How Core Values Can Boost Health with Jason Skeesick

Join host Magic Barclay as she welcomes US Army veteran, coach, and entrepreneurial evangelist Jason Skeesick. Jason, founder of Spear and Clover, shares his insights on accelerating physical, emotional, and spiritual health, creating wealth beyond finances, and the power of consistency in weight loss. Dive into Jason's philosophy on building passionate tribes, the importance of collective elective suffering, and harnessing a military mindset for entrepreneurial success. Learn how Jason integrates his experiences from the military and business to foster dynamic, purpose-driven communities. Don't miss his free offer on leveraging Chat GPT for coaches and solopreneurs. Tune in for transformative tips and tools for entrepreneurs from all walks of life.

Find Jason's free Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dynastydefined

Transcript

Magic Barclay: 0:42

Welcome back to a magical life. I'm your host, Magic Barclay, and today Jason Skisik joins us. is a U S army veteran, a coach, and an entrepreneurial evangelist. He is a father, husband, fighter, and carrier of heavy things. His company, Spear and Clover, helps businesses with passionate leaders, talented teams, and strong playbooks to go from contenders to dynasty organizations. He leads the Spear and Clover Mastermind, which is a large group of like minded entrepreneurs. United in helping one another impact the world with their unique missions. You can find Jason hosting the weekly Spear and Clover podcast available on YouTube and across all audio platforms. Welcome Jason.

Jason Skeesick: 1:35

Oh, magic. Thank you so much for that glowing welcome, as well as having me on your show and sharing your audience with me today, I appreciate the chance to get to talk to you.

Magic Barclay: 1:44

My absolute pleasure to have you here. Now, I ask everyone the same three questions and do you know what? The answers are so diverse. It's. Pretty cool, actually. And here comes your first one. What can your expertise do to accelerate health, not just physical, but also emotional and spiritual health?

Jason Skeesick: 2:08

Oh, that's a great question. I would say, first and foremost, turn up the volume on health. And, and I think that's because my philosophy has always been that, To start with something that you love to do, I've always felt like I get to play sports or I get to go on a ruck march or I get to go do jujitsu or CrossFit or any of the things that I do for my healthy lifestyle. and so because of that, it never feels like it's a chore. and then from that domino. Um, nutrition and recovery and, and, you know, healthy living as far as, you know, alcohol or, or sugary foods is concerned, it's just a natural flow of someone who is excited to do better and better at the thing that he, or she enjoys to do. Um, and so for starters, it would be, to be able to do, I just am able to do so much more physically and, and prepare myself so much better with nutrition and recovery and, diet, as a result Of the passion that I carry for the things that I do. and then of certain, certainly there's other stuff as well, but that's probably the first thing that comes to mind.

Magic Barclay: 3:08

Terrific. Now our second standard question is around wealth. Many people think that's just the finances, just the money, but wealth can also be personal and emotional. So what are your top three tips to creating wealth of any kind?

Jason Skeesick: 3:25

Oh, what a great question. You're asking the right person. Um, I believe that I retired in 2018. and that was the last time that I did anything for money that I didn't want to do. I have very intentionally built businesses around tribes, and built businesses around things that I really enjoy doing. Uh, but even when I was an employee, I always pursued those jobs where I was a little bit excited, if not a lot excited about what I was doing, about who I was working with. and so because of that, my mother would tell you that I was calling her on the phone from Iraq as a deployed us army soldier, telling her that I was having the time of my life. And at the time magic, uh, we were digging holes in the desert 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Um, but I, I felt like I was getting in shape. I was meeting and developing these great relationships. I got to have, you know, this terrific food and, uh, was, was very focused on this mission. And so because of that, you know, I was able to find, you know, a very, I've always been able to find a very positive. You know, situation out of wherever I find myself with as far as creating wealth. I think the, you know, as a business coach, um, the thing that I would tell an entrepreneur or anybody is to spend time and focus on pursuing assets, whether it's buying them or building them as an entrepreneur. And those assets should have residual results for you. In other words, I think most people spend their lives pursuing linear results. you know, I do one thing and one thing happens if I stop doing it, nothing happens. Um, but entrepreneurs and people that are wealthy in general understand that whether it's investing in, you know, financial assets or building business assets, or, you know, even as a craftsman building, assets, that way. you can get residual results that go on and on that way. And that I think is, is the sort of the second hallmark of wealth.

Magic Barclay: 5:11

And our final standard question is around weight loss. Many people battle their weight quite needlessly. We know that stress is a major factor here. And so have you ever battled your weight? If so, how did you win the war? And what can you offer the listeners who might be on this journey, particularly the entrepreneurs, the. Survivors, the warriors who kind of take on so much load and stress is really part of their day.

