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Crushing Fear and Choosing Happiness with Omar Medrano: What If It Did Work?

Episode 62 · 18 February 2026 · 48 min

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What If It Did Work? Crushing Fear and Choosing Happiness with Omar Medrano

What if it did work? That's the question Omar Medrano asks in place of "what if it fails?" Omar, the author of What If It Did Work? and The Vacation CEO, tells Randy Lorensen and Dr. John Oberg how a kid who was afraid to speak English became a speaker and author, and why happiness is a daily choice rather than a finish line. (Anthony Marino joins for the Olympics opener, then drops off with technical problems.)

What if the worst-case scenario never happens, and you actually succeed? In this episode, entrepreneur, author, and coach Omar Medrano joins the guys to challenge the fear-based narratives that keep us playing small. From overcoming a childhood "fear of everything" to becoming a serial franchise owner and the "Vacation CEO," Omar shares his blueprint for shifting from "what if it fails?" to the life-changing question: "What if it did work?".

Whether you are struggling with the fear of rejection, waiting for the "perfect" time to start a business, or feeling stuck in a cycle of negativity, this conversation offers a grounded, "no-nonsense" approach to regaining your agency. Omar, Randy and Dr. John dive deep into the grit required for Olympic-level success, the illusion of "buying" happiness, and how to start living in your "dash" today.

Omar Medrano on How to Overcome Fear of Public Speaking and Choosing Happiness

What you'll discover:

  • Irrational fears vs. reality, and how to stop letting worst-case thinking run your life
  • Living in the "dash" between your birth and death dates
  • Why happiness is a daily choice and can't be bought with a goal or a guru's course
  • How Omar went from "Slow-mar" and a fear of speaking to author and speaker
  • Fear of rejection, the regret test, and choosing a business with logic, not emotion
  • A blueprint for abundance: one-year, midterm and weekly goals

Timestamps

  • [00:00] Olympic grit and the agony of defeat
  • [08:42] Break: AG1
  • [09:32] Introducing Omar Medrano: from an introvert afraid to speak English to author and speaker
  • [14:49] Irrational fears vs. reality: plane crashes, driving and worst-case thinking
  • [16:12] Living in the "dash" between your birth and death dates
  • [18:25] The myth of "buying" success: happiness as a daily choice
  • [25:25] Writing What If It Did Work? and believing you're worthy of being heard
  • [30:21] From "Slow-mar" to speaker: facing the fear of public speaking
  • [34:51] Bombarded with negativity, and how people still get out of bed
  • [38:27] Fear of rejection and the regret test
  • [43:53] Choosing a business with logic, not emotion: franchises and startups
  • [44:44] A blueprint for abundance: one-year, midterm and weekly goals
  • [47:25] Where to find Omar Medrano

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About Omar Medrano

Omar Medrano is an entrepreneur, business coach and author of What If It Did Work? and The Vacation CEO. He hosts the What If It Did Work? podcast and works with people who want to start or grow their own business.

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Related episodes

Meet the hosts: Randy Lorensen · Dr. John Oberg · Anthony Marino

Transcript

A full transcript is below. It was generated automatically from the episode audio, so expect some spelling errors in names and terms.

[00:15] always, I'm here with Anthony Marino and Dr. John Oberg. Gentlemen, let's jump in. Let's talk about Anthony want to talk about the Olympics today. John, do you have a favorite moment so far this — Man, I've been watching a bunch. When I was a kid, we grew up watching the Olympics and so for me, there's a lot of nostalgia. So, I keep it on in the background when I can. And sometimes I catch like the daytime and the evening time, like on the weekends with what's going on. It's been really fun to watch hockey just how these guys that play on the same teams in pro hockey are playing so hard against each other and they're really into it. And then, you know, but even even the, you know, the figure skating has been amazing. the curling like the level of detail and the level of technology and the level of thought they put into like they make it look like gosh I could go cur but the truth is I couldn't curl save my life you know and so it just um I appreciate the commitment of all of these different sports and like the difference of a millimeter in the bathlon where you have this rifle at 50 meters that if you miss by a millimeter it cost you a minute and so um I think ABC Sports back when I was a kid talked about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat and the ski jumper going off the side and crashing.

