Activate Your Greatness with Alex Toussaint

00:00:09
Speaker 1: Hi, and welcome to this episode. To keep it positive. Sweet, I'm Christopher A. Hazlet and today we are talking about Activate your Greatness with my dear friend Alex two sons.

00:00:19
Speaker 2: I can't believe on him. So how going to be here with you?

00:00:21
Speaker 3: I can't believe you here?

00:00:21
Speaker 4: I told y'all will make the promise like I wasn't gonna flake on you. I'm had to come through for a real one. I had to come through.

00:00:27
Speaker 3: You did that. You got it early this morning, caught a six am flight to be here today. Wow.

00:00:33
Speaker 4: You know why because you would do the same, absolutely, without question. Anybody that knows you know you would do the same.

00:00:38
Speaker 3: You know.

00:00:39
Speaker 2: I guess it's got to return the blessing. That's it.

00:00:41
Speaker 3: I love you, I.

00:00:41
Speaker 2: Appreciate I appreciate you.

00:00:42
Speaker 3: I like you.

00:00:43
Speaker 2: You know that period period.

00:00:46
Speaker 1: So we start every episode with a song girl quote, and I can't start.

00:00:50
Speaker 3: This episode without your quote. Feel good, look good, do better. That's what you live by.

00:00:56
Speaker 1: And for those who do not know, Alex is a Pelot instructor, which most of the world knows him as you are a Puma athlete, you're a businessman, you work in the fitness tech music, sports and entertainment industry and off the bike, you have a foundation to do better foundations. I met you virtually in twenty twenty during the pandemic. I didn't have any workout equipment in my house and I was like, I need something, so a purchase a.

00:01:25
Speaker 3: Pelo Time Listen. I got the Pilot Time bike.

00:01:30
Speaker 1: And from there I fell in love with the way you instruct I was like, this guy lights a fire under my ass, Like you don't take no mess with anybody. And to learn your background, having a military background, it made me understand your way of training and how you talk to us through that bike. But you touched so many lives through that. And then we met personally. We connects on Instagram that we met personally at a Hawks game. We share a common love for sports. I feel like we've always run to each other. Yeah game and literally the rest has been history. And I'm just so happy that I passed across. You are such an amazing human being and I'm lucky to get to.

00:02:18
Speaker 3: Know you beyond the bike.

00:02:19
Speaker 4: No, not lucky, blessed, one hundred percent blessed. You know that I say, I'm thankful that you purchased the Felton Bike because there's people who come into this community and become members, but there's some people who come in and become family members outside the platform, and obviously you're one of those people that became a family member instantly for me. So I'm honored you joined the Fealton community.

00:02:35
Speaker 1: Thank you, Thank you. Going back to your childhood you talk about in your book, Activate your Greatness, I'm so proud of you for this as well. You talk about your upbringing and the journey to getting to the Alex Towson that we all know today and that we admire so much. Tell us a little bit about your childhood and what really molded you to be who you are.

00:02:59
Speaker 4: To first off, my parents. I got to start off with the two people like the pioneers of this, my.

00:03:04
Speaker 2: Mom and dad. My dad being an oil engineer and I'm going to face stuff for a second, would Branson.

00:03:09
Speaker 4: My dad served, maybe had so many military family members and so hardy to keep up sometimes. My dad served in the Navy, and my mother was a doctor teacher for thirty something years. So all I've ever known in my entire life has just been family, sacrificing, always sacrificing for the.

00:03:21
Speaker 2: Better of others around you.

00:03:23
Speaker 4: As a kid, I was an extreme knucklehead though I've been kicked out of every school I've ever been to, including military school. Almost got kicked out of high school as well. And that's just because I wasn't a bad kid. I just had an issue with authority, and to be honest with you, the most authoritative figure in my household being my father, just that clashing NonStop. But I tell people all the time, like, I'm a product of somebody who's father went above.

00:03:46
Speaker 2: And beyond, same with my mother to make sure I was put in a position to win life and thriving life.

00:03:51
Speaker 4: I just never understood it and always took it as resistance versus assistance. That's just due to my perspective of life. I think to my so all the time, like, how fortunate I am have two parents that were extremely present. I just never was able to live to the excellence that they demanded, being two Haitian immigrants coming to the United States without knowing the language of how we speak, let alone being able to like economically wise, like just so many different things back in the seventies and eighties, and I'm like, how did you even accomplish that let alone thrive in that space. And I look back now and I fast forwards as a young adult, and I'm like, I understand it. I understand that you guys did the best you could with the resources you had. I never lived up to that growing up as a kid. So what I'm trying to do right now is rewrite that and trying to validate my parents sacrifices every single day. So this book is like one of the steps of me validating everything they implemented.

00:04:42
Speaker 2: From my brothers and myself.

00:04:43
Speaker 1: You did a really good job with this and telling the story. Once you got you went and you got kicked out of school, and your parents.

00:04:52
Speaker 2: Were fed up.

00:04:56
Speaker 4: Let's kep him closed. Like I'm the baby of the family, that's wolder brothers. So my mom was like, let's keep him close. My dad was like, nah, I'm shipping you out of here. Sixth grade, it was either Haitian.

00:05:07
Speaker 2: Military school, and I mean I think I got the good end.

00:05:09
Speaker 3: Of the stick, yeh of the stick, yes, but military school for sure.

00:05:14
Speaker 4: It was one of those things in life that like I felt as if I wasn't I don't know, you want to use the word abandon because there's people who go through that actual stage in life. But it did feel like a sense of I'm not even worthy enough. So instead of my dad leaving obviously like he was like, you're not worthy, you gotta go.

00:05:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, And at the time that broke my heart.

00:05:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, And you talk about it in the book about how it like to this day you really think about it, you feel pain, Like there's.

00:05:41
Speaker 2: Just something about it that I was so young.

00:05:43
Speaker 4: At the time. I was in sixth grade. I was twelve years old going on thirteen, getting shipped into the middle of nowhere, isolated, completely distant from friends, family, anything that I knew. That was like the normal scene, right, So when I think about it, I'm just like, damn, I went through a rough stage sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grade that like unless you were there with me in military school, you have no idea. But it's i mean, like, the only people that know we are the people that were with me, and those things you just keep closer to the heart just because like their dark moments in life. But we've been able to obviously push through and breakthrough to get where we are today. So I've been able to use the same things that were somewhat dark moments in life as positive moments inspire the world with so we've done.

00:06:19
Speaker 3: An amazing job with that.

00:06:21
Speaker 1: How does Alex work through those dark moments? Because I know, like me and therapy, I've learned that those things that happened to little Crystal, I'm still dealing with those as an adult.

00:06:31
Speaker 3: How do you deal with that?

00:06:33
Speaker 4: Two things therapy like actually speaking to somebody, and thankfully my job as a former therapy for me as well as somebody who's been in the industry now eleven years, I would I joined from mopping floors to cycling, from mopping floors to cycling.

00:06:47
Speaker 2: We're gonna talk about the story too.

00:06:48
Speaker 3: We gotta talk about that because people see that all the.

