In this conversation, Leon Bayer shares his journey from being a judo coach to becoming a successful business partner with Corey Lapel. He discusses the evolution of their partnership, the challenges faced in leadership, and the importance of adapting communication styles to meet the needs of diverse team members. Leon emphasizes the significance of understanding employee motivations and the impact of personal struggles on professional life. He also highlights the importance of hiring for cultural fit and the ongoing journey of self-development in leadership roles. In this conversation, Leon Bayer shares his journey from a passionate coach to a leader who emphasizes the importance of understanding others' true desires and the significance of listening. He discusses the shift from hard work to internal growth, highlighting the need for multifaceted development in personal and professional life. Leon reflects on the concept of being the asset in one's life and the importance of finding purpose even in adversity, encouraging listeners to embrace their journey of self-improvement and community building.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background of Leon Bayer
03:04 The Evolution of Business Partnership
06:06 Navigating Personal Struggles and Leadership Challenges
08:54 Adapting Leadership Styles for Team Dynamics
11:57 Understanding Employee Needs and Communication
15:04 Hiring for Cultural Fit and Long-Term Success
20:30 The Journey of Coaching Passion
22:50 Understanding Others' True Desires
24:57 The Importance of Listening
27:32 The Shift from Hard Work to Internal Growth
30:09 Embracing Multifaceted Growth
33:51 You Are the Asset: A Personal Reflection
36:40 Finding Purpose in Adversity
EPISODE 75 Descript
Leon: [00:00:00] Uh, we thought it'd be really nice to get our coaches skipping ropes. So this was our like,
Shawn: oh, there's the golden book, Neil. I didn't realize I had it right in front of my, and I probably haven't opened. This is going to be a catalyst to me opening this damn thing again, but I forgot I had it right in front of me.
How do you find the will to fight back against the world that wants to keep you sedated, averaging, stuck in place? Join us for the tools and strategies you need to create a life of abundance, discipline, and high achievement. This is the Tactical Empire with Jeff Smith.
Shawn: What's up, ladies and gentlemen? It is Sean from the Tactical Empire, and we are bringing in one of our friends. From up north, he's coming from Canadia and it is Leon Bayer, Leon, thank you for coming on the show today. Hey, thanks for having [00:01:00] me. Awesome, brother. And Leon is business partners with one of the other men in the Tactical Empire's inner circle, Corey LaPelle, and they both came down, they came across the border into Scottsdale, Arizona for our meetup.
So I appreciate you guys making the trek over coming down south. How was it for you guys?
Leon: Oh, it was great. I was surprised they let us both in the country. So that was probably one of the biggest things.
Shawn: It's so funny, like actually getting to know you and Corey in person because you guys are, uh, for lack of a better term, like bubbly and positive and kind and constantly smiling and you guys ask great questions and you're very attentive, but you also have like maybe self deprecating humor is not the right thing, but you guys definitely like insinuate that you're some bad motherfuckers.
Leon: Yeah, well, you know, making fun of Corey is kind of my hobby and it's kind of my part time job right now. Yeah.
Shawn: So from, from what I know, I mean, uh, we're obviously recording at the end of 2024 you and Corey have known [00:02:00] each other since around 2006 and you know, you guys have about a 14 year age difference and you guys, he was either your coach or you guys were just friends inside of a facility.
Um, and then you guys actually became business partners. So. Uh, you were about 27 ish at the time and he would have been 41. I'm going to give a, the short version of your story. So why don't we just start there actually? Like how, how do two, I mean, I say grown men, but you were 27 and our brains don't fully develop until 28.
And I had a business partner up until age, like 26 and it was a clustered fuck. So how does a 27 year old and 41 year old become business partners? How does that work? Cause now you've been in business for, uh, however many years, 10, 11 years. So how does that work?
Leon: Yeah, well, you know, when I, when I met him, I think I was like 19 or something.
So he was my judo coach, uh, and, you know, started out in a very kind of coach like mentor relationship. [00:03:00] Then we, uh, became friends. We started to teach self defense with each other and stuff, traveled around the world. Uh, we have the same childish humor as you mentioned earlier. Um, so that's something that brought us together and really in 2013, uh, Corey was moving back from Europe.
And he sent out a thing to a bunch of us and just said, Hey, I'm moving back to the west side of Vancouver. You know, you're someone that I really appreciate and I'd love you to come and work with me. Uh, so I got certified, I started out as an apprentice coach and then everything kind of snowballed from there.
