Welcome back to the show, my fellow extraordinary Americans! 

For today’s guest, we have Alex Terranova. Alex is a performance and success alchemist, professionally certified coach, and founder of Dream Mason Inc. He’s also an author and international speaker. He’s been dubbed the anti-excuses coach by Yahoo Finance and is known as “40/40” in podcasting by The podcast magazine as the crew creator of Your Love, Adventure, and Innovative Fun and Adventuresome New Take on Dating.

He sometimes references He’s a recurring *******, and legend has it that he’s a former reality TV show villain. Since 2015, Alex has coached hundreds of successful and powerful individuals and businesses to thrive financially, enjoy better relationships, and achieve more, all with less stress, drama, and difficulty.

He has worked with athletes, entertainers, executives, and leaders in MLB, LinkedIn, Shutterfly, Godiva, Chase, and many others. He’s also the author of fictional authenticity, the forthcoming book How Dreams are Built, and the co-author of the bestselling book Redefining Masculinity. He has hosted and appeared in over 400 podcasts, including top-rated shows such as The University of Adversity, The Primal Blueprint, and Success Unleashed, and has interviewed hundreds of the world’s highest-performing, wisest, and most successful leaders on his podcast, The Dream Mason Podcast, a top-2% ranked podcast according to The listen notes state that He’s also the host of “Playing with Columns,” the co-host of “Coaching Show,” and the frequency shifter. 

Alex has been featured on NBC, Fox, Yahoo Finance, the Goodman Project, Disrupt Magazine, Tribe Global, and the Elephant Journal. He’s what I would call an extraordinary American, and I’m honored to have him on the show.

Alex, are you there? 

What’s up? I sound like I am. A really big deal when you read it. Like that. 

I mean, you are right. I was just looking at your bio. And I’m like, wow, this is incredible. And yeah, so Alex, I know that you are an entrepreneur. You’re a certified coach, an author, and a podcaster. Can you tell me and the audience a little bit more about yourself, your background, and how you got started?

Where do I start after all that you just said? I think I’ll start at the root of it. I still think of myself as a regular guy, but you know I’m not. I’m not special. I’m no different from anyone else, and I think that’s important. 

And I and I, I think we should remember that everything you just said and everything I’m up to has been a long journey right there. They’ve been a lot of fun. We’re focusing on One brick at a time, like putting one brick into a wall, and eventually, there’s something big. 

I grew up in Los Angeles. I’ve lived in New York City. I live in San Diego now. I spent my life prior to being an entrepreneur and prior to being a coach, prior to being an author, I was the guy who opened restaurants. I opened up bars and restaurants. I traveled around the country. I was involved in operations. I was involved in HR. We were all involved in training. Obviously, I was involved in the food; I was involved in reality shows.

But ultimately, at the end of the day, while I think on the surface it would have looked like I was successful, I was more like someone moving up the corporate ladder. Ladder of the restaurant. World, right? I had done these reality shows. It was running in very cool places and major cities. I was pretty unfulfilled, and I was pretty shallow, and, as you said, I was an *******. I wasn’t the nicest guy. I was really like, I live my life from ego, so I was chasing dollars. I was chasing women. I was chasing the next car or the next item. I didn’t feel good about myself, so the way that that came out was that I was kind of a jerk. I was, you know, triggering people, ****ing people off, and making very bold statements to, like, shock and awe them. 

And one day, about 8 years ago, I had a moment where I just realized what would happen if I kept down this path that I was going, which looked good on the outside, right? Like it, it was like a beautiful car. How about? This was a lovely house that had termites fully in it, so it was like, “It looks good, but if it…” If it keeps going the way it is going, it’s going to collapse. 

And I had a moment. I just realized that if I kept living the way I was, I was going to be old and alone and unhappy and have a wasted life, so I decided that I needed to change. And that was about 8–9 years ago, and it has been a journey of transformation, not only for myself but also for others. I help other people because I think it’s really common, right? 

We live in a society, especially a society that is driven by things like results and money and very much likes status success. And, at the end of the day, there are a lot of men and women who contribute to the fact that we find ourselves playing that game. But at the end of the day, we find ourselves, tired and burned out and unhappy and unfulfilled, and we just keep chasing the next thing.

