, and I'll
explain why.
You have an opportunity in yourlife where all the bullshit that
wraps up your life disappearsright parties, mandatory, go
hanging out with people pulledinto work, work everything that
(20:15):
you can imagine like that justbogs you down disappears and you
have a couple of things tofocus on instead of a couple of
hundred things to focus on.
So now you have the opportunityto really hone in on something
that you didn't previously honein before.
For you, it was working outlike you got to commit
(20:37):
full-heartedly for monthswithout having to worry about
stupid shit that people worryabout day to day.
Take that to a differentextreme where you had, you were
like you said, you were 300pounds in a wheelchair and you
had all these issues because yougot shot in the head, which is
(20:58):
more than ever people, mostpeople, could ever imagine.
Yet you still decided to commitfull-heartedly into something
without looking back, and thatkind of set your life at the
trajectory where it is today.
So so the question I haveassociated with all this is how
do you talk to people thatdidn't go to prison, don't have
(21:21):
600 injuries, just have one ortwo little ones, but then always
find excuses about why they'renot physically fit or why they
have type two diabetes or whythey have xyz?
How do you get through to thosepeople to be listen, you have
all the freedom in the worldbecause you're not in prison.
You didn't have, you didn't getshot.
(21:43):
So how do you talk to thosepeople?
Get them on the right path?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
if they in my situation, it's kind of easy
because they look at me, theylook at me and they that they
say how can I tell this guy Ican't do that?
How can they?
How can they possibly do thatto me?
They can't?
It's hard for them to say Ican't.
So with with my drive and myinspiration, motivation, a
(22:13):
challenge is a challenge.
I don't care what yourchallenge is.
Answer, a challenge is achallenge.
I don't care what yourchallenge is, anthony, a
challenge is a challenge.
They see the steps that Iovertook and they can put that
into their life.
They might not be getting overthe same things that I'm getting
over or the same things that Iwent through, but they can put
the positive things into theirlife and now they're working.
Just by working out, anthony, asyou know, the endorphins get
(22:35):
released.
You start feeling good aboutyourself.
You know it's simply awesomethe way I feel, and they can see
that.
They can say, like Francis,just the other day, my client
said how could you be so happy?
Life took so much from you.
How could you be so happy?
The life took so much from you?
How could you be happy withlife?
(22:57):
And I remember looking.
I think I put that.
I said life gave me so muchmore than it has taken so much.
And they looked at me.
They said wow, he's beenthrough all that and he still
thinks that.
And they, they can put thatinto their life and they start
(23:17):
feeling good about themselves,start feeling real good about
themselves all right, so I'mgoing to ask you the million
dollar question, right?
Speaker 1 (23:26):
you got it.
The question I did in my lifeand came to a conclusion and
I've been asking everybodyassociated with this now
conclusion, and I've been askingeverybody associated with this
now if you had the opportunityto go back and relive your
entire life but you had torelive every moment, every good,
every bad thing that happenedin your life would you?
Speaker 2 (23:47):
no, nope, anthony, I have awesome.
I got two beautiful daughters.
I got an awesome son.
I'm a single father.
I have four grandchildren and,anthony, you were just talking
about Alzheimer's dementia onyour previous show last week my
(24:09):
82 year old brother lives withme and he has dementia Anthony
to be with me.
And she has dementia Anthony tobe with her every day
unbelievable.
Now, anthony, I volunteer for acharity.
We raise great things for themobility impaired, veterans,
first responders and the generalpublic.
(24:32):
I have two great things myselfand they're awesome.
Actually, the proceeds of mybook, triggered Through Change,
are going to help the firm, sothat's a great thing.
But anyways, I wasn't my oldestdog Jagger.
I had to retire.
Now here's where dementia comesin my oldest dog Jagger, I had
(24:52):
to retire him for health reasonsand I saved his life and I made
him my pet and I got my new dog.
But, anthony, I did not know hewould become my mom's service
dog.
It's unbelievable, anthony.
She'll be crying in herwheelchair for no reason, just
crying.
(25:12):
Jagger gets ready.
He's 200 pounds.
He gets right up, puts his bighead right on her lap.
She starts to pass.
She smiles at me in the air.
She has no idea why she waseven crying, why she was sad.
She's all happy.
She's with him 24 hours a day.
My dog is disabled so he don'twalk too much.
(25:36):
He lays in front of her on thebed and she sits there watching.
It wasn't all day long.
It's unbelievable.
Anybody that has dementia intheir family and is battling
that this is such a tremendousasset to have it makes
(25:56):
everything so easier.
My mom is so happy and that'sall I care about, anthony.
That's why I say I would not doanything different, because I
would be right here where I amnow.
I am supposed to be the teacherof my mother.
Who knows, if things turned outdifferent where I'd be right
now.
I like where I am.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
You wouldn't change a single thing and you'd be happy
living every moment.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
The only thing I really wish I did and I'm
looking that through my son'seyes, because my son just
graduated his first year ofcollege the only thing I really
wanted was to go to college, notso much for the educational
aspect but to be with the kidson campus.
(26:44):
You know I miss that, but I getto see my center on that.
I'm so proud.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
I just want to clarify a point here.
John, you're willing to getshot again, go through, end up
in a coma from now on the samestory.
You relive everything and yourlife ends up exactly where you
are today.
You'd be happy to do that andyou wouldn't change a single
thing.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
I wouldn't change that I wish.
I wish I could be right where Iam without going for that.
That'd be great if I could beright here, right now, right
right on my own but there's noguarantee of that so I would
change it.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
So I would not change it I want to really talk about
this because I've been in my ownpersonal life right now, ever,
ever since I told my story.
I get asked this all the timeand I started just asking people
and I got to say something thatI think everyone needs to hear.
Like those people who we cansubjectively say went through
(27:49):
worse shit than we did, you getthe same answers John's giving
right now and that I give is Iwouldn't change a single moment
in my life if it meant that Iwouldn't be exactly where I am
today.
Oh, good for you, anthony.
That is so hard for people tosay that haven't been through
(28:10):
tragedy, and the caveat to thatis maybe, maybe you have gone
through tragedy, like I've heardfrom some people, but they ran
away from it instead ofembracing it, and I think,
irregardless of your religiousbeliefs, that things are thrown
in front of you that you canhandle that.
