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I was born in a cult.
Ask the members, and they’ll tell you it’s a harmless religion.
Then again, they would say that.
After all, they’re in a cult.
By age 5, I was listening to bedtime stories about God seeking revenge in the Old Testament.
By age 10, I was convinced that anyone not in our Church was doomed when Armageddon came.
By 15, I was knocking on my classmates’ doors, spreading the “good news.”
The exact opposite of what makes you popular in high school.
Rebellion and Loss
My mid-teens marked a turning point as I began to rebel by partying, drinking alcohol & using recreational drugs.
The usual suspects. All to my father’s disapproval.
I desperately wanted out of the religion, but I was told, “Not until you’re 18.”
“While you’re under my roof, you’ll live by my rules” was the mantra.
As an only child, my father and I had always been close.
His heart condition meant we couldn’t do the usual father-son activities, like playing sports or running around the park.
But he never let it stop him from living life to the fullest—motorcycles, lifting weights; anything the doctors told him he couldn’t do, he did anyway.
Despite our close relationship, we constantly clashed over the religion.
Ironically, the night my world unraveled was the same night we were supposed to attend a church party.
We were getting ready to go out. Naturally, I resisted.
After the usual argument, I sat in the car outside, waiting to leave.
Fifteen minutes passed. The front door was open, but he wasn’t coming out.
I left the car, stepped back inside, and found him lying unconscious in the hallway.
Ambulance.
Hospital.
Gone.
Just like that, I lost my father and my best friend.
At 16, I was a cocktail of sadness, anger, and escapism.
What was even more confusing? I also felt relieved.
Broken by the loss of my father.
Relieved that I could finally fade away from the cult.
I stopped going to their meetings and cut off all contact.
The price of freedom had come at the cost of losing my father.
Falling Through The Cracks
After my father pased, I moved in with my mother, who had left the religion years prior after their divorce.
Living with her gave me more freedom, but with my father gone, I had lost all sense of discipline.
Chaos ensued, and my years from 16 to 19 blurred into a haze of alcohol, drugs & weekend-long binges.
By some miracle, I finished high school with enough qualifications for college.
Yet the lack of discipline caught up with me again, and I couldn’t keep pace with the workload.
As a grieving, damaged 19-year-old, I could barely go a day without drinking, never mind figure out my future.
After bouncing around different courses (Music Technology → Architecture), I eventually dropped out, drowning in student loan debt.
Entering The Matrix
During my early 20s I got into a long-term relationship, so naturall the next step was to get a job.
That’s when I officially entered the “rat race.”
Paying bills, vacations once a year, working 9-5 in an office.
I was living the capitalist dream we’ve all been sold.
It’s a shame it was making me fat and miserable.
No meaningful work.
A body I wasn’t proud of.
Locked into a system designed to control me and bleed me dry.
Days blurred into each other, and the only thing to look forward to was the next vacation.
When COVID hit, I knew I needed out.
I’m not proud of how I ended things, but I had to do what was best for me—and spare my ex the trouble of being with someone who wasn’t fully committed.
I moved into an apartment on my own and faced a stark choice:
Let my habits, lifestyle, and reliance on the matrix continue to control my life…
Or break free and level up.
I chose the latter and never looked back.
How I Finally Transformed My Physique
In the years prior I had started getting into fitness.
But I had countless failed attempts at getting in shape and could never stay consistent.
The strategies I was using were influenced by the mainstream health industry.
Myths like:
- Cutting out fats
- Restrictive dieting
- Relying on cardio to lose weight
- Trying to spot-reduce fat with ab workouts
These led me astray for years.
The lack of discipline was also a factor, but you’re only as good as the system you use.
I finally got results when I started:
- Walking daily
- Lifting weights 3x per week
- Maintaining a calorie deficit
- Following IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros)
These habits were key in overcoming the most critical aspect of fitness:
Staying consistent.
My whole life changed when I got in shape:
- I had more confidence
- My energy levels increased
- I finally liked what I saw in the mirror
- People treated me with more respect
This transformation led to a modeling contract, and motivated me to launch my own online fitness coaching business.
Making My First $5K Online
This topic deserves it’s own article.
But for now, just know that making my first $5K was not an overnight process.
I bounced around multiple business models, had several failed attempts, and built my hopes up—only to have them crushed by yet another failure.
Making money online isn’t easy, but it’s damn sure worth it.
Here are some alternatives:
- Work a job
- Join an off-grid community
- Marry someone rich
The downside of all three? You’re reliant on someone else:
- A job ties you to an employer.
- An off-grid community requires coexistence and cooperation.
- Marrying rich means financial dependence.
When you build a business online, it’s you vs. you.
Of course, you need an offer compelling enough to persuade someone to buy from you.
But the business itself is yours.
The profits are yours.
The freedom is yours.
In today’s economy, building an online business is your best shot at abundance.
I spent 8 years procrastinating, thinking about it, looking for shortcuts.
I spent another 2 years trying to figure out online fitness coaching myself.
After working with a business coach for 12 months, I made $5K in a month.
That’s the power of working with an expert.
You don’t need a coach.
An online course can be just as valuable.
But if you can afford to hire one? Do it.
Just make sure they’re trustworthy, and their business model aligns with what YOU want to build.
The Path to Freedom
Fitness was my gateway to freedom.
Without that transformation, I would never have had a chance at escaping the 9-to-5 grind.
Which I’ve come to realize was the root of my unhappiness.
The system we are born into must be questioned.
But the path to freedom requires self-discipline to build an income online.
For me, that journey started with getting in shape and taking control of my mental and physical health.
That’s why I’ve built systems to help others transform—without suffering the same mistakes I did.
In the coming articles we’ll dive deeper into how to escape the matrix and build a life of freedom.
Until then.
Peace,
Josh
