438 | Successful? Why You Still Feel Empty

Feb 23

[00:00:00] Joe Rivera: I went from Park Avenue to Park Bench, right? I was emotionally, financially, and spiritually bankrupt. I lost everything. I even almost lost my life. My life went dark and became completely unmanageable. I was risking my life every single day. I overdosed twice. The last time it took six cans of Norcan to bring me back to life.
[00:00:29] Joe Rivera: Six cans of Norcan. There's no drug. No alcohol will ever give me that euphoric feeling that I get when I'm able to empower someone to transform their life.
[00:00:41] Chaz Wolfe: What's up everybody? I'm Chaz Wolf, gathering the King's podcast. Coming back to you here today with another king on the stage from New York, my man, Joe Rivera. How we doing?
[00:00:53] Joe Rivera: I am blessed, man. Blessed another day, cha. How you doing?
[00:00:56] Chaz Wolfe: Uh, also blessed. I received that. And, uh, man, we're, I don't know about this week particularly. Uh, Kansas City is buried in snow. What's, what's New York looking like?
[00:01:06] Joe Rivera: We got a little bit of snow too, man. We ain't get as much as everybody else is getting, but you guys could keep it. I'm all right with that.
[00:01:13] Chaz Wolfe: You know, I was reminded with the snow how, uh, the time I spent in South Florida was so wonderful, you know, and, uh, maybe, maybe we need to make that happen again. But, uh, the, the sledding with the kids was pretty fun, you know?
[00:01:26] Joe Rivera: It's always good to get away and get that sun though, right.
[00:01:28] Chaz Wolfe: right. Exactly. Joe, tell us what kind of business that you got. My man.
[00:01:32] Joe Rivera: So I have a, a coaching and speaking business. I'm a resilience coach, resilience keynote speaker. I empower business owners, leaders and entrepreneurs from hitting a wall of exhaustion and lacking direction by creating a simple roadmap to reforge their life and living purpose while closing the gap between spirituality and true wealth.
[00:01:55] Chaz Wolfe: Wow, there's a, that's a whole big old box that maybe we'll get to play around with some toys in there and see what you can pull out and help the listeners here today if you're okay with that.
[00:02:05] Joe Rivera: I'm always willing to unpack it,
[00:02:07] Chaz Wolfe: Good. Good. Well, clearly you're, you're, uh, I love the, the, uh, the clarity of that answer honestly. I think that in itself should give the audience some sort of like, okay, wow.
[00:02:17] Chaz Wolfe: Clearly he is on a mission. Just let's talk about this for a second because you said that so succinctly. It was like, obviously you've worked on this, you, you probably help your clients work on this, but let's just talk for a half second. Why is that piece so important for you, for your clients? Like, this is a big, just in general clarity, kind of like what you do, but why is that having that little, that little statement so clear, important for you and also for the listener, for 'em to have
[00:02:43] Joe Rivera: Clarity's clarity's a key to success. Uh, without being clear on your mission, without being clear on your purpose, uh, you, you're not gonna fulfill that.
[00:02:54] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, what's the opposite? I mean, if someone doesn't have clarity, where are they now?
[00:03:01] Joe Rivera: Uh, life becomes unmanageable, lack of direction. Uh, you know, things seem to to to fall apart at the seams.
[00:03:09] Joe Rivera: Yeah, yeah. I've got two kind of circumstances in my mind. I want you to help me unpack because. , we all experience this at, in our entrepreneurial journey, but, um, I see someone who is, you know, just completely fogged. Like they literally just don't know what to do next.
[00:03:25] Joe Rivera: Uh, a lack of clarity. But then there's also the lack of clarity of the guy, like more like me years ago where I was doing, I was doing a bunch actually, but because I was just so busy doing, I really just was. Um, and I was thankful for a lot of that 'cause I learned a bunch, but I also didn't have very good clarity.
[00:03:42] Joe Rivera: Can you speak to both of these situations? I'm sure we have listeners in both examples,
[00:03:46] Joe Rivera: Yeah, because when you are just busy doing. You're not being productively busy. There's a difference with being busy and being productively busy when you're, when you're doing things with clarity, when you're doing things with your mission, when you're doing things with your purpose, you're being productively busy.
[00:04:03] Joe Rivera: When you're just doing to do with no direction and, and, and no clarity, it's unproductive.
[00:04:10] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah. Yeah. And what about the guy that, uh, just doesn't even know what to do? He's not doing anything.
[00:04:17] Joe Rivera: That's when he should call Joe Rivera.
[00:04:21] Chaz Wolfe: Okay. Well, there you go. Easy enough. Uh, great. Next step. Don't overthink it. Call Joe. Good, man.
