Welcome back to the show, my fellow Extraordinary Americans for today’s guest. We have Eric Levine. Eric is a serial entrepreneur, business coach, and global fitness expert. He started in the fitness industry in 1979 when he became the first franchisee for Gold’s Gym. And opened up a chain of six clubs. These six clubs, being the most profitable in the entire gold chain of more than 100 clubs during that time, Eric established Super Gym advertising and marketing company, the exclusive worldwide agency for All Golds Gems, winning many international awards including the silver medal at Key. 

Eric then became a partner with Ray Wilson Family Fitness centers, which grew to 72 locations. He then went on to Asia and created California fitness in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and Australia and grew it from zero to 100 plus $1,000,000 in less than three years. His clubs broke every imaginable record for fitness centers. On the world, he then sold a chain of California fitness centers to 24-hour fitness, retaining a share in that company 24/24-hour fitness sold for an incredible $1.7 billion. 

Eric was also the founder of Plant Yoga and Bikram Yoga in Asia, the first yoga studio anywhere. He is currently an investor. Mark Mastrov in the new evolution ventures, which owns and manages such companies as UFC gyms worldwide, is an exciting new company now combining with revolution crafted in a partnership with World champion boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. 

The new company is called Height by Manning and provides a boxing and full body workout in a boutique setting. Eric is also the CEO of Eric Levine, Global Fitness expert, a fitness consulting company specializing in all aspects of the industry. He has the pioneering spirit that it takes to become an extraordinary American. And that is. I’m honored to have him on the show. 

Today, Eric, are you there? 

Hi, cosmos. 

Hey, Eric. It’s really an honor to have you as a guest on today’s show. I’m actually looking really looking forward to this interview because I feel like we, me, and the audience can get a lot, a lot of Nuggets and wisdom from you.  

No, thank you.  

So, Eric, I know that you are a serial entrepreneur. You’re a CEO and you’re a global fitness expert. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself, your background, and how you got started?  

Well, I started many obviously, many years ago. My father was an athlete and I naturally gravitated toward that for my passion and I started, as you mentioned in the bio. But I bought the name Gold’s Gym and for Canada, I opened up a chain there and it was really a startup. 

I had no experience I’d actually had to do everything on my own. And that was very successful. And I learned a lot. Because you know you don’t have a mentor, you don’t really know what you’re doing. Everything was on emotion and passion for fitness. 

And because it was brand new at the time, men and women didn’t work out together but mine, we did, and I had to recreate the Brand because that was a real bodybuilding look, bald-headed muscle man and I changed the name from Gold’s Gym to Gold’s fitness for women and men ended up having over 60%. 

And I actually went back a little bit earlier. I work for a company called Club Med which has resort hotels around the world and we’re very. Famous for many reasons. I’m not going to go into this family podcast. 

What I learned there about branding was they had a commercial on TV, a 15-second commercial, the beautiful guy, or girl with her hair being blown back and it said Club Med, the antidote to civilization. And very simple. And that club med there were like 80 of them around the world in exotic locations everywhere. The food was OK, the rooms were so-so, so maybe three-star at best. The shows, which is what I did at night or like camp shows. And sports, OK.

But when people left at the end of the week or the end of two weeks they were hysterical, crying in the parking lot. They just didn’t want to go home for any, say, doctors with big practices wanted to stay and just be the doctor in the school for a few months and that’s where I learned about branding, about passion, about leadership, about creating a value so much higher than the investment or the expectations, and I did that for four years and that was my Ph.D. There’s no school in the world that could have taught me what I learned, in those four years.  

You know, it’s funny that you say that Eric because a lot of people go to college and university to, like, try to, like, get like a job to become financially, but to become financially free. But here you are like you learned. an apprenticeship almost. And then you learn the craft and then you apply it, and It’s pretty incredible altogether.  

Well, you, yeah, I you know, throughout my years I’ve learned a few things I Buddha said. You know you can listen to my words and try to follow them. But don’t follow him and don’t follow anything but learn from direct experience.

And that’s kind of been my old mantra that sure, there are many great teachers there. But direct experience is the true teacher. And that’s kind of what I’ve done all my life and I also. When people asked me about teachers or mentors or whatever. 

