November 7, 2024 • 22 mins
Episode #246 features Bruce Colero, the visionary founder of Perfect Sports Supplements. Bruce walks us through his extraordinary transition from a career as a dedicated athlete to a significant player in the sports supplement industry. With over 25 years of experience in fueling athletes, he shares the crucial decision to prioritize building Perfect Sports over pursuing a professional fighting career. While we learn about his headquarters visit during the Ontario tour, Bruce passionately discusses the expansion of Perfect Sports into the US market and the pivotal role it plays in his journey.
This episode isn't just about supplements; it's a heartfelt exploration of the sports industry's profound impact and motivation. Bruce candidly opens up about his mission to inspire young people through mental health support, mentorship, and personal growth. As he reflects on his own drive for financial success and the evolution of his goals, Bruce emphasizes the importance of mental resilience, gratitude, and the potential for greatness within everyone. Discover the demanding daily routine of a committed athlete, the essential nature of recovery, and powerful advice for anyone aspiring to succeed: never give up and ignore the skeptics. Tune in for an episode brimming with insights, motivation, and valuable life lessons from Bruce Colero.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's just say I pop you in the face right now.
Your nose is going to bleed andyou're going to be like fuck,
my nose hurts.
Why is it hurting?
Because I punched you in theface.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Hey, what's up, welcome back.
This is the 246th episode ofthe Athlete's Podcast.
Today we're featuring BruceCalero, founder of Perfect
Sports Supplements.
We got to travel up to theheadquarters, see everyone in
person, meet the team, try outsome products.
It was an amazing time, part ofthe Ontario tour that I just
came back from, and was a doozyof an episode.
Bruce is a passionateindividual.
(00:31):
Folks, make sure to bring outyour earmuffs If you are worried
about vulgar language, swearing.
There might be a couple bombsdropped in this episode.
That's all I'm going to say,and I am also going to say that
this pumpkin spice latteflavored diesel protein powder
is phenomenal.
And for those of you who liketo enjoy a little PSL sometimes
during the day in your coffee,try mixing in a scoop of diesel
(00:54):
protein into your morning coffee.
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Who wouldn't want that?
And the benefits that come withadditional protein in your diet
.
Use the code AP20 at checkout,save 20%, and you're going to
see the benefits yourself.
Let me know what you think,what flavors you end up buying.
Before we get into this episode,about 20, 25 minutes in length,
(01:17):
I do have to remind you, folkswho are new here, who haven't
subscribed yet you have one jobhere and that is if you are
listening, watching, whereveryou're consuming this content,
you are required to subscribe.
It's an athlete agreement.
I don't make the rules, I justenforce them.
And if you're watching rightnow, hit that subscribe button.
Thank you.
And now let's get to the episode246, featuring Bruce Calero.
(01:40):
Here we go.
You're the most decoratedracquetball player in US history
World.
Here we go, national champions.
(02:00):
This is the Athletes Podcast,where high-performance
individuals share their triumphs, defeats and life lessons to
educate, entertain and inspirethe next generation of athletes.
Here we go, here we are, livenow at Perfect Sports
Headquarters with Bruce Calero.
Thank you for coming on thepodcast.
My pleasure, dude.
This is going to be fun.
I am honored to be able tohighlight your story both from
(02:24):
an athletic standpoint and thefact you've been fueling people
for over two and a half decadesnow with diesel products.
Perfect Sports has been scalingUS expansion.
Where do you want to start thisconversation?
Because we could go anywhereover the next 30 minutes.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
This is your game.
Let's do it your way.
Okay, okay so start from thebeginning.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I have to say you've got great fucking hair.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Thank you, thank Okay , okay, so start from the
beginning.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I have to say you've got great fucking hair.
Thank you, thank you.
I was hoping that that waswhere we would start this
conversation Good for you.
I almost got a cut before this.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
It's fucking dope hair.
Hey, I've got a marathon Sunday, nice.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
I'm hoping that this doesn't cause any aerodynamic
issues, but you'll look gooddoing it.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So who gives a fuck really Exactly, and you know
what we got Diesel.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Sports that I've been consuming probably for probably
five, ten years now.
Thank you, steve was my firstintroduction to Perfect Sports
down in St Catharines, yeah,yeah, and he was one of the
original sponsors of theAthletes Podcast and through
conversations, that's whereDiesel Perfect Sports has been a
proud supporter, and now we getto highlight your athletes, we
(03:24):
get to consume your athletes, weget to consume your incredible
products.
How long have you beenconsuming perfect sports?
How long have you been anathlete?
Because you've been rolling onthe mats for decades I started.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, I've been trained since I've been 15 so
I'm 56 and um supplementationhas always been a part of it.
And what prompted me to get inthis industry is I was training
and I was preparing for to fightin pride right, and at the same
time I had five pro shops inaround Toronto and I had to
decide if I was going to fightprofessionally or if I was going
(03:56):
to put my emphasis on thestores.
And then eventually, what I didis I took all the money that I
made, I sold the stores and Iput it into developing my own
line, and the first line wascalled Supreme Supplements and
for various reasons, I had tostop that and that transitioned
into Perfect Sports.
And here we are today.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Your book that just came out.
Your proceeds went to Kids helpphone.
Yes, Can you talk about theimpact that you've been able to
have on people, not just from asupplement, from a motivational
standpoint?
Speaker 1 (04:34):
See, that's always a weird thing for me because, you
know, over the last severalyears I've had people come up to
me and say that I motivate them, or they look at me as a mentor
, and I'd never reallyunderstood that and it's, it's a
great honor and it's somethingI take very, very seriously.
