Ep.91 - Kali Muscle - Part 1: Leadership, gang life, YouTube and no excuses

Kali Muscle is a master of money and motivation. Whether it's building his body or building a business, he's known for outworking anyone. Turning his life around after a prison sentence, he kicked his PT career off at 24 Hour Fitness before 'making it' as a larger than life YouTube star, inspiring millions and preaching that there's no excuse not to get motivated.   Growing up, Kali Muscle was a youth pastor and man of God. At home, he wanted to prove to his mother that he was just as good as his high-flying brother. Through this motivation he became a great student until something horrible happened. His brother committed suicide. As the only man that Kali looked up to, it really affected him. However, despite the family tragedy, Kali he was still incredibly driven. He achieved a scholarship at Fresno as a strong safety in American football, going heads-up against the biggest running backs in the team. Through football, wrestling, or track, Kali would train until nobody else was working, even though he suffered from migraines, sickness and numbness every time he trained hard. Still angry about the death of his brother and out of money, Kali went down the path of robbing people before going on the run from the police. He was handed seven years in San Quentin prison, aged 19-years-old. Following his prison time, Kali started on a journey to become a professional bodybuilder with a job at 24 Hour Fitness, and eventually achieved YouTube, television and film fame. Whether heading up religious groups, prison gangs, or YouTube followings, Kali Muscle has always been in a position of leadership. Here's his story about how he's motivating millions today.   With such a back story of positive and negative influences, overcoming all the odds and turning his life around, today Kali Muscle is motivating millions to achieve success in whatever they want to do. On top of his prison stories, workout regimes, and inspiration for anyone to stay on the right path, he spends his time inspiring everyone through daily videos relating to fitness, gaming, cooking and vlogs for his two million YouTube subscribers. His life story is also available in his book – Xcon to Icon: The Kali Muscle Story.   Episode highlights -    Part one The importance of captivating attention on YouTube with engaging thumbnails and titles to create a real source of income. How it's possible to be a one-man production company online. How even prison gangs have values and structure to their social groups and hierarchy, and how even the most desperate situations offer opportunities for negotiation and understanding. Why you must be aware of your own weaknesses and how to avoid letting them lead you down the wrong path, whether it's because of tragedy, missed career aspirations or anything else. How even crime can be done by the book, and why Kali ensured that he'd be able to cope in the real world business when he came out of prison. How to pivot your career in the most extreme of ways based on your strengths, including how to turn your life around if you're on the wrong path. Why success in anything depends on you doing your homework. Always stay hungry and surround yourself with great examples of whatever you want to be great at. How celebrity and fame may come from just concentrating on being successful and wanting to make enough money to be financially comfortable.   Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Kali Muscle…