IAM1654 – Coach and Human Builder on a Mission to Bring Genuine Human Connections on Social Media

Why it was selected for “CBNation Architects”: Mac is The Human Builder and anytime I think about the Human aspect of business, it's this interview with Mac that reminded me of the Human part of who we are in business but even in life. Even more powerful which came up is asking “why” and the purpose that we have. That's how we don't forget about the human part of the business.

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Previous Episode: https://iamceo.co/2019/01/01/iam141-coach-and-human-builder-on-a-mission-to-bring-genuine-human-connections-on-social-media/

Transcription:

Mac Brazina 00:00

Getting the workout in is not the problem and really enjoy that. But it's how they feel about themselves, how they talk to themselves. Maybe they're dealing with relationship issues, trauma, and sexual abuse. There is any number of things that are going on, inside the human being. That no matter how fit, you might look aesthetically still need work.

Intro 00:19

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I am CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:44

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I am CEO podcast and we're doing something a little bit different this year. With some of our episodes, we're repurposing some of our favorite episodes around specific topics related to entrepreneurship. This month we're focusing on entrepreneurship and community.

Us, we, our, together and we're gonna look at entrepreneurship and industries in different types of entrepreneurship and ultimately what that really means. But we're also gonna delve deeper into the importance of community, networking, niche communities, and how that supports being a CEO entrepreneur and business owner.

So sit back and enjoy these special episodes around entrepreneurship and community.

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I am CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Mac Brazina, Be Mac Fit, Mac it's awesome to have you on the show.

Mac Brazina 01:30

Thank you so much for having me. This a really cool experience. I'm just sitting here. I do have Kira with me. Anybody follows me, I do have my dog sitting with us today.

Gresham Harkless 01:40

Your dog's name is?

Mac Brazina 01:42

Kira

Gresham Harkless 01:43

Kira. So we have Kira and Mac on our podcast. So thank you. Kira, you're the very first dog to be on the podcast. That's supposed to be on my dog. Hops on every now and then, but she's not supposed to be on. So appreciate you for being on.

What I wanted to do was read a little bit more about Mac so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing.

And Mac's mission is to connect, train, and evolve with humans around the world by bringing humanity back to social media. After all, that's all any of this is actually about the genuine human connection to remind you that this life is yours.

We're a little messed up, and that's okay because you aren't alone. Together, we can truly make life happen for you. Mac, are you ready to speak to the I am CEO community?

Mac Brazina 02:20

Yeah, I guess so.

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Gresham Harkless 02:22

All right. Let's see. So the first question I had was just to drill down a little bit deeper and hear about your CEO's story and what led you to start your business.

Mac Brazina 02:28

CEO is a really interesting term because I'm just a coach. Like that's just what I tell people. I'm just a coach. Coach first and well, human first, coach second. Running my own business was always non-negotiable for me. I'm from a lineage of female entrepreneurs. So my grandma was an entrepreneur. She ran the number one plastic surgery recovery facility to the stars in Beverly Hills.

My mom ran her own photography business which is international and do it with celebrities. And she is a writer around a lot of really relentless women. And that is what instilled in me that relentlessness, that no matter what I was gonna do, it was gonna be on my turn. And fitness kinda fell into my lap. And that's a whole other story. But Be Mac Fit happened. I was coaching and I was training people at LA Fitness and people would sit down and I would be like. Okay, but why are you here? And they're like, well, I don't like this without me.

You know, I wanna change this. And I'm like, why are you here? They're like, I just told you I don't like this. I'm like, shut up. Why are you here? Why did you call me? What about this makes you light up? What about this is something that you absolutely need to do and accomplish? Why are you sitting right now?

Then eventually they start. Oh, well, you know, this happened or it all started my date or this, that or this trauma led to this, or whatever. And that's where I found the magic in coaching and personal training where it was so much more than just that one workout, everything, you know?

So really that's what all led up to now where I am in the last eight weeks or so, really officially just weighed out of personal training into doing this full-time, which is pretty crazy. And we were joking before about this and all crap that's in my house now and getting to write and actually be there for these clients, these human beings, and other three hours of the day, rather than just that one personal training hour.

So it's nice to actually practice what I preach that way and know that what I'm doing is actually making a difference in their lives, not just, you know, that one hour in the gym. That's it in a nutshell, I guess.

Gresham Harkless 04:31

No, that's awesome. And I know that we, of course, talked offline when we first connected and talked a lot about understanding what your why is.

And I love the fact that you've been able to drill down, like you said, if somebody says, oh, I wanna lose my gut. And you ask why? Why do you wanna do that? Why, why do you wanna do that? And why do you wanna do that? You really drill down to get an idea of like what a person's focus is, and what their mission is, and then that can really be where you start to make impactful change, I think.

Mac Brazina 04:55

Well, I think that's where the relationship develops if that makes sense. So for me, that's everything. The relationship is everything. They become my babies for a reason, I've cultivated the name Mama Mac, which like never a million years thought would be associated with my name. Used a little too many profanities to have a mama in front of my name but it works and they become my kids across everywhere. I have 7-8 different time zones everywhere something crazy.

