From 7 Years in Prison to #1 Crossfit Gym with Rob Grupe [Episode 2]

Transcription

Hey guys, Yuri here! Now, today’s interview is absolutely mind-blowing. It will shock you, it will inspire you, it may even bring you to tears. I am speaking with an absolutely amazing trainer who is, in my opinion, much more than a trainer.

His name is Rob Grupe, and he’s going to share some stuff with you in this conversation that is really going to shock you. To see somebody transform the way he’s transformed, to be able to impact the people he’s been able to impact on this journey… It’s absolutely remarkable. It’s very inspiring, very remarkable.

So let me introduce you to our guest today—his name is Rob Grupe, and he has overcome several drug addictions and spent seven years, six months, and 18 days in prison—he’s going to share the story with you. And after several near-death experiences, while being eighty pounds overweight, he decided to turn his life around through health and fitness.

So he started his journey as a personal trainer and worked his way up, now owning his own gym in Oklahoma City called Twice-Bitten CrossFit—which is now the largest CrossFit gym in Oklahoma, sadly one of the most unhealthy cities in the United States. And through his gym, he’s been able to help over a thousand people personally achieve health and fitness success through his programs at his facility. Now he’s on a mission to continually search for learning opportunities and experiences that positively change his life and the lives of others, the way they think, inspire strength, desire, perseverance, and motivation to have a physical emotional and spiritually awesome life.

So I’m not going to divulge too many more details, but you’ll discover how awesome this guy is in this conversation. So without further ado, let’s jump in, let’s bring Rob onto the show and let’s have some fun.

 

Yuri:        Alright Rob, welcome to The Healthpreneur podcast! How’s it going, man?

Rob:        It’s going well! Going well, for sure.

Yuri:        Awesome. So what’s rockin? What’s new and exciting these days?

Rob:        Man, we’ve just been continuing to grow our community at Twice-Bitten CrossFit—a gym I own here in Oklahoma City—and it’s been a journey, man. Just trying to do our best and really impact our community. Oklahoma City is, unfortunately, one of the most unfit cities in the nation. So I’m really trying to put a dent in that.

Yuri:        Well that’s great, man, because when you think of the Midwest, you don’t really think of it as the picture of health and fitness, right?

Rob:        Right.

Going Down The Wrong Path With Drugs

Yuri:        So it’s great that you’re doing such awesome work and impacting so many people. And we’ll talk about some of the stuff you’ve done with your gym and your CrossFit box, but I want to go back to a really interesting “beginning” that you had where you were addicted to drugs. You spent seven years, six months, and 18 days in prison, had several near-death experiences. Like, okay, let’s kind of rewind and start there. What was that all about?

Rob:        Okay, so which part?

Yuri:        Well, how did you get sent to prison for seven years?

Rob:        Okay. So I was brought up in a really good family. And I ended up hurting my lower back—well, actually let me start before that.

I got into selling drugs, got into the wrong path, hanging around the wrong guys… Started selling drugs and there was one time in particular that I ended up having, I think strep throat.

Yuri:        And was this back in your teens or twenties?

Rob:        Uhhh, back in teens or early 20s. So I had some painkillers, and I decided to take one, and it made me feel great. From there, it was just downhill. I had no idea about addiction or anything like that, and before I knew it, I was just in deep.

I was taking drugs, selling drugs, and before I knew it, I ended up getting caught by the police. I fell asleep at the wheel and woke up to the police pulling me out of my vehicle, and I had drugs and a gun on me.

Yuri:        Wow.

Rob:        So, yeah, things had really spiraled out of control. And it was a first offense for me. So my attorney at the time assured me that it would be no big deal—some probation, or something like that. But it didn’t work out that way, and they ended up giving me a 20-year prison sentence on a first offense.

Yuri:        Oh my goodness. That’s crazy!

