John Shegerian: This edition of the Impact podcast is brought to you by the marketing masters. The marketing masters is a boutique marketing agency offering website development and digital marketing services to small and medium businesses across America. For more information on how they can help you grow your business online, please visit themarketing masters.com.

John: Welcome to another edition of the Impact podcast. I’m John Shegerian. I’m so excited to have my good friend Daniel Diaz. Welcome to Impact Daniel.

Daniel Diaz: Thank you for having me. John, I am excited to be on the show with you guys today.

John: Well, just excited to have you in, you know, Daniel, you’re a Life Mastery coach, and I would love you to share with our listeners, what that really means and what you do and how you make such a great impact in the world that we live in.

Daniel: Sure, sure, absolutely. I really work in a direction of peak performance. And I and I help people with that through mindset and habits. And I would say, you know, what kind of makes me a little bit different in the way that my approach is with coaching is I’m also a heart centered coach, you know, and I believe that it’s really important to really get people in that state, where they are so in love and full on themselves and their power and their belief in themselves. That anything is there. Anything is accomplishable you know, any? There, there are limitless possibilities.

So, I work with clients, a lot of entrepreneurs, a lot of high achievers purpose driven people. And, you know, the work and the goals that we set for them in their business and their life. It really comes down to their mindset and their habits, and really allowing themselves to be themselves fully, you know, and live life powerfully as who they are. So I don’t know if that [crosstalk]

John: Sounds great and all , and habits being. So when we talk about habits, do we talk about rituals? Or do we talk about more towards the [inaudible] willing mode? You know, motive, modus operandi of discipline equals freedom. Is it discipline? Or is it rituals? Or it says, Is it a combination of both?

Daniel: That’s a great question. You know, I’d say it’s a it’s a little bit of both, right? So like, I’d say that to really to perform at your highest level to be in your peak state, you need clarity, you need energy, you need a mindset, you need habits. And I like to do I like to make habits that promote clarity, energy and mindset. Right, so I have a morning routine, right? A morning ritual that I get up early, I have my I hydrate I exercise, I meditate, you know, I journal and then I read so like I, you know, or I listened to an audio book or something like that. So I’m taking in information and prime my mind i prime my body right now like that is I mean, is it a habit? Yeah, but it’s a ritual, right? Like, right, right? I love it. Maybe what separates it is that like rituals, like we love them, like we just liked. They’re powerful. We know that they work and maybe a habit is more of you know, your discipline act that you know, you must do in order to achieve what you’re after.

John: Yes, so interesting, because as you know, we’re taping this show here in early May 2020, when we’re living through this tragic crisis, pandemic that’s affecting everyone more is, you know, around the world, people are affected, and some people are affected more than others. But let’s go and talk about that. So many people now are working from home teleworking, because of the shelter in place that’s been done in most states and cities across America. What you just talked about in terms of rituals and habits. Has that been, do you believe that is thrown off a lot of people because now they’re out of their typical, wake up, get in their car, get on a bus, go to work, come home, and do their thing. Their whole ritual and habit has been thrown off with a whole new ecosystem that they were forced to deal with? How does that set up the future for a great mentor coach like you in a post COVID-19 work life, world in terms of your business in your industry and your opportunities as both an entrepreneur but also as a Life Mastery coach?

Daniel: So I’ll give you a little bit experience and then a little bit of my thoughts as well share, like, you know, the experience that I had with Corona virus. So far as when this all really happened, I just I kind of just more was aware of this need that people needed more help right now. Right and there was this frightening there’s, you know the frightening energy around this financial loss and these deficits and unemployment and everything. So I really just kind of went on the giving offensive, I guess is a good way to put it. So like I started doing lives, I created an online Summit Series, you know, and just wanted to start, you know, giving people as much positive mindset, you know, habit, rituals, information that they can do that they can apply to their life simple stuff, right. And what I’ve noticed is that there’s a lot of people listening.

