Hungry Dog Barbell Podcast
Run with the pack!
Donate to Nemours Children’s Health through Dewey Beach Championship
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/secure.qgiv.com/event/dv2024deweybeachchampionship/account/1756523-Hungrydog__;!!G6MNE2S8Nw!nV-7_Ww5dxmxBkmANrVbDp2V0Z4zJ4JGxxTu-W9a8_Vz7rmIMP7Su2jVxOJbHc7w0nzvJxnHed7-xvEh-9r5TOT3aRsk$
Hungry Dog Barbell Podcast
Bern Prince and the Invictus Boston Invitational
The latest episode deep dives into the journey of Burn Prince and the evolution of the Invictus Boston Invitational, highlighting the challenges and successes of the competition. Key themes include the importance of community, inclusive practices, leadership, and adaptability in the face of change.
• Overview of Invictus Boston and its unique gym structure
• Reflection on the growth and achievements of 2024
• Insights into successful competition organization and teamwork
• Discussion of diversity and inclusion in CrossFit events
• Future plans for the upcoming Invitational and new experiences
*Links for the online qualifier and details about the competition can be found in the description.*
So Invictus Boston is one gym, but I don't know if you've ever been to Boston. Most CrossFit gyms are warehouses, right? Yeah, so all of our gyms are in the basement of big buildings. Ah, ok. So if you know Boston well, it's like all three gyms are separated by half a mile. If you have three classes going on at the same time at 5 o'clock, we look at it as like class 36. Yeah, so you got to make sure everybody's covered so you just run around. I mean, I think I'm just used to it, so it's not running around to me, but, like at first, you're like okay, where am I, where am I going?
Speaker 2:yeah, I'll be from that first conversation. We know that, like you, good in those situations, right, like throwing the balls in the air and like keeping them moving. You know like we, we learned that those are your skills, bro.
Speaker 1:I'm glad to see the mustache is still looking good too, still looking crisp over there thank you, old man stash, I know right, I started to grow it in and um, I don't know, um it kind of I don't know if it's one of those things that, like, there's some things I want to hold on to like to feel young yeah but there's also certain things I'm like.
Speaker 1:Well, why not, you know? So the reception has been good. I'm going to keep it. Not that I'm supposed to. You're not supposed to care what other people think, but other people like it, so I like it.
Speaker 2:It can play into it. You can't let that be everything, but you can let it play into it, right? But like, we're here to talk about the Invitational man. But like, let's recap a little bit. Right, it's been like two years since you've been on man. Like, tell me about 2024 for you. Like, how do you feel it went? Are you where you wanted to be in December 2024 when January 2024 first capped off? Like, like, recap your year for me.
Speaker 1:Last year was tremendous in the fact that it was almost like a this weird validation right. I started the comp out of nothing, i't. There was no expectations, but last year was the first time I felt like like it met my expectations. I like the programming I'm biased because I program it right but also last year's in 23, or is it 24? Uh, my last few years I thought were my best years okay, so you got that feeling from 23 and carried it over, carried it over and I'm going to give a long-winded Brent Prince answer.
Speaker 1:Every year feels different. 2023 felt like we had arrived, meaning people were like, okay, show us what you got. And we showed off in an organizational fashion. Right, I've always showed off in a way like the posters are dope on social media or I've showed off that the wads are great. I've showed off for athletes are great. 2023 people kept came in expecting something and we delivered. That makes sense. And in 2024 was a continuation of that. They were like, okay, okay, we heard this is in new england, this is going to be well run. I'm not saying the best because I don't want to live as superlatives, but I felt the last few years we met expectations.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so what year was 2024? Is it three, four, five? How many years have you been running it? Fifth year?
Speaker 1:This is fifth year. This last summer was fifth year. Four, five, how many years have you been running it? Fifth year? This is fifth year. This last summer was fifth year. I keep talking about validation, but what was cool is I had two people that made the games do the competition, because usually, because the competition is always in June, right, the Invictus Boston Invitational is always in June. So what happens is, if you make the games most people bow out, right, because the games most people bow out, right, because the games is in august, right, this is the first year I had two athletes that made the game say I'm still competing, damn yeah and let's talk several factors, like I think the big factor is the competition one day.
Speaker 1:So you know the game. These athletes are such a high level like one day of training for them is nothing they're doing. They're doing three, four, five pieces a day, depending on the athlete.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah. We saw a bunch of them doing the Dubai qualifiers, like through that compos on the West Coast, like the West Coast Water Palooza or whatever that was. They were training right through it. You know it's crazy.
Speaker 1:It's almost like it's so funny, like games. The crossfit game is uh, evolved where it's almost like work right. It's like okay, if I'm going to do a competition, I'm just going to build it into my training, as opposed to training for that comp, it's built into their training.
