The Jennifer Kamara Podcast

Tony: I'm in elementary. and I'm like, mom, dad, why aren't we moving to Texas? All there is in Texas is a bunch of cowboys and horses. I'm like, . I'm like, who wants to go down there? I'm not gonna fit in. And uh, we ended up moving down to Texas, ended up settling in a town called Groesbeck, small Country Town. Our mascot was a goat.

that's how country it was. So I'm this Dominican kid coming into this small country town. I'm, I'm a black sheep

Jennifer: y'all. I talk with Tony Tavaris on almost making it to the N F L, leading the largest roofing company in America and winning a body building championship.

It's a story laced with grit and purpose and persistence, driving success. And to top that off, y'all, Tony is one of the most fun and positive people you'll meet. Here he is.

Tony: I'm looking right now, just so you know my view, I am looking right now at an entire channel, Harbor of water and boats and sun, and it's, it's amazing. So this is a, this is a pretty cool setting.

Jennifer: My goodness. I love that the water brings me so much calm and joy and I tend to ask folks what are they grateful for? What makes them comfortable? So I love that you just started, kicked us off with that.

Tony: Yeah.

Jennifer: It's a great setting to start. All right, Tony, really. Exciting episode in store for folks. But I wanna get us started with taking you all the way back to Baby Tony, growing up with family, with all of these things happening, and wanted you to give me a sense of what growing up was like for you and what some of your formative experiences were.

Tony: Yeah, and I, it, it, it's amazing that we start there because I was, uh, I was raised by two amazing beings and incredible souls in my parents. Um, you know, cra crazy that how they even got together. I'm, I'm gonna start this thing off with

Jennifer: Tell us.

Tony: very, very rare , and it's probably

Jennifer: Oh, I love it.

Tony: I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be very transparent today and open with you. So, you know, my dad's, just to give a little context, my dad's first marriage was with my mom's sister.

Jennifer: Oh damn,

Tony: Yeah. That's, that's, that's not normal, right? He had two sons. with my mom's sister and you know, he ended up seeing some kind of light in my mother and decided like she was the one for him, and they ended up getting together against the will of our entire family.

My dad moved here from Santo Domingo, where Dominican, and so, you know, his, his dad brought him. and, um, you know, he was the first to go to college. He went to Syracuse. You know, I, I was born in New Jersey, lived in New York for a little bit. My mom was born in Brooklyn, but they saw something in each other and against everyone else's will around them.

They decided to make that decision to come together. And the reason why I started off there is because, you know, I'm, I'm the child that should have never been.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Tony: have never been. And I'm their only. Combination together. And so I, I still take that to heart. The fact that I'm their only combo, that means something to me.

That they made that decision against all odds to come together. And now, you know, I, I feel like I have to represent the name and because they did that, I can't make those sacrifice. Be for nothing. Like I need to create something special in my life and that burns inside of me that now I have to pass that same torch to our next generations of our family.

So, you know, my upbringing was, uh, pretty incredible with these two beings. They decided to leave New York when they got together and they started a company together. We moved to Texas. So when I was seven years old, we actually moved to Texas from New York and I'm, and I'm a seven year old kid. I got a bunch of friends.

I'm in elementary. and I'm like, mom, dad, why aren't we moving to Texas? All there is in Texas is a bunch of cowboys and horses. I'm like, . I'm like, who wants to go down there? I'm not gonna fit in. And uh, we ended up moving down to Texas, ended up settling in a town called Groesbeck, small Country Town. Our mascot was a goat.

that's how country it was. So I'm this Dominican kid coming into this small country town. I'm, I'm a black sheep, so to speak. I'm an outsider, right. And I gotta, I gotta find my way to fit in. And, and how I found my way to fit in was through sports, right? I, I found an avenue where, you know, I could, I could attack it and I had fun and I made friends and that was, That was my ability to, to become something in that town, so to speak.

And that's where the bond with my dad was created. My parents instilled immense discipline inside of me. And, and you know, my dad always said, you know, son, you know, you're Dominican, you're, you, you, you are, you are, you are. , you are not something that they're used to here in this country town. That was just a fact, right?

Um, it was basically white, black and Mexican in this, in this town. So he's like, son, you gotta realize you gotta be better than anyone else up in society. You gotta bring something else to the table. And, and that, that was instilled into me early. Like, I can't be average. I have to go above and beyond and I have to excel.