There are so many people out there, ready, ready to give you advice, you know. And they mean well. Most of the time. But there’s. Choose a teacher or a mentor. Whatever you want to call it has done exactly what you want to accomplish. Do you want biceps? Try to apply it to an Arnold Schwarzenegger with 24 inches. You know, that’s how I’ve done that. 

I’m not interested in some of those books. I want to see the biceps. I want to ask what he did, what exercise mindset, what nutrition, what vitamins, everything. And following that, there are thousands of coaches up there that have no pedigree. They learned in a month or two or three, and now they’re life coaches. They know everything about life. Yet if you knew them, you’d see that they’re not anything that you want. 

And so, I’m just cautious to follow people that have done exactly what you want and that are successful in your area. That’s the best way to find a mentor.  

So, Eric, you know, most people usually come from middle-class or relatively poor circumstances. They don’t usually go beyond that, but you had some sort of driving motivating factor that obviously pushed you to succeed in business. 

So what was that driving passionate thing about like in your life? That made you passionate about what you do.  

That’s a great question, Cosmos. So yeah, I was born in a middle-class family in Montreal. And my imagination was always like Calvin and Hobbes. There’s a little boy with his tiger and I always, you know, I was an actor when I was five. I started doing theater and commercials when I was little. 

So, I felt that energy, when you’re on stage, you’re performing. It gives you some things that you know it’s, it’s an energy, it’s a confidence, it’s a self-image booster. So, I started really young, and I started. I had that as one area that started to open up my potential and when I was 13, I received a book from my cousin who was one of my first mentors. And the book was a very simple book. It was called concentration. By an Indian sage, called Mouni Sadhu Pse. 

In that simple book. If you practiced it. You would be able to open up the limits that maybe you received from your parents or your school teachers or your friend. However, you know you can’t do this. You shouldn’t do that. You’re only that. And in that book, I talked about how to be limitless in your mind and your imagination in your practice. As well as supernatural powers from yoga, which you do get at when you practice certain exercises that they will teach you.

So, with that. And my  Healthy imagination, I never really thought that I couldn’t do anything. I mean, I actually thought it was going to be Superman when I was 11. That sooner or later, I’m going to start to fly. I don’t know when, but my cake wasn’t that good because my mother put on red and gave me a red towel. And the red cow wasn’t. Going to help fly knew that. I remember thinking that. And then I was also a golfer. And UM. Someone told me about this very special book. 

Oh, we’re talking about lately. Yeah, late. In the 60s the name of the book was Psycho cybernetics by a doctor named Doctor Maxwell Maltz. And he was a plastic surgeon. And his premise was people would come to him with, you know. Something that they wanted to fix like. Let’s say a crooked or big nose or whatever, and next, he’d take their pictures. He’d fix their nose, so it was perfect. And then the people would say, well, you didn’t fix my nose at all. I got the same nose as I had before I paid you the $3000. And he would show them the before pictures and then the mirror. And he would marvel at what happened.

And he realized that your image Didn’t improve. You still saw your big nose. And he went into that world. Of your subconscious mind. How to make sure that your self-image has no limits. Because if you have limits in your subconscious mind. You cannot go past. That limit is. In stone, that’s the guy. 

I remember… I will give you, for instance, I was in Hong Kong and in my club there, California fitness in. Hong Kong. And there was this great assistant manager and he wanted to be a manager and he was great, and he deserved to be a manager. He was making a lot of money at the time, about 8:00 or $9000 a month, this, you know, 30 years ago. As a manager. He’d be making $20,000 a month. Which is obviously a big thing he wanted. He was skilled enough and then I opened up in Singapore. So I took the original manager, put him into Singapore and now this was this guy’s shot. So, he’s so excited. Tell everybody. Yeah, starting Monday as manager. He never came. He never showed up.  

Wait, what? Why?  

Never, never showed up. Found out later that he was selling… He left Hong Kong and went to Shanghai. To sell turtles. For like $1000 a month.  

Wait, what? But he was going to make like 20,000 though. Like, that was that he had a really good thing going, right?  

Right. It was, it was completely physically perfect for him, his subconscious mind had a limit. His limit was his self-image said you’re not a manager, you’re only a second fiddle. You can never do that job. 