[00:04:28] Joe Rivera: No, you, you gotta have a plan, man. You gotta have a plan. You gotta have a a, an accountability partner. Accountability. So important. Um, there's, there's, there's steps to this
[00:04:38] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, you're right. I wanna, I wanna get into the, your steps, the steps that you've taken personally. Uh, obviously I want to hear your story, the why factor. I'm sure you help clients, uh, kind of figure out their, why. It's kind of a catch phrase right now. But for Joe, like why do you do what you do? What's the bigger picture?
[00:04:55] Chaz Wolfe: You've obviously been successful, but you're still doing it. Why?
[00:04:59] Joe Rivera: Yeah. Uh, well, I mean, it, it, it, it goes into my story, right? But, uh, what I will tell you is I'll give you a sneak peek before you we get into that. Um, you know, after achieving sobriety, I was able to build another, I. You know, multimillion dollar company and something was missing. You know, God kept nudging at me and pulling at me, telling me that my journey's not complete and that I had a bigger purpose in life.
[00:05:26] Joe Rivera: And that's when I decided to build this coaching and speaking platform. And man, there's no drug, no alcohol will ever gimme that euphoric feeling that I get when I'm able to empower someone to transform their life. I mean, that's, that's the gift that keeps on giving. That's my why. That's, that's what wakes me up in the morning.
[00:05:44] Chaz Wolfe: and I want to, I wanna dissect that because it's so, it's so good. It's obviously real for you, but someone who may not have the same desires that you do of wanting to help people specifically in their business and, and they wanna help people with their marketing or, you know, they wanna, they want to, uh, improve their home or whatever their business is, but.
[00:06:02] Chaz Wolfe: I guess what we're underneath that layer is the dopamine or the euphoria, as you talked about, of helping another person. Why is that important for you? Because you can help a lot of people do a lot of things, but you're helping them specifically with their business or transform, as you say, why? Why that specifically?
[00:06:17] Joe Rivera: Because I had to transform my life and, and I know what it's like to walk around with lack of direction. I know what it's like to, to not have that clarity. I know what it's like to, to have that struggle and, and not know how to be resilient, not know how to bounce back.
[00:06:36] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah. Yeah. What, I mean, you've kind of, um, you've given us a couple different things here I wanna chew on, but for the person who maybe has a multimillion dollar company like you did before, but you said you weren't complete or maybe you didn't have clarity, you were successful financially, it sounds like.
[00:06:52] Chaz Wolfe: I. Maybe the listener isn't even to that multimillion dollar position yet, but maybe they are, but they're still lacking the clarity. What, so you're saying that I can still be successful and still be confused or lack clarity? It sounds like there's more, there's more to this equation that I need.
[00:07:06] Joe Rivera: The secret sauce is the spirituality man, and it ain't religion. But it's, it's being connected to that higher source I call God, someone else might call it the infinite intelligence, the universe, whatever they believe, but being connected to that higher source and, and, and, and utilizing that to be able to open those doors and move those mountains for you, that you can't move on your own.
[00:07:29] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Infinite Intelligence is a reference from Think and Grow Rich. So let's get into this. Um, we've got, we've got a, a, a connectability to a, a power that we cannot see. So now we're automatically into the faith principle. Talk about this for a second.
[00:07:43] Joe Rivera: Yeah, because look, man, you could either lean into your faith, right? Which you just mentioned, something you can't touch, you can't feel, but you know, is there. Or you can lean into the fear and, and, and, and have that fear move you away from your greatness or lean into the faith and bring it towards your greatness.
[00:08:02] Chaz Wolfe: How, how does fear rob me of my greatness? I mean, I, I, I see how fear can maybe, uh, keep me from some things, but how is it affecting me?
[00:08:11] Joe Rivera: Because you're, you're, you're running away from, from the problem because that fear is there. Uh, and then that's when you know the, the little voice pops in your head, the inner critic telling you, you're not good enough telling you you can't do this, you can't do that. Uh, you know, for some people, right?
[00:08:28] Joe Rivera: Fear stands for everything and run. Right. You want to change that to face everything. And Reforge,
[00:08:34] Chaz Wolfe: Mm.
[00:08:35] Joe Rivera: you know, don't let fear dictate everything and be your steering wheel in life. You want to be in the driver's seat, steering the wheel to create your own destiny. Fear is huge. Fear is everywhere, but yet fear can be overcome and right.
[00:08:51] Joe Rivera: It could even be a powerful learning experience. The best way to overcome that fear is just to face it head on. That's when you're gonna achieve empowerment, clarity, and freedom. I remember when I was out there risking my life getting high. I had a fear of what life would be like without drugs. I couldn't imagine life without having some kind of mind altering substance in my body every single day, right?