Someone up there is saying thisis what life's going to give
you, because I need to get youwhere you're going to go.
(28:33):
I can tell you from a personalstandpoint.
I think Johnny will agree withme.
I'm stubborn.
If life didn't throw at me ashard as it threw at me, I would
be going nowhere with my life.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
That's right, buddy.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
I think you can full-heartedly agree with that,
with yourself just getting toknow you over the last half an
hour.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
What happened to us.
I've never learned your storytoo much, but what happened to
us made us fight to go on.
Had to push us to go on,anthony.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
It's so amazing.
I think what I struggle withand I've been doing this for
almost six years now thepodcasting is how do you, how do
you really teach people thathaven't gone through tragedy or
haven't embraced the tragediesthey've gone through, and show
(29:30):
them that the lessons you learnfrom things like that are it
can't be replaced and can't betaught in a school-like setting?
How do you get through to thosepeople, john?
Speaker 2 (29:43):
I get through to them through my acting hand play.
I don't tell them what theyneed to do.
I tell them what I did.
I never put it on them.
They listen to me what I wentthrough, what.
I tell them what I did.
I never put it on them.
They listen to me what I wentthrough, what I did, how I
overcame things.
And they can put thingstogether and say, oh, I can do
(30:04):
this, I can do this.
This kid just did this and I,what am I going to say I can't
do this little thing over here.
To them it's a big thing.
Until they see other things, oh, maybe I'm not too big of a
mountain here.
Maybe I can climb that mountainand they can do it.
(30:25):
Anthony, I give them theinspiration they need.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Yeah, I mean you definitely have an amazing
inspirational story and you endup on the right path, because so
many people did not, so manypeople could have gone through
what you went through and notended up in the right path and
got misguided, kind of got outof prison, went right back to
drug dealing Like that's whatthe stats show right, and you
turned into the leaf and hoppedinto something.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
But, anthony, I did not do that by myself.
I had a lot of help.
I was never alone.
And a lot of help, I mean, Itold you how I was upset with
the judge who gave me 10 years.
Thank God he gave me 10 years.
I learned my lesson.
I didn't get a quick sentencein and out of jail.
(31:14):
I learned my lesson.
I didn't get a quick sentencein and out of jail.
I learned my lesson because Iwrote him a letter from prison.
He passed away now.
He was in his 80s when hesentenced me.
I wrote him a letter thankinghim and he actually wrote me
back.
I couldn't believe it.
I got a letter from the judgewishing me good luck in my life.
(31:35):
I mean, and that's when Irealized I said there are so
many people that are out to help, like like Deb at the halfway
house.
I mean what a miraculous thingto meet her.
I mean unbelievable.
The guys in prison taught mehow to train the cops who
(31:58):
arrested me.
My friends, my clients, myfamily, my dog.
It's called Service Dog Project, the charity that I volunteer
for.
We raise great things.
What a wonderful thing, anthony.
I just got to tell you a quickstory about this.
(32:18):
It's a volunteer farm so whenpeople are getting the dogs they
usually go up the farm and theydo what they can.
And I already had my dog Jagger.
So I was up just this day.
I remember this 12-year-old kid.
His name was Ben.
He had multiple sclerosis.
He walked with those big metalcanes and I remember him looking
(32:41):
at me and said John, do youreally think they're going to
give me one of these dogs?
I said Ben, it's not.
If it's when, well, he has thisdog and his parents.
This is his dog and his parents.
This is a year ago.
His parents are still right inthe rain.
They said they didn't see theirson smile in years.
(33:02):
Now it's ear to ear.
He walks on that.
He's in high school.
I'm sure all the kids aren'this best friends.
You know how kids are.
He's not walking off those bigmetal kings on the corner.
He's walking around with a 200pound gray thing.
His family said not only hisschool but the whole town knows
who he is.
It changed his life.
(33:25):
He has the confidence to go onwith life and be successful at
it.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
And he'll achieve things that a lot of people
won't, because they take toomuch of life for granted.
I wholeheartedly believe thatyou need adversity and you need
to embrace adversity in order tobe successful, because it
teaches you exactly what yourshirt says never give up,
anthony never give up.
(33:56):
I totally agree, man.
It's so eye-opening andinspirational to be there and
that's why we get into thesefields, and I was mentioning
before it's just two fields thatpeople turn to for inspiration.
One is religion.
A lot of people turn toreligion for all sorts of
aspects that we've talked aboutbefore how they were saved and
moved on and started doing goodthings and the other one's
(34:16):
fitness, and people turn to thisfield because they truly want
to help others and they want todo it in more of a tough love
scenario.
Right, as a trainer, you loveyour clients through and through
, but it's tough love.
It's I'm going to love you, butwe're working Like, don't think
, I'm going to let you get awaywith shit.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
Like.
You need to work your ass offand learn.
They know that, they know that,but they know it's safe and I
safely rest them up the ladder.
See, when I was at BostonSports Club, anthony, my boss,
my manager, who gave me the jobleft and opened up his own gym,
(34:59):
a small private gym.
And it wasn't for a long timebefore I got the phone call Will
you please come and help me?
So I came and checked it out.
I loved it.
Boston Sports Club was a bigpublic gym, so it had all its
marketing.
All you do is show up.
They make it into clients.
(35:22):
Now I come to my private gym andI'm a single father and I say,
oh Jesus, I don't have aguaranteed paycheck tomorrow.
I've got to really, really workthis.
And thank God everything.
Because it wasn't long afterthat I joined my manager and I
(35:43):
came here and it wasn't longafter that where he decided he
wants to get more clients, hewants to bring more trainers in
and I already have my clients.
They all like working inprivacy with me, they like
talking, they like the privacyaspect.
So I wasn't going to give thatup.
So I made the decision to buyhim out.
(36:04):
So I wasn't going to give thatout.
So I made the decision to buyhim out.
And, anthony, after I bought himout, I think I had like $18
left.
The office of the gym was mynew bedroom.
Oh yeah, my son went and livedwith my sister in Alabama.
I couldn't.
I had to do this.
I knew I wanted this, anthony.
I said I'm going to go for it.
(36:25):
I made it and it was thank God,because now I was 13 years old.