Alex, it’s really interesting that you say that because a lot of people would consider what you have as the definition of success in America. And you’re saying right now—which I agree with—that the entire point of Extraordinary America is basically finding fulfillment on a deeper level. 

But as a lot of people would find, that is the epitome of success. But what is it? What is your opinion on that matter?

I think that the problem or gap when we talk about success is that success should be identified by each individual uniquely. You know, there are people out there who would say the definition of success is family. There are people out there who would say the definition of success is leaving a legacy. There are people out there who would say the definition of success is 8 figures, 9 figures, or 10 figures, right—people who would say the definition of success would be curing cancer. 

And who are we to define success as one thing, I believe that is a trap that many of us fall into. Get caught in it. And it’s nobody’s fault. It’s not even the fault of our culture. It’s just like what happened. Right. It’s just how things have unfolded over time, and now we’re sitting here, and for me, success used to be defined by money, like the woman on my arm. The house that I lived in, the car that I drove, but if You have a lot of money. And you have a partner, and you have a cool car, and you have a cool house, and you’re unhappy. How is that successful right now?

Alex, Over here a lot of people say that if we have those things, you know, like 90% of them will say that if we have these things, we’ll be happy. Yeah. They don’t have those things. So, I don’t know what it’s like to be on your side. Well, well, well, let’s.

Let’s be super clear. I’m not in the 1%. I know how much money I’m worth, and I’m not in the top 1%. And that’s not a bad or good thing, right? It’s just a… It mentions the number thing. And I also know that I’m probably in the top 5%, I’m very privileged, and I’m very lucky. And I have a lot of opportunities that other people don’t have, so I don’t want to feel bad just because I’m not in the 1%. Does it mean I don’t have it? I don’t have much more opportunities than

Other people, all right, the top of the top. 3 to 5%.

I think, but I think. I think the important thing here I thought was what would make me happy because I was like everyone else. I was like, “Man when I got those six figures. When I, you know, write that book, when I get that girl, when I get that car, when I buy my house, then I’m going to be, then I’m going to feel good. And you know what? What happens is that you get the thing. And it feels good for a second. 

And we’ve all actually been there because I would say, anyone. Listening to this podcast. Anyone who has their basic needs met (food, air, shelter, water, or you know they’re safe) is safe. They have a roof. Over their heads. They’ve all wanted something. And they all wanted something they thought would make them happy. Maybe it’s a new iPhone. Maybe it’s a new computer. Maybe it’s a new pair of sunglasses. 

Well, what happens when you get that thing you wanted, you were happy for a little while. And then what happens? It just becomes like everything else in your life, and you’re like, “Oh, I’ve got to get another thing to be. 

We’re chasing happiness as though we can catch it. It’s not actually available like that, and if you want evidence, it’s like looking at people that have a lot of money. Why are they committing suicide? Why are they addicts? Why are their marriages imploding? Why do they do illegal things? 

You know, it’s not like we could find all the things. But, like, there are all these successful people here. Here is this, which is one of my favorites. Johnny Depp and Amber are two people who have so much money. Why are they spending their time suing each other, fighting, and creating all this drama? Right. I don’t know what their lives are like, but they could be living and doing whatever they want if that’s what they want. And we could find many, many rich people who are in the 1%, who are not happy, who are not joyful, who are not fulfilled, and who have everything. All of us want evidence that it will not make you happy.

Alex, you touched on something so deep because a part of the American system right now is about the entire debt system. Like when you have a credit card, you’re the buyer. Now pay like a pay later approach. Is there a person trying to find happiness? And materialism. And I was going to ask you this later on in my America team questions. But, like, right now we’re already getting there, so It’s kind of like the system is built on Americans finding happiness or instant gratification in materialistic things like that big house or the beautiful woman in your hand and all of that. But you’re saying that eventually, you found out that that’s not what’s going to give you happiness; it’s something that you look for within, and it’s a really deep subject.

Yeah, I mean, happiness is something that we cultivate all the time. It’s ongoing. It’s like food. I’ve never said this out loud, but it’s. Like food, you eat when you’re hungry. You eat food, and then you don’t stay full forever, right? You have to continue to nourish your body. And if you eat badly, if you eat too much, then you stretch your belly, and it takes more to fill you up, right? And if you eat little, It takes less to fill you up. 