So what if you’re placed in a position or an opportunity that is greater than your self-image? What you do is self-destruct, you sabotage yourself. To keep under that bar that you made that you have in your image and he did exactly that. That’s what I’m talking about.  

Eric, you bring up a really important point because you know, like, a lot of people, subconsciously have limiting beliefs that stop them from reaching their full potential. Like they want to have a certain lifestyle, but they sabotage themselves on a Subconscience level and my question to you would be, what would you? How would you advise somebody who has subconscious self-limiting beliefs to get out of that? And then what would be the process of them getting out of that and reaching the state where they want to be?  

Another great question. Well, I’ll give you a simple answer. We spend 95% of our day in our subconscious mind, our hands, your breath, you’re thinking, you know, 95% of the same thoughts you thought yesterday. Everything is on autopilot i.e. Your subconscious mind 5% is conscious of new thoughts and figuring out new things. Your subconscious mind, mind. Is a counter. 

So, let’s say, As a young boy, you were taught well. You’re not that handsome, but you better stay in school. Oh, no. Let me say you’re not that smart, so figure out something in your life because you’re really not smart. And you’re, you know. In your first seven years, that’s your hard drive of whom you’re going to be in your subconscious mind for the rest of your life. And your subconscious counts how many times you said I’m stupid. I’m stupid, I’m stupid. I’m never going to be good. I’m not smart. I can’t. I’m not intelligent. I can’t do anything. Your subconscious is a counter account, let’s say 10,000 times. You personally have said that to yourself. That’s the beacon. That’s all you can gather because if that’s the vibe you’re sending out, that’s the vibe that’s coming in. 

So there’s a way to change that that is very simple and easy. You create a tape or whatever of your voice. Simple that you can repeat when you go to sleep, the voice will say. I am intelligent. I have no limits. I welcome challenges. I welcome opportunities. I can do it. I am accomplished. There is nothing that will limit me. I am wonderful. I accept and beat every barrier that’s even close to me, etcetera, etcetera. Very strong affirmations in your voice.

I mean, there are many people on YouTube that have affirmations, but that doesn’t work. It helps you, but it doesn’t fix the subconscious self-limiter that has to be your voice, because your subconscious knows your voice. You create this US module that can repeat itself on a. You put it. In front of your bed, fall asleep with it. Let it go for a few hours. Whatever. If that upsets your sleep, we’ll just do it. You know, 15/20 minutes before you sleep. On the 10,000 and 1st Time, you said I’m intelligent, your subconscious now believes that. Now it’s believed that the hardware. You’re intelligent and all the old chatter is gone. And that simplest way to affect your self-image and your subconscious.  

So basically, what you’re saying is that we record our own voice as an affirmation in our phone and then we put it on a loop and then we listen to it as we go to sleep and then that will suddenly affect our subconscious mind over a period that is so simple. And yet most people don’t do it. 

The only people who do it because they heard about this teacher and that teacher in 10 years of therapy and 50,000 of why I’m why I messed up and you know the person that told you were stupid had no idea how great you are. No idea what you could do. They said that out of their own complex. 

So now is the time to be free. This is simple, easy and effective. You don’t need a psychiatrist. You don’t. Need any of that stuff and you don’t want it well on the negative or do you know why am I a doctor? Why do I feel stupid and Pay attention to that? Where have you put your attention is where your energy flows as well as simply the law of attraction which everybody talks about. When you focus on your problem, you attract that problem. When you focus on where you’re going with full imagination, full passion. Full manifestation. That’s what you’re attracting. That’s why I don’t believe in Therapies that harp on trauma. 

The more you talk about that trauma, the more you attract it. The more you solidify it. And I’m not saying that, people that have serious issues don’t need help, they. For sure. I just know that the more you focus on it, the more energy. OK. The more you are attracted, the same thing. That’s why I mean. When you have a group of people. That is all. Talking negatively about whatever, that’s what you attract. You don’t want that.  

Eric, there’s something that I wanted to ask you, since we’re on this subject right now, right, so a lot of people, a lot of religious people, right? They want to be good, and they think that if you say I’m this, it’s like they’re being delusional or egotistical but It’s even worse. Right. 