And, uh, you know, one thing that he did that was interesting when we talk about stories and things that impacted me, that still stay with me today, I remember, you know, he was the coach in our basketball, in our basketball leagues. You know, I, I ended up playing football. But there's certain things that he did to instill the value of a dollar and the value of hard work and something I'll never forget.

I didn't, I didn't, I wasn't given allowance. , they made me earn my allowance by performing. So it was like he created a list in football, every tackle, every sack, every interception, every force fumble. We had a list that we created and that's how I made my allowance. So as a child, it was like instilled like, I gotta practice to perform, right?

I don't, I'm not just gonna be handed shit in my life. And so I thought that was really brilliant looking back, you know, when other kids were just given things. Um, I thought that was amazing. And so, you know, I grew up in this town, roses Beck and uh, ended up becoming the star football player. Ended up being on, on varsity Allstate.

And, uh, you know, that's, that's really where it started. They grew a business at that time, a little more insight to their business. They, they took a chance and left New York. My mom was a part of Manette. , she was in the insurance world and she left and created her own business with my, with my father. And I remember they bought this, this, this rinky-dink office building.

I mean, it was, it did, it did not look good. Right. . And, uh, you know, I'm seeing them have these visions of like, we, we want to become something. We want to be the first in our family. To do something special. And they bought this office building and I kid you not, we lived in the office building. We didn't have a house.

That was the type of sacrifices I was watching in my teenage years. I remember taking showers in the alleyway. I remember one time a coach dropped me off, uh, after practice and he drops me off on the street and, uh, you know, he's, is this kid homeless . He's like, he's like, where do you live? And we were living in the office building.

So I start there by saying, you know, I, I, I was, I was molded by some amazing individuals. They instilled a lot of great qualities. They ended up going on from that, from that beginning to create. One of the largest, um, it was called Ilsa Insurance Licensing Services of America, one of the largest niche businesses in the insurance space.

Their clients were chub, AIG for over 20 years. My mom was a C E O. They ended up selling two years ago for over 16 times Ibida, 16 times ibida. And so now they're retired. But so I started out in those years, um, that was where, that was where it all.

Jennifer: My goodness. It's funny because we talk so much about the value of discipline and it's something that you, like kids get at a young age and it's some, or it's something that's really hard to instill moving forward and totally given your experiences. afterwards. So n f l body building, your leadership experiences, et cetera, it's so clear that this discipline has rung true with you throughout, and then also this drive and purpose.

I can really feel it in your body as you're telling me, like you wanting to represent the name and you wanting to make this meaningful because you are the child that wasn't meant to be.

Tony: yes, absolutely. So, you know, we go from there. So I, I ended up, I ended up getting recruited right outta high school. I was, that star football player was a middle linebacker and running back. Was an Allstate Power lifter. So that, that kind of was my love for body building. It started early, it was just that grind in the gym with my buddies and working hard.

Um, and ended up getting recruited actually by Princeton and Harvard, you know, right out of this little small country town. So my, my, my, my parents didn't let me date in high school. They were like, you, you're staying away from all the girls. You ain't going to no pastor parties.

Jennifer: distractions.

Tony: distractions. Basically they were instilling no distraction, like the horses and the races, blinders on, right.

you know, so that was being instilled in me. And so I took visits to Princeton and Harvard. My dad wanted me to go there, and I ended up saying, you know, dad, I, I, I, I just wanna, I wanna go play football. Like I want to co play D one ball. My dream, as you mentioned, was to go to the nfl, you know, so from 12 years old, that's all I was thinking about.

That was burning inside of me. and I ended up actually deciding. I had some, I've had some offers, but many people don't know this. I, I was all state my junior year. I walked into my senior year and it was like everything went wrong. , I got injured. My, I, I tore my ankle up halfway through the season in power lifting.

I got disqualified for wearing tights under my uniform before I went to all to state. Like I, I was the lead in our one act plays. I won best actor my sophomore year and I was projected to win it again my senior year. We ended up getting disqualified because we went over on time. like it was like everything that could go wrong.

My senior year just went wrong. It was a shit storm and I didn't get the offers that I wanted because I didn't finish out the season, and so I actually decided to walk on. To North Texas, which was two hours away from my home. I was like, I want to play where people can come see me from the town. And I said, I know my work ethic and I know if I go in here and I walk on, I'm gonna earn a division one scholarship at a school I want to play for.

And so I decided not to go to a small school, go to a bigger school. At the time, they were doing really, really well in the Sunbelt winning championships and uh, ended up walking on. And I think that that kind of instilled in me that grit. Like that ability to outwork people because it wasn't gonna be handed to me once again.