00:06:51
Speaker 2: They don't realize where it started.

00:06:52
Speaker 3: They don't you know. Yeah, we got to talk about that too.

00:06:56
Speaker 4: Through movement, though, movement of the mind in the body has allowed me to have a new perspective of life. And I didn't understand that until I started moving my body on a bike that went absolutely nowhere, but mentally and emotionally I went so far so every day that I was pushing pedal strokes from the day one eleven years ago, till now. I tell myself, like, push these pedal strokes with an intent and with the purpose, because it allows you to carve out who you want to be every single time. And if you miss a pedal stroke due to you negotiating with yourself or you doubting yourself, you could be missing an opportunity to carve out who you want to be long term. So I try every single day, Like even within the classes that I teach. Now, I tell people like, sometimes I don't teach for y'all, teach for me. You just happen to be there, you know what I mean. I'm be honest with you because it's been such a form of therapy for me for so long. So I would say the movement of the body in the mind has allowed me to have a new perspective of life for sure.

00:07:43
Speaker 3: That's amazing.

00:07:44
Speaker 1: I know we've talked about some warnings where you like, I just you don't always feel like yeah, absolutely, But we never can tell on that bike the minute.

00:07:51
Speaker 2: That red light clicks on. There's just something like gratitude.

00:07:54
Speaker 4: I'm not trying to caught myself out of the book, but like gratitude cancels out my negativity and fear and I'm just like, damn, I get to do this for a living. I get to get on a platform where thousands of people show up to listen to my crazy self talk and like or just unscripted, unfiltered, just like if I'm in a bad mood, I can tell people I'm in a bad mood and move like that, but also breakthrough with people in real time.

00:08:12
Speaker 2: That is a blessing.

00:08:13
Speaker 4: That's why I'm so thankful for the Peloton community and the people that support every single day because as an instructor, you get a lot of the.

00:08:20
Speaker 2: Thank you changed my life, thank you changed my life.

00:08:21
Speaker 4: Yes, And for a lot of the members that read this book now they're like, oh, it makes sense. I'm like, no, thank you because this has helped me change my life. So it's reciprocated at all times.

00:08:31
Speaker 3: Yeah, I love that.

00:08:32
Speaker 1: Let's talk a little bit about the journey to walk us through the steps that it took to get to where you are today, because I think it's so important.

00:08:40
Speaker 2: Yeah. I went to school for audio and video production.

00:08:43
Speaker 4: My dream job if you look at my high school yearbook, was to be a ESPN cameraman.

00:08:49
Speaker 2: Wow, that was my dream job. So I always loved audio and video.

00:08:51
Speaker 4: I loved film, and I went to school and I was I applied myself for the time that I was there. I truly did, and that was to try to being that. My mother was an educator, my brother's an educator, and my dad was like, if you don't work, we go to school, you ain't living.

00:09:06
Speaker 2: In this house.

00:09:08
Speaker 4: It was no option. I went through a dark period in college. I don't remember exactly what just happened, but it just wasn't clicking. It felt like I was just buying time and existing to like make my parents happy, but I really didn't find what.

00:09:21
Speaker 2: Was making me happy.

00:09:24
Speaker 4: Car gets stolen in college and I hit like an ultimate rock bottom. But I still don't tell my parents that I'm not going to school. So like every day I'm faking like I'm going to class, and I'm so scared to like disappoint mom and dad.

00:09:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, one day Mom calls and she says.

00:09:37
Speaker 4: How's class going today, And it was the way she said it, which I, oh, my gosh, all the mothers have to have a mother's.

00:09:44
Speaker 2: Said the way she said it. It was like she was waiting for me to lie to her.

00:09:47
Speaker 4: Yeah, And I was like class is going great, and she just stopped. She goes, legs, don't lie to me. And I didn't know that once you stopped going to school, your student.

00:09:52
Speaker 2: Loans cake in.

00:09:53
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I.

00:09:57
Speaker 2: Wasn't in school.

00:09:58
Speaker 4: So she called me. She sad, Listen, I'm not gonna be mad. I'm not gonna curse you. I'm not gonna flip out on you, but you're gonna have to tell your dad. And that was like I was like, all right, reality just said it. Now, life starts today. I know the minute that he finds out my dad's so he's the there's a method to the madness, but sometimes the madness is just madness, you know what I'm saying.

00:10:15
Speaker 2: And I come back home, we get into a big fight.

00:10:20
Speaker 4: He said some hard words to me that I want people to read in the book. But those words were what I personally needed. And he said those words as he said, get out the house and kick me out the house. So I lived on my best friend's floor for about like a year and a half and I got a job at a company called Flywheel Sports. Now this company is indoor cycling. So I'm coming to work every single day mopping the floors, just trying to get a check because I'm like, I can't rebroke and still going to my best friend, so I gotta bring something, like you know what I mean.

00:10:48
Speaker 2: So I'm going.

00:10:49
Speaker 4: I'm walking to work, jogging to work just to mop floors every single day, and I'm sitting outside of the studio and there's like a fish hoole in between the door, and I'm peeping my head and I'm just listening to instructors teach everyvery single day. So the same information, the same inspiration a lot of the members were getting. On the opposite side, I'm getting while I have the mop in my hand.

00:11:06
Speaker 3: Wow.

00:11:07
Speaker 4: So as the days start to go, as the week start to go, I start to be like, all right, let me start mopping with more of a purpose versus like this is just like a temporary moment, not knowing what could occur long term. Thank God for this lady named Ruth Zuckerman, who's an angel in my life till this day. One of my life mentors Wow CEO of the company at the time, And every day she would walk in, she would acknowledge every single person in that building. She would never let somebody feel like they were less than no matter if you mop floors, the matter if you were an instructor.

00:11:33
Speaker 2: She acknowledged you.

00:11:34
Speaker 4: So that always made me feel special, somebody of power and status noticing me in a time where I really didn't even notice myself.

00:11:39
Speaker 2: I was dark mentally.

00:11:41
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:11:42
Speaker 4: One day I'm just in the room and I'm playing my music mopping, and my boy goes, yo, you know you could be an instructor, right, And that's why it's always critical to have these friends that believe in you or you don't believe in yourself.

00:11:52
Speaker 2: And I was like, oh, wait a minute, Like, you're right. I love music. I play music.

00:11:58
Speaker 4: I was in a marching man in military, so it's like, count, well, I have a military background, and I think I know how to motivate people. I don't know how to motivate myself, but others, for some reason, felt a.

00:12:09
Speaker 2: Little bit easier.

00:12:10
Speaker 4: Yeah, so I gained confidence. One day, I'm mopping the floors. Ruth comes in and I say, Ruth, I have a random question to ask. I don't think anybody's ever asked you, but I have a random question. Can I be an instructor?

00:12:20
Speaker 2: And I was somewhat joking, but I'm like close mops don't get fed.

00:12:23
Speaker 4: You never know what could happen. Period close mobs, don't get fair. Yeah, I have nothing to lose in this moment right now. And she looks at me and like takes a pause and goes, give me two weeks year time, and let's see what we can do.