And there is, we have a coupleof doctors on the advisory board
for perfect, and I was atdinner with one of the doctors
(04:56):
and his publicist and he's likeyou know, your, your mindset is
very appealing and people shouldhear that.
He's like you should write abook.
So I'm like, okay and simple,the reason why we donate the
money is because, let's just say, I pop you in the face right
now.
Your nose is going to bleed andyou're going to be like fuck,
my nose hurts.
Why is it hurting?
(05:16):
Because I punched you in theface.
But people that are strugglingwith mental health, quite often
they don't know what's wrongwith them and they struggle, and
I and I have a number offriends that you know deal with
anxiety or depression and that'sit's fucking brutal.
So to me it was important,especially kids, because they
have so much potential withinthem and sometimes they don't
(05:40):
feel like they're enough, andit's important to me that you
know if I can touch someone,like not in a P Diddy kind of
way, but in a way that motivatesthem, that makes them believe
that they're capable of muchmore, cause I truly believe,
like that's why everything to meis about be great, because we
have such fucking potentialwithin us and and to squash that
(06:02):
or to feel like you're you'renot capable to me is is fucking
travesty.
We are capable of so much.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah, it's a.
It's funny you say that becauseover the past five years,
almost 250 guests on this show.
That has been consistent everysingle week, week in and week
out.
People, people, everyone'screated the same.
Some people work harder thanothers, right?
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Fuck this victim bullshit too.
Like, honestly, I'm so fuckingtired of people embracing that
victimhood because it gives youan allowance to be weaker.
It just gives you the allowanceto be less than you can be,
like.
We all have our trials, dude,and it's that embracing of
discomfort that allows us torise up and be great.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
have you always had this mentality, yes, always born
with it.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Parents instilled it I don't know if it was instilled
by my family or or circumstance.
I mean, there's all often thecommon, uh, the discussion of
nature versus nurture, but I Ijust think that I've always had
this drive to be somethingspecial and in the beginning I'm
not gonna lie I was motivatedby I want to be, I want to make
money, and then, once you have acertain amount of money, that's
(07:15):
not important anymore.
The money will come.
I think if you have the abilityto motivate people, I think if
you have the ability to helppeople, the universe demands
that you do it.
You owe it.
If you've been very fortunatein your life, you fucking owe
and I owe.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Who are those people that you were looking up to when
you grew up, when you weregrowing up inspired by nobody
really Like I.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
I get that question a lot.
I mean, in my attempt to bebetter and better myself, I read
various motivational books andreally the message is the same,
universally right.
I think the problem with peopleis they either don't believe
they can do it or they're afraidof what happens if they do do
(08:01):
it.
The fear of success is almostas crippling as the fear of
failure happens if they do do it.
The fear of success is almostas crippling as the fear of
failure.
And again, that comes down tobattling your own demons.
Right, and some people can riseup faster than others, but we
are all capable of rising up andmoving forward.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Have you read the book relentless?
Speaker 1 (08:20):
I don't know.
I'm reading a lot of booksright now.
I've subscribed to audio booksand then I've also subscribed to
the condensed versions of books.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
So because otherwise I'm just scrolling on the
fucking internet and I succumbto those rage bait accounts.
When they say the stupidestshit, I'm like fuck you, fuck
you, fuck you, fuck you rightOver.
The dumbest shit.
Right Like Empire Strikes Backis not the greatest Star shit,
I'm like fuck you, fuck you,fuck you, fuck you right over.
The dumbest shit.
Right like empire strikes backis not the greatest star wars
movie.
Fuck you, fuck you right so but,um, yeah, I, I try and better
(08:54):
myself, and I think that'ssomething we should all strive
on all levels intellectually,physically, emotionally,
spiritually, and spiritually canbe whatever that means to you,
right?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
the uh, the uh.
I only bring up the book.
It's one you should add to yourlist, cause it's right up your
alley, but it talks about thegreats Kobe, michael Jordan, the
difference between cleanersversus closers, and the fact
that you need to know what yourrole is and what other people's
capabilities are and where toput them, and I feel like you've
been able to do that here.
People's capabilities are andwhere to put them, and I feel
(09:26):
like you've been able to do thathere.
You've assembled a team.
How many here are at PerfectSports?
Speaker 1 (09:28):
headquarters Between the two companies are about 70,
75 people.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
That's incredible.
Did you think that was going tobe the case in 97 when you
started?
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Not, even where I am in my mind.
This is how I think.
In my mind, I'm already fartherahead than where I am right now
.
So in my mind, the universe hasto catch up with what I deem to
be reality, and that'ssomething that, for whatever
reason how fucked up that is Ithat came to me at a very, very
early age.
I was all.
I was always in the future.
(09:56):
I always saw what it is that Iwanted and I fucking there was
no way that I was not going toget what I wanted.
And that's the thing, right.
If everybody has their goals andyou just have to figure out how
to get there and it's nevergoing to be an easy line, a
straight line you got to deviate, you got to pivot and you got
to make adjustments in your plan.
But as long as you keep movingforward, no matter if it's
(10:19):
inches or feet you willultimately get to your goal.
But people have to understandthat there's always a price for
achieving that goal.
Nothing is free in life and ifyou're willing to pay that price
and that price could be losingfriends, losing family, losing
time, potentially losing health,right you need to obsess and
(10:39):
fucking make sure that what itis you want, you're going to get
that.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Is there anything?