So I walked on, I was the hardest worker in the weight room and therein lies again where the body building came in. I was actually, I got to the point, my freshman red shirt year, I was benching 550 pounds.

I was running a 4, 6 40. I was a specimen in, in, in college. and, um, and I, and I could tell, like I, I had it, I could go to the N F L with my physical traits and, uh, my freshman red shirt year, I was playing on special teams.

I was projected to start the next year. I was about to earn a scholarship. Like the, all the coaches knew, they were like, this dude is a killer. And, um, on one of the games, it was like the third game against Navy. I was coming down on kickoffs, and I was busting the wedge. I was the wedge buster. Someone came outta nowhere, cut my legs illegally.

I flipped over my hip and pelvis came out of alignment and I was, I was, I was jacked. I couldn't even walk after the game. I was just sharp, pains up my pelvis, and for months I was rolling around in bed and I had these sharp pains coming up and I was like, man, . My dad always told me like, I'm gonna have to have a backup plan.

What if son? He would always say, what if football doesn't work out? You need to have a brain. You need to be able to use your brain and be able to go into business. He was always telling me this, and it happened and it hit and I realized, you know, it's time to walk away from football and my dream was shattered.

So in that moment, a dream I had for 10 years to go to the league, I'm like, man, my body is telling. , I'm gonna actually have to walk away from this dream. And I ended up walking in to see the coach three months after I was going through rehab and I wasn't getting better. And at that time, you gotta realize I was trying to get a scholarship.

So I felt like, man, now this is gonna set me back and now I'm not gonna get my scholarship like it's over. And so I decided to walk away and, um, just go into school full-time. At that time, uh, I ended up losing my purpose. Right. My purpose was to go to the nfl. I ended up going into a dark place. I ended up joining fraternities.

I ended up partying too much. Um, I was, I was hanging around the wrong people and, uh, I will never forget this changed my life forever. In that year, my mom, she saw how destructive I was being. She ended up writing me a letter to my college house that I was partying in. And she said, son, I did not raise you to be this way.

This is not the man that we raised. And that hit me hard because I, I then felt, man, I'm the, I'm the child that shouldn't have been, and now I'm, I'm effing up. Right? And after she wrote me that letter, a light bulb went off. Uh, I ended up joining LA Fitness. I ended up getting recruited in. And, uh, the, the, the rest was history, and I'm sure we'll get into that.

But, uh, that's how that all happened in my college years.

Jennifer: Wow. Again, so much of this grit carrying you through after the high school, just things that happened that weren't meant to happen, and then in your freshman year of college again, and just seeing you keep getting up after you fall back down. Right? So failure is just someone deciding to quit. It's not, it's nothing but that.

It's just you deciding to quit and you're not a quitter, Tony

and. And what a powerful story there. Let's, let's talk about your leadership experience. So you rose up through LA Fitness and you also, now you're the executive vice president and managing director at the largest roofing company in the us.

So I see some of this business spirit and hustle and entrepreneurship from your parents as well. Tell me about that journey and what you've learned about yourself.

Tony: Yeah. That that's where, that's where it took off, you know, so that theater background, that over the top, that energy from theater and then the sports background just was a perfect. Potion and combination to walk into sales .

So, you know, I was hired in at the, at the very bottom of LA Fitness as a ptc, a personal training counselor in a new store in Denton, like right, right in my college town.

It was the newest LA Fitness store at the time. And I started selling training, pulling people off the floor, um, you know, people that needed to lose weight. Um, and, um, , I found my calling. I was really good at it. I was really good at finding people's X factor and getting

them to

realize.

Jennifer: How were you able to find the X factor? It sounds easy, but it's not. So what, what was it?

Tony: Yeah, I, I, I got very good at asking the right questions at getting them to tell me, you know, what they wanted and getting them to realize that I had the solution. and teaching them how easy it really was. It's a science, you know, so many people make excuses of why they can't go reach their goals or why they can't lose weight or why they can't put on muscle.

And I was just able to break it down as a science, you know, and um, and show them and, and I was the guy that would, would take them through that initial. So I was the guy that showed them that initial workout, and my goal in that workout was not just to take 'em through the workout, it was to give them the greatest workout they've ever had in their life.

That's what I had to do. The energy I had to bring, I was the guy that was running around the club that was, that was la I mean, I had, I would bring in the Chick-fil-A cow at closeout parties to dance in my store. I would bring a DJ in my club. Like these were different things. I was an extremist and I was thinking different than the rest.

