>> Hi.

I'm Lewis Howes, New York Times best-selling author and entrepreneur.

And welcome to "The School of Greatness," where we interview the most influential minds and leaders in the world to inspire you to live your best life today.

In this episode, I'm joined by Nick Bare, founder of Bare Performance Nutrition, a leader in the fitness industry known for his motivational approach and transformative products.

We dive into his journey from a college startup to a fitness brand leader.

Discover Nick's top hacks for losing weight, gaining muscle, and setting goals.

He shares invaluable lessons on consistency, leadership, and team building that will inspire you to achieve your fitness goals and beyond.

I'm so glad you're here today.

Now let's dive in and let the class begin.

♪♪ ♪♪ Everything you've learned from morning routines, from being in the Army to now being a civilian now and not being in the Army anymore, but running a successful, thriving business.

So is there anything that you learned from the Army that you still apply today that has allowed you to separate yourself emotionally, physically, mentally from others?

And also that's given you tools to thrive in your business and life?

>> So there's three things I talk about that are nonnegotiables for my morning.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> It's one, it's wake up early.

>> Yep.

>> Two, it is move your body and sweat.

And three, it's search for solitude.

So when I was in the military, you don't have an option to press snooze or sleep in.

>> You got to wake up early.

>> Right.

And -- >> They don't let you just kind of relax in the mornings and just do what you want?

>> Unfortunately not.

When I got to Fort Hood in 2014, I was an infantry platoon leader, and I lived about 30 minutes away from Fort Hood.

So I had to be at work by 6:00 AM, so I'm waking up about 4:30 AM every morning, and I'm getting to work at 6:00 for a quick meeting.

And then, by 6:30, we're stretching out for morning PT, and we do that for an hour, and that'd be from 6:30 to 7:30 or 6:30 to 8:00.

And then, I would eat my breakfast in my truck, shower, change, be in the office by 9:00.

>> Wow.

That was my morning routine.

And I lived that for four years.

When I transitioned out of the Army... >> So that was ROTC?

Is that what that is?

>> That was actual active duty military.

>> Okay.

But that was in the US or in South Korea?

>> That was in the US.

>> In the US.

Gotcha.

>> Yeah, it's when I was stationed at Fort Hood.

>> Yep.

>> I was in South Korea for a nine-month rotation in 2016.

>> Got it.

>> Morning routine was very similar.

When I transitioned out of the Army, there was never really the thought of, well, let's change this morning routine up because it worked for me.

It was it was proven successful that it allowed me to achieve a lot of the things that I wanted to do throughout the day through backwards planning, backwards planning, and forward thinking.

Now my morning routine, I still wake up early, move my body and sweat, and search for solitude.

Solitude, for me, it is a form of meditation, and that's running.

So I'll wake up every morning, 5:00 AM.

And people ask the question all the time, like, "Well, if I'm not a morning person, how do I wake up at 5:00 AM?

Sometimes you have to train the body.

>> You got to become a morning person.

>> Right.

You wake up at 5:00 AM for 30, 60, 90 days, that just becomes routine.

That becomes habit.

>> Mm-hmm.

Well, also, if you're going to wake up at 5:00 AM, you have to start sleeping earlier so you are awake as opposed to exhausted at 5:00 AM.

And, so, you probably don't go to bed at 2:00 AM.

>> Right.

No.

I'm trying to get at least seven hours of sleep.

>> Yeah, exactly.

>> So I wake up at 5:00 AM, and the first thing I do is I go out in the kitchen, I make my coffee, and I'll check my e-mails.

I'll go through kind of things I have to do to prepare for business that day.

I check my schedule.

And as soon as I'm done drinking my coffee, I lace up my shoes, throw on my shorts, throw my hat, go out for my morning run.

Right now, it's anywhere from 5 to 7 miles.

And for me, that morning, 5 to 7 miles at an aerobic pace, you know, it's below my max aerobic heart rate, I can really sink in.

And what happens during those 5 to 7 miles is absolutely transformational.

>> Mm.

>> Where, if there's problems in my life, they will find me during that run.