It's just, uh, you know, you keep showing up, you try and do a good job, you try and do it better and leave it better. And then, you know, you get opportunities. So it was just a huge invite. And I made the most out of the opportunity while I was working three other jobs to support my family and everything, and then became a full time coach.
Moved into more ownership operation things like just kept stepping up to the next level [00:04:00] as it was offered.
Shawn: So that, I mean, I, I don't want to be a bad podcast host and keep bringing the same topic. But as we bring more of these guys on that, we're actually at the meetup. I mean, Kirk Weissler's message about just finding himself in rooms and keep being invited the rooms and the rooms kept leveling up.
I mean, I feel like that. Has connected with a lot of men and I know we did a little, um, you know, sidebar assignment and that's kind of how I learned about your story with Corey. It was like, who was one of these four people that have been influential in your life and it have brought you into a new room and then allowed you to level up and it kind of, you kind of just reiterated it there.
So, um, you know, but you know, it's not always sunshine and rainbows. So what are some struggles? Either in the business or out of the business. Have you dealt with in business ownership and partnership over the years? I'm going to let you take that one wherever you want.
Leon: Oh yeah, for sure. Now, uh, Corey and I, we compliment each other pretty well.
It feels bad to say something nice about him, but hopefully he won't listen to this part. Sure. But [00:05:00] yeah, no, I find, uh, we level each other out. I'm more of the kind of the people person. So I tend to deal with our staff more day to day and things like that. As I'm starting to hand that stuff off now. And he's kind of more of the person who brings me down, uh, from what I'm dealing with people and I'm like, why are they just doing it in the dumbest way that I've ever done?
Um, so, uh, not really struggles with Corey. I think we compliment each other. Well, things go, uh, really, really well. Really well, um, but when I, uh, when I first met you guys, so you and Jeff, I was going through a really tough time. I had just gotten separated and it's not the separation that's hard, but it's just not being with the kids every single day because I Rejected my schedule, you know, I'm not a morning person, but I was working at 5 a.
m So I could be there to drop the kids off at school So I could be with them, uh, after school, making them dinner, make sure that they're picked up, taken to their events, doing whatever it is. I was just kind of being [00:06:00] super dad while working full time and doing all the things in the gym. So when that first happened and that was a big struggle, it was basically I went to work.
I went home and the only other place that I had was Jiu Jitsu. So that was the only place where I had to. Go and see friends. I dragged friends to the pub just cause I didn't want to be home. So it was, uh, it was a really, really tough time just not being able to be with the kids. And one of the things that I found is just even in the hard times, it's okay to not be okay.
And just keep working on developing yourself. Um, just. Do whatever you need to, uh, cause I thought, I'm like, Oh, I'm just crushing it at a leader, you know, as there's this dumpster fire behind me, I'm still crushing it. I'm still showing up and leading the team well, uh, and Corey and I had to have some conversations of, he's like, you know, everyone knows that you aren't okay.
Right? Like you can't keep trying to put on this front, like [00:07:00] you're doing just fine. Because you have no compassion for yourself and you're having no compassion for the staff either, right? And you think you're rocking it and you're crushing it, but if they make those little mistakes, like you give them no room to learn, you're just right on top of them.
Um, just giving them the lack of compassion that you're giving to yourself.
Shawn: So shout out to Corey, shout out to Corey for that. And so when that, when that kind of cataclysmic moment happens and your business partner confronts you. What were the next steps that you had to take? It wasn't just, you know, Oh, I gotta be a better leader.
Cause you had all this shit going on on the outside. And, and like, as we say in the tech empire, you are the asset. So like, I don't care if your business is crushing it. If you're not okay, as you said, you're not okay. It will bleed into the other areas of life. So I have no clue what you're going to say to this question, but like, what were those steps that you took?
And it didn't, it wasn't a light switch. It wasn't just like, Oh, okay, Corey, you're right. Here we go back to fucking normal. But what did that look like for you in your [00:08:00] life?
Leon: Well, well, so I'm like, you don't know about me. I'm a robot. So I just inputted it completely changed, turned on a dime. You
Shawn: are the man.
You are a man, but we could be a robot, but an uncrushed. Unprogrammable robot, uh, Moe's middle heart.
Leon: Yeah, a very horrible robot. The input didn't take, to be honest. Um, but just finding different rooms to be in, so finding different mentoring groups that was helpful to have different people to bounce ideas off and to get out of the day to day was key.