And that's, you know, my dad always told me the purple cow. You know, you gotta be different than everyone else. And I took that to the extreme and that's what allowed me to separate myself and attract people to me to wanna work with me. So when they see me running around giving high fives, they see people losing weight, everyone sharing the stories in the club, like everyone that came in, it was infectious.

So, you know, quickly I became the I, I moved up, became an assistant, became the director. I became the director of that $10 million store. within a matter of four months. You know, the guy that hired me, this is crazy. The guy that gave me that opportunity is the c e o of Linear Roofing, and he's the godfather to my daughter.

So I've been with him now for 15 years straight. So I saw something brilliant in him. Kurt Lennington, our c e o I saw he, he's, he's, he was from South Africa. He'd been with LA Fitness, you know, now, now he, he ended up with them for 20 years. So he was our regional vice president. Uh, I became his prodigy in the business, became the top director in the country, became the youngest VP at 24 years old.

I was then on the acquisition team. So then when we would go buy other help club chains, I ended up becoming the VP that would train all those employees on how to sell personal training. So I became the top training sales VP in the country for LA Fitness. I then became a regional at 26, and uh, I got to the point where I was wor running the entire west coast of Florida.

So from Tampa all the way down to Naples, I ran all the beach clubs and I, I ran all the directors, the trainers I had at that point, you know, 500 people underneath me from trainers and directors selling pt. You would think I was good. You know, I reached the pinnacle of the fitness industry. I was 26 years old.

I was making, you know, 250,000. And I, and I, and I started thinking to myself, cause my parents owned a business at the time, you know, I felt like I was late to the dance. I felt like I was never gonna end up becoming a partner and have the ability to become a multimillionaire. I didn't want settle. And so I ended up visiting Kurt for his birthday.

Actually I was seven years in at this point, to LA Fitness. And he was still an executive with la. I, I came to visit him in Dallas for his birthday and he shows me this new roofing company he created like on the side. And we're both the top like VPs in a fitness company. And I'm like, you started what?

Roofing? You're doing roofing? Are you cra you're joking, right? I literally looked at him like he was joking and he shows me the model and he showed me that it had to deal with insurance. Now my parents ran one of the largest niche I. Type services in America at the time. Their clients, like I said, were chub, aig, and I was like, man, this makes sense.

Storms are always gonna happen. There's a bunch of rogue roofers running around who are unprofessional. They're cheating homeowners, they're screwing them over doing shoddy work, not not communicating. And I was like, man, you're telling me if I got as good as I was at selling personal training. As good at at, at, at roofing as selling roofs that we could become multimillionaires and blow this thing up and become the authority figure in an industry.

I said I'm in. I resigned from my regional VP role, safe, cushy role, and uh, for a dream. He had nothing. At the time, he had three little roofers. He was still in LA and I said, I'm gonna resign. I'm gonna come on board. I'm gonna learn this thing. I didn't know anything about shingles. I said, I'm gonna learn this thing and I'm gonna recruit the best of the best that I know in the industry.

And that's what I did. I came into roofing. I got my hands dirty, rolled my sleeves up under, I, I designed the scripts and the, and the process of working with homeowners. And I just began to duplicate, duplicate, duplicate, and recruiting the, the best VPs and killers that I knew around the country. And before you know it, We were, we were spreading like wildfire.

We created a movement. I ended up becoming, uh, uh, the, the top contractor, N D F W. I got featured on hgtv. I'm on a show called No Demo Reno with Jennifer Todrick. So I helped start that. And now we're, we are considered the number one roofing platform in the us. We transacted with private equity last year for the largest.

In the insurance residential space, and we're on the verge this year already of transacting again for what's gonna look like a billion dollars. So to do that in eight years is, um, we've, we've, we've definitely changed the game.

Jennifer: Again this hunger and drive for making your own mark, which led you to leave this really cushy job that so many people find so hard to do. You wanted to be an owner. You wanted to create your own destiny and your own wealth. What do you feel? has been responsible for your success besides the hunger and the drive, like you mentioned, a lot of it too is hiring great talent to come join you on this journey.

How are you able to do all of these things?

Tony: it's the ability to create something they talk about in the book. Good to Great. They talk about what separates the best businesses, the, the top businesses in the world, in the history of the world. And it's when you look at the order of what's important to the people in those organizations, you know, some people would think it was money, and it's not money.

It's actually being a part of something greater than themselves was number one.