[01:25] And I mean, you just there are things you hear about like ice skaters getting thrown 12 feet off the ice and 16 feet horizontally and then landing perfectly on ice on an ice skate. Like that's that's an incredible athletic event. Or these people that are like 18 I can't remember it's feet or meters above the apex on when they're jumping like snow skiing. like all all the data that you watch, it's just unbelievable athleticism. And so I I have a real um to see what Anony's talking about, which is the camaraderie and the athleticism all put together and the empathy and the it's u it's really humbling for me. — Yeah, it's I I've been around a couple of Olympians. Um you know, I'm thinking John Rothosberger, who was a roommate of mine actually when I lived back in Minneapolis at the time. He was uh the most decorated US male gymnast of all time at that point which was meant he was I think you know finished 10th or 15th or you know I mean I think the US has done better since then but he would be gone before I'd get up in the morning. He would come home in the afternoon and he would walk into the house with ice packs on both shoulders, knees, elbows, and he would just like he and and he was jacked beyond belief. But he like the the amount of work that he put into that every single day, right? I think it was seven days a week to Anony's point to finish like 15, [music] right? Um, and my other friend Poon, he was a he'd been a national champion in Taekwond do and he would actually the guy that he beat for the national championship, he ended up getting second to in the Olympic trials. So, he was just an alternate. He wasn't even likely going to be on the team. And I used to go with a couple other friends of mine and help him train. By helping him train, it means I held bags while he kicked him, right? And he would he it was unbelievable. He was 140 lbs and just unbelievable power. But he would already be there having he'd been working out for he worked a day job at IDS financial services and he would get there early. We would come there in the evening. He was already working out for hours kicking, lifting, doing whatever.

[03:45] And then we would work out with him for like 3, four more hours at night. And that was to be an alternate, right? So the the work and the dedication and you know John had sponsorships and he was getting paid okay back then. Um you know Poon didn't get anything. I mean he had to go work a day job and and do this on the side. So I you know that watching that firsthand the effort that went into that was pretty remarkable, right? Um — that is a big is a big change in what the Olympics are today versus what they were when we were growing up. Now they can they can earn money, right? They can they can earn sponsorships and and make some money at it. You know, back in the Bruce Jenner days, um, you know, it wasn't until you had to be a winner to get on a Wedies box. And um so that's different which which I think is which I think is really positive because it gives them the freedom to train and get the best equipment and get the best trainers and have the you know have dietitionians and so forth and so the sports are getting better and better.

[04:54] So it's just all good just it's just all it's all good. It's time to feel good about something in a world where we don't get a chance to feel good as much as we'd like. So — yeah, that and and I asked you guys what your favorite moments were for me. Like I think literally like watching last night there was an Italian skier. I couldn't tell you her name, but I think she's like 35 years old and she had a horrific knee accident 10 months ago, right? And there were questions, would she ski again? And certainly nobody expected her to be in the Olympics this year. And her just getting there was, you know, what Anthony was talking about was like this huge win, right? and even though she, you know, she's had this success. So, just I love that like that that grit and determination and overcoming the obstacles and then she won, you know, they were talking about she won a gold medal and two days ago or whatever. We have time delay, but she won a gold medal, went out, danced all night, got up, came back the next day, and then in the giant slalom or whatever, she won a second gold medal after having, you know, this horrific knee injury in rehab. Like I just I'm really inspired by those things in you know almost any sport. Um you know the Lindsey Vaughn thing too like like what a savage right I mean hers didn't turn out to be as cheery of a story but she tore her ACL nine days before she competed and then you know fell and broke her leg and every but I mean just you know that comeback and that determination I I have a lot of respect for that. So, — No, it's a little thin.

[06:31] — But, um, back to curling when I think we can maybe wrap this, but there was a controversy, you know, when they when they're pushing that little that that that little that stone and we're getting to a start, they they're they're allowed to release it and then they can't touch it. They release it. Well, there was a controversy, a couple of them, where it was thought that a one of the teams barely touched it a second time. And that's a big deal in curling. But in both instances, [snorts] the team that saw it that it was against them, neither one of them followed the protest. They just let it go. there's, you know, in in other words, the they weren't 100% sure. They didn't cry about it. I don't I don't know if which team won or lost, but the the there's a spirit in the Olympics that's and and you see it between countries, you know, these these skiers, they all train together all year, you know what I mean? They're they're get. It's not like the hockey guys, you know, they're on teams and they're off somewhere. But these bob sledders and ski jumpers, they're on the same fac at the same facilities with the same coaches. There's a camaraderie.

[07:49] I don't know. I just think it it's all good. It's all good. So, just leave it. — All right. I think I think we all agree we need more of that in the world, right? So, I think for sure. Yeah. Generally generally a good thing. So, uh listeners, we are going to go to break. Uh when we are back, we are going to be with Omar Madrano. Uh I think I'm saying his name wrong, but uh anyway, uh he is a a best-selling author and he talks a lot about things that tie into abundance and a vacation CEO and and various things. I think you're really going to enjoy it. But the real concept that he brought that that I really like is what if it did work and living in a place of hope and abundance versus living in a place of you know most people ask what could go wrong what if it doesn't work and him asking the question what if it did work so we will talk to you after the break with and be back with Omar — here at tales of abundance we know that fitness is just as important as money or milestones it's one of our five Fs lots of us taking care of my body while I build my life is one of the more time consuming and difficult goals to chase.

