Getting into the best shape with the busiest schedule: how Robbie Francis did it. He's making millions and not slowing down any time soon.

Today I’m joined by my client Robbie Francis, an entrepreneur who describes what life looked like before: crowbarring himself out of bed, dragging through mornings, grinding through work, and slowly losing the edge he used to have in his 40s. He wasn’t just uncomfortable in his body, he was getting stressed by small things, and it was affecting how he showed up at home and in business. Robbie shares the turning point that made everything finally stick after years of failed “get fit fast” att...

• 0:00Speaker 00

  Hey guys and welcome back to another episode of Change Wired Podcast. My name is Angela Shorina, I'm your host, I'm your partner in change, in personal and collective transformation, in learning how to feel, think and do our best to live more, give more, enjoy more, take on more, achieve more, learn more about our potential, how we can unlock and use more of it with the purpose to live the most extraordinary lives that we are capable of, creating more positive impact, contributing to building the most amazing world that we possibly can build.

• 0:40Speaker 00

  Even with all the AI and wars and crazy unstable political situation and so many things changing and shifting. Yes, guys, I just want to acknowledge that it's all happening. But guess what? I found in my life that there is no use of me ruminating on things that can go wrong or whether I don't know, I'm gonna take over the world and we're all gonna die or not, or what's gonna happen to my job, if I have a job. Like, I find it incredibly not useful to ruminate on all of those things and incredibly useful to put all of my attention, energy and focus into things that I can control,

• 1:23Speaker 00

  that I can influence, that I can improve, improving myself, taking action, helping other people to improve or do better, expanding the scope of my possibilities by taking action towards bettering myself and improving, helping other people to improve and do better, right, increasing my chances to succeed in this world. That's what the most useful place to be is. Because, you know, if not that, then what else is out there? Like, what's the alternative? Focus on things that can go wrong and then there is no point in doing anything? Well, we might as well just, you know, lay down and die.

• 2:07Speaker 00

  So, think about that. What is useful thinking, doing, where you spend your focus and attention and go and do that? Because ultimately, the rest is not to us to control.

• 2:21Speaker 00

  Today, guys, it is an unusual episode. You're gonna learn, well, you're gonna learn a lot of things, but you're gonna hear our conversation with a client of mine who had a chance, I was lucky to get working with for the past couple of years. And Robbie, Robbie Francis, the guest in today's podcast, is just incredible human who's built himself from, I don't know, from zero, but from a lesser state of wealth and health and wellbeing to quite an incredible human who is making millions, literally, in USD

• 3:01Speaker 00

  dollars, maybe now in other more expensive currencies as well. And moving from one country to another, figuring out his vision, his purpose, getting into the fittest self of his life in his mid 40s and building that capacity to just not slow down, but instead take on more, achieve more and live more and give more and enjoy more, just developing, never stopping that development and that question, what else can I be? On this podcast, you're gonna learn how Robbie went from not being fit at all, seeing, looking

• 3:44Speaker 00

  at himself in the mirror and it's like, this is not who I think I am, like not my best self. And yet, here he is staring back at me, that's exactly where I am, realizing that his actions did not align with his aspirations and realizing that something has to be done differently. That's how we end up working together. But also, you're gonna learn so much about what Robbie thought about health and fitness and being his best self and what it actually was and where he needed adjustment, that it was more about his mindset, specific kind of mindset, not about his discipline and willpower.

• 4:25Speaker 00

  And how actually, in his own words, he now feel like he's cheating because he's getting to feel like his best, lost 15 kilos, 32 pounds and...

• 4:38Speaker 00

  He's working on getting even fitter and stronger and truly his best in his body, not just his business and in his mind, right? How he got to that and he and it feels like cheating in his own words and how that happened and what it contributes to and how you can also tap into the same sort of systematic and approach to change to overcoming personal challenges, whether that's on a health and fitness side, on a business side, that it doesn't feel like work at all and yet you're moving forward, you're making progress and you are getting into the best shape of your life mentally, physically, business wise. What's inside coaching today?

