If you are enjoying the content, please leave a review!
April 10, 2024

300. Experiences + Mindset = Growth: The Philosophy Behind One Man's Triumph Over Adversity with Dan Stowell

300. Experiences + Mindset = Growth: The Philosophy Behind One Man's Triumph Over Adversity with Dan Stowell

Happiness Solved with Sandee Sgarlata. In this episode, Sandee interviews Dan Stowell. Dan is no stranger to adversity, from growing up with an alcoholic father to being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and having surgeries to remove his entire colon...

Happiness Solved with Sandee Sgarlata. In this episode, Sandee interviews Dan Stowell. Dan is no stranger to adversity, from growing up with an alcoholic father to being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and having surgeries to remove his entire colon to graduating as a Spartan from Michigan State University during the disruption of Covid-19. Today, Dan drives change with his wellness and resilience coaching and podcast, EMG Transformations, to optimize your health and life, both mentally and physically. His mission with his company, Nova Fusion, is to be an icon of inspiration and beacon of hope for those battling adversity to show that you can overcome your battles and still thrive! Experiences + Mindset = Growth  

 

Sign up for the Happiness Solved Plus Exclusive Membership Site: http://HappinessSolved.Supercast.com

Connect with Dan: www.novafusion.co/challenge 

https://www.instagram.com/novafusionco/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-stowell/ 

https://www.youtube.com/@novafusionco   

Connect with Sandee www.sandeesgarlata.com

Podcast: www.happinesssolved.com

www.facebook.com/coachsandeesgarlata

www.twitter.com/sandeesgarlata

www.instagram.com/coachsandeesgarlata

 

Transcript

00:00:10
This is happiness solved with America's happiness coach, Sandee Sgarlata.

00:00:20
Hello, and thank you for joining us today. I'm so happy you're here. Happiness solved is the place where we explore everything you need to become the best possible version of you. This is Sandee Sgarlata, and today I've got some exciting news for our dedicated listeners. We've just launched our exclusive members only portal.

00:00:39
This is your ticket to a world of additional content designed to deepen your understanding and engagement with the happiness solved mission. To learn more about all of the exciting benefits, stay tuned until the end of the episode, where I will explain in greater detail. For those interested now, head over to Happinesssolved dot supercast.com. Today is another amazing conversation. So let's get started.

00:01:10
Dan, so exciting to finally have you on my show. I've known you for a few years now. We've been together at different live events, west coast, east coast, east coast, both coasts. And I'm just so excited to have you on today. How's it going?

00:01:26
Oh, I'm doing amazing, and I feel lit up to just be on your show today. And like I said, drop a dose of happiness if I can, and it's always a great time talking to you, so I'm stoked to be here today. Oh, thank you. So you've got such a great background, and I could go into that, but I'd like you to share with the audience your experiences and how you got to where you are today, because I know that you've had a lot of physical issues, family issues, things like that, and you're still only 25 years young.

00:02:04
Now that I'm pushing 60, it's always years young. I'm like, I don't go to the years old, and the resilience that you've seen and how you continue to grow is just really so incredibly impressive. And I'm so proud of you. I told you from the minute I made, I'm like. I'm like a mama bear.

00:02:21
So be ready. Yeah. So, Dan, tell the audience your story and how you got to where you are today and how you're. I mean, you've got this formula. Experiences plus mindset equals growth.

00:02:32
So we'll dive into that, but go ahead and share your story. Yeah, yeah. And that whole formula really just comes from my story. It was something that I realized after I was able to, you know, just put all these pieces together of what my life journey looked like and how it could help people going forward. And so growing up, for me, I was always just an only child.

00:02:55
I had an alcoholic father, and that was always really hard for me to navigate. I didn't have other friends that were in similar situations, or if I did, we didn't talk about it and even really know that each other were going through that. And it was just hard. I didn't have, you know, a sibling to just cope with or manage those tough times. And so for me, basketball really became my outlet, and so people on the team, those guys, that became a brotherhood for me.