I will navigate issues that I'm experiencing.

I will solve problems I'm experiencing.

I'll get emotional during these 5 to 7 miles.

There's this dopamine dump and rush that I experience unlike anything else in my life.

And then when I get back from that run, it's eat breakfast, shower, get into the office.

But I've already started my day with a win.

I've accomplished those three things of waking up early, moving my body and sweat, and then solitude.

>> Yeah, it's beautiful, man.

What happens when you don't follow that morning routine?

Can you still have a great day, or do you feel like you're not as successful?

>> It's off.

I feel like I'm behind.

>> Really?

>> Yeah.

I mean, even days that I might wake up early and not run if it's not a run day.

But regardless, I'm waking up at 5:00 AM, I'm moving my body in some capacity.

I just feel better when I move.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> And I'm searching for solitude, whether it's sitting on the couch drinking my coffee.

>> Right.

>> Or giving our baby girl a bottle, you know, to put her back to sleep.

But if I don't achieve those things, the day's off, or I feel like I'm behind and I'm playing catch-up, where I need that 5:00 AM wake-up call to set the day up for a big win.

>> Now, you, you know, obviously you were trained in the Army to prepare for the worst case scenarios, right?

To prepare for what could go wrong.

And when this happens, because it will go wrong at certain times, how to react and respond from a place of focus and clarity and calm, essentially, under stress.

So let's say you -- let's say someone isn't able to get their morning routine in or they weren't able to wake up early for whatever reason, something -- life happens.

They plan for perfection, but life happens once in a while.

How can they mentally stay in a focused present mindset and not feel behind, even when they miss their morning routine?

>> I think you have to detach yourself from the issue you're experiencing.

Go big picture.

So, to kind of paint a picture of a story that kind of wraps that all up, I remember I was in Fort Benning, Georgia, for training.

This was 2014, probably.

It was before I got to my unit in Fort Hood.

I was a brand-new second lieutenant, and we were being mentored by the 75th Ranger Regiment for a few days in training.

And these were all captains in the captains career course.

And I was talking to this one officer, and I said, "You know, sir, when I get to my unit, what's going to set me up for success?

How do I become the best officer possible?"

And he pointed across the room to this other officer and he said, "You see that guy over there?

When chaos strikes, that guy is as cool as the other side of the pillow."

>> Really?

>> Because he detaches himself.

He's not reactive.

He is proactive.

He has a plan, but he pulls back from 10,000 feet in the air, looks at all the moving pieces, and then makes a plan.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> So I think what happens with a lot of people, and myself included -- it used to happen a lot -- is something goes wrong, your plan isn't working.

Well, now you're in fight or flight, you're reactive.

You're trying to just put things back in place.

It's often better to just take a step back, take a deep breath, look at what's going on, and how do I deliberately make a plan to adjust and execute?

>> How does someone train to do that?

Like what -- You know, when you've never done that before and you need to be in control and life feels out of control for these moments, how do you train and prepare to be that cool and calm like that officer was?

>> I think it's awareness and then repetition.

>> Mm-hmm.

What are some things that you guys did in the Army to train for that?

>> I think it was just through, like, mentorship.

You know, like, you always, throughout training, have a noncommissioned officer who has years of experience or an officer who has years of experience.

But when I got to my platoon in 2014 in Texas, I was an infantry platoon leader.

I was the platoon leader of these 40 soldiers and noncommissioned officers, I had the least amount of experience out of all of them.

>> You were the leader?

>> Exactly.

>> Oh.

>> New officer.

My platoon sergeant had 18 years of experience in the Army with multiple combat deployments.

My -- >> He was reporting to you?

>> Technically.

>> [ Laughing ] Wow.

>> My squad leaders, my team leaders, they had multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

You know, a lot of experience.

And then I had, you know, junior enlisted soldiers in the platoon.

But for me, I was being mentored by my platoon sergeant, my squad leaders, my team leaders.

So the biggest piece of advice I got when I first arrived at platoon was, don't make any changes.

>> Right.

>> This is not your platoon yet.