John: Hmm.

Daniel: There’s a lot of people listening.

John: That’s fascinating. So you’re, there’s a thirst for this information. There’s a thirst for this knowledge and this understanding?

Daniel: Yes, you know, and like, and I obviously won’t say who they are. But there’s, there’s people that I’ve known for a long time, personally, that I’m actually seeing come alive, that I’m seeing. And, and, and more so their, their mind and their openness, right. Like, because this shocked us so hard. I mean, it still is affecting us right now.

John: Right.

Daniel: But it was in such a interesting way, like, Whoa, like, did this thing catch us off guard or what? You know, and I’m sure there’s some people that were ahead of the curve and what was coming. But, you know, I mean, ultimately, this thing rocked us. And it took people into a different mindset and a mindspace. And I think that in the future, looking ahead, there’s going to be a lot of people as this thing starts to turn around, and we start getting back to, you know, earning and creating and generating, there’s going to be a lot of people that have listened a lot during this time, and are going to be really ready to act, ready to jump on to something and change their life and step up because people are over people are downloading right now. You know what I mean? They’re downloading how they’re feeling they’re down, I realize that you situation, and they’re downloading information from people that are telling them how to get better at most difficult time.

John: That’s fascinating. Hey, for listeners who just joined us, I’ve got my good friend on with us today, Daniel Diaz. To find out more about what Daniel does, or to contact him and to get involved with his great coaching business, you can go to www.thedanieldiaz.com, speaking entrepreneur, Daniel, people always write or tell us as entrepreneurs, that we have to learn to love the process, learning to love the process, what does that mean to you and your journeys on your own entrepreneurial journey, and then how do you use that in your coaching when you explain that to your clients and constituents?

Daniel: Yes, absolutely. So, you know, a lot of the people that I work with, they’ve achieved at a high level, they’re driven, they are achievers in the majority of every single person I work with. Now, what’s interesting is that a lot of people suffer from a lack of fulfillment, that there is this missing element, and or maybe there’s a disconnection with the partner, maybe there’s a disconnection with the children. Maybe there’s a disconnection with themselves with their health. Right, like, there’s this wheel that has six spokes and five of them are good, and then there’s one that’s missing. And I find that I find I’m sorry, my, I don’t know if you guys can hear my child’s upstairs.

John: That’s okay. That’s just like [crosstalk], Okay. That’s just real life that’s over. So we gotta we gotta embrace all the things that come with being at home, don’t worry about it.

Daniel: So I’m sorry, I lost where I was at.

John: We were talking about learning to love the process.

Daniel: Yes. I love the process, though. You know, what I find is that we get really get often stuck in this mode of achieving and forgetting about, you know, who we are in this process. Like what I’ve noticed with a lot of people that are you know, that are entrepreneurs that are suffering right now in this space, you know, or COVID is really affecting people’s businesses. And I and I empathize for these people. And I noticed that there is a pattern of people forgetting who created the business in the first place, right? Where the power lies. And I believe that when we connect more to that, and we start to celebrate the small victories, the daily victories, right, noticing the impacts that we’re having on people, and we start to set into that the achievement becomes sweeter, because we are enjoying every step of the way. Does that make sense?

John: Makes total sense that makes total sense. You know, when did you start your business yourself as an entrepreneur? How many years ago? And what were your expectations when you started your coaching business?

Daniel: Hmm, you know, I’ve been an entrepreneur, my whole life, man, I had my friend, I used to cut lawns, and I was a kid, I’ve, you know, I bought all my, I paid for all my stuff growing up.

John: You’re a junkie or serial entrepreneur.