Speaker 2:Those I'm talking for the great, you know yeah, yeah, yeah for the for like that 0.01. So like, tell us, what us? What do you think you crushed organizational-wise, like what was it that really stood out for you?
Speaker 1:I think this happens with you as well. I've been working with the same circle of people. You know, the first couple of years I was kind of like do everything myself, and then I was like I can't do everything myself. So I had a score of like five or six people. I trust you know. Uh, nikki, justin, right, uh, heidi, uh, just like they speak my language. You know what I mean, cause I'm like I got this idea. They're like okay, what's the idea? Slow it down how do we execute it.
Speaker 1:I'm like this is what I want, and they helped me execute it and I've been rocking with those same people for the past now three years. And when you work with people, you trust and you treat them well and they like you or respect you, at least it makes it and they trust you back. Right, that's, that's what it is. You know, they trust me back and it makes it a lot easier. I mean, I'd like to say you know, my football coach used to say this if we're all wrong, we're all right, I don't care what we do, but we have to be on the same page as a unit, right? So behind the scenes, when we're on the same page, even if we're stressed out, right the duck, if we're bringing the duck, we're stressed out, at least we can speak the same language. No, burn wants it this way, nikki wants it this way, nikki wants it this way, the competition wants it this way and that's it.
Speaker 2:That's final yeah man, I love that you just said that that speak the same language. Like that's something that for the past few years, I like could it put a term behind of how you just click with some people, right, and it's like you just speak the same language and it could be like a silent thing when it comes to goals and your actions and your motivations and stuff like that. That's so major and then like double it down by by like building that trust with them, like, oh man, I'm excited because now I'm bringing a lot of people that I've developed relationships with over the past like five to 10 years into the next steps. Right, we're all evolving together and sounds like you're going through a lot of the same thing. Right, like just evolving and keep going. So we've been talking about it, right, the invitational we had you on before to talk about it last time, like remind everybody what was it born out of and then like let's go into, like what you wanted to meet next year, you know sure, yeah, um, I'll be.
Speaker 1:Uh, I'll be totally honest. It's funny. I feel like I've told the story a lot, so I kind of I don't fast forward through it, but it was so long ago, 2020. Nobody, nobody, knew what they were doing, right? Crossfit was in turmoil. I almost feel like the same patterns are happening. Crossfit's in a little bit of turmoil now, you know. But, man, it must be because I trust you.
Speaker 1:So, 2020, greg Lassner said what he said and you know, people were like oh my God, there's no diversity in CrossFit. Yada, yada, yada. I said to myself I'm going to create a competition. It doesn't matter your race, religion, sexual orientation. As long as you come to our competition, you get treated with respect. Right, and I'll say this In 2020, it was no problem. We had 21 athletes and people were all about it. In 2021, when we started giving away prize money, people were all about the cause and they were all about the prize money. From being completely honest, you put both together, both together. Now, taylor, I'm going to get right into it.
Speaker 1:In 2023, I saw a shift and I'm not going to get into like into the world, but the world's changed, right, and it was interesting. I don't know if interesting is the right word, because that's not the right word. My sponsorship deck brings diversity and support across it, and I think my phone was dead silent for probably three months. Right, couldn't get anybody on the phone. They were, like, you know, in 2021.
Speaker 1:When I said diversity is for the CrossFit thumbs up 2023, I had the same pitch deck. I got the you know the uh, you know what I mean, that pause and silence. Yeah, so I met with our team and I said, listen, I'm gonna take a risk, I'm gonna take diversity out of the pitch deck and they go. Well, what about your principles? I was like listen, my, our principles are the same. We know who we are and we will make sure that we we showcase who we are. We don't have to say it, we'll show it. I took it out of the pitch deck. All I took out of the deck was bring diversity to support a cross pick. Phones are off the hook. Now we can get into the weeds of. Is that good? Bad In my head, I said to myself I got to do my best to keep this comp afloat Because if I die on the sword, okay, the last thing I want is burn Prince the Martyr, if I die on the sword, then I can't showcase what I really want to showcase, and I still believe.
Speaker 2:Well, jose man, I can't help the poor if I'm one of them, like you know. So I got rich, he gave back to me. That's the win-win.
Speaker 1:Like we got to keep the ship afloat. It's wild, and I again talk about like not knowing where the conversation's gonna go. You know, what's wild to me is like at first, I was the front and center. I don't know how long have you been following on instagram. I've been taking myself away from being front and center more and more, and not that I don't want to be like, I wanted to be running this home, but I I from there. I was like, oh okay, I see where the world's going, but I still.