They feel like God wants them to be poor. And God wants them to… wants them to know that they’re sinners or like, depending on it’s not just like in the Western world and the eastern world as well. Right. A lot of poor people or a lot of people with a negative self-image believe that God wants them. To be that.

So, what would be your practical advice to people that are like them, they want to be good people but they are biased. They subconsciously believe that they have to be poor, or they or they cannot think in certain ways, otherwise, they’re going to be egotistical, and delusional or something. 

Well, you know creating. A tape like we just said, we’ll stop that. OK. I’m not here to talk about individual beliefs. That’s a yearly topic and I respect everybody. I respect everyone’s beliefs and by no means would I ever give them advice about that. You can focus on yourself and make yourself the best version of yourself and it’s all inside it’s not someone telling you or watching another person it’s. The power to change the power to choose the power to do as you wish. All comes from inside, not external in any way shape, or form.  

That is, that is so beautiful, and I’m really glad that you’re saying that because since we’re talking about conscious beliefs, a lot of people have limiting beliefs, but they blame it on external circumstances like religion or the environment or the country that they’re in our government. But what you’re suggesting is that it’s based on what is inside of you. And you can control your own destiny, and that is, ironically, the entire point of exploring America, you know. So, thank you so much for saying that. 

But Eric, on a different note, is it a continuation of this? What is your opinion on spirituality and yoga in application to business? Because I know there’s like you have an intermix of like you’re deeply spiritual, but you are really successful in business. So how does spirituality apply to the business world according to you? 

You’re asking some really good questions here, Cosmos. The truth is in my opinion. What you do in one thing is really who you are and everything you know. I and I’ve and I’ve wrestled with… OK, I can do my meditation for a couple of hours and then someone says the wrong thing and I’m off, you know, freaking out. 

I’ll tell you a funny story. My Yogi initiated me into a very beautiful legacy, the Himalayan masters. I’ll tell you about my yoga journey in a minute. His teacher, my teacher’s teacher. He was the Shankaracharya, which means he was the holder of the worldwide dot technology. For all Yogi everything, and he was, he was at 24. They found him meditating for days amongst crocodiles that were just sitting next to him, kind of protecting him. And they chose Him. But that’s it.  

So crazy 

That’s awesome.  

You can read a book called Living with the Himalayan masters by Swami Rama. It’s short stories about what he did. Beautiful. So, Swami Rama. As the Shankaracharya, he invited all the top yogis from India to sit and do a lecture. 

So, he did this lecture in the mountains. He’s wearing his saffron robe. You know his long hair, and he’s talking at, you know, level 100 about specifics of the science of yoga to these other masters, you know, meditating, chanting, and my teacher was there watching. 

So, in and you know the sacred chair is talking like an Angel, right? And the lecture is over. Swami Rama comes back into the ashram and throws off his saffron robe. He’s wearing a white teeth shirt and jeans, and he goes over to the contractor who is building his hospital for free, like a hospital. If you can’t afford it, it’s all free. And he starts to yell at the contractor. Why are you so late? Why is it over cost like a normal Entrepreneur whose contractor messed up?

So, the Yogi on the hill. Was he the saffron robot when he got back to the ashram? He was that version of Swami Rama wanting to get his project done on time, on budget, you know, and every word that you can imagine you’d be saying at that time. 

So that was a great lesson for me and making it feel OK if he can do it, I’m sure. I can do it. And not feel too guilty so the message is that really. You try to bring what you learn from spiritualism or anything into all aspects of your life. 

And I am in a group called Bellwether Alliance. Which is a beautiful alliance of entrepreneurs, and authors. Everybody, celebrities, doctors, and we have a credo. And the 52 laws of doing business, and it’s about doing business in a…. I’m not going to say it in a spiritual way… I’m going to say this in a holistic, honest way. 

And that is something that the world as it grows as the lights and other similar things may really help you. Guideline to how to do business with. I don’t like the word morality, but. Whatever word would replace that, and we’re also going to bellwether youth. 

So, we’re going to have this. Alliance for kids. And that’ll come out next year at some time. So that’s kind of my direction. And after all these years of learning and business. That’s where it is for me. That’s where it should be.