Jason Skeesick: 5:43

Yeah, I think, the biggest thing there is consistency. you know, I think it's, it's really hard to find somebody who goes to the gym every single day, and eats right. That's. Maybe they're overweight by some standards, but those people are typically very happy and there's, there's, you know, chemical and hormonal reasons for that. And so I would say consistency is king, and that leads me back to my first point earlier, which is it's so, so, so much easier to be consistent, when you enjoy what you're doing, when you're doing what you're doing with a collective, Group of other people that are working hard towards the same goals. Uh, my good friend, coach Robin Lalonde, from Chicago as well, has this saying collective elective suffering. And so I just think, I believe strongly in this idea of like minded people getting together in a group, not with headphones on, not on a treadmill and electing to suffer together through something that's challenging. and that very, very much. inspires camaraderie and inspires a feeling of accomplishment. and it also leads to, consistency, mental and physical wellbeing. and then, you know, your body weight or your, your body composition, you know, obviously we'll, we'll follow that. and then of course, if, if that's not the case, then certainly there are things like, you know, You know, hormone balancing and, and, and different types of diets that can be considered. But you know, in my experience, so many people think that they're the special case when in fact they're probably just in need of consistent collective elective suffering.

Magic Barclay: 7:12

Great. We've already covered so much here, but now I really want to open the floor to you, Jason. What are some things that you find yourself talking about now, just for the listeners to give you an update, we were just chatting off air. Jason has done so much fitness, entrepreneurship, the U S military health, like there's just so much, but what are some key things, Jason, that listeners from any walks of life could benefit from hearing today?

Jason Skeesick: 7:44

Yeah, that's a great question, Magic. I think, um, I think really what it all boils down to is everything that I've done, uh, has been in service of, of this idea of tribe or team, depending on, uh, what it was, whether it's, you know, as a young man, you know, skateboarding or playing sports, in a collection or hanging out with kids on the block. you know, it was always, for me, I always Got energy. I came home with more energy when I was doing things with a group, uh, and working towards those things. And so, uh, that carried me into the military. I think that's an obvious extension of that. Um, I got a degree in finance and became a banker for one of the bigger banks in the world. And the thing that I loved about my time there was the camaraderie and the culture and feeling like I was a part of, of this. fortress balance sheet organization. And, uh, you know, obviously starting and growing a CrossFit gym with two friends from, from nothing to, you know, over 500 members at one point, was a huge accomplishment, but really the driving force was, you know, what can I do today to help my tribe tomorrow? and so for me, that has been really the, uh, true magnetic north for, for me on my compass, most of my whole life. closely followed by the topics and the, the directions that I've chosen to pursue are just those things that I love, those things that I've always enjoyed. You know, I've already kind of touched on this, but when I was young. I liked clothes. I worked at the mall. I liked snowboarding. I worked at the snowboarding hill. I liked pool and poker. I worked at a casino and a pool hall, you know, and, and with the exception of the military, that's been, you know, every single job that I've ever had.

Magic Barclay: 9:21

So some of our listeners are entrepreneurs, some are moms, some are dads, you know, some might be working for the man, like who knows where they're from, but everyone has, I guess, One ideal, and that is to succeed, to progress, to move forward. What does that look like for you and for the coaches that you work with?

Jason Skeesick: 9:45

great question. I would say that, um, just like anything, there's always a way to improve because in any given system, there's always a speed limit. And that's the one thing that is currently stopping it from going faster or better or growing or whatever the, chosen adjective would be, and if you pay attention, it's actually usually pretty obvious. and I think unfortunately, so many of us, particularly entrepreneurs, have it set in our mind that things should be a certain way. and so we, we miss those red flags of the speed limit that actually is standing in our way. And so. The two things that I would give advice to somebody that wants to pursue growth, whether it's in their personal life, their physical fitness, their, their, you know, body fat composition, or, or at work or owning a business, it's to actually set aside your preconceived notions. You know, beliefs and your, you know, your theory, um, put your ego down and really look as objectively as you can, or, you know, use a coach to help you with this, uh, to identify what it is. That's the one thing that you should be working on removing that will increase your hypothetical speed limit.

Magic Barclay: 10:52

Okay, tell us about Spear and Clover. What is the company? What do you do? How do you help people with it?

Jason Skeesick: 11:00

Yeah, that's a great question. So I'll start by saying what is the Spear and Clover. So the Spear and Clover is a personal symbol that's based on two of my core values. Um, and so as I've mentioned a couple of times, I go. around, I live in the, Indiana dunes national park here in Indiana, outside of Chicago. and every week I go on a ruck march with my two Australian shepherds. and one week I was going 11 miles with a 40 pound pack on my back and a 40 pound log on my shoulder. and I'm laser focused on going 11 miles without putting any of this weight down. and I'm head up feet moving, and a military mindset, which is one of my core values and my dogs are having the time of their life, they're running out into the woods and then they're circling back to check on me and then they're running out into the woods and they're circling back to check on me. And at, and that instant, I just realized that at my best, I'm not just laser focused military mindset on achieving my goal or task at hand, but I'm also spirit of the puppy. I'm having fun. I'm taking time to enjoy what we're doing. I'm trying new things. I'm excited to be here. And that's the spirit of what I like to bring to my work with entrepreneurs, uh, with my mastermind, the spirit and Clover mastermind. we have a free Facebook group where I engage with, with folks called dynasty builders, and across all of them is this idea of pursuing undeniability and scale, but trying to make sure that we're using our passion and, and our, and our sense of fun as sort of a guide towards that. Um, and so that's always been very important to me and for the folks that I'm the best able to help. It's also become important for them.