• 5:22Speaker 00

  You're gonna learn from someone who's been in it, a client of mine who's been working for two years and this guy, he just keeps on going, not just making millions, but cultivating that state of being where he feels a million bucks inside and that I believe is the most important part. So without further ado, to my conversation with my dear friend and client and just an amazing human, Robbie Franz.

• 5:50Speaker 01

  Cool.

• 5:51Speaker 00

  Okay, so let's start. Take me to, take me back to when we first started and maybe a little bit before. What was typical day like before our work together? Energy, food, sleep, exercise, like how you felt?

• 6:11Speaker 01

  Yeah, I mean, honestly, I used to crowbar myself out of bed. It was like my alarm would go off. I would feel like, like absolute rubbish and I just, I, I, I felt like I had no energy and like trying to get out of bed was just the biggest task in the world. I eventually like crowbar myself out of bed, drag myself to the office or to my desk. And just start cranking again, you know, it took a few hours to warm up. And then, and then get going and, and just, you know, kind of do as much as I can in a day. And it was a, it was just a treadmill. I mean, that was the reality. It was just this grind, you know.

• 6:50Speaker 00

  Mm hmm.

• 6:51Speaker 01

  And I was just trying to, trying to figure out what, how I was going to get away from it. And I think there was a combination of things. Number one is, you know, like most people, I had, you know, business was challenged over COVID. I'm in hospitality, so it probably hit our business, you know, somewhat worse. I mean, there were probably people way worse off than us, but you know, hospitality was, was absolutely destroyed over the COVID period, which took its toll on me and, and, and the business, to be fair. Um, although the business ended up better off as, as an outcome long term. And that, and that in combination with me turning forty, forty one, forty two, in the kind of the preceding years,

• 7:33Speaker 01

  where that zest of laugh just couldn't carry you through those tough times anymore. And actually, like, just the, the vitality you have when you're young starts to fade. And yeah, I was just, I was just at a loss. I was like, oh, oh crap, now what? At that point.

• 7:51Speaker 00

  Yeah. So thank you so much for, you know, sharing that. And obviously you could have continued as you were, you probably wouldn't, you know, die at that time. So what made you shift? What made you say, you know, all right, it's now time to change and invest into things like health and fitness and nutrition and sleep and all of that?

• 8:12Speaker 01

  Yeah, well, I mean. So, so there was a number, like, I tried previously and I had managed when I was thirty to get fit and healthy again. And between, you know, thirty and, and forty, let's say, you know, growing a, a young business at the time. And it was, it was the, the hustle. And like most people between thirty and forty, you know, you work more hours than you have in a day in reality. And.

• 8:39Speaker 01

  I'd I'd tried periodically between the ages of, you know, a- after thirty when I when I when I when I got unfit again to try and get back to getting fit and I just never cracked it. I never managed to like find the what the best version of myself looked like. And there was always like these short sprints or these very small windows where I'd be like, okay, that's what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna do it. And ultimately, you know, I would run out of steam and those those, you know, the the the initial energy would dissipate and I'd be back to square one. So it was, you know, it was pretty, it was pretty frustrating. So when I got to, I think it was, we we met two eighteen months, two years ago.

• 9:19Speaker 01

  I was probably hundred and five kilos. So not that weight is everything, but, you know, I was uncomfortable in my own body. Um, I didn't look look or didn't like what I what I saw in the mirror. It wasn't representative of who I felt I was. But eh eh the reality was it was who I was at the point in time. So, you know, not looking after myself mentally, physically. Felt tired all the time. Everything was just a lot of hard work. And I think one of the, one of the things that hit me the most is that I would have like, I don't know, I've, you know, I've been a duck underwater. Like most entrepreneurs, I could just take whatever stress is thrown at me and then then, you know, it didn't really, didn't really matter.

• 10:05Speaker 01

  And I found that, you know, when I was, you know, forty one, forty two, forty three, that actually I was getting very, very stressed about small things. And I was, you know, that was affecting my home life and how, you know, how I showed up for my family. And I knew at that point that, you know, something needed to change and and I kind of felt like it was grounded in my physical health. Um, hence, you know, hence kind of, you know, looking for how that could change. But what I knew different this time, given that I'd had many failures previously in getting fit, is that I needed to, I needed to start.

