Managing Fatigue: The Scientific Approach to Executive Travel and Recovery

In this episode of No Hype, Just Standards, Zac Armstrong sits down with Jordan Cole, a Gulfstream Captain and mentor pilot who operates under some of the most demanding schedules in aviation. Jordan’s story is one of radical career reinvention,walking away from a successful real estate career to pursue his dream of becoming a professional pilot.

But in aviation, your body is your instrument. Jordan realized that crossing time zones and living out of hotels was leading to “skinny fat” syndrome and chronic fatigue. He didn’t wait for a medical emergency; he chose to rebuild his health to match his professional standards.

In this episode, we discuss:

If you’re a traveler or executive grinding through a schedule that never stops, Jordan’s “flight plan” for health will show you how to stop running on autopilot.

Transcript

Auto-generated from the episode audio and lightly formatted. Each timestamp links to that moment in the video.

0:00 Smile at yourself in the mirror and give yourself a compliment in the morning, it changes your whole freaking day. And um and if you’re doing that to somebody else, complimenting them in some certain way, it’s it’s that organic uh energy inside of us that that really just makes us feel better overall. There’s a version of success that looks like everything is working. The career is climbing. The paychecks are cleared. People around you think you have it all figured out. And the whole time, the one thing holding it all together, your body, it’s running on autopilot. I’m Zach Armstrong. This is no hype, just standards. And today, I’m sitting down with a guy who did something most people only talk about. He walked away from a successful business career and bet everything on becoming a professional pilot. Not a hobby, not a side project. He went all the way. Jordan Cole is a Gulf Stream captain and a mentor pilot, actually at one of the

1:00 Top private aviation companies in the world. He has over 3,000 flight hours. He holds an MBA. Before aviation, he built and ran a real estate teams in the Southern California and Kansas City areas. And now he flies some of the most demanding clients in some of the most demanding schedules in all of aviation. But here’s the thing about being a pilot. Your body is your instrument. The FAA does not care how ambiguous you are. If your health does not pass, you do not fly. And when you are lying around in hotels and living there for four or five, six days at a time, crossing time zones, eating whatever is available, the margin between performing and falling apart gets very thin. Jordan came to me because he was not the kind of guy who waits for something to break. He has high aspirations for what he wants to achieve. And he recognized that his body needed to keep up to where his career was going. If you are listening to this and you are someone who travels for work or who has built something you are proud of but knows deep down that you’ve been putting your own health on hold, this

2:02 Conversation is going to hit a little differently. Like and subscribe wherever you are watching or listening. Let’s get into it. Hey Jordan, so take me back. You had a real estate career, an MBA. What happened? What changed? Well, that’s about a continuous amount of resets, right? And sure, sometimes we just have to decide whether or not we’re on the right path. Um, ultimately, I I would found myself I woke up one morning and I didn’t have the emotional self-fulfilling satisfaction that uh that I demanded for my life and I wanted to pursue a dream of aviation. Was this a childhood dream that you had always had? Yeah, I had touched a plane. I think I was 12 or 13. I had a Discovery flight with a a colleague of my father’s who owned owned a small aircraft. I think it was 172 if I recall correctly. And and I I loved it. It was something that I wanted to pursue. And and um coming of age, it just wasn’t

3:02 Something that I could afford or or uh really could. It’s not cheap, man. It is not cheap. It’s not a cheap hobby. It is not cheap. So you know and and also um by the time I was of age that was also the just after 9/11 and so the aviation market was very different. Oh yeah for coming into the industry and and so I didn’t see a path into it at the time and ultimately I decided to go into business. So I mean how did that work? You were still working your NBA and then like doing it as a side trying to get hours or did you kind of jump all in? No. Yeah. Um so a after undergraduate I did 10 years of business med medical billing practice management then went back for my MBA and then came back and found myself in real estate. Um, so there was already a reset there and um and spent a few years in real estate managing teams and and leading offices and and uh like I said woke up and and decided I want to pursue my dream and

4:03 And um so I as the saying goes I burnt the boats and and um went all in two feet in basically from zero hours and 2018 November was my first time flying an airplane. That’s insane. That’s I don’t people might not understand that like you go from that amount of hours zero in 2018. At what point did you like so you just kind of went all in with it? You just started flying on the side or like No, there wasn’t flying on the side, man. I joined an accelerated program. Um I sold the the condominium I owned at the time and and uh devested as much as I could because as you said, it wasn’t cheap. I bought an RV. I moved into the RV, moved down to Florida and and um joining that program and and got my ratings as quick as I could and jumped right into what’s commonly the first aviation job and flight instructing. Yeah. Yeah. Getting hours up. So there was no phase. It was all in from the start. Yeah. It was just two feet in. What did What did people family friends