Okay?
So power of visualization, then, is obviously something that
you're enacting.
Um Aaron Volpatti, nhl player,played for the Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals, sufferedthird degree burns on like 40%
of his body.
Two, three months later he wasback playing hockey, told he may
never walk again.
So the power of visualizationis very real.
Obviously, you're using that toyour success.
(11:04):
Where is that If you're alreadyahead?
What does that dream look like?
Is it a hundred plus people?
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Is it global domination?
I want to be number one, andnot for the money.
It's not about the moneyanymore.
I'm comfortable, I don't needit but it's for um, Everybody
involved.
We are all striving to be like.
Honestly, that whole statementabout I want to be better than I
was yesterday Okay, fuckingcool, but if you're not doing it
to be the best there is, Ithink you're wasting your
fucking time, Right?
So Perfect Sports will be thenumber one sports brand in the
(11:35):
world.
Like I've seen it.
There's no way that's nothappening.
I will fucking go througheverybody in my way.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
I just got the tour from Mel.
That warehouse is chock full ofproducts.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
And we're opening one in the States too.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Yeah, Can you talk about that expansion?
What?
Speaker 1 (11:51):
that's looked like.
So we had to make sure thateverything was in compliance
with the FDA and now all our allour labels are FDA approved and
we have a number like amazoncom, gnccom.
We have a number ofdistributors in the States.
We will also be shipping toother countries through our hub
in the States.
So it took a while and it wasfucking frustrating and costly,
(12:15):
but we are now ready to proceedfull force into the States.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
And what do you think that's going to come with?
10 times the population ofCanada, obviously, but it's
going to be more popularity.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
But again, I like the , the marketing of it, I like
the, just being able to reach somany people and impart a
message.
That I think is important andwhat's more important, that,
like a lot of people are posersright, they they talk a game or
they talk about why they do.
(12:45):
This is inherently me.
I've always had this mindsetand I think especially today.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
People need to know that they are capable of doing
some incredible shit.
Yeah, I completely agree.
Nine months ago I was not arunner.
I'm now running a marathon intwo days.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Okay, there you go, yeah, right, and let's just say
you run and you do shit, itdoesn't fucking matter, man.
What matters is that you had agoal to run this marathon and
you took all the steps necessary, both from a physical
perspective, a trainingperspective, nutritional
perspective and you reached thatgoal.
So to me, you're already afucking winner, regardless of
(13:31):
how you do in that race.
It's same same with ourfighters, right?
Um, there are companies that ifyou don't perform well, they
kick you out.
That's not it for me, the.
The goal for me is especiallyin fighting, and I've been
fighting like all my life.
It is not the win or lose,because one of my coaches said
to me a line that I'll neverforget he goes, you either win
or you learn.
So the, the winning or thelosing.
Obviously we all want to win,but that's not the, the end
result, that's not the solepurpose, it's the goal, it's the
(13:53):
training, it's putting yourselfin a, in a mindset that, like
for me, everything is a fight.
For me, the competition it's afight, it's um that's what
drives me.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
You're the cleaner they talk about in the, in those
books.
You're the cleaner.
But I can confirm that becauseyou work with a dozen of our
athletes at cook starkmanagement, our female athlete
agency, and I can confidentlysay every single month we have
our athletes who are showcasing,using your products and
performing better thanks to themand see that's important to me.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Like, fuck the money.
Okay, it's the fact thatathletes are, they have a
specific goal, and for me toshortchange them or for them to
actually decide and trust inwhat we have to offer, dude,
that's a huge fucking gift.
Like that's so important.
I am fucking truly honored thatthey've decided to use perfect
sports yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
I mean, there's hundreds of brands out there
right and uh, there's only onediesel.
There's only one top proteinpowder in canada.
That's diesel, and I also have.
I just love the brand before weeven started working together,
which is cool because, to yourpoint, you're supporting people
at the beginning, middle and endof their progress.
(15:10):
So I the fact that you've beenable to both do all of this and
then also do some philanthropicwork is amazing.
I just wanted to highlight thatmore than anything.
Um, the other part that youtalked about there is like
athletes performing their best.
You talked with Jay.
You guys are working onbuilding out the best products.
How do you go about making surethat you have the best formulas
(15:32):
, the best products?
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Because I don't fucking cheat, I don't.
I there's, it's 27 grams ofprotein per scoop.
Let's just say I shortchangethat, which is notorious in this
fucking industry, I might add,but let's just say I put 21
grams in there.
You're never going to know thedifference.
Physiologically you're notgoing to know the difference.
Physically you're not going toknow the difference.
(15:53):
But I'll make way more moneywith that five extra grams per
scoop of savings.
But morally I can't do that.
I just, I just can't fuck youlike that.
You're trusting me, you'regiving me your hard earned money
and I would just be a piece ofshit to do something like that.
I can't do it.
So for us, we design productsthat are required Like.
What purpose are we filling bybringing out this product?
(16:14):
There are a number of like.
We have, I think, just comingout in the first quarter of 25,
I think we have six or seven newproducts coming out.
Um.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
I was going to ask.
Aaron couldn't give me fulldetails, but I figured you might
be able to share some.
Yeah, I mean why?
Speaker 1 (16:28):
I don't want to tell you, because all fucking
competition's gonna listen tothis and they're gonna be like
holy fuck, bruce is doing this.
We need to do this too.
We have some really really coolproducts coming out and um, but
more importantly, we have an adcampaign starting january 1st.