Like, allow them to let you in.

Just come in, observe.

And when they start asking for some advice and your opinion, that's them letting you in.

And I learned so much through and from these noncommissioned officers and soldiers during my four years.

A lot of it was just having awareness, you know, reading the room, like, "Do these people trust me?

Do they want me to lead them?"

>> Mm-hmm.

>> "Will they work alongside of me?"

Having that awareness and then repetition, consistent repetition, will help you get better.

>> Mm.

Now, how long have you been married?

>> A little over two years now.

>> Two years.

Does your wife have a morning routine?

And was it different before you guys had your child or after?

>> My wife has a morning routine.

It was definitely different before.

>> It wasn't 5:00 AM wake up?

>> It was never 5:00 AM wake up, but for her, it was always -- Well, we are routine people.

It was wake up.

She would go through her, like, green supplement and then water and then coffee and then go work out and train.

And both of us, we need to move our bodies to be sane.

Having the baby has changed life pretty significantly, but we've found ways to still implement our plan to achieve our routine throughout the day where we both have to adapt and make some changes.

But it's difficult, it's challenging, but it's doable.

>> Yeah.

Why do you think morning routines or creating your own routine that works for you is a common trait of successful people in general, versus those that don't have a morning routine?

>> It goes back to -- I'm a huge fan of what the military taught me about setting your, not day, but a mission, a week, a year, five years up for success.

It's backwards planning.

So, it's okay, in this amount of time, for me to get from point A to point B, I now need to go backwards.

What do I need to do at this time away and this time away?

How do I set myself up for success to get from point A to point B?

So it's backwards planning while you're forward thinking.

>> Mm.

>> And anyone who has some sort of routine allows you to execute and complete your nonnegotiables while still achieving your day, your week, your month, your year plan.

And for me, that's why I believe it's so important for myself, but a lot of other successful people.

It's because if you don't have a routine, especially a morning routine, you're playing catch-up.

And especially if you have a lot of responsibilities and obligations.

Because, for me, as soon as the day starts in the office at 8:00 AM, I don't know what fire I'm fighting, but if I didn't do my three things early on... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...I don't know when I'm getting to it, especially now having a child.

>> You just don't feel as prepared, probably, right?

If you're not waking up early, if you're not moving your body and sweating in some way, and if you're not searching for solitude, which could be running or processing problems or finding solutions in your mind, essentially, then you're getting to the office and you're not feeling ready for the day, is what I'm hearing you say.

>> Correct.

>> Yeah.

And you just could be more on edge or triggered or reactive, right?

>> Yeah.

>> I've heard a lot of people saying, kind of being like the anti-morning routine talk online lately, where people are like the morning routines are, you know, you don't need them.

Just wake up and start working.

What's your thoughts on that?

If you're for the opinion of people who's just saying, "Why waste an hour of your day in the morning when you can wake up, start getting to work and start making progress?

>> I mean, if it works for you.

>> Yeah.

>> If it's not broke, don't fix it.

>> Yeah.

>> I've never been the type of person that says, like, "You need to.

You have to.

You should."

A lot of the content that I put online is, this is what works for me, and it might work for you.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> But I can tell you right now, if I didn't have a morning routine... >> You'd be a mess.

>> I'd be a mess.

Like, my day would be chaotic.

I would be behind.

I'd be -- I hate being in a reactive space and state.

I'm a very proactive, deliberate, strategic, intentional person.

One of my favorite things that I've ever heard, it was from Jordan, my media director.

I walked into his office one day and it was this note on his computer, and it said, "Lack of intentionality leads to a repetition of what is easiest."

>> Mm.

>> For me, I want to be intentional with everything I do.

And if I'm not being intentional with a routine or my day, or the things that I say and do, I'm falling into a rhythm and routine of easy.

And I don't want easy, I want challenging, I want hard, I want deliberate, intentional, strategic.

>> Why do you want challenging and hard versus easy and comfortable?

>> Because I've grown in every aspect of challenging and hard.

I can't tell you one moment in my life where I've grown in easy.

And it drives my wife insane.