00:03:25
And so when things were bad and chaotic inside, there was a local rec center literally just two blocks away, less than a quarter mile, and that really became my second home. So when it was nice outside, I was in the street, or I would just go to the local gym, and I'd be playing with people there, you know, that really became my life at that point. And, you know, school was also very tough for me because I was trying to, you know, just be a student and, you know, figure out and learn, but I couldn't really retain anything because I'm worried about what I'm coming home to. And then when I'm at home, I just don't feel safe or, you know, I didn't have that concentration or I just want to go play with my friends or whatever the case was. I just.

00:04:10
None of my focus was on school. It was more on more pressing things. And so I always lived with chronic stress, and that was something that was just always apparent to me growing up. And things kind of calmed down with my dad from about 10th grade, 10th and 11th grade, it was really bad from fourth to 10th to the point where my mom had to bounce out of houses. He was in rehab, know, jail time.

00:04:36
So there was always just this uncertainty in the household. But when I was going into my senior year of high school, you know, things are good. I have a girlfriend at the time. Like, life is finally, like, calming down, and it's like, oh, my future is coming. Like, I'm starting to graduate here.

00:04:54
But then I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, and, you know, they say it's Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis. The big difference is whether it's in your colon or not. And so for me, it just kept on getting worse and worse, and I became homebound for that entire year. I couldn't even make it to classes. Literally.

00:05:13
I was living in my bedroom or the bathroom for about a year. And, you know, other people are going on these big spring break trips like, it's senior year. You want to have fun, and, you know, I'm just stuck looking at, you know, what's my life, what's happening to me. I didn't know this disease at the time. I didn't know anybody with it.

00:05:32
And, you know, it was just hard to just grasp that your entire life is changing. And so four days after graduation, I had the first of two life changing surgeries that removed my entire colon. And again, another dark time in my life. I was, you know, I was actually suicidal during those times right before that first surgery. And then in between that three and a half months from the first and the second surgery, I just couldn't see any future beyond this illness.

00:06:04
And especially during that time with the surgeries, I had an ostomy bag attached to me and I was actually feeling much better physically from the surgeries, but mentally it was so much worse because I had this bag and it came with all these nitty gritty complications and I just had zero self worth when I looked in the mirror every day and I absolutely hated myself. Honestly, that was such a hard thing, even after the surgeries, because year and a half, two years later, I still have those negative thoughts about myself. Even though my body is starting to recover mentally, I just wasn't there. And that confidence wasn't there either. So it was really this progression of just healing, finding out things like stoicism, where it's like, hey, I can't control all these things that happen to me, but I can control what I can control.

00:06:59
Meaning that I can look for the positive in a situation, look for those growth opportunities. And I'm really big on duality as well. So it's like, where is the good in this? And just turn all of that pain into purpose. So I know I'm kind of like all over the board here now with my story, but I shared this blog just going through those first four years of the journey to, you know, help someone in a similar situation.

00:07:22
Because when I was in the hospital, I was in the children's side of it. And so I was 17 at the time and I'm seeing these kids that are probably like nine, eight years old and they're in conditions much worse than me. So I just felt like I had this obligation to share my story in this very vulnerable blog post that actually has my colon. Like, the doctor took a picture of it. You can see this whole like 3ft of intestine that they removed from me and, you know, it's very vulnerable.

00:07:53
But I just had to share this to show that, hey, people are going through this, people are still going through this, and there's not a lot of awareness. So if you know someone with it, like, be a little bit more kind to them, how can you help them out? And, you know, everyone's battling something, and the more I started sharing that story, the more people started resonating with it, not because they have Crohn's, but because, yeah, we're going through tough times ourselves. And the way that he overcame that, you know, I can overcome that in my situation as well. So everything comes back to being, like, a beacon of hope and just spreading inspiration for others to overcome those tough times with whatever they're dealing with.