Right? So, Yes. So creating something where they feel like they're a part of something amazing. You know, I've, I've always been able to create teams. that have a lot of fun. We like from that sports background. I was used to, in football, I was the captain, I was the middle linebacker.

So I'm used to inspiring people to go win a game. And so what I, what I did early on in sales was I, I understood like, you gotta make this thing fun or else people are going to be bored. So there was a lot of things I did. silly things that people would think are silly. Like I would have people create spirit animals and embody spirit animals and superheroes and characters and, and they would then, they would not look at it like work.

They were just coming in to have fun with the people they care about. And eventually it created this movement. And I think as well, being able to lead from the front, being able to be that example. Being able to to, to walk it and not just talk it. Because a lot of people, as they move up in a business, you know, they have this ivory tower effect and all they want to do is tell people what to do.

Uh, they know I, I, I'm the, I'm the baddest when it comes to knocking on a door and I still do it. I will still go into a market and I'll show them and they're like, holy shit, this guy is really good. So it's like not getting rusty, not getting comfortable, always pushing myself and showing them how to do it, not just telling them.

Jennifer: Yeah, there's a difference between a leader and a boss for sure, and there's so much respect for an actual leader who leads and does what they expect their folks to do. I wanna talk about the spirit animal because that's actually really powerful for folks to be able to embody an image or a metaphor and really carries.

So far I feel. We know yours is the goat. I love that this started from the mascot of Girl Spec. How has that evolved into your spirit animal?

Tony: Man, that is, that is such a good question because. You know, I get, I, you know, some people, they look at my IG and they're like, Tony Goat, tovaris. Or even when I stepped in the body building, they're like, this dude's calling himself the goat, but they have no

idea.

Jennifer: before. It was cool

Tony: I, yeah, it was like the, and the story was this, I was actually, we, we, when we moved to Texas, we actually moved to a town called Magnolia.

Their mascot was a bull. I stayed there for a couple of years and then we moved to Gros back. So when we transferred from this bulldog to Gros back, I literally said to my dad, I was like, dad, this is so lame. This is whack. We go from a bulldog to a goat. This isn't cool. And I, you know, I'm this kid looking up at my dad and, and he is like, son, are you clueless?

Do you not know what goat means? . He's like, that's Michael Jordan, that's Muhammad Ali, that's Kobe Bryant. That means greatest of all time. And I was like, oh, that's cool. . So since then I've been known as the goat, but not just call the go. I had to, to your point, embody it. So when it then ended up doing, it became this powerful thing where it's like, okay.

I have to be the greatest at anything that I touch. I can't be good at this average, at that. Great. No. Anything I do, being a father, being a leader, being in business, going into body building, like I gotta give it my best because if I give it my best, then that means that I'm embodying my spirit animal, which is the.

Jennifer: Yeah. Let's take this to body building, Tony, because you certainly were a 2019 body building champion seeking of being the best. I don't know anything about body buildings, so I'm excited to learn. For other folks like me, can you walk us through like the basics? What is it? What are some of the competitions? Tell us everything.

Tony: Yeah, so it was crazy cuz I was about four years into linear roofing at the time. So we're building this big business that ultimately has become what it's become. And then, so that's where people I think are now looking at me like, how is he doing all of these things? And I think that excites me because once again, I want to be different.

I want to be a purple cow. I want to be unique. So it's a challenge to me to say, okay, I can not only do business, but I'm gonna show you at the same time I'm gonna be kicking people's ass in body building. So I decided, I think it was like 2017, I decided to do my first body building competition. I ended up winning the overall at the KU Klo Classic.

Ended up getting hooked. You know, who knows what would've happened if I would've fell flat on my face, you know, that day, , maybe I would've never continued. But it was crazy because. , I'll share a story about that first show I trained for, you know, and I, I, I was a, I was in football, so I'd always been lifting, but I never trained for a body building show.

You know, eight weeks before this show, I ended up picking a coach. His name was Steven Mass. He's still my coach today. He's a nutrition coach, contest prep coach. Ended up getting ready for this show eight weeks. You know, getting into a deficit, a caloric deficit, training, super hard, doing a ton of cardio, getting ultimately my body fat down to that four, 5% range.

And um, and I remember before I stepped on stage at that first show, I was backstage in the dark, about to go out for the very first time. I remember a voice in my head, a voice in my head that said, you know what, you can't do this. , you're gonna go out there, you're gonna mess up. You're not ready for this, this you, you know, turn around, don't go out on that stage, don't embarrass, like all these negative things.

