The Jimmy Rex Show

Guest Bio:Born in India, my guest today Akshay Nanavati, has lived all over the world and lived such a fascinating life along the way. As a bestselling author of his new book, Fearvana, as a former Marine, and a well sought after speaker, Ashkat has spent the latter part of his life studying fear and how it affects us every single day. In this interview, we really lean into fear and discuss how it can paralyze us or how we can turn it into our best friend. It's an episode everyone will benefit from. I'm excited to share it with you and with my friend, Best-Selling author, Akshay Nanavati.

Guest Bio:Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) Saied Méndez is a fútbol-obsessed Argentine-American who loves meteor showers, summer, astrology, and pizza. She lives in Utah with her Puerto Rican husband and their five kids, two adorable dogs, and one majestic cat. An inaugural Walter Dean Myers Grant recipient, she’s also a graduate of Voices of Our Nations (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children’s and Young Adult program. She’s a PB, MG, and YA author. Yamile is also part of Las Musas, the first collective of women and nonbinary Latinx MG and YA authors. She’s represented by Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary.

Guest Bio:Mitch Mathews is a former NFL player who played his college football at Brigham Young University, where he excelled and is known for one of the most exciting plays in college football history with a last second Hail Mary catch against Nebraska.After being signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, Mitch learned that his mother had terminal cancer which led him to missing mini camp and walking away from football to help take care of his mom and spend time with her.Mitch is not only a phenomenal entrepreneur, but also a fantastic leader. He created what is called the 10/10 Leadership Challenge. It’s a spin off of 75 Hard and has a huge emphasis on fitness. He also is the owner of the popular pest control company called Anthem.

Guest Bio:Valeria spent her childhood in Miami, Florida, as her parents moved there when she was only two years old. There is not much known about her early life, except that she attended Keiser University for Occupational Therapy, after matriculating from High School – her modelling career began during her first year of studies, when she was discovered by a well-known photographer. At that time she was training to be a boxer, and also attended other types of fitness training while uploading workout videos on her website.Soon after Valeria started uploading videos on her website, she was crowned as a fitness queen by her fans, as she helped them with their workouts and their diets as well. When she became famous, she started working as a model, while also keeping her job of a fitness trainer – she worked with numerous mega brands including Mercedes, and appeared on a couple of magazine front pages such as “Latin Mix Calendar” in 2010 and 2011, “Nine5Four Magazine” in June 2011 and “Mixed Magazine” in September the same year.Some of her other achievements include appearing in a music video called “White Girl” sung by Trina, Flo Rida and Git Fresh, and her partnership with “Southdadetoyata”, after she brought a Highlander car and brought it home on 23 February 2018.

Guest Bio:As a young CEO millionaire of Atlanta Hip-hop management company, Street Execs, he sold millions of records, changed the trajectory of how to market to millennials, and guided the careers of influential artists like Grammy award winning 2Chainz. However, while all the success was pouring in, he battled depression, binge eating, crippling insecurities and a brain tumor. To everyone on the outside, CEO Charlie was crushing it. On the inside, he was dying. Unhealthy, unhappy and unfilled, Charlie retired in 2017 from both the music industry and the name “CEO Charlie”. At the age of 29, he made the decision to reinvent his life in pursuit of his childhood dream to become an athlete.AND FROM THE FLAMES EMERGED CHARLIE ROCKET,Charlie Rocket inspires those around him. He’s lost 135 pounds. Became vegan. Ran 3 marathons. Reversed the growth of his brain tumor. Became an Ironman. Just finished his nationally known Dream Machine bike tour across America. Is currently on the cover of Runner’s World Magazine and secured partnership with Nike. Charlie has rerouted his ambition of making millions of dollars into his current mission to TRANSFORM 1 MILLION PEOPLE’S LIVES.

Jimmy is most known for his career in real estate during the past 15 years. In that time frame, he's sold over 2000 properties and has solidified himself as one of the top real estate agents in the country. This past year Jimmy sold the most expensive home in Wasatch Front MLS History at $35 million for a ranch near Oakley, Utah. Because of his success in real estate, Jimmy went on to build his real estate coaching company which currently coaches hundreds of real estate agents from all across the country. His courses "The Social Realtor" and "100K Agent Blueprint" have helped thousands of agents grow their business. He is also a popular speaker and regularly does trainings from Calgary to Texas and all over the country.Outside of Real Estate, Jimmy created one of the top business podcasts "The Jimmy Rex Show" that to date has been running weekly for just under two years and has been listened to over 10 million times throughout 165 episodes.In 2019 Jimmy released his first book, "The Next Wave of Influence in Real Estate," and it immediately hit the bestseller list on Amazon in multiple categories. Outside of being an author, Jimmy loves to travel and has visited over 60 countries as of 2019. His favorite types of trips are when he gets to go undercover as part of a select group working with The Child Liberation Foundation, helping to find and rescue children all over the world that are being sex trafficked. Jimmy has been on 11 operations and played a role in the rescue of over 100 children.Jimmy is also an active investor, with a portfolio that includes 15 personal investment properties and investments in over a dozen private companies, including Nikola Motors, Stance Socks, and Parachut.co.To best describe Jimmy as a person, turn to his Mission Statement; "The purpose of my life is to share my tremendous love with all of God's children. Bringing happiness to others through my playful soul and by being an example of living an extraordinary life."

