We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jared Rodriguez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jared, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

It seems like yesterday I was playing baseball at San Diego State University; honestly, only still playing because 15 years of ball was all I knew. I wasn’t still playing because I loved it. I was there because it was familiar.

I grew up in a humble and very sheltered yet loving home, and while I was in college I was fully and completely unaware of who I was, what I actually liked, and what direction I wanted to go in.

I didn’t know it in that moment, but now that I look back I realize I was going through several deep, dark depressions of abusing alcohol, smoking myself into an oblivion, failing out of almost all my classes, striking out with girls, not enjoying friends, and again – not having a clue who I was or where I wanted to go. Too scared to ask for help and possibly face judgement, I hid my shame into a dark place.

I was lost and in immense pain.

This deep pain and shame was about the best thing that ever happened to me.

One day while standing in line at Starbucks, I overheard a couple in front of me chatting about the Power of Positive Thinking. Desperate for any life line, I grabbed my tea and went straight home to google what this was. While reading, this was the first description to pin point exactly what I was feeling and going through.

“Wow! They’re talking about me” I though to myself.

The description shared that my negative and depressed thinking has started in a pattern and I needed to work to create a new mental pattern. “When a negative thought or limiting belief enters your mind, you must replace it with a positive thought. When you do, that negative thought will come back into your head and you must replace it again and again and again until the last thought in your head is the positive one.”

I had nothing to lose so I gave it a try and after about 65 back and forth positive thought attempts, I did it! I thought to myself, you just had a small success. It felt AMAZING! I smiled for the first time in months and felt like I was strong and able again.

After that, I started challenging myself to have 3 small success per day. Most of them came in the form of replacing negative thoughts with positive ones and instead of 65 attempts like day one took, I was down to just 22 attempts. It was working!

I then started spreading this system of having Small Success in every aspect of my life. I started having 3 small successes in my workouts.

I started having small success with waking up earlier, eating better, risking my comfort zone when it came to say hello to a girl I had a crush on. I started loving and thriving this idea to have small success everyday.

Pretty soon I finished school and used this momentum to start my fitness business in LA. Now days, I have more than 165 clients around Southern California, I’ve created a holistic fitness system with which my company operates on, and I’m just getting started!

Small Success taught me to chip away a little bit every day and know that small wins are key to achieving big ones!

Jared, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into the industry because I fell in love with the incredibly free and “in the moment” feeling a workout provided me. I was love struck. I decided to go all in with fitness because the challenge of a workout taught a quiet, shy, timid kid with big dreams that I was capable of breaking through barriers, like a workout. I felt so empowered! I had to share this gift with the world.

Fitness is physical but more than anything else, it’s mental.

It’s about showing up when you don’t feel like it. It’s about doing the work even when it sucks. It’s about being OK with discomfort and even using that discomfort to harness your own incredible personal power.

We’re not here to get hurt or train 100mph everyday. Sometimes that’s appropriate. Often a change of pace doesn’t signify weakness, no. It shows strength in ability to operate in multiple tempos. That is impressive.

In addition to teaching Mobility and HIIT classes for my company, I provide an elevated and empowered perspective designed to help individuals fall in love with the life they already have….through fitness.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Two words.

THE DETAILS.

Ever since I started in this business back in 2006, I decided to commit to the idea of treating people well, always following through, and showing up each day with passion. People want to follow other people who are passionate.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

Since the tender age of 23, I decided to start saving every penny I earned with the intent of buying a property and one day joining the home owners club. Owning property was a major life-goal and one that I wanted to make my future children proud.

Fast forward to my late 20’s and I’ve been working for Santa Monica’s largest outdoor permitted bootcamp for several years as the fitness director. I always loved where I worked and adored the nature of the business so when I got word that the founder was considering selling the book of business, I decided to use my life savings to buy her out instead of purchasing a property. I felt clear about this decision having experienced the brand through and through, I felt I understand the industry and saw where company holes could gain some love. It was time to go all in.

DAMN.

THIS. WAS. STRESSFUL.

No partners. No investors. No board to advise. I went to work solo.

I meditated daily to combat the stress. I asked lots and I mean, lots of questions in my attempt to learn along the way. I also questioned myself and second guessed if I really wanted to take 8 years worth of intense savings and spend it all on a business. The answer was hell yes!

Going all in on myself was massively exciting, nerve wrecking, anxiety driven, and the learning curve toward buying a company was immense. 7 months worth of negotiating, dealing with lawyers, countering the counter, and all this while working my regular full-time day job. This was without question one of the most challenging times of my life.

I worked and worked until that day when it was time to sign the paperwork and write a check. That day came. Ever since I signed the papers legally binding me to my company, I’ve felt an incredible sense of pride and responsibility. Knowing I have the unique opportunity to influence the lives of my members for the better not only gave me an immense sense of purpose but I daily job I love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.inspired-method.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredmethodfitness/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredMethodFitness
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspired-method-fitness/?viewAsMember=true
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1kw0mDKpCr1rWaugDr3hw/videos
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/inspired-method-fitness-santa-monica-2?osq=inspired+method+fitness

Image Credits
I own all images.