Happiness, maybe? I don’t know if this is a good metaphor. It’s sort of Like that in the sense that it’s about cultivating it. It’s about doing things internally, the internal work. So, whether you get the car or not, You’re still happy.

So a lot of my work focuses on asking people, like, “What do they want? And let’s say, like, “Hey, just tell me for you, like, “what’s something you really want that you don’t have? Just anything. 

like a billion dollars, I suppose, like $100 million. 

All right, $100 million. What would you get if you got $100 million? What would that provide for you?

But the opportunity to give the means to eradicate poverty, like by opening up schools, for instance, for education, and all of that would lead to a lot of good karma

That’s awesome. 

Because I believe in reincarnation and Karma, I think that if you plant the seeds now in this lifetime, you will get them back in future lifetimes.

So, you, you. What you just said, though, is ultimate. What is bigger than money is that you want to be a good person and help other people.

Like, I feel like money is a means of maximizing what is already within you, and so it is a way to create an impact. But people that are poor, like, would not be able to create the same impact as people like evil people with lots of money, right?

You want to make a difference. You want to create an impact. And you want to help? You don’t need money to do any of those things. Now I agree. With you to do them on the scale that you want to do them right, like to eradicate poverty, yes. But you can help people. You can make an impact, make a difference in people’s lives, and be a good person without having $100 million. And if we said you said you wanted to do that because, essentially, if you believe in karma and you want to essentially bet like it comes back to helping you have a better experience in your next karmic life,

Yeah, but ultimately, it’s the grand cosmic scheme of things. I do believe we are all one.

Yeah, yeah. But it’s more of, like, a spiritual thing. But yeah, I just

Love it.  

I do see money as a tool. All the training materials are there, but I think that if we don’t have that much money, obviously the basic necessities are there. But after that, yeah, for impact, basically.

Yeah. So, when I say this, it’s like all of those. things you are. Saying you can do without, with or without money. Yes, I agree with you. 

Money is like a tool to me. It could be a magnifying glass. You can either read small print or you could. Burn an ant, right? A hammer is a tool you can hit somebody with, or you could build somebody who doesn’t have a house, a house. 

All tools are only as good as what we do with them. And I think it’s about how ultimately we have to look at what’s inside. You know, in addition to doing this podcast, you do other things too. If you’re not enjoying the things, you do. You could get money, and you’re going to, and you’re going to be like, “Wow, I have all this money. And I was miserable the whole time. 

So the experience of your life is: I have money and I’m miserable, or I’ve been miserable. What if we could generate the experience of our life that we wanted and let that produce the result? We like to flip it backward instead of being like, “All right, I want money.” How do I get money and do whatever it takes to get money? Maybe I will enjoy that journey.

Or I don’t want my life to reflect my desire to be a good person. I want to help people. I want to take care of the people I want to have. I make an impact, and then I live off of it. And I would guarantee that if you have an impact, if you help enough people, and you’re a good person, your money is going to come to you through those sources. 

It’s just then, even if, let’s say, it didn’t come to you, let’s say you didn’t make any money. Wouldn’t you still be happy that you were having an impact by being a good person and making a difference?

I Think of how it would be for a lot of people. More complicated than that, as if they really want to experience it. There are good things in life that also make an impact. It’s more like money’s like a means of, like, let’s say you wanted to travel to a far-off country, and you had to have the money for a plane ticket. 

And it’s not just that they want to get out of their jobs, and they don’t want to be stuck in one place in a physical location while they’re doing a job like that. Want to be able to?

So, they want an experience, is what you’re saying they want experience. 

multiple experiences, I would say. Yeah, like without having to spend, like, 40 hours a week in a cubicle or something like that.

If you want, people want experiences.

So, I guess. Ultimately, they want freedom, and they want more freedom. And like most people, including myself, I believe that having enough money will allow me to do that. But after a certain point, as you’re saying it, will not make you happy.

Well, that’s part of it. of the illusion that keeps the game going. Why is it that the people who have money Are so afraid to Lose it, and then they’re prisoners? Buy it. And the people who don’t have money are imprisoned by the need to get the money.. We stay in this cycle where, like, money runs us instead of us running our lives. I’m not saying money is bad. I love how you said I want money. So, I can help people. Money can be used, but what we’ve done is designed it so that we are victims of money. I’m not happy because I lack funds.