Guest Bio:Partner & Chief Compliance OfficerJohn Pennington serves as Partner and Chief Compliance Officer for Bridge Investment Group. Mr. Pennington is the point of contact for all inquiries regarding U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) compliance, regulations and audits. Additional roles include; i) the secretary for Bridge Investment Group’s Board of Directors, ii) voting member of the ROC Fund I Investment Committee, iii) secretary for the Bridge Executive Committee, iv) secretary for the Bridge ALCO Committee, v) the President of over 100 Bridge controlled corporations in Delaware, vi) and as financial corporate backup when Bridge Investment Group’s CFO is away from the office. He brings experience in real estate finance, private equity fund management, public company management, securities broker/dealer management, corporate formations, international regulatory, real estate loan underwriting and SEC financial reporting & compliance beginning in 1994. From 2005 to present, Mr. Pennington is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Bridge Loan Capital Fund, LP, responsibilities include: capital raising, bank relationships, budgets, financial reports, SEC filings, fund formation, compliance, administration, annual audits, and REO real estate dispositions. Prior, Mr. Pennington was Co-Founder and President of USAT Inc., an import/export company, which has transacted business in over 17 countries, subsequently, he was the Co-Founder & Co-Owner of businesses located in Spain, Canada, Germany and Puerto Rico. From 1997 through 1999, he was Chief Operating Officer and Co-Owner of a publicly held company with 140 employees. He was responsible for audits, SEC reporting, and international sales. This led to his co-ownership, acquisition and subsequent successful sale of a foreclosed, real estate distressed housing development, including a full-service golf course and country club. Mr. Pennington earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Utah in 1988. Mr. Pennington has served on the Advisory Board of the Westminster College School of Business in Salt Lake City, Utah, and as the director of fundraising for the Utah Special Olympics program, a charitable organization for special needs children. He is currently filed with FINRA as an investment advisor and holds a Series 65.

Guest Bio:Tucker Max is the co-founder of Scribe Media, a company that helps you write, publish, and market your book.He's written four New York Times Best Sellers (three that hit #1), which have sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. He's credited with being the originator of the literary genre, “fratire,” and is only the fourth writer (along with Malcolm Gladwell, Brene Brown and Michael Lewis) to have three books on the New York Times Nonfiction Best Seller List at one time. He was nominated to the Time Magazine 100 Most Influential List in 2009.He received his BA from the University of Chicago in 1998, and his JD from Duke Law School in 2001. He currently lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Veronica and three children.

Guest Bio:His mother named him Jeffrey, but his friends call him Griff. He is currently in a wheelchair, but not forever!Jeff always dreamed of playing sports on the ‘big stage’! As a kid he envisioned playing college football as a receiver. He was one step closer to fulfilling his dream when a construction accident left him broken and paralyzed from the waist down. His life and dreams were shattered but not defeated. During those dark days he had a decision to make: he could stay down and quit or get back up and succeed. He chose the latter.As an ordinary man living life from a wheelchair, Jeff has accomplished some extraordinary things. He played in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, and is a silver medalist for the USA men’s wheelchair basketball team. Griff is a national champion who played for the Utah Wheelin’ Jazz and is a four-time All-Star MVP. He was the number one men’s wheelchair tennis player in the state of Utah, won the St. George Marathon, has two Guinness Book of World Records, and is the author of the award-winning book I’Mpossible: Desire. Dream. Do. He believes everyone has the power and potential to accomplish the impossible if they take the proper steps.During his 16-year career, Griffin’s teaching style, humor, and personality have made him one of the most liked and sought-after teachers. He earned his master’s degree in education and curriculum and created a worldwide peer-to-peer leadership program for Third-World countries that was recognized at the United Nations in New York City. Griff considers publishing his book one of his greatest accomplishments since he got a D- in English and was told he would never be able to write a coherent sentence.Griff started two successful businesses and created a nonprofit organization called the ‘Road to Recovery’, which impacts thousands of injured vets and physically disabled persons. He is passionate about progress, enjoys mentoring youth, distributing wheelchairs to those in need, and giving hope through his humanitarian efforts. Griff married his best friend Emily and together they have four beautiful children. He enjoys eating pizza, playing games, and exercising.These successes, although impressive, do not define who Griff is. What really defines him is his ability to amplify your power and potential, as a Sherpa of sorts, by not only telling you how to turn the impossible into the possible, but by showing you one step at a time.