[00:09:19] Joe Rivera: But it wasn't until I faced that fear head on and chose to get help on overcoming my demons. That's when I was able to achieve sobriety and have that paradigm shift. So now, rather than thinking or feeling powerless over drugs and alcohol, I get power for my prayer and meditation every single day, which is so much more empowering than chasing a high that doesn't even exist, you know?
[00:09:48] Joe Rivera: So facing that fear changed my life forever.
[00:09:51] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah. I'm listening to you right now. You know, I'm small business owner in Indiana. I'm listening to this New Yorker, and he's telling me to have no fear. Uh, when it comes to the things that are growth oriented, how, how do I even determine what are the things that are growth oriented?
[00:10:09] Joe Rivera: Something that you know is gonna help take you to the next level, right? Where you get that little inner voice that pops up and says, oh, you can't do this. Oh, you shouldn't do that. Who do you think you are? The imposter syndrome pops up and, and you, you sit there and you could allow yourself to listen to that voice and allow that voice to, to control you or.
[00:10:31] Joe Rivera: You could go the other route and realize that that little voice is gonna always be there to try to prevent you from overcoming, because that's the paradigm, and you have to shift that paradigm. So removing that little voice and realizing that that little voice isn't in control of you, you control your own destiny.
[00:10:49] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, makes me think of a situation. This was years ago, but, um, I had, uh, I had been recruited by the 10 X Office by Grant Cardone and so I flew down there and had an interview with, uh, Jared and one of the other, uh, executives down there. And there was a couple different positions that I was, um, applying for.
[00:11:06] Chaz Wolfe: I already owned a couple businesses, but. There was a, a marketing position that I really, I didn't know. I didn't know how to do it, what to do it, uh, completely fearful. Um, and they had offered me the sales job, which I, I knew that I could crush, but I, I, that was, I got already conquered that mountain. I was already making, you know, five x more than what they were offering.
[00:11:27] Chaz Wolfe: And, and, uh, so this other one though was like, I want that one. And if any, if the listener is paying attention, uh, and there were any sort of a fan of Grant Cardone, then, then they know that, like, he has the same mindset, just run after the fear. Kind of like, you know, if, if you're afraid of it, you should do, you should do it.
[00:11:43] Chaz Wolfe: So I just was honest going, this actually scares me the most. That's why I want this one. I don't want that one. I want this one. And I ended up not getting the job, but a couple years later I was able to come in as a net partner on a completely different opportunity that was way larger, uh, with them. So they called me back a couple years later.
[00:12:01] Chaz Wolfe: I. And, uh, we moved our family down there and all that fun stuff. So it's just kind of funny how things work out. When you say you run towards your fear, I ended up not getting it, but it actually ended up working out, uh, down the road. Um, and it was, I remember sitting in the office Cool. As a cucumber shaken on the inside, you know what I mean?
[00:12:19] Joe Rivera: Absolutely. Absolutely. And, and, and that's, but, but you faced it, right? And even though it didn't come into fruition right then and there, eventually it did. And, and I believe that eventually. It always
[00:12:30] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah. So tell us a, a circumstance, I mean, I gave one for me. What give, give us a circumstance in your story. 'cause, and I want you to kind of use this, give this example, but then like, keep going with the rest of your story. 'cause you've got, obviously, you kind of hinted at it already, but you've got a, a pretty transformational story.
[00:12:44] Chaz Wolfe: So give us one of these situations where you've overcome fear and then, and then give us the rest of the rest of the backdrop here.
[00:12:51] Joe Rivera: Yeah. Uh, the fear of, of. Being sober and living a normal life. Right. Or the fear of even starting this coaching and speaking platform, you know, and, and, and, and putting and, and realizing. Yeah. Right. And, and realizing and not knowing what to expect, the unknown and, and what the challenges that come with the business.
[00:13:13] Joe Rivera: Right. We're building a new business in a new arena that you know nothing about. Uh, that's always, those are scary, you know, healthy fears, right. That you could either allow yourself to stop growing and say, you know what? Let me stay here in my comfort zone. Or you can move outta your comfort zone and allow those doors to open and those mountains to move.
[00:13:32] Joe Rivera: You know? And, and, and I also remember, you know, having that fear of not knowing what a normal life would look like without drugs and alcohol. 'cause man, I was getting banged up for years.
[00:13:43] Chaz Wolfe: because a lot for you to even imagine. What life would be out without it?