Um, another thing with our, a lot of our staff, we have a lot of female staff, uh, and you know, we communicate differently, like back two years ago, if you're crushing it, I'm not talking to you. I'm just like, Sean, just keep doing your thing. You're doing excellent. Right. And that didn't work for a lot of our female staff.
So what we found is when they're crushing it, we need to come up and be communicative and express that they're crushing it. And talking to them. So after Corey went to Nashville [00:09:00] for one of the meetups, um, we, I signed up for one of the Dale Carnegie courses. And so, um, you know, being able to win friends and influence people and being able to give people gratitude and things like that, that were weaknesses of mine.
I tend to be more of a physical Taj acts of service kind of guy. Um, so being able to, um, express to them that they're appreciative and, you know, being able to give them the love and the attention that they need and not just think, Oh, well, the way that I do it, it's fine. That was something that was really helpful.
Shawn: Well, I thank you for bringing that up. This is something as I go into my next brick and mortar, um, business, I know I failed at and didn't do so well as a leader in my last business. And so I've been studying a lot about this topic and I'm far, obviously far from, um, proving that I've changed, but I know that I'm implementing things that I believe.
Are in the best interest of the team members and how I [00:10:00] communicate with them. So how did you take that acknowledgment of needing to lead different people better in your example, females differently, and then go into the Dale Carnegie course and whether it was stuff from the course or stuff outside of the course, my question is, and what I'm really harping on trying to study is like, How do I learn about how someone else wants to be led?
And the easy answer is you sit down and have a conversation with them. But there's one thing about humans is there's what they say, and then there's what they don't say. And it's hard for me to like bridge that gap sometimes. And I know over time, hopefully that gap gets tighter, but what did that look like tactically for you when you were having those conversations or what type of exercises did you do with your staff or questions?
Did you ask, what did you do for them? Yeah.
Leon: Yeah. Well, um, within the Dale Carnegie course, we had different exercises, so. We'd be working on a different tool. If you ever have the golden book, I'll show you next meetup. Yeah. Yeah. I have them. Yeah. Basically they talk about the different levels and it's like, okay, well, you [00:11:00] want to use one of these, uh, frameworks this week, and then you're going to come and tell us how it went and how it worked.
So about two years ago. Uh, we thought it'd be really nice to get our coaches skipping ropes. So this was our like, oh, there's the golden book,
Shawn: Neil. I didn't realize I had it right in front of Micah. And I probably haven't opened. This is going to be a catalyst to me opening this damn thing again, but I forgot I had it right in front of me.
Leon: Honestly, Sean, like just open it. And yeah, okay, I'm going to use one of these principles with my wife, with one of my kids, things like that. And just, you know, Success breeds success. So just do that. We were going to get them skipping ropes. And you know, about half the staff was just over the moon. Like there's some that don't even skip.
And they're like, I'm going to have my own custom skipping rope. And they're like writing on the sheet. Now we had two or three coaches that were just dragging their feet. And they just could care less. And we can't get the order in until we have everyone's rope size. Custom, all that kind of stuff. So [00:12:00] we're like harping on them to give them this gift.
So
Leon: what that made me realize is that for these staff gifts weren't important. Right. And I'm thinking about one in particular, and this was a coach that we, we almost fired her three times, like we almost did. Um, but once we kind of got in speaking her language, she became one of our top performers. So unfortunately she moved to Europe now and left us, but we found the right roles for her.
And we, like, loved her and appreciated her and talked to her in the right way. So, for her, the gift didn't matter. What would be more important is going for a walk with me or having coffee with me.
Shawn: Right? And
Leon: you did a great job today. Wow. The way that you coached that athlete, you got them to squeeze their glutes.
It was phenomenal, right? I was about to jump in, but you corrected them. You saw it, you're crushing it. Like, so just giving her those affirmations that she's doing a good job and having that quality time, she would take that way [00:13:00] over anything else. And you know, that, that made us realize that when she was leaving, unfortunately she left, like she just became great.
And then she needed to move to Europe to be closer to her oldest daughter. It was just so unfortunate for us, but it was so great to see her growth. Right. Like here's this under performer to become one of our top performers and one of the best coaches in our gym. Um, you know, we went out for dinner, so we took her and her husband, Corey and Sunky came, um, and it was just a great time.
It was good. Cause she felt the love. She felt the appreciation for everything that she did for us. And, uh, You know, it's great to see someone elevate and really be a catalyst for that.
Shawn: Sure. Well, I can tell that you, you love seeing people move on to bigger and better things, even though it can put our businesses in a weird position in the short term.