5:03 Say? Like they were people like what are you doing, man? Like Yeah. I had a number of people think that I quite literally lost my head and resorted to um to substances uh cuz they thought I was absolutely crazy. Um but at the same time, you know, it’s it’s where you find where your friends are in your support group when you decide that um a reset is something that’s required of your own life. And that’s something that I think it’s it’s worth checking in on ourselves and and and fulfilling what we need to feel fulfilled. Yeah. And it’s it’s harder. I think the older we get in life, the more secure we come with a lot of things that we do. And it’s so easy to get locked in there and like even if you hate your job or hate what you’re doing, right, to make that change. And I think that’s when we see people do it, we like give a tip of the hat like, “Damn, I wish I could do that.” Right. Right. And now I’m getting those responses. Yeah. Yeah. They see you had success, right? You fell on your ass. People like it see told you so.

6:04 Right. But at age 32 with a with an established career and of course an investment in in education for business. They’re saying well what are you doing? Are you even doing business anymore? And you know I like to reflect on it and I speak about this with my close circle as well is is that was an investment in understanding the direction I really needed to go to feel fulfilled. So every everything in our life is about um you know selfdevelopment and and um really those life experiences are what help us succeed later if we do make these changes or just the fact that you want to live life a certain way. You get a choice. You only get one swing of that thing. you might as well do what the hell you want, right? Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. So, you started off as a first officer under four years and now you’re, you know, a captain of a Gulf Stream. What does that exactly mean? Not everybody in the A is an aviator here and understands that kind of talk. Yeah. So, you know, the path to uh to Gulf Stream is in the case of the company that I’m

7:06 Working for, it’s much like any other job is that you have to apply and and uh be selected for that program. um that’s it’s a merit-based program based on past experiences and fit with that department and and so uh so there’s there’s some pride in that that I carry and and the guys that I work with do do as well and um so it’s it’s a demanding position to get in and and uh that makes it exciting. Um, when I started with the company that I’m at, I I started out on a Phenom 300 and progressed through the captain role and instructor role, a checkp pilot role and uh through those activities is how the the merit-based selection largely played in my favor and that’s how I was selected to the program at the Gulf Stream. Right. And so kind of what do you what how do you fly around now? Can you kind of explain? So people most of the time if I say hey he he’s a pilot they’re think oh he flies southwest or something. And that’s not exactly what

8:06 You do. So, no. Yeah, we’re a uh the company I currently work for is a ondemand private charter. Um so, and on demand is uh it’s under a regulation called part 135. And that regulation is is structured in such that it’s non-scheduled charter, which means that it’s dynamic and every day is a little different, which makes it very exciting. Um, so we’re, you know, uh, go to bed thinking that we’re going to be flying from Los Angeles to New York and we wake up and we’re flying Los Angeles to Aspen instead and and maybe in the Bahamas by the end of the day. Yeah. And um, that makes working with you a little difficult sometimes. You a little difficult. Yeah. cuz uh cuz as helpful as you are, I can’t say, “Well, this is where I’m staying tonight and you giving me pointers on the gym and I know you provide that service, but it’s hard to keep up with my own self instead of texting you and saying, “Hey, uh this is where I’m staying. Check out the gym. Tell me what I need to do.” It’s just No, we make though.

9:06 I I know we do. Yeah. It’s uh but that that becomes a little bit of a challenge for for our dynamic between us and and Yeah. So, it is dynamic. You work with a lot of guys who travel a lot, but yours is you and about a couple other individuals are very dynamic. Yours is up there for sure. What about any name drops? Any cool people that you can name drop that you flew? No, I I can’t name drop anybody. Um, you know, but um but we do fly um very high-profile clients and so um so I’m sure you could imagine. What about this? Instead of me driving any cool events or anything that it’s taking you to? Oh, sure. Yeah. Um now unfortunately I don’t get to go attend those events but um but we fly you know professionals and and business leaders and celebrities and sometimes just people with um you know the disposable income to be able to operate in that capacity uh to events like the Masters and and to uh the Kentucky Derby and um and then worldwide there’s all sorts

10:07 Of events and I know that the company is highly involved in those. I can’t imagine taxi ways and the parking situation at a place like Augusta with such a small airport and yeah I well and and I picked people up from the Olympics this year. Um so that was exciting you know seeing Milan and and like you said the taxi ways uh uh Milan already is a is a complicated airport on the private side to operate in and out of. They have some different procedures that uh we don’t operate that way here in the United States. Um, Europe has a lot of flow times and and changes and so it it it makes the job exciting because it’s it’s different and it’s fast. So, um, so you have to be on your toes and and ultimately if we’re we’re not alert, it becomes a problem, right? And speaking of being alert and um, flying, you know, you have over 3,000 hours now. What is something that flying has taught you that business ever taught you? Oh. Um, honestly, early in aviation, um,