[00:13:49] Joe Rivera: Yeah, dude, I, I went, I went from Park Avenue to park bench, right? I was emotionally, financially, and spiritually bankrupt. I lost everything. I even almost lost my life. I. I had my dream job in the financial industry as a stockbroker in the early two thousands. I'm 25 years old, making seven figures a year. I should feel like I'm on top of the world at this point, but seven figures a year, I wasn't good enough. I wanted more. 'cause I lived in a belief system with never enough. I wanted eight figures or nine figures, and at this point in my life. Being spiritually bankrupt, money's the only higher power that I knew. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make more money. I was putting in late nights at my office one evening and this dude, we called Johnny Connect. We, we called him that 'cause he had the ability to get his hands on Anything you could imagine. And keep in mind, we're in New York. So this dude swears he's part of the Mafiaa.
[00:15:02] Joe Rivera: He's, he sits down at my desk and he says, Hey Joe, you think you're a top producer now? Take this little round pillar. Forget about it. You're gonna produce even more. Wall Street's known as Drug Street also, right? So everyone's doing some kind of drug and I'm already smoking, weeded drinking or having some kind of mind altering substance in my body.
[00:15:28] Joe Rivera: Every single day for the past, I dunno, 10 years at this point. So I said, why not? And that's when I got introduced to opiates and that's when my battle with substance abuse took off to the next level. My life went dark and became completely unmanageable. I was risking my life every single day. I overdosed twice. The last time it took six kids of Narcan to bring me back to life. Six kids of Narcan
[00:16:13] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, you were
[00:16:14] Joe Rivera: and that same night. Yeah, man. I mean, talk about go hard or go home, right? I mean, and, and that same night I'm laying in the hospital bed. I wake up. I pulled the EKG electrodes off my body, leave the hospital against medical advice, then when I get outside, it's the middle of winter, I'm wearing a gown and I'm shivering looking like a crack head, like Pooky from New Jack City, from all the opiates being taken outta my body.
[00:16:46] Chaz Wolfe: Wow.
[00:16:46] Joe Rivera: And the first thing I do, I go call the dealer again to go get high.
[00:16:55] Chaz Wolfe: Wow.
[00:16:56] Joe Rivera: A couple weeks later, my sister invited me for an event. At that event, I, I don't remember exactly what it was, but something clicked. I looked at my sister, she looks at me, and we both started crying. I mean, she knew exactly what I was gonna say. Chaz. And then the words came out, the words my family was waiting to hear for years.
[00:17:28] Joe Rivera: I said, I don't want to do this no more. Sis, I'm, I'm a shell on my true self man. I was tired of writing my obituary. I wanted to begin creating my legacy and, uh, after that I made the decision to achieve sobriety. And, and look, my, my story is not unique, right? Many people struggle with vices. Mine was drugs and alcohol.
[00:17:55] Joe Rivera: Someone else might be gambling, sex, shopping, overeating, whatever that vice is. It interferes with us being our true self by having us isolate not being fully present. It creates character defects for some. Life may become unmanageable. Some people lose their motivation and self-esteem, but I promise you, you don't have to live like that. a better way to live life. I believe living in purpose closes that gap between spirituality and true wealth. I used to live an unmanageable life. Where I lack direction didn't finish things that I started, I couldn't get outta my own way. But now I live an incredible life where I know the direction I'm going.
[00:18:49] Joe Rivera: I know what my goals are, and when I start something, I finish it and I shadow those goals. But it's because I built a reliable, repeatable transformable system that helped me create wealth financially, emotionally, and spiritually. And that spiritual component is so important, man.
[00:19:09] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah. I appreciate you sharing, man. That's super vulnerable. Um, I think that there's listeners here now that. Like you said, share the common struggle. Uh, or if, if they don't any longer, then they should be able to share in the understanding of what that freedom feels like. I think every entrepreneur, listening, every entrepreneur in the world, we, we do business. Because we want freedom, and we can define that freedom in different ways. You right now have defined it as well, I needed sobriety first and then I was able to, you know, achieve many other things that you just alluded to.
[00:19:43] Chaz Wolfe: But what does that freedom for, for the listener, for you, what does that look like? What does that feel like? Why is it important?
[00:19:50] Joe Rivera: Freedom is to not be handcuffed by anything or anyone right to, to be able to live life and create success on your own terms. I. What, what, what my terms are gonna be could be completely different for someone else. Right. It's their definition. It's your success. What does success look like for you? What is, what is, what is creating that success on your terms mean to you?
[00:20:18] Joe Rivera: You know? What does that, that, that relationship that you have with the people around you, what does that look like for you? So freedom is, is being able to live life on your terms, not on somebody else's, not by something else. We're not. Victims of our circumstances and conditions, you know, we control our own destiny.
[00:20:37] Chaz Wolfe: what would you say, uh, what, and you can reach back even to some of the companies that you've, that you've built before, of course, in this successful coaching practice. What, what's been just like a really good decision that you've made in business? Like, you know, you've, you, you achieved sobriety, you've got this spiritual connection.