>> She's like, "Take a break."

>> Quite often, but I know that, when the pressure is there and it's challenging and it hurts and it brings stress and discomfort, I know what's on the other side of that.

And the only reason I know what's on the other side of that is because I've gone through it so many times.

You know, bootstrapping a business is tough.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> I've gone through a decade of hurt and struggle and pain, but to see where it's put me, there's no way -- you know, you have no other choice than to push through.

>> Wow.

Who are the two or three most inspiring people in the, you know, mental toughness, physical fitness world right now, in your mind, that you're inspired by or you respect or you feel like they're living a, you know, a lifestyle that you really can watch and be like, "That's inspiring, it pushes me to do one more"?

>> To be honest, it's my team... >> Uh-huh.

>> ...at BPN.

You know, what's so powerful about the culture that we've created there is, you know, we're a health and performance supplement company, but everyone's living and breathing the lifestyle and the motto.

You know, we went out last weekend.

We supported Jordan, my media director's wife, at an ultramarathon in Bandera, Texas.

We have another one of our employees, Austin, who's doing 100-mile race in Huntsville, Texas, in two weeks.

Someone's always training for half marathon, marathon, ultra.

Someone on our team is training for an Ironman right now.

I mean, being surrounded by that team of people who are constantly pushing in their professional and personal life motivates me.

>> Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

>> You know, my mom, like I said, was a huge foundation in my life.

And I mean she applied "go one more" to every part of her life.

My mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2019.

Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

And it was one of those things that I thought, well, my mom's going to get chemo and she's going to get through it and she'll be living down here in Texas in six months.

That was the plan.

That was the year she was going to retire, move to Texas, and live the rest of her life with her boys.

And she got cancer, she got diagnosed.

It was extremely aggressive.

She passed away six months later, but she never gave up fighting.

>> Mm.

>> You know, even when she was in the hospital, even when she was in hospice, it was looking up and saying, what can I get you boys?

>> Right.

>> Like, "Mom, you're good.

Just -- Just chill out for a second."

You know, she applied that to her work with special education, coaching Special Olympics, helping the community.

If there's one person I respect in this world, it's my mom, 100%.

>> Mm.

That's beautiful, man.

Why do you care so much about your business and what you guys are creating?

>> It's more than a supplement company.

I poured my heart and soul into this business for the last decade of my life.

I mean, everything.

I think any entrepreneur can relate that, when you start something you're so passionate about, you become what it is.

You don't know who you are without it, to a certain point.

And we do a lot of in-person events.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> We do pop-ups.

We host athletic clubs in Austin for our community.

We celebrated 10 years in business this past August.

We had a big event in the city.

And it's when we get to meet the people.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> You know, like, I said, it's more than being a supplement company or mission driven or community driven, and you meet these people who, by watching the content, by attaching to the brand, by getting "go one more" tattooed on their body, they've lost 100, 200 pounds.

They become a better father.

They become a better husband.

It's hearing those stories in person.

There was a story that I heard when we were celebrating our 10 years in business that forever changed my life, and it was a single mother.

She was probably my age, and she had a daughter with her who was probably 7 or 8 years old.

And they pulled me aside because they wanted to talk for a second.

And the mother said, you know, "My daughter doesn't have a father figure in her life.

I'm a single mom raising my daughter, and because she doesn't have a father figure in her life, I show her the content that your team produces.

The videos and the podcasts, the interviews."

She uses that content as a mentor and a father figure for her younger daughter.

That, for me, that was heavy, where this is the responsibility that we have.

These are the lives that we have the ability to change.

This is who's listening to this content.

We have to be a role model in a space that is notorious for not being role model worthy.

>> Yeah.

>> That's my guiding principle now.

>> That's cool man.

It's inspiring.

People can learn more about it at bareperformancenutrition.com, right?

>> That's correct.

>> You also got great content on your social media and your show, as well, that people can check out.

It's all linked up with the website, right?

>> It is, yeah.

>> Before I ask a couple final questions, I got to acknowledge you, Nick, for your commitment and consistency over the last decade, for your service, not only with the military, but also your service to you helping people transform their lives.