But you know, that whole situation doesn't go without paying dividends to you, or it doesn't happen without paying dividends. You've Uh, in perpetuity, because now you've learned [00:14:00] that lesson and, you know, you're kind of talking about the five love language result without saying that, is that something that you guys now have implemented?
And the question here is like, what are you doing now when you hire new staff or are interviewing new staff to be 20 steps ahead of the leadership style they desire or the love language they desire? And just for those that don't know, like the five love languages, the same thing for your marriage and relationship, the same shit.
It plays into businesses. It's the same damn book. It's just titled five level line, which is for employees. Um, but they, they hold true. So what are you guys doing now on the front end when you're bringing new employees in so you can set yourself up for success on how to lead them and level them?
Leon: Yeah. So, uh, we asked them, which is not a great indicator, uh, as you said, sometimes people say, oh, I want this, but they don't really know what they want.
Then we just kind of have some awareness of how they're responding. Um, I think using those tools, uh, it, it's really easy to build that [00:15:00] relationship because it's about kind of building trust first and then like having the leadership levels compound on top of that. Um, so just, it's not just taking their word for it, but just seeing what are they really responding to and what are the things that are lighting them up.
When it's happening. Yeah.
Shawn: What characteristics are you looking for people outside of what they may put on a resume when you're interacting with them before, you know, dotting your Ts and signing the bottom of a new contract? What, what do you look for? In people, because you guys are in the service based business, you're in a client facing business.
So, um, you know, this isn't like a macho man, uh, HVAC service, I'm just gonna come in your house and fix your shit. Like, we're, we're developing relationships with our staff and our clients. So, what are you looking for? Some of those intangibles, possibly.
Leon: This is an interesting one, just because I think our coaches are very diverse.
You know, there's some that are introverts, there's some that are extroverted, there's some that are very loud and boisterous. I'm [00:16:00] Um, so I don't think that those things matter. Um, we try and beat them over the head with our values and see if they literally align with what our values are, but like empowerment, fun and team and community and all that kind of stuff.
So we try and beat them over the head with our values. And then you don't always know, uh, cause sometimes people say that they want something, but it's not necessarily what they want. Jory had, uh, one of our more recent hires, it didn't work out, um, you know, he came in and he seemed perfect on paper. He's like, I want to work 30 hours a week, you know, I want to become a staff member so I can get my, uh, you know, citizenship and things like that.
Like, he seemed like the perfect guy that we could just hand stuff off to. Hey, you can do the kids classes, you could do group classes. I paid for him to get his level one so he could start to coach CrossFit and all that kind of stuff. And then three months later, you know, realizing that, you know, He wasn't a good fit because every time that we [00:17:00] tried to give him that opportunity.
So even like to shadow, like we're going to pay, like, we're going to pay you to shadow because we're, if this is an investment in you, we can make sure that you can come on, you can hit those 30 hours a week. Um, and one of the problems when you're a coach is that you always see the best in people. So you always kind of work towards their potential, not to who they are.
So
Leon: really being a realist in what they're showing you as well, like, you know, if If I offer like, Hey dude, you can stay for another hour. I'm going to pay you to do this. And he chooses to go off and get breakfast, probably not hungry. Probably not for breakfast. He's hungry, but probably not actually coach.
Shawn: The ideal team player. Here we go. Give Patrick Lencioni a shout out. That book is somewhere. I think it's over farther on my shelf. So, uh, humble, hungry people, smart. And I like that. To add in, uh, I used to add in discipline there as a value. Um, but I've really changed it, uh, as I've gotten older and maybe a little [00:18:00] less, as you said, robotic and Hey, you're doing a good job.
I'm not going to say anything to you. Uh, so like, I still really like humble, hungry and empathy or people smart. Um, but I've added in the fourth value is serious. Lee Fun. No, like I want, I want you to be serious about the job that we have to do and get to do, but the space that we're in, like we have to have fun doing this.
Man, like we're not Elon Musk trying to land a man on the moon where like if you have a little too much fun you're gonna fuck up a code and someone's gonna be shot to the, to the sun instead, right? Like, like we're helping people, we're service based people, we're, we're a relationship, we're in the hospitality business.
Uh, shout out to, uh, Unreasonable Hospitality, one of the rare new books I'm trying to read this year, dived into it last night. Um, so. Let me guess, did that person last less than a hundred days? Uh,
Leon: so he was about three months. [00:19:00] So that's in the contract, so yeah, less
Shawn: than a hundred days. So let's hang on that, like, like I, I've really become Aware of people can fake it for a hundred days, 90 days.