Rob:        Yeah. Yep, so life really changed for me that day. But it really hit me, and I realized really quickly that this was the reality of the situation, and that I had two choices. I could either let it define me and be a victim, or I could make every day count, make this a stepping stone and come out of it a better person—somebody to add value to the world. You know, and that’s what I did.

Yuri:        That’s tremendous, man. Good for you. Because a lot of people can go down the former route, right? And I don’t think everyone has the mindset or the wherewithal to choose the path you chose. So that, kind of, mindset—was that something you’ve always had? Just like, “I’m going to be the Victor instead of the victim. I’m going to take control of life as opposed to let it happen to me.” Is that something you’ve had or was that something you got shocked into, because of this experience?

Rob:        Well, you know, I feel like I’ve always been an influencer. And before I got into drugs, when I was very young, I got into fitness and bodybuilding. Probably when I was 11 years old, that was my first passion. And what veered me off that track was the lower back injury that got me hooked on painkillers as well.

So I was an influencer, you know? And up until the drugs, I influenced people in positive ways—to work out, things like that. So once the drugs entered the picture, I was influencing people in more of a negative way. Myself and others.

Growth Mindset Over The Victim Mentality

So when I started my sentence and was really able to clear my mind, I developed this deep moral obligation that I really wanted to right that. That I wanted to spend the rest of my life influencing people in a positive way. And that’s one of the reasons that I share my story now—is because I think that it helps people to realize that no matter where they’re at, they can come out of that, can come out stronger on the other side of any adversity or challenge in their lives. So that’s really become my mission, what I feel like I must do.

Yuri:        That’s amazing, man. It’s tremendous even to hear that coming out of your mouth, very inspiring. So you had a 20-year sentence, you ended up serving seven and a half years. How did that happen?

Rob:        So the way the system works is, you have a level system. So like there’s day-for-day time, and then there are four levels. So level 1 is just day-for-day, level 2 is your day-for-day plus 22 extra days, level 3, 33, level 4, 44.

So if you’re level 4— that means you’ve been good, things like that—you’d get those extra days per month. So one month is like seventy-something days, does that makes sense?

Yuri:        Sure.

Rob:        So that right there—and then there are opportunities for other programs. Like, I was able to complete 99 hours of college credits while I was there. I learned how to operate heavy machinery, I worked through different drug rehab programs, different things like that—and all of those added up to extra days as well. So I actually discharged the 20-year sentence in that seven years six months and 18 days because of extra things that I worked on and achieved while I was in.

Yuri:        Nice—the fast track.

Rob:        Yeah.

Yuri:        So, what is life like in prison? I mean do you watch movies and shows nowadays and think “Okay, this is complete nonsense,” or it’s actual fact? What did the day-to-day look like for you?

Rob:        Man, it’s funny. To me, I would really equate it to like a rough grade school. In that—there’s rules, there’s politics, there’s things like that in there that you just have to abide by. And it could be something you think is really stupid, but you can’t say that.

People get stabbed over stuff—somebody sitting at a table they shouldn’t sit at—it’s just crazy, you know? And especially when you’re in a facility where there’s people that are doing life without [parole]. You never know what letter they may get, or that one phone call they might get where they’re just like, “screw it,” and just go off the deep end.

Yuri:        Sure.

Rob:        So there’s just always a level of tension in the air, that you can just feel. That’s not fun.

Yuri:        Was it the type of environment where you kind of bond with a few people, pretty deeply, based on the shared experience you’re going through? Or was it kind of like every man for himself?

 Rob:        There’s definitely some bonds that get made. For me, I decided at the beginning that I was going to make every day count. I was going to focus on me, figuring out what led up to me making the mistakes that I made. How I could make sure that that never happened again.

And so the only people I would interact with are ones that had a legitimate game plan for when they got out. Which most people didn’t.

Yuri:        Yeah.

Rob:        So those were the few people I would talk with. So yeah, anytime I was out of my cell I would maybe talk to just a handful of people—and other than that I would just have the demeanor of “don’t talk to me.” Which was just kind of how you had to be in there.

