Latest / Beyond Fulfillment Podcast / From Anxiety to Purpose: Justin Breen's Journey with Epic Fit Network
Transcript
- 0:00Imagine this.
- 0:02You're in a room full of unimaginative business owners and you're bursting with ideas that could change the world that no one seems to get in.
- 0:10How would you connect with those who not only understand your vision, but are equally committed to leaving a legacy beyond their lifetime?
- 0:19If you've ever felt misunderstood, if you've ever yearned to be in a room where your revolutionary ideas are not just heard, but genuinely appreciated and acted upon, then this episode is tailor made for you.
- 0:33Today we're diving into the incredible journey of Justin Breen, the CEO and co founder of the Epic Fit Network.
- 0:41In this episode, Justin will unravel how he built a network exclusively for visionaries who seek to serve humanity on a grand scale.
- 0:50We'll explore what separates a true visionary from everyone else, how to navigate life when business inherently means anxiety, and most importantly, uncover how you can align your life's purpose with your professional journey to achieve a state of pure
- 1:07fulfillment.
- 1:08As always, if you found value from this content, please like and subscribe.
- 1:14Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Beyond Fulfillment podcast.
- 1:18I'm your host, Dave Goulis, and this week my guest is the CEO and co founder of the Epic Fit Network, Justin Breen.
- 1:28Welcome, Justin, good morning, good afternoon.
- 1:31It's great to be here.
- 1:33Yeah, we appreciate you taking the time, if you could, for everyone.
- 1:36Justin, can you tell us what the Epic Fit Network is and how it got started?
- 1:42Sure, happy to do that.
- 1:46You know, today's been an interesting day already.
- 1:49I've written a couple songs and then this amazing magazine in the Middle east published this really nice article about me.
- 1:58I'm very grateful for that.
- 2:01And all these incredible synchronous synchronicities are happening, but my life is just spent talking to the world's top visionaries or folks that'll do whatever it takes to become one of those folks.
- 2:15And I invest over 100k a year to be in rooms and was just tired of being in rooms where it's not really visionaries, it's business owners or folks not.
- 2:29Not changing the world or not thinking past their own lifetime.
- 2:32So I had to create a room where it's just visionaries.
- 2:36So our company connects visionaries to serve humanity.
- 2:39So I guess technically it's a mastermind, but we meet virtually and have in person events.
- 2:44But really it's about, you know, folks who are really serving a higher power and thinking well past their own lifetime and.
- 2:51And most of them have the capital to do it.
- 2:54Okay, so is that how you would define a Visionary is someone thinking beyond their own lifetime to serve humanity.
- 3:00Well, it's one of the, it's a great, great follow up question.
- 3:07So I guess to land the plan.
- 3:09Every day I have between five and 10 meetings like this, whether they're one on one or in group settings where we're talking to visionaries.
- 3:17And then I'm able to simplify into patterns and then share those patterns through songs or books or poems or companies and business owners, consultants, employees, which is totally fine.
- 3:33They care about revenue, employee count, office space, they're trying to change their world there.
- 3:38And then a true visionary cares about purpose serving, higher power global connectivity and they're changing the world.
- 3:46So it's fundamental difference.
- 3:49Yeah.
- 3:50Okay.
- 3:51And so you mentioned too that you, this idea was born out of being in rooms where the, you know, you're paying to be in these rooms and yet you're, it's lacking visionaries.
- 4:02So I mean can you tell us about your business journey and like how, how you got started in business?
- 4:08Yeah, and I think my main role in life is creating awareness.
- 4:11So the word business comes from the word by Zignus which means anxiety.
- 4:15So when someone says that word, that's what they're and then the word sale means dull and dirty.
- 4:22That's what those words actually mean.
- 4:25So I was in that world, was in that world and then evolved from it.
- 4:31But I've been an entrepreneur for seven years before that I was an entrepreneur who happened to be a journalist.
- 4:38So wrote about and connected cool people changing the world.
- 4:41And so now write about and connect cool people changing the world.
- 4:44But first company, which was a global PR firm seven and a half years ago, had job salary cut in half, couldn't find a job, incorporated with zero background.
- 4:57Like I still don't know what an S Corp is, I don't really care about that stuff.