11:07 Fatigue awareness was something that, um, wasn’t a business thing. Drink a Red Bull, have a cup of coffee, go back to the boardroom, go do your presentation. Business doesn’t sleep. Um, aviation, you know, fatigue awareness and actual proper rest is something that I think personally I struggled with. Life or death, it is. and and ultimately I’m a go go go go guy and if if something slows me down that that bothers me. Um you know that’s a type A personality in me. So I I think ultimately it’s it’s something that um that that that individually in aviation was very different than business. Right. And let’s go take it a little further. You you’ve been the type of person who’s always shown up for people right? You know fraternity that you had a lot to do with um St. uh Luke’s fundraiser, mentoring pilots, you know. How about this though? How how how are you showing up taking care of yourself previous? Um well, in my 20s, I was there, man. Um

12:07 no stuff before, you know, we got a little bit more uh leeway with our body. We could get away with stuff more than so. Yeah, definitely. But um but you know when I changed careers I was so focused and hellbent on showing up for the job change. I was 9 or 10 hours of studying a day in those those early training area that that era. Um when I when I went two feet in, bought the RV, moved there. Um it was me and a dog, uh my dog April, and and um man, I just I realized about age 33, I just stopped showing up at the gym. And I I would go and work out and I’d still go snowboard and do active things. So I was somewhere in this I’m active, but I’m not kind of area of my life. there was there was no plan, no focus. Um, and I would hire trainers in and out

13:07 Throughout those years and I’d work with them for a couple of months and like I got this out again, you know, out again and off schedule. So, where do you think your health um was uh fitting into your standard on how you showed up professionally? Um, [sighs] well, again, you know, I just started feeling sluggish when I bring up that fatigue. That was something that I started noticing about myself. I I I’ve never been a need coffee, need caffeine to get going. I I enjoy it, but I’m a morning person and and when I was starting to struggle to wake up for work, that’s uh that was a a flag that something wasn’t right for me. Of course, like because you have this high demanding job, right? You’re living in and out of hotels half the time. Um you don’t know your schedule half the time. Uh food is hard, right? Food is hard. Food is definitely hard and especially kind of flight hours that you you’re on, right? Um all this stuff was starting to play factors in your life. The demands

14:09 Signals were there. At what point do you know are you going all right I need to start also paying attention to my health. Like what did that kind of look for you? Well, man, I I don’t I don’t know that I know how to answer that to be honest with you. Well, I mean, I know for I can I know for us when we started working there was a catalyst, right? Your catalyst was an injury that you want to try to you had surgery on your knee. That’s true. But prior to that catalyst, like you know, I remember our initial conversation and like kind kind of the areas you were concerned about. Um there was two catalysts. One your birthday. [snorts] Yeah. October 2nd this year. Um, right. You’ll be turning 40. And so that was a catalyst as well as the injury. But what were the reasons and rationale that you wanted? Those two were catalyst. But what were those two points where hey, that was your northstar like I need to do these things. Well, again, it was it was looking and feeling sluggish. I started seeing myself differently in the mirror and um,

15:09 You know, short of going bald a little bit. I it’s uh you know I I expect more of myself across the board and um and professionally is something that though I’ve achieved something professionally I I still think there’s opportunity for growth in my career. Yeah. And we had a conversation about this more. Yeah. Absolutely. So you know there’s there’s leadership roles to take and and I think if I’m not um not presenting myself as a leader it’s hard to to ask for those roles. Yeah. You know, I I talk about this to mainly people that are coming into the program. Um, but when you walk into a room, you’re given a business card without before you even hand a business card out. Yeah. How you present yourself, how you come across, but you be the smartest person in the world. You have a big muster stain on your shirt. Whatever comes out of your mouth and public that must stain doesn’t m And it’s not because we mean to do that. It’s just human nature. Yeah. Everybody comes in and they look a certain way. We automatically make presumptions. Yeah. Subconsciously. And

16:09 That’s just kind of how we’re, you know, we’re we’re made to be. Yeah. And just what you said, hey, if you don’t present yourself a certain way, how are you coming across? And that’s a big deal. Well, yeah. And I joked, you know, I was kind of in this skinny fat phase of my life. Um I started realizing that I had um I guess a spare tire um around my midsection and and um I want to look better, want to feel better, you know. So ultimately it’s a combination of those. So let’s talk about some of these hard areas that I know a lot of guys who travel like yours is even more dynamic than most pre like. So let’s walk me through like what eating on a 4-day rotation looks like for you. Um well I don’t know. I haven’t been on a 4-day rotation. Um we do eight days, right? So um 4 days would be a blessing. Yeah. Uh but 8 days rotation, you know, ultimately it’s um you know, it’s we eat whatever we can get our hands on a lot of times and whatever we want