Look, I have clients who are multiple millionaires, and you know what I hear? Sometimes I get on the phone with them. Oh, my God. The stock markets Oh, my God. The stock. Market it like Dude, did you think when you put your money in the stock market, it was only going to go up? This is how, whether you have money or don’t have money, you’re still freaked out. And creating money makes you crazy.

But OK. So, for them, they’re already financially free. So now… 

They’re not financially free because they’re terrified of losing it. The golden handcuffs stay on them. They can’t quit their job because they’re afraid they need to keep earning. They’re terrified of losing everything they’ve got. I’m not saying every person with money is terrified of losing it, right? I’m just posing that question. 

Whoever you are, you will still use it when you have money. If you’re a scared person and you’re fearful when you have money, you’re going to be scared and fearful of money. If you’re an evil person, you’re going to be evil with money. If you’re a good person, You’ll be good with money if you are. If you can be free without money, you can. Free with money.

Money does not give you freedom. Are you giving yourself freedom there? A great example of this. Watch a documentary about all the royalty in England, like the Kings and the People; those people have more money. We are both imprisoned. They can’t leave their house because of the paparazzi, and they can’t be with the people they want to be with. They can’t go where they are. Want to go? And they have all this money. They have almost no freedom.

I think it’s because they had it put in the direction of ego, where they were more into ego, fame and success. So I agree with you up to a point where you have to have the right values and beliefs. Right core and ethics. And then you and then money will help you get to become more of what you already are.

But I do think at a certain point, like this is where I would slightly say that a certain amount of money will give you freedom from having to do a nine-to-five job or something like that, to a certain point, like maybe it could be six figures or whatever it is, like 10 thousand, 20,000 bucks. However, after that, you must know what your values and ethics are. Or because otherwise, it can lead to ruin, you know, like as you were mentioning the royal family, or they are basically impinged by egotism. Like a lot of things, a lot of times they’ll consider the royal family as such an egoistic institution. The trappings of paparazzi and fame all of that, but yeah. It’s a deep subject altogether.

And you look, they—I mean, their studies are on—I don’t remember — I don’t know what the number is now. It used to be that if you made at least $70,000 in the United States, any more money would not increase your happiness in the same way that that much money met your needs. And that’s where I think it matters. 

Look, if you don’t have food, air, shelter, or water If you’re worried about needing to get diapers for your kids If you’re worried about how you’re going to fill your car up with gas, it’s impacting your happiness level 100%, right? Because if I can’t, If I’m freaked out about filling my car up with gas, how can I be happy? Right. I’m freaked out about that. If I don’t know where I’m going to put food on the table. Or how I’m going to pay my rent. It’s hard to be happy. Because that’s like survival. 

Once upon a time, I would say that once those needs are met, we have the clothes we require, not the clothes we want. Not like all of us, you know, are decked out. Designer things, but with the Clothes we need, we have that transportation. We have it. You know, we have the fundamentals. You can have as much freedom as you want. 

Then it becomes, Hey, who are you to make you? Whom are you trying to make yourself happy? If you’re not happy in your job, just having a bunch of money isn’t going to make you happier. You’re going. What are you going to do with yourself? Right, like people have to generate those things beyond that level. And I believe this is where people fall short: they act as if they are reliant on, Well, if I had this money, then I would be happy, which makes them a victim. Because of this thing, they don’t take responsibility for their own happiness.

No, I see that this is where I agree with you. Right. You said that you were told the amount was about $70,000, right? Yes, many people in America and around the world appear to be in a state of survival consciousness.

100% yeah.  

Like they’re doing some, many are doing two or more jobs, and then they’re trying to pay the rent. They’re basically living from paycheck to paycheck. So, their state is what I need to get to this state. 1st, but once they reach that state, that’s when these questions come into view. You know, because, yeah, from your perspective, you’re speaking from that perspective where you already have your basic needs met. But it’s, I think, a step-step process, right?

Yeah, it depends on who the audience is, right? Like I am in my work, I’m not usually even here, man. I mean, we’re on a podcast, right? Most podcasts are listened to heavily, most podcasts are listened to on iPhones, and the majority of podcasts are on iPhones and Spotify. 