And you just said three months. That's 91, 92 days. Right? So how can we, and this is an open question, cause I'm interested in your answer as someone that's, uh, you know, a pretty good team builder is how can we try And cut through that bullshit faster, especially on the front end. I don't think we can perfectly.
I'm not going to have people take three freaking personality tests. And like, I'm not a psychotherapist. I'm not going to do that. I might have them do one, especially, but like, you know, how can, how can we maybe cut through some of that bullshit to see if they're, you know, going to last more than a hundred days?
Cause it's really, really hard to see who people are until that hundred day mark.
Leon: Um, what, when I started with Corey, um, I was just a coach, like I was just coming on. I was more so like, Hey, I get to work with one of my best friends, uh, and this is going to be pretty cool. [00:20:00] I was working three jobs at the time, uh, and, and I live 45 minutes away from the gym.
So for two, two of my, well, maybe three of my three jobs, I had to commute 45 minutes each way when there wasn't traffic. So as soon as there's traffic, it's more. So I'm literally driving to the gym to do my workout, to do a little bit of coaching, driving back to, uh, take my ex to school, and then I'm driving back with my daughter to do some more coaching, and I'm going back, and then I'm driving at night to bounce, um, and, and I'm still coming in, and I'm, like, having good energy, I'm still working hard.
Um, anyways, long story long, I wanted like, like I, I was hungry for this. So sometimes as someone who wanted it, I'm like, well, you want it to like, Hey, Sean, like you would drive 45 minutes, like seven times a day in traffic, like falling asleep as you're trying to drive home that that was sketchy. That was, that was at the guy's club.
Luckily no one was on [00:21:00] the road and I'm still here and safe. I wouldn't recommend that. I was in my 20s guys. Don't do that. That's basically 90%. Sounds hard, but, but I was like, I was hung. I was like, let's go. Right. And I never at that time thought I could make a living as a coach. I just always love coaching.
I love the idea of making people better and leaving them better than you found them. Right. Like that, that was just something that was passionate. It started on the judo mats. I just went and coached the kids and taught them how to kiai. And they used to try and tackle me all the time and stuff like that.
And just like being a fun presence for them and seeing those kids develop and get better. It was just so cool. And I didn't think for a year, so this is like 2007 till probably 2012. I'm like, yeah, coaching is a really fun passion project that you can do on the side and be homeless. Uh, but it's pretty cool to be able to make a living anyways.
Long story long because I wanted it. I [00:22:00] assume that other people want what I want,
but
Leon: it's actually really getting deep to the core of their essence. Like, what are they showing you? Not what are they telling you? And also like, what do they really want at the end of the day? Cause sometimes they don't want to tell you that they, you know, like this a gentleman, like he's not a bad guy or anything.
Um, but he just wanted to have a stable thing that he could get his citizenship. That's all that mattered. It didn't matter if it was with us or if it was with Jim Bob down the street. Yeah. If he wasn't really passionate about coaching CrossFit, it just seemed like a means to an end to his goal. So, um, not assuming that they want what you want and really listening loudly to their actions rather than trying to dictate what they're going to do from their words.
Shawn: Uh, now I, I feel like you're someone that's easy to talk to and, uh, I don't fancy myself as the best conversationalist, but. Um, you know, I know when to, to turn things on in conversation, how does one foster the [00:23:00] ability to, to let other people know that you can come to me with thoughts and feelings and disagreements, especially early on in a relationship, that's something, an employment relationship, that's something that I've found to be a struggle for me, is like, Again, there's not only what people say and then what they do, there's what they're thinking that they're not saying.
And so how have you allowed that? Uh, I'm just assuming that that's something that your team comes to you with, um, but like, how do you reinforce that to them?
Leon: Uh, well, I have a book recommendation for you. Let's
Shawn: go.
Leon: Um, I'm surrounded by idiots. So I thought it was like a documentary series of my life or something.
It was just going to be how I go through my day every single time. But. It was interesting because it talks about the four colors. So it talks about red, yellow, green, blue, and stuff like that. And I remember listening to the audio book cause I'm super dyslexic. So audio books just work way better for me.[00:24:00]
And I'm listening to it and he's like, there's four colors. And you know, these colors are going to have these attributes and this and this and this, and I'm thinking in my head, this guy's just blabbing on. Like, what the heck? Like, just get to the point already. And then immediately in the audio book, he's like, do you feel like I'm just blabbing on, would you like for you to get to the point and I'm like, get out of my head, dude, what's going on?