Speaker 1:If I keep the comp going, then I can, I can do podcasts with you. You see what I'm saying. I can, I can show out in other ways. I can make sure that a guy like melanza hayes, who has been to the comp and supported the comp every year since the inception, he still feels comfortable in my comp. You know that's big to me. So it was. It was uh. It was a interesting conversation I had with people I care about, uh, but the comp went afloat just fine in 2023, and I guess this is a long way of me saying I wanted to keep the mission pure. But in that mission, people found out like, oh, no matter what it looks like you can still run a good comp. You know what I mean, right? So it's been going strong since for six years.
Speaker 2:Now we're going on our sixth year, january, june I'm just saying june 28th, 2025 will be our sixth year yeah, man, I mean, I think the stat in podcast it is like most people quit after, like the, the 23rd episode, some crazy like that event plan is probably like people quit after the second john, you know.
Speaker 1:So going for six years, that's a, that's a milestone, you know I mean, you see the comps now, man, uh, a lot of comps. I've noticed I feel bad. You know how you see your peers fall off, man, a lot of comps. I've noticed I feel bad. You know how you see your peers fall off Not fall off, but like up here in the Northeast in math, a lot of my friends from the pandemic I didn't see it at first, but a lot of affiliates have shut down. Yeah, and that's the side effect of 2020.
Speaker 1:I'm not paying attention, it's just now hitting. Yeah, it's just now hitting. Yeah, it's just not hitting. And because I'm in my, in my space, and I feel the same way with certain competitions, like a big one up here and I I respect them so much and now they're shutting down. You know, after years of service and I'm like man, we're going on our sixth year and we're still. You know, I got my days. You know where I'm like, oh, do I really want to? You know, is it worth? Is it worth the grind? But I'm happy, I think in that competition space man.
Speaker 2:I've had conversations with a lot of people that are they're running comps out there, like, even like big names you know, like, and they're like dude, it's, it's hard to get that return right. Like you may go on instagram and comps may look like it was like super dope, right, like they post the highlights of it and stuff, but like you know, if you invest a lot into a competition which is what you got to do not just money but also time, right, like it's hard to ever get that full return. I mean, the games supposedly doesn't make money. You know, I'm sure someone's lying in their pockets from it, like out there and you could clip that up, but like I'm sure someone's lying in their pockets, but the games itself as a platform trade-up can't make money just because of, like, how it goes. You know the open, and then you do this huge championship there.
Speaker 2:You know, and those besides rogue, those other brands don't have enough to really really float everything, everything else. None of them, none of the brands that you see there besides Rogue and GoRock. They're big but, yeah, bad conversations with people about it, it's hard. What a lot of them miss is innovation and that's what separates the comps that people keep going to versus the ones that are good for a year or two or the ones that look good on Instagram. It's getting to. It's just it's getting to that point. Dedication to anything is going to be what keeps you going. You know being willing to change.
Speaker 1:It's so interesting. You talked about looking good on Instagram. That's a big thing. I want it to look good, live, because I can tell you can clip. You can clip anything on Instagram. Right, me, I would do a self-audit in 2022. The final I had was bad. It was bad. It was the clean was too heavy. I just I, I I miscalculated certain things. It's the final wad. Making it heavy doesn't work because everybody's gap okay, yeah, yeah, so it all it was was a whole bunch of people on the floor failing cleans at 315. Yeah, but so. But on instagram there was one kid, there was two male athletes that were able to hit the clean, so they slow motion and it made it look good and I was like I can't do that again no, well, I'd rather.
Speaker 1:I'd rather look good on the floor, because you can splice, you can edit anything. The floor has to look good. So I was proud of that. I was proud of our team. I was really proud of last year and the trap I fall into is like in my head. I'm like I actually had to sit down. I was like last year was so good. This summer it's not even last year. We're in December still. So this year was so good. The trap.
Speaker 2:So anyway, that's my diatribe yeah, I feel that it's like it's not. I don't have to make it better because this one is already done. I have to come up with and be inspired for the next project. You know, um, like looking good. Right, I'm gonna go out on a limb and and say some like good versus bad. Battle by the bay takes place up in uh, new jersey, right, frank delaney, his is, it is his affiliate, his gym, still a big weekend and it looks great in person, like the layout and looks great on instagram. Versus like uh, uh, masters fitness collective or championship, whatever that's been in indiana. They they did well one year, like 22 or something like that, and then moved right into a big venue and, like I worked it and it's like big, open floor with so many open stands around you and it's crossfit, so there's no one in the stands. You know, you know, like this, it it's, was this worth it? You know, when you play those back and forth, like I hear you a hundred, it's a hundred percent.
Speaker 1:So we do it, our affiliate right or sister affiliate, whatever you want to call it. It's a little bit in the burbs, but uh, it's called cross from one nation. It's great. Uh, we're actually the problem, the only problem. We're running out of parking space. So many people show up so, like, that's, that actually has been the biggest. I wouldn't call it a struggle, but I'm like I can run across the One Nation for eternity. I can't, but you know I had to have parking attendance.