I've connected to clients from Australia to Kansas and it's like, no, we're just human beings. It's not like anything's wrong with any of us. We're not too fat, we're not, you know, muscular enough or that this, and the other thing, like my whole thing is this. You're enough as you're, so why aren't we just talking about that?

And you want to hear out. So you can appreciate the physique not seek the physique so that you receive that validation in return. That's not where the work is done. The work is done here and I'm here. So that's the way it was for me and my journey for sure. Dealing with anxiety and depression my whole life. And I found that was a lot of my babies journey.

So I figured that it had to be affecting more people than just me and just my small group of clients and that it had to be something bigger. My whole thing is, you know, we're all fucked up, so why aren't we talking about it? And that's where the real transformations happen. That's where you can really set goals and attain their real goals.

And you can go big or go home, and that's where the real growth happens. So that's what I find really lights me up about coaching that growth and being a part of it. Every step of the way.

Gresham Harkless 06:22

That makes perfect sense. And now I wanted to hear a little bit more about your babies, as you call them, as your clients and how you help support and serve the clients.

What, are some of the things that you do? I know you touched on it a little bit, but could you drill down a little bit deeper?

Mac Brazina 06:33

Yeah, absolutely. So basically the way my coaching process works is you have fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, and mindset. So I tell all of my clients, all of my TV nuggets and babies. Clients is a weird words, that's why I don't use it. I use clients cause they become family, they're friends and family and they become a part of this mafia for life.

That's really the way it works. And you get a band of brothers and sisters around you and that's really where we started. Getting the workout in is not the problem.

Really enjoy that. But it's how they feel about themselves, how they talk to themselves. Maybe they're dealing with relationship issues, trauma, sexual abuse, there any number of things that are going on on the inside of a human being that no matter how fit you might look, aesthetically still need work at mafia terms that we go with.

Then we take those vitals of fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, and mindset, and we measure them out based on the individual, right? So I'll get people that are really into fitness like you can't have a complete human without any of those four entities. So that's why my mission is to build humans, not just the physique.

Because the physique comes after you found the other one. Nutrition is heavily, heavily monitored by me, and is a major foundational layer. I would say that probably like the second layer of this cake for sure, is nutrition. I put nutrition but have got brain access.

So I believe that you can, I'm a walking testament of it that you can actually heal your mind and any of anxiety or depression, real nutrition. So not only are you fueling this beautiful machine that you've been given, but you're also benefiting other aspects of your anatomy that might be lacking. So we have nutrition, we have routine, and lifestyle, which I manage every step for you and mindset.

And that's just the daily battle. That's goal setting. That's going through your daily wins, understanding that it's a fact. Look more than anything, but your workouts are all goal-oriented and are all about moving your body and connecting with your body from the brain to the rest of your anatomy.

Gresham Harkless 08:28

There you go. I love that Mastermind in mad sciences. So what I wanted to do is now ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And you might have already touched on it, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you a little bit unique?

Mac Brazina 08:37

My biggest thing and this might sound really shitty, I give a shit.

There are so many coaches out there who just don't give a shit about their clients. Bottom line. They wanna give them a workout, send them on their way, and hope that they don't talk to them throughout the rest of the day. That's not how I work. I've worked with those coaches, I've seen those coaches, I've witnessed it.

It's frustrating. It makes me pull my hair out cause I'm like, these people are giving you their lies. Literally. I've had people come in and go, no, this is actually life or death. Be it, suicidal tendencies, be it a history of depression, be it diabetes, heart disease, or anything like that. These people are actually coming in and giving you their lives and being vulnerable with you.

They're coming in baggy clothes that they're uncomfortable in. They're putting themselves in a very uncomfortable position, and they're giving you all of their insecurities on a platter. And for somebody to disrespect that and just, oh no, just get it and get out. That's not the way I roll. Like, once you're in, you're my baby, and I'm gonna get these weird little e s p kinda things where I'm gonna be like, what's wrong with you?

Like, why haven't you reached out to me? And they'll be like, oh my God, how did you know I haven't been doing this? And I need you. I know I'm here. So I manage all of that through daily check-ins. And when I told my team that that's what I wanted to do, they were like, that's fucking crazy. That's gonna be a lot of work.

I care about your life. And the other 23 hours of the day, like that's one hour in the gym is awesome and I'm glad you're doing it. But what about the rest of you? Like I guess that in short, I just wanna be that person that I wish I'd had throughout this process and cultivate other human beings that can be there for other generations of these mafia members.

So I always connect with clients when they're similar and give them their own support system that's not just me. Because that's what this is all about. You know, that's the human experience, in a nutshell, is learning, growing, evolving, and then sharing it. So if I can be a part of that, then I think I'm doing something right.

Gresham Harkless 10:23

Now, I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient as a business owner.

Mac Brazina 10:32

That's really a good one. Okay. This one applies to all aspects of life. And I think that's like probably where my superpower would be is like lifestyle and mindset and all of that.