00:12:34
Speaker 2: Wow and t I look back and I tell.

00:12:36
Speaker 4: People now the reason she even gave me that opportunities cause I mopped the floors with the purpose.

00:12:40
Speaker 2: I didn't mop as if I was a janitor.

00:12:42
Speaker 4: I moped with a certain purpose, where she was like, if I provide him an opportunity, I know he's gonna run with honor.

00:12:48
Speaker 2: So she r She locked in with me for two weeks.

00:12:50
Speaker 4: I did somewhat on an audition with her, and she was like, Yo, you're gonna change the game.

00:12:54
Speaker 2: So I started teaching.

00:12:55
Speaker 4: It was like day and night, like I went from mopping floors to teaching. But it didn't happen. It happened so weird because I'm teaching the class. I'd get off the bike, I'd run to the computer, I'd clock in. I'd mopped the class up because I was so my identity was in the mop for so long that I was like I didn't know how to let it go in all honest, Wow, there was something about it that I couldn't let it go. It kept me humble, it kept me grounded, but it kept me inspired for more. I didn't feel less than with a MOP. I truly didn't. And because of the opportunity she gave me was one of those reasons why I was like, why should I leave the MOP?

00:13:28
Speaker 2: I could get paid the mop floors and teach.

00:13:29
Speaker 4: Classlet's double upt's double up.

00:13:32
Speaker 2: I'm going from broke to little bit of money.

00:13:34
Speaker 4: Like, let's let's let's double up. She called me one day, she said, you got to stop mopping and just end the story for you to like execute this career the way you need to get side mopping, I told her. In order for me to put this MOP down, I go, what's the industry standard of classes?

00:13:48
Speaker 2: She says fifteen? I go, I need twenty five. You better know I said, I need twenty five. She goes why. I was like, you don't understand.

00:13:54
Speaker 4: I got like I got to prove my dad wrong because of what he said to me on the walk out. I still got the moping floors was just a step in so he I got a job great, mining flour is great, But what you're gonna do with your life?

00:14:03
Speaker 2: What career can you build out of your life?

00:14:05
Speaker 4: So when she said fifteen, I go I need twenty five because that's the only way I'm gonna be able to I got catching up to do. So many people have been in their career for five, six, seven years.

00:14:12
Speaker 2: I got to catch up somehow. I gotta outwork. So that's been the mindset. Outwork every single capacity possible. The first two years.

00:14:19
Speaker 4: Of my career, there were eight thirty nine thirty East Hampton class hop on a Jitney two hour bus ride for the city, take a train uptown four p thirty Upper east Side, take a train back downtown seven thirty, eight thirty Flat Iron And I would do that every Monday and Wednesday. Mind you, people are teaching one to two classes a day in one location. I'm teaching five and three location. You know what I'm saying. So I'm bouncing around crazy, but I'm starting to find my purpose. I'm moving pedal strokes. I'm starting to find my identity. I'm moving mentally, emotionally, I'm starting to find my light, my inner life.

00:14:50
Speaker 2: That feel good. This is where the feel good starts.

00:14:52
Speaker 4: So now I'm like, wait a minute, I'm able to identify myself as a different individual because of the movement of the body and the mind. Now I'm able to look good from an internal perspective, which allows me to shine externally. People think that look good. It's like the yo, let's get let's put a diamond chain on. They get flies like no, no, na, it's your energy, it's your attraction. It's that top chack compliment when somebody's like you glowing to that.

00:15:11
Speaker 2: Yeah, that look good.

00:15:13
Speaker 4: So once I started being able to identify the feel good and look good, I was like to do better.

00:15:16
Speaker 2: It's like, oh, let's just run with it. Now, let's just go wow.

00:15:19
Speaker 4: So I talked there for two and a half three two and a half years, three years, and I tell people all the time that every day is an audition to be great. Those twenty five classes a week provided me an opportunity for Peloton.

00:15:32
Speaker 2: I recognize who I was.

00:15:34
Speaker 4: This is Peloton as a startup in twenty fifteen because I bounced around the city and they were doing recruitment and allowed them to go to different studios and see how I teach for a West side, a different demographic than Upper Eastide or the Eastide, different demographic the flat Iron, and I'm myself in all these spaces. But I didn't realize they were coming to class and takeing it behind the scenes to see should we hire this guy? So twenty sixteen comes around, Peloton calls.

00:15:58
Speaker 2: They called Ruth. They don't call me directly, they go through Ruth.

00:16:01
Speaker 4: She pulls me aside and says, Yo, there's a company that's gonna change the game of fitness, and I think.

00:16:05
Speaker 2: You should go.

00:16:06
Speaker 4: I'm looking at her, like, Yo, you just changed my life when you talking about I'm like, I'm in motion right now, I'm thriving, everything is working perfect.

00:16:12
Speaker 2: Why go.

00:16:13
Speaker 4: She's like, listen, you've reached somewhat of a ceiling here. This is the next chapter in your life. And I didn't realize what Peloton was gonna be. I had no idea at all.

00:16:22
Speaker 2: She understood I was going to be the first black man and a lot of these people's homes across the country.

00:16:25
Speaker 4: I had no idea at all. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I didn't know what was gonna cry over. But she always said, if you need someone to come back home too. You could always come back.

00:16:33
Speaker 2: So that gave me the opportunity to be like, you know, let me take that leap of faith if you told me I could come back home and this don't work out, I'm gone, and sure enough your hair.

00:16:40
Speaker 4: It's eight years later and it's been the craziest ride, but like the biggest blessing far crazy.

00:16:46
Speaker 2: But that's why I say it's not lucky. Yes, blessing, all blessings, all blessings for sure.

00:16:50
Speaker 3: Wow. First of all, shout out Ruth everybody in their lives. That's my grandmother's name, Ruth.

00:16:57
Speaker 1: But there's so many nuggets I took from there that I don't want you guys to miss. One is how you honored the mopping season. You know a lot of people look down when they doing something. They don't feel They feel like I'm better than this, I shouldn't be doing this. You honored that. And then when you got there, you spoke about you. You did like me, I told Tyler, hey, I really want to do this. You had the guts to tell Ruth, this is what I want to do.

00:17:21
Speaker 2: Sometimes you have to speak up, speak up close, don't get fat.

00:17:23
Speaker 4: Somebody may not know to provide you an opportunity unless you actually want it.

00:17:27
Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, And then even when you got that position, you were still eager to mop afterwards.

00:17:33
Speaker 3: But it comes to the point in your life that once you have to know when to let the past.

00:17:37
Speaker 2: I have to know when to let it go.

00:17:38
Speaker 3: I took a lot from that.

00:17:39
Speaker 2: Goodness.

00:17:40
Speaker 4: It's one of those I guess, like so many quotes pop up in my mind with me and you have conversations and like within that just now like it's you can't shrink yourself in environments you've outgrown. I was put in a position to continue to evolve and grow, and part of me wanted to keep that left foot in while the right foot was going. And I was like, you have to let that go in order to step into that new shell, that new align. They knew you you got to remove yourself in the environments you've outgrown. And it's not to say outgrowing the mop it's a bad thing. It was just more or thot like you did.