[00:20:53] Chaz Wolfe: We can maybe loop around to some of these things again, but practically inside the business, what's worked for you? That the listener could take away right now and go, well, I can do that today.
[00:21:04] Joe Rivera: Don't try to do it by yourself.
[00:21:06] Chaz Wolfe: Okay.
[00:21:06] Joe Rivera: You know, um, realize that you're as good as your team's gonna be, you know, and, and, and you don't. If you try to do everything yourself, it, it ain't gonna work, man. I tried doing it alone so long, so many times, and there's so much more success when you have people around you to help you get to that next level.
[00:21:27] Joe Rivera: Don't be afraid to ask for help.
[00:21:29] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah.
[00:21:31] Joe Rivera: People get so caught up in the ego and, and, and, and, and, and the fear, right? Fear, ego, all of that comes in and, and you don't wanna ask for help. You, you feel ashamed or you're shy or whatever it is, man. But you'll be surprised when you reach out for help, how many people will put their hand out to help.
[00:21:47] Joe Rivera: I mean, it's just people wanna help others.
[00:21:50] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, and I wanna, I wanna stay on this for a second. Uh, the, the other kind of across the line with this fear was, is this hiring right? Um, you know, the fear of doing it alone, or, or you're saying don't do it alone. The fear then immediately for hiring purposes, oh, I don't know. Can I afford it? You know, will they, will they, will they actually tear it down?
[00:22:10] Chaz Wolfe: Like there's a lot of fear that can go there. We're on the vein here of. Asking for help, which could be getting around other entrepreneurs. That's what gathering the Kings does. Getting a coach, that's what you do. There's free meetups, there's people online, there's groups on Facebook. Like, what else can I do to, to reach up?
[00:22:29] Chaz Wolfe: Um, because that's probably the hardest piece as you already know. The ego piece is just, it's rooted in there. There, there's somebody listening right now who literally is in the first couple of years and they're just beating their head against the wall, and they're just stubborn and they're, they don't want to ask for help.
[00:22:45] Chaz Wolfe: So give 'em a couple on-ramps here that can help 'em, because they, they know they need it. They just, they just don't do it.
[00:22:49] Joe Rivera: Yeah. Listen man, and, and, and if you can't afford to go and, and hire help, then the next, the next best thing, and probably even it might even be better, right, is go out and find other people who have done what you're looking to do and are ahead of where you are. Because guess what? When you surround yourself with people who inspire you, you're gonna be inspired to do more with your life, right?
[00:23:15] Joe Rivera: I mean, I, I remember when I, when I, when I went out on the, before I, when I achieved sobriety, I had to find myself a support group. I went to places where I could find other people who were sober and connected with them and found out what steps they took to get sober and stay sober. And when I built my business to another multimillion dollar business.
[00:23:34] Joe Rivera: I surrounded myself with people in that industry who were multi-millionaires and connected with them and found out what steps they took to build their business to a multi-million dollar business. And guess what? I also had to go out in both networks and find out what those people's struggles are so I could learn from their struggles and their mistakes.
[00:23:55] Joe Rivera: Start by, you know, surrounding yourself with people who, who are gonna take you to that next level. And I promise you, you're gonna see a difference.
[00:24:03] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, going back to Think and Grow Rich, you've already referenced some principles that are clearly identified in that book, but, uh, the mastermind principle is, is by far the most, um. In depth that, that Napoleon Hill goes through and through his, uh, material, all of his different books, it all basically comes down to the mastermind principle.
[00:24:20] Chaz Wolfe: And when you hire a coach or when you join a group or when you, you know, even in your own marriage, it, the mastermind principle is in effect right where the two working together unto a definite chief aim and the accomplishment of that, uh, it, it creates new solutions. It creates a new mastermind. And so.
[00:24:39] Chaz Wolfe: Give us a little, uh, principle here. 'cause I mean, that's the baseline, that's what this is. Give us maybe your definition of that. How do you use this in your coaching program? 'cause every, in essence, what you just described, go get around other people. You had to do it with your sobriety, whether they hire you or, or someone else.
[00:24:54] Chaz Wolfe: Like they're really engaging with the mastermind principle. Would you agree? What? Would you give us some more here?
[00:24:59] Joe Rivera: Yeah, you're definitely engaging with the mastermind principle and take accountability. Have account, find an accountability partner within that mastermind that's gonna help hold you accountable and take you to that next level. Because without the accountability, it, it gets difficult to kind of put it into place and, and really apply what you're learning because it's so easy to get sidetracked.
[00:25:25] Joe Rivera: Without that accountability, and it's so easy to kind of put it off and procrastinate. But if you start surrounding yourself with that mastermind group and then you start having yourself an accountability partner, man, I mean, it, it, it really takes it to the next level. Sky's the limit at that point.