I think that's one of the greatest services that people can have when they're in service to helping people impact, grow, overcome, and become healthier.

That's the highest currency is our health.

So I acknowledge you for how you've used your -- some of your biggest obstacles to be an opportunity to serve and how you've used, you know, the lessons you've learned from your parents and unfortunately, your mom passing and using that, finding meaning, to serve other people and be open-hearted and generous and giving.

It's really inspiring to see your journey from, you know, the first time I saw you reached out to me, to where you were then, making, you know, a couple thousand a month to now being a massive business in your business.

So I acknowledge you for the consistency, for showing up, and for the journey you're on, man.

It's really inspiring.

>> Thank you.

I appreciate that.

>> Of course, man.

This is a question I ask people at the end called The Three Truths.

So imagine it's your last day on Earth, many years away.

You accomplished everything you want to accomplish in life, but you eventually got to turn the lights off.

But you get to live as long as you want.

And for whatever reason, In this hypothetical scenario, you've got to take all of your content and message with you.

So anything you've ever shared in the world, content, books, audio, video, it's gone.

Goes somewhere else.

But you get to leave behind three lessons to the world, three things you know to be true.

And this is all we would have to remember you by.

What would be those three truths for you?

>> The first one and the most powerful is go one more.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Applying the go one more mindset, mission, mentality to your life to support your personal goals, your professional goals, your family, your friends.

There is so much power in those three words that, if I want someone to remember one thing, it's those three words.

And I would hope it means so much to them that they get it tattooed on their body.

>> Yeah.

>> The second, and I'm going to steal this from Donald Miller, one of my favorite authors.

>> That's great.

>> It is to always position yourself as the guide and not the hero.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> I think this is very applicable to content creators, to business owners, or even people who prioritize their family.

It's that, as soon as you realize that there's more power in presenting yourself and positioning yourself as a guide rather than a hero, you're not only going to help many, many others, but you're going to help yourself tremendously.

You know, we use the word "intentional" a lot in our business and in my family, people in my life.

And I would lean back on the saying, lack of intentionality leads to a repetition of what is easiest.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> If you apply intentionality to everything you do in life, the decisions you make, the processes you create, the life that you ultimately end up with, being intentional with those decisions will get you somewhere that you are ultimately proud of.

>> Mm-hmm.

Those are good truths, man.

I love all of those.

>> Thank you.

>> And I'm a big fan of Donald Miller and, you know, the process of understanding, where are you?

Are you a victim, are you a villain, are you a hero, or are you a guide?

I think the guide is where we should all be leaning towards and trying to get to as quickly as possible.

That's where we really get to be in service, you know?

And that's where I think fulfillment comes from.

Final question for you -- what's your definition of greatness?

>> Greatness is positioning yourself as and being respected as a role model.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> As I was talking to you before we started recording, for me, you know, I think about the end of my life.

Hopefully that's decades down the road, but who knows?

When I die one day, I don't want to be viewed as or talked about as this man who ran ultramarathons and lifted weights.

And being known as and respected as a role model... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...from people that personally know me in my life, my daughter as she grows up... >> Yeah.

>> ...and people who know me from creating content online, that, for me, would be greatness.

>> Mm!

Nick.

Love it, man.

Thank you, brother.

>> Thank you.

Appreciate you.

>> We hope you enjoyed this episode and found it valuable.

Stay tuned for more from "The School of Greatness" coming soon on public television.

Again, I'm Lewis Howes.

And if no one has told you lately, I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter.

Now it's time to go out there and do something great.

If you'd like to continue on the journey of greatness with me, please check out my website lewishowes.com, where you'll find over 1,000 episodes of "The School of Greatness" show, as well as tools and resources to support you in living your best life.

>> The online course Find Your Greatness is available for $19.

Drawn from the lessons Lewis Howes shares in "The School of Greatness," this interactive course will guide you through a step-by-step process to discover your strengths, connect to your passion and purpose, and help create your own blueprint for greatness.

To order, go to lewishowes.com/tv.

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