Balancing Process, Safety, and Trust at Onnit

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode 253: Aubrey Marcus - Total Human Optimization (Own The Day, Own Your Life)

Aubrey Marcus is the founder and CEO of Onnit, a lifestyle brand based on a holistic health philosophy he calls Total Human Optimization. Onnit is an Inc. 500 company and an industry leader with products optimizing millions of lives, including many top professional athletes around the world.

Aubrey regularly provides commentary to outlets like Entrepreneur, Forbes, The Doctors and The Joe Rogan Experience. He has been featured on the cover of Men's Health, is the author of the life-coaching course Go For Your Win, and his first book is Own The Day, Own Your Life from HarperCollins.

The Learning Leader Show

"If you have 5 employees, don't focus on growing to 180 employees. Focus on #6, and the #7. Just the next one. You must surrender to the process."

Show Notes:

• Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence:
  • Mental Override
    • They are willing to do the thing you don't want to do (ex. turn the knob to COLD in the shower)
    • Focus on the little things... The little things become the big things
• Instead of thinking of your life as a whole, focus on making this one day great... OWN the day, own your life
  • Identify the process and structure you need for your ideal day...
  • Do it one day at a time
• The ability to create you environment and "own your current space" regardless of the environment
• The difference between 2012 (with 5 employees) and today (180 employees)
  • "Then I did everything, I had to. Now, I have an incredible team to help."
  • "If you have 5 employees and you want to grow, don't focus on 180 employees. Focus on #6, and then #7. Focus on your team and your customers."
  • "Surrender to the process."
• Aubrey is a questioner... Why?
  • "I'm constantly reminded how much I don't know"
    • "I'm always open to continued learning. I have a curiosity mindset."
• "I was down to my last $110K which was loaned to me. If AlphaBrain failed, we were done... Fortunately, it sold out quickly."
  • The importance of Joe Rogan
• "I was completely all in."
• "Instead of focusing how to be friends with Joe, I focused on who I was as a person... And becoming a person that people would want to have around." Focus on yourself
  • "The 30 minute coffee with Joe turned in to a 4 hour dinner"
• "People will detect and know if you're not genuine" -- You must be yourself
• "Rules are for dogs. Human beings should be driven by morality. By what's right and wrong."
  • How about rules at Onnit? -- There are some that are necessary (talking about sex, or safety. Both are important and there are strict rules)
• Having an open relationship with his fiance, Whitney
  • "I questioned the nature of love. What is true genuine love? How does that look? It's wild... And challenging."
  • "This isn't a fairytale. It can feel like you got struck by lightening in the solar plexus."
  • "Having an open relationship is not for everyone and I don't advocate it. I'm an advocate for understanding relationships."
• The importance of writing Own The Day, Own Your Life
  • "All of our work needed to be documented. There are over 300 clinical references in the book."
  • Process? "You must show up and write... Even when you don't feel like it. You have to have the mental override."

"I know nothing. But every day I ask questions and take a seat at the table where Truth likes to have snacks." - Aubrey Marcus

Social Media:

• Follow Aubrey on Twitter: @AubreyMarcus
• Read: Own The Day, Own Your Life
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
• To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great

Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions

Episode 252: Tom Peters - In Search Of Excellence