00:18:08
Speaker 3: That, you did it, and you did that. Season's over.

00:18:11
Speaker 2: It's over, so no one, no one to changed seasons. It's a big here, no one to change seasons. A big king in life. Thank you for that.

00:18:19
Speaker 3: We always we talk is like, Yo, that was good, I'm gonna use that.

00:18:24
Speaker 2: I'm using that one. Wow, I'm using that one.

00:18:27
Speaker 3: I love that.

00:18:28
Speaker 1: And from being a peloton being in everyone's home. We talked about you being the first black you know what I'm saying.

00:18:34
Speaker 3: So what was that like? And what weight does that carry?

00:18:36
Speaker 1: Because I know for me it was important when I got on that bike to see a black man and a black woman.

00:18:41
Speaker 3: You and Ali love and to they were my favorites.

00:18:42
Speaker 1: Always wanted to see something that reflected myself And what was it like? I do want to know because I'm sure being that that was a startup company and you were the first black man.

00:18:52
Speaker 3: To be on that bike, what was that? Did that carry any weight for you?

00:18:56
Speaker 2: It carried weight? The weight shifted throughout the years.

00:19:01
Speaker 4: When I joined, it was more of excitement of like, Yo, I'm the token black guy, and it's like you think it's a cool thing to be like the only black person, and you soon to realize that, like, wait a minute, I don't have all the information and the knowledge to provide this community, the understanding of the black community solely by myself. I'm a black man. I can't speak from the black woman's perspective. You know what I'm saying, Like, that's not something I could relate to. So I realized early early on that like, yo, I'm in for uphill battle, a lot of resistance because I'm not apologetic.

00:19:30
Speaker 2: You know, I'm straight with it. I don't.

00:19:33
Speaker 4: I'm very like I'm gonna take my drag off to go on. But I wanted people to understand that, like, listen, I come from a certain level of respect, integrity, the foundation of my family, the morals, the principles are so pure that it's hard for me to allow somebody else to be like, Yo, what you're doing is crazy.

00:19:51
Speaker 2: Somebody's gonna take that offensive way. I'm like, well, that's them, because I know where my heart is, I know how pure it is. And when you play these like.

00:19:57
Speaker 4: I'm trying to give them that real atl hip hop hip to let people know ya we hear. In order for my community to be here, I got to showcase that we are here.

00:20:06
Speaker 2: Her presentation matters. I didn't realize how.

00:20:09
Speaker 4: Important me being the first black instructor was until Ali Loved joined. And I say that because when she joined, it felt like one of the biggest weights off of my shoulder because I'm like, cool, I don't have to do this by myself now, and in the same space, we're gonna be running together, and you, being a black woman, excuse me, has a completely different perspective of life that I could actually learn from in real time.

00:20:31
Speaker 2: Now.

00:20:31
Speaker 4: Ali also was a different individual. She is one of the most badass people I know on this planet, like one of the most inspirational, most loving, like heartfelt people that I know. But she don't play by business. So she helped me understand that, like, yo, this isn't a job, this is your career. Like turn this into a career out of this, then Tune it comes along, then just Simmons comes along. And I truly didn't realize the responsibility or sorry, I didn't realize.

00:20:59
Speaker 2: I got a little lost in the hustle of what we were doing until.

00:21:04
Speaker 4: George Floyd got killed and like the world stopped and I still got to go to work as a black man and people are like, what are you going to say?

00:21:13
Speaker 2: What are you going to do?

00:21:14
Speaker 4: Like I'm like, wait a minute, I didn't realize that it all fell on me in that moment. I'm trying to call my dad, like, YO, Dad, this is crazy what's going on right now? Like as a black many to call my dad for safety and peace and like YO, buy me understanding. And I felt like people were knocking at my door like YO, like what are you going to say? I'm like, I don't know what the hell to say. So that was like the point where I realized how important this is and how much responsibility I do have to show up because in that moment, I'm like, how I interact on that camera, how I articulate on that camera, or the stories that I tell will allow people in their households and their communities to be like.

00:21:52
Speaker 2: That's Alex Tucson's perception as a black man. That may be everybody's reality, and that's not the case.

00:21:57
Speaker 4: That's why I was so thankful for Ali Love Tune Digest through the Door, because it's like, we need to tell our stories in all different perspectives. Yes, that's how we organically build our community here at Pollo Time.

00:22:08
Speaker 2: So that probably was a.

00:22:09
Speaker 4: Turning point of me realizing how important this job was and I had to take it that much more serious at that point for sure.

00:22:14
Speaker 1: For sure, Well, and I mean I watch you like whenever you're preparing, you're like, I'm getting my mees my playlist. How many times you listen to it and you really take it very serious?

00:22:24
Speaker 3: Absolutely, it shows. It definitely shows.

00:22:28
Speaker 1: I remember in twenty twenty when George Floyd died and we had to sit in that and because you were one of the people that we watched every day just to like be active and do something, we were looking.

00:22:40
Speaker 3: Like what are you going to say?

00:22:41
Speaker 1: And that falls on us sometimes in celebrities, like we want to hear why aren't you speaking up about this?

00:22:46
Speaker 4: That moment helped me understand how much responsibility that I have those who care must. In that moment, I realized I was like, all right, this is a call of duty. Like, yes, this is my career, this is my job, but I have to, like I have to organically remain myself and inspire others that don't look like me so they can communicate with me.

00:23:04
Speaker 2: That has to be the key. That has to be the key. I don't need you to I don't need you to love my classes. I actually don't like.

00:23:09
Speaker 4: Some of the biggest top Quick top chair compliments that I received is hey, at I take Monday night hip hop I'm like you do, and they're like, yeah, I don't.

00:23:17
Speaker 2: Take it for the music though, I take it for the message.

00:23:20
Speaker 4: And when I walk away from that, I'm like, they don't understand how much of a validating top chair compliment that is. That means that we can have a difference of music, but the understanding of love and the purpose in the intent of the message is received for that. Hey, I'm doing my job. I'm doing my job.

00:23:38
Speaker 1: Speaking of how you've turned this into a business, Ali told you, Hey, this is your career, this is a business. I remember I took my family to last year from went to New York, went to the Brooklyn game.

00:23:48
Speaker 3: I saw you there, and I'm catch you.

00:23:50
Speaker 4: Course, matter what city, I'm gonna catch you course signe.

00:23:57
Speaker 1: And I remember waking up because we stayed at the addition in Times Square because my family had been in New York, so you gotta stay in Time Square the first time we know where to stay.

00:24:07
Speaker 5: We're gonna tell you, Okay, it's too loud, But I remember waking up, opening up my window and there was this huge Nevado and I see your face pop up.

00:24:20
Speaker 3: Then I look to the left.

00:24:21
Speaker 1: It's a huge smart Water add in your face stuff and I'm like video, I'm like, you're.