Speaker 1:So in my head I'm like I've been playing around with the big venue spot. Is that background noise messing with you? By the way, they're doing construction behind me. No, you're on here, perfect. So they're like they're. It's like one of those things like, do I, do I get a venue? Do I go to a small college, like, and then have to haul equipment? Because the fun fact about our affiliate is all the equipment is there. There's no overhead because it's done at the affiliate right. So that's a little cheat code and there's the familiarity with this right. I know the space. I can close my eyes and know the space. So the talks of being into a. I don't want to have the venue space where, like you, look up in the stands we've all been there where it's like two people on the front row cheering on their life, their significant other, and then the stands are empty.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's bad now like asbury park. I've been there and it's it's. I don't even think they go inside no more. But I competed in it when it was the year before. It was like the supposed to be the sanctional or whatever, when it was just a big local comp and that was popping in the stands, that was, that was lit. He had it popping. Now it's outside. I think I haven't been back since they restarted it and that looks like it's lit too. Like you gotta like get creative with how your layout looks. Yeah, no, that's like not just have a layout and just let that be it, you know, so that's nuts.
Speaker 1:That's cool. See, I'd rather talk about this stuff than the other stuff. You know, I do feel like CrossFit space is funny, like I'll be honest with you, I got into this with the intention of trying to get into the CrossFit space, meaning like, oh, if I run a dope comp, crossfit or HQ is is gonna see it and they're gonna take me on and blah, blah, blah. We're six years in. That's not happening.
Speaker 1:Yo right, that's the dream but yeah, you quickly kind of find out, that's not a thing, man, it's it's a 50 cent, said this one time, like we used to go to, like you know, I have to go to the label to pop off. Now you just pop off, put on sound cloud and the fans come to you. You know, uh, I feel like the comparators come to me, come to us anyways. So do I need that? Do I need the second person? Because I can kind of, within reason, I can kind of do what I want yeah, you know, I think that's more important.
Speaker 2:You know it's more important.
Speaker 1:Autonomy is so important. I always try to be reserved in these things. I had a funny feeling in my head. I'm not saying anybody's wrong or right, but somebody at the games lost their life. That's the saddest thing in the world, right, god bless them. But like no one's going to lose a job. It's clear, no one's losing their job. So in my head I'm like I'm looking at it and I'm like you know how many talented people you come in contact with that can run competitions or help or give input. You don't need talent.
Speaker 1:You know you had Cam on your podcast. I'm positive Cam probably said this to you. Cam, the first gig Cam did was the Invitational. He was my coworker. I looked at him. I was like I think you can talk, be the emcee Now. Look at him Like and it's not like I didn't, I'm not Nostradamus, I didn't see it coming. I'm just saying like you give people a shot, right, some people just need the door cracked a little bit. You don't need to open the door, you don't need to even feed them. Open the door a little bit and I I I guess I'm trying to say the old guard's not letting him go, so I, I don't have time to wait I think I you know what I I disagree on one point.
Speaker 2:I think there's about to be some shakeups and changes in the game's staff and how it goes. I don't think that. I think that the fact that it's been so slow with the, the news, should be like kind of hinting to everyone. This season is going to look different. It already does adjust the format, I think, just the format. I think it's going to go different Like last year. I think that having Shane Michaels, the wrestler, or whoever was there, is going to be kind of and Jocko did one of the announcements is going to kind of lead to where they're going with it. I think it's going to be a push away from one person in the limelight, in a sense, and I think there's going to be an uproar when it finally does happen, uh, but I think it's definitely going to be a push away from one face as the head of that, I.
Speaker 2:I think that that, like the business-minded people are sitting back like all right, you know, like roger goodell, don't be in all the commercials, you know, and if that's kind of where we're going with it, uh, then I think that's what they're going to do. I think, time after time for the past like six years, they've showed that they are going more corporate and that's what's going to happen. So we're everyone else is just a step behind and finding that out, I think. I think that's definitely what's going to happen. But then, as far as what you said about them kind of letting go on the other side of it, I think that it's too late. Like things are picking up, like I think now is the time to like it's going to be free market time, like, all right, go outside, make people want to come partake in your service, and then that's what you got to run with.
Speaker 2:You know, there was that time period where we talked about where, like you were hoping for like that blessing right, like what we talked about, where, like you were hoping for like that blessing. Right like you know, like I'm gonna go and put out this good ass product and then try to get a collaboration and partnership with a bigger body. But I think that's that time has passed now and it's gonna and they're gonna be worse off for it. I think that the game season is gonna be worse off for it. Like, um, whatever will morad's doing is gonna be like show people, like yo, I can go do this. You know like I can go make a qualifier or it let me tell everyone out there for have a good product first and then do all that stuff afterwards.