I bought my own property for 13years and I love it.
Anthony, anthony, when I come Ishouldn't even say this I don't
feel like I'm working, like Igot here at five.
Why shouldn't you say that?
(36:45):
Because they're paying me.
I'm not saying I'm working.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
You're not working.
You're doing what you love andyou're helping people move I
love what I do, anthony, Ifreaking love it.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
I hear people say all the time oh, I've got to go to
work.
I look and I say I said youkidding me.
I've never said that when I'mhome, I want to get to work.
I don't want to be home, I wantto be at my gym.
This is what I love.
I love helping people.
I love my dog is late.
My dog is with me 24 hours aday.
(37:20):
I'm never alone, never alone.
He's with me 24 hours a day.
My clients love my dog, lovehim.
He's 200 pounds.
They bring him in treats sothey can bribe him, but they
love him and they love coming tomy gym.
(37:40):
Anthony, like I said, I had myfirst client that I ever signed.
That bought Swoop in 2002.
He's still my client with allhis family.
So I don't have a big turnover.
I keep my clients for a longtime.
I have clients for years.
Seriously, I haven't had oneclient that just bought one
(38:03):
package and stopped.
They keep going and theneventually, if whatever comes up
in life, but they don't come tobuy one 10-pack or whatnot and
that's it.
They love.
They love coming here and itstarts the day off right.
They come here early in themorning, they work out.
They do something great in themorning.
(38:24):
They work out.
They do something great fortheir body.
They're feeling real good nowbecause they just did something
right for their body, anthony.
They're adding years to theirlives by staying in shape.
I mean, if God don't strike usdown with an illness or being
struck by a car, whatnot, wehave to do our part.
(38:46):
I mean, anthony, keith Richardsis still breathing air.
I mean, if Keith Richards canstill breathe air, we've got to
do our part Because we can livea long, long time and I see
people now at the age of 60, 65,and they can't even cross the
(39:07):
street.
Because it's so way, anthony.
That's our golden years.
No way I'm not going to work mywhole life and then retire and
that's it.
I have a whole.
That's our golden years.
You don't want to be able totravel, do things.
You can't do things if you'reout of shit, but out of weight,
you know.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
That's another three-hour podcast for you, john
.
Yeah, why people wait way toolong to start taking advantage
of doing life?
You need to take care of yourhealth, because it doesn't
matter how much money you havein the freaking world.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
Exactly.
You don't got your health, itdon't matter.
So you speak about.
I was just listening to SteveJobs and he passed away of
cancer and he was saying howeverything in his life is money,
money, work, work, work.
And then the doctor says he'sgoing to die.
He got four months to live.
He spent his whole life workingand working and working, never
really reaping the fruit,smelling the roses.
(40:09):
You never had that chance.
You never know.
We never know when our time'sup.
We got to live today.
Tomorrow's forgotten about.
Tomorrow I mean yesterday isforgotten about.
Tomorrow is not promised to us.
We got today, we got right now.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Live it.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
And like I always say , people say you only live once,
you only die once.
We live every day, buddy.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
We live every day.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
We have to make it come Because we die once.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
And when that comes, it's over.
John, I really couldn't agreemore and I really appreciate all
the story, the insight,everything.
I think stories like yours,stories like mine and for those
that want to go back and listen,it's Beyond Breaking Points,
the name of the episode.
Speaker 2 (41:04):
Oh, awesome, thank you, I was looking for that, you
know yeah, definitely,definitely take a listen,
especially for everybody ohdefinitely you'll find a lot to
relate to it, because you and Iare very.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
We went down different paths and we ended up
in different scenarios, but weultimately joined back and
really set out to inspire othersand change the world, and we're
both the reason that you givehope to other people to live,
and I love that about you and Iappreciate you sharing your
story and being vulnerable abouteverything.
(41:34):
But I do want to wrap this up,john, so I'm going to ask you
the final two questions.
I ask everyone the firstquestion if you were to
summarize this episode in one ortwo sentences, what would be
your take-home message?
Speaker 2 (41:46):
My take-home message is never give up, anthony, never
quit.
You can do it.
No matter what your challengesin life, you can get over it.
You can get through it.
You don't have to drink anddrug and run through the
problems.
Face them.
You're not alone, anthony.
(42:06):
There are people that are goingto help us.
We just have, when you'recaught up in the addiction, you
don't see everything.
You don't see everything, youfeel alone.
But you're not alone.
If you try and you want helpand people see you really trying
, they're going to help you.
That's the way it is, anthony.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
I love that, john.
And the second question how canpeople find your book and how
can they get a hold of you ifthey want to learn more?
My book is on.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Amazon Trigger to Change A Life Full of
Terribilities, and my website,my fitness website, is
titaniumhealthandfitnesscom.
I'll give you the link so youcan put them up, and I'd be more
than happy Anybody that sharesyour name, anthony, come in and
(42:55):
get the free session, freeworkout.
I'll treat them good, buddy.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
I love that.
John, thank you so much forthat offer and thank you guys
for listening to this week'sepisode of Health and Fitness
Redefined.
Don't forget, subscribe, share.
It's the only way this podcastgrows, because of you guys
really pushing this out.
It makes me want to do more andmore and more, and remember
fitness is medicine.
Until next time, thank you.
Outro Music.
Hello and welcome to Health and Fitness Redefined.
I'm your host, anthony.
Amen and welcome to anothergreat episode for all of you
today.
I hope you enjoyed last week'sepisode.
We dove deep into dementia,alzheimer's and we went way over
showtime, but I think it was soworth it.
But back for today.
We have another awesome,inspirational story for you guys
(00:30):
of someone who went through alot, overcame a lot, and you
know, if you watch the showoften, that these are the things
I I love the most out ofeverything about this field.
So, without further ado, let mewelcome to today's show, john.
John, it's a pleasure to haveyou on today.
Thank you, anthony.
It's a pleasure to be here.
(00:51):
Buddy, really excited to hearabout your story and what led
that to you actually own a gym,like myself, and then even take
it a step further, which writinga book about your life, which
is definitely something I wouldlove to do for myself too.
But before we dive into that,tell us a little bit about what
the catalyst was that drove youinto the fitness world anthony.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Thank you so much, buddy.