No, I do. I do believe that like in business, we do need a certain level of morality and a certain level of laws that everybody should follow because, you know, there’s like a lot of criminal exchange and partial exchange going on in the world right now where it comes to business practices and that is affecting the economy in a negative way, right? 

It’s all about the ripple effect. You know, it’s spirituality. Like you do what action. And then as it ripples across the world, eventually, it comes back to you and brings you to an earlier point.

So excited to Interview you because you’re like the hybrid of the yogic type of spirituality and like and like entrepreneurship. And it’s something that I believe because I myself came from like Indian background and I’ve done. And all the info I’m interested in yoga meditation, and I think that they’re the east and the West have to balance each other out, where there was initially, there’s too much materialism in the West and too much spirituality in the east, but we must have a holistic whole, a holistic approach to everything. 

And if you bring balanced spiritual balance in the West and more of the material Balance in the East that then brings them all together. The planet will uplift itself naturally on a round level. And so that’s what you’re like. I see you as an avatar of like, somebody that’s like having a balance between the material and the spiritual world. So, I really admire that aspect. About you.

So, when you started the California fitness right and then let it went and it sold to 24-hour fitness and that three to five-year journey, what are some of the biggest lessons and challenges you like one was some of the biggest lessons you learned and what are some of the challenges you faced along that journey?  

Well, many obviously. When I first left California to go to Asia. I decided on Hong Kong because it’s internationally spoken English or It’s a time for sure now, maybe not so much; and I had a visual manifestation that I manifested. I brought it down to a level when you manifest more detail. You put in your manifestation easier to attract. What do you want? And it’s not just OK. 

So I imagine finding a 40,000-square-foot, all-old glass building; the Center of Hong Kong. I imagine the door being wide open. As soon as you got near there, you heard the music before even Walkman’s. Yeah, I had the music cranked up like Van Halen’s concert. The energy would blow you away. I visualized my team high fiving. How are you doing? Club Med style party. 

And I visualize the people’s films, the music, the smells of success. I visualized how I felt about it, how I was so proud and excited and on point of energy flowing and money coming in like crazy and people getting healthy and every single detail, I visualized an escalator, the windows, the treadmills in the Windows, and people working out. You know and when I got there I had that right and then I got there and everyone. Tell me there’s no 40,000 square foot building B there’s no building with glass like that. C You’re never going to get a building where a landlord’s going to give you more than one year’s rent and be the worst one Chinese people will ever work out. And men and women will not sweat in front of them.  Not the culture. Go home. Wasted your time. 

And I heard that from people that were pretty smart. You know, lawyers and accountants and PR companies. And you know, had I not been. At a very powerful stage in my life. Where I heard. No, no, no, no, no, not just, no. They laughed. Impossible. And I had such a powerful time. I was doing great meditation. I was in great shape in every part of my life, and I had this manifestation in concrete, no didn’t affect me because I had already visualized the manifesto.

I went to the landlord of another building, and he laughed at me. He would be proficient. He was smoking a cigar and he could make perfect cigar circles. He timed it so it would rest on my nose like I’m bad. Spaghetti Western, you know, with Clint Eastwood. 

Why 

Get out of my office. I’m never going to take you to the gym. Get out of here. I left a bit rattled. And because I went to that building, I had to walk down a different Street than I had ever walked down. When I walked down the street, I saw the exact building that I had visualized. And I’m looking at it like my goosebumps are still on like. My jaw dropped. I’m looking at this thing. And then they’re putting up a sign and a guy walks by, a Chinese guy said. Here’s me. Can you tell me what that sign said? What do you think it said? 

For rent 

I didn’t know it was like it looked like they had escalators, the big door, everything visually like I… I don’t know, what am I going to do next? I looked across the street and there was a restaurant called California.

So, I had heard of this one man. A businessman from my hometown of Montreal, Canada. And he was now a billionaire. He owned all those areas and buildings and nightclubs and restaurants. And I heard of it. I knew his name and I just went into the restaurant and I just, you know, on fire. And I said to the waitress, “Is Mr. Alan Zeeman there? And just Fast forward, he’s actually the godfather of my son.