• 10:48Speaker 01

  With a much longer timeframe and as most, you know, ambitious entrepreneurs, you know, I'm like, okay, well, we're gonna do this in three weeks or five weeks. And I decided that that was where my failures were. And rather than looking at, you know, becoming fit and healthy as a, you know, a six month goal.

• 11:07Speaker 01

  I decided I was gonna figure out how to live a fit and healthy lifestyle.

• 11:14Speaker 01

  And my goal was to be, you know, the strongest seventy year old I could be. So a long time window. And then I was committed to educating myself over years, if not decades, to become that person. Um, so I think that kind of set me up on a different mindset from the outset. And I was really focused on the primitives of what a healthy person, you know, looks like. In terms of their lifestyle and choices, et cetera. And rather than, you know, the impossible, I'm gonna start waking up at five o'clock every morning.

• 11:59Speaker 01

  And heading the gym and, you know, become the best version of myself. That would just destroy anyone. The reality is, you know, for us, if you remember. Working together at the start was, you know, we started with the real basic stuff. And that is, you know, can I. Can I literally get go to sleep and get eight hours of sleep every night? Like, it's as simple as that. And then. Layering on all of the other healthy habits over years to get to a position where. You know, like, yes, I can get up at five o'clock every morning and go to the gym and feel amazing about it.

• 12:37Speaker 01

  And get my eight hours sleep and and and and and. But there's a whole host of things that we needed to solve in order to get to that point. And that. Was only possible with like a long, multi-year mindset, I think. And I'm, you know, I'm not, not, I know where I wanna be yet, but I'm definitely. Definitely eighty percent of the way there, but the other twenty percent will probably take another twenty years.

• 13:02Speaker 00

  Well, I don't know, you know, also, they say like, as, as people and entrepreneurs specifically, we keep also moving our goalposts. So that's also very often happened, like what you think, or what you thought was not possible, or very unrealistic, all of a sudden becomes possible. And like, okay, that is the next thing. Um, but you know what? You reminded me really well. Like, I, I, I remember this Donald Trump's quote. He said, there are no unrealistic goals, only unrealistic timeframes. Is that whether that's business, life, or fitness, anything we decide to pursue, actually, almost all of our goals are possible

• 13:40Speaker 00

  if we just choose the right timeframe. And what I also loved about what you just mentioned is knowing that what is realistic for you and grounding your action plan in that versus trying to think about, I don't know, a perfect version of self that gets to handle all of the bolts in life, business, family, and fitness, and to the like sort of hardest version of that. And very often, you know, that is not really realistic, not reality. And just what I guess I'm getting is easier self-awareness of, okay, I tried that, that didn't work. Maybe let's try something that has better chances.

• 14:20Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 14:22Speaker 00

  Uh, yeah, well, you know, that, that was back then. And where are you now in terms of your energy levels, in terms of how you feel, what's shifted in, in your life, like personal life, business life? Like, what are the things that you can speak to? That you noticed?

• 14:41Speaker 01

  Yeah, I mean,

• 14:44Speaker 01

  so.

• 14:47Speaker 01

  There's, there's a, there's a, well, I mean, yeah, starting, starting with the outcome. My, I mean, yeah, I've got loads of energy now. The biggest thing, which was, you know, probably the driver for it all is like, I'm just able to handle stress again like, like I was when I was twenty or thirty. That I don't have these wild swings in, you know, in my emotional capacity or my ability to handle very stressful situations or even m- m- tiny, you know, uh, tiny bumps in the road. So, so that's, that's great. Obviously, that has a compounding effect, right? In terms of better sleep, because now you don't get stressed, you don't have that high cortisol.

• 15:27Speaker 01

  Means you sleep better. If you sleep better, it means that you can get up for five o'clock in the morning, go to gym. If you go to gym, it means that you're protecting your body against those cortisol spikes and, you know, and then you can take more stress and, yeah. Like, so I've probably compounded all the bad over, o- over many years. You know, the rug was taken out of, from under my feet in terms of, you know, getting older and, and the zest of life you have when you're young. And now I've been repaying those debts and in getting myself fit to the point that, yeah, I mean, today, I'm

• 16:08Speaker 01

  I'm, I'm, I'm operating at close to the best version I could possibly think of myself. I mean, we've done a lot of work recently, like, you know, eking out the last miniscules of improvement and really analyzing where I'm spending time, how much time I'm spending. Going back and, you know, measuring food and trying to understand like, you know, as a, you know, like all those, those KPIs that we set up, you know, eighteen months ago, like, are we hitting them now? And, yeah, just like, I think.