Um, I would just like to giveyou a little, a little uh
forward, to bring you up to dateto where I I started to write
my book about my incidents thathappened to me Growing up.
Anthony, I grew up in a veryunconventional childhood.
My father was in the mafia, themob, and that's how I grew up
(01:36):
and, Anthony, I love my dad.
He never missed a ball game.
He was the best father in theworld, and so when he died,
Anthony, I wanted to wear hisshoes, but I was not his size,
Anthony, and so immediately Ifound myself in a world of
trouble.
(01:56):
This man, instead of paying mea gambling death that he owed,
decided to attempt to murder meand he shot me in the back of
the head.
And Anthony in this story,being shot in the back of the
head was the easy part.
As my life spiraled out ofcontrol with drug addiction,
(02:19):
gambling addiction, alcoholaddiction, eating addictions.
My life was a mess, Anthony, itsounds that alcohol addiction
eating addictions, my life was amess.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I think it sounds that.
I mean, that's kind of the tipand point for anyone who's
getting shot in the back of thehead.
So just tell me a little bitmore about how that scenario
happened and what you felt likeimmediately afterwards and kind
of what recovery looked likeafterwards and kind of what
recovery looked like.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Sure, so when I got shot, I immediately went out and
I did three months in a comaand another six months on top of
that in the hospital, so atotal of nine months in the
hospital.
Anthony, the first 90 days whenI was in a coma was one long
(03:06):
dream.
But it was not your typicaldream where it was kind of fancy
and foggy.
This was very vivid, like Iremember today.
This happened in 1992, anthony,I remember today like it was
yesterday.
The smells, it was all real tome.
So the moral of this dream waswe were in a hospital, I was
(03:29):
chained to a bed and I didn'tknow what was wrong with me, and
every day we had a swimmingrace and the winner of this race
got to go home.
Now, remember, this was all adream.
Anthony hurt so bad to get inthat pool.
The pain was excruciating and Ikept losing and losing, and
(03:53):
losing.
This is the first time in mylife.
I said to him, even though itwas a dream, it was my first
time in my life.
I said I quit, that's it, Igive up, I'm not getting out of
this bed again.
That night an old man sat on mybed I have no recollection of,
(04:16):
I have no idea who it was and hesaid you're not going to quit,
you are not alone and I'm goingto help you.
I'm going to help you, I'mgoing to train you.
And this is where the firsttraining came into my life,
anthony.
He said I'm going to train you,and every day he took me down
to that pool and he trained meand he trained me.
(04:38):
So now it's a day of the bigrace.
He gets me down to the pool,gives me a big pep talk, he's
cheering me on.
He's being a coach, he's beinga trainer.
Anthony, I remember swimmingwith a bad health.
I hit the wall and I woke.
I woke out of the coma.
So, thank God, I didn't quit,anthony, and that was my first
(05:02):
Thank God.
I didn't quit, anthony, andthat was my first person in the
world that trained me.
And so now I'm in a hospital.
I serve nine months now, and nowI get out, I go home, I'm in a
wheelchair, I go to my mother'sbasement apartment and
(05:24):
immediately, anthony, depressionset set in and I was very
depressed.
I just started eating andeating, and eating, and before I
knew it, I was adding alcohol.
I thought my life was a mess,anthony.
And then cocaine came in.
Now I'm sitting in my houseweighing 300 pounds, sitting in
(05:47):
a wheelchair.
I just got shot in the head andmy big, bright idea was to
become a drug dealer.
That was a great choice.
So now I'm sitting in my houseand I can't afford my drugs
anymore.
So that's why I became a drugdealer.
I couldn't afford my habit.
(06:08):
But, anthony, the cops did nottake too kind to this.
So I'm sitting in my apartmentand boom, the door comes bashing
in.
Ten cops come rolling in withthe guns pointed at me.
I said oh, I thought I was dead.
I thought I was being robbed.
(06:29):
I didn't know.
Then I heard the walkie-talkiesand I said to myself oh, thank
goodness, this is over.
Anthony, it was hell being inthat wheelchair, being in that
apartment, being addicted todrugs and alcohol, thinking my
life was over.
It was complete hell.
(06:49):
I remember the cop looking atme and saying because I was
smiling, I was happy.
I was happy.
And the cop said what the hellare you smiling about here?
You're in a lot of trouble.
I said, sir, you don'tunderstand.
This is a good thing that'shappening right now.
So they take me to jail.
But I get bailed out of jail.
(07:11):
So now I'm sitting in theparking lot of jail of the
police station weighing over 300pounds in a wheelchair.
No money, no drugs, nowhere togo.
My friend says to me you needto get sober, you need to go to
detox.
So at that time I had nochoices in my life.
(07:33):
So off the ducks I went andfrom detox I wanted to enter a
halfway house.
I want to continue with mysobriety.
So from detox to go to ahalfway house.
But I had to be interviewed forthis halfway house.
So I remember going in and I'msitting in the office and I'm
(07:55):
waiting for the executivedirector to come in to interview
me and see if I'm accepted forthis halfway house.
This woman comes walking in.
You can see there's somethingwrong with her.
She was bouncing off, she satdown and she proceeded to tell
me her story, how she was in acocaine-induced coma 20 years
(08:18):
prior to this.
This is in 1994 now, so she wasalready sober for 20 years.
She's telling me how she was ina wheelchair and how she got
out.
I can just remember looking ather.
I could not believe she got outof that wheelchair.
That wheelchair was hellishlyand this woman just told me she
(08:41):
got out of it.
I couldn't believe it.
I didn't think it was possible.
This is the first time in mylife I seen somebody get over
something like this.
I was in total awe.
She was glowing, she was happy,she was smiling.
I said I want what she has.
I want that, anthony.
(09:03):
She actually wrote the forewordin my book.
She's my very good friend today.
She just wrote my foreword.
She's an awesome person.
I listened, I was in love withher.
I listened to every word shesaid.
She was like God to me.
I listened to everything.
(09:23):
I did everything she said.
I did everything she said.
I wanted what she had, anthony,but I still had this court case
hanging over my head.
Now I've been sober now in thehalfway house for eight months.
So I'm saying I remember goingto court.
Deb took me to court, I rolledin.
I remember saying this judge isgoing to go easy on me.