That's never been done in thisindustry and I'm not just
talking fucking Canada, I'mtalking North America.
This is massive for us.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
What do you like seeing most when it comes to
athletes?
Improve their performance byusing your products.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
That alone.
That's the gift right, the veryfact that they feel that I've
somehow added to their game.
Holy.
What's better than that, man,fuck the money.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
What does your day look like?
What products are you usingwhen you train?
Okay, so.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
I wake up like probably seven, 38.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Are you just scooping altered right away?
It looks like you've got alittle something in your system.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
I'm a pretty hyper guy.
So, um, in the more so I train,I have private coaches Tuesday,
wednesday, thursdays andFridays for either JITS, mma
wrestling or Valley to Dome.
So that's my private lessonsMonday, tuesday to Friday, and
then six days a week I trainstrength and conditioning.
(17:38):
So in the morning I'll wake upand I'll do my strength and
conditioning.
I'll wake up, I'll do whateverit is from a strength and
conditioning perspective.
I'll take a pre before that,either burn cycle or altered.
After that I'll do my ice bathor I'll do some red light
therapy and an ice bath.
But I always do an ice bath inthe morning.
(17:59):
That's very important for me.
And then I'll have my breakfasthigh in protein.
I'll have a diesel proteinshake with it, and then I'll
have my breakfast high inprotein.
I'll have a diesel proteinshake with it, and then later on
, before I train in the martialart perspective, I'll take
another pre.
So yeah, I'm highly caffeinateddude.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Hey, that's what it takes when you're running an
organization 70 plus people.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Dude, I've got an easy life.
It's these people who takereally, really good care of me
in order for me to do what Ilike my training and shit.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Yeah, I mean, I can, I can say that confidently
working with Mel and Aaronfirsthand.
You know the whole team fromtop to bottom, even the guys in
the warehouse, right they're allfamily to me.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Like everybody in here, is equally important.
I could play the role about.
You know, I'm the owner.
I'm more important than you.
Fuck you Like, no right.
Everybody contributes.
Everybody is important to me.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
What else is important to you outside of
perfect sports, outside oftraining, like what gets you
excited?
Um, I also have to say recentlycongratulations, thank you.
I should have started thiswhole conversation off with that
.
But yes, I recently got engaged.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Jackie, I love you.
Yeah, I got engaged.
She's a great woman.
I think, by surroundingyourself by people with the same
mindset, right, which is likeeverybody here has the same
mindset, everybody wants to benumber one, right, I have a good
woman, she's awesome.
I have, I'm, I'm, I'm blessed,dude, and that's why I feel that
(19:25):
I owe, because I've been sofortunate in my life.
Uh, I have a good supportaround me, so, um, I owe the
universe.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Do you listen to Joe Dispenza?
Dr Joe Dispenza, have you heardthat name?
He's a visualization guys aswell.
I'm going to send you some ofthis stuff.
I love it.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
I just fucking love life, dude, like there's so much
to be you Listen, you caneither choose to look at things
from a negative perspectivethings are shit or you can
choose to look at things withmaybe they're not great, but
there's the potential for it,for it to be better.
So for me, life is fuckinggreat.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
I love that.
We just need to clip that andhave that role every morning,
because people need to realizethat, become more aware of how
fortunate they are For sure, man, no matter how shit your life
is right now, there's fucking athousand people that will gladly
change your fucking place.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
So fucking gratitude is very important to me.
One of the other things I do inthe morning is I go out into my
backyard because I'm a hugebeliever in cold therapy
training, right.
So I live up by the lake.
It's probably about zerodegrees, so before I go in the
ice bath, I'll go out and I'llthank the universe for giving me
everything that I have.
Right, I have gratitude.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
You have to have gratitude you get your grounding
in bare feet.
I do my grounding, brother.
It's so good peopleunderestimate it.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
I don't know the science behind it, I can't
explain it, but it feels good sowhen I do my red light therapy
training, like I have the panels, I'm standing on a grounding
mat.
So I do the ice therapytraining.
I have an infrared sauna, Ihave a steam sauna, I have a dry
sauna and you ever try thoseacupuncture mats.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do those too Okay.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Yeah, like I train like a motherfucker.
I'm 56 and I'm fighting 20 to30 year olds yeah, so I need.
I need to recover man.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Yeah, people don't realize there's actually a huge
difference between the topperformers.
And it's not the trainingEveryone does the training, it's
the recovery afterwards, it'syour nutrition.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
It's your sleep, it's those big rocks.
Oh 100, dude.
If I don't get good enoughsleep, I'm a cranky bitch.
Yeah, then it starts to affectme.
If I get subsequent days oflack of sleep, it fucks me up.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah, it's our greatest superpower.
It's arguably the best freesupplement available and
sunlight in the morning,circadian rhythms right brother,
yeah and at night.
Actually it's really good forthat melatonin production post,
but anyway, this is like againbeen a lot of fun, thank you the
way we wrap up every episode iswe ask our guests their biggest
(21:54):
piece of advice for the nextgeneration of athletes.
Now you've dropped some gold.
If you could narrow it down toone thing Never quit.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Fuck everybody else, fuck anybody who says you can't
do it, you can do it.
Never quit.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
He understood the assignment.
Bruce, thanks for coming on thepod.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Thank you, brother.
Appreciate it, man.
This is great.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Thank you, hey.
Thanks, folks for tuning in.
What a doozy of an episode.
You can tell the guy's in greatshape.