Speaker 2:But I think that that's where, where the where everything is going right now. You know, um, you have been on a wave like that beforehand. Right like the open is a qualifier and you've had a qualifier as part of the invitational. For what? Two years? You're going on three years. How many years has that been apart?
Speaker 1:now it's four. This is a. We're running a qualifier. Now it's four years, because look, here's how the game goes. Right, I, I do a one day comp. In my head.
Speaker 1:I was talking to people like you can only post, like, coming june 28th, yay, so many times, right, right, how do I vet it? Because I actually this is the first time I'm lucky, or whatever you want to call it. Last year was the most athletes I ever had. I only had 94 athletes. I don't have a lot of. I don't like having a lot of athletes, because I want I'm control freak. Right, I got to make sure everything is under control. So, and how do I find the athletes? How do I vet the athletes? So this is our fourth year doing a qualifier. So, um, this is our second year doing divisions, because I only had one division, but, like people are too good at crossfit, let's be real. So I, I created an elite and rx division. Uh, so, yeah, the qualifiers now, and I even I experimented with this. Qualifiers now, and I even I experimented with this. Qualifiers are always $20. And I this year, I don't know, it gets cats out of the bag, or whatever term you want to use.
Speaker 1:I'm doing an early bird special at $10 and I'm playing with keeping it at $10.
Speaker 2:Because I want, I want it to. Portable is the wrong term, but I want, I want the barrier of entry to be so low that you're like I got I gotta try it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, accessible, you know you make it. Yeah, it's like a low barrier of entry. So you're not like, oh, like, it's silly, it sounds like 20 hours. I already do. I work at a crossfit affiliate. Do I want to do three more workouts? Ten dollars, let's throw it up in the air, let's make it happen. So the qualifier is out right now. I'm super excited about it. We'll run until january 17th. I always do three wads. I don't like doing more than three wads. Uh, we're not big enough yet to do more than three wads. I don't. I don't feel like um so it's uh, that's why I'm here.
Speaker 1:It's funny talking about like people resting on their laurels and like, and what happens with me now that I launched the qualifier, I get, like I my first week, I get the same 50 people that always register, but, like, I was looking at it and I was like I remembered how successful the first qualifier was and it was because I reached out to so many people. I reached out to you, you got me on a podcast. I reached out to so many other people and I found myself last year not doing it and I was like no, no, no, no, no, no, no. We're not going to do that. We're not going to wait for people to come to us. We're going to let them know we're here, cause we still have like, as cool as it sounds, there's going to be people listening to this right now.
Speaker 2:They cool by me, like I, I, I. It's my job to keep that flame going right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you got to keep going out in touch with the people you know. Yeah, they're not gonna. I mean they're not gonna. It's not like. It's not like they're gonna be scrolling on instagram being like this this is this seems cool. Let me register. They want to hear about it, they want to hear about the backstory, they want to hear about like I think it's huge that this is my second time on your podcast and that rapport and I know I'll plug the podcast, not the podcast. I'll plug the comp a million times, probably before this hour is over, but I do what triggered me in a good way. You're opening up affiliate Congratulations.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, man, I just left from over there right now, uh, finishing up painting, uh, some of the walls we're slowly getting there towards. Uh, the inspection is going to be the end of the week and then I'll uh, I have right now the rig building set for the 27th, so the weekend after christmas, next weekend, and then we'll be going so I did some.
Speaker 1:I did some losing I was. I was looking it up. So you have weightlifting classes I. I know you love the barbell, yes, sir. So you have some weightlifting classes and crossfit classes. Where's the location, man? I want to know everything.
Speaker 2:So I don't know how much you know PA. We're right outside of Norristown PA. It's like a half hour from Philly. The township's called West Norristown's, right off of like one of the major highways in the area.