And he's like, you're probably a red personality type. And then he went in and proceeded to talk about it. And from that point, like it kind of got me hooked and I'm like. So anyways, uh, we need to be aware of our own quirks. So for me on the personality spectrum, I'm red green. Not though that's going to mean anything to you till you read the book.
But you know, with me, I can be pretty short with people when I think what they're saying is stupid. So if I'm like, why are you, why are you saying things in the dumbest way that it could be said? And this is a classic line of me before. Dale Carnegie, [00:25:00] right? I
Shawn: think I might be a red green because it's like, it's like, why are you stuttering?
Just get out what you need to say. Why did you just say the same thing five times? Just tell me, tell me the damn thing.
Leon: Yeah. Or it could just be taking the reins of that conversation. Like, okay, everything that you just said is dumb. So we're going to do it this way. Right. Like, and that's more of, that's more of the red.
And again, knowing you, I can see those conversations happening. I don't think it's just me. I'm not the only problem. Um, but anyways, um, with the continued development, it's understanding your own quirks in yourself. So, what I realized is, especially when I was in that bad place, uh, right when the separation happened, uh, I was very short, and I wasn't giving people room to breathe.
And now, what I realized with my own personality is, I need to take a step back and actually be willing to listen. So, even if we aren't going to execute on it, sometimes people just want to be listened to, which seems dumb, right? Like, it seems [00:26:00] so stupid. It's like, no, let's solve the problem and let's get it done fast.
Uh, by actually just sitting back and being able to listen to our team, it's given them the ability to talk more and to feel safe too. And sometimes they don't want you to do anything about it. Sometimes they just want to hear, they, they just want you to hear, and they just want to be, uh, respected. And especially if they have more of that green personality type, we have a lot of greens and that's kind of the majority.
They care more about the community and they care more about. Uh, everyone getting a say and some involvement, so that can really tick a red off and with all the work that I've done with the Dale Carnegie, with, uh, you know, listening to books and trying to develop myself, really the biggest key and the biggest helpful piece for me was getting to know my own quirks and how my own brain works, right?
When people are kind of saying things that I find kind of boring. I tend to be quick to check out and now I can [00:27:00] be with that and I can be like, Hey, you're about to check out dude. I get it. You want them to get to the point, but just for the relationship, let's listen, or let's ask a good question that can kind of steam roll this and get the conversation back on track.
So, um, sometimes people just want to be listened to, which seems really weird for me. Um, but being willing to step out of your comfort zone and do things in ways that it's going to support them. That's, uh, been a big game changer for me. And, you know, you still have to have your redness and you still have to be able to like squash things when it needs to be squashed, but you need to pick your battles and, uh, be willing to continue that work on yourself.
Shawn: I think a lot of, I think a lot of men can relate to what you said earlier about being extremely hungry, especially in your 20s, and that you're just going to do anything and everything, um, to, to make things work. And that's usually at the detriment of, uh, To our physical and mental [00:28:00] health. Uh, you may have been a specimen cause you were working out, uh, but you weren't getting any rest.
So, you know, now in hindsight that that was probably the worst thing for you. I talked to at the Scottsdale meetup, like everyone touts how impressive their work ethic is, but they have shit rest ethic. And it's like, that's something I'm taking seriously going in to this year. And I've actually, I'm someone that was like, I only had like one true rest day a week.
And now I've gotten in the past like month really comfortable with two rest days, but I bring that up because now I can see it from just this 27 minutes on this podcast. You've done a lot of internal work, whereas, you know, in your twenties, it was a lot of external. Transcribed Physical manual labor at the detriment of sleep.
But now you've really gone internal. Would you say, I don't want to put words in your mouth. What would you say to someone else that you see not doing the internal work on how that has improved, uh, all areas of your life?
Leon: Um, I get it, dude. You can run through a wall, right? I [00:29:00] get it. You can kind of work hard, uh, but hard work isn't necessarily what's going to get you to the next step, right?
Relationship building, team building. Um, and continuing to improve yourself is what's going to make the difference. Um, and you know, going back to Kirk's thing, keep going to the rooms that you're invited to. So I did really well in that Dale Carnegie course and I did so well that they invited me back as a assistant business coach.
Love that. It was funny how I'm like, Oh, I'm just doing the same course again and stuff. But then now that you're kind of a mentor to people within the program. You look at it a little bit different. So the principles that really spoke to me the first time were different than the principles that spoke to me the second time.