00:24:26
Speaker 2: Everywhere and I didn't see it yet, so you sending this. It was the first time I saw it and I was like, yo, it was crazy.

00:24:32
Speaker 3: Then you drop past peloton you see your face?

00:24:35
Speaker 2: What is that like till this day doesn't get old. I'm just like we made it to billboard and.

00:24:42
Speaker 4: Times Square before we made it to the police blodder at our local town, you know, all honesty like yeah, stuff like that, Like it seems crazy still to be honest with you all from pushing pedals on a bike, But then when it occurs, I'm like, it's not crazy. You feel so like it was supposed to happen like this the entire time. But yeah, seen your face on the billboard a Times Square. I'm not gonna lie. I don't get old.

00:25:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, I was away.

00:25:06
Speaker 2: And it's more importantly like.

00:25:10
Speaker 4: It gives me like hope to be like yo, keep going, like think bigger, like keep up, open up your aperture for other things that you didn't even think were possibly in your scope vision. I never thought I was gonna be getting paid to drink water.

00:25:22
Speaker 2: Like a lot of speaking.

00:25:24
Speaker 3: Let me honestly, something that you should be doing anyway.

00:25:26
Speaker 4: I asked my friend one day at my manager, I was like, Yo, can you just do me a favorite? Can you g have cases of water for the house, like you drinking as much as I do?

00:25:31
Speaker 2: Like?

00:25:31
Speaker 4: And he was like, yeah, I got you. A couple of days goes by, he was like, yo, I got the cases of water. But like I thought about it, we should have a water deal.

00:25:38
Speaker 2: I reached out to smart Water and I was just like, oh my gosh, bro, So to see.

00:25:42
Speaker 4: You go from that to then like a global partnership to then help me announce me getting on the tread at Peloton to now, it's like it's all.

00:25:48
Speaker 2: Working the way it's supposed to work, and it never feels like actually work. That's the best part.

00:25:51
Speaker 1: Well, speaking the trade, I remember you called and you were like, don't say nothing yet, but I'm about to video. I was like, oh my goodness, like.

00:25:58
Speaker 3: You literally have taken over everything.

00:26:02
Speaker 1: It's unreal like too and people don't understand that to be a trainer the way you are, you have to keep your body toss tier as well. You wake up every morning you're in your gym working out before you go work.

00:26:13
Speaker 3: I'm about to die on the bike.

00:26:15
Speaker 1: And I like to think that you're doing something before that's even prepare for.

00:26:20
Speaker 3: That is insane.

00:26:21
Speaker 2: Mindset has always been out work, it's always ever known. But the tread, you know what it is.

00:26:25
Speaker 4: The tread has helped me eleven years in the cycling, eleven years in the fitness industry.

00:26:30
Speaker 2: This feels like a rookie all over again.

00:26:31
Speaker 4: This feels like a new battery of new like jumpstart on the cables of being like I have to learn. I'm at the top tier tread instructure. I'm not like I'm learning every single day, every single class.

00:26:42
Speaker 2: So it feels great. It feels great.

00:26:45
Speaker 3: I love it. What does a morning for Alex?

00:26:47
Speaker 2: You sound look like there's no two days out of the team because I wake up.

00:26:53
Speaker 4: I wake up every single day at like six seven am. That's probably the one thing I do. But depending on the day, depending on my energy, I may knock out of work out right when I wake up, I may be like you know what, I'm a chill reset, walk outside, take time to be with the dogs, knock out my meetings, and then do a workout. But if any every morning that I wake up starts with gratitude, gratitude cancers at my negativity, my attitude's I'm a firm believer of that.

00:27:15
Speaker 2: So wake up, eyes, open up. He touched the ground.

00:27:17
Speaker 4: I do this in your inhal your confidence, exhil your doubt, and I do it three times just to like mentally reset and emotionally reset for the day, whether it's a class.

00:27:28
Speaker 2: In the morning or meetings.

00:27:30
Speaker 4: There's got to be a workout before twelve o'clock somehow, Like just I got to get into the gym before twelve o'clock because I know I'm gonna get back into the gym at four five o'clock.

00:27:37
Speaker 2: Because there's two workouts a day right now.

00:27:39
Speaker 4: It's by regiment, but there's no two days out of the same my peloton schedule bouncing crazy, me working with Puma Havy for flying out crazy right now. So there's the only thing that's the same every single day is the gratitude check.

00:27:52
Speaker 3: That's so amazing.

00:27:54
Speaker 1: I saw where Lebron and Stiff take your classes.

00:27:57
Speaker 6: What is it?

00:27:57
Speaker 1: Because you're a huge basketball fan and you let's go ahead and give your flowers.

00:28:02
Speaker 3: You play in the you played in the All Star.

00:28:04
Speaker 1: Game two years, two years, the MVP twenty twenty two.

00:28:12
Speaker 2: Like baller crazy. Listen, I can tell you something about that.

00:28:17
Speaker 4: As somebody who grew up playing basketball, like I'm a die hard basketball and that was the first one with therap my entire life when they offered me the opportunity to play in the game. Peloton will tell you this flat out all the members that were in class. I looked into the camera. I was flying out on Thursday.

00:28:31
Speaker 2: I taught on.

00:28:32
Speaker 4: Wednesday night, and I said, Yo, I'll see y'all back next week with the trophy.

00:28:36
Speaker 3: Wow.

00:28:37
Speaker 4: And it wasn't to be cocky. It was it was more so of stay ready so you don't have to get ready. I played basketball behind the scenes and stay in physical shape. And I told myself, if I ever had the opportunity to play on the NBA floor, it's non negotiable.

00:28:50
Speaker 2: I'm going all for it. Not to be.

00:28:52
Speaker 4: Like, hey, I could play basketball, but to always let kids know, yeah, you could have a dream of being a pro athlete, you could have regiam of being a rap whatever the case may be, but where you are today could be the platform to where you're trying to take it. And because I taught every single class with the mindset of moving like a pro athlete. It attracted the pro athletes, which put the NBA in in my scope, in my vision, which allowed me then to have that opportunity. So that wasn't by accident. That was more so like because I taught every single class as an athlete with that mindset, it attracted the athletes would have allowed me to play on that for for sure.

00:29:25
Speaker 3: That's good. That's good.

00:29:27
Speaker 1: You talk about how you found your identity on the bike, What did you discover.

00:29:30
Speaker 3: In that time?

00:29:35
Speaker 4: I discovered in order to succeed, in order to grow, you gotta fail. My dad, like I said, my dad had a different method of madness. All growing up. He never accepted failure. It was always looked down upon. So because the failure was looked down upon, I was scared to even attempt.

00:29:54
Speaker 2: So I did a lot of just existing.

00:29:55
Speaker 4: I never really was able to live my true childhood and attempt things because I was scared to fail.

00:30:00
Speaker 2: Knowing the refeverd cushions of my dad.

00:30:02
Speaker 4: Now where I am as an adult, I realized, I've only learned, I've only became successful. I've only evolved through failure. The first attempt in learning fail I got this from will Smith fail fast failed, now fail here fell forward. I realized everything that I do is a failure that's turned into a lesson, which is turned into a blessing.