I am grateful to have PerfectSports as a partner here with
the Athletes Podcast, be able toconsume the best supplements on
the market.
And I just want to say thankyou to you folks for tuning in
(22:32):
to this episode and forcontinuing to come back week
over week.
It means the world to me.
I hope you're enjoying.
Let me know who you want to seedown below next on the Athletes
Podcast.
And I hope you're enjoying.
Let me know who you want to seedown below next on the athletes
podcast, and I hope you have agreat rest of your week.
Take care, I love you.
Bye.
Let's just say I pop you in the face right now.
Your nose is going to bleed andyou're going to be like fuck,
my nose hurts.
Why is it hurting?
Because I punched you in theface.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Hey, what's up, welcome back.
This is the 246th episode ofthe Athlete's Podcast.
Today we're featuring BruceCalero, founder of Perfect
Sports Supplements.
We got to travel up to theheadquarters, see everyone in
person, meet the team, try outsome products.
It was an amazing time, part ofthe Ontario tour that I just
came back from, and was a doozyof an episode.
Bruce is a passionateindividual.
(00:31):
Folks, make sure to bring outyour earmuffs If you are worried
about vulgar language, swearing.
There might be a couple bombsdropped in this episode.
That's all I'm going to say,and I am also going to say that
this pumpkin spice latteflavored diesel protein powder
is phenomenal.
And for those of you who liketo enjoy a little PSL sometimes
during the day in your coffee,try mixing in a scoop of diesel
(00:54):
protein into your morning coffee.
Oh my gosh, all the sameflavors, yet an additional 27
grams of protein.
Who wouldn't want that?
And the benefits that come withadditional protein in your diet
.
Use the code AP20 at checkout,save 20%, and you're going to
see the benefits yourself.
Let me know what you think,what flavors you end up buying.
Before we get into this episode,about 20, 25 minutes in length,
(01:17):
I do have to remind you, folkswho are new here, who haven't
subscribed yet you have one jobhere and that is if you are
listening, watching, whereveryou're consuming this content,
you are required to subscribe.
It's an athlete agreement.
I don't make the rules, I justenforce them.
And if you're watching rightnow, hit that subscribe button.
Thank you.
And now let's get to the episode246, featuring Bruce Calero.
(01:40):
Here we go.
You're the most decoratedracquetball player in US history
World.
Here we go, national champions.
(02:00):
This is the Athletes Podcast,where high-performance
individuals share their triumphs, defeats and life lessons to
educate, entertain and inspirethe next generation of athletes.
Here we go, here we are, livenow at Perfect Sports
Headquarters with Bruce Calero.
Thank you for coming on thepodcast.
My pleasure, dude.
This is going to be fun.
I am honored to be able tohighlight your story both from
(02:24):
an athletic standpoint and thefact you've been fueling people
for over two and a half decadesnow with diesel products.
Perfect Sports has been scalingUS expansion.
Where do you want to start thisconversation?
Because we could go anywhereover the next 30 minutes.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
This is your game.
Let's do it your way.
Okay, okay so start from thebeginning.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I have to say you've got great fucking hair.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Thank you, thank Okay , okay, so start from the
beginning.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I have to say you've got great fucking hair.
Thank you, thank you.
I was hoping that that waswhere we would start this
conversation Good for you.
I almost got a cut before this.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
It's fucking dope hair.
Hey, I've got a marathon Sunday, nice.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
I'm hoping that this doesn't cause any aerodynamic
issues, but you'll look gooddoing it.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So who gives a fuck really Exactly, and you know
what we got Diesel.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Sports that I've been consuming probably for probably
five, ten years now.
Thank you, steve was my firstintroduction to Perfect Sports
down in St Catharines, yeah,yeah, and he was one of the
original sponsors of theAthletes Podcast and through
conversations, that's whereDiesel Perfect Sports has been a
proud supporter, and now we getto highlight your athletes, we
(03:24):
get to consume your athletes, weget to consume your incredible
products.
How long have you beenconsuming perfect sports?
How long have you been anathlete?
Because you've been rolling onthe mats for decades I started.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, I've been trained since I've been 15 so
I'm 56 and um supplementationhas always been a part of it.
And what prompted me to get inthis industry is I was training
and I was preparing for to fightin pride right, and at the same
time I had five pro shops inaround Toronto and I had to
decide if I was going to fightprofessionally or if I was going
(03:56):
to put my emphasis on thestores.
And then eventually, what I didis I took all the money that I
made, I sold the stores and Iput it into developing my own
line, and the first line wascalled Supreme Supplements and
for various reasons, I had tostop that and that transitioned
into Perfect Sports.
And here we are today.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Your book that just came out.
Your proceeds went to Kids helpphone.
Yes, Can you talk about theimpact that you've been able to
have on people, not just from asupplement, from a motivational
standpoint?
Speaker 1 (04:34):
See, that's always a weird thing for me because, you
know, over the last severalyears I've had people come up to
me and say that I motivate them, or they look at me as a mentor
, and I'd never reallyunderstood that and it's, it's a
great honor and it's somethingI take very, very seriously.
And there is, we have a coupleof doctors on the advisory board
for perfect, and I was atdinner with one of the doctors
(04:56):
and his publicist and he's likeyou know, your, your mindset is
very appealing and people shouldhear that.
He's like you should write abook.
So I'm like, okay and simple,the reason why we donate the
money is because, let's just say, I pop you in the face right
now.
Your nose is going to bleed andyou're going to be like fuck,
my nose hurts.