I would argue also, those people. I have time to listen to podcasts. You are right, you have time freedom. There are people that do not have time to listen to podcasts because they have like three jobs and they’re not allowed to listen while they’re working, so I believe that the majority of people are listening to podcasts On Apple or Spotify on their iPhones. Or on whatever you want. 

Are not the people that are in survival mode? I think they’re more of the people that are at the level of, like, 70 or whatever. And they’re trying; they’re in this game if I want more. I want more. I want more. I want more.

And that is a lot of the people that I also talk to and work with in various ways are people who have those needs met. They’re not, you know, and yet they’re still in their fear-based mindset, or they’re still in their unhappy mindset. Well, if I had more, I’d be happy if I had more money or if I had that better car. Got that raise? If I had A different job. It’s always something outside of them. 

Instead of coming back to say, “Hey, it’s your life; it’s your responsibility,” If you want to be happy, you’re going to have to cultivate happiness. It’s like. You want it. Like being like, you know, you want to be thin. You’re going to have to do things to get thin and in shape. You want to be healthy, and you’re going to do the things that will get you healthy. You also want to be in love. You’re going to have to do these things that makes someone want to love you, and it makes you want to love someone else.

No, Alex, It’s actually a beautiful thought. And there’s a question I want to ask you. In addition to this, right is on a national level; let’s say, the American identity is based on the pursuit of happiness. And we already know, like right now, the debt base system is based on immediate gratification, where you buy all these things. Order to make you happy. What would you do to advise our fellow Americans on how to basically pursue happiness?

I think we would ask, or I would ask people to ask, that question, like, “What do you really want?” and then keep unpacking that. So hey, I want, you know, money or whatever. I want a house. And then why? Why do you want that house? 

Oh, so I can, like, have more kids and have a family. Or why do you want money? So can I retire? Do you want to retire? So, why do you want to start a family? All these things and get to the root of them. Like, keep asking that question. And at the end of that, there’s an answer.

So for me, what I want is to have an impact. What I want is to make a difference. I want to help people. Make their lives better. That’s all I want. If you give me money It is possible in some circumstances. If you give me a house, there are ways that I can use it, but ultimately the thing that I want looks like this. I look at my deathbed. I imagine myself lying at the end of my life. And I think about nobody lying at the end of their life and saying, I wish I had more money. People lie at the end…

Guys, guys.  

People look back at the end of their lives and say, I wish I was more connected. I wish I had more love. I wish I had. I wish for more fun. I relaxed a little. I wish I had told that person I loved them. I wish I forgave that person. I wish I traveled more, right, all these things. 

And so, I think about, you know, at the end of mine. I want people to say Alex added value. Alex contributed to making other people’s lives and situations better. And then that’s how I operate, and that’s what makes me happy. 

So being on a podcast like this is one way of providing value and helping. So that makes me happy, right? That ups my level of happiness. Another way would be, you know when people call me and want to work with me. I don’t know if they’re going to be able to collaborate with me or not in other situations. I have conversations with them, and I try to support them in those conversations. They work well with me. If they don’t work with me, that’s OK too. 

But my goal is that even in that one conversation, I can make their life a little better. And that feels good. So, I continue to act as if I am following that.

So, Alex, it’s really amazing. Like your worldview is really like, it’s almost spiritual. I would say, actually, that it’s pretty spiritual. Because that’s what happens to people who undergo spiritual transformations. 

My question to you, and this is also for the audience, is, “What is that transformational movement? Made you transform from the egotistical. Type of bad boy type of person to this person that wants to add value to society and like what is that exact moment where it was like you had that transformation and you didn’t want to do these reality TV shows and wanted to do something meaningful.

Well, there was an exact moment, which is pretty crazy, but I also believe there was a series of moments like that that opened it up, even more so now. The first moment was about eight or nine years ago. I was with my family, and we were In Costa Rica. And I was still in the hospitality business. I was doing pretty well in a relationship. 

And again, we’re in Costa Rica. We’re in this beach house with my whole family. There are like 12 of us. We’re having this amazing vacation. You’d think if you saw where we were in life, you’d be happy, but these people must be happy. They must, like, have it all right.