00:30:24
Speaker 2: I'm rapping right now. I shouldn't be doing that.

00:30:29
Speaker 4: That's one thing that I realized from my career on moving on a bike is attempt new things because you're going to learn about yourself in ways that you never thought you could.

00:30:37
Speaker 2: I never thought I would write a book. I'd be very transparent with you.

00:30:39
Speaker 4: I failed English in eleventh grade, not because I can't read or write, because I just didn't apply myself. So the scope of me writing a book was never I never even thought about that. So when the opportunity to present itself, at first, I was like, yo, nah, But then I was like, you know what, I'm okay failing. I'm okay being vulnerable because I realized that's my ultimate strength. I'm okay being in that space of like I guess for a lot of people that are like, especially the black men that say Peloton classes, they're like, yo, thank you for your vulnerability, And I'm like, I didn't realize I was bringing vulnerable, right, But I'm just like, you know what if that's what's received.

00:31:11
Speaker 2: Then let's teach with that space.

00:31:13
Speaker 4: Because I see a lot more people now of color, especially the older black men that like really didn't focus on their mental focusing on it a lot more now and have any sort of like roll in that space.

00:31:26
Speaker 2: It doesn't mean everything to me.

00:31:27
Speaker 4: So I learned that you mayly be in a position and inspire a lot of other people and not even know it. So as long as you wake up every single day and keep your faith forward and move with the purpose and execute with the attention, you could be saving lives and not even realizing it.

00:31:40
Speaker 2: But you got to save your life first.

00:31:42
Speaker 3: Yeah, I love that you taught.

00:31:45
Speaker 1: We talked about you still being on the bike but still having to mind as well, or feeling like you had to mind?

00:31:51
Speaker 3: Did you deal with a scartoo mind.

00:31:53
Speaker 1: Said in that moment, because I know you're still sleeping on your friends floor and you're like, I got to prove this.

00:31:57
Speaker 3: To my dad.

00:31:58
Speaker 2: I just didn't. I thought that that psyche thing was too good to be true.

00:32:01
Speaker 4: I was like, there's no way that an opportunity can present itself so fast and get executed and like, my life change.

00:32:07
Speaker 2: And I'm firm.

00:32:08
Speaker 4: Believer of the as fast as things come into your life is as fast as you can go. So yeah, Actually part of it was the scarcity of being like, let me not let this go in case this doesn't go right and I have something to fall back onto. I think Ruth being like listen, I got you you straight like was the level of comfort that I needed to be like, I can let this thing go. But there was definitely a sense of like, yo, don't let it go because it's like the one he's ever went from mopingorce to teaching before. So like it's when it's never been done and you're the one doing it, it's so scary because you're like, I'm creating the path in front of me. There's nothing, there's no path to follow. I have to create it. So sometimes it's it's definitely scary in that space. But having people like Ruth that provide a level of comfort, provide you assistance instead of resistance, such a key in life, Such a key in life.

00:32:54
Speaker 1: The goats, so you became the first black instructed at Peloton, and then we have the George Floyd death happened, which affected everybody in the world in that moment. What parallels and what did you feel similarities from your childhood being mainly the only black, which is the predominantly white town where you were mainly the black and only black in school. Were there any similarities in the area where you feel like I'm living this all over again.

00:33:26
Speaker 2: There was one thing in particular.

00:33:28
Speaker 4: I wanted to give a lot of credit to the East Hampton community, to be honest with you, because they accepted my family and a lot of the black families out there with open arms and love.

00:33:36
Speaker 2: I want to be very clear about that. I came to Eastampton in nineteen ninety eight.

00:33:40
Speaker 4: My dad bought a plot of land and built the house up, and my mom was working out there for seven years. At the time, I was going to school out there for a little bit. So they definitely welcomed us with open arms, the teachers, the community, my friend's parents. But there was one person in particular who did not, and that was our next door neighbor.

00:33:55
Speaker 2: The person who lived right next to.

00:33:57
Speaker 4: Us all growing up, would call the cops on us for the most outrageous thing. It was one of those you know when you have a neighbor like one of those people like me walking in the neighborhood d draggon. Cops called me coming down the block, car music, cops called me playing basketball outside in the cops called to the point that the East Hampton police would come by the house and be like, Yo, what up the eteen you good?

00:34:18
Speaker 2: Like it became.

00:34:20
Speaker 4: It became that relationship where the cops are like, yo, we just have to do our due diligence and drive by, but we understand what you're dealing with.

00:34:27
Speaker 2: So they actually would give me grace.

00:34:28
Speaker 4: So that's why, honestly, I shout out all the cops out there, because they understood what I was dealing with. I was the only black hid on my block. My mom would be like, do not go to the mailbox with you?

00:34:38
Speaker 2: Do drag on?

00:34:38
Speaker 4: And I'm like, why you talk about we're geting the mails.

00:34:42
Speaker 2: Neighbor's gonna see us.

00:34:43
Speaker 4: And I'm like, Mom, you've worked your entire life, you sacrifice to build this entire beautiful home, raise us here to not feel comfortable in your own environment because somebody else doesn't want you to live here. And I remember when the George Floyd happened. The only way I could explain it to the Peloton members is hypothetically speaking, I get into an interaction with a police officer. He's having a bad day. I may be having a bad day. That tension can cause a little bit of escalated an escalated situation. And now my ego gets in the way of me making it home safe. And now the only way you're gonna understand is when you click onto the bike on Friday morning and it's like, Yo, where's at Oh?

00:35:25
Speaker 2: Oh, I didn't even think I can.

00:35:27
Speaker 4: I'm not exempt from this just because I ride a bike, just because I want a platform, because people know me, does not mean I'm exempt from the everyday struggles of black men in America to black people in general in America. And I use the example of at the time I lived in Brooklyn, when I started Peloton, I drive across the bridge in Brooklyn, I'm viewed as a drug dealer due to my nice car and because I wear sweats and I have a drag on. But the minute I crossed the bridge into Manhattan, Oh, you're an athlete, You're good. So I tell people all the time like those I've been pulled out of my car driving across Brooklyn at gunpoint, not because I did anything wrong, because the cop thought I had something.

00:36:02
Speaker 2: In the car.

00:36:03
Speaker 4: Thankfully due to my training at military school and understanding how to talk to authority. The minute the cop pulls up on me, I know how to make him aware that I respect the rank, I respect the situation, and I want to make sure that I'm safe and you're safe. So certain things like that that like my dad, that's why I give credit to him sending me in to military school, because I was super hot headed as a young kid, where like I could say the wrong thing and it could go up right. And because of military school, when when you spend so much time with somebody yelling in your face telling you what to do and you can't do a damn thing about it, it allows you to be disciplined in a space where it can make you allow you to get home safe. So to just bring him all back, that was the only way I could articulate it to the Peloton community to help them understand what I go through on an everyday basis, which means that's what other black individuals go through on every day basis. And honestly, the community was extremely receptive to it. Yeah, because for me, I don't need you to People are saying I stand with you, I stand with you. Nah, I'm moving, move with me. We ain't got to stand. No, I'm trying to move somewhere, and I need you to move. I need you to move within your household. Move your kid's mind, help them, help change their perspective. So when they deal with somebody in their school system that looks like me, they're comfortable because their parents provide them information, help them understand that.