00:08:36
Wow, such a powerful story. And thank you so much for being so vulnerable, because I know that, you know, talking about anything that relates to her culling and pooping and all that stuff, like, people don't want to talk about it, but. But that's just. It's part of our physiology, and without that, we would die. If we didn't have that bodily function, we would die.

00:08:59
You have to. You have to release the toxins in the waste. So I appreciate you for being strong enough to really share that. So what do you think it was for you? Because on the surface, it's easy to say, yeah, you know, you need to find the positive and things like that.

00:09:16
But when you're sitting in that pain and you're feeling suicidal, the last thing you want to hear is somebody saying to think positive. Right, right. Like, you're not in that receptive mode. You can't even hear that when you're in so much pain. So when you were at your darkest moments, how did you get out of it?

00:09:35
That's a great question. And there is this period that I share in my life that was before the first surgery. So this was when I was diagnosed. I was diagnosed in about August timeframe, and this was about November, December timeframe. So it's very new still, this whole diagnosis, and it's just spiraling out of control at this point where it's getting worse and worse.

00:09:58
And during this time, I had a girlfriend, and she actually ended up cheating on me during all of this. And so I had limited people in my circle at that point. As I'm being homebound, I'm starting to lose friends just from lack of contact. So for me, that felt like one less person that I had to worry about going forward. So it was really, at that point, like, my girlfriend, my mom, me and my dad were not good at that point, and then my grandpa.

00:10:27
So out of those limited people, it's like one's gone now it's like I'm thinking a little bit selfish and getting these dark thoughts again. And so, for me, at that point, I actually set a deadline on my life. Like, I was going to end my life in a week and closer and closer. As those days got down to that week, I started thinking more and more about my mom and my grandpa. And it felt like I had this metaphor that I use is I had this dagger in me that was just taking the life away.

00:11:00
But if I were to end things, it would be like me pulling out the dagger and then putting it into the people that cared about me the most. And so I just viewed it as this transfer of pain that they're gonna have to live for for years. And I was like, I just couldn't do that. I couldn't make that decision. And, you know, the guilt just ate away at me closer and closer, and it was to the point where I wasn't here for me anymore.

00:11:25
I was here for them. And so they kept me going just through their support and through them loving me and, you know, having my back throughout this whole process, because I didn't have my own back at that time. So it's so important to make sure that you have those people in your circle, and when you're in that type of pain, you're gonna be trying to put your shield up as well. Like, you don't want any support. You're gonna try and do it all on your own.

00:11:51
You just. You're closed off to the world. You're trying to protect yourself. But the hardest thing to do is to open up during those times. And, you know, that's.

00:12:00
That's what I had to do. I had to accept their help, and I had to lean in a little bit more, even though that was the most uncomfortable thing to do at the time. Wow, that was so powerful, because when you said, when you use the analogy of, like, taking the dagger from your heart and putting it in your mom's heart, if only more people could. Could think like that, because it. It really is.

00:12:30
It really is a, you know, as hard as it is, and, you know, being at that, the lowest point in your life, I mean, that really is what. What's happening, because, you know, the people that are left behind are just. Just devastated. So I'm so grateful that you someone. Whether, you know, I feel like.

00:12:50
I feel like it was almost like things like that happen. I like to call it like a divine intervention. Like. Like some. Somebody like, hey.

00:12:58
Shook you up. Come on. Snap out of it. Right. And thank God they did.

00:13:02
So what advice can you give to somebody who either is going through that or who knows someone that's going through these dark, dark moments? What advice can you give? Like, how can you, like, if you're dealing with somebody else, how can you talk to them about it? Or what are some things that you can say to yourself to help you to maybe make that shift, even if it's just the slightest little shift? Yeah.