• 16:42Speaker 01

  All the skills that I've learned, I'm just applying without thinking now, which make the whole process of being and staying fit and healthy.

• 16:54Speaker 00

  Mm hmm.

• 16:54Speaker 01

  Effectively autopilot. And I think that's, that's, that's the real unlock because when previously I tried to get fit and healthy, it was always consciously trying to think about what do I need to do to, to maintain this week after week. And like now, and I think I've said this to you previously, it like feels like I'm cheating. Cause it's like, no, I'm just eating whatever I want. I'm just, you know, like just living my life exactly how I want. But because of all the change that we've made and all those healthy habits we've compounded over, you know, over the course of two years, that

• 17:34Speaker 01

  that, yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm able to live a different version of my life where, whereby I it feels like I'm cheating all the time, but it's just so, it's that easy that I'm making gains, but you know, not even trying.

• 17:51Speaker 00

  Yeah, it's like you said, um. Well, first of all, it, it's the, when you form the habits, it, it feels, starts feeling like no work at all, right? But then also what you're, I think, speaking towards is this identity shift, meaning what used to feel like, I don't know, something boring or additional effort, like, you know, eating certain things, not eating other things, exercising, sleeping, what felt like maybe not you, something that you had to do on top of being you. Now it feels like that's, you know, just who you are and what you do every day. It doesn't feel any different.

• 18:27Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

• 18:29Speaker 00

  And you know, in terms of also like impact in the outside world, is, have you, I don't know, noticed or other people maybe noticed you showing up differently or like any difference in terms of like, I don't know, how you show up, like your energy, your decisions, productivity.

• 18:50Speaker 01

  Yeah, I, I, I mean, across all of those. I think one of the, one of the interesting things is, you know, I think people. People are very inquisitive when they see somebody who's, you know, kind of radically changed their lifestyle. And, you know, not that I was like big and fat, you know, but I was clearly very unhealthy. Like, I think you could just see that in my eyes and bags under my eyes and the, you know, the, the way I showed up, my energy, et cetera. And for those people who know me and have seen that change, and even if they, you know, hadn't seen me for a few months at a time.

• 19:29Speaker 01

  I think for them, it's always interesting because when you, you know, when you see those people again and they see how you're showing up and they're like, holy Moses, tell me more, right? That's, that's basically what you get. It's like, what have you done? How have you done it? Right? Uh, so, so yeah, so that's, you know, that's been interesting and encouraging. Because it just shows that, you know, the, the way you show up physically, mentally, emotionally and, and from an energy perspective, I suppose covers all of those. You know, when, when you, when you arrive, that like, that is kind of, you know, that presence is felt.

• 20:09Speaker 01

  And yeah, I think it's, it's definitely recognized and it attracts a lot of people in terms of like wanting to come and talk to you and be inquisitive about, you know, what have you done and how have you done it? Yeah. And, you know, I think it's got, got really positive effects from that perspective.

• 20:25Speaker 00

  Hmm. I'm, I'm also, you know, curious and I'm not sure like what the answer is. A lot of people who go on this journey, you know, and transformation, taking care of themselves, for a lot of people, the motivation is showing up for like family, showing it up for, you know, your kids, showing up for your business and people and people who depend on it. Like, was it a part of the equation for you to maybe approach this transformation as well?

• 20:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, I, I'll, I'll, I'll be honest, maybe it was somewhat selfish for me. I just despised the person I was looking at, you know, to the, to the point that I just wanted to prove to myself. So, so yeah, that, that was my motivation. Um, and yeah, I think, I think.

• 21:14Speaker 01

  Going back to, you know, the, the, the, the benefits that are, that are, that are sought. Absolutely, you know, came to fruition. So those were the ability to take on a lot more stress.