[08:57] That's why we're partnering with AG1. It's a daily drinkable habit less than a minute that's formulated with 75 plus vitamins and nutrients and designed to support energy, digestion, and immune defense. It even has a few grams of protein uh that we're all chasing these days. And if you want to try it with our affiliate link, you'll also receive a free AG1 flavor sampler plus vitamin D3 plus K2 with your welcome kit when you first subscribe. $72 value. Go to — All right, listeners. Welcome back. Uh I am still here with Dr. John Oberg. Uh Anthony is having some technical difficulties, so uh we will soldier on without him. And we have special guest uh Omar. I should have asked you how to is it mad? Madrano. Madrono. Madano. — Whatever way, whatever you want to pronounce it. Madrono. — Okay. Madrono. Great. Uh and uh you are an author. I think you have two bestselling books, a TED talk, you've got you've got a podcast, uh you know, and a lot of different things. Uh you know, I I love I know one of your books is The Vacation CEO Lifestyle, but your podcast name, what if it did work? I I I love the title. I got to tell you, I just I love the question. I love the title. So, um let's start there. How did you come up with that? Like, where did that come from?

[10:21] — Well, my whole most of my life, it was the opposite. It was always this fear of nothing was ever going to work out. I mean, I had every phobia available. Fear of rejection. I couldn't even ask out a girl back back in junior high high school just because I thought maybe CNN CNN was actually still out there and or like the Miami Herald, you [clears throat] know, big news article Omar Madrono got gets rejected. So everything it was always like the worst case scenario. So it I mean I literally grew up in South Florida and I I thought South Florida was horrible. I had to move my life. I had to go away for school to Louisiana cuz clearly South Florida was horrible. It's not it's not the state. It's not me. It's the state. So I moved and it was like, "Oh my gosh, are you telling me that I could have grown up like in Hawaii? I could have grown up in anywhere like Beverly Hills and it's me." So yeah, I quickly had to pivot from being the introverted person.

[11:24] I was such an introvert. People thought I was a foreign exchange student or something. Growing up, they put me in ESOL because they thought I couldn't speak English. — What's What's ESOL? I don't know what that is. — Uh, English for speakers of another language. So, either Miami Day County Public Schools did such an amazing job. I don't have an accent or I could always speak English and it was it's always been my primary language. — You know, in your notes though, you you really talk about the difference. What if it did work is really the opposite of what if it doesn't work, — Oh, yeah. And that — that nuance is so critically important, — Yeah. Because I don't understand why we always pivot and we always think, you know, it can't that you know, it's for the lucky people or, you know, my whatever story we say in our heads. It's not not in our horoscope or, you know, Mercury's over retrograde or whatever nonsense, you know, or oh my god, that person it it's unfair that person's better looking or has better cards dealt with. You know what? Suck it up people.

[12:30] Life isn't fair. — Yeah. That that emotional risk is like a thing that there's a people have different levels of resilience for sure. What What was it in your life that made you go from one to the other? Was there like a moment in time that changed or was it a gradual shift? Was it a Was it work personal? Was it work? — It it was always like it was a boom like five, six, seven, eight, eight steps forward and then it would be like it would come crashing down. Like I I moved away. I had to join a fraternity and and I still couldn't talk. What what what pivoted me was they were actually hazing me, but they thought it was funny. They would make me, a guy that was had fear of rejection, go out to LSU, Louisiana State University is a a drinking uh school, party school. It's the number one party school at the time. 18 and older to drink in Louisiana. 21 to drink, but 18 to buy alcohol. In Louisiana, everything's different — at the time. And we would go to out every night. And these women are you ahead of time to say no, no things. So, I'd have to ask him out for a drink, ask him out to dance, or if it was a girl that no one knew, she was with with a guy and it was like Friday night fights or whatever. So, it was a great way to But it was really and I kept on getting no after no after no. And then I would have to introduce myself. Uh, I'm Goose.

[14:01] And they'd be like, "Why do they call you Goose?" Because I'm like I'm like goose man. All I know how to do is crash and burn, which was from top. — It's actually pretty fun. That part's [laughter] pretty funny. — So, yeah, that that's how I got over that fear of rejection. — Funny enough, Juice was married before Maverick and Top Gun, just for the — Yes, she was. And and you know, to Meg — Are we dating ourselves? — Yeah, [laughter] I definitely dating myself because the hair didn't do it So, do you find when you you're working with just regular everyday people trying to help them overcome these same things and again I love the question what if it did work but do you find other people's experiences are more similar to yours or more dissimilar like you think most people are dealing with — we create our own stories I mean I I grew up or I went out with a woman that she was like the pope like flying like she had to literally get out of the plane kiss the ground and it's like fear of flying.