00:13:31
Yeah. For me, it really came down to wanting something different than what I'm experiencing now. So at that point where it started to go, like, I'm going on for them and it wasn't really for me. You can only do that for so long because you just, you got your own life to live at that point. And, you know, to think that you're just here to, to be here for other people, in a sense, like, it just wasn't the right idea, but, like, that's what kept me going at the time.

00:14:02
And so for me, I had to figure out, like, what is it that I actually do want in my life, because this is not it. And so I had to really get clear on that first and even figure out, like, what can I do? Because my options were limited of, you know, since I have this, this condition now, my lifestyle is going to be much different, and that's going to mean these opportunities as far as, like, work and getting a college degree and, like, what you're gonna do for the rest of your life. Like, that was something that I had to just figure out. So first off, going internally, it's always an inside job where we have to ask those tough questions.

00:14:41
And for me, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, so I could not gain any weight whatsoever. And so that was something that actually drove me to be like, hey, I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure that I can gain weight and I'm going to do all this research. And, you know, I actually became excited about something for the first time in a long time, which was rebuilding my body. And, like, thinking of it as, like a sculpture, like, you got this big marble piece and you're just chipping away at it. So figuring out, like, what's the thing?

00:15:15
How can you turn this bad? This. I say bad, but always in quotations, because those are always perceptions as well. So any event that you're having, you know, it's just an event happening, and you're the one that says it's good or bad, because if you don't say it's good or bad, it's just something happening and it's going to eventually move on. It's all temporary.

00:15:38
So these are all things that I slowly learned through stoicism that, hey, control what you can control. Don't worry about all this negative thing. If you focus on that, you're just going to get more of it. So start looking at the other side. Start looking at the positivity and just, just what is that like asking that question?

00:15:58
And, you know, for a friend out there, that, that's a tough one because when I was in that time, I had some people reaching out to me from school, but I was just so closed off. Like, they were checking in, how you doing? They're trying to engage with me, but I just said, hey, I'm good. Thanks for checking in. Like, that was it.

00:16:20
Like, I did not continue the dialogue. So I would say, just continue to stay in touch with that person even though you're not getting the response that you know you would like to get. Just let them know that you're there for them because that's what my grandpa and my mom did. Even though I wasn't always receptive the whole time, I knew that they cared about me. So if you can just show that friend that's going through that tough time that you do care for them, you're there for them when they do need you, and you're just a phone call away at any time, that goes a long way, even if you think that it's not going anywhere, every time that you're reaching out.

00:16:57
Yeah, yeah. It's a tough thing because perception, as you know, controls everything within a person. Right. And hide insights 2020. So we go through a difficult situation in our life and you look back on, you're like, oh, that really wasn't as bad as I thought it was.

00:17:17
However, when you're in the middle of it, it's like the worst thing that's ever happened. Right. Because if it's the worst thing that's ever happened to you, it's the worst thing that's ever happened to you. Right. Because you don't have anything else to compare it to, you know, and you haven't built that resilience up yet.

00:17:31
Right. So. But the thing is, is like, like what I have found with dealing with people who, like, you reach out, you're trying to be there for them and they're placing expectations on you that you're not even aware of. Right. Yeah.

00:17:49
And then they turn around, we're like, well, you weren't there for me. And I'm like, okay, well, I showed up. I'm like, hey, I'm here for you. And they expected you to do this, this or this, but you didn't know that, right. And, you know, sometimes we're left with that in life.

00:18:07
Right? So how do you, you know, when you have someone that is in that. In that frame of mind because of their own diseases or whatever it is that's going on in their mind and you're trying to help and they just like, push, push you away? Like what you said, you're like, okay, yeah, thank you. How do you stay in support with somebody when they're like, leave me alone.

00:18:34
Don't. Don't bother me anymore. Just get out of, you know. Yeah, yeah. And again, these are, these are tough ones because.