Speaker 1:We're connected to your eagles. Hat on, bro. Yeah, I'm listening sorry.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir you know, we get on that little 10 game win streak after uh, after sirianni shade at head, so I'm repping hard right now, uh. But yeah, so we're right outside norristown, um, connected to norristown canyon pressure. Those are some big like townships right around the area. I was just going to say I'm right off Main Street. I got some great visibility for all my signage and the street is right out front of the gym, so it'll be good. The size is 2,900 square feet. I got a little 400 square feet separate weightlifting room inside the gym so I was just over there painting that room actually today. Uh, we're gonna get some platforms in there and then use that as like a little bit of weightlifting area for, like my, my barbell club because, like if that was before the crossfit affiliate, I've had that since 2020. Yeah, uh, yeah. So it's gonna be the bulk of our membership is gonna be the crossfit. On classes, of course you know like that'll be the main thing that I'm really selling. That'll bolster up the membership that I'll do some like also barbell classes, like most gyms do them on like weekends and stuff. I'm sure you guys have like some sunday lifting class or like some kind of lifting class somewhere. Um, just me being a barbell specialist, I'll offer that like as expanded on the schedule for because I have a big membership like in the area of people that have come to me for all the strength classes. So I'm like why not sell it as a package, you know, and offer it during the week? Like not everyone, whatever, not everyone else is doing that. So like, be different, right. Like everyone else buys something different, so you can only come here and get this. So, yeah, I have a loose grand opening date as February 10th, waiting for the inspection to happen at the end of the week to tell me that nothing crazy gonna happen. And as long as that goes through, I'll be announcing that next week. Man, I ordered like half my equipment already sent in storage. I'm trying to like skip out on that extra bill right now, so I hope I can get it out before it's like the next bill hits. Uh, but yeah, and I'll start getting all that stuff in there and get rolling. Dude, you know what made you do it, doug, so you want to get into this. We can wrap this up as the podcast, kind of an end-of-the-year wrap-up.
Speaker 2:So I was working at CrossFit King of Russia. I'm sure you've probably heard of that gym. The gym was going whatever way it was going, and they fired me in April. So I had a loose plan of opening a gym, like in two years One of those things that you put your brain and you're like, oh, this random date, some random far away time. And and then, when that happened, like literally the next week, I started looking for uh, for uh like places to to lease and started the process up. I signed my lease in September. I found the place in like July, so, like over like a two to four or five month time period, I got everything going and got my affiliate license in September as well. You know, I'm here now.
Speaker 2:I was like dude, I can't just keep sitting on my hands. That's what I'm gonna do if I, if I stay at King of Precious. So I mean I hate to say this, matt, if you're out there listening that's, she hired some general manager and he told me when he fired me that like, uh, this is like you're outgrowing us. You know you're gonna go on to do great things and I'm like dog, like don't ever fucking say that shit to me. You know, like my goal is, I'm never gonna say that to somebody you know, like I want to develop you and like you develop past me and not begrudgingly do that, you know. Um, so yeah, he said and he was right, but still fuck you, matt.
Speaker 1:There's certain things that happen. You know, yeah, and you're looking at it like, so I started it in January, 12, 2012,. Right, so we're looking at, we're going on 13 years, okay. So I'm looking at the space and like I had this weird thing, like I had it like after the competition in June. It was like there's the dead time, right, and September's going around and um, and I I somebody had questioned how I taught like an air squad. It was something silly and random and it was like my blood boiled. I was like you know, I just ran the most successful comp in new England. I've been coaching the same affiliate, which is known nationally, actually worldwide because people drop in all the time. It's called Invictus. I've been coaching for 12 years.
Speaker 1:In my head I'm like how dare you ask me if I know, if your squat's okay? Like I kind of know what I'm doing. And it was the first time I felt taken for granted and I'm just talking in my case that I had to. I had to do some. A, it made me unhappy. B, I almost felt. I was like am I being stagnant? And I'm not saying I cured it because there's no cure, but I had it. I had to for me. I reframed some thinking because I don't know, man, I I'm so happy for you, like you're, like I I don't think it's the circumstance you wanted, like you don't want to be told. Like you're out, like it almost feels like you. Uh, the person was uh belittling, like or talking down to you. When they said it am I getting that feeling? You felt like they were sure right, sure, yeah, and talking.
Speaker 2:You know what it was. It was belittling, in the sense that you're saying this because you feel like you should say this and you don't believe it, like you think you're you think you're kicking me to the dirt and like, all right, don't have to worry about that, no more, you know.
Speaker 2:But like I mean, did you have you never watched a movie before? You just like created a villain? You know, like one of those things like, yeah, it changed my life. Like I was like, damn, I've been sitting. I shouldn't be in a situation where someone can affect my day-to-day like this. You know, that's the thought I had, not, I know not everyone's gonna leave thinking that, but I went and took responsibility. I'm like, all right, well, I'm no longer gonna be in a place where someone can be like you're no longer welcome here. You know, like I, from that day on, you know, so that's where I'm right, where I'm right now.
Speaker 1:You know you have. I think this is where you and I I I feel no, I know is where you and I are similar. I, you know, I talk, I move around, I see things, I stay quiet on a lot, but oh yeah, in the end I got a unwavering self-belief in myself. You know, yeah, so when you you you're looking at it like it may have created a villain, but but you already had that dog, you already had that life.