So, he said yes, he’s here. Who are you? I said, “Well, I’m from Montreal. Could I speak to Him when he comes out. He takes my hand, I tell him about my dream, and he says, we need that here. And I said, do you know the owner of that? They said he’s my dear friend. 

Whoa, this is…That is crazy, Eric.  

He says as a matter of fact, he’s in the area. Maybe I’ll give him a call and see if he’d come over. He comes over and he says tell me about a gym and I’ll call like a young guy. And to make a long story short. The rent was 250,000 U.S. dollars A month 25 years ago. 

So, he said. I’d love to rent it to you, but you need to give it to me for six months. Advance plus first and last months. So, I had to give him a million and a half dollars with everybody telling me that the Chinese will work out, go home, blah blah blah. 

Three months later, I opened the doors. I built the whole thing. It cost 4 million U.S. dollars, plus a million and a half deposit. I pre-sold 3500 members for about 1,200 USD each for $4 million and 60 days after the opening I had all my money back.  

Wow, that is crazy. That was a huge risk and you somehow pulled it off like most people would be too afraid to take a risk like that, what made you go through with it even though like most others.  

They would. There’s like why? I was so sad. On it and you know it was the right time. Age had no fitness centers. Imagine the entire continent of Asia. Had no fitness centers. And I knew that sooner or later. People who grab, you know, are going to get it. And so that time was right. The competition was nil. I knew what I was doing at that time, 20 years of experience. I’m very good at branding and marketing. Cindy Crawford was on my board of Directors and my friend. And my first-page full-page ad color and Cindy Crawford. Hi, you know, welcome to California Fitness, my club.

And we just took off. Hit our Grand Slam home run. But every country I went to was the same thing. Yeah, people here won’t work out. The same story. Forget it. We’re not going to work out, and we all go through that a million times in our life. Oh, you’re never going to get her to like you. You’re never going to get a reservation at that. You know, nose, nose, mean. You just got to figure out a new way to keep going.  

I mean, this is what I would want my audience to know even if your environment is telling you no or you can’t do it or like people are telling you, what are you thinking, you got to push forward anyways, because they don’t know what they’re talking about. If you have strong visualization and like you will figure out a way you know if you’re. If you’re set, you’ll figure out a way.  

Yeah, yes, yes. You know, that’s the one. That’s how you got to be set up. 

However, I mean, I could go to the East Coast. With all my great intentions of seeing a sunset. And the sunsets on the West Coast, right? So, it’s not just pretending, you have to do what you know you have to get it because the universe isn’t going to give you something that you’re not ready for. 

You know, it’s not going to give you that building. It’s not going to do that unless you not only Are ready, but you have to really be ready and understand the whole picture. It’s like a doctor. He’s got to go… She’s got to go through their training. And still, she has to imagine how wonderful the outcome is of this surgery. You but you. Have to know what you’re doing. You have to do all your due diligence as well. You know you have to get in. In my case, I had to have the best PR firm, and the best lawyer, to tell me about the laws of Hong Kong. Accountant for taxes. I had to do my own due diligence. I went everywhere. Looking, you know the right place. I had to do my due diligence as well. So, it’s not just. OK, pretend and imagine, and it’s going to happen that a big part of it, but it’s not the whole part.  

Eric, I would like just for the audience to know the reason you played a major role in essentially 24-hour fitness being where it is today.  Had you not done all those things all those years back like they would have, there would have been no merger with California Fitness and 24. So it’s all like an It’s like a cascading effect, you know? And it’s all because you as an entrepreneur took a big risk and it paid off and that’s the main point I want to drive home, you know, it’s amazing.  

Until 24 hours, yes. The founder and chairman are my good friend, Mark Mastro. He was the one that… I’ll tell you how strong he is. We had a. Crazy offer from a very well-known billionaire for 1.2 billion the year before. And everyone on the Board of directors said let’s do it. Let’s do it and Mark said no. Next year we can get 1.7 billion. And we did. We did exactly what he had envisioned. 

So, I don’t take all the credit for that. He should get credit for that. I wasn’t one of the big shareholders in that company, but. He taught me a lot. He said, Yeah, and I’m the godfather of his daughter. So, we’re kind of like a family now.  