But this has made the biggest impact on my relationship actually. And my human is my business partner. So I can't say anything for business that I can't say also affect my personal life. Expressing gratitude is a huge, huge thing that I've integrated into my life, and it seems so simple. It seems so campy.

Oh, you should be grateful. Like, no shit. I know that. But really being able to express that and feel grounded in your heart and knowing that everything that you have right now is enough. I think that the biggest issue with the CEO mindset or the entrepreneur mindset is more, more, more. Not being grounded in what is now.

And so Trevor and I will stop each other and I'll go, baby, what are you grateful for? And it could be something really simple. And generally, it's when we're winding down at the end of the night, exhausted. He works 10-plus hours a day. I do as well. You might as well just start taking appreciation for what is in your life, those smaller moments, and just watching everything grow from there. Take love in the process.

Gresham Harkless 11:43

And now I wanted to ask you another good one. I wanted to ask you for a CEO nugget, and this is a word of wisdom or a piece of advice, or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Mac Brazina 11:53

You don't have it all figured out, so shut the fuck up and listen.

Gresham Harkless 11:58

Hey, can, can you tell my younger business self that too?

Mac Brazina 12:04

Yeah. That is like taking the magnesium and chill the fuck out. It's gonna be fine. No, I mean, in all seriousness, I thank one of my larger wives for starting all of this and wanting to talk with you. Is it because that younger self, that younger me is so fucked up or what's so fucked up that it is self-worth and everything else and relationships and all that.

Not really knowing where my place was in this world. And I think that if everybody can just take away that, your place in this world is right where you are and it's exactly where you need to and don't need to be minute behind or a minute forward, like right where you are. It's right where you need the baby.

Cause there's a lesson for you to be. There's a person that's trying to teach you something, and if you can live your life right, then you're going be able to serve that past self and that future self by just being open right now. So that's kinda how I try to live my life. But yeah, anybody who is a young entrepreneur that is starting out or you wanna start a business, or if you're a coach and you're doing work and you're hustling, and you're grinding, you're doing the thing, just know that you don't have it figured out and be open.

Like, let that bring just be an open basket for information and goodies and through life and just grab all that shit.

Gresham Harkless 13:14

There you go. I love it. I love it. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And I know you touched on it a little bit, but I wanted to ask you, Mac, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Mac Brazina 13:23

Me being a leader means not just having a title, not just being a boss. Cause people think being a boss is being bossy or telling people what to do. Because you're a leader, I could explain it the same way I explained coaching. Some coaches would sit there with a whistle sitting on the bench going, why are you doing it wrong?

Whereas I'm in it with you going, no, this is how we're doing it. I'm in the trenches with you not just yelling part of that and that to me what makes me a good leader, a CEO and a coach.

I think that you have a group of people that are looking up to you. You have a group of people that are trusting you to lead the way to write, the battle plan that will be the most successful. And you have a responsibility to be the example. Like I don't get to just go out and go drinking.

Do you know what I mean? Like I don't just indulge, I will on occasion cause I'm human, but my responsibility is to set the example, to be the leader, and to take the steps that I'm suggesting to my team. Does that make sense? Like I can't tell people to do one thing and then have me do something completely different that wouldn't work out.

I need to be in it with them. I need to be walking a walk and talking a talk to the best of my ability and with as much humility as possible as a CEO. So as the thing grows and the empire always wanted it to. I've always wanted to do it for the right reason, and I don't ever want to get caught up in the bullshit reasons of materialism and all that jazz.

That's all gravy to me, but I try to savor each individual evolution, each individual team member that I have right now for who they are and what they bring into this project. Because I know it's not just me. So if you can keep that mentality that it's not you, it's not about you, it's about your bigger why or bigger message, then you're gonna be incredibly successful.

But if you make it about you and everything that you have or you were doing, or how you could make a quick buck, you should just quit now.

Gresham Harkless 15:11

Mac, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out. What I want to do is pass you the mic just to see if there's anything additional you want to let arrears and our listeners know, and then also how they can get ahold of you.

Mac Brazina 15:20

Well, I just wanna say thank you. This is very new to me. Like podcasting things, but I'm very grateful for it. If you're watching this, I'm very, very grateful to you and I would love to get to know you more. Maybe one day I'll gonna talk, but I love my job in bits and pieces. I would love part of the evolution in any way possible.

So go ahead and reach out to me on Instagram at Be Mac Fit. Just me and my partner, my assistant, so please just reach out. That's all you have to do. All I need is a will want and I can make magic happen, but reach out to me through Instagram if you're on there at Be Mac Fit, so on the website, you'll see the coaching application and the member. Or any questions, I'm just one message away. It really is just me, And I don't know you yet, but I love it, it's gonna be fun. I'm excited about the adventure.

Gresham Harkless 16:07

Well, awesome. I think we know you a little bit better Mac so I appreciate you and we'll make sure to have all those links in the show notes. And I'm, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Mac Brazina 16:14

I appreciate you. Thank you so much.

Outro 16:17

Thank you for listening to the I am CEO podcast, powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I am CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and everywhere you listen to podcasts, subscribe and leave us a five-star rating.

Grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I am CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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