Daniel: Serial entrepreneur, [crosstalk] I would say that, you know, it really, it really all started with my, I started a food truck in 2012 in Washington, DC, and a lot of people thought I was crazy, that, you know, that to start a food truck, but it was something that I was really, really passionate about, and was really excited about it. And me and a friend started it. And within nine months, we got written up in Forbes magazine, we were just killing it, you know, just doing amazing things we went to, we went to a brick and mortar, we went to a catering company, we added a restaurant, rooftop bar, you know, we’re just like, just going and going and going through that process, you know, and, and that running that restaurant, I got really tied into the work, to the hustle to the 18 hours, you know, and like it became this identity that it ate me up to like, I’m disconnected with my health, my relationships, you know, just like my relationship with my wife, my relationship with myself, I really just like I got really beat up. And this was some years back, I would say about six years ago. And at that point, I decided that personal development was like going to be what was going to just kind of happen, that was what happened. For me, my wife’s actually suggested that I started connecting with Tony Robbins, and I was like, “Oh, the guy from Shallow Hell.” And I ended up following his and you know, going through his trainings, and it changed my life. And then I became a different businessman, a different entrepreneur, right and amplified, working at a higher level and healthy, good, strong habits. And a couple years ago, I just really kind of I, my mind started to stretch into this space that I needed to be in something different. And I needed to be creating more of an impact. And I had learned so much through personal development, and all these trainings that I’ve done that I was, I was ready to help other people that had suffered, like I had, right that it had caught up in this work that, that they’re that they’re creating in their building, but man, they’re disconnected. They’re missing something, and I wanted to help more people change their life, you know, and get back to understand their limitless possibilities. So my business as a coach shifted, in 2018, I started doing consulting for the restaurants, other food trucks. And then actually, this time two years ago was when the decision was kind of made that like, I wasn’t, I was going to go and create this business. And, and that’s what happened and I just went for it, man, I just, you know, I, we, me and my business partner, we came to an agreement. And we always we love each other for everything that we created and it was time for us to split and do different things. And he was going to take over the business and I was going to create a new one where I was going to help people and I was going to connect and I was going to create a larger impact and that’s kind of how it started, man, it was very organic. And it happened fast. You know, I did some advertising on Facebook and it built quick. It built very fast. So it’s been an amazing ride. It’s been a whole new experience and a new business and I’m just in love with it. You know, and I’m in love with the process, you know, of recreating, you know, getting, you know, I mean, it’s almost like starting from scratch. So it’s been a lot of fun.

John: So what your first baby, your food business?

Daniel: Yes.

John: Was time to grow up and your partner took it on and he was growing that up and you it was time for another baby to be born. That’s right. And you and you created a new business and that’s what great entrepreneurs do. I mean, that’s, that’s really, that’s great. That’s great stuff to talk about. You know, assets. We all have strengths, we all have weaknesses. And you get to have a lot of visibility into leadership’s assets, especially since this is the Impact Podcast, we’re talking about leaders that want to make an impact. What do you see as a common thread among leaders, assets that want to make an impact and make the world, their community first, that could be their community, could be their city, their state, or the world a better place? How do you see the importance of identifying leaders assets, and then leveraging those assets to do the great work that they can do?

Daniel: So that’s a great question. You know, I would say that I try to reverse engineer this. So like integrity is one of the most important things of a leader that they say that they’re going to do something that they do it. And I think that the word self-confidence gets thrown out, often. But I think actually, what’s more powerful is there’s a lot of self-trust with leaders, they trust themselves, they know that if they say they’re going to do something that they’re going to follow through and do it, right, because they have integrity. And then that goes back, that’s reverse engineering, they have self-trust, because they follow through on the promises they make to themselves, meaning the habits that they set out, or the things that they say they’re going to do every single day, they actually do them. So they have trust in themselves. So that’s kind of this backwards, real, right? Where it gets down to what are your habits? You know, what is your mindset, real leaders have a mindset, and, and, and they have rituals, habits, the way that they conduct themselves, the way that they walk into rooms, right, the way that they greet people and interact and communicate the way that they give. Leaders are out in front, they communicate, right, they are out there communicating in a place of service. So I see that with leaders, and I see people that when they want to step up and step into that space, and if there’s fear, and if there’s doubt, that’s okay. Like, you know, leaders have that too, right? Like, some of the best speakers in the world throw up behind stage before they go up on stage, you know, like, it just happens, right? But it’s when we have self-trust, and we commit, and we follow through on the small things that we do we build that self-trust. And I believe that real leaders have a cumulative amount of self-trust by following through on the promises that they make to themselves on a regular basis.