00:18:42
Sorry, it's just. No, no, it's like, because these are conversations that we need to have. Like, yeah, because people are dealing with this every day and we don't know how to support our friends to the capacity that we want to support them and, you know, building that resentment, like you just said. So I would say one thing is, like, when you are reaching out, like, strict or be to the point is like, what can I do to help? Like, if you ask that question, it kind of gives you the out of, you know, like, that expectation of, like, well, you didn't do this.

00:19:16
Well, at the same time, it's like I asked, what can I do? But you didn't tell me that I could do anything. Like, even if it's just a phone call or support. So, like, it does definitely go both ways. A lot of the times.

00:19:30
It's definitely the person that's in that closed off mindset that really just needs to open up. The other people can do all that they can do, but it's until that that person makes that decision that, hey, I am going to open up. I am going to be a little bit more receptive to this, then those words are just going to keep going one ear and out the other. Something that I never talk about. This is actually probably going to be the first podcast that I share it on.

00:19:57
Not even my podcast. Is that when I was in that dark time during the school year where I was homebound, I was putting all this dark, negative stuff on twitter. Like, I was just being stupid, talking about how my life sucks and just a way for me to rant and get it out. At that point, I don't know what I was doing, but someone in school shared that with the counselor, and then the counselor got involved and they ended up calling my mom and it turned into this thing where it's like, you almost got to go to like, a mental hospital to make sure that you're okay. And that was a big scare for me because, one, I felt like I was betrayed by whoever put that so's out to help me.

00:20:43
I was like, you just made my life so much worse. Like, you're the worst person ever. And like, I had all this bitterness towards that person, but they actually brought the awareness up that, hey, something does need to change. You can't just continue to go down this negative spiral. And then when my mom got involved, that's like, oh, shit, like, now I gotta really make sure that, you know, I'm not doing anything stupid here.

00:21:07
So, you know, those things, it can be so uncomfortable. And again, like, I don't even know who that person was still to this day, I thank them now. Like, for the first two years. Yeah, I was like, screw you. Why would you do that?

00:21:22
But, you know, sometimes they have to do they have to make that tough decision and, you know, they kept it anonymous and, you know, that was probably a true friend out there that actually cared for me. So sometimes you gotta do the hard things to get some results as well. Well, and if you're just trying to get attention, you don't put that stuff out on social media. Right? Right.

00:21:48
Yeah. And I stopped doing it immediately. I'm like, no, this is not that. You were trying, like, not that you were trying to get attention. But I do recall a while ago someone that I don't remember how we are connected.

00:22:04
And if she's listening, you know, now the truth will be revealed. I just, you know, I don't spend a lot of time on Facebook book. I just find it to be a massive waste of time. I go through, who do I want to see updates from quick posts here and there. But half the time I don't even see people's posts.

00:22:28
And for some reason this evening I saw someone's post and the person was talking about ending their life and it sounded pretty real.

00:22:46
And so I called the police and she happened to, you know, post something that the police, you know, I can't believe the police showed up at my door and I'm thinking I'm in the background going, well, you don't talk about ending your life on social media because people care about you. And if I didn't do that and she did lose her life, I would never be able to live with myself. Exactly. And that's probably what this, the person reading all my posts felt the same way. Exactly.

00:23:20
Yeah. Because, you know, there's people out, like. Like me and you. Like, we have a conscious. Like, if you see that, ooh, you know, you know, and you call and you're like, look, I'm seeing this on social media.

00:23:33
It may or may not be real, but I have to call you because I could not live with myself if this person did take their own life. And you have to just step up. And so, thank goodness, you know, because you were dumb teenager. Okay, you're an adult now. I can say this, Dan, right?

00:23:50
Because I have a son about your age, too, and we talk about time, like, yeah, you were being a dumb teenager. We laugh about it now, right? When you're a teenager, you do dumb things. You all. I did.

00:24:02
We all all do stupid things. It's worse for you guys. I didn't even have a cell phone when I was a teenager. We didn't even have answering machines. You would sit there by the phone and look at it, and there was no call waiting.

