3 Startling Life Truths That Changed Me
I’m reaching nearly 50 years of age. Looking back, it’s amazing how much I’ve learned. Still, there’s so much more about life that I don’t know. But what I do know has kept me grounded and...
What It Really Means to Be a Tough Guy
Anyone can shoot a gun. But not everyone can become a soldier. Anyone can punch and kick. But not everyone can become a fighter. Training and preparation are necessary to achieve that...
What Do Bruce Lee and Abraham Lincoln Have In Common?
In a recent Facebook reel, I shared a quote from one of my favorite martial artists of all time, Bruce Lee. Whether we like it or not, the grind in life mostly boils down to monotony. And...
The Sad and Dark Reality Of Being A High Performer
There is a sad and dark truth about becoming ultra-successful. It’s a lonely and often miserable life. Behind every trophy, belt or accolade, there’s sacrifice, broken families, torn relationships,...
Suck at Time Management? It’s Cause You’re Doing It Wrong!
Fight friends and fans, it’s time for a knockout article. Today, we’re addressing the problem of time management. There’s a ton of literature with advice ranging from to-do lists to...
Stop Thinking, Start Doing!
It’s strange that immediately after I write a blog post, I read it back to myself and think, ‘Gee, maybe I could use some of this advice myself!’ So often, I find myself falling back into the same...
I Flipped This One Mental Switch and Became a World Champion
This is not a Jedi mind trick article. Rather than recommend a quick mind hack, I think it’s actually much more meaningful to share a mental routine that has helped me achieve success. Also, I think...
Painful Regrets And How I’m Trying To Minimize Them
Since I started writing about regrets, I seem to have gone down a rabbit hole of reflection and honesty. Having stepped away from the media spotlight for many years, I can safely say that I’m...
Why You Shouldn’t Follow Me
Whether it’s on my Facebook, Instagram, or website, I enjoy interacting with my fans and followers. It’s never a dull moment and if my recent Reddit AMA was anything to go by, I’d love to do that...
Learn From My Mistakes
I’m not someone to live with regrets. Yet, as I reflect upon my mixed martial arts career, I must admit I do feel a slight unease. Sometimes, I do wish that I had made more mistakes. In fact,...
How to Win In Life: The King’s Court Theory
In an earlier post, I emphasized the importance of surrounding yourself with good people. Whether it’s business, sports or life, you can benefit from others who will challenge your ideas and...
Successful People Keep Breaking These 3 Laws
Besides the bible, one of my favorite books to read has been ‘The 48 Laws of Power’ by Robert Greene. Source: ThePowermoves.com We’re all players in this game called life. And if you want to...
You Might Not Need A Plan B
As a professional MMA fighter, I know what I speak of when I proclaim, “Failure is not an option!”. It’s hard to think of a more fitting battle cry for anyone about to step into a cage and fight....
Inputs Vs. Outputs: How To Be More Productive
Focusing on the right things can help you maximize your effort and generate better results. But how can we be sure what the right things are? In business and professional settings, teams and...
The Best Mindset You Need For 2023
Of all the guests I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with this year, none have made quite the impact as Darcy Gaechter did on Quite Franklin. Her podcast episode is one of my favorites and I...
How to Know What You Really Want
On Quite Franklin, I frequently host guests who share their success routines, habits, and motivations. Despite the different paths and choices in each of their personal stories, they’re bound...
3 Deadly Time Traps You Must Avoid
If you’re like me, chances are you’re probably drowning in work. It can feel as if all the responsibilities and tasks are pulling you in different directions. To make matters worse, your boss...
7 Tips To Help You Go From Amateur To Professional
Whether you’re pursuing a career or trying to get better at something, it’s a challenge to go from an amateur to a professional. We typically use the term “turning pro” in sports to indicate that...
Getting Rejected: Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
No matter how many times someone else claims otherwise, rejection sucks. Even the 100th rejection stings. The only thing that makes it even the slightest bit better is that you learn how to...
3 Uncomfortable truths of being a pro fighter
The most famous line from the movie Fight Club is “The first rule about fight club is you don’t talk about fight club.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zngeSzH3cFk Source: YouTube As a currently...
The worst lie ever told
Remember how when you were growing up, the most important thing was fitting in? And remember how you would often hear advice like “Just be yourself.”? That might be the worst lie ever told....
4 Failures That I Don’t Talk About
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L3OG-fl9tE TEDxUChicago: How to be a loser The last time I publicly discussed failure, I was up on stage at a university in Chicago. It wasn’t the classical rhapsody...
Don’t Be Afraid to Turn Your Life Upside Down
https://www.youtube.com/embed/_BVloS2mqRY Granby Roll A granby roll is a move in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling that allows you to either escape from or reverse counter an opponent trying to pass...
5 Things that helped me to focus better
As I’ve gotten older, one thing has become apparent to me. It can be quite a struggle to focus for long periods. Bear in mind I travel frequently to cities, work in two different time zones as...