I was not very happy. I was like I wish we had that, and I wish we could have that. Had more of that right. It was always more, and we were sitting at a table for dinner in a restaurant. And I think You know, we were. We were, like, having family squabbles or whatever families do, you know, right? There are always family tensions. 

And my cousin, who has been doing very similar spiritual shamanic work since she was like, was having her own inner battle with the tension at the table and the energy of the space, so she left the table. She went outside the restaurant and kind of did it a little… I’d like to say something like a present saying practice of some sort to just kind of ground herself and be clear. When she returned to the table, she asked us all if she asked us all if. We would say what we’re grateful for. 

People asked me what I was grateful for many times before that moment, and for some reason and all those other times, I didn’t care. I wasn’t really grateful. I wanted more. I wasn’t grateful for anything, and for some reason at that moment, I didn’t, I can’t tell you why I wish I knew. It feels very karmic. It feels like my Dharma in a way, like it was just supposed to happen. At that moment, it came to me. It was like God… universe…. Whatever you believe, someone punched me in the face, slapped me across the face, and I just woke up thinking, oh my God, I have so much. I am healthy. I have a family. We have the financial resources we need to live safe, happy lives. We have all the food we need. We have the healthcare we need; we have the education we need. We have the opportunities we need. Like all these things, we’re on this beautiful vacation. 

And I’m over here, like, only thinking about What do we not have? And I burst into tears. I like being completely broke. I was not someone who had any access to their emotions. I broke. I was bawling. My family is staring at me with wide eyes and slack jaws. And at that moment, I was like, I have to change my life. Like 100% was like, I got to change my life,” and it started right from there.

Alex, that is so deep in spirituality, but gratitude is one of the most important basically many people in today’s world appear to be unappreciative of what they have materialistic to a large extent, but like the way, it’s always making them unhappy, but I believe people in today’s world like them, they’re not grateful for what they what have like. They’re always looking at what they don’t have, like those of it’s always making them miserable, but I am of happiness is gratitude and appreciating what you already do have. 

And like marriages like these celebrities and these rich people have their marriages on point. I think it’s because they’re not grateful for what they have in their life. They’re always focusing on what they don’t have, and that’s a key aspect of happiness. So it’s amazing that you’re mentioning that.

I think we spent a lot of time focusing not just on what we didn’t have; I think once your basic needs are met, so once right, all these things we’ve been talking about—air, food, shelter, water safety—are your fundamental freedoms, right? To be able to, like, go and do the things you want to do.

Once those are met, this is going to sound crazy to people. But I would say that. You don’t have any problems. You know there’s a problem. I don’t know how I’m going to get diapers for my baby. The problem is that I don’t know how to get food. The problem is I don’t know if I’m going to pay rent. The problem is, we don’t. Have clean water. Once those things are met, everything else becomes an opportunity when you think about it. If you and I wanted to go up a mountain. We could do that.

We’re not worried. About where our next meal is going to come from, but if I wanted to scale a mountain and I said, “Come scale it with me,” and you didn’t, Know where your Where was next meal going to come from? You would have to focus on where your next meal was going to come from. Have to get that next meal. You have to get that next money to pay your rent. 

That the majority of us do not. I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t actually say most of us because I don’t know. The number of people is large. Many of us have our basic needs met. Are we actually manufacturing problems in our lives? Oh, it’s a problem that I don’t have a Mercedes. Oh, the problem is that my job isn’t my dream job. Oh, it’s a problem. That I’m fat or that I’m like It’s out of shape. A problem that my partner doesn’t, you know… want to have sex with me every day. Or it’s a problem that I only have two bedrooms instead of four. 

And what I would say is that mindset is what keeps you actually where you don’t want to be because instead of going, wait a minute. These aren’t problems. These are the ones you want. You prefer a four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom house. Let’s go play that game. Let’s go make up a game where you’re going to figure out how to get a Four bedroom. Do you want to scale a mountain? Let’s figure it out. A game where you can play it. Wherever you want to climb that mountain, you can. Go from, you know, $100,000 a year. 

I’ll give you an excellent example. I have a client who, when she started working with me, was making $250,000 a year. And she’s struggling, right? Just because it makes that much doesn’t mean that’s what goes in. Bucket and I worked together for less than a year, so we started working together in 2021 at the end of the year… So, it was like 6–7 months of working together… Her business had grown from $250,000 to $850,000. 