[15:05] It's like honey, how rare I think I think it's a bigger greater chance of you winning the lottery than being in a a plane crash and it's like why do people always pivot towards like not only is that worst case scenario that is highly super highly unlikely. I mean, you pro probably have a better chance of winning a a Pulitzer prize than getting involved in the plane crash, but yet you hear people all the time, but they instead of trying to overcome it, they'll be like, "Oh, I need to take a Xanax. I need to do this. I need to do that." It's like, suck it up. I'm not telling you to overcome fear of flying by, you know, going on like a 12-h hour flight, 16 hour flight to Dubai or something like that, but I face your fears. that that's we only have one life and so many people, you know, we're we're living in our dash. And so many people don't realize that it's such a short dash. Just live to the — So explain what that I know what that means because I used to give a a a speech called the the dash between the dates. But explain to people what the dash is. That's such a such a powerful — Well, my the dash for me started July 24th, 1973, back in the stone ages.

[16:22] That's when I was born. now. — Whether a person of faith or whatever God, the universe, Jesus, I don't know when my time is to meet them. — So, it could be a today, it could be tomorrow. So, I'm living in my dash. Right now, I'm the writer of of my life story. I'm the creator of my destiny, the master of everything. Now, do I want my obituary to say he was just a great guy? He lived for the weekends. You know, he knew how to clock out at at 5:00 p.m. on a Friday. Cuz that's what so many people, you know, right now they're waking up upset not because of the halftime show, although plenty of people are to feel significance. They're upset that they didn't get the day off. They're upset because it's Monday. Instead of embracing it, I mean, it's a gift to be. I mean, who cares what day it is? every day that ends in wine. Embrace it cuz every day it's your birthday. And I tell that to people. I never wish someone that I care about happy birthday on their born day because every day we get a chance to be reborn with the opportunity of living and loving our best life.

[17:33] — That's an amazing point to be at, but you have to get there, right? It's like you can't just flip a switch. I mean, you say in your your bio that, you know, it's not it's not about motivation. It's about acting your way into it. Talk about how you started acting your way into it and what you counsel other people to do to walk their way into it. — Well, I I thought you had to buy happiness. I thought you had to buy success. I thought once you hit a certain wall, maybe the clouds would disperse a rainbow or sunshine would hit on me and God would be like, "I'm so proud of you, Omar. You you opened up another successful business or here it was the second book that's going to give you happiness." And it was always like, you know, like chasing after something, after a number, after a goal, after an achievement for happiness until or thinking that it was like a finite amount. A lot of people think success, money is a finite amount that if you take it from this pile, you're taking it from somewhere else. But both happiness and success, infinite amount. I I it took a long time and a lot of money because I felt like going to every guru and you know buying their well you paid the $10,000 for only the low low price of another $20,000 we will give you the answers and did all that and then it just hit me yeah happiness is a choice and I woke up this morning with the opportunity with the choice of being happiness you didn't matter or who won the Super Bowl. Didn't matter if Bad Buddy or Kid Rock invited me or did not invite me to watch them play it. We always have these external factors like, "Well, I bet X amount of money on the Patriots. If they win, I'll be happy." No, that's a decision, a dumb decision. Just choose it every single day. And nobody gives you happiness because we always think someone's someone else's validation or we always try to get happiness from people that don't even have the tools to give themselves happiness.

[19:47] — So where do we start? Like let's say someone's unhappy. They're listening in. They want to be happy. They're working hard at it. They're they're maybe they feel like they're grinding a little bit. Where does somebody start? — Just take a step back, man. Relax. Breathe. That's something we don't do. We're always with a shallow breathing. reason why somebody's on the plane and they're they have this anxiety is the shortness of breath. So I mean just take just relax take a deep breath and realize just the amount that you have accomplished or how far you've come and such a short amount. A lot of times people like well I I thought I would be like a billionaire in what aspect? Well because I went to college and I got a master's degree. Okay. So, and I'm good cuz a lot of people, you know, they they do the they get the the cardboard papier-mâché or whatever and they do their their wish their vision board. They don't understand that you can't just be your intentions can't be great and you can't be good. None of us were Jeffrey Dmer. None of us are serial.