17:10 and and so it’s it’s a how do you make a plan when Exactly. when um you can’t refrigerate items or you don’t necessarily uh have time because our turnarounds are an hour. So, we’ll land somewhere, have four or five legs a day, and we’ll land somewhere and and uh so planning Uber Eats or planning uh a functional delivery of of food items becomes a challenge. Yes. Um not to say it’s impossible, it just becomes a challenge. And the expectation is that we’re there to deliver for the client. Oh, yeah. And and the expectation is that um we leave on time. 100%. So, if you don’t, then there’s there’s problems. Well, just just to your conversation about your business is they have standards. Yeah, the company has standards and we need to meet those standards. So, if we’re setting standards for ourselves, that’s great. But ultimately, we need to meet the standard of everything else across the

18:11 Board. You know, standards is a big thing in life. Yeah. And um you got to witness like, you know, just with my kids this morning like Yeah. I asked them a certain question. I said, “What do we hold ourselves to?” Yeah. Their answer was standards. Standards. Yeah. And we hold ourselves to that makes it easier in life. And you’re talking about being a problematic in the beginning. I remember in the beginning it was a lot of communication in the beginning on trying to figure out how to work this for you. I definitely think you’ve gotten to a point where you’re pulling yourself to a certain standards when it comes to food. How much easier is it now that now you’ve kind of gotten to the ability to know what to do, navigate towards how to eat is a little easier. I know it’s still hard, but is is it easier? You find, hey, I know these things now. It is still hard. I think protein intake is the hardest part of it all. Um, I can’t carry around a jug of protein. Um, you know, we’re we’re limited on what we can carry and and I already carry a fairly heavy suitcase just based on living on the road for eight to more days at a time. So, the uh the consideration of of protein intake is still a challenge, but having

19:12 Just a targeted goal of anything, I think if you don’t track it, it doesn’t happen, right? And and that was always the case in business too. That’s what we would go and talk about and present and discuss is if you’re not tracking how to get business, are you getting business? And and ultimately it’s that’s the same in fitness, right? If we’re not tracking it, how are we actually consuming or what are we consuming? Agreed. And I gotta be honest with you, man. I never tracked food before working with you because I’ve never worked with a nutritionist or somebody involved in that field. And I didn’t know some fat existed in some of the things that I was consuming. Just fat content, you know. I mean, uh, so it was very unique experience. Things like, you know, you already mentioned earlier sleep. You probably didn’t track it as much and now that’s something to pay attention to. Yeah. Yeah. The first thing when you showed up this morning is you you knew what your recovery score was immediately. Hey, my recovery I think was 54% this morning. Yeah, those seem low. Yeah,

20:13 that’s all right. Yeah, it’s all right. But but you did just fly in yesterday and then woke up like we worked out at 5:00 a.m. this morning. So, yeah, I just finished a rotation. So, you know, it’s I’m in a sleep deficit and and my body’s trying to play catch-up and that that tends to be the end of every rotation is that you um you just play a little catchup for the first day that you’re back. Yeah. And so, like, you know, rolling right, you know, before we start working, did you have an approach to any of this nutrition and sleep or anything before you were traveling? Sure. Whatever I wanted. [laughter] That was my approach. You know, whatever felt right. I’m tired. Sleep. You know what? Um, so when we started going through all these numbers that we started doing, you know, you had blood work as well. Um, was there anything that like maybe surprised you that you’re like, “Oh, man. I’m glad I know that now that we’ve made changes, you know?” I don’t know. I’m I’m looking forward to the second one. Um, I I don’t I don’t know that anything in particular stood out um that was a

21:14 Red flag. No, there it was bad. I think that the the time that we we did my first blood work analysis, um I had just come off vacation. Wasn’t eating the best, I think. Um and I certainly wasn’t um you know sleeping the best and and I had been taking a antibiotic cuz I went to South Africa so I was taking a antimmalarial antibiotic at the time and um and uh you know it was it was just one of those things. There wasn’t we talked about a number this morning. Do you remember the number we talked about? You said I need to get this better. My V2 max. So these are numbers that we are looking at too. Yeah absolutely. But that wasn’t blood work really. No, no, no. I just I just wanted to throw that. I wanted to get it. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, on the fitness side, yeah, I think um you know, especially being a a collegiate soccer player, uh not having the endurance that I once did. Um even in my early 30s, it was like I’m going to go for a jog and I

22:16 Could go jog for 30 minutes and that felt fine. Um but post knee surgery, I’ve just lost that ability. So, uh, sorry. What’s that? I’d say you did pretty good this morning. Yeah, I appreciate that. But, you know, it’s about getting it back, right? Yeah. We have my 11-year-old out there pushing us. You got the talking back. Um, which is always fun. Um, when you make data decisions in the cockpit every day, right? Um, what is like when we inverse that and now you’re looking at the data of yourself is what does that mean for you? Does how does that hit for you now? Because usually engineer types, pilots, stuff, we like data. I do like data. Yeah. Um I think I weird some of my colleagues out sometimes because I I talk about uh not just my fitness data, but you know, hey, these are the numbers of our lives. Yeah. And um uh but yeah, the the inversion of it again is comes back to that tracking. You know,