Speaker 2:For sure. Yeah, I was. I was asleep because I was comfortable, you know. It woke me up like, like I was upset for like two minutes driving down the road it's sick dog. Like they blocked me on, like all social media. They left this, like in the Facebook group that they have. They left this like message saying that like I was gonna be moving on, blah, blah, blah, and then blocked me and started deleting all the comments and I'm like, oh shit, like for a second I pull off, like losing a little bit of that, that self-confidence, like damn did, did I, did I mess this up? And then you see the reaction and I'm like, oh okay, no, I didn't mess this up. Everyone's character is going to come out if you give it a little second. And that happened. And I'm like, oh okay, no, I'm still me. It's time to go put this plan in action. But I was asleep, I was. So it's thank you, it's fuck you, but thank you to the dude.
Speaker 1:I hear you, I hear you. I wrestle with this in my own head Sometimes. You know, I spit out the resume. I'm like I wonder if my resume, if somebody just read my resume, you know six CrossFit certifications, the competition, same affiliate, definitely more than $10,000 a coaching right and it didn't say Burn Prince. They'd be like this guy is amazing. You see what I'm saying. Like sometimes I wonder, like if they read your resume. I don't know, this ain't good, that's not what I'm saying. It's good they read your resume. And it didn't say Taylor. You know what I mean. It said like you know what I mean. It said Tyler.
Speaker 2:All the stuff but no name. You know no name.
Speaker 1:Somebody write your resume. I'm like we can't let this man go Right. Seriously, like, look at what you know. It was crazy to me when I think about it. And we're not in the same state. But I run around, look, I see some things sometimes like I know I'm doing a lot, but I look at you and I'm like how's he doing all that? I'm like I'm looking at you and I'm like he's a barbell club and I was just you know. I'm like he's coaching and he's running an affiliate and he's running a podcast. How's he doing all that? He's doing all that because his work ethic is so vicious and so good and you're, he's so talented that it's not easy work for him, but he can handle it and not break down and and and I don't. It's hard for me because sometimes, like I get, I get agitated because I'm like, oh, you don't understand how much talent this takes, but then I'm like, all right, I got to keep it moving because I can't stay angry.
Speaker 2:Right, you got to keep pushing it because you're like, when I left, when I left that day, I was like, damn, I guess they don't understand that. Like, I'm going to be outside, like you know, to put it in a sense of like back to that speaking the same language thing. Ok, you have uninvited me. From here, I'm going to be outside, in the spaces that you are looking to occupy. I'm going to be working there, I'm going to be doing projects, I'm going to be with the people that are doing the things that you want to do. That's what's going to happen. So I have already come to peace with that. Whatever you need to do, but I'm going to be outside working, you know. So, whatever that's just that was my attitude, you know, I'm excited for you.
Speaker 1:I'm, I am. I'm excited for you in all the ways because this, this also comes with no inhibition, like it's your spot, so you can do whatever. No, which is pretty cool, there's a, there's a freedom in that, right, there's just. Yeah, I know I'm going to sit and think about this for a while after, but congratulations, that's my point. When I saw you open up your affiliate, that was my my jump off to Hall A I was like oh, I don't see what's going on over here, you know.
Speaker 1:And plus, I had talked to him a little bit. You know, I think I probably know this Cam Cam was all fired up. I think it was like two years ago. Did you do it with him?
Speaker 2:I had him on like top of this year a couple months ago. Yeah, he's a good dude, like right before the run of whatever the comps was, either, like just after the summer, right after that, something like that. Yeah, camp, good dude. We talked I mean, we talked about the invitational and him being like yo burn was like dog. I think you should put the mic in your hand. You know like and those are the stories that I want to tell, stuff like that. You know like, all right, this dude was doing this getting popping. He got a circle around him. Then he met this dude. This dude started doing this with him. Very soft, start doing this, this, this. You know like I don't know if you watch power, but it's like that right, like it's the moves that every, every different character is making.
Speaker 1:You know, and I love telling those stories you know it's crazy as as much as I'm such a 50s fan like I love him and I don't watch power what my dog you got to you know what's in it.
Speaker 1:You know it's funny because I like he, so he was on. Uh, I don't know what podcast he was on, it's probably on social media, you'll see it. He's on a podcast and he's talking about, like, how he looks at the world. And I just I mean because he's been, he hasn't been wrong, he hasn't been wrong. Oh, my god, you know what I mean. And it's crazy, like when you think about it. Like all those people they say you know, all those people we truthfully, like you looked up to, like I'm not gonna lie to you like, even if it was 10 years ago, I'd be like, oh, like you give me a chance to meet diddy, I'm gonna try to meet diddy. And now you're like, oh, oh oh man, oh man.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:I didn't know, I mean I think 50 having a lot of success and being sober for all that time, I mean you can pay attention to a lot and remember a lot you know like so shit.
Speaker 1:I also think that having the, having the, you know it's, it's not just 50. It's like just anyone, but I'll say 50. Having to to know who you are, like like hey man, I I know you think it's cool to go to those parties, but that's not how I get there. You know what I mean you gotta tell them no. You got, sometimes you, sometimes, you, you got.