[20:58] Well, some of us are, but not many. If if being a good guy or a good person meant that you were going to find success without doing work, we'd all have six-pack abs. We'd all have lambos and we'd all be living off the inter coastal somewhere. — Can you give us an example of a someone someone or a couple of people that you've coached that were in a particular place and over time you moved them, you know, they started their journey and things improved. And how did that how did that work? Like where were they? How did you get through to them? What was their first, — you know, just just kind of like the a process that what the what the actual real world example? — A real world example, a woman hired me to do a corporate talk, which I I did a corporate talk in New Jersey of all places. It was last winter. It was super cold. And she's like, "Can you please talk with my son? He's very unhappy." and he felt that his whole life was crumbling around him. His marriage was crumbling. Young guy, too, in his late 20s, maybe early 30s. And he was unhappy cuz he wasn't where he wanted to be. He felt like he could once he found happiness, he could work on his marriage. He can work on everything else. And I'm like, what would make you happy? And he he gave me a smart smartass answer, but it was his real answer. He felt happiness would be owning the Atlanta Braves and a ski resort. And not like any ski resort, a publicly traded ski resort like Veil Aspen. And I'm like, really?

[22:44] I I told him, you know, both are achievable because you can buy shares. I think at the Atlanta Braves parent company, it's not Ted Turner. He he sold them years ago. You can buy shares of it. And you can buy Mountain, which is the parent resort of these of of Veil and Lake Tahoe. And I'm like, you can't have such a crazy delusional standard. Nobody can actually buy a ski resort like that. Oh, and by the way, he was a personal trainer and not like Julian Michaels to the stars. He was just a normal personal trainer. And I'm like, you'll never be happy. And he's like, he I it took a while until he finally realized it's a choice that you do every single day. It can't be. And I know because I was the master of that. If then I'm happy. If I do this then I'm happy or if I have validation then I'll be happy.

[23:50] another client, one felt that she could never, and this was a goal of hers, was running a marathon because she got sagged out at mile like 14, 15, 16. Now, in a previous life, I I've ran 25 full marathons. But what happened was she had married with She had a stillborn. So, she felt that by having the stillborn, it really wasn't about crossing that crossing that finish line. She felt deep down inside cuz sometimes we we we always tend to be shallow and hey, how are you [clears throat] doing? I'm great. Are are we really great? It's all small talk because we're at such a shallow level. But overall, what was bothering her wasn't getting sagged at a marathon. It was about losing the child. But after we got that, got through that, the other stuff was a piece of cake.

[24:56] Anybody can train 26.2 miles or 13.1 for a half. You just have You can't just wake up one day and go, I'm going to do it today or tomorrow. Just like life and success, if you do things on a consistent basis and you're focused on it, and you break it down into goals, that's achievable. — Is that the process you had to go through to write your books? Like that's not an easy task, writing one book, let alone two books. Did you — did you go through a process for that or what what did you do? — The first book took me 47 years to write. I tell that to people all the time and they smirk, they laugh, and they're like, "Holy smokes." It's not Warren Peace. It just took me 47 years to finally get the courage because growing up I went to LSU for I got my degree in communications, did a lot of — but I never wanted to write because I never wanted I I was ne I'm not good I'm not as good as or not as great as Stephen King, not as great as Chuck Pound, the my favorite author of Fight Club and so many books and these guys are amazing fiction characters. What I realized is the world doesn't need a better version of them or a clone. They they needed the best version of myself, but I was still living my life like George McFly from Back to the Future.

[26:11] What if nobody buys the book? What if nobody likes me? What if I'm terrible? What? Cuz I would always focus on the worst case scenario. Or I would only sell three copies, one to my mom and two to my kids. And until I finally pushed past through that and I realized that I am worthy. My first book was written six years ago when um Uncle Sam gave us a a two-month or 90-day break, a reset, while everybody said they were going to change their life. If only they had more time. Well, I I used my time during the government shutdown to do something. And that was to literally write a book. — Which book was the first one? — What if it did work? — And then what how how long did it take you to write it? Oh. Uh, I I I would say everything started flowing. The the hardest part was believing in myself. And after that, I it was rather easy. I' I'd say less than than 90 days. It was actually I had to rewrite the the book. — Yeah. That's great.

[27:17] the the premise of the um the first goound was uh what if it did work was I finally had the courage the premise to ask out a girl that I grew up with since I knew since I was like in first grade second grade and I was in a relationship with her. So it was what if it did work but things went south we broke up. I had to rewrite it into a way better version of the book, which is the is the one that's out there. — I think it's a lot of us, you know, making small improvements. — Always. Always. That's what life's about. To me, success is waking up every day just wanting to be a better version than who I was yesterday. — Omar, did you write like I mean, was it habits? Would did you write x amount per day? Did you write in chunks? like what what what was your process? — Um my process was and I'll tell people this. If you want to write a book, start with a page. And if you can't start with a page, think of a promise. Think of an idea. Think of a sentence. Think of two sentences, man. You know, don't go for the gusto and say, you know, I want I want to be on Oprah's couch because then and I want a 300 page and it's going to be amazing and I'm going to have the next Harry Potter line. you're going to be like hating life. What what you need to do is write down what if I I I write everything down. What goal do I want to accomplish this week? Do I want a chapter? Do I want a great idea? And that's how I I always you if you want if it's a must, if you create a must, you'll find time and you'll find time to write down your goals because you you are a rock star and you're worthy of it.