- 5:01But while I was working full time at half salary over six weeks, reached out to 5,000 people to find first five clients or partners and then signed fifth client, resigned the next day from full time job and then
- 5:18started, started that company.
- 5:20And what the PR firm was is essentially opportunities like this.
- 5:26It's simplifying someone's story and then connecting and connecting them to platforms like this.
- 5:31And then that evolved into what the mastermind is.
- 5:33It's connections for anything.
- 5:35And it's not necessarily media or podcast opportunities.
- 5:38It's connections for anything.
- 5:40Investors or someone around the world who just wants to collaborate with, collaborate with.
- 5:47Okay.
- 5:48All right.
- 5:49So the first business too was born out of, you know, some necessity there with Right.
- 5:54The job and really needing to make things happen.
- 5:58And like you said, you reached out to.
- 6:00Was it 5,000 people within a matter of weeks, Is that right?
- 6:04Yeah.
- 6:05So most people, they're not wired like that.
- 6:08And.
- 6:09And then I don't believe, you know, in randomness, things are just meant to happen.
- 6:13And I've found that again, all I just talk to visionaries.
- 6:16So I found there are only four things, four things that separate visionaries from everyone else.
- 6:22So one is bankruptcy or potential bankruptcy.
- 6:24Two, depression.
- 6:25Three, highest level of anxiety that you can imagine.
- 6:28And then four, trauma as a child or young adult.
- 6:30So vast majority of the world, those are excuses for visionary.
- 6:34That's the fuel.
- 6:35Figure it out.
- 6:36It doesn't count the silver spoons.
- 6:38It's a fundamentally different conversation.
- 6:41But since COVID Since COVID I non silver spins.
- 6:44I think I've talked to eight or nine folks less than three of those four things.
- 6:48Almost everyone I talked to now is all four.
- 6:51So when I say those things, they're like, check, check, check, check, or check, check, check or check, check, check.
- 6:57So it's an interesting thing.
- 6:59And then they just don't make excuses.
- 7:00Visionaries never make excuses.
- 7:03Ah, okay, so that's an important distinction.
- 7:05So you're saying, you know, bankruptcy or near bankruptcy, childhood trauma, what were the other two?
- 7:13Depression and anxiety.
- 7:15Depression and anxiety.
- 7:16Right.
- 7:16Okay.
- 7:17And like you said, you know, you're saying most people use those excuses, but if you list those four things, just even in modern society.
- 7:24Right.
- 7:24You'd have to imagine many people.
- 7:27Right.
- 7:27Have.
- 7:28Have several, or, you know, maybe sometimes all of them.
- 7:32But you saying the important distinction too is visionaries don't ever make excuses, and rather they use those events as fuel to serve a higher purpose.
- 7:41Yep, that's exactly right.
- 7:43Okay, so when you're growing the PR firm and obviously you put in a lot of action from the very beginning just to get things going right.
- 7:52Which certainly, yeah, is admirable.
- 7:58And I mean, clearly you, whether you innately knew or just, you know, were motivated by circumstances, you did what was necessary to get the business going.
- 8:07As you're growing and scaling that PR firm.
- 8:10I mean, what was that like?
- 8:11Were you happy in that role?
- 8:12Were you enjoying, you know, being in the quote, like the business, you know, part of your life?
- 8:19No.
- 8:20And so again, thank you.
- 8:22That's a great question.
- 8:22No business means anxiety.
- 8:24I mean, that's literally what it means.
- 8:25So anytime anyone even mentions those words, I think of the anxiety.
- 8:29That, that.
- 8:30And.
- 8:30And I would say, I will say, because it's a Fair question.
- 8:33I would say the first company was a business.
- 8:37Still, technically, you know, technically that company exists, but I don't really focus on it anymore.
- 8:45The second company is Pure Purpose.
- 8:50My wife runs the company with her assistant, and then our members dictate most of the content within the company.
- 8:59And then I just kind of float around serving my purpose, which is connecting visionaries to serve humanity.
- 9:07So I, I rarely say anything in the meetings and I just get to do what I'm supposed to do and serve the people I'm supposed to serve.
- 9:15And then that allows me time to write books or, you know, have folks like Dr.
- 9:21Deepak Chopra do introduction for book or write songs and talk to world's top music producers all day and connect them to other amazing people.
- 9:31So none of that is business at all.