Magic Barclay: 12:32

Great. Now, Jason, what are some things that we haven't touched on that maybe. They might be agitating to people, maybe they might just be a pleasant shake up. What are some things that really are missing from, I guess, our conversations and our, group dynamics these days?

Jason Skeesick: 12:59

You know, that's a great question, Magic. And I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull anything crazy out of the hat here. I think, I think the, the bottom line is. You know, regardless of if you're talking about your, relationships, your body composition, your fitness regime, your nutrition, your business, your job, your relationship with your parents or your children, I really do strongly believe that for the most part, we know exactly what's going on. what we should be doing, and we know exactly what we're doing that's holding us back. I think that, that's where people get this feeling of shame, or this feeling of not wanting to talk about things, or not wanting to address things head on, or, or trying to take shortcuts. And I think, I think ultimately, we all know that, you know, those things, if addressed, would get us where we want to go, it's, it's probably the, the one thing you probably don't want to do is probably the thing that will get you where you want to go. And so, you know, I would just challenge anybody who, who doesn't agree with that to, you know, obviously, there's certainly space here, but, I've just seen it play out far too many times. I can tell you right now that, in my career, I have been progressively more successful financially and more successful, in the respect of my peers and the people that I serve. and it's been easier technically to build each subsequent business, but it has been exponentially harder. unlike an emotional and a mental level, I've had to think more clearly and more deeply. I've had to challenge myself from good enough to throw that away to try and make things great. and I think that this is the journey of life. I think that, as we walk down this path, inevitably to, towards our own demise, the moment that we stop. Trying to improve or put down our previously held things and pick up new ideas or new methods or improved things, uh, is the moment that we start to decay. And, and so I think that for the most part that, you know, as long as you are always looking for. Maybe I'll rephrase this as this. My life got a lot better when I stopped trying to win arguments and I started to try and find myself on the side of the truth. I found that I was ending up standing shoulder to shoulder with so many more people after conversations, and I found that I was able to make more financial gains, more personal gains, and also, develop a much better relationships with the folks that I, that I deal with. By, by, instead of seeking, being right, seeking, finding the correct answers.

Magic Barclay: 15:24

I think that's a really great distinction, not seeking being right, finding the answers. I think much of our worldwide community in modern times, we all want to be right. We want to be heard. You know, we want to be addressed correctly in our minds. We want, we want, we want. but we're not really seeking remedy that helps our community, helps our family, you know, helps the world community. So what are some things that you learned, particularly from the army that you've used to this day that help find that remedy for community?

Jason Skeesick: 16:08

Well, the army was a totally polar opposite to how I've built any other tribe in the businesses that I've been involved in is either the leader of or as a part of the tribe. and that is in the military. I found myself particularly in Iraq. I found myself on a mission that I didn't choose. I was not able to quit even if I had wanted to without very stiff repercussions. I was doing work that I had no real interest in, with people that I didn't pick. And, and I'll be honest with you, Magic, a lot of them I didn't get along with, particularly in the beginning, and they didn't get along with me. And so to be honest with you, I think it showed me that You know, you read books like tribe or the struggle is the way, and you see that this is a long history in human culture of, you know, small tribes of people that are united by very difficult things that take them through a group transformation. and this is why I've identified so strongly with things like CrossFit, or jujitsu, you know, fortunately for me, I, I love doing those things, um, but they're very difficult. and so. Yeah, I think the things that I've learned from the military were that in fact, I could find happiness and joy and excitement in just terrible places and circumstances with people that I would have never spent time with on by choice. and, you know, candidly, I think some people say that they've, you know, stayed in touch with forever and their brothers afterwards. And I would say we're definitely brothers, but we haven't. Stayed in touch as much as what I think people often claim and that's okay too. Uh, but that time, that, that moment in time that I was there with those people, you know, we overcame very. Very special challenges in very special ways and became a special group as a result.

Magic Barclay: 17:47

Terrific. Now we've just gone all over the place today, and I love that we have that ability because it's just so much value for the listeners in this chat, but we love to offer more value and we really love freebies here, Jason. So what can you offer the listeners and where can they find it?

Jason Skeesick: 18:06

Oh, that's a great question. Thanks for asking. I offer a free, it's called all star AI offer a free course on chat GPT for coaches, consultants, and solopreneurs. and that is available at my free group for entrepreneurs. Uh, it's called dynasty builders, and that's a free group on Facebook. Uh, you can find the links to join our group, or you can just find it by searching for dynasty builders in Facebook. Uh, but that link is also available at my personal profile, as well as my Instagram, my LinkedIn everywhere.

Magic Barclay: 18:35

Wonderful. And you can also find Jason at www. spearandclover. com Jason, thanks for joining us today.

Jason Skeesick: 18:46

Thank you so much for having me, Magic. This has been a lot of fun.

Magic Barclay: 18:50

It has. And listeners, thank you for joining me today. Don't forget to review, like, share, and subscribe to this podcast. But for now, go forth and create your magical life.