[29:04] and two, you'll you'll you'll you'll manage. Um the the second book I was extremely busy and I found time to write it uh at night. So if if you make it a must, you'll find the time. I' I' I'd say the hardest part is really just believing in yourself. And if you say to yourself, well, you know, that book, the premise of the book, it's already taken. Well, I mean, Hallmark seems to be making movies and Lifetime left and right with the boy meets girl, boy loses, girl, boy gets girl back. You know, it it seems like a formula that's worked for a million other movies. So, whatever your book is, what makes it amazing is there's only one you and that story. I mean, everybody need everybody has a story to tell. the fact that you were a communications major is interesting to me, right? I mean, you you grew up scared to talk to people and afraid and then somewhere during that process, I mean, and I know that's happened at LSU, but how the heck did you pick communications? Like, where did that come from?

[30:16] — Uh, I was horrible at sports in my fraternity. I was tied for for last with a guy that was heavy, like super heavy. So they would call me slowar. I I was this guy that I if you can't do then report on it. I I I wanted to be the next Bob Kostas. I wanted I wanted to be a sports journalist. So I didn't realize you actually had to communicate with people which it it it's always been a lovehate relationship. It it was even I became an introvert after college and um I write in the book how I got out of it was going to Vegas. It was like during the dot the.com boom. So airline tickets to Las Vegas were super cheap like 80 bucks each way from South Florida and it was before Vegas charged like 20 bucks for a glass of water. So everything was affordable. So I would I went there maybe like 40 times in one year kept on talking and talking and talking and after after a while you know if talking to you guys I I could never do that. I was so fearful because oh my gosh, three guy, three strangers.

[31:35] — It it it I would literally people thought I couldn't speak English. But also it was because who was I who was I to talk I was a my mom was a single parent. Mom and dad divorced before I was born. So it was always like some story and it was always like well I can't talk to you guys. you guys are way successful. You guys have a podcast and and that's how a lot of us operate. Like if you ask a a buddy, hey, would you like to be on my podcast? More than likely, they'll say no. And not because they're not they don't have great communication skills or great time. We all we always feel like we're not — And everybody's enough. — The fear the fear thing is fascinating to me. And I think there's, you know, I I tend to sometimes get too much into the logic of it and and that, but it but it's a real thing, right? Like people, you mentioned, you know, airplanes earlier, like people are scared to fly, yet way more people die in cars, but almost nobody's scared of it. Or I think sharks, I know people that will not go in a lake in Texas, even though the sharks are in the saltwater because they're scared of sharks. Yet more people die falling out of bed or falling off a ladder or having a vending machine fall on them than they do from sharks.

[33:01] — I just think we we all grew up in the time I I saw Jaws. So you know I was — fearful of going in the pool cuz you know and then there was Cattyshack with the even if you go in a pool with with the scene from Cattyshack and the baby Ruth bar. So yeah, I mean and fear of flying. I was coming back with my parents or my family. It was my aunt, my grandmother, and my mom. And the the pilot told us, you know, hey, if you like there's going to be severe stuff going down. So if you if you're if you're a believer, pray. So the whole plane just went like airplane mode. Everybody's screaming except for my mom. My mom's always been like cool, calm, and collected. And I remember her telling my my aunt, "Shut the f up, Maria. You're getting the kid nervous." And she said that twice while the whole plane was just going crazy. So, I get it. It took me forever to get over fear of flying. But it's cuz we always go for the irrational. I I al also had fear of speaking to people because mom always told me strangers were bad. that grew up in a time with John Walsh, Adam Walsh, you know, somebody wanted to kidnap me or some something nefarious, sinister was going to happen. And you know, if we live our life like that, nothing ever nobody ever wanted to take me. Not not back then. And certainly they don't want to take a 52-y old man.