John: That’s great. You know, it’s funny, you said about leaders who are going to go speak and sometimes throw up behind stage before they go speak. I watched a documentary on the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and they said, some of the best quarterbacks throw up in the locker room before the game and, and they were interviewed and, and they were asked about that habit. And what do you throw up? Are you that scared, you’re scared? Because I just care that much. I’m so amped up. I care that much that I want to go out there and be my best.

Daniel: Yes.

John: It’s not about being scared. It’s about caring. And reporters, eyes, you could just tell them and you know, and I’m like, wow, wow. You know, I just I love that stuff. I love people who care that much. Yeah, about everything that they do about everything that they do. And, you know, we talked a little bit about what we’re all living through together here, Daniel, and for our listeners who just joined us, we’ve got Daniel Diaz was with us today. And to connect with Daniel, and the important work that he does, you could go to www.thedanieldiaz.com, thedanieldiaz.com.

COVID-19 and the externalities of it. And when I say that, I mean, we’re all shelter in place. We’re all tuned in or watching some form of news, whether it’s online, whether it’s from friends or relatives, whether it’s on CNN, NBC or Fox, the news is getting to us in some way, shape, or form. So these external forces at work here, and it’s typically negative during this last 60 or 75 days. What do you–when people face these externalities, some that they can control and some that they can’t. And here in this case, none of us could control the inception and growth of this tragic pandemic.

Daniel: Yes.

John: What are some of the best tips or tricks to get that you share with your clients and your audience members to get themselves and or their companies or organizations that they’ve created back on track?

Daniel: You know, I’d say there’s a couple answers. But you know, I, I go back to this, this knowing your inherent worth, right this knowing how powerful and how creative you are, as an entrepreneur, as a, as a leader, and as a business owner, as an employee, right, like, you are so important and powerful. And I believe that when we are in a peak state, and when we give our minds, our bodies and our spirits, the right type of love, right, like, whether it’s through exercise, healthy diet, you know, meditation, family time, whatever it happens to be that you feed yourself, this good, you fill your cup, right? I believe that when we’re in that space, we are at our most creative and our most imaginative. Where we focus, our energy is going to go right, or focus goes energy flows. So when we are in a higher state, and we are elevated, because our mind, our mind is set, our habits are strong, we’re feeling good about ourselves, we’re gonna be able to look for the solutions and what’s being presented to us, right? We are so resilient. And we’re so smart. Like, there is so much power in what happens in these moments. I mean, that last, the last financial crisis in 2008, it wasn’t like Uber, Slack. Air Bnb, like all companies that were created during that time, where people just got extra creative. I believe that you’re able to get that creative and find yourself on the other side of this fear. When you know how strong and powerful and creative you can be, and how much impact your company can have when you really give it everything, right. So, you know, when it comes to this time, a lot of our thoughts, you know, in our fears that you know, generate thoughts, that a lot of it comes from what questions are being asked, right, our brain ask us ask questions all day, so you start asking yourself questions that will promote the empowerment of yourself, as opposed to limitations, you’ll find yourself in a much better space. If you’re asking yourself, you know, what do I get to create in this time, you know, who needs me in this time? You know, who do I need to be 100% for right now, you start to ask yourself these questions that fuel positive, you know, forward focus thoughts and answers to these questions. You know, you’ll start clearing the time that, you know, your mind says, what am I going to do if this doesn’t work out? It’s not looking good. This many more people died, you know, oh, my God, it’s going to kill I mean, you know, like, when the fish I mean, it, you’re right, it can be a fear cycle like that thing. Like a cyclone, like, in the news. It is. I mean, we don’t watch the news. We don’t the news does not go on in our house. Right. So if you want to have it.