23:16 if we’re if we’re able to see what the the data is telling us, the story of the background, we’re able to start to make those changes. Y and we’re we’re able to start to focus on the areas that lack um the standard that we expect and and that goes to aviation as well. uh our company provides um uh flight data and that flight data uh just for an example gives us hey you’re configured for your approach at a certain phase of flight and uh if you’re not configured at that point now that that comes back to those standards we need to be configured by a certain point and if you’re not it starts to say hey get configured earlier uh these are post-flight data not inflight data right and so so it starts to give you a trend line of of understanding something about the flight program. Sure. And same with ourselves, right? Yeah. Um talking about like you you know with the flight and everything, you know, you’re supposed you you get a yearly FAA physical, right, that you

24:16 Have to pass. Yep. I’m about to start to have to do it twice a year. Oh, yeah. I didn’t know that. Tell me. Yeah. Age 40, you have to do it every six months. I didn’t even know this. So, yeah. Yep. Right. So, you’re somebody who has to get medically qualified, you know, twice a year now. Um, how does that look just even in the medical industry within the FAA? How does that look compared to what we’re doing right now? Um, well, I can certainly tell you that I’m I’m fairing better than I would have been if I had stayed on my trajectory. Sure. uh the the consideration of of the physical is there’s a lot that goes into it. As you said um this morning when we were talking uh or maybe I said it, I don’t know. If we don’t pass that physical, we’re grounded. Mhm. And um that takes Then you go to our other buddy Wingman. Yeah, that’s right. Yeah. Wing Med. Sorry. Wing Med. Yeah. So, you know, ultimately it’s um it’s one of those things that it would

25:19 Make my reset career change for not and that that would break my heart. Sure. Honestly, so it’s not just about losing the job. It’s also about that would that would take a piece of me. Yeah. And and um I’m realistic about that. That’s where the business fallback also is available option is that if I did lose my medical I have some skills and experience that I could apply and the education from aviation now as I alluded to earlier is all of these experiences our lives start to create a trajectory for us and that’s that’s an exciting thing to actually think about is that those options and those plans actually become available to us if something changes. Yeah. But uh but that medical there’s a lot of stress to that medical. How would it not be? Right. Yeah. And it’s more than just like physical like eyesight and all kind of stuff plays into it. What you just touched on is like this is a lot deeper for you than just just help. Right. It is. It’s a part of your being. It sounds like it is. Absolutely. Yeah. I want to

26:20 Go do high adventure activities. Yeah. Um explain that cuz I don’t you’re you’re by far my most adventurous client. Like right South African safaris, Aspen ski trips, like Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I like to be on the go. It’s even when I’m not working traveling for work. I’m traveling for play. Yeah. And so, um, yeah, as you just said, just this year alone, I’ve been on an African safari. I was, uh, African South African wine country. And, and this is a pain in the ass to plan for trying to work out you trying to message me for some bungalow in South Africa, going a safari, catching up. I don’t know. Playing with the lions. Run from it. Yeah. Run from the lions. Uh, yeah. And I I did a six day snowboard trip and um and uh tomorrow I’m actually tomorrow I’m scuba diving Catalina Island and and going in the kelp forest there. And so that’s that’s an exciting thing. And unfortunately my next ski trip in April is is uh cancelled because of the snow just being a poor quality this year. But

27:23 Um but you know that was that was on the docket and last year I went whitewater rafting. So, I want to be able to just say yes to opportunities and and uh yes to the the excitement that life has to hold. Yeah. So, now that you got the data, you knew where you were, you know where you’re at, like you built a system, what does that actually have an impact on your life? What does that mean to you now? Well, um I like to keep appointments. Yeah, you do. you know, so I don’t show up late for things or and I don’t I don’t like um letting people down. And even though we’re in a client uh client relationship here, um you’re you’re becoming a friend, of course. And and when you’re sending me a text message like, “Hey, your sleep quality was really poor last night. What the hell happened?” And you know, it was really funny. You did this to me just this rotation.