And then all of a sudden another voice came in and said, F that you're gonna go out there and you're gonna win this show. You didn't train this hard to turn around and back down. Right? So, Even I became the champion of that show. I won the overall, and I still had a voice that crept into my head and I had to make a decision to choose the one that believed in myself.

So when people see people being ultimately successful, they still go through battles in their head. You gotta be able to choose the one that believes in yourself. And I chose that one and I went out and I won it. And after that, I, uh, went on to go to Nationals. I went to Universe in 2019. Another crazy story before Universe, which is the national show, one of the largest in the us.

I actually, six weeks before that show, ripped a hole in my stomach. No joke. I had an umbilical hernia. A hole opened up right at my belly button and it was protruding. And at that point I was like, man, am I gonna be able to go through and and go get this pro card? And I said, you know, , I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna finish this thing out.

I ended up walking into that show and I won the overall at a national show with a hole in my stomach and beat everyone else there. So it's like when you can go through that adversity, it's like then, , you could go through anything in life. So I think body building, being able to go through that adversity and that darkness and deplete yourself, where your body literally thinks it's killing itself.

Because when you get down to a 4% body fat, your brain physically, scientifically starts not being able to function the same. Like it's hard to walk upstairs, it's hard to drive. And all throughout those weeks you were battling Every day you were in a battle in your mind. And I, and I love that in the moments you may not love it, but when you stand victorious in the end and you accomplish it, it actually makes you stronger.

I then went on to become a pro. I won the overall, I won the Dallas Europa couple of years back, my first pro show. I then was invited by Arnold Schwartzenegger to the Arnold, uh, one of 10 athletes to do that. That was amazing. And then I went on to become an Olympian. Ended up becoming top like 16 in the world.

And, uh, that was in my first run. So now, you know, I'm at the point where I, I took a step back last year to focus on business and grow the company, and now I'm promoting shows. My goal is to eventually have a show as big as Arnold Schwarzenegger called the Goat Classic And, uh, so now I'm in a, I'm in a spot where I could promote shows or I could go back and compete again.

But I love the sport of body building and I love supporting the athletes.

Jennifer: so thank you so much for bringing that up, because oftentimes we look at people who are successful and we think, oh my gosh, there's so, there's so much distance between them and me, and so it's so helpful to see that successful people. Go through challenges, go through setbacks, and it's all about the self-management as well.

And I can see again where that grit and discipline comes through from your childhood all the way through all of these challenges, I wanna get into the nitty gritty of training and what that's like. So I understand 4% body fat. Wild to me. And is it that you train for eight weeks?

That seems so short to me. Like what is the training that you need to get done and what does that mean in terms of both exercise and diet?

Tony: yeah, yeah. Definitely. It's definitely not eight weeks. Um,

Jennifer: yeah, because I was like, what?

And just eight weeks.

Tony: it was eight weeks. Yeah. Yeah. It was eight weeks that first show, because I was already in decent shape. I wasn't at a, I wasn't at a pro level, it was at a local amateur level, so I, I wasn't what I am today physically and, and how much muscle I have.

You know, I was, I, I ended up weighing in at that show at a hundred and like 91 pounds. Right now, I walk around at 260 pounds, so I was definitely smaller as a pro. You could have more. . Um, but in that sh i, I was already in decent shape. I didn't have a lot of fat on me, so then that's why I could do it in eight weeks and get into that show in eight weeks cuz I could get into a deficit quickly and get to a low body fat.

But like for instance, now I'm projected to compete again in the summer of 2024. So I am

strategically mapping out a year and a half out before my next show. , that's how long you have to plan because the training is methodical. You know, now at this level it's, it's small little details that separate the best in the world.

So I have certain little gaps that I gotta work on, and it takes a lot of time. to put on muscle tissue and shape on a, on a body part. So let's, for instance, for legs, if I gotta put on two inches on my legs, that's gonna take months and months of vigorous consistent training. And, um, it's. Week in and week out, giving it new stresses because with, with our muscle, you're literally breaking down those muscle fibers to build them back up stronger. So you're having to give them new stresses, uh, more weight, more reps, different exercises to keep that muscle guessing and growing the way that you.

So it ultimately may take a year to make even a little bit improvement on a muscle group. So that's how methodical the training is. And I have a trainer that works with me, uh, opposing coach that works with me, a nutrition coach. So I have a team around me ultimately to get better and better and hold me accountable.