[00:25:40] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah. And I know that you're a father and, and you've got other people in your world outside of just clients and, and or other entrepreneurs that you're around. Talk about how, how does this affect other areas of your life? This, this mastermind principle or reaching out, helping each other, you know, kind of a rising tide raises all ships, uh, that maybe the listener knows it better that way, but how does that apply in other areas of your life?
[00:26:03] Joe Rivera: It, it, it takes. Precedents in every part of life, right? Relationships. Surround yourself with other people who have successful relationships. Parents surround yourself with other parents who may be doing it longer than you. That's how we learn, man. We learn from other people. And guess what? Learning doesn't stop or end when you go to school.
[00:26:24] Joe Rivera: It's a lifelong experience. Continue learning in every aspect of your life, relationship, vocation, health and wellness, all of it. And surround yourself with the right group of people. And you're gonna be a winner.
[00:26:37] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, yeah. Well, I, I am using this as a segue to come back to, you know, the, how you opened up the show, which is that, you know, the spiritual connection, you know, is, is the juice. You said it's the secret sauce. And, and Napoleon Hill breaks this down in laws of success, but he talks about how the mastermind principle is basically.
[00:26:56] Chaz Wolfe: Uh, like a super practical way to be able to access the next level, which is, you know, the mastermind of you and me. Even right here on the show, like, we, like your thoughts and my thoughts are coming together and creating new ideas in your mind that you haven't said yet. And, and in my mind, and or maybe in the listener, we've spurred something in their mind.
[00:27:14] Chaz Wolfe: So this mastermind principle is reaching in to, you know, the, the download, if you will. So I, I wanna give you the platform here to kind of share a little bit more. I, I've got some opinions here as well, so. Uh, take us away on, on, what is this, this juice, this secret sauce that we're, that we're talking about.
[00:27:30] Joe Rivera: Yeah, I mean, look, the juice for me is without a doubt the spiritual component, right? Because, and look, spirituality. And religion are two different worlds. We're not talking about religion. Yeah. There's a higher source involved. I call it God, someone else might call it the universe. Infinite intelligence.
[00:27:50] Joe Rivera: Whatever it is you believe and and choose to call it. Right? And having that connection with that higher source, realizing that that higher source is gonna take you to, to, to your highest point and be able to, to help you really unlock your fullest potential is so important. But. Spirituality is also about walking and living in your purpose, right?
[00:28:14] Joe Rivera: Because we've seen it so many times. I mean, so many people, they could have all the money in the world, but. And there's something missing on the other side, and they end up taking their life, they end up going to drugs and alcohol and, and, and taking their life that way. I mean, look at Chris Foley, the actor.
[00:28:30] Joe Rivera: Look at Robin Williams. Perfect example. I mean, these guys had the world by the balls, right? All the money. They, they, they had it all. And yet they took their life. Why? Because something's missing. So the, the people that they cared about the most end up getting hurt from that, right? So because that spiritual component is missing, it's, it's, there's emptiness there.
[00:28:53] Joe Rivera: There's no fulfillment there. That's not a way to live life, man.
[00:29:47] Chaz Wolfe: yeah, yeah. The, uh, the connection for me there is if I'm created in the likeness of God, you know, if I'm created in his image, that's what Genesis tells me. So it's like, okay, what does that mean about me? Well, that I'm a creator that. I, I get energy from the way I'm designed and I'm, he's designed me to be a builder, especially entrepreneurs.
[00:30:12] Chaz Wolfe: And so we're talking to entrepreneurs right now, specifically, and, and different people who maybe aren't entrepreneurs, maybe have a different, uh, maybe build word, but for us, we're builders. This is how we've been designed. And so what I'm hearing you say is by reaching into how I am. At the core, who my identity is, who I am, whose I am, who, like what I'm supposed to be, right?
[00:30:33] Chaz Wolfe: The, the potential that you're talking about is I, I can't actually achieve that without knowing first where it came from,
[00:30:41] Joe Rivera: Absolutely.
[00:30:42] Chaz Wolfe: right?
[00:30:42] Joe Rivera: Amen. Absolutely, without a doubt. Uh. Nah, I, I, you, you hit it on the button and, and people could, you could think about being created in whatever form you want from whoever you want, whatever you want, but know that there's a reason you were put here and there's a reason that you're supposed to live the life that you're supposed to live.
[00:31:05] Joe Rivera: And you have to find that reason. You have to find that purpose, and you have to fulfill it. It's your job to do it. Everything else is given to you. You have the abilities within you, you have the purpose is there. It's there. I mean, you have the, the key to unlock it. You just gotta go find the key and you gotta learn how to unlock it.