Why is it hurting?
(05:16):
Because I punched you in theface.
But people that are strugglingwith mental health, quite often
they don't know what's wrongwith them and they struggle, and
I and I have a number offriends that you know deal with
anxiety or depression and that'sit's fucking brutal.
So to me it was important,especially kids, because they
have so much potential withinthem and sometimes they don't
(05:40):
feel like they're enough, andit's important to me that you
know if I can touch someone,like not in a P Diddy kind of
way, but in a way that motivatesthem, that makes them believe
that they're capable of muchmore, cause I truly believe,
like that's why everything to meis about be great, because we
have such fucking potentialwithin us and and to squash that
(06:02):
or to feel like you're you'renot capable to me is is fucking
travesty.
We are capable of so much.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah, it's a.
It's funny you say that becauseover the past five years,
almost 250 guests on this show.
That has been consistent everysingle week, week in and week
out.
People, people, everyone'screated the same.
Some people work harder thanothers, right?
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Fuck this victim bullshit too.
Like, honestly, I'm so fuckingtired of people embracing that
victimhood because it gives youan allowance to be weaker.
It just gives you the allowanceto be less than you can be,
like.
We all have our trials, dude,and it's that embracing of
discomfort that allows us torise up and be great.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
have you always had this mentality, yes, always born
with it.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Parents instilled it I don't know if it was instilled
by my family or or circumstance.
I mean, there's all often thecommon, uh, the discussion of
nature versus nurture, but I Ijust think that I've always had
this drive to be somethingspecial and in the beginning I'm
not gonna lie I was motivatedby I want to be, I want to make
money, and then, once you have acertain amount of money, that's
(07:15):
not important anymore.
The money will come.
I think if you have the abilityto motivate people, I think if
you have the ability to helppeople, the universe demands
that you do it.
You owe it.
If you've been very fortunatein your life, you fucking owe
and I owe.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Who are those people that you were looking up to when
you grew up, when you weregrowing up inspired by nobody
really Like I.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
I get that question a lot.
I mean, in my attempt to bebetter and better myself, I read
various motivational books andreally the message is the same,
universally right.
I think the problem with peopleis they either don't believe
they can do it or they're afraidof what happens if they do do
(08:01):
it.
The fear of success is almostas crippling as the fear of
failure happens if they do do it.
The fear of success is almostas crippling as the fear of
failure.
And again, that comes down tobattling your own demons.
Right, and some people can riseup faster than others, but we
are all capable of rising up andmoving forward.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Have you read the book relentless?
Speaker 1 (08:20):
I don't know.
I'm reading a lot of booksright now.
I've subscribed to audio booksand then I've also subscribed to
the condensed versions of books.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
So because otherwise I'm just scrolling on the
fucking internet and I succumbto those rage bait accounts.
When they say the stupidestshit, I'm like fuck you, fuck
you, fuck you, fuck you rightOver.
The dumbest shit.
Right Like Empire Strikes Backis not the greatest Star shit,
I'm like fuck you, fuck you,fuck you, fuck you right over.
The dumbest shit.
Right like empire strikes backis not the greatest star wars
movie.
Fuck you, fuck you right so but,um, yeah, I, I try and better
(08:54):
myself, and I think that'ssomething we should all strive
on all levels intellectually,physically, emotionally,
spiritually, and spiritually canbe whatever that means to you,
right?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
the uh, the uh.
I only bring up the book.
It's one you should add to yourlist, cause it's right up your
alley, but it talks about thegreats Kobe, michael Jordan, the
difference between cleanersversus closers, and the fact
that you need to know what yourrole is and what other people's
capabilities are and where toput them, and I feel like you've
been able to do that here.
People's capabilities are andwhere to put them, and I feel
(09:26):
like you've been able to do thathere.
You've assembled a team.
How many here are at PerfectSports?
Speaker 1 (09:28):
headquarters Between the two companies are about 70,
75 people.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
That's incredible.
Did you think that was going tobe the case in 97 when you
started?
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Not, even where I am in my mind.
This is how I think.
In my mind, I'm already fartherahead than where I am right now
.
So in my mind, the universe hasto catch up with what I deem to
be reality, and that'ssomething that, for whatever
reason how fucked up that is Ithat came to me at a very, very
early age.
I was all.
I was always in the future.
(09:56):
I always saw what it is that Iwanted and I fucking there was
no way that I was not going toget what I wanted.
And that's the thing, right.
If everybody has their goals andyou just have to figure out how
to get there and it's nevergoing to be an easy line, a
straight line you got to deviate, you got to pivot and you got
to make adjustments in your plan.
But as long as you keep movingforward, no matter if it's
(10:19):
inches or feet you willultimately get to your goal.
But people have to understandthat there's always a price for
achieving that goal.
Nothing is free in life and ifyou're willing to pay that price
and that price could be losingfriends, losing family, losing
time, potentially losing health,right you need to obsess and
(10:39):
fucking make sure that what itis you want, you're going to get
that.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Is there anything?
Okay?
So power of visualization, then, is obviously something that
you're enacting.
Um Aaron Volpatti, nhl player,played for the Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals, sufferedthird degree burns on like 40%
of his body.
Two, three months later he wasback playing hockey, told he may
never walk again.
So the power of visualizationis very real.
Obviously, you're using that toyour success.
(11:04):
Where is that If you're alreadyahead?
What does that dream look like?
Is it a hundred plus people?
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Is it global domination?