From Prison to Gym Owner

Yuri:        And so now you run the largest Crossfit gym in Oklahoma, which is amazing. You’ve helped transform thousands of lives. What lessons did you take from your time in prison that have helped you in your business?

Rob:        Well, I mean, I had been certified as a trainer before, my passion was fitness—so I knew that was something that I definitely wanted to get into. Actually, wherever I was inside, I would do my own training program. I would just put my head down and do my own thing, and then people would see what I was doing, and they would seek out information from me.

So I ended up training lots of people while I was in, just as a byproduct of them seeing what I was doing and them asking me for help. I was already doing group training the whole time I was in, so when I got out I re-certified, and I went to the gym that I’m actually in now.

It’s a 16000 square foot facility, but when I entered it the first time it was a regular 24 hour gym, and I walked in there, kept it real with the owner, just said “Hey man, I’m a certified personal trainer… But I just got out of prison and I’m looking for somebody to give me an opportunity.”

So I got out September September 11th, 2012—almost five years ago. And he gave me a chance.

So I started working one-on-one with clients. I struggled at first but I ended up building up my clientele to the point where I couldn’t take anyone else on. And then, in that same building, there was about a 1,500 square foot space—which was the owner’s kind of “man cave.” He had his boat and cars and tools in there.

And through several months of me really being on him—I talked him into letting me rent that space out. So that’s where it started, as far as me group training and it becoming a CrossFit gym. But I realized very quickly that running a business, like a gym, is a lot different than doing one-on-one training. There’s a lot more moving parts.

So yeah, that’s kind of how it started. We expanded from there to a 4,000 square foot space and then eventually I got to take over the big part of the building that the regular gym used to be in—which was the 16,000 square-foot space that we’re in now.

Yuri:        That’s great. That’s awesome. You talked about how Oklahoma is not a very health conscious area, or Oklahoma City specifically. How did you overcome that? Or, did you find that was a challenge? To acquire new customers and clients and grow the facility, at all?

 Rob:        Sure. Yeah, sure. So there was a lot. One of my first clients was actually a quadriplegic person. So I’m in the gym, and I see this quadriplegic guy—who’s actually a former police officer—who has an aide that’s following him around. And he has partial feeling and movement of his limbs, but she’s just like haphazardly taking him from piece of equipment to piece of equipment.

And I just knew in my mind that I could help him.

So I ended up starting to work with the guy, and we made a lot of progress together. And so I wanted to continue that—it made me feel really good to help people. And I started, around that time, also doing small groups of two and three. And so I just had the vision of working with bigger groups of people.

And man, there’s been so many stumbling blocks along the way. Where our name comes from—Twice-Bitten CrossFit—was actually from two failed partnerships that happened, from the time that I started in that 16,000 square foot space up until where it is now.

Mentors, Emotional Intelligence, & Vulnerability

So I took on a few partners to begin with, and I learned a lot of lessons, man. I didn’t really know what I was doing on the business side, so I had some tough lessons to learn through not knowing.

So I got mentors and coaches along the way. That’s really what saved me, because there was a point in time where I really almost felt like giving up.

But in those times, man, all I really had to do was think back to what it felt like to be locked up in that concrete cell, staring at those walls, and that would that would move me forward. Because in those times, you know, I would just think about—almost dream about—the opportunity when I could just get out and have the opportunity to struggle and live paycheck to paycheck.

Yuri:        That’s awesome. It’s such a great perspective, and it’s interesting because you have that contrast. Like, you have the complete opposite end of the spectrum that most people don’t have at their disposal.

Not many people have gone through what you’ve gone through—which, again, everyone takes their experience how they take it. I think you’ve done an amazing job at really extracting the beauty or the advantages or the lessons out of what you’ve gone through to make it a positive part of your life. And I think that’s pretty amazing.

I think it’s a very attractive quality—are you open with what you went through with your clients and everyone who engages with you?