And it was cool to be able to be the example for people and continue that work. Um, it's not going to be easy cause it's kind of against what you think, right? I thought hard work was the way I'd just run through a wall. [00:30:00] Everything's going to work out, but, um, you have to be multifaceted. You have to be able to get both pieces.
Cause if you don't West, if you don't take care of your mind, then you're just going to burn out. Right. And I, and I know what it's like to be miserable, like back when my separation and stuff happened, uh, my business was thriving, right. And not because of me, in spite of me, like somehow I've been a good enough leader and Corey had been a good enough leader that our staff was doing quite well.
Right. They were crushing it. Uh, we were hitting new goals, new metrics, and it wasn't because of me. It wasn't because of my hard work. Um, continuing to foster that so that other people can grow and step up. Uh, that's going to make the biggest difference. So don't be afraid to work on yourself, even if you feel like you can't work hard anymore.
Yeah, you're just, you're, you're just in a point where your energy is going to be saps. No, you're taking flights to see your kids. Every month. Um, [00:31:00] you know, you're, you know, you're working your ass off just to hold it together. Yeah. Right. Some days you're walking in and you're like, Hey, dude, just don't cry today.
Just, just don't do that. Um, you know, and also for me, it was just a big shift. A big part of my personality and a big part of who I was was super dad. And that's what it was. And, you know, feeling like that identity was stripped for me. That was a real game changer in how I saw myself and what I did. So anyways, right now in your twenties, you feel like you can just work hard and you can work hard through it, but really you need to be a multifaceted human and you have to take care of all those pieces, they, they all matter.
You got to have strength somewhere. It's okay to work on those weaknesses and it's okay that you aren't good at it yet. Yes. Just keep kind of pushing forward and putting [00:32:00] one foot in front of the other man, like you got this shit. Rome wasn't built in a day. It's Kaizen. 1 percent better. That, that's, that's all you need to do.
You don't need to do a 180. You need to do 1 percent better and hey, if I was a seven out of 10 asshole today, that's better than when I was a 10 asshole yesterday.
Shawn: Yeah. And then the average over time, right? You want to bring that average down. So what I, what I love, I love you three books that made a big impact on me.
Those, those you that are in the inner circle know that I'm big on stoicism. And, uh, you know, the first book I read was the obstacle is the way, and it fired, it fired me up because it gave me a reason. To one, run through brick walls. That's just an obstacle. That's the way. Let me put my head down and run through that shit.
Um, and what I didn't realize was that book was all about the externals. And so, I got super excited when he brought out his second book, Ego is the Enemy. And I was like, fuck yeah. I'm gonna read this. I read it and I was like, infuriated. I was so, um, [00:33:00] because it was so much harder because it was internal work and I was like, fuck that.
Like that sucks. This is why I'm not getting where I want to go. It's not that I can't run through walls. It's that I'm not, I'm not trying to fix me. Um, and so I have to go internal. I have to actually understand these principles and how they apply to me. And then he comes out with the third one and it's stillness is the key.
So we go live that one. Yeah, we go from running through brick walls to doing the deep work on ourselves and then it's like go sit in nature for an hour and don't even look at your phone or actually rest as we were saying earlier. So those three things that really impacted me. My life, but I can see that you've done a lot of work on yourself.
So how, when you come into the type of vampires inner circle and you hear that you are the asset, like what does that mean to Leon Bayer now at this season of life, like obviously we do family fitness, finance, freedom. You are the asset. We want to look at what areas of, as you said, right. Um, What [00:34:00] areas of those are we going to grow right now and which one are we just going to maintain because we are multifaceted human beings and it doesn't mean like I don't like growth just for growth sake in all areas like when I coach someone through, you know, a quarterly planning session.
I'm like, well, which areas do you just need to maintain? This quarter and which ones are we going to grow? So, and that comes back to, you are the asset, understanding yourself, understanding where you want to go and understanding what you have the capacity to work on in a particular manner this quarter.
So what does you are the asset mean to Leon bear right now?
Leon: Um, being the asset, it's very different before it was just like, let's work out. Let's do jujitsu all the time, all those kinds of things. I'd say. Um, you know, fitness wise, I'm doing well, there, there's nothing there this quarter that speaks out, uh, you know, getting ready to compete in Judo so I can get my black belt there, but yeah, fitness is pretty good.