Guest Bio:Mark Pope was hired as head men’s basketball coach at BYU on April 10, 2019. He is the 19th head men’s basketball coach since the Cougars’ inaugural season in 1902-03. Pope came to Provo after serving as head coach at Utah Valley University for the previous four seasons.“We are excited to announce Mark as our new head men’s basketball coach and welcome him and his family back to BYU,” BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe said of Pope’s hiring. “Mark is an outstanding leader and coach. He is also an exceptional recruiter, who recognizes BYU’s unique opportunities for success. We look forward to having him build on the great tradition of BYU basketball.”Pope’s coaching career has included stints as an assistant coach at Georgia, Wake Forest and BYU before he was named the head coach at Utah Valley. As a player, Pope helped Kentucky win the 1996 NCAA National Title before enjoying a professional career that included stints in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets.“I’d like to thank the BYU administration,” Pope said at his introductory press conference. “It’s been an unbelievable opportunity for me to go through this process and see the vision. This place is like nowhere else. It’s such an honor and privilege to be the head basketball coach at BYU. There’s a standard of excellence on this campus and with this program. Those high expectations are one of the things that excites me the most about being here.”In four years at Utah Valley, Pope’s Wolverine teams made improvements each season, going from 12 wins in 2015-16 to 25 victories in 2018-19. He also led Utah Valley to three-straight postseason appearances (2017, 2018, 2019) and back-to-back 20-win seasons (2017-18, 2018-19)—both are Wolverine records.The 2018-19 season was highlighted by a program-record 25 wins and an 11-4 non-conference record, the best non-league record in UVU history. His team finished 14-1 at home and owned a 22-game home win streak — also a Wolverine record and the second-longest streak in the country at the time. In addition to the team success, Pope coached the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.Pope’s 2017-18 campaign finished with a 23-11 record, including the best home mark in school history of 16-1. The season began with what was known as the #Toughest24 as Pope and the Wolverines opened on the road at No. 4 Kentucky and No. 1 Duke on consecutive nights. That season ended with a trip to the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Invitational.In 2016-17, Pope led Utah Valley to 17 wins and a trip to the CBI. The Wolverines won a pair of road games — the school’s first-ever postseason victories — to reach the semifinals of the CBI.While on Dave Rose’s staff at BYU from 2011-15, Pope helped the Cougars to four-straight 20-win seasons and four-straight postseason appearances – including three bids to the NCAA Tournament and trip to the semifinals of the 2013 NIT. Prior to coaching at BYU, Pope was director of basketball operations for Mark Fox at Georgia in 2009-10 and an assistant under Jeff Bzdelik at Wake Forest in 2010-11.A 6-foot-10 post player, Pope helped Kentucky claim the 1996 NCAA National Championship and enjoyed a nine-year professional career that included seven seasons in the NBA and two in Turkey. Pope was drafted in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. Following the draft, Pope played his first season as a professional in Turkey for Efes Pilsen. He then played two seasons for the Indiana Pacers under head coach Larry Bird and helped the Pacers to the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals.In 1999-00, Pope split time between the La Crosse Bobcats of the CBA and Ulkerspor in Turkey. He returned to the NBA the next season, playing for the Milwaukee Bucks under head coach George Karl. In 2000-01, he started 45 games and helped the Bucks reach the Eastern Conference Finals. After two seasons with the Bucks, Pope spent the 2002-03 season on injured reserve with the New York Knicks. He concluded his NBA career playing two seasons with the Denver Nuggets from 2003-05.Pope began his collegiate career playing at Washington. As a freshman in 1991-92, he earned Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors after setting a Washington freshman single-season record with 8.1 rebounds per game. He earned All-Academic honors from the Pac-10 as a sophomore in 1992-93.Following his sophomore season, Pope transferred to Kentucky where he played for Rick Pitino. After redshirting in 1993-94, Pope helped the Wildcats win back-to-back SEC titles, advance to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1995 and win the NCAA National Championship in 1996. He averaged 7.6 points and 5.2 rebounds and was a team captain during Kentucky's championship season. Pope earned Academic All-SEC honors in 1995 and graduated from Kentucky with a degree in English in 1996.Before joining the basketball staff at Georgia, Pope completed two years of medical school at Columbia University in New York. He did much of his pre-med course work while playing in the NBA. Pope and his wife Lee Anne have four daughters: Ella, Avery, Layla and Shay. Lee Anne worked at ESPN before serving as David Letterman's personal assistant for four years.