Rob:        So, I am now. And that was a big breakthrough for me. It was something that I didn’t hide from people—like, if it came up I would talk about it. It wasn’t something that I was just openly like, “Hey, check this out.”

So I was at a mastermind event, and with the group I was in I saw an opportunity for this to come up. Normally in our mastermind group, you know, everybody sits there in our group, and we talk about the problem areas in our business—what we need to focus on, three things or whatever for the next 90 days. But this particular one was about the emotional stumbling blocks that you feel like are holding you back.

Yuri:        Sure.

Rob:        So when he got to me… Mine was me coming to terms with my former drug addiction and subsequent incarceration. And me not openly talking about that—like what if somebody finds out? Just that being kind of a fear for me.

And so my marching orders out of that were:

“Okay here’s what you’re going to do. First thing is you’re going to set up a nutrition orientation with your members, and you’re going to tell them. You’re just going to tell him the story. And then you’re going to write an e-mail, and you’re going to send that e-mail out to your list. And then you’re going to do a video, and you’re going to put that video on Facebook. And after you do those things you’re not you’re not going to have to worry about it.”

Yuri:        So how did you feel about that, when that was your marching order?

Rob:        Oh man, it scared me. It scared me. I knew he was right though. I knew he was right, so I did that. And people responded really positively to it.

And just this last year I got to speak at Fitness Business Summit and tell that story in front of over 1,000 fitness business owners from all over the world. So that was another step of scary as well.

But yeah man, I think people relate to the transparency and being open with struggles in life,  because that happens—not on that level, but—to everybody.

Yuri:        Yeah totally. The saying is like, “cracks allow the light to shine through.” And so often we try to be proud—hey, I’m this successful person, or I’m kind of close guarded—and I’m sure people just kind of open up more to you, they’re more receptive to you based on you sharing your story. And that’s awesome, because I think it allows them to feel more open as well. Is that something you’ve probably experienced with your clients?

Rob:        Oh absolutely. Absolutely. People have been much more open to me about things, and struggles in their life once I shared that. Once they know that about me.

Yuri:        Yeah, that’s great. So I lost my hair when I was 17 to an autoimmune condition, and I regrew my hair in my early 20s. But then it fell out again—about five years ago—after getting a shot at my doctor’s office.

And by that point I had built a pretty substantial business online—and a lot of people were asking me, “it must have been really tough, when you’re 17, to lose your hair,” and I was like, “Honestly, it wasn’t really that bad.”

But what was the scariest moment of my life was covering up my hair loss—you know, when it happened again. And I was painting on my eyebrows every single day with my wife’s makeup, for two years. And I got to the point where I said, “You know what? Forget this. I’m not doing this. I’m wearing a mask, it’s ridiculous.”

So the scariest moment of my life was shooting a YouTube video to say this like, “I’m coming out of the closet” type of thing, right?

Rob:        Right.

Yuri:        The scariest moment of my life—but what I realized, very much like what you’ve said, is that people were so appreciative of the fact that I just kind of opened up about it. And it permitted them to be okay with who they were and to open up as well. And that was a big lesson for me, so it’s cool to see that you had a similar experience with you opening up with your story too.

Rob:        Yeah, definitely man.

Yuri:        That’s awesome. So who or what motivates you to build such an impactful business, with what you’re doing?

Rob:        Man, one of my biggest mentors for sure and somebody that’s helped me with a lot of breakthroughs is Bedros.

Yuri:        Oh, yeah. He was my first coach as well. He’s great.

Rob:        Yeah. I mean it really hit me one day. One of the things that he said was that “people are crying themselves to sleep at night because they don’t know about the information that you have to share.” When I was so stuck on myself, like “Who am I to share my knowledge? I’m a convicted felon,” and I didn’t feel worthy, right? So it was that particular moment that just really hit me and spoke to me and made me start taking steps forward.