(09:48):
Anthony.
I'm in a wheelchair.
I've been sober for nine months.
I have a lot of support aroundme.
My first offense he looked downat me.
I was in my wheelchair.
He said Mr Carter.
He said we don't discriminatein this courtroom you will get
(10:08):
the same sentence any drugdealer in my community gets.
Anthony gave me 10 years.
I was so limitedly hurt andupset at the moment but that
turned to gratitude.
Later on I'll explain it.
But I was so.
He's putting me in prison withwith mass murderers.
(10:31):
I'm in a wheelchair, my firstoffense.
I was in shock, but dad lookedat me.
She said, john, face your fears, you're not alone.
And Face your fears, you're notalone and you're gonna get
through this.
I'll be with you.
Anthony.
My whole life I felt alone.
She said to me you're not aloneand I listened to every word
(10:57):
she said.
No matter what she said, Ilistened to her.
So what did I do?
Off the post, I went.
Anthony, I'm a big guy, I'm6'2".
I cried like a baby.
Those big doors slammed behindme.
I was in a cell no bigger thana bathroom and I cried and cried
(11:22):
and cried.
So this is where fitness cameinto my life, anthony.
This is where fitness came in.
Three guys answered myself thenext morning, anthony, I was
petrified.
I said, oh my shit, I'm introuble here and my father had a
(11:44):
good name in the crime.
So the three men said to methey said we're friends of your
dad's and we're here to help you.
And we're going to stop bygetting you out of that
wheelchair, anthony.
I've been in this wheelchairfor years now.
They said we don't care ifwe're going to carry you, you're
(12:06):
getting out of that wheelchair,anthony.
For months they took me to theprison gym.
They trained me and trained me.
I was getting stronger andstronger, using that chair less
and less, and who would havethought three convicts in prison
would have taught me such avaluable lesson about fitness?
(12:29):
See, anthony, I always feltalone, but now I'm putting the
dots together.
I'm feeling good physically,but, anthony, I was feeling
awesome mentally.
Buddy, I was not alone.
I was in a little cell, in alittle cell in jail, but feeling
(12:50):
good about myself, feeling goodabout the future.
In jail, anthony, recidivism isreal.
I seen people coming in andgetting out like a revolving
door all the time.
I remember saying to myself Idon't want this.
(13:12):
I talked to my.
I went back to my cell thatnight.
I was talking to my dad, whowas in heaven.
I said dad, please, pleaseguide me here.
Dad, please, please guide mehere.
And I remember a lesson hetaught me when I was a young kid
(13:32):
fail to plan, plan to fail.
So I said you know what?
I'm gonna make myself a planbecause I don't want this.
So immediately I called them up.
He says I've been waiting forthis call.
Of course we're going to helpyou.
You're not alone, you're goingto come right back to the half
house.
And Anthony, thank God I was 32years old.
(13:57):
I was just getting out of jail.
They gave me $100 and a busticket.
What were my chances if I wentback to where I came from with
$100 at 32?
Nothing.
I'd be still sitting in thatbar.
So I got on the bus, I took awalk, I came to Boston.
(14:17):
I went back to the halfwayhouse, thank goodness.
Thank goodness, because where Iam now it's unbelievable.
So I knew I wanted to be infitness.
I knew this is what I wanted todo.
So I kept applying to all themajor gyms in Boston.
(14:39):
Nobody was giving me the timeof day I slur, I walk with a
limp.
No one was giving me anything.
So my friend asked me if Iwanted to go train.
So now I'm in my trainingclothes.
I have a pretty good physique,so my slight speech and my gait
(15:01):
kind of takes a back seatbecause I'm in good shape.
So I went to Boston Sports Club,I'm training, and I noticed a
man here.
He's a big, big, muscular guy,intimidating.
So I said, oh, maybe I want toapproach him.
But then I was watching himhere, smile from ear to ear.
(15:21):
He was greeting everybody,giving people towels, very, very
, very friendly man.
I said, ah, this is my chance.
I'm gonna wait till he's alone.
I waited because he was aloneand I went up to him.
I said I'm gonna talk to him.
He said I got a few minutes.
He said we can sit down in myoffice and have a little chat.
(15:44):
After that few minutes turnedinto an hour, hour, hour long
conversation.
And he looks at me and he sayscan you start tomorrow?
And I still didn't tell himabout jail yet.
And he hands me the application.
There's the question, the court.
I said, oh Jesus, here we go.
I said you know what.
(16:05):
I'm going to go for it, I'mgoing to be truthful.
So I told him my whole storywithout batting an eye, like he
looks right at me and says canyou stop tomorrow?
I said I just talked to thenext fellow in here.
He said first of all, thank youfor being honest he said.
(16:27):
Second of all, he said I justwish my mom was alive to hear
you speak.
See, his mother had passed awaya year ago of alcoholism and he
said to me, if she heard youtalk, I think she might not have
that next drink and she wouldstill be alive.
Anthony, what a moment.
(16:51):
So now I go home that night andI get the phone call.
It's my new boss.
He says my morning man justcalled in sick and I'm an hour
away.
I can't get it open to the gym.
Could you do it for me?
I said of course, but I'venever been there, I don't know
(17:14):
what to do.
He gave me the combination tohis gym.
I couldn't believe this manjust gave an ex-felon the
combination to his gym.
So now I go, I open up and atBoston's Sports Club you get
what's called if you join thegym.
It's called a PFW, a privatefree workout, and you get that
(17:40):
as a complimentary for joiningthe gym.
So the man walks in.
It's at six in the morning.
Now he's looking for the manthat I replaced.
I said I can help you.
I got a few minutes.
We can sit down.
We'll have a little talk.
So we go in my office.
I'm talking to him, he startstelling me how he has diabetes.
(18:01):
He has a ruptured L5.
He has this.
Ah, anthony, this is my firstday I was so overwhelmed it's
not that I didn't know what Iwas doing, I was just
overwhelmed.
Not that I didn't know what Iwas doing, I was just
overwhelmed, overwhelmed.
So now I go to the floor.
I said we'll have a littleworkout.
Now we go back into the office.
(18:23):
It's my job to sell him on apackage.
That's my job.
So I hit the menu of the pricesand he says I'll take one of
these 50 packs, anthony.