- 9:35It's just pure higher power purpose.
- 9:37And I'm very grateful for that.
- 9:40Very grateful.
- 9:41And it's a lot of fun.
- 9:42And then you just keep evolving your consciousness and keep creating all these amazing coincidences and serendipity.
- 9:49So it's, it's really fascinating to be in that world all the time.
- 9:55In my world, a personal brand is invaluable.
- 9:59A year ago, Easy DC was brand new with just a couple of customers and no online presence.
- 10:05Then I found Hicks Marketing.
- 10:06They helped me amplify my personal brand, build a solid content strategy, publish my podcast, and 10x the number of customers we serve, all in less than one year.
- 10:17Do you need a marketing partner who gets you and cares about your success?
- 10:21Reach out to aliciaicksmarketing.com for more info and tell her Dave Gula sent you.
- 10:27Yeah, and that, that's, it's fascinating to hear you talk about that too.
- 10:30And I mean, let me just ask you.
- 10:31So as you're growing and you're in business, which means anxiety, right?
- 10:36Keep saying that.
- 10:37Huh?
- 10:37You're gonna keep saying.
- 10:39But I mean, how did you come to evolve, right, from, from that place to get to this, this higher level of consciousness where you can, you know, you were inspired to create the company that connects visionaries.
- 10:51And now like you're, you're spending your time doing different things and not so deep in the anxiety.
- 10:56Like, where was the shift where you evolved?
- 10:59Great question.
- 11:01Well, when, when you spend your whole life and then again as a journalist for 20 years, so interviewing, you know, thousands of people and then now talking to amazing people and learning, you know, learning from them, and you
- 11:19just see the patterns that emerge.
- 11:21See the patterns that emerge.
- 11:23And I would say the number one pattern in terms of that Exact question is conscious conversations.
- 11:32Conscious conversations convert to capital, collaboration and, and community.
- 11:36So I've seen that on a global level.
- 11:39And then you just keep learning every single day.
- 11:43You keep learning every single day.
- 11:45And then what I've also learned to trust is my heart, Pure gut intuition, pure good intuition.
- 11:52And most folks, which is fine, they think first, they think logically.
- 11:56They use their brain first.
- 11:57I'm fully using my heart and following my heart.
- 12:00Pure gut intuition.
- 12:03And that's one of the chapters in the upcoming Epic Journey book is about following your gut intuition.
- 12:09A true visionary always leads with their heart.
- 12:12It's almost at like a soul level.
- 12:14And then the brain follows and they think about it and then they talk about it and then they take action with it.
- 12:20But it always starts with your heart.
- 12:21And there's a lot of things to say from that.
- 12:26But one of my favorite quotes is a paraphrase but is from the late Robert Johnson, who was a Carl Jung disciple.
- 12:33Carl Jung, the great Carl Jung.
- 12:37And Robert Johnson was one of his disciples.
- 12:40And he, again I'm paraphrasing this, but he said for, for a select few, for a select few, there is a determination.
- 12:46There is a determination to seek liberation from social hypnosis.
- 12:50So select few, determination to seek liberation from social hypnosis.
- 12:54So most of the world, which is fine, they're socially conditioned, socially conditioned by words like business, which means anxiety, or the word sale, which means dull and dirty, or the word average, which means damage to a ship.
- 13:06So you know, there's these words and most people aren't aware of what they actually mean.
- 13:11Then they stay in these human constructs.
- 13:13But a true visionary, they'll just create their own rules and create their own constructs and that helps everyone.
- 13:20Okay, so you mentioned the new book that you have upcoming and with Deepak Chopra who is writing the introduction for that book.
- 13:30So how did that come about?
- 13:33Just following.
- 13:34I mean, so it's interesting the, it's going through the editing process right now.
- 13:40But one of the chapters, I did it one, I've done this one time because I'm like, well, how actually did that happen?
- 13:45And the chapter is a 21 step.
- 13:48Could have been longer, but I can connect dots very quickly with my heart.
- 13:52I'm like, it's like a CRM of connectivity.
- 13:55Most people don't have that, by the way, but I do.
- 13:58So that chapter is actually a 21 step thing of how that happened.
- 14:04However, I'll simplify it because I'm not going to go through 21 steps.
- 14:07That's kind of.
