Episode Details

FITNESS IS THE KEY INGREDIENT TO FIGHT ADDICTION!

Struggling to be happy in recovery? Are you sick of trying everything to escape addiction only to realize it's not sustainable? 

Then you will need to listen to this episode with Celebrity Chef and Fitness Personality, Michael Chernow!

“The business of business is relationships, and the foundation of relationships is trust, because I believe that. I say that in business, but it's also just in general. The business of happiness is relationships and the foundation of relationships is trust.”- Michael Chernow

With that quote alone, you can already say that there are lots of things you can learn from my guest today. He is Michael Chernow --  a chef, entrepreneur. He is the founder of Seamore, co-founder of The Meatball Shop, and co-founder of WellWell. He's quite literally the modern-day renaissance man. But what I love most about him is he's really into fitness, and fitness helped to save his life from the depths of addiction, and which we will definitely get into.

How is Michael’s life adjusted since this whole COVID thing hit?

Instead of upgrading their apartment when they had their second child, they bought a place out of the city which is their best decision because they are staying there for two and a half months now. Their boys are enjoying their life out of the city.

Unfortunately, his grandfather, 98, contracted the virus on Friday of last week in his nursing home. He has lived a very fruitful life. It's a shame that this is potentially what could be the end for him, and Michael’s family sort of really bummed out about that.

However, Michael is a positive optimist, he always finds the silver lining in everything and he also tries to make lemonade whenever he sees lemons and at this time, he’s actually out there just trying to make some lemonade.

Michael is greatly inspired by his grandfather because he absolutely lived a wonderful life -- born in 1919, survived the 20s Great Depression, fought World War 2, created businesses, and failed at some businesses. His grandfather is now 98 years old, and his number one priority was great relationships with people and he had an amazing network of friends.

For Michael, we all need to reset and pump the brakes. He has done a lot in the last 10 years and he admits that it hasn’t been the healthiest. 

He is just extreme in anything he does. He was an “addict.” When it comes to business and work, he’s been into the grindstone non-stop for the last 11 years and this time has forced him to slow down, to not beat himself up, for not producing an enormous amount of shit every day, and to slow down to hold his son for more than two minutes.

For Michael, what is life all about?

It's ultimately about love. That human beings were put on the planet to love and be loved at the end of the day.

In his own experience, he drank and did drugs because he wanted to be loved, and learn how to love himself and, and in his own perspective, everything that we do at the core of motivation or lack of motivation is the desire to love and be loved.

How did Michael get out of doing drugs and drinking?

He fell in love with escapism. At an early age, he fell in love with it. He started working in restaurants at 13. He worked in the night and he was perfect for it. There were a bunch of years where it was just super fun for him. But suddenly, all of the fun stopped and he started drinking and partying. His dad passed away when he was 20. Michael was not on good terms with his father, and he always used that as a grand excuse to just take it even further.

From 20 to 23, he was on a death march, but he still always had a job and always kept his job in a restaurant or nightclub. 

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