It's $6,000.
I'm trying to keep a straightface.
Now I see my manager walk in.
(18:46):
I run up to him.
I said, david, this guy wantsto buy a huge package, follow me
.
He says he goes in, he closesthe deal, fences up and he looks
at me and he says John, thispackage was just rolled out
three weeks ago in Boston andyou are the first trainer to
(19:08):
sell one.
How was that?
For my first day, I think.
Now the man that I sold in thatpackage is still my, and this
was back in 2002.
That man is still my client,with his wife, his son and his
daughter.
I turned the whole family.
What a great day that was,anthony.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
That was a really telling story, right.
There's a lot to unpack insideof that.
So I kind of want to go back tobeing in prison, because I
think that's really relevant toyour story, and I hear this from
a couple people because I'vedone hundreds of these already.
(19:52):
It kind of is, like you said,prison is a blessing, people
because I've done I've donehundreds of these already.
It kind of is, like you said,prison is a blessing, and I'll
explain why.
You have an opportunity in yourlife where all the bullshit that
wraps up your life disappearsright parties, mandatory, go
hanging out with people pulledinto work, work everything that
(20:15):
you can imagine like that justbogs you down disappears and you
have a couple of things tofocus on instead of a couple of
hundred things to focus on.
So now you have the opportunityto really hone in on something
that you didn't previously honein before.
For you, it was working outlike you got to commit
(20:37):
full-heartedly for monthswithout having to worry about
stupid shit that people worryabout day to day.
Take that to a differentextreme where you had, you were
like you said, you were 300pounds in a wheelchair and you
had all these issues because yougot shot in the head, which is
(20:58):
more than ever people, mostpeople, could ever imagine.
Yet you still decided to commitfull-heartedly into something
without looking back, and thatkind of set your life at the
trajectory where it is today.
So so the question I haveassociated with all this is how
do you talk to people thatdidn't go to prison, don't have
(21:21):
600 injuries, just have one ortwo little ones, but then always
find excuses about why they'renot physically fit or why they
have type two diabetes or whythey have xyz?
How do you get through to thosepeople to be listen, you have
all the freedom in the worldbecause you're not in prison.
You didn't have, you didn't getshot.
(21:43):
So how do you talk to thosepeople?
Get them on the right path?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
if they in my situation, it's kind of easy
because they look at me, theylook at me and they that they
say how can I tell this guy Ican't do that?
How can they?
How can they possibly do thatto me?
They can't?
It's hard for them to say Ican't.
So with with my drive and myinspiration, motivation, a
(22:13):
challenge is a challenge.
I don't care what yourchallenge is.
Answer, a challenge is achallenge.
I don't care what yourchallenge is, anthony, a
challenge is a challenge.
They see the steps that Iovertook and they can put that
into their life.
They might not be getting overthe same things that I'm getting
over or the same things that Iwent through, but they can put
the positive things into theirlife and now they're working.
Just by working out, anthony, asyou know, the endorphins get
(22:35):
released.
You start feeling good aboutyourself.
You know it's simply awesomethe way I feel, and they can see
that.
They can say, like Francis,just the other day, my client
said how could you be so happy?
Life took so much from you.
How could you be so happy?
The life took so much from you?
How could you be happy withlife?
(22:57):
And I remember looking.
I think I put that.
I said life gave me so muchmore than it has taken so much.
And they looked at me.
They said wow, he's beenthrough all that and he still
thinks that.
And they, they can put thatinto their life and they start
(23:17):
feeling good about themselves,start feeling real good about
themselves all right, so I'mgoing to ask you the million
dollar question, right?
Speaker 1 (23:26):
you got it.
The question I did in my lifeand came to a conclusion and
I've been asking everybodyassociated with this now
conclusion, and I've been askingeverybody associated with this
now if you had the opportunityto go back and relive your
entire life but you had torelive every moment, every good,
every bad thing that happenedin your life would you?
Speaker 2 (23:47):
no, nope, anthony, I have awesome.
I got two beautiful daughters.
I got an awesome son.
I'm a single father.
I have four grandchildren and,anthony, you were just talking
about Alzheimer's dementia onyour previous show last week my
(24:09):
82 year old brother lives withme and he has dementia Anthony
to be with me.
And she has dementia Anthony tobe with her every day
unbelievable.
Now, anthony, I volunteer for acharity.
We raise great things for themobility impaired, veterans,
first responders and the generalpublic.
(24:32):
I have two great things myselfand they're awesome.
Actually, the proceeds of mybook, triggered Through Change,
are going to help the firm, sothat's a great thing.
But anyways, I wasn't my oldestdog Jagger.
I had to retire.
Now here's where dementia comesin my oldest dog Jagger, I had
(24:52):
to retire him for health reasonsand I saved his life and I made
him my pet and I got my new dog.
But, anthony, I did not know hewould become my mom's service
dog.
It's unbelievable, anthony.
She'll be crying in herwheelchair for no reason, just
crying.
(25:12):
Jagger gets ready.
He's 200 pounds.
He gets right up, puts his bighead right on her lap.
She starts to pass.
She smiles at me in the air.
She has no idea why she waseven crying, why she was sad.
She's all happy.
She's with him 24 hours a day.
My dog is disabled so he don'twalk too much.
(25:36):
He lays in front of her on thebed and she sits there watching.
It wasn't all day long.
It's unbelievable.
Anybody that has dementia intheir family and is battling
that this is such a tremendousasset to have it makes
(25:56):
everything so easier.
My mom is so happy and that'sall I care about, anthony.
That's why I say I would not doanything different, because I
would be right here where I amnow.
I am supposed to be the teacherof my mother.
Who knows, if things turned outdifferent where I'd be right
now.
I like where I am.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
You wouldn't change a single thing and you'd be happy
living every moment.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
The only thing I really wish I did and I'm
looking that through my son'seyes, because my son just
graduated his first year ofcollege the only thing I really
wanted was to go to college, notso much for the educational
aspect but to be with the kidson campus.
(26:44):
You know I miss that, but I getto see my center on that.
I'm so proud.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
I just want to clarify a point here.
John, you're willing to getshot again, go through, end up
in a coma from now on the samestory.