And what, what, what's, what's crazy is people in general are like, oh, I don't want any accountability. Even in business, in sales, like a lot of people, they wanna stray away. They want to, they want to push you away from holding them accountable, and the best athletes in the world have accountability. You talk about NBA A N F NFL players.

They, they, they, they thrive on accountability. So we do the same in body building. And, um, when it comes to the nutrition, when you're trying to grow muscle, you're in a surplus, you're in a surplus of, of calories, carbohydrates, protein, because you, you need that nutrition to grow the muscle stronger. If you're in a deficit, you can't do that.

So there's a lot of science behind it. Understanding those sciences and putting it to work on your body, because ultimately you can mold and create. , whatever you envision.

Jennifer: I love that as an executive coach, we're all about molding a winning mindset and performing at our peak. A couple of specific questions for you on train. How often a day are you training every day? Is it like once a day, twice a day, or every other day? And then any foods that you don't eat?

Tony: Yeah, so right now I train six days a week. Even running an organization like Linear Roofing. I'm typically training at 6:00 AM six 30 in the morning. If I'm traveling, I'm still training in the morning. , uh, if I can't get it in the morning and I got meetings, hell, I'm training at night. Um, so it's six days a week.

Some days I might go to five just to give my body a little bit more rest. You know, at this point I'm, uh, very methodical with my nutrition. There's little tricks. and things that I've picked up now that I'm a pro, like I do not drink sodas or juices and things with sugar and calories. A lot of people don't realize how much they actually consume in

calories

from their drinks. So I, I drink everything is zero. Whether, whether it I even put flavor drops in water or. Sparkling water, you know, it's never gonna have my calories. I'm gonna get all my calories from my food intake, my meats, my, my, my carbs, um, those kind of things.

Jennifer: One more here. Are you doing only strength or do you also do cardio like running?

Tony: Definitely, uh, right now not as much cardio and running because I'm in a surplus trying to grow muscle.

So there's not a need to be pulling down. I don't want to be in a deficit because I want to be in a little bit of a surplus, but you still want to keep your heart, your, your heart, well, you still want to have cardiovascular endurance.

So, you know, at this point I'm getting cardio by walking the streets sometimes with my

Jennifer: Yeah. By selling

Tony: door knocking and selling. So

I, I make it fun out in the sun, getting on some roofs here and there. And then every once in a while, I, I'm doing some cardio with my daughter, playing soccer, getting on a treadmill here and there.

But I'm not like in that two hours of cardio a day mode. And if

someone does, go

ahead.

Jennifer: important is stretching too, because I imagine with a lot of lifting, you also need to stay flexible and make sure that the body is staying open, right?

Tony: Yeah, there's a, there's a couple of thoughts on that. You know, I, I do yoga here and there, but as a body builder, um, you know, the way that we are trying to create shape sometimes if you're stretching out a muscle too much, You're not allowing it to grow in the shape that you want it to grow. And so me and my coach stay away from a ton of stretching.

You still want to be nimble enough to. Um, not have injuries, right? So yoga here and there is good, but I don't go extreme where I'm stretching, like before lifts all the time. Um, because I'm trying to create a certain amount of shape and not overextend the muscle often, like even some people, when they're lifting, they're trying to over overextend.

For me, I'm trying to stay in a, in a range that my body is comfortable with naturally. , um, the way that I was, the way that we were created as human beings, a comfortable range, not overextending,

Jennifer: Got it. Got it. And so for folks who wanna get into body building, sounds like having a team in place to support you with the training, the nutrition. Any other tips

Tony: Yes, Def def definitely doing that, but I, I, you know, I don't recommend, uh, it's not for everybody, you know, I, I, I, I definitely think, you know,

some people.

Jennifer: is it for?

Tony: Yeah. Yeah. It, it, it's for those that are truly committed to it, and they, they, they're doing it for the right reasons, you know, because some people will get into body building and they'll, it, it, it'll take 'em into a darker place and, and it'll, it'll create a riff with their family.

You know, it'll, it, it, it, there are things in the sport that are dangerous at a, at a pro level, and you have to be careful, you know? So my recommendation, you know, if, if, if anyone's gonna get in the sport, that they, they see a doctor, they monitor their levels and they do it safely.

Jennifer: Amen to that safety first. Tony, I wanna get you out of here soon. So before we do that, though, I can't leave you before asking. What about your routines and processes allows you to stay at peak performance? You're in sales, you're body building, you're doing all of these really high capacity things

Tony: yeah, I would say definitely having a routine. , you know, a consistent routine of success. You know, um, success and failure leave clues. You, you can tell those that are, that are not very successful, are very chaotic and all over the place. They're not consistent. So I truly believe, like from bleeding, from body building, that discipline and consistency.