00:37:15
Speaker 2: Like, yo, that's eight people, they're good.

00:37:17
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:37:18
Speaker 2: If we can do that, if I could reach one, I could teach one. So that's why I show up to work every single day.

00:37:21
Speaker 4: With that level of I have to because I understand that for somebody out there, I may be the first interaction with the black person, which may be the difference in them raising their kids and interacting within their community.

00:37:31
Speaker 2: So that was that moment for me for sure.

00:37:33
Speaker 3: I love that.

00:37:34
Speaker 1: And speaking of community, you started a foundation, Yes, I want to talk about that because you started in twenty Did this have anything to do with what was going on?

00:37:42
Speaker 3: Or do you have more downtime?

00:37:44
Speaker 4: Is that why you It was a combination of downtime. It was also a combination of.

00:37:50
Speaker 2: I like.

00:37:53
Speaker 4: After my grandmother passed away in twenty eighteen, I went to Haiti for the first time as an adult, I was able to identify where I came from. I was able to identify in real time the sacrifices that were implemented. I was able to identify as one sacrifice away from growing up and Haiti. To be honest with you, But then I also understood that once again, those who can must I've been provided so many of blessing, so many opportunities, so many connections, so many resources.

00:38:16
Speaker 2: What's the point of holding those in?

00:38:18
Speaker 3: Right?

00:38:18
Speaker 2: The goal is to.

00:38:19
Speaker 4: Extend your hand that do better, that feel good, that look good, that do better. This is the part where you've reached a certain space in life where you're moving out of frequency, in the space where your cup is overflowing, and within those overflowing gifts and blessings, you got to provide it to other people, otherwise they go waste it. So the Do Better Foundation was founded twenty twenty with two of my best friends who are my managers, one n uh Nigerian American, one Korean American, and I'm Haitian American. Right, we all have the immigrant mindset and that level of understanding and how we grew up and we just came to this conclusion of being like Yo, We're so fortunate to be raised how we were raised, to have the parents that we have, for the sacrifices that they did. We got to look out for the kids that look like us from the environments that we come from and from the environments that we don't come from. Where that's kids of the inner city community, kids from haity, kids for career kids in Nigeria, people that are in the military.

00:39:09
Speaker 2: That's close to my heart.

00:39:11
Speaker 4: To Do Better Foundation was created to provide people opportunities to wellness resources that they just truly may not have everything that I was afforded, therapy, after school programs, nutrition, mentors, guidance, like everything that I realized that like those small details which all compile them to make me who I am today. I'm just trying to give that to other kids, simply put. Simply put, and it feels great to do it with your friends who are your managers. But friends family first, you know what I'm saying. So it's definitely a validating thing to wake up and be like Yo. On Thanksgiving, we got to go give out Turkey City the kids in Brooklyn, but we're going to make sure we do it with the public school system. That way, there's things like that feel so purposeful because then when we go court side at the NETS game, it feels validating to be like, yo, we're course side, were chilling now, but look at all the purposeful things that we did together. So it makes the friendship purposeful as well. So I love the fact that I got to do with my boys. It HiT's different. I love them, I love it.

00:40:09
Speaker 1: I love that you've accomplished all these things. What is next for Alex's Tussons?

00:40:15
Speaker 4: Oh man, I don't know what's next because one of the hardest things for me to do is think that forward, being that I never thought I would be where I am today.

00:40:32
Speaker 2: I don't know what's next, but I.

00:40:34
Speaker 4: Can tell you that my aperture has opened up for me to test new things. So I'm not going to block a blessing due to pride and ego. I'm not going to tell myself what I can't do. I'm more gonna tell myself what I should try to do. So I don't know what's next. I actually can't even tell you, Like even off came, I can't tell you what's next because I'm in the space right now, being like we dropped the shoe, we dropped the book, we did the foundation. I just want to take time to just like accept those blessings and then have an understanding of where we want to go next without rushing it. So I truly don't know, and that's okay not knowing, but I know that I'm not going to block the blessing when once it presents itself.

00:41:08
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:41:09
Speaker 1: So my last question, this is from my ladies, because everybody they.

00:41:14
Speaker 3: Want to know. I've had people like literally hear me, you know him? Is he single? Now? You're very private about.

00:41:20
Speaker 1: Your personal life, so we don't have to get into.

00:41:22
Speaker 3: That, but I do want to know what does Alex look for in a woman.

00:41:27
Speaker 2: I mean to be very transparent with you.

00:41:33
Speaker 4: I don't want to say my mother, but I was raised from a woman that did everything Popscott sick, Dinosa coin cancer mom, went back to school, got a PAHD, became the breadwinner of the family, became like a boss asked woman, but always has family time Like so you gottah man, I didn't even never had I never had a question. I got to look at you and be able to know that you could raise a family on the same morals and principles, and even if they're different, they're still aligned.

00:42:03
Speaker 2: I have to know that.

00:42:07
Speaker 4: Even on my worst days, you're gonna cheat me like it's my best days. And I gotta know that you take care of yourself because in order to be present with me, you got to be present with yourself. You got to do all the invisible work to make sure you arrive every single day feeling like the best version of you in that way that would allow me to take care of you the best way that I know possible.

00:42:28
Speaker 1: All Right, Well that's what he's looking for in a woman, all right, because they really.

00:42:35
Speaker 3: You know him, And I'm.

00:42:36
Speaker 4: Like, yeah, they're like, you know, you know what, we give so much of ourselves publicly that like, there's parts of myself, my life that I'm like, I just keep private because it protects my peace. So I try to tell people like, yo, I'm all for sharing your relationships and whatever you got going on social media, but like, just because I know how much my piece means to me, I want to be able to go home at night and know that my piece is protected, whether it's like family relationship, growl from relationships, whatever, Like there's certain things that I keep close to the heart for sure, because what you give people they can take away so hardway.

00:43:07
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, that's that's really good. That's good, Alex. Thank you.

00:43:10
Speaker 2: I appreciate you. I love you.

00:43:13
Speaker 1: Your story is phenomenal.

00:43:16
Speaker 3: Thank you for sharing it with us.

00:43:17
Speaker 1: Guys, make sure you go get his book, Activate Your Greatness. It is available everywhere. We want to make this a New York Times bestseller. I know you're well on the way to that, but definitely want to make that.

00:43:28
Speaker 2: I appreciate you so much.

00:43:30
Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely so.

00:43:35
Speaker 1: At the close of our show, we do what's called positive outcomes, where our listeners right into us and we.

00:43:41
Speaker 3: Give them advice.

00:43:42
Speaker 2: Love it all right, So.