[00:31:22] Joe Rivera: It, it don't work where you're gonna say your prayers and all of a sudden it's just gonna come up in the next day. You gotta do your part right, God, or, or the infinite intelligence, whatever you call it, wants to see that you are working with them. Teamwork makes the dream work, man, but you gotta go out and do the work.
[00:31:38] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah. It's funny because, uh, you know, I've, I've led, you know, small groups and men's bible studies and all kinds of fun stuff across my time, and it, it, you know, I've. As I have found, there are, there are principles or laws and uh, you know, so I can, I have stood in front of, you know, let's say a men's breakfast, you know, a hundred men, and I'm talking about, uh, you know, using the subconscious mind.
[00:32:01] Chaz Wolfe: But again, it's a different, it's a different title. It, it's a, it's, it's the download from the Holy Spirit, you know? And, and here's the reality is look man. You, you're either operating on purpose, not necessarily in purpose. 'cause that's a lot what Joe's talked about and I'm in agreement there we're we're, we're over here and operating intentionally.
[00:32:24] Chaz Wolfe: I. On purpose because I know where I'm going because I have clarity. All the things that Joe's given to you here today, I'm either operating like that or I'm not, and it's pretty cut and dry. You either know if I'm, if I woke up today on purpose to get something very, very specific done, because I know who I am and I know what I'm doing.
[00:32:43] Chaz Wolfe: Now. I don't have the full download yet. I'm asking for a new download every single day. That's the beauty of it, is that I don't know exactly who the Chaz from five years from now is, but I wanna meet him right. You wanna meet that Joe? Right?
[00:32:57] Joe Rivera: Yeah, of course. Absolutely.
[00:32:58] Chaz Wolfe: How, how do you do this? How, how can I, how can I meet the Chaz five years from now?
[00:33:04] Chaz Wolfe: The, the real who I'm supposed to be?
[00:33:06] Joe Rivera: Learn from your mistakes, right? Learn from those mistakes. Realize that failure is part of success, and it's okay. It's not about perfection, it's about progression. As long as you progress every day. That's a win, and that's gonna get you closer to, to meeting that person from five years from now, right?
[00:33:29] Joe Rivera: Because if you continue making the same mistakes over and over again, you're not learning from them, you're never gonna be able to unlock that potential. You're never gonna be able to live to see that, you know, to be that person five years from now, that you, you have the potential of being because you're not putting the work in, you're not doing your part.
[00:33:46] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah, it's good. It's good. Um, I wanna ask you, uh, one last question here. That might take us a minute, maybe it won't, I don't know. Kinda thinking about your story here, if you had the opportunity to roll back the clock and talk to the younger Joe, I wanna know one, how old is he that you've got pictured in in your mind, and then what do you whisper in his ear?
[00:34:11] Joe Rivera: Man that that's. Don't be afraid to fail. I, and, and you know what's funny, Chaz, is people would say, damn, wouldn't you say don't do drugs, wouldn't you say, you know, go back and change this. I don't want to change nothing. You know why? Because that's who I am. My past doesn't define me. It helped me propel to my success to who I am, you know, so people always say, damn, don't you have regret for doing drugs and alcohol?
[00:34:39] Joe Rivera: I mean, I actually say thank you to substance abuse for making me the person that I am today. I say thank you to substance abuse for bringing me closer to God and having me have the relationship where today God's my father, my mother, my uncle, my best friend, my everything. I didn't even know what that relationship was coming up.
[00:34:56] Joe Rivera: I lost my way along the way, you know? So I say thank you to substance abuse for giving me this platform to be able to go out there and share my story with the world. You know, because I asked for so many years, right? I said, damn God, how do I give it back to you? How do I give back what you've given me? I mean, this gift, this, this, this.
[00:35:17] Joe Rivera: Every day I wake up, I defy the odds. I'm so thankful for it. How do I give it back? I'm being so, and he said, just kept telling me, you know what, son? Go out there and share your story. Go out there and give it back. That's how you give it back. Don't be selfish. If you hold it in, you're being selfish. So. Man, I, but I learned from those mistakes, right?
[00:35:38] Joe Rivera: I won't go back and ever do drugs again. I won't go back and make the same mistakes I made before, right? Because I'm learning from the mistakes. That's how I grow. So the one thing I tell myself, don't be afraid to fail.
[00:35:51] Chaz Wolfe: I love it. There's a, um. There's a, a principle, if you will, or a law of gratitude, and I've done a lot of work on this in the last year, and I really think, Joe, tell me what you think about this. I really think that basically everything comes down to gratitude.
[00:36:09] Joe Rivera: Yeah. Gratitude is everything, man. I mean, I, there, there's, it's so important I was saying, I, I'm, I'm not worthy of, of, you know, what you did for me. I mean, you saved my life. You know, you picked me up from the pumpkin patch, cleaned out my guts, like, like a, like a jacko, lanter, and then put me out there, put a light in, had me shine and share it with the world, sharing me with the world.