How Mixed Martial Arts Taught Me to Deal With Blind Spots
The parable of the blind men and elephant A group of blind people were brought to an animal, which was an elephant. They were not aware of its shape or form and decided to understand it by touch....
Is This Stopping You from Reaching Your Potential?
There comes a time when every person looks back on their life and wonder if they’ve truly fulfilled their potential. Some experience this epiphany in their forties, aka the dreaded midlife crisis....
How Talking to a 92-year-old Changed My Life
Life wisdom is not easy to come by. So, when I had a chance conversation with a 92-year-old guy on a domestic flight, my ears perked up. I was flying between cities for work, and he was on the same...
Mastery: a tale of becoming
What does mastery look like to you? Does the word conjure up images of dominance and power? Is it a sense of control or is it passion that you’re really feeling? True mastery is hard to grasp. It’s...
Everything You Need to Remember About Situational Amnesia
I have a confession. It’s been seven years since my retirement from mixed martial arts and I still suffer from situational amnesia. In my 13-year career, I can only remember parts of the good and...
3 Tips from A Sexual Assault Survivor to Resist Psychological Coercion
Katariina Rosenblatt, a sexual assault and sex trafficking survivor, spoke about psychological coercion on the Quite Franklin podcast a few weeks ago. This came right around the time of Ghislaine...
3 No Nonsense Rules to Turbocharge Your New Year
New year, new beginnings. I trust that you already have your resolutions and goals planned for the year. Although the new year brings hope and promise, that spirit of optimism will only linger for...
One Easy Trick To Instantly Tell If Someone Is Confident Or Not
Confidence is not just a feeling. Confidence can be many things and often, it can take different forms. The way you act, speak and behave are all expressions of confidence. Since they are mostly...
It’s Okay To Be Alone
Thanks to the abundance of happy people seemingly living exuberant lives on social media, being alone can feel frighteningly alienating. We humans are social creatures after all. Studies have often...
Why We Need Keystone Habits
There is no question that any kind of success involves good habits and routines. But are some habits more important than others? If the past thirty odd years of my life are anything to go by, my...
4 Ways Deep Breathing Will Change Your Life
Deep breathing is more than just a matter of survival, according to Wim Hof. Pretty strange, coming from an extreme athlete who first set the world record for the longest swim under ice. Yet Hof...
Compass Vs. Roadmap
When faced with uncertainty, especially in the constantly changing business world, rely on your internal compass instead of a roadmap to guide you. Crisis and uncertainty should not be seen solely...
Why I Chose Routine Over Discipline
One of the more surprising facts about my career as a pro MMA fighter is just how unsurprising it was. Well, that’s not to take away from several high points, which included becoming a three-time...
Instinct And The Art Of Preparedness
In my previous post about intuition, I posed a question at the end. When intuition lets us down, what then? If you think about it, (ironic since there is typically no time to think in such...
Intuition And Navigating Chaos
Ever get the intuition that something bad is about to happen? MMA fighters get it all the time. Although I will say, when you’re locked inside a cage 10 feet away from a guy who’s trying to maul...
Upside-Downside: Short Circuit Decision Making
Have you ever found yourself flustered, pressed for time and anxious when making a tough decision? That’s pretty much everyone I know and that’s ok. When it comes to decision making, human beings...
How I Won My Battle Against Burnout
If you don’t succeed at first, try and try again. Things will work out eventually, right? But for every person who succeeds, there are likely hundreds and thousands who either give up or burnout...
Fear Is Your Friend
Fear is a fickle friend. Often, it’s a welcome accomplice on some of your greatest victories, heightening your senses while keeping the adrenaline flowing. Other times, fear is the unwanted...
Why Do We Fight?
Life is a fight and I feel blessed to be an MMA fighter. Paid to perform in front of thousands, I got to travel the world and compete against other athletes. Honed through years of sacrifice and...
Perceiving Weakness As Strength
Success is an oft misunderstood term. Many are quick to associate successful people with perfection and having no weakness whatsoever. Despite knowing that no one is perfect, humanity is obsessed...
Defining Yourself In The Aftermath Of Abduction With Elizabeth Smart
Consider just a sampling of these statistics. 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18. 1 child goes missing every minute of the day and every 73 seconds,...
Disarm Your Limits With Jessica Cox
Though she was born without arms due to a congenital defect, Jessica Cox isn’t one to keep her feet on the ground. Exhibiting remarkable dexterity and confidence, Cox never viewed the lack of her...
Sink or Swim with Adam Walker
Couple of weeks ago, a news article from ABC about people swimming out in the cold in the UK caught my eye. Intrigued, I read on, only to realize this group consisted of over 150 daily swimmers,...
5 Mental Strategies To Excel In Life
As the mind-body-soul connection has been foundational to my daily living, it should come as little surprise that I highly value the mind and mental strategy in achieving success. The strategies and...
4 Lessons From Miyamoto Musashi’s The Book Of Five Rings
Heralded as the greatest samurai ever, master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is one of Japan’s most revered cultural icons. Musashi lived through a turbulent period – amidst feudal wars and a declining...