00:24:13
And if somebody was on the phone yet, it was a busy signal, right? So it was, like, very different growing up. So I can't even imagine how much harder it is today when you're dealing with all this comparatism imposter syndrome and, you know, looking at all these posts and people are only showing the best versions of their life, and so many people look at that and they make themselves wrong because, you know, they don't feel that they live up to standards and things like that. So how much do you think social media has a play in a lot of this? It has a big play in it.

00:24:57
And the more that we're talking about it, the more I'm just, like, reflecting back on this period of my life. And it wasn't that I wanted attention from social media. Cause once I got that message, I just stopped posting cold turkey. But there was something that I was trying to get out of it, and it was more like an so's. Like, I needed help.

00:25:23
I didn't know what type of help I needed. And then when people would reach out to me, trying to just check in and see how I'm doing, it's like, that wasn't the help that I was looking for, so I was closed off to it, but I didn't know what I needed. I was just hurting, and I was just. I was just putting it out there and, like, again, being stupid, not knowing what's happening, like, all of these things. And I really do think, like, it was me trying to.

00:25:52
I don't know how I was gonna get help from all of that, but, like, it was just for me to put it out there. Like, this is what I'm going through. Like, I do need help in that way. And so that's why, like, social media, like, you just blast it off and it goes out to everybody. But, you know, when.

00:26:10
When you're in those times as well, like, again, the comparison. Like, I'm stuck in my bed while these people, my friends are going out to spring break trips, and, you know, that has another layer of just eating at you. It's like, what did I do to deserve this? Yeah, and, like, absolutely not even, like, a celebrity level. Like, that's just your friend level.

00:26:31
So then, like, it can get amplified even as well. So definitely social media is, uh. It's not going to help your mental health, that's for sure. So if your mental health is not doing well and you find yourself on social media a lot, definitely take a detox. Like, I think I deleted my twitter, or at least I deleted it from my phone, not the whole account, but I couldn't just go on it whenever I wanted to.

00:26:57
And so just doing that thing was a buffer for me. Like, I didn't want it enough to redownload it. Like, I'm looking for the app. Oh, I downloaded or I deleted it. But it's like, when you do those things, you don't want it that bad.

00:27:10
So taking breaks like that for yourself, taking those social media detoxes, that can be very beneficial. Yeah. And I want to just reiterate that, you know, when you're. When you're well, I want to reiterate a point, but I want to acknowledge you for, you know, you missed out on a lot of these things that. That you look forward to, it's.

00:27:39
It's like a rite of passing. Right? Your senior year, the proms, I think of the poor seniors during COVID When everything was shut down and they didn't have any of that stuff. Right. So you had every reason to feel like, why is this happening to me?

00:27:58
Of course that's where you're gonna go. Of course that's where you're gonna go. And you're young, and, like, now, you would look at it completely differently. But to anybody out there who's dealing with people, you know, in those young, informative ages, you know, it's a real thing. And to say, to get off social media, maybe even worse for them, because then they're not connected at all.

00:28:22
Right? But to close this up, and then I want to talk about some of the amazing things that you have going on. I'll never forget. One of my favorite interviews was with a quadriplegic and this beautiful, beautiful woman. I think she was late twenties.

00:28:40
I don't even think she was 30 yet. And she had a diving accident, and she was paralyzed from the neck down, meaning she needed 24/7 care. And I said to her, how do you. You. Because you have to have days.

00:28:55
You're like, why me? Right? How did this happen to me? You know, she was a traveler, you know, was living her best life, doing everything, and then this freak accident, and she's neck down, can't even move her hands, you know, has to have somebody help her go to the bathroom, the whole thing. And I said to her, how on earth do you stay so positive?

00:29:19
And what do you do on days where you just feel like, you know, there's no hope left? How do you. How do you keep moving forward every single day of your life? You know what she said? She goes, I talked to another quadriplegic who's worse off than I am.