John: That’s a good habit. That’s a good idea. You know, it’s funny you say about the news not being in your house. I know you have a young one at home.

Daniel: Yes.

John: And I’m an older generation. So I’ve got to see, my children grow up. And I’ve got to talk to a lot of my peers, about raising children over the years. One of the common themes I’ve seen with high performing children. When I’ve asked the parents wait to see your son went to Harvard? Your daughter went to Stanford? And was a star of one of the sports teams and also had high grades and also got their medical degree or law degree and, and you hear these incredible stories, and their siblings are similarly high performing. And I asked the parents, like, what were you doing that I wasn’t. Not that my kids haven’t done fine. Well, both of them are lawyers. But I see and, and the, one of the most interesting themes I’ve heard from other parents is no TV, or extraordinarily limited screen time. Now this was my generation was when television was the center point of a house or a bedroom situation. This was before your generation now is faced, Daniel, with also iPads and other tablets, and other forms of screen time. But I think your ritual and habit of limiting those externalities into your household, not only serve you and your wife Well, from being overwhelmed, or getting involved with some sort of emotional pandemic, which certainly nobody wants or needs, but I bet you will serve your child, and eventually, God willing children well as also, because that is one common theme I’ve seen with my friends, relatives and other peers who have had high performing children, and not as anomaly as siblings go. It’s just fascinating to see that they were very limited in their TV time, because that our, our children’s generation, my children’s generation was a TV generation. They didn’t have all the other gadgets that are now of course available.

Daniel: Yes.

John: I think you’re right. I think doing that. I think I think I think you’re absolutely right. And listen, this is you know, of course, you’re going to be coming back on the on impact you, you know, having you on, because you get to you’re really what I call a sneezer, you’re one of these people that not only are creating a positivity and impact in your own world, but because you coached so many people, because you speak to so many people, you are really making a multitude of impacts, just through your impactful behavior, and profession. So I want to have you back on. But before we say goodbye, I want to give you a chance to have any final words, for our listeners, who are interested in both your services, or just making a difference or an impact in the community, a world that they live in.

Daniel: Yes, absolutely. You know, during the pandemic, I launched a summit series called peak life. Now, if you go to peak life, now.com you can sign up, it’s free. And, you know, we ran 15 interviews, John was one of them. And it was incredible. And it was a lot centered around, you know, I mean, it really, it was centered around entrepreneurs and growth and balance, but it really ended up coming out to a lot of mindset and how to be proactive in these times, especially. And it turned out great. And what we’re going to end up doing is running more interviews on that on that channel, and just kind of continuing this, you know, fun time for free information and to really, you know, build your mind, build your habits, build yourself through a little bit more of a community.

You can go visit that we have a Facebook group that’s that you can join, you can be connected with other people that are watching the show. And then you can come and connect with me at thedaniel diaz.com. I do speaking workshops for companies and I work with a lot of people one on one that are looking to get to that next level in life. So yes, I’d be happy to talk to any of you guys. And John, thank you so much for having me. This was a blast. You know, I love talking to you. So this was a this is always a good time.

John: Daniel, you’re it’s an honor to have you on the show. it’s an honor to have you as a friend. You’re making an extraordinary impact in the world. And for that I’m grateful. Thank you again for being a guest You’re always welcome back on the show, and continued great work in success.

Daniel: Thank you, john. Appreciate it.

John: This edition of the impact podcast is brought to you by Engage. Engage is a digital booking engine revolutionizing the talent booking industry, with hundreds of athletes, entrepreneurs, speakers and business leaders. Engage is the go to spot for booking talent for your next event. For more information, please visit letsengage.com.