28:24 Yeah, it was 12%. I remember the day. Yeah. And that was because we worked until 3:00 a.m. and I didn’t get in bed because of hotel snafuss without a long story uh until around 5. And I slept for 4 and 1/2 hours. and and um but it was funny that that text message came in because not only had I been talking about what I was eating and the fitness program with my colleagues at that particular dinner, but I was just about to order dessert and um and I was like, well, I can’t order dessert now cuz it doesn’t actually fall in. But a bad decision because of not only my sleep deprivation, but also just because I have a sweet tooth naturally. Um, but it was funny because that accountability couldn’t have come at a more fortuitous time in terms of the day. Um, but uh, but that’s what it means to me is I don’t I don’t want to let down a program. Not only am I again a client, but but um, but I’ve committed to something and and that commitment means something. The relationship has developed like obviously more than a

29:25 Client like relationship like like when the first time we’ve ever met in person was this morning. That’s true. Yep. But it wasn’t like I was meeting you for the first time. No, I felt like I’ve known you for years now at this point, right? Or almost every aspect of your life and vice versa, right? And um Yeah. How do you view that relationship? Like how like from going from the point of like, hey, this dude’s online to now where like this relationship. Did you ever anticipate something like that happening? Um you know, I don’t I don’t remember uh exactly how we got connected. I’m probably saw your ad on LinkedIn. Oh, 100% what it was. [laughter] Okay. 100% what? Um yeah, that I I tried to think about that the other day. I was like, it’s probably LinkedIn where I connected with you and um yeah, you know, there was a little bit of a risk there and I remember signing up with you that um there’s so much content online. Oh, there’s you don’t know what’s real and what’s not. We had a whole conversation about it this morning. And um yeah, and and it’s

30:26 It it’s one of those things is that, you know, we’re really protective of ourselves on what we commit to and and financially invest in and and um you gave me my options. Six-month plan, one-year plan. I’m like, I’m all in. Let’s go. One-year plan. Yep. Um 40th birthday. That was a that was a north star. It was. It was because that’s when I signed up, right? Was Yeah. That right after knee surgery. It was It was actually You got knee surgery like a couple days later and that was part of it. Yeah, that’s right. So it was just a few days before my birthday and I said by age 40 I want to be XYZ be be much better off than where I am now. So um let’s talk about this and like you know these road trips are hard these rotations day rotations are hard for you. How much better prepared do you feel now going into it than you did? Again it comes back to having a plan man. Yeah. Um, so just even having that little bit of guidance and I say little bit kind of tongue and cheek because

31:26 There’s a lot of guidance reports daily when you do it sometimes. Well, no. [laughter] Um, but you provide a lot of you provide a lot of guidance. So, you know, it’s it’s the articles, it’s the information, it’s the content. And you know, I start to feel like I’m almost a uh a cyberstalker of yours cuz I’m watching all of your commercials and even still on LinkedIn to where I’m I’m watching every little piece algorithm and it’s sending it straight to you. Well, and and maybe maybe so, but at the at the same time, you know, it’s it’s okay, what what little nugget can I take away from today or or what can motivate me? And you send motivational quotes every single morning or um you know, and strange hours It is. I don’t think you sleep. I usually don’t. I can tell you I sleep a lot lot. Yeah. So, I do go to sleep like like old man like 7:30, 745 area. Yeah. Yeah. I’m like, he’s responding to me and it’s Well, I’m east east coast, you’re west coast at that particular

32:28 Moment. But I remember I was like, it’s midnight. Why is he responding to me? Um, but anyhow, man, the plan makes the big difference, you know? Um, we don’t take off uh with an aircraft without a plan A, a plan B, and a plan C contingency and all the checks for it, the payload, the pic, right board, all this stuff, man. Yeah. Everything has to check out um you know, we spend as much time pre-flight planning realistically. Um as some length of flights are sometimes. Yep. Um, I did a 11 minute reposition flight the other day and it took us an hour to get ready for that flight. So, you know, it’s it’s really important to to have the same that we reflect back into our lives is is that uh ultimately it’s am I planning for success at the gym? Because I was going into the gym before meeting you without a realistic plan.

33:28 Going in and looking at your app and say, “Hey, all right. Here’s my workout plan for the day.” That’s pretty good. Um or making a small modification because the hotel equipment doesn’t have Chicago stolen dumbbell number. Yeah. I mean, it had every other weight was missing, right? You know, I sent you a picture of that. I was like I was like, “How do I even work out with this?” It’s like one arm at a time, you know, cuz it’s like a five one five lb weight and then a 50 lb weight, you know. So, how do you work out? I said, “Stay at a better hotel next week.” Yeah. Right. [laughter] So, yeah, 100%. Uh, speaking of like being calm, uh, concrete, do you feel like you’re showing up differently in the concrete now physically better, more more alert that you were talking about earlier that that that the capacity that you need? Yeah, I feel like I’m getting a little bit back, a little bit of a little piece back of myself. I stumbled there on my words, but um but you know, as I as I spoke about earlier is that I didn’t used to need energy in the morning and um and I’m finding that piece of me