00:29:38
Wow. I was actually thinking the same thing. There's always someone that has it worse. That's right. And it's hard.

00:29:45
It's hard because when you're sitting in all of that pain, it's so hard.

00:29:53
All right, let's shift gears. Dan, it's been such a great conversation, but I want to talk about. So. So how did you come up with this? Experiences plus mindset equals growth, because it's so true.

00:30:07
Yeah. I mean, basically, through this whole story that I just shared with you guys, um, when I did that blog in 2019 with the first four years of my health journey, I just had the blog, and that was it. So it was like, I can't just do this one post and, like, create a website for this whole one post and then be done. So I'm like, I gotta, you know, get the creative wheels spinning here. Like, what can I turn into this to make it a brand?

00:30:32
And so it was just Danstol co, my website, and that's where EMG experiences plus mindset equals growth came into play. And it wasn't just my story, though, because when you look at all of the great people in history, even just looking at your own story, sandy, it's all of those experiences that really made us into who we are today. And when we look at the greats, we look at all of their successes, but when we really peel back the layers of who they are and what they went through, they probably went through more failures than success, and they learned from all those failures. And so that's where the mindset comes in. You're going to go through these experiences over and over, but if you don't switch your mindset, switch your perspective, see it from a new angle, and go in a different direction, then you're not going to get the growth.

00:31:20
You're just going to continue to, you know, repeat those same things over and over. And it just becomes this repeated cycle that a lot of us live out there, actually. And so instead of having a groundhog day or a groundhog life, where you're just repeating the same things over and over, make those adjustments, switch your perspective. Because really, I say, I think mindset is the most important thing that we have in life, is the choice and the will to choose and decide and move in new directions. That's what leads to the growth.

00:31:53
So I'm looking at my story, I'm looking at all these other stories, and it's the same theme. Experiences plus mindset equals growth. So that's why I incorporated it into just my own philosophy. Now I break down each point and you know the brand as well, with the fire, the yin yang, the greek meander, it's all the same thing, and it just represents that philosophy. So everything that I do comes back to EMG.

00:32:21
I love it. And you now have your own company called Novo Fusion. And I love that your mission is to be an icon of inspiration and a beacon of hope for those battling adversity to show that you can overcome your battles and still thrive. I mean, that's like the purpose of this whole podcast. So that was why I was so excited to have you on.

00:32:44
You're 25 years young. Why? What is it in you where you're like, I have to do this. I have to start a podcast. I have to talk about this.

00:32:55
Why? What is your why? In one word, it's empathy. It's empathy for knowing what it's like to be in those tough times. And whether it's the alcoholic father, whether it's the relationship struggles that I went through, whether it's the health condition, whether it's finding your career.

00:33:14
I felt lost for the first 1920 years of my life of like, what am I gonna be? Like, what am I gonna do? And so I've been there. And so I just want to show people that, hey, if you're there now with the podcast, with my story, there's always gonna be a lesson in there. And that's why I'm having other people share their stories to just bring more of a variety here, just bring more inspiration and, you know, different angles that you can connect with, because you may not connect with my story, but you can connect with Sandy's story, and then it's still job well done.

00:33:48
Like, we got the message across. You got the EMG mindset that you can apply into your life now. And it really just comes from turning all of this pain into purpose. Like, I can't let all those experiences be for nothing. So I'm gonna make sure that I do something about it, and I do something big, and I do something purposeful, and it does have meaning, because I would say the worst thing for me is to let all of that be for nothing.

00:34:17
Like, that would just eat away at me to know that, hey, I could have done something with this. I went through it for nothing. Like, that was a lot of pain that I went through. Why would I do that? So I have to turn that into something, and, like, just being the alchemist of my life, in a sense.

00:34:35
Oh, my gosh, I love it. It's so incredible that someone such as yourself, at such a young age, you know, has. Has learned to take this and turn it into something really powerful. And your purpose is to impact others. So thank you.