- 14:08Okay, so one of my friends, one of my great friends, and these are the types of people I talk to are folks that want to be like that.
- 14:16So his name is Roosevelt Giles, a great man.
- 14:18So Roosevelt Giles, he was a.
- 14:22And he and his parents and his family, they were cotton picking sharecroppers.
- 14:26Cotton picking sharecroppers.
- 14:27As children prayed for rain.
- 14:30I repeat, he prayed for rain so he could go to school.
- 14:32Prayed for rain so he could go to school, pick cotton.
- 14:35So he's older now and he's on the, you know, he's a top level executive in many places and then he's a high level at nasdaq.
- 14:47He's high level nasdaq.
- 14:48So earlier this year, he invited me to ring the NASDAQ bell, the closing ceremony.
- 14:53I'm like, okay, I'll go to that.
- 14:54That seems like a good idea.
- 14:56And, and so at that ceremony, Dr.
- 14:59Deepak Chopra walked in and saw him and posed for a photo with him.
- 15:05And then I'm like, oh, it'd be a good idea if he wrote the introduction for my upcoming book and then started writing the book and then manifested that he, you know, that it happened, that he writes the introduction.
- 15:17So that's kind of, that's just kind of how my life works.
- 15:20And by following my heart.
- 15:22And then when I see something, which is very rare, but if I see something that's a great idea or a great person to connect with, like, I can just immediately feel it.
- 15:32And then I don't overthink anything.
- 15:33I'm like, let's do that.
- 15:35Boom, let's do that.
- 15:36Boom, let's do that.
- 15:37It's called for those who have taken the working genius assessment.
- 15:40Working genius.
- 15:41It's called an intuitive activator.
- 15:43Intuitive activator.
- 15:44So I can discern from all the bad ideas for the one out of a thousand.
- 15:49That's a good one.
- 15:50And then discern that.
- 15:51And then galvanize, Boom, oh, good idea.
- 15:53Let's do that.
- 15:54That's just how my heart works.
- 15:57Okay, so you have, it looks like a very, certainly a bias for inspired action.
- 16:02Once you identify what that is, where, like you said, right, you have that.
- 16:06You're in touch with that intuition.
- 16:07And once you know it's a good idea, you just act.
- 16:09And, and then, like you said, a lot of these synchronicities evolve from that.
- 16:15Okay, so with the Epic Fit network and you're connecting visionaries, I mean, give us an example too, of what, like, what the company's like and what some of the things, you know like the connections or some of the
- 16:31projects that have kind of resulted from that.
- 16:33Yep.
- 16:34Yeah.
- 16:34So you're a detailed person, which is fun.
- 16:36Yeah.
- 16:37So what I hear more than anything.
- 16:40So visionaries are the most misunderstood people on the planet.
- 16:44Usually aliens within their own family, communities and verticals.
- 16:47Only four types of visionaries add, not a disorder.
- 16:52Sign of genius.
- 16:53Mislabeled by humans.
- 16:54So that's probably 95% of the people I talked to.
- 16:57Them too, is autistic.
- 16:59Asperger's.
- 16:59My wife, who's a doctor, she's unofficially diagnosed me with that.
- 17:04Three is dyslexia.
- 17:07My wife and I were on Sir Richard Branson's Necker island, his home, earlier this year.
- 17:12He's dyslexic.
- 17:1330% of visionaries are dyslexic.
- 17:15And then 4, high IQ and high EQ.
- 17:18You have to have both to be a visionary.
- 17:22So in that room, almost everyone has add, a lot of autism or whatever you want to call it.
- 17:29Lots of dyslexics.
- 17:30And it's the one place where people actually understand each other and everyone, which is really interesting because they're all like little kids.
- 17:39And in.
- 17:40In normal life, would just talk and talk and talk.
- 17:43It's the one place where people slow down.
- 17:46It's the one place where people slow down.
- 17:48So we talk about raising our levels of consciousness or what it means to be brave or.
- 17:52Or what it means to be vulnerable in this world.
- 17:56And then the trauma that.
- 17:57That we've all experienced, and I can't be too specific about that, but.
- 18:01Because it's unfair to the members, but.
- 18:03But it's the one.
- 18:04It's the one place I've been again, I invest a lot of money to be in rooms.
- 18:08A lot of money.