[34:31] Well, it makes sense because, you know, if you if you add up all of the communication that we have with, you know, during our entire lives, all the back and forth between individuals and coaches and teachers, parents and brothers, sisters, friends, well, more than half of it is negative. We're bombarded with negativity. you're not, you know, you you only got a B or you flunked your class or you didn't make the team or you're overweight or you're slow and and so much negativity uh poisons people to the point where that's what they take in and then that's what they project out because — well I'm I'm not a good communicator. I'm not a good writer. I'm not a good athlete. So I I won't be a good writer and I won't be a good communicator. It's just we're absolute bombarded with it. Now that that's for this generation that's on this call now. Can you imagine what it's going to be what it is like for our kids and our grandkids? The amount of neg negative communication and the bombardment of what what they're going to feel. Um it's it's really the fact that they can even get out of bed um with all this negativity is is something to see. So yeah, I can see you know I can I can see it. Now, I'm reading this book currently. You've probably all read it called The Four Agreements. Um, which is, you know, it's it's a it's a it's a light read, but it's a heavy read at the same time. You know, it's just the uh the the poison that's out there, and it's it's it's really having a renewed impact on I think I I think I read it when I was in I don't know when maybe 20 years ago or something, but um somehow it's back on my shelf. So anyway, — well Anthony, people always think that an event defines you. Whether it's success or failure, it's just one event, man. What what happens if somebody has a successful something successful happens to them? I tell them sometimes they go all Hollywood. And I I use that analogy because people always wonder University Southern Cal, they're football players, amazing in college.

[36:49] — Easy. easy. — But you have to admit a lot of them a lot of them know — the their their bust in the probe and it's because they went Hollywood. Think about it. They're at the pinnacle. They're at SC. They have Snoop Dog. They have 100,000 people. They're outside of LA. I mean, you know, living look at Matt Linard pictures with the women in the hot tubs and left and right. And then they're, "Okay, well, you're going to go to Green Bay now. You're gonna go to Buffalo now. You're gonna go to all these places. — Yeah. You're just Now, now it's getting personal, Omar. Now it's getting very And you're unfortunately very right. — Tim Darnold just won a Super Bowl and from there. So — Williams had a great year, too, by the way. Like I say, we're we're we're coming back. But he No, but you're right, though. I mean, you have And then you compound that with NIL and the transfer portal and the ability somewhere else. — It's tough. It's tough. — It's tough. Omar, you've got this idea that like just act, just do something and and and not making a decision. I think you know what I what I tell my kids in particular and people I work with too is like not making a decision is a decision.

[38:01] — It's and it's the worst one. It's the worst one you can ever do. I tell people all the time, don't fear the person that has potential that's sitting on the sidelines waiting for the perfect opportunity, gathering information. He the incompetent person that keeps on shooting eventually he's going to get it done because he's trying he's he's at least failing forward at at least you know he's doing everything which is he's doing something while a lot of us use this excuse since we're always fearful of rejection fearful of oh my god looking bad I'm waiting for the perfect opportunity what when it comes investing in stocks when it comes to losing weight I'm waiting for the best diet the the new ones. We're always waiting for something and a lot of it we all we all — it already programmed inside us. It's common sense. We just pretend, oh, we bought a book or we heard a guru. We heard this guru that's telling us common sense and we're like, "Oh my gosh, this is amazing." No, that's something you learned in preschool or elementary school. It's called common sense. We just don't we we just don't like to act on it. So, it's easier to play the I'm thinking Jeff Bezos somebody asked him about you know if he had fear in starting Amazon and his answer was something along the lines of I wouldn't if I if I didn't start it or I didn't try I would have regret. If I start it and fail I would not I would not have regret. Right. But I Again, that goes back into your what if it did work? But I don't think most people think that — But but Randy, one day we're going to get old. One day we're not going to have the energy. One day regret is like, "Oh gosh, I I wish I mean, we could go to a nursing home and ask them about regret.

[40:04] Hey, you asked out that girl. It bombed. You you married you you married your dream girl and you got a divorce. Well, you at least say you you you've been there. you done that. And that doesn't mean you're a failure. I I'm I'm divorced after 20 years. I don't go around telling people, "Oh, you know, I I can't tell you how to have a good marriage because, you know, I'm I'm divorced or that's the only thing." Or, "Do you regret?" Somebody was asking me that I was at a wedding. Do I regret getting married? I'm like, "How can I regret that? It was part of my life. Plus, I've got two amazing daughters. That's that's the stupidest question." And I told him it's like going going out on someone and it's like the I I do believe in the butterfly effect. If I'm Dr. John, what if you didn't go to USC and you chose something else? Your whole life would have been completely different. Oh, what what if what if you didn't do this in high school? It it's like if I didn't flunk French too in high school, I would have never wound up at OSU and I would have never wound up with my two kids. I would have never wound up on this podcast.