That is, that is awesome. But on a different note, Eric, I wanted to ask you Americans, like, you know, America is the land of the free and the place where dreams are made. Do you agree or disagree with that?

Every country is wonderful. Except, you know, wonderful things and I’ve been to 81 countries in my life. And have lived in many. And what I’ve learned, Cosmo is that cultures are so important to understand the foundation of those people. And each one has remarkable, wonderful things to it, and maybe in your opinion, some you don’t understand. And America is one of those countries. 

Yes, America has unbelievable advantages. It is a wonderful place. Lately, you know, maybe you’re not, you know. It hasn’t gone as free as it was previously and the country has its ups and downs, and collective consciousness is a real thing. You know, I learned that, and you can feel that when you enter a country, even by plane.

So, I think America is a gorgeous, powerful country. It’s teetering back and forth with many bad decisions currently economically. And it’ll rebound. But it’s all fluid, Cosmo. It’s all fluid. One person’s decision changes the whole country, the whole world. And when you learn that understand the sensitivity of it all, but is, you know, America is great super opportunities.

And there are so many other countries that I can list that have wonderful opportunities. It’s whom you cause. It’s not about external factors, it’s who you are. And I know there are many countries that limit everything. I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. And I’m not saying OK by visualization could be free of that, no. The power is in silence inside you. And that’s not going to overthrow a government or change the language. There’s nothing. To do that. It just makes you available for the universe to use you for the best you can be.  

That is, that is pretty deep and insightful. Eric, as I can now, what I would like to add is that personally, from my background, I believe in this concept of what they call an Indian spirituality. Moksha, right? And also like the pursuit of infinite bliss. Right. 

And what I found about the American identity since we’re talking about it is. There they believe. In freedom and the pursuit of happiness. But eventually, people in America will evolve to this higher level of consciousness where they will let go of materialism gradually and realize that everything is like everything is, the entire purpose of existence is freedom and the pursuit of an unlimited permanent state of happiness, which is where I feel that way. This is why I get so passionate about American identity altogether, that’s something I wanted to add, you know since we’re talking about it.  

Well, you know, I am friends with the royal family of a beautiful little country called Bhutan. China are between India and Tibet. It’s way up in the Himalayan mountains. They actually have a minister of happiness. 

Wow,

They have a minister of happiness. Let’s say you want to do a new development, He or she has to approve it. Say well, wait a minute. You know that’s going to take away from that forest or that park, and it’s going to bring down our happiness. It’s not going to go through. And so you have that too. Are you extreme? They’re economically nowhere near America. Or maybe opportunities and material stuff, but certainly they have opportunities to reach spiritual heights and happiness. It is. You know you have to be aware of that. 

Like Eric, it’s so interesting. I’m talking with you about this, right? 

Because ultimately, people are all seeking happiness, but they’re going about it in different ways. Right. And in the West, where we notice that people are seeking happiness by buying things and materials, it they think that buying more and more things will make them happy, but that’s eventually the entire point of extraordinary America is to make people realize that you cannot find permanent happiness in impermanent limited things in order to find true permanent happiness, you have to adopt A sense of spirituality where you’re seeking something that is more limited. Us and it seems like you understand this on a deep level, which is, which is like so. Amazing, you know.  

Hard to generalize about any country or any people because we’re all. We all have infinite choices, right? We can choose whatever it is we want. And yeah, America is extraordinary for sure. But one thing you have to think about is happiness to me is not the same as happiness to you and happiness. As somebody in. Florida is not the same as happiness in Alaska. 

We all have our vision of what happiness is. To some people, having their family is the ultimate happiness of other people. Having less than $500 million in their bank account. You know, it is the happiness barrier that means success to happiness for them. 

So, it’s important. To not judge what someone is trying for or going for or doing or being. Because that’s their path. That’s their version of life. And the best way I’ve found Is to accept that you don’t have to agree or disagree. You just have to sit. Let it be. Just let it be that that’s their version of life. Could be 100% the same or 100% opposite, but happiness means many different things to everybody, so that’s what I’m aware of.  