• 21:25Speaker 00

  Um.

• 21:26Speaker 01

  Or not get stressed at all by, you know, big events and or small events for that matter. And that was like my, my kind of core objective. But what I've found in getting to that point was, you know, a whole bunch of other really beneficial things around, you know, living really more substantial life, I think. Um, certainly from my own measures. That'll be different for everyone.

• 21:53Speaker 00

  Um.

• 21:54Speaker 01

  But yes, it was, it was for me more than anything or, or anyone for that matter.

• 21:59Speaker 00

  Um hum. And you know, you mentioned also, like, you know, by the way, that it might be i- i- important, you know, to things like, I don't know, how you show up or your confidence, like. Did, did, did it change things for you when you were able to, you know, go take your body through this transformation? Did it change your, I don't know, confidence or energy, other things, the way you show up? Like, I often hear from people, and I'm one of those people as well. Like, when you feel eh like the best in your body, you sort of like start radiating that and it is so much easier to take on stuff and you don't take a lot of, you know, negative comments as personally, like I'll get through it. Like,

• 22:41Speaker 00

  was it, was it part of the journey for you as well? Or like, how did that affect sort of like your, your life, how you approach things in life, what you pick on, how you handle things?

• 22:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, I, I, I, yeah, I, I mean, you know, may- maybe this is largely mental, but like, like, I've certainly felt, having spent a lot of time doing physical things. So, you know, whether it's in the gym or like the, you know, classes and there's F forty five high rocks or anything like that.

• 23:13Speaker 01

  Those kind of physi- those physical exercise like manifest. A lot of that manifestation for me feels like it's in my stature. And and and I don't, I don't, I don't think that's, that's actually necessarily that true, but, but it, it feels like. That when you walk into the room, you're standing, you know, up more upright and. I just think it's more like more inviting and it's probably around. More so than the physicality, it's probably more around your, your mental attitude towards. Your, your physicality and how you see yourself. So when you, you know, when you do show up.

• 23:57Speaker 01

  The self-reflection, the, you know, the, the, the, the outer self looking in. Has more respect for you and therefore you take yourself more seriously. And, and that outwardly comes from you believe people are taking you more seriously. Which means that you have more self-belief. Because you have more respect for others and that could be all totally incorrect, but it's actually just because that you've got fitter and stronger. So you're able to appear, you know, kind of, you know, more, more confident.

• 24:31Speaker 00

  Yeah, I guess, you know, also it's. It, it changing your mental state, it changes your brain, literally like the emotions you experienced, that confidence, that dopamine, you know, that gives you that sort of. Boost of like just energy and confidence and self-assurance. And because of that, you add differently, you stand differently. And because of that, obviously people read into that and also will. Treat you differently and read different kind of energy and plus, of course, if you look strong, people usually tend to. Think like you, you are strong, you can take things on, you are capable, right? And all of that things that have.

• 25:09Speaker 01

  And it's all true, right? That's the great, that, that, that's the reality. It's grounded in truth.

• 25:14Speaker 00

  Yes, exactly. I, I, I guess, you know, the last couple of questions are. If other entrepreneur and business owner, you know, watching this and they're thinking about maybe going on a similar journey, what would you say to them? And maybe what would, what did you need to hear at that time at the beginning, maybe to get you over this last edge or friction to actually start something like this?

• 25:46Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think, I think, I think the thing that put me off the most, which, which was, which, which I overcame by looking at over a longer timeframe was the where I was going wrong personally was like, this is going to be intense. I need to get fit in six to eight weeks, which was, you know, all encompassing. It took like so much of your energy and as an entrepreneur, like I could never commit that amount of energy to any one thing because quite frankly, you know, my business came first.