- 18:09And then it's the one place where people actually feel.
- 18:12Feel like they're seen.
- 18:14And to me, that's the most important thing.
- 18:16Because when you're actually seen, that's when you can create collaborations and create massive investment opportunities or companies together.
- 18:24People can start dating each other, which has happened within our group as well.
- 18:28So to me, that's far more important to be understood and to be seen.
- 18:33When you're misunderstood and not seen your entire life, that's by far the most important thing.
- 18:39And then our members just introduce us to other people who want to be seen as well.
- 18:43So there's really nothing outbound.
- 18:45There's no sales because sale means dull and dirty.
- 18:48It's just doing the right type of connections, and then the right people connect us to other right people.
- 18:54Okay, and so like the way you describe the visionaries and how you defined it and some of these traits too, right?
- 19:02And you said they're always misunderstood.
- 19:04And you know, all these, all these conditions that like you said, normal society would, you know, view, view them as whatever, an outlier.
- 19:14So aliens.
- 19:15Yeah, yeah, aliens.
- 19:16Okay, so how, because I'm, you know, I can think of several people in my past that kind of fit that mold and like how, how big of a difference does it make?
- 19:27Because you know, like you said, it's connecting them to serve their purpose.
- 19:30And now also having a community with other like minded visionaries to, to, to collaborate.
- 19:36I mean, how big of a difference does that make for someone that maybe.
- 19:39Is, that's, that there's.
- 19:42Okay, that's a great question.
- 19:47This is for you.
- 19:48But really the audience, imagine being misunderstood your entire life and you're talking like this and people just stare at you.
- 19:53They go, oh, that's good.
- 19:54Oh that's good.
- 19:55They don't understand what you're actually talking about.
- 19:59But a true visionary, they never quit.
- 20:04Just as background.
- 20:05My litmus test is my father.
- 20:07My father was 61 when I was born.
- 20:1061.
- 20:11He was a World War II hero, shot down multiple times in combat, many times without a parachute.
- 20:15And he would just get back into a plane.
- 20:17So, you know, true visionary, they'll just keep getting shot down.
- 20:20They'll just keep, keep talking like this, Keep talking like this.
- 20:23So, so when you finally are in a room where people actually understand what you're saying, they really understand it, then that's a, that's everything.
- 20:31And then most of the people I talk to the first time, for the first time, the word I hear more than anything is refreshing.
- 20:40Like, oh, wow, this is refreshing.
- 20:42Nobody talks like this.
- 20:43Well, yeah, because you're talking to business owners or you know, which is fine, by the way.
- 20:49So I hear refreshing then the second word I hear more than anything is nourishing.
- 20:52So refreshing and nourishing.
- 20:54I think those are pretty good words.
- 20:55I think so.
- 20:58Okay, and so what does it look like in terms of.
- 21:03It is like a monthly, like a get together, like a meetup somewhere.
- 21:07Is that typically what you do?
- 21:08Great question, great question.
- 21:11Thank you.
- 21:12So we meet three to four times a month, virtually between one and two hours.
- 21:17Those meetings, the best part that I've seen from those is what's called a member spotlight.
- 21:23That's where the member shares what she or he is up to.
- 21:27Again, I invest a lot of money to be in rooms.
- 21:29Was tired of being in rooms with Mostly men driven by ego.
- 21:33So our room's 40% women.
- 21:36I think eventually it'll be more than 50%.
- 21:40I think so.
- 21:41And then my wife runs the company.
- 21:42She's become a really good connector.
- 21:44So we meet three to four times virtually.
- 21:46We have two big in person events a year.
- 21:50The one we just had was at Chicago Yacht Club.
- 21:53And then we have special VIP dinner with chef Rick Bayless cooking for our members.
- 21:58He won Top Chef Masters, you know, he's one of the top chefs in the world.
- 22:02And then our first event next year 2025 is in Portland.
- 22:07I'm not a detailed person, but I know my wife and her assistant and our members are playing a lot of amazing things for amazing things for Portland.
- 22:15Then we have an app that connects people.
- 22:18We have our own TV channel with 30 million reach.
- 22:21Some of our members have shows on that.
- 22:24We're starting a pro, an MBA program affiliated with Oxford.
- 22:28One of our members started an accredited MBA program for visionaries.