I want to be number one, andnot for the money.
It's not about the moneyanymore.
I'm comfortable, I don't needit but it's for um, Everybody
involved.
We are all striving to be like.
Honestly, that whole statementabout I want to be better than I
was yesterday Okay, fuckingcool, but if you're not doing it
to be the best there is, Ithink you're wasting your
fucking time, Right?
So Perfect Sports will be thenumber one sports brand in the
(11:35):
world.
Like I've seen it.
There's no way that's nothappening.
I will fucking go througheverybody in my way.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
I just got the tour from Mel.
That warehouse is chock full ofproducts.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
And we're opening one in the States too.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Yeah, Can you talk about that expansion?
What?
Speaker 1 (11:51):
that's looked like.
So we had to make sure thateverything was in compliance
with the FDA and now all our allour labels are FDA approved and
we have a number like amazoncom, gnccom.
We have a number ofdistributors in the States.
We will also be shipping toother countries through our hub
in the States.
So it took a while and it wasfucking frustrating and costly,
(12:15):
but we are now ready to proceedfull force into the States.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
And what do you think that's going to come with?
10 times the population ofCanada, obviously, but it's
going to be more popularity.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
But again, I like the , the marketing of it, I like
the, just being able to reach somany people and impart a
message.
That I think is important andwhat's more important, that,
like a lot of people are posersright, they they talk a game or
they talk about why they do.
(12:45):
This is inherently me.
I've always had this mindsetand I think especially today.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
People need to know that they are capable of doing
some incredible shit.
Yeah, I completely agree.
Nine months ago I was not arunner.
I'm now running a marathon intwo days.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Okay, there you go, yeah, right, and let's just say
you run and you do shit, itdoesn't fucking matter, man.
What matters is that you had agoal to run this marathon and
you took all the steps necessary, both from a physical
perspective, a trainingperspective, nutritional
perspective and you reached thatgoal.
So to me, you're already afucking winner, regardless of
(13:31):
how you do in that race.
It's same same with ourfighters, right?
Um, there are companies that ifyou don't perform well, they
kick you out.
That's not it for me, the.
The goal for me is especiallyin fighting, and I've been
fighting like all my life.
It is not the win or lose,because one of my coaches said
to me a line that I'll neverforget he goes, you either win
or you learn.
So the, the winning or thelosing.
Obviously we all want to win,but that's not the, the end
result, that's not the solepurpose, it's the goal, it's the
(13:53):
training, it's putting yourselfin a, in a mindset that, like
for me, everything is a fight.
For me, the competition it's afight, it's um that's what
drives me.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
You're the cleaner they talk about in the, in those
books.
You're the cleaner.
But I can confirm that becauseyou work with a dozen of our
athletes at cook starkmanagement, our female athlete
agency, and I can confidentlysay every single month we have
our athletes who are showcasing,using your products and
performing better thanks to themand see that's important to me.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Like, fuck the money.
Okay, it's the fact thatathletes are, they have a
specific goal, and for me toshortchange them or for them to
actually decide and trust inwhat we have to offer, dude,
that's a huge fucking gift.
Like that's so important.
I am fucking truly honored thatthey've decided to use perfect
sports yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
I mean, there's hundreds of brands out there
right and uh, there's only onediesel.
There's only one top proteinpowder in canada.
That's diesel, and I also have.
I just love the brand before weeven started working together,
which is cool because, to yourpoint, you're supporting people
at the beginning, middle and endof their progress.
(15:10):
So I the fact that you've beenable to both do all of this and
then also do some philanthropicwork is amazing.
I just wanted to highlight thatmore than anything.
Um, the other part that youtalked about there is like
athletes performing their best.
You talked with Jay.
You guys are working onbuilding out the best products.
How do you go about making surethat you have the best formulas
(15:32):
, the best products?
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Because I don't fucking cheat, I don't.
I there's, it's 27 grams ofprotein per scoop.
Let's just say I shortchangethat, which is notorious in this
fucking industry, I might add,but let's just say I put 21
grams in there.
You're never going to know thedifference.
Physiologically you're notgoing to know the difference.
Physically you're not going toknow the difference.
(15:53):
But I'll make way more moneywith that five extra grams per
scoop of savings.
But morally I can't do that.
I just, I just can't fuck youlike that.
You're trusting me, you'regiving me your hard earned money
and I would just be a piece ofshit to do something like that.
I can't do it.
So for us, we design productsthat are required Like.
What purpose are we filling bybringing out this product?
(16:14):
There are a number of like.
We have, I think, just comingout in the first quarter of 25,
I think we have six or seven newproducts coming out.
Um.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
I was going to ask.
Aaron couldn't give me fulldetails, but I figured you might
be able to share some.
Yeah, I mean why?
Speaker 1 (16:28):
I don't want to tell you, because all fucking
competition's gonna listen tothis and they're gonna be like
holy fuck, bruce is doing this.
We need to do this too.
We have some really really coolproducts coming out and um, but
more importantly, we have an adcampaign starting january 1st.
That's never been done in thisindustry and I'm not just
talking fucking Canada, I'mtalking North America.
This is massive for us.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
What do you like seeing most when it comes to
athletes?
Improve their performance byusing your products.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
That alone.
That's the gift right, the veryfact that they feel that I've
somehow added to their game.
Holy.
What's better than that, man,fuck the money.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
What does your day look like?
What products are you usingwhen you train?
Okay, so.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
I wake up like probably seven, 38.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Are you just scooping altered right away?