34:28 Again. Yeah. That uh and it and it seems like it was only a brief time, but I realized now in in reflection it’s been the last couple of years. Y and and so, you know, maybe last four years even that I just wasn’t waking up and I was groggy and maybe even a little cranky, which I’m a morning person. I smile. I say good morning, you know. Hey, yeah, how you doing? I’m ready to go. Let’s face the day. And um and I’m getting that back. You feel like you’re you’re showing up in people the people in your lives uh better as well and being more impactful? Well, I don’t know that I ever uh stepped lost that piece of myself, right? Um it has been from as far as like, you know, a lot of times even where you do that the ability to be more present in the moments, right? Where you’re not groggy or like having Oh, sure. Um yeah, you know, and it takes me back to the te the way I was taught to talk on a telephone. Um,

35:30 Honestly, and and it’s generally how I treat people is doesn’t matter how bad your day is, you answer that phone with a smile and um and you you treat them like it’s they’re the best person in your life. And and that’s not to be fake towards them, but it’s it changes your mood and how you speak to somebody. If you smile at them, smiles are truly contagious. Yeah. 100%. And and if you answer the phone when you’re smiling, it’s like your personality shows. Somebody can feel it on the other side. It’s funny how we can do that, right? Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. And and so if if you smile at yourself in the mirror, sounds corny, I know, but I used to do sales training. Smile at yourself in the mirror and give yourself a compliment in the morning, it changes your whole freaking day. Mhm. And um and if you’re doing that to somebody else, complimenting them in some certain way, it’s it’s that organic uh energy inside of us that that really just makes us feel better overall. They even feel amazing.

36:30 So it’s organic. I if you remember my number one goal for every client is energy. Energy is very important is 100% two reasons. And the first reason is always because when you have more energy, it’s always positive. It makes you a better parent, better spouse, a better friend. And it makes you more enjoyable person to be around. Right. Absolutely. Second reason is when you have more energy, it’s a subset of the nutrition, the sleep, and the exercise. Right. And so that’s key for me as well. Right. And and just as I’m saying, I’m getting a lot of that back. Yeah. Um and who wants to sit next to a cranky guy. Um and I’m not saying I really became that person, but when I started feeling like I was that person, that’s that’s where changes need to be be focused on. So, so what do you think is surprised you the most about this whole process? Uh, well, I think you and I spoke about it this morning and you know, it’s the continuous accountabilities act.

37:31 Mhm. is that what we what I what I experienced with previous trainers, not speaking negatively about them, but what I experienced with them with my schedule is that I would go away from my rotation and then I would come back and I’d work with them three or four days in that week and I felt like I was just shelling out money without accountability. They would say, “What did you do this week to stay fit?” not here’s what you need to do next week to stay on our plan or hey what are you eating it was you need to eat better and um and again not to knock them I did work with one trainer I really liked previous of you and and I think u I think you and I spoke about him military guy yeah military guy and and I like I liked his his focus um but he didn’t have a plan like what you have so when he moved away that’s when I think I found your program and ultimately I’m leaning um to well not leaning I’m very clearly

38:32 Demonstrating more consistency working with you in the program. I think some of the old trainers even gave you a compliment the other day didn’t yeah that was a different trainer though trainer but yeah he told me some changes so he could see some changes from when he and I worked together so that was that was a pretty cool compliment. Yeah it is. Um, so what would you tell the guy like out there right now maybe on the fence with this kind of stuff who’s kind of got, you know, a crazy schedule to you and all this like how realistic is this to changing their lives or helping them out? Well, first of all, um, I can’t speak more highly of your program. So, it’s it’s not just about your program. Um, I I dare quote um uh The Departed with Jack Nicholson. Oh, man. I like this. I like what this is going to be. Yeah. Well, uh your product, you’re either a a product of your environment or your environment is a product of you. Yeah. And um and that now he used it in a dark context. I get it. Right. But

39:32 but um we we only have the power um if something’s not right in our lives, we have the power to change our environment. Yes, you do. Or we have the power to change ourselves and the way that we view it. And that’s why I’m I’m saying these things about like look at yourself and smile. like that’s going to change your your own individual product. It’s going to give you a dopamine rush right there in the morning and you’re going to feel good about that. Um so what I would say to the person that you’re asking me about is are you willing to change that product and are you willing to commit to it? And if the answer is yes, then overwhelmingly it’s the right program for them. Yeah. Yeah. But if they’re going to show up for the first month or two, that’s probably not the right program for them. Yeah. So, the right program for that would be just doing what you continue to do, right? And failing. But ultimately, it’s a it’s a am I committed enough into making this change? Yeah. And if you are, then it’s it’s a it’s a great way to do it.