Yuri:         That’s tremendous. So for you to continue growing—because you said you want to help 10,000 people through your facility in the next year—what’s the motivation? What’s the drive that keeps you going when the crap hits the fan? When things don’t work out as well as you’d want them to? What really keeps you moving forward in the right direction?

Growth, Contribution, & Empowering Your Team

Rob:        Man, I just believe for myself and others that there’s always another level that you can take it to for personal growth and development. One of my biggest driving forces is growth and contribution. And I’m a big Tony Robbins fan as well.

So I do everything I can to continue developing myself. I’m always just ravenously hungry to learn new things and have new experiences and be around the most successful people I can be around, you know?

And then, in turn, I can take that and I can bring that information to my team and my clients. And my team can better deliver that to my clients the more I can develop my team. So I want to be able to continue developing myself, but I really want to take care of my team as well. Because the better I take care of my team, the better my team can be an extension of me and make the biggest impact with our members. And if we’re doing a good job with them they can become leaders too.

Yuri:        That’s awesome. Did you find it tough to transition from doing everything yourself to starting to bring people in to grow your team?

Rob:        Yeah! Sure, man. When you’re, I guess, an artist—in the sense that you believe that nobody can do it as well as you.

Yuri:        Yeah, of course—we’re all the best trainers. [laughing]

Rob:        Yeah! [laughing] So letting go and allowing somebody—empowering somebody—else to do the job is definitely tough. And with each piece that I had to let go, it was tough. But then after I did it, I was like, “Oh man, how could I have not done this sooner?”

So I find that there’s always another level of that going on as well. Just learning how to be a better, more effective leader, and empower and bring the best out of others.

But yes, that’s definitely been a process that’s gone piece by piece, and I’m very thankful for the coaches and mentors that I have, that I get to talk to about things like that.

Yuri:        Yeah, and it is great to have that perspective because a lot of times, we don’t we don’t even know what we don’t know. And I remember when I first worked with Bedros and Craig, I mean, I had no clue about a lot of the stuff that I was eventually exposed to, and I very quickly jumped on it and took action.

I tell people the single most important decision I ever made was to go to actual live events, like masterminds, and hire a coach. Because you’re going to get connected with amazing people, who are going to raise the bar. And then you’re going to be getting guidance from people who’ve walked the path before you.

So, trying to think that you can figure this out on your own is very naive. And that’s where I was for way too long. So it’s great to hear that you’ve had a very similar breakthrough with your journey.

Rob:        Yeah, man. Yep.

Yuri:        So, if you were to sit down with a new gym owner, new business owner, and they’re like, “Man, I don’t know what to do here I’m kind of stuck.”

What advice would you give to someone who is starting down the path that you’ve already gone down? I guess at a meta level, not like granular. But in terms of just helping them get through their challenges and meet their goals more realistically.

Rob:        To get coaches and mentors. My first experience, when I got on board with my coaching program, was I ended up in a room with Craig and Bedros. It was us two and like five other people—that was my first experience, and I didn’t really have the money to even go there in the first place.

Then when it got offered to me, to get onboard with the coaching program, I just knew I had to do it. And even though I don’t know how I was going to come up with money, I was like, “I’m going to do it. I’m just going to do it. I’m burning the boats, I’m either going to make some things happen, or they’re going to run my card and there’s just not going to be anything there.”

Yuri:        [laughing]

Rob:        [laughing] That was the way I looked at it.

So my advice to somebody would be to get guidance. Get a coach, get a mentor.

I visited my daughter last week in Houston, and I had the opportunity to drop in a few boxes. And my goal and mission there was just to go in and add value. Because I can remember a couple of years ago, being in my box and just thinking “Man, you know I wish somebody could just come in here and just start showing me what to do. Start telling me what to change.”

And so I just had that in mind as I went into the places and was just like a customer going in there to take a class—but then afterward, just sharing anything and everything I could think of that I thought would help.

Yuri:        That’s awesome. Well, I think you’re very remarkable in the sense that you’re very coachable and willing to grow. Which, as you mentioned, growth and contribution are very important to you. And I think they’re two of the biggest values most entrepreneurs have… Outside of freedom, probably.