It looks like you've got alittle something in your system.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
I'm a pretty hyper guy.
So, um, in the more so I train,I have private coaches Tuesday,
wednesday, thursdays andFridays for either JITS, mma
wrestling or Valley to Dome.
So that's my private lessonsMonday, tuesday to Friday, and
then six days a week I trainstrength and conditioning.
(17:38):
So in the morning I'll wake upand I'll do my strength and
conditioning.
I'll wake up, I'll do whateverit is from a strength and
conditioning perspective.
I'll take a pre before that,either burn cycle or altered.
After that I'll do my ice bathor I'll do some red light
therapy and an ice bath.
But I always do an ice bath inthe morning.
(17:59):
That's very important for me.
And then I'll have my breakfasthigh in protein.
I'll have a diesel proteinshake with it, and then I'll
have my breakfast high inprotein.
I'll have a diesel proteinshake with it, and then later on
, before I train in the martialart perspective, I'll take
another pre.
So yeah, I'm highly caffeinateddude.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Hey, that's what it takes when you're running an
organization 70 plus people.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Dude, I've got an easy life.
It's these people who takereally, really good care of me
in order for me to do what Ilike my training and shit.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Yeah, I mean, I can, I can say that confidently
working with Mel and Aaronfirsthand.
You know the whole team fromtop to bottom, even the guys in
the warehouse, right they're allfamily to me.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Like everybody in here, is equally important.
I could play the role about.
You know, I'm the owner.
I'm more important than you.
Fuck you Like, no right.
Everybody contributes.
Everybody is important to me.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
What else is important to you outside of
perfect sports, outside oftraining, like what gets you
excited?
Um, I also have to say recentlycongratulations, thank you.
I should have started thiswhole conversation off with that
.
But yes, I recently got engaged.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Jackie, I love you.
Yeah, I got engaged.
She's a great woman.
I think, by surroundingyourself by people with the same
mindset, right, which is likeeverybody here has the same
mindset, everybody wants to benumber one, right, I have a good
woman, she's awesome.
I have, I'm, I'm, I'm blessed,dude, and that's why I feel that
(19:25):
I owe, because I've been sofortunate in my life.
Uh, I have a good supportaround me, so, um, I owe the
universe.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Do you listen to Joe Dispenza?
Dr Joe Dispenza, have you heardthat name?
He's a visualization guys aswell.
I'm going to send you some ofthis stuff.
I love it.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
I just fucking love life, dude, like there's so much
to be you Listen, you caneither choose to look at things
from a negative perspectivethings are shit or you can
choose to look at things withmaybe they're not great, but
there's the potential for it,for it to be better.
So for me, life is fuckinggreat.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
I love that.
We just need to clip that andhave that role every morning,
because people need to realizethat, become more aware of how
fortunate they are For sure, man, no matter how shit your life
is right now, there's fucking athousand people that will gladly
change your fucking place.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
So fucking gratitude is very important to me.
One of the other things I do inthe morning is I go out into my
backyard because I'm a hugebeliever in cold therapy
training, right.
So I live up by the lake.
It's probably about zerodegrees, so before I go in the
ice bath, I'll go out and I'llthank the universe for giving me
everything that I have.
Right, I have gratitude.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
You have to have gratitude you get your grounding
in bare feet.
I do my grounding, brother.
It's so good peopleunderestimate it.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
I don't know the science behind it, I can't
explain it, but it feels good sowhen I do my red light therapy
training, like I have the panels, I'm standing on a grounding
mat.
So I do the ice therapytraining.
I have an infrared sauna, Ihave a steam sauna, I have a dry
sauna and you ever try thoseacupuncture mats.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do those too Okay.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Yeah, like I train like a motherfucker.
I'm 56 and I'm fighting 20 to30 year olds yeah, so I need.
I need to recover man.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Yeah, people don't realize there's actually a huge
difference between the topperformers.
And it's not the trainingEveryone does the training, it's
the recovery afterwards, it'syour nutrition.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
It's your sleep, it's those big rocks.
Oh 100, dude.
If I don't get good enoughsleep, I'm a cranky bitch.
Yeah, then it starts to affectme.
If I get subsequent days oflack of sleep, it fucks me up.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah, it's our greatest superpower.
It's arguably the best freesupplement available and
sunlight in the morning,circadian rhythms right brother,
yeah and at night.
Actually it's really good forthat melatonin production post,
but anyway, this is like againbeen a lot of fun, thank you the
way we wrap up every episode iswe ask our guests their biggest
(21:54):
piece of advice for the nextgeneration of athletes.
Now you've dropped some gold.
If you could narrow it down toone thing Never quit.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Fuck everybody else, fuck anybody who says you can't
do it, you can do it.
Never quit.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
He understood the assignment.
Bruce, thanks for coming on thepod.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Thank you, brother.
Appreciate it, man.
This is great.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Thank you, hey.
Thanks, folks for tuning in.
What a doozy of an episode.
You can tell the guy's in greatshape.
I am grateful to have PerfectSports as a partner here with
the Athletes Podcast, be able toconsume the best supplements on
the market.
And I just want to say thankyou to you folks for tuning in
(22:32):
to this episode and forcontinuing to come back week
over week.
It means the world to me.
I hope you're enjoying.
Let me know who you want to seedown below next on the Athletes
Podcast.
And I hope you're enjoying.
Let me know who you want to seedown below next on the athletes
podcast, and I hope you have agreat rest of your week.
Take care, I love you.
Bye.
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