Speaker 1:You got to tell them no, you know like like there's sometimes you know in my head like that's why I struggle. Actually, I really struggled. I know it's 10 minutes to go, but I struggled with taking the diversity out of the out of the thing and it was until I talked to my sister. She was like listen, I know you and I know who you are and what you're about, and she goes. It's words on paper. You can still exhibit that. She goes. The circle behind you hasn't changed. She goes. The athletes that attended haven't changed. You make people feel welcome if you keep doing that. She goes. Now, if you get funny style and you don't do that, then there's a definition, right, but she goes. As long as you exhibit those things, it doesn't matter. She goes.
Speaker 2:Your t-shirts has freedom on it, like everybody knows where you stand and I was okay and maybe like civil rights, isn't like a commodity, commodity to be sold, right, like it's a thing that we have to live. It's not something that, like, we could sell, you know, like so we could keep that as a soul or something without having. I mean, walmart owns, freaking like the brighter to uh, june 10th, you know like they sell those ice creams and napkins and shit every june, like that's not changing anything, it's not, that's not affecting our, our lives, it's not influencing us in the correct ways, so it's whatever. Um, you just gotta keep things apart of what it is.
Speaker 2:I'm a big believer in that like, go out and live what you feel. You know, don't really I don't really market my ideas and what I feel about too much out there. Like I, I just go out and live it Like. A lot of people will say this to me that they they can know how I feel about something without even having to ask me, you know, cause it's just, I just am. So me when I walk out there, you know.
Speaker 1:But you said that amazingly well. Yes, yeah, Like, just go out and live it, you know, instead of trying to like sell it all the time. We'd be remiss if I didn't say this. So I don't know whoever's listening to the podcast. You do a great job putting the work out there and obviously I know you open up your affiliate open to any of your members. It's the links in the bio. It's a $10 for the online qualifier. Three wads I'm biased because I programmed them, but I think they're fantastic and they're accessible, if that makes sense. There's Elite RX yeah, man, I got nothing but that, and the qualifier leads to the in-person June 28th.
Speaker 2:June 28th is the day of the competition. When does the qualifier run through?
Speaker 1:You can sign up right now. Right, you can sign up right now, january 17th. All right, perfect, got three workouts, three workouts. Links are all in the bio. You know it's so crazy. So the gym has been doing this now so you know how people name workouts, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I got a little bit of I don't know. I don't know what the word term is, but I'll name it after albums or whatever, like things that resonate with me. Ok, so one of the wads I named after my favorite Jay-Z album, the Black Album, and I named it throughout there and I was like, if there was a time I was like, oh no, I got to change the name. I'm like oh come on, come on Ho, but no, I don't have to change the name anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, come on, Come on. You didn't read that letter and know that Ho was innocent man.
Speaker 1:Hey, you know what I'm saying. You would have thought you made this up. I released the workout. I had the names. I'm like, let's go, if you want to laugh, you'll see it. All the photos, even in black and white, because it's a black album. I'm clever, I'm witty with it. I'm like oh no, no, no, come on, you can't take away all my idols here On that tangent. The workouts are out, man, I'm so. The workouts are out.
Speaker 1:I'm appreciative of you, as always, for being gracious man and I know you won't say this because it's not your nature but like I mean, I DM'd, I think you got back, I think this was all booked within 15 minutes, and that says something that's like I DM'd, I think he got back. I think this was all booked within 15 minutes, yeah, and that says something that's like it wasn't like a DM. Let me check my schedule. It was a DM, no problem, what do you need? And then the next message was here's my calendar. And then I was like you responded so fast in my head I was like I have to book this right now. Hell yeah, bro.
Speaker 2:If I leave this in there, this is not for all y'all, because I fuck with Pearl.
Speaker 1:My bad, I try to get away all the government secrets. You've always been so gracious in my head For me to be like hey man, because it's work I know it's work, I'm thinking about doing the podcast and for you to be like hey man, because it's work I know it's work For me to be like hey man I'm thinking about doing the podcast and for you to be like no problem, I'm appreciative and I'm happy for you and I'm happy for your opening. I'm excited for the success that's going to happen for you.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, bro, I'm excited for it, man, I'm excited to get to work and build like my thing. You know, that's what I'm excited for right now really to really do that, bro. You know, at the end here I'm going to let you all know how corny I am man, sean Corey Carter Jay-Z. His birthday is December 12th, right, and I'm the dude that wakes up in the morning and plays Hov all day on his birthday so and plays home all day on his birthday. So if you ever wonder what type of corny I am, that's the dude that I have right there. Dogs it's been Bird Prince. Another great episode we're going to get out of here now.
Speaker 1:Peace, peace. Thank you, taylor, you're the best, honestly mean it.