Um, finance is always a struggle, you know, especially with a separation. Um, you know, money goes not as far [00:35:00] as you would like, but it's really great. I get to fly out and see my kids once a month and, you know, having the opportunity and the freedom to do that. Is great. Um, I, I want to fly them out here. So really financially, I'd love to get to the point where I could fly the kids out here once a month, right?
Having them home, having them in BC would be above and beyond, uh, great. Cause going and being a guest in another province kind of sucks, but hey, you do what you can. You show up. And then definitely that family piece, you know, getting all the ducks in the row, uh, for my divorce and all that kind of stuff.
I think that kind of is the biggest thing and, you know, all this work hasn't just been good for the business, but it's been good for my relationship with my kids as well. You know, when I was with them all the time, I could just run through walls with them, right? It's there all the time. And now, you know, now that I'm a little further away, um, you know, being there as more of an emotional [00:36:00] presence and showing them that they can do more than they expect.
I, I liked, uh, what Kurt brought up about having the, uh, adjective. Board for them,
Shawn: right?
Leon: So being able to show them like here's an example of when you were that word things like that So what does I'm the asset look like to me? It's getting my finances in order and taking care of my kids and Being a strong presence for them
Shawn: Well, I love that because, you know, people come in, a lot of people come to the title empire because of the finance piece.
Um, and obviously we have our courses and what we teach people there, but like at the end of the day, like I want people to invest in their lifestyle. And like right now that season for you is being able to afford a plane ticket to go see your kids. And then you just have to move that up one level to fly them to you.
And so for you, like I would love to see that happen. In the next three to six months, as opposed to you going and buying a property, right? Like just go [00:37:00] be a better leader and build your, build your business bigger so you can afford that lifestyle shift of flying your kids to you, uh, every month. I'd absolutely love to see that from, from our side of things.
So I'm going to end with this one, man. Um, and maybe you just answered it. So feel free to say the same thing or answer is like. I want to know at the end of this podcast, like, uh, what does Leon Baer want to put out into the universe? So next time he's on the podcast or someone that listened to the podcast that sees him at the next meetup can say, Hey, did you accomplish that thing?
What are you working on right now that fucking wakes you up in the morning? Hopefully after you've gotten eight hours of sleep to catch up on the twenties.
Leon: What's eight hours of sleep? Never heard of it. I love my sleep. Oh, it's so good. Uh, when I was going for three hours of sleep, I didn't realize how bad that was still, I was out of that.
Well, but yeah, I, I think really it's okay to not be okay. Uh, and you can [00:38:00] still develop yourself when you're in that space. It's not that you're just a lost cause or anything like that. You can continue to move forward. Even in the face of that adversity, and it's going to take shape in different ways, um, show up in different rooms and lead them better than you found them.
So, uh, a cool thing as far as freedom that I've had is now I get to teach grappling twice a week, right? So this isn't like, Oh, I'm going to make money or anything like that. It's just something that's really fun to do. You know, I'm teaching a Judo class at my Jiu Jitsu gym and creating a community and it's a well attended and people are upping the class.
We actually have a six degree black belt that showed up. So as far as, uh, creating community, that's going to make things better. Like it's amazing to be able to step into a room and have someone who's been doing judo longer than I've been alive, contributing, uh, to everyone in that space. So come at it, let's make things [00:39:00] better and be okay with not being okay.
Sometimes it's okay. You, you got this. Keep stepping forward, challenging yourself in different ways and growing in the areas that maybe you neglected in the past.
Shawn: Well, Leon, I appreciate you coming into our room and adding value to the Tactical Empire's inner circle. I look forward to not only having you on the podcast again, but seeing you at the next meetup next year, flying you back over the border from Canada to the good old United States.
Of America. Maybe someday we'll keep you guys over here. We'll ransack and kidnap you guys. You can't go back. But find a place warm enough. And I think I might be down. Let's go. I heard California is fantastic. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I heard Jeff loves California. I heard he absolutely does. Let's put words in his mouth.
Jeff Smith loves California and he loves big government. Should have been here to defend himself. That's all I have to say. He'll see, he'll show you the [00:40:00] text that says, Hey man, I got the podcast today. Go, go be with that. So Leon, I appreciate you, man. I appreciate your positivity and, uh, just your, your, your smile and the enthusiasm that you bring to the group.
And I can definitely see, uh, that people that have the opportunity to work with you at your businesses, um, are probably in really, really, really good hands and hopefully they understand that and are grateful. Nice shot. I appreciate it. You're welcome, man. We'll see you later. Take care.