But it’s tremendous, because there’s a lot of people who are not willing to get the feedback! They’re not willing to be shown a better way to do things, and I think that’s a tremendous trait that you have.

Rob:        I appreciate that.

Yuri:        Yeah for sure. So you’re kind of on this mission to impact a lot of people, you want to take things to the next level and hopefully make a dent in the Midwest—which I’m sure you will. What do you think is one of the most important skills entrepreneurs must possess for lasting success?

Rob:        I think the willingness to be coachable and to take action. I think, as entrepreneurs, we’re easily distracted. A lot of idea faries, right? Something I still struggle with.

But when you’ve got a good coach or mentor and they lay out for you, “Hey man, this right here is what you need to focus on. I need you to do this, this and this.”

So you just do it. You just do it, even if it’s not perfect, then you just implement, you take action on it and you can make tweaks and changes as you go. But to just not be scared and take some action, and not be worried—thinking, “Oh man, this is going to look stupid,” or “What are people going to think about me?”

Just do it.

Yuri:        Nice. And who cares what they think? It doesn’t matter. It’s all good. It’s a lot tougher to be inside the arena than the spectator in the stands who is throwing popcorn and chirping, right?

Rob:        You know, I love that quote. I forget who that is, but that quote about being in the arena and all that. But yeah, definitely. Definitely.

How Rob includes Craig Ballantyne’s “Perfect Day” Model into his life

Yuri:        Yeah, totally. That’s awesome. So for people that are listening who might have a gym or a CrossFit box—-or just a business in general. What does a typical day look like for you? Do you have any routines or rituals that you are pretty religious with?

Rob:        Yeah! So one of the people that really helped me with that was Craig, for sure. I remember one of the first times talking with Craig… The way my day would go is I would work and not come home until 8:30 or 9:00, sometimes—and my brain would just be like mush. And so I would go to bed, right?

Yuri:        Yep.

Rob:        So I’m talking to Craig and he’s like, “Man, you need to do a brain dump at night, and then you need to make your to-do list for the next day and put down the number one thing that you need to get done the next day.”

And I’m like, “Man, at the end of the day I’m just mush and I can’t do that.”

He’s like, “Okay. Well, do it anyway.”

Yuri:        [laughing] In Craig’s monotone, quiet voice.

Rob:        Yeah! So I started doing that and it helped for sure. My typical day, I get up between 5:00 and 5:30. I get up, make some coffee, and I’ll start journaling. I’ll do a little journal entry and then I’ll start on whatever task I have set up for myself that day.

And I’ll also try to do some deep reading—on some handheld book—which is also something that I just introduced back into my routine. Lately, I had gotten away from reading handheld books, I would do mostly audio books—which I still do—but now also I am reading a book I can hold in my hands. I do that every day now, as well.

Yuri:        That’s awesome. Just in case you guys listening are wondering who this guy Craig is—Craig Ballantyne. I guess we just talk like everyone knows him, because he’s kind of the godfather of the fitness space online.

But dude, this has been great. This has been a very inspiring, very remarkable journey that you’ve been on. Before the rapid-fire, where is the best place people can stay up to date with what you’re up to? And if they live in Oklahoma City or around it, how can they find out more about your CrossFit gym?

Rob:        A couple of ways—they can go to our website, at twicebittencrossfit.com. And we also have a free coaching group, that’s called Get OKC FIT on Facebook. So anybody can join that, I post videos in there, nutrition information, workout information, all kinds of good content regularly.

It’s a way that I’m really trying to help people in the Oklahoma City area for free. And so anybody out there that wanted to join that group that wanted to learn or even add some value—that would be awesome.

So yeah, those are the two ways to get a hold of me and see what’s going on.