So having a routine that you can stick to that, that, that you can get in the groove. Um, you know, like every morning I get up at a certain time. and I hit my workout at a certain time. I eat breakfast at a certain time. I'm starting my calls at a certain time and it gets me right into the zone for my day.

If someone's getting up one day at 6:00 AM another day at 9:00 AM it's like it's just not consistent and your people around, you need to see that you are being consistent. So I think that's one thing, and I think constantly looking for ways to grow. I think, you know, some people in sales or, and in and in general, you know, they get caught up in the money.

and I say this because I, I've seen it time and time again. If your focus is the money, when the money comes, you will stop pushing yourself because now you've hit this destination. You're like, oh, I got the money. So you can't make it about the money. You know, that you, you hear the quote about is it the journey or is it the destination and all?

It's the, it's really, it's really the people that you're doing it. , you know, so it's, it's, it's the people that you're doing it with. Enjoying, enjoying that journey, but being grateful for the people around you, and ultimately not getting comfortable and looking to become the best version of yourself.

That's what you should be focused on. So what books are you reading? How are you challenging yourself? How are you getting better at your craft? How are you pushing yourself on a daily basis to improve internally? internally, because ultimately if you are internally right and in a good head space, spiritually, then that's going to translate into your business.

You know, personal problems and things going on at the house, lack of integrity, character, those things will bleed into everything else. To me, I say all is one. There's a book that I that that trained my life forever and that's called The Alchemist by Paolo Kolo. And that book, boy, oh, it Shifted Everything.

I read that book a year ago. Will Smith had talked about that book in one of his interviews, and it definitely shifted my entire reality to understand all is one and the creator is in all of us. And if the creator is in all of. Then we are powerful, powerful beings. And if we are powerful beings, then we can manifest anything that we want in this reality.

And when I understood that, it, it talk it ha There's a quote in that book that says, when you want something bad enough, the universe actually conspires to help you get

it. And I believe that with all my.

Jennifer: On that note, Tony, what does success mean to you these days?

Tony: Success means to me, giving my best to anything that I do and embodying that goat and, and anything that I'm touching. So as long as I'm giving my best and, and another book, I'll quote another book, the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. . So it talks about the first agreement, the first agreement is being impeccable with your word, right?

So I, I, I definitely wanna embody and be impeccable with who I am to the core. But one of the biggest agreements there is always doing your best. Because ultimately, if you're always doing your best, then you, you know, you can look yourself in the mirror and sit and, and be proud of what you're doing. , uh, you know, if you're giving, you're giving things half what you can.

And so ultimately, if I'm doing that and I'm giving my best to being a father, you know, I got a daughter now, she's about to be four

Jennifer: Yeah,

Tony: Yeah,

I got,

I got a son.

Jennifer: sun on the

Tony: I got a son on the way. So, you know, I got, I got 200 people, 200 project managers in this organization. And I, and I don't take that lightly, you know, now it's about my people.

It's about passing the torch to them. It's not about me anymore. I'm fine. , it's about my kids. It's about the people in our organization because ultimately they have kids. So how I look at it is if I got 200 people in the organization and they got on average, two kids a piece, man, we're already affecting, you know, 600 plus people already.

And generations we're affecting generations that are coming after us. And when you look at something that deep, you don't take it lightly and you give it your best, that's success right now to me.

Jennifer: So much that I resonate with here. I love these books as well. These two books, these four Agreements, and The Alchemist. What an amazing inspiring story. Tony, this was a blast to have you on. I'm so excited to stay in touch. Thanks for coming on.

Tony: I'm very happy we did this. Yeah, I know. We couldn't get on the other day. So I'm, this was, this was an amazing feel. Um, you got a great energy and light about you, you know, uh, you, you could feel it. So thank you. Thank you for having me on. and it it, yeah. Yes. And if anyone wants to get ahold of me, um, they could find me on my IG Tony goat underscore tovaris.

That's on my TikTok as well. Then I have a YouTube and Facebook. We'll have a lot of content coming out, but it was, it was a privilege an honor to be on with you today.

Jennifer: Y'all check out Tony. We will link all of these in the show notes and I am excited also to watch you for the 2024 championship that you'll be competing in. And all that's to come. So we'll stay in touch. Thanks Tony.

Tony: Thank you.