You relive everything and yourlife ends up exactly where you
are today.
You'd be happy to do that andyou wouldn't change a single
thing.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
I wouldn't change that I wish.
I wish I could be right where Iam without going for that.
That'd be great if I could beright here, right now, right
right on my own but there's noguarantee of that so I would
change it.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
So I would not change it I want to really talk about
this because I've been in my ownpersonal life right now, ever,
ever since I told my story.
I get asked this all the timeand I started just asking people
and I got to say something thatI think everyone needs to hear.
Like those people who we cansubjectively say went through
(27:49):
worse shit than we did, you getthe same answers John's giving
right now and that I give is Iwouldn't change a single moment
in my life if it meant that Iwouldn't be exactly where I am
today.
Oh, good for you, anthony.
That is so hard for people tosay that haven't been through
(28:10):
tragedy, and the caveat to thatis maybe, maybe you have gone
through tragedy, like I've heardfrom some people, but they ran
away from it instead ofembracing it, and I think,
irregardless of your religiousbeliefs, that things are thrown
in front of you that you canhandle that.
Someone up there is saying thisis what life's going to give
you, because I need to get youwhere you're going to go.
(28:33):
I can tell you from a personalstandpoint.
I think Johnny will agree withme.
I'm stubborn.
If life didn't throw at me ashard as it threw at me, I would
be going nowhere with my life.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
That's right, buddy.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
I think you can full-heartedly agree with that,
with yourself just getting toknow you over the last half an
hour.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
What happened to us.
I've never learned your storytoo much, but what happened to
us made us fight to go on.
Had to push us to go on,anthony.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
It's so amazing.
I think what I struggle withand I've been doing this for
almost six years now thepodcasting is how do you, how do
you really teach people thathaven't gone through tragedy or
haven't embraced the tragediesthey've gone through, and show
(29:30):
them that the lessons you learnfrom things like that are it
can't be replaced and can't betaught in a school-like setting?
How do you get through to thosepeople, john?
Speaker 2 (29:43):
I get through to them through my acting hand play.
I don't tell them what theyneed to do.
I tell them what I did.
I never put it on them.
They listen to me what I wentthrough, what.
I tell them what I did.
I never put it on them.
They listen to me what I wentthrough, what I did, how I
overcame things.
And they can put thingstogether and say, oh, I can do
(30:04):
this, I can do this.
This kid just did this and I,what am I going to say I can't
do this little thing over here.
To them it's a big thing.
Until they see other things, oh, maybe I'm not too big of a
mountain here.
Maybe I can climb that mountainand they can do it.
(30:25):
Anthony, I give them theinspiration they need.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Yeah, I mean you definitely have an amazing
inspirational story and you endup on the right path, because so
many people did not, so manypeople could have gone through
what you went through and notended up in the right path and
got misguided, kind of got outof prison, went right back to
drug dealing Like that's whatthe stats show right, and you
turned into the leaf and hoppedinto something.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
But, anthony, I did not do that by myself.
I had a lot of help.
I was never alone.
And a lot of help, I mean, Itold you how I was upset with
the judge who gave me 10 years.
Thank God he gave me 10 years.
I learned my lesson.
I didn't get a quick sentencein and out of jail.
(31:14):
I learned my lesson.
I didn't get a quick sentencein and out of jail.
I learned my lesson because Iwrote him a letter from prison.
He passed away now.
He was in his 80s when hesentenced me.
I wrote him a letter thankinghim and he actually wrote me
back.
I couldn't believe it.
I got a letter from the judgewishing me good luck in my life.
(31:35):
I mean, and that's when Irealized I said there are so
many people that are out to help, like like Deb at the halfway
house.
I mean what a miraculous thingto meet her.
I mean unbelievable.
The guys in prison taught mehow to train the cops who
(31:58):
arrested me.
My friends, my clients, myfamily, my dog.
It's called Service Dog Project, the charity that I volunteer
for.
We raise great things.
What a wonderful thing, anthony.
I just got to tell you a quickstory about this.
(32:18):
It's a volunteer farm so whenpeople are getting the dogs they
usually go up the farm and theydo what they can.
And I already had my dog Jagger.
So I was up just this day.
I remember this 12-year-old kid.
His name was Ben.
He had multiple sclerosis.
He walked with those big metalcanes and I remember him looking
(32:41):
at me and said John, do youreally think they're going to
give me one of these dogs?
I said Ben, it's not.
If it's when, well, he has thisdog and his parents.
This is his dog and his parents.
This is a year ago.
His parents are still right inthe rain.
They said they didn't see theirson smile in years.
(33:02):
Now it's ear to ear.
He walks on that.
He's in high school.
I'm sure all the kids aren'this best friends.
You know how kids are.
He's not walking off those bigmetal kings on the corner.
He's walking around with a 200pound gray thing.
His family said not only hisschool but the whole town knows
who he is.
It changed his life.
(33:25):
He has the confidence to go onwith life and be successful at
it.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
And he'll achieve things that a lot of people
won't, because they take toomuch of life for granted.
I wholeheartedly believe thatyou need adversity and you need
to embrace adversity in order tobe successful, because it
teaches you exactly what yourshirt says never give up,
anthony never give up.
(33:56):
I totally agree, man.
It's so eye-opening andinspirational to be there and
that's why we get into thesefields, and I was mentioning
before it's just two fields thatpeople turn to for inspiration.
One is religion.
A lot of people turn toreligion for all sorts of
aspects that we've talked aboutbefore how they were saved and
moved on and started doing goodthings and the other one's
(34:16):
fitness, and people turn to thisfield because they truly want
to help others and they want todo it in more of a tough love
scenario.
Right, as a trainer, you loveyour clients through and through
, but it's tough love.
It's I'm going to love you, butwe're working Like, don't think
, I'm going to let you get awaywith shit.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
Like.
You need to work your ass offand learn.
They know that, they know that,but they know it's safe and I
safely rest them up the ladder.
See, when I was at BostonSports Club, anthony, my boss,
my manager, who gave me the jobleft and opened up his own gym,
(34:59):
a small private gym.
And it wasn't for a long timebefore I got the phone call Will
you please come and help me?
So I came and checked it out.
I loved it.
Boston Sports Club was a bigpublic gym, so it had all its
marketing.