[41:13] Every our lives, the ABC, CD, D, it all aligns to our our lack of indecision, our decisions, the good, the bad, the ugly has led us all to here right now at this moment. — So, when you have a client who comes in who's lacking some of the gratitude and some of the do it that you're kind of suggesting, where do you start with your clients? Like, what's what's kind of step one? Well, not everybody's meant to be my client, man. A lot of times we think and I'll say that, man. It's like, you know, as an entrepreneur, we chase or we try to be, you know, great for everybody. Not everybody can afford to go to Disney World. If you don't like if you don't want to pay the $30 parking or whatever, I'm sure Six Flags is free. Who knows? I I'm just giving an example. Not everybody is, you know? So if somebody doesn't want to do the work somebody because it it would kill me or somebody's like oh I don't believe in the woowoo because they'll listen to a business development person and go well if you don't believe in the woowoo that's where all your foundation you're going to keep on running into this negative stuff that you're not good enough it always and I know because the number one client is myself I ran into self-destructive patterns and self-destructive behaviors so for so many years was because I didn't feel like I was worthy. So, a lot of times we think we're like realators in life.

[42:43] That's what social media is great. We can stage things to make things look And in reality, our lives can be like falling apart like, hey, it looks great on social media for that big. — So, yeah, if somebody doesn't want to do the work, I'll be like, okay. I'll be like, "What makes you think that if we just get into making a 15% increase in sales that that that you're gonna hit — Well, uh uh uh I I' I've had plenty of people that, you know, hey, we're not a fit. And that's fine. I'm not going to make it a fit because we don't live in that town in Foot Loose, especially now with the digital age. We we can have clients all over the world. We can have friends all over the world and we chase people based on scarcity that you know, oh that's that one client. Oh, that that's the only person that will go out with me. Once again, not asking ourselves better — So, Omar, you've had you've had numerous businesses, right? And both franchises and non-franchises. What advice do you give people when they're trying to figure out — what business to start? Like where — because I we have a lot of entrepreneurs at listening and a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs. So what would you tell those people?

[44:09] — Never do business based on emotions. The reason why I owned Smoothie King for 20 years, my number one business franchise. Oh, I graduated from LSU and Louisiana and the franchise is based in New or at the time in New Orleans where it was founded. A lot of times we do that. We go for the Well, I love Subway. I don't personally, but I'm just giving an example. Number one, don't rush it, man. Just sit back. We tell each We tell people we want people to hear like uh New Year's resolutions. Every day is a new year, so don't worry about New Year's goals or resolutions. And don't say, "Oh, I want to lose weight because it's something." What is it? Just take a half hour, put put away the phone and just have a notebook, pen and write down what is it that you truly want and don't give it to Miss America. Answer what is it the life that you want? What is it that one day when when they're saying your eulogy, you want them to say he did this, she did this, write down what it is. Number two, God, the universe, it's the craziest thing.

[45:20] In order to get to point A to point B, we have to give up bad habits. So, what is it that we're willing to give up? Because if you want to lose 40 lbs, eating a large pizza and drinking a six-pack is not the way. So, we're there's negative things, there's vices, negative habits that we have to get out of our lives. And three, I want you to be accurate with what it is that you want. If you want to lose 42 pounds, write 42 pounds and do it in a way. Don't say you want to lose it in two weeks, 3 weeks. We're not with Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. There's no biggest loser here. You know, come up with a sensible time frame and then just break. I would say that's a one-year goal, a doable goal. put one year, which is February 2027th, whatever your weight is now, minus 40 lbs, and then attack it. That's that to me is a long-term goal. Usually, it's longer, but let's go brand newbie.

[46:23] That's your long-term goal. Your your midterm goal is halfway, 20 lbs in 6 And write that down and be specific. And and don't sugarcoat it. If you don't hit it, don't go, "Hey, you know what? You still have 6 months to hit that longterm. And what I want you to do is every week write down what it is that you want to accomplish by the end of the week. That's your short-term goals. And then you keep on looking at it every other day and see what is it, what's working and what's not working. Craziness is doing the same things that's not working over and over and thinking that something magically is going to happen. Take that away. add more habits and just be laser focused, man. What you focus on, you will receive. You want to focus on losing weight, you want to focus on loving yourself, you want to focus on abundance of happiness, focus on that and you'll receive it. — That's great. So, write your eulogy. Understand what bad habits you're going to get rid of and understand what habits you can replace them with by having a one-year goal broken down into weekly goals over time. That's great, Omar Madrono. If you want to check him out, You can see information about his podcast. You can see about his coaching and see about his books. We'll have all that contact information in the show notes. Randy, take us home. All right, listeners, as always, download, subscribe, tell your friends. It all helps what, however that algorithm works. We're not smart enough to know that, but it helps the podcast to grow.

[47:53] So, thank you and have a great day. — Listen and subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcast. Click follow for more content like this or go to talesofabundance.com to join our community and get free tools.