Yuri:        That’s awesome. And if you guys run an offline business, what he just mentioned is golden. I’m blown away by how very few offline businesses—whether you have a chiropractic office, a gym—what you just mentioned, Rob, in terms of just adding value through an online platform like a facebook group… Even if 95 percent of those people don’t become customers or clients, there’s going to be five percent of people who you are going to touch at a level you may not have touched, unless they’d come into your facility in the first place. It’s just a smart way to add value and put out goodwill, and it’s only going to repay itself several-fold for you, for sure.

Rapid Fire Questions & Learn More About Rob

All right, so are you ready for the rapid fire?

Rob:        I think, we’ll see!

Yuri:        Let’s do it, man. All right, so no pressure but it’s big time here. So here we go. Whatever pops to the top your mind.

So, your biggest weakness?

Rob:        Biggest weakness would be… I think, my communication skills sometimes.

Yuri:        Okay. Well, you’ve done a pretty good job here. Your biggest strength?

Rob:        Biggest strength, I think, would be being influential. Especially when it comes to a topic that I’m passionate about, that I can do everything I can just to naturally sell it and try to get my point across.

Yuri:        Nice. One skill you’ve become dangerously good at, in order to grow your business?

Rob:        I think I would have to say… Probably, selling.

Yuri:        Nice, that is an important one. I was gonna ask you a question about what you do first thing in the morning—but you already answered that. So I’m gonna throw in a question out of left field.

What is your favorite lift? In terms of CrossFit workouts or just stuff in the gym in general?

Rob:        I would definitely have to go with kettlebell swings.

Yuri:        Nice. Single? Double?

Rob:        Single!

Yuri:        Sweet. What do you normally swing?

Rob:        Either a 55 or a 70—I try to do 300 swings day. I got that off of a challenge, and actually the lower back injury that I got about 16 years ago and I still deal with that. And when I started the 300 swings a day challenge it really helped my back feel a lot better. Since then, I’ve just continued with it. And I just freaking love kettlebell swings, now—55 or 70.

Yuri:        Kilos, or pounds?

Rob:        Pounds.

Yuri:        Either way, that is still impressive.

Rob:        [laughing] Yeah, kilos— that would be beast, man.

 Yuri:        [laughing] Exactly. Alright, complete the sentence: I know I’m being successful when…

Rob:        When I feel like I’ve really added value to the situation.

Yuri:        Beautiful. Awesome. Well, Rob, this has been a tremendous conversation. I’m really happy to have the chance to connect and get this done. Once again the URL is twicebittencrossfit.com.

Alright guys, check it out if you’re in the Oklahoma area—even if you’re not, follow what Rob is up to—as you can tell, very inspiring guy, he’s got his head on straight, doing some pretty awesome things.

And I’m just happy that you were able to connect with us on the podcast today. So Rob, thank you so much! And hope you have an awesome day.

Rob:        Alright, man. Thank you. It was a pleasure talking with you, Yuri.

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Yuri’s Take

Talk about an inspiring interview, wasn’t that? I mean if you’re a human being with a heart and empathy and compassion—you must have been moved by that interview with Rob.

Tremendous stuff he’s done, and to see how he’s gone through that journey of being someone who’s selling drugs, to ending up in prison and getting his life in order is truly remarkable. So I hope you got some really cool nuggets and what I really enjoyed about our conversation was his mindset.

Being the victor as opposed to the victim, taking control of his life and taking responsibility for the things that he didn’t do so well that led him down that path. And then taking responsibility for his future and being someone who is so willing to grow, and learn, and contribute. And those are such important traits to being an amazing human, but also having a successful business. And I have no doubt that in a follow-up with Rob five years from now—you’d see his business just absolutely explode, much more than it has already, just because of who he is as a person.

And my hope for you is that either you’re already that type of person, or you can take some insights—one “a-ha!”—from our conversation and be like, “You know what? If he’s gone through this and he’s created this, I can do this too. I can do something similar in my own life.”

And that’s what this is all about.

Follow Rob Grupe At:

https://twicebittencrossfit.com/

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