Since we’re Speaking of happiness, right, like everybody in America, everybody perceives the American dream, and everybody’s idea of the American dream is different. And that is their idea of the pursuit of happiness. 

So, according to you, what would be the biggest challenge that most Americans face when it comes to realizing their American dream? And there and their pursuit of happiness. And how would they overcome it?  

Well, again, you know, it’s hard to generalize like that. When you learn about who you are, and I’m not saying about religion or spiritualism, but for me…. through meditation and through yoga. I hear myself in silence more than the TV and yapping and whatever. It’s a big movement in America’s consciousness and Self-help and Wellness and big and they become the leaders of it. They’re the leaders in yoga right now. Santa Monica, CA has more than all of India. 

 So, who’s the leader right now? All America, you know? There ‘s another long-time long story. When I recut, broken yoga. To Asia and then to America, that’s another story. But right now, America is the leader in yoga. You know, 5000-year-old science. That’s what Americans can do anyway. You know, they take something. They do it their way. They put their energy, their efforts, their brains, and everything, and all of a sudden, they’re  the head of the capital of. So, I love that as well.  

But that is I that I totally agree with you. Like that’s the brilliance of extraordinary Americans. They can take anything from different countries and then they can adapt to it and they become the best in whatever they’re doing in that period of time. That’s the reason that I see great hope in this nation.

Right. American ingenuity is unbelievable.

No, totally. So, Eric, I know that you’re actually the CEO of Eric Levine, a global fitness expert. Can you tell us and the audience a little bit more about your company and what it does and all of that?  

Well, you know, I’m partners with Mark Mastrov and New evolution adventures we own 50% of you. Have to see gyms and other clubs from Australia, through Mexico, everywhere. America, where you have 70 countries right now. 

And so, as Eric Levine global, I do consult and investing and buying and selling clubs all over the world, so when someone has a need for that, they contact me and me, if it’s in my scope of what I want to do, then they can reach me and I’ll work with them either as a buyer or a seller or consultant. But usually, they’re bigger projects right now.  

So Eric, can you tell us a little bit more about… is there any project or work that you’re doing right now that you’d want the audience to get a glimpse into?  

Well, one of them is the bellwether alliance. No, a there. Look into the bellwether alliance. See if it resonates with you. The website’s not great, OK. But if it does pique your interest in some way. You know you can contact Bellwether Central and find out more about it. 

It’s an opportunity. To be with people that are. Doing the best they can. In a great way. Opportunities are galore. Meeting incredible people. And I’m working on that with the people at Central and the head guy is a good friend of mine, Dan Vega. And it’s something that I would recommend for those people. I can recommend many little books and teachers. 

There are some great teachers out there. Esther Hicks Hicks. You got Doctor Joe Dispenza. You have God. Oh my so many. Sadguru for yoga. Did you get Osho? He had a great book, Swami Rama. There are so many great teachers out there. There are books like Even a simple little book called the way of the peaceful warrior. By Dan Millman. Illusions by Richard Bach, the man that did. Jonathan Siegel, you’ve got the Book of Secrets by Osho. These are some great, amazing books that if you can get your hands on them, even that first book I read when I was 13, concentration, all of these will give you. A leg up and if you. Enter the world of bellwether. It’ll really help you, your business, and your family. And meet some extraordinary people.  

That is awesome, Eric. So, Eric, can you like, where can our audience go to get to know more about you and the work that you’re doing and all of that? And how can they contact you or connect with you?  

Thank you. My website is Eric LevineGlobal.com. And that, you know, you want to send me a message there or even more simply next through my website of ericlevine55@gmail.com is my personal e-mail. And I’ll respond to you. As soon as I can.  

It’s been a real honor to have you as a guest on the show.

cannot express how much. I’m grateful for this opportunity and we learned a lot from, like, your wisdom and all that. And I would really hope that you come back to the show at a later point.  

Well, thank you much, Honored to be here. Cosmo, you’re a great person. I know you and your interview is. Wonderful, actually. So, all right. Thank you for spending time with me.  

Right. Thank you, Eric. And I want to conclude this show by telling my full extraordinary Americans that, hey, there is an extraordinary within each, every, each and every one of us, it’s our duty to awaken it and unleash it until next time. Bye for now.