All you do is show up.
They make it into clients.
(35:22):
Now I come to my private gym andI'm a single father and I say,
oh Jesus, I don't have aguaranteed paycheck tomorrow.
I've got to really, really workthis.
And thank God everything.
Because it wasn't long afterthat I joined my manager and I
(35:43):
came here and it wasn't longafter that where he decided he
wants to get more clients, hewants to bring more trainers in
and I already have my clients.
They all like working inprivacy with me, they like
talking, they like the privacyaspect.
So I wasn't going to give thatup.
So I made the decision to buyhim out.
(36:04):
So I wasn't going to give thatout.
So I made the decision to buyhim out.
And, anthony, after I bought himout, I think I had like $18
left.
The office of the gym was mynew bedroom.
Oh yeah, my son went and livedwith my sister in Alabama.
I couldn't.
I had to do this.
I knew I wanted this, anthony.
I said I'm going to go for it.
(36:25):
I made it and it was thank God,because now I was 13 years old.
I bought my own property for 13years and I love it.
Anthony, anthony, when I come Ishouldn't even say this I don't
feel like I'm working, like Igot here at five.
Why shouldn't you say that?
(36:45):
Because they're paying me.
I'm not saying I'm working.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
You're not working.
You're doing what you love andyou're helping people move I
love what I do, anthony, Ifreaking love it.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
I hear people say all the time oh, I've got to go to
work.
I look and I say I said youkidding me.
I've never said that when I'mhome, I want to get to work.
I don't want to be home, I wantto be at my gym.
This is what I love.
I love helping people.
I love my dog is late.
My dog is with me 24 hours aday.
(37:20):
I'm never alone, never alone.
He's with me 24 hours a day.
My clients love my dog, lovehim.
He's 200 pounds.
They bring him in treats sothey can bribe him, but they
love him and they love coming tomy gym.
(37:40):
Anthony, like I said, I had myfirst client that I ever signed.
That bought Swoop in 2002.
He's still my client with allhis family.
So I don't have a big turnover.
I keep my clients for a longtime.
I have clients for years.
Seriously, I haven't had oneclient that just bought one
(38:03):
package and stopped.
They keep going and theneventually, if whatever comes up
in life, but they don't come tobuy one 10-pack or whatnot and
that's it.
They love.
They love coming here and itstarts the day off right.
They come here early in themorning, they work out.
They do something great in themorning.
(38:24):
They work out.
They do something great fortheir body.
They're feeling real good nowbecause they just did something
right for their body, anthony.
They're adding years to theirlives by staying in shape.
I mean, if God don't strike usdown with an illness or being
struck by a car, whatnot, wehave to do our part.
(38:46):
I mean, anthony, keith Richardsis still breathing air.
I mean, if Keith Richards canstill breathe air, we've got to
do our part Because we can livea long, long time and I see
people now at the age of 60, 65,and they can't even cross the
(39:07):
street.
Because it's so way, anthony.
That's our golden years.
No way I'm not going to work mywhole life and then retire and
that's it.
I have a whole.
That's our golden years.
You don't want to be able totravel, do things.
You can't do things if you'reout of shit, but out of weight,
you know.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
That's another three-hour podcast for you, john
.
Yeah, why people wait way toolong to start taking advantage
of doing life?
You need to take care of yourhealth, because it doesn't
matter how much money you havein the freaking world.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
Exactly.
You don't got your health, itdon't matter.
So you speak about.
I was just listening to SteveJobs and he passed away of
cancer and he was saying howeverything in his life is money,
money, work, work, work.
And then the doctor says he'sgoing to die.
He got four months to live.
He spent his whole life workingand working and working, never
really reaping the fruit,smelling the roses.
(40:09):
You never had that chance.
You never know.
We never know when our time'sup.
We got to live today.
Tomorrow's forgotten about.
Tomorrow I mean yesterday isforgotten about.
Tomorrow is not promised to us.
We got today, we got right now.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Live it.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
And like I always say , people say you only live once,
you only die once.
We live every day, buddy.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
We live every day.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
We have to make it come Because we die once.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
And when that comes, it's over.
John, I really couldn't agreemore and I really appreciate all
the story, the insight,everything.
I think stories like yours,stories like mine and for those
that want to go back and listen,it's Beyond Breaking Points,
the name of the episode.
Speaker 2 (41:04):
Oh, awesome, thank you, I was looking for that, you
know yeah, definitely,definitely take a listen,
especially for everybody ohdefinitely you'll find a lot to
relate to it, because you and Iare very.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
We went down different paths and we ended up
in different scenarios, but weultimately joined back and
really set out to inspire othersand change the world, and we're
both the reason that you givehope to other people to live,
and I love that about you and Iappreciate you sharing your
story and being vulnerable abouteverything.
(41:34):
But I do want to wrap this up,john, so I'm going to ask you
the final two questions.
I ask everyone the firstquestion if you were to
summarize this episode in one ortwo sentences, what would be
your take-home message?
Speaker 2 (41:46):
My take-home message is never give up, anthony, never
quit.
You can do it.
No matter what your challengesin life, you can get over it.
You can get through it.
You don't have to drink anddrug and run through the
problems.
Face them.
You're not alone, anthony.
(42:06):
There are people that are goingto help us.
We just have, when you'recaught up in the addiction, you
don't see everything.
You don't see everything, youfeel alone.
But you're not alone.
If you try and you want helpand people see you really trying
, they're going to help you.
That's the way it is, anthony.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
I love that, john.
And the second question how canpeople find your book and how
can they get a hold of you ifthey want to learn more?
My book is on.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Amazon Trigger to Change A Life Full of
Terribilities, and my website,my fitness website, is
titaniumhealthandfitnesscom.
I'll give you the link so youcan put them up, and I'd be more
than happy Anybody that sharesyour name, anthony, come in and
(42:55):
get the free session, freeworkout.
I'll treat them good, buddy.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
I love that.
John, thank you so much forthat offer and thank you guys
for listening to this week'sepisode of Health and Fitness
Redefined.
Don't forget, subscribe, share.
It's the only way this podcastgrows, because of you guys
really pushing this out.
It makes me want to do more andmore and more, and remember
fitness is medicine.
Until next time, thank you.
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