00:43:44
Speaker 1: This one says Dear Crystal. I battled with so many demons in my life. But as I held through all the traumatic life experiences, I have triggers and I'm still working on myself. I am dealing with something that I have never experienced in my forty six years of.

00:43:58
Speaker 3: Life, self esteem issue.

00:44:00
Speaker 1: I have gained weight in my stomach area, lost a front tooth, and just feel so unpretty and unattractive. I hate looking in the mirror and getting dressed. It's too much for me, I feel like a whale in everything I've been there, girl, like nothing is fitting right now, So I know where you are. I don't have the motivation and discipline to do anything about it because I'm a stress eater. I am overwhelmed with being the breadwinner of my family, taking care of my sick parents as best I can, and I'm working a job with a team who relies on me for everything. Self care is very important, But what do you do when everyone thinks you are the shei ro and the fixer like Olivia Pope? What do you do when you are smiling on the outside and drowning in darkness on the inside, but masking it all because you can't change the purpose God placed on you to be the fixer?

00:44:47
Speaker 3: How do you balance? How do you find balance? Because you can't question God's.

00:44:51
Speaker 4: Plan for you, definitely can't question God's claim wow wow. To provide feedback on that, yeah, I'm a firm believer of breakdown to breakthrough. If you're going through that dark space instead of trying to avoid it, honestly accept it. But like hear what I'm saying, though, break down to break through a lot of the times it's hard for a lot of people. When you look into the mirror and identify yourself from that external it goes back to feel good look a letter. When you identify yourself from that external look, you forget what's inside of you. I think for that young that young queen, I don't say soul searching is the right word, but going back to that internal perspective and understanding how beautiful you are on the inside, Well, she just said that God put her in a position. There's a reason as to why she's a chosen one. You got to go back and look at yourself internally and find that internal light of being like I am the chosen one before you look into the mirror, because if I look into the mirror first thing in the morning, I'm not going to be proud of what I see, regardless what's going on the light. You got to identify the feel good aspect, yes, then you could go from to the look good aspect within that space. Though while you're identifying that internal light, I would say, find accountability partners that are gonna help uplift you and not outshine you. I realize in my darkest of all days, for the days I can't get up for the days I don't feel motivated, to the days that I'm like, yo, exactly what she's saying.

00:46:19
Speaker 2: That like you look into the mirror, you like question yourself.

00:46:21
Speaker 4: The people around me keep me floating when I feel like I'm drowning.

00:46:26
Speaker 2: I like to quote Jay Z.

00:46:27
Speaker 4: If everybody in your click is rich, you click is rugged, nobody would fall because everybody would beat each other's crutches, rich with integrity, rich with perspective, rich with love, rich with purpose. If the people around you understand what you lack, they can help provide it for you when you can't provide it for yourself. That accountability. That won'ta hit me, that wanta.

00:46:46
Speaker 1: Hit right now.

00:46:49
Speaker 3: I got a friend when I need some help.

00:46:55
Speaker 1: The next thing we through is what I'm going through, in what I'm growing through, and I'll start this one.

00:47:01
Speaker 3: I am going through really seeing what.

00:47:10
Speaker 1: Else is for me because I'm asking you what's next for Alex. I'm trying to figure out what's next for Crystal, you know, and making sure that I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket. I'm growing through, walking through seasons of uncertainty, you know, and it's kind of hard when I'm much.

00:47:26
Speaker 3: I like to control things.

00:47:28
Speaker 1: I like to know, Okay, this is where I'm going, this is what's next, is what I'm doing. But walking and having faith is what I'm growing through right now.

00:47:36
Speaker 2: So it's going going through and growing.

00:47:39
Speaker 1: And sometimes it's the same for people. Sometimes whatever you're going through, you're growing.

00:47:42
Speaker 3: At the same time.

00:47:43
Speaker 4: So to piggyback, I'm going through an evolution stage.

00:47:47
Speaker 2: I don't even know what's happening. I just all honestly, every workout that I did.

00:47:51
Speaker 4: Last week I cried in my workouts, really break down and break through. I don't know what evolution is happening. But God is like, yo, you're gonna take this next step. In order to take it, you're gonna have to shed some weight throughout the process. I'm gonna have you break down and I'm gonna have you break through. So I have no idea what this evolution stage is. I just know it's happening in real time. Yeah, so that's what I'm going through. I guess that's what I'm going through.

00:48:16
Speaker 3: To the Yeah, that's amazing. I have moments where I literally like break down in my.

00:48:21
Speaker 4: Workouts too, like tears of joy, like not sad I'm talking like tears of joy, where I'm just likefulness, hatefulness, really thankful for the opportunity. I don't even see but I feel it's coming, you know what I'm saying. I wanna see it, but I feel it. God's like, Yo, you have to keep moving towards it. Get up and get out, keep executing. I'm gonna give it to you, but you just can't. I'm throw in your lap.

00:48:40
Speaker 2: You got to go get it.

00:48:41
Speaker 3: Yeah, I love that.

00:48:46
Speaker 1: The next thing we do is keep it blank, Sweetie. And I'm gonna say, for this episode, keep it pushing, sweety Okay.

00:48:53
Speaker 2: Keep it pushing, keep it pure. I love it, Keep it pure.

00:48:57
Speaker 3: I love it. That's good. Alex has been amazing.

00:49:01
Speaker 2: Seriously, thank you.

00:49:02
Speaker 3: Thank you guys so much for tuning into this episode. To keep it positive, Sweetie.

00:49:06
Speaker 1: If you want to write into our Positive Outcomes listener letter, you can write in to keep it Positive Sweete at gmail dot com and that's Sweetye with an Ie. You can follow kIPS on all platforms at keep it Positive, Sweetie, and you can follow me on all platforms at Love Chris Orine and that's l u V.

00:49:21
Speaker 3: Alex.

00:49:21
Speaker 2: Tell the people where they can find you, Alex twenty five on Instagram and a social media platforms.

00:49:25
Speaker 3: That's all right, you guys, do not forget to get his books.

00:49:29
Speaker 2: You get your coffree.

00:49:29
Speaker 3: That's right. You not be disappointed.

00:49:32
Speaker 1: Alex is always I'm so proud of you and I love you, my friend.

00:49:35
Speaker 3: You. Thank you for coming.

00:49:36
Speaker 4: Come on, we gotta do this again next season. Well and we go through the next chapter of life and evolution. I can sit down and be like, remember, here's what I want this, here's what I want Right now.

00:49:44
Speaker 3: I would love now know the audience with to thank you. I appreciate you so good.

00:49:50
Speaker 6: Look you guys, thank you so much for this fellowship.

00:50:01
Speaker 1: Thank you for letting Alice get here safely. Thank you for him keeping his promise to come on this episode. I know that's going to touch many lives. He's already done that, and I asked that you continue to watch over him, watch over everyone that has their hand on this podcast.

00:50:14
Speaker 3: I asked that.

00:50:15
Speaker 1: Everything that we talk about today just help somebody in some type of way.

00:50:18
Speaker 3: In your name, we pray amen, let's do it.