[00:36:30] Joe Rivera: I mean, how do I give that back? You know what, what made me worthy of doing that? And today, I, I know I'm a man worthy of love and respect. I know why God saves my life. I know what my purpose is and, and my gratitude is through the roof for that. I mean, dude, there's not a day that goes by that I'm not saying thank you for, for what he's giving me.
[00:36:55] Joe Rivera: Every day I wake up part of my morning routine is waking up and having prayer meditation. In a moment of gratitude, it started off as a couple of minutes per day. Now there's days that last 45 minutes to an hour because I mean, there's so much to be thankful for waking up this morning having food and shelter, having a roof over my head it.
[00:37:15] Chaz Wolfe: Yeah. Yeah. It's funny. Um, one of my kids, this was probably a year or so ago, she's like, daddy, you always, always pray for weird things. I'm like, really? What do you, what do you mean, honey? She was like, well, you're always thankful that we have like eyes that work and legs that work. And
[00:37:34] Joe Rivera: Uh,
[00:37:34] Chaz Wolfe: I'm like. But like, could you imagine not having eyes at work?
[00:37:38] Chaz Wolfe: Could you imagine not having two legs that work? Like it's something that we should be thankful for? And it was just like this little 6-year-old going, oh, right. Like how can we do that, Joe, with all of the listeners right now, all the adult listeners go, oh, I should actually be thankful for all the little things because it propels me then into all the things I'm supposed to be right.
[00:38:04] Joe Rivera: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely, man. Be thankful that you're a spiritual being, living a human experience, and you have the power within you to do anything you put your mind to man.
[00:38:14] Chaz Wolfe: Love it. Joe, how can the listener find you? Uh, maybe they have, um, found some interest in some of the things that you've brought up here today. They wanna, they wanna connect with you or they wanna follow you on social, or maybe they wanna work with you. How can they find you?
[00:38:26] Joe Rivera: Yeah, sure. You could go to my website, which is with joe rivera.com. Uh, find me an Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn at with Joe Rivera also. Uh, and Chaz, if it's all right with you, I want to give it a free gift for everyone. Also, man. So if you text the word Reforge, REF as in frank, ORGE to 6 4 6 4 9 5 9, 8, 6, 7, I'm gonna give you my three pillars of, uh, tr being able to create true wealth and close your gap between spirituality and true wealth.
[00:39:06] Chaz Wolfe: Love it. We'll put that in the show notes as well, so that way they, if if you just heard that and you're like, oh no, I didn't get it, just, uh, just scroll down, go to the show notes, it'll be right there for you. Uh, Joe, you have a magnificent story of overcoming and, uh, what. You know, as we might say, true success or real, real, uh, life winning looks like.
[00:39:25] Chaz Wolfe: So thank you for sharing that. Thank you for doing it. Thanks for thanks for being persistent, uh, through the struggle and, uh, being able to stand here today and, and share with others that it's possible. Um, I appreciate you. Blessings to you, your family, your business, all that you do here in 2024.
[00:39:40] Joe Rivera: Uh, same to you and your family and everyone listening, man, God bless.

Host Chaz Wolfe welcomes Joe Rivera, a seasoned Life & Business Coach renowned for his dynamic approach and real-world wisdom. With an extraordinary journey from Park Avenue to park bench, Joe has transcended the depths of addiction and despair to become a beacon of hope and transformation. Once a high-flying stockbroker, Joe’s life took a dramatic turn after battling opioid addiction, leading him to a profound awakening and a dedicated mission to empower others. His coaching not only addresses business acumen but also instills a robust spiritual foundation, driving entrepreneurs towards genuine success and fulfillment. In this episode, Joe Rivera, with his authentic New York grit and unfiltered narrative, delves deep into the heart of what it means to be successful yet feel empty. He courageously shares his intimate battles with fear, addiction, and the pursuit of gratitude, shedding light on the often-unspoken struggles of high achievers. Discover the pivotal moments that reshaped Joe’s life and how his transformative experiences can guide you in overcoming personal demons, redefining wealth, and embracing an exceptional life. Riveting, raw, and real – this episode is an essential listen for anyone on the path to mastering self, understanding the interplay between business success, personal well-being, and the profound impact of spiritual alignment.

Joe Rivera:

Website : https://www.withjoerivera.com/keynote-speaker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/withJoeRivera

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withjoerivera/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-rivera-0a27b311b/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@reforgeacademywithjoeriver6288

Chaz's favorite morning drink to fuel him for his day

10% off Code: GATHERINGKINGS10