00:34:53
Thank you for what you're doing. Cause so often, you know, people have so many different struggles in life, and you still hear them in the victim mentality, and it's so easy to just stay in that victim mentality. Why me? I didn't deserve this. Well, none of us deserved any of this, right?

00:35:12
Yeah. It's just. It happens, and I really believe that everything happens for a reason, so that you can find that purpose. Yeah. And one quick thing.

00:35:23
Amberly Lago just reminded me this on my podcast is to share from your scars and not your wounds. Like, if you're sharing from your wounds, you're going to be in that victim mentality still, and you're not going to get the right message of cross, so you're going to be coming off as someone that just hates the world at that point. So when you finally healed, it's a process. It took me many years. It took me four years before I could even speak up about it.

00:35:48
So anyone out there, like, it's. It's a process, and, you know, you can inspire people, but just make sure that you're healed first and you've gone through it, and you got a clear head about it as well, because those emotions can. They can get to us very easily. Yeah, well, it only took you four years for me, what? It was like 30 years.

00:36:16
That's okay. I'm a little slow, you know. Yeah, timing wasn't right. It's okay. It's okay.

00:36:25
You know, it comes forth when it needs to come forth. So, Dan, this has been such an amazing conversation. Is there anything else you'd like to share with the audience before we wrap it up? And also make sure you talk about your podcast that people can tune into as well. Yeah, yeah, of course.

00:36:41
Thanks for the opportunity. My main two things right now is the podcast EMG transformations, where really we're just bringing on people and having natural conversations in this EMG format. So we start with their experiences. You know, what were some of those lessons that led to their growth and what theyre doing today? And we just have natural, real, raw conversations and, you know, were going to have your episode coming out pretty soon now as well, so definitely check that out.

00:37:09
And the 21 day wellness and resilience challenge, thats my main offer that Im working on. Its really everything that ive gone through in this close to a decade now of just packing it in, 21 days of stacking and building healthy habits that create momentum and give you a toolkit that you can use six months from now, six years from now. These are tools that I still use on a daily basis and we're just pouring it out and creating a community so you guys can optimize your well being, both mentally and physically as well. Oh, wow. So where can people learn about that 21 day challenge?

00:37:51
Yeah, so it's on my website, Novafusion co challenge. Or you can just go to Novafusion Co and you'll see the tab on there as well. Fantastic. All right, well, I'll make sure that that is in the show notes so people can get access to that. And Dan, thank you so much.

00:38:10
I'm one of your biggest fans. I'm always going to be here cheering you on. And thank you so much for joining me today. Thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure.

00:38:19
All right, thanks everyone.

00:38:33
I hope you enjoyed today's conversation. And as promised, I'd like to give you more details of what you can expect as a member of the happiness solved exclusive community. First, you'll have access to a treasure trove of extra podcast episodes. These episodes dive deeper into the topics we discuss, featuring additional expert interviews only found here. But that's not all.

00:38:55
As a member, you also get access to a series of mindset training sessions. These recordings are tailored to help you understand the how and why your mindset is the most important asset you have empowering you to achieve your personal and professional goals. And for those of you looking to find a moment of peace in your busy lives, we've got something special. Exclusive guided meditations. These sessions are crafted to help you relax, refocus and recharge.

00:39:25
Whether you're a meditation guru or just starting out, there's something here for everyone. Becoming a member is more than just accessing extra content. It's about joining a community of like minded individuals, all on a journey to live life to its fullest and become the best possible version of you. So how can you join? It's simple.

00:39:46
Go to happinesssolved dot supercast.com and sign up. Don't miss out on this opportunity to deepen your journey with us. Again, that's happinesssolved dot supercast.com and it will also be in the show. Show notes I am so grateful you are part of our happiness solve family and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support. Again, I am so grateful for you and I hope that you and your family are healthy and safe and that your lives are filled with peace, joy and happiness.

00:40:19
Take care, everyone.