- 22:35So we're starting that as well.
- 22:36So there's a lot of things going on and it's endlessly fun.
- 22:41It's endlessly fun because people are sharing what they're up to and they're just creating massive global collaborations.
- 22:47And then because most of it's virtual, then we have members from all the world.
- 22:51Us, Canada, Chile, Abu Dhabi, uk, India.
- 22:58So it's, you know, it's all over the world.
- 23:00It doesn't matter really where you live.
- 23:04Okay.
- 23:05And after doing this for as long as you have, what's been the most rewarding part about putting together a company like this?
- 23:16Thank you for saying company and not saying the B word anymore.
- 23:18I appreciate it.
- 23:20Thank you for evolving on the.
- 23:27Well, I mean, you know, I, however you want to say it, higher power or God, you know, we're all given a gift.
- 23:37We're given a gift and sadly or unfortunately, most people never find their gift or they never use it.
- 23:45So I was given this gift and, and I'm using it the way it's intended to be used.
- 23:51So I'm very, very grateful for that.
- 23:54And, and it will just keep getting more interesting, that gift.
- 24:02You know, there'll be a lot of.
- 24:04I just posted it the other day, but when the, when the book comes out, it should become out in a couple months.
- 24:10You know, be speaking in London and Middle east and Hamptons and Florida with all these, you know, really interesting, fascinating people.
- 24:24Last week the, the executive producer for Lady Gaga's Born this Way tour, he and I were talking and we've become really good Friends and we're talking about collaborating on a global stage.
- 24:39And he, you know, we're like, oh, where have you been all my life?
- 24:42I'm like, well, where have you been?
- 24:43And because, you know, just what it, you know, it's just a different type of feeling and thinking.
- 24:48And then you're like, oh, so these are the type of people that actually understand what I'm talking about and I understand what they're talking about.
- 24:55And so, you know, my life in human body terms is just starting.
- 25:03Like, it's just starting.
- 25:05And you know, I'm writing songs now.
- 25:09It's just really fascinating.
- 25:10Like I was just posting poems on social media and then one of my friends is a music producer in Nashville.
- 25:16She's like, hey, come down to Nashville and we'll do a hit song together.
- 25:19I'm like, okay, so I'm going to be doing that as well.
- 25:23And just to be in that flow, in that heart centered space is very gratifying.
- 25:29I'm very grateful for that.
- 25:31Very, very grateful.
- 25:34Okay.
- 25:35And last thing, you mentioned the book.
- 25:38Just tell the audience what it's about, when it's coming out and how they can find it.
- 25:46Yeah.
- 25:46So for those who have read the Little Prince or the Alchemist, it's that.
- 25:51But real SAP, a real.
- 25:56And then it's going through the editing process now, I can't announce more than, you know, who's publishing it or any of that, but it's a big deal.
- 26:06And then to have, you know, Dr.
- 26:08Deepak Chopra do an intro, I'm very grateful for that.
- 26:10It should be out in the coming months.
- 26:15This will be third book, the second book that came out, Epic Life, that's been out for a couple years now.
- 26:22Dr.
- 26:23Peter Diamandis did the Ford for that and then, you know, made the Wall Street Journal and USA Today lists and all that stuff.
- 26:31And it was number one overall on Amazon Kindle for a bit, which is, that's fine.
- 26:35It's great.
- 26:36So, but this Epic Journey book, it's a, it's a different, it's a different type of book.
- 26:41And I wouldn't even describe it as a book.
- 26:43I would say it's more of a calling from a higher power.
- 26:48Okay.
- 26:49All right.
- 26:50And Justin, if, if people want to learn more about Epic Fit, get in touch with you for, for any reason, what's the best way that they can do that?
- 26:58Well, one, thank you.
- 27:00I appreciate this interview.
- 27:02The main site is theepic fit.com theepic fit.com there's an application at the bottom of that and that goes to our.
- 27:12Our backstage team.
- 27:14Our backstage team.
- 27:15So theepic fit.com.
- 27:18All right.
- 27:18And we'll link all that in the show notes for everyone.
- 27:21All right.
- 27:22Well, Justin, thank you so much for taking the time to be here.
- 27:24We really appreciate it.
- 27:26And that is all the time we have for now.
- 27:28We will see you next time.