40:32 Yeah. Um All right. So, last bit, right? We call this rapid fire, right? Where I’m just going to ask you some questions. I don’t want to really give a lot of thought process. That’s kind of the first things that come to your mind, you know, spit it out, right? All right. Um, so you ready? All right. Fire away. All right. All right. Hotel gym or no gym? What would you prefer? Like body weight exercises or the hotel gym? Oh, I see. Uh, depends on the hotel and then and then in which case uh body weight, but uh but a good gym, hotel gym all the way. Hardest thing about being healthy on the road? The food, the sleep, or the schedule? Uh the food. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. By far. And that’s been the hardest thing to change with your program is is just focusing on diet and hitting those goals. Um you left the business career to go fly airplanes. Why you probably know this answer, but craziest decision in your life or best decision? Both. [laughter] Um well, yeah. No, really. Truly. No, I decided truly both. Call me awkward. I didn’t expect

41:32 No, I I had friends ask me why I moved into a trailer park. And you know, I moved into an RV, but um but that it’s a little crazy and and um you know, above a trailer park looking back. What a happy and healthy and exciting period of my life. Sure. Awesome. Yeah. Awesome. So great decision. And you get hella points for this system, too. I do. [laughter] Sounds like you. That’s right, man. A guy tells you he doesn’t have time to work out. He travels too much. What do you say to that? Uh if there’s a will, there’s a way. Yeah. Well, you by far the most crazy schedule I have and ethon will so there’s sure there and closing you know closing you sales or cockpit. What is the what career taught you more about yourself? Aviation for sure taught me more about myself. Um business taught me more about others. Got it. And um but you know aviation is a continuous

42:35 Daily correction of yourself, okay, of your activities, of of your landing. Um you know, if you land 500 ft long, what’s that do to the data? And um and I think that’s that’s the story that we’re telling with food as well. And yeah. Yeah. So, you know, when you’re, you know, four cities deep into a rotation or at the end of your rotation, what’s the first thing that’s that’s going, what’s the first thing that goes bad? Food. Food. Yeah. Easy. Like I said, I was craving dessert the other night. Your text nailed me right on time. Uh, what do people waiting for you at home need from you that has nothing to do with your job paddle? Um, showing up for him, man. Presence. Yeah. Kind of what we were talking about earlier. Yeah. Um, and then if a guy listening right now has been putting off his health because his life is too busy, what is he actually afraid of? Change.

43:35 Yeah. Change or failure. One of these two, right? They usually coincide with each other. Yeah. Um, sure. In my last one, I have something here, but I’m going to ask a little differently. You’re a big Kansas City fan. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So, let’s go with this. Who’s When’s in Well, I’m going to ask a two-part question. First, when’s the Royals going to win another uh World Series there in your lifetime? Yes or no? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Is that wishful hope or actually believing that? Yeah. [laughter] Uh yeah. I I’m a big fan of the Royals. Big fan obviously. Big fan of the Chiefs. You know, it’s it’s opening day yesterday for the ball game. I had to represent. So, um yeah, I I think that I think it’s going to be the next decade. Okay. um quote you on that, you know, aviation or excuse me, um uh sports are cyclical. Um I know it was 30 years from one to the next, but I I think yeah, I I think Kansas City has what it takes, man. One

44:36 Of the best players in the league, Bobby Whit. Yeah, it’s going to going to keep getting young blood. I think Bobby Wit’s going to draw a lot of uh I wasn’t going to name drop, but um but yeah, I think he his name’s going to bring in some younger guys and create some new energy just like the 20145 era. All right, we’ll we’ll finish with this then. What about the Chiefs? They gonna win another one here with Patrick and Andy or they are they a little too old now. No, I I think it’s gonna be the next year or two. Oh, yeah. I I think you’re going to see them in the Super Bowl again. All right. Well, we’ll quote you on that. Yeah. Well, appreciate you having one today, man. And uh this is probably pretty impactful for a lot of guys that you probably don’t even realize, and we appreciate it. Okay. Likewise. Thanks for having me on. Jordan, thank you for being here, man. Seriously, here is what I want you to take from this conversation. Joran is a guy who reinvented his entire career. He walked away from something that was working to go chase something that he believed in. He earned his way to the left seat of a Gulf Stream in under four years. That is not luck. That is standards. And when it came to his

45:36 Health, he did the same thing. He did not wait for a bad number. He did not wait for a scare. He looked at his life, looked at his schedule, and said, “I’m not going to be the guy who has everything dialed in professionally and lets my body fall apart because I’m too busy.” That is not aging. That is rotting. And Jordan refused to rot. If you’re out there right now, living on the road, grinding through a schedule that does not stop, telling yourself you will figure out the hell thing later, I want you to hear this. Later is how guys lose. Later is how you end up at 50 wondering where it all went. Your kids do not want your money. They want to play with you. And you cannot do that if you run yourself into the ground. This conversation hit home. Do me a favor, rate the show, leave a review, subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you are listening, and share it with the guy in your life who needs to hear it. You know who he is. No hype, just ders. And I will see you next time.