• 26:18Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 26:19Speaker 01

  And when you're growing, when you're growing, you know, and, and I'm trying to strive towards growing a massive business, that is just the cost. And I think what I, what I decided on was that I could not continue neglecting my body because ultimately it would have a negative impact on me reaching my goal. So looking after my engine, what was required and really the mental shift that took, that took place, which is something which I wish I'd known about before and I would have started my journey earlier, is that all it needed for me was to change my

• 26:56Speaker 01

  time horizon and say, okay, well, I can't commit 10 hours a week to this or 15, whatever, like, whether it's just your mental capacity or otherwise. And going on a journey where it's like, okay, I'm going to spend the next 10 years getting better. And that means I only achieve like one thing this quarter. That means that I only, you know, like, and however small it is, like if that's going for a walk once, you know, like twice a week, that's like, that's, that's an improvement, great. And I think, you know, there have been times where I've been improving faster and times where I've improved slower. And I think one of, one of those things

• 27:37Speaker 01

  is just recognizing that you, you, you can only, you've only got, you know, one vat of energy and you need to choose where to spend it. And For me, I've only had to spend a little bit, but I've been spending it every day consistently in terms of getting better and coming, you know, kind of coming back and reframing it. And that's what like our sessions are about is like reframing the importance, making sure that I keep spending the time and energy towards it and going back to the why is critical. So it doesn't actually take a huge amount of energy and time and commitment. What it takes is consistency and you spend what you have.

• 28:21Speaker 01

  So sometimes the business will take priority, you know, but yeah, just keep improving. I think, I think that's, that's the one lesson I've learned.

• 28:30Speaker 00

  Yes, you know, thank you for sharing that because as you mentioned, you know, for entrepreneurs, a lot of times business takes priority and it just, you know, if you make your time horizon longer, then there is a lot you can still do and then you can compound your progress and your results and it just keeps growing, just like ROI on your, I don't know, investment, right? And the longer you take, like even the small contribution matters a lot more and delivers great results and great returns. And the last but not least, I think, very important question that you already touched upon on, like for entrepreneurs, for business owners who are always worried about like, you know, time commitment and the energy that it's going to take away from business, from other things important in life, like family, like, can you speak maybe towards this challenge?

• 29:15Speaker 00

  What did you learn from your experience, like again, the, the time, the energy, like, how, how was it for you through this experience?

• 29:24Speaker 01

  I mean, yeah, I mean,

• 29:29Speaker 01

  the, the, the reality is that, that there's, there's a net benefit to this ultimately, even, even in the shorter term. So, you know, the fact that I've got more energy and actually I can come more focused and actually do more during the day means that I spend less time working, you know, and not being efficient. So, yes, there's, there's like getting used to the change and, and, and doing and kind of pitching up week on week takes, takes some time and energy, but the return, the returns happen pretty quickly in terms of like your, your output can just, you know, get much better.

• 30:15Speaker 01

  So, so yeah, it wasn't, wasn't laborious for me at all.

• 30:19Speaker 00

  Hmm.

• 30:20Speaker 01

  Ultimately, I, I mean, in the process, I've just, you know, I, I just, I'm prioritizing where I'm spending my time better.

• 30:30Speaker 00

  Hmm.

• 30:30Speaker 01

  But also kind of, you know, realizing the benefits of that that has in other places of my life. So maybe I'm not, you know, spending time till twelve o'clock at night, watching some rubbish on TV, going to bed at ten, so I can get up at, you know, five and go to the gym. But those, you know, that didn't happen overnight. It took a long time to get to that point where that became easy. And there's a lot of things that needed to change, whether it be work habits, drinking, et cetera. But yeah, ultimately, yeah, I, I, it's, it's no commitment at all.

• 31:03Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah. You know what I'm hearing also, a couple of things. A, most of us find the time to waste on other things, no matter what, you know.

• 31:13Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 31:13Speaker 00

  And no matter how efficient we, we say we wanna be or we are, and maybe distributing that time to something that actually is an investment and gives you energy and gives you better capability and gives you better quality of life. Is, you know, a, a lot better way to approach things and approach things like time management. Versus thinking that if you don't exercise, you're just gonna be working uh all the time. But anyhow, thank you so much, Arobi, for sharing your experience and your advice. And thank you so much. Is there anything that you'd like to add to your message?

• 31:48Speaker 01

  No, thank you for sharing your experience and advice.

• 31:51Speaker 00

  Yeah, thank you. And yeah. Till next time.

• 31:55Speaker 01

  Yeah. See you later. Bye.

• 31:56Speaker 00

  Bye.