We got her out of trying to fix her problems and got her into playing a game of showing up as this ******* woman who could run a business and wanted to state a $1,000,000 business. She’s really close. And that’s a game that you get to like; that’s an opportunity. That’s a challenge. That’s like testing yourself and thinking about how much more fun that is. You know, then, like if I said to you, “Hey, let’s go take on this challenge,” Let’s go challenge ourselves to make $1,000,000; isn’t that way better than, like, my stupid house and my, like, dumb apartment? And, like, how am I going to get better? That is, that’s not motivating. That’s not exciting. That’s not going to help you. Like making a big change or a big difference.

No, Alex, I love the way you, like, talk about it. It’s all about the mindset, though. It’s like a shift in mindset, and that’s what this podcast is about. It’s about getting Americans to have a shift in their mindset with regards to just everything, but especially with regards to finances. 

So, I’m glad that you made that point. 

Alex, I know that you have this thing called the Dream Basin, right? And the podcast, which reminds I am living the American dream. There are a lot of people, and they’re all connected, right? So many Americans believe that the way to attain happiness is by pursuing the American dream. And it’s different for different people. But according to you, from your perspective, what do you think? Is the American dream?  What is the biggest hurdle that Americans face toward achieving it, and how can they overcome that hurdle?

Man, that’s like how it really feels. I loaded that question, and it feels like I know.

But you’re the ideal person to ask; you’re the architect of the dream.

Well, you know. So yeah, so let me say this. You should know that my company is my brand. My brand is called the Dream Mason. And I like to be clear. I’m no more of a dream mason than anyone else. We’re all dream masons. We all have dreams, and Mason is somebody who crafts and creates their dreams. We all have the opportunity to be that. 

When I say it’s loaded, it’s because: See two sides of America, really. There’s an America that provides an opportunity for people like no other country on Earth does, right? I have friends who moved to this country from another country because there were no opportunities where they came from, and they have built successful lives for themselves. And they are like, oh my God, thank you to America, right? I’ve had a great life in America, so I can say. That too.

I’m One of those people.

Yeah, right. The important thing, I believe, is that nothing is one way. Things are very dynamic and full of color, and so there’s an America that provides so much opportunity and so much There is also… And let’s call that the light side.  The heart of America, right? 

But then America also has a shadow side. Now here shadows aren’t bad, you have a shadow side. I have a shadow side. I want to really say that when I say America has a shadow side, it doesn’t mean it’s bad. What I think our shadow sides do is provide us with the opportunity to grow. 

Now they might seem messy or harsh or cruel, but they create the thing that we get to shine a light on, my shadow side is an *******. That’s what created the opportunity for me to change my life. 

America’s shadow side is cruel. It puts certain people over other people, right? It has historical contexts and current contexts of racism, objectifying women, and putting men over women. All these things. We don’t even need to go into all that dark shadow side. 

So again, I want people to hear me really clearly. America has a beautiful, light side. That’s all opportunity, and then on the other hand, there are numerous opportunities for America to improve to be better. 

And so, when you ask me what the American dream is. I believe that there are still two American dreams. One American dream is the original American dream, which is the land of opportunity. Land of possibility. It’s a land of light, and anything is possible. 

And when you say, and I should say, and the shadow side. The American dream on the shadow side is, I think, that we need to actually make it possible for the light side to be possible because right now we can’t say that it’s the land of opportunity when there are some people who don’t have the opportunity. There are some people for whom the system actually prevents an opportunity, or, let’s say, makes it much harder. 

Right. Because look, here’s the simplest way to say this with you and me: if you and I apply for a job, I have a better shot than you. Because simply writing my name is easier to read on a piece of paper. Right, and that’s not your fault. That’s not the person. That’s a bias. 

But I think, like the American dream on the shadow side, how do we transform that? How do we make it so that the light really shines and outshines the shadow side, where everyone has the opportunity to rise up? Everyone has the opportunity to be fully free. Everyone has the opportunity to have a voice. To be seen to be heard to fall in love. To live their best life.

So it’s really interesting that you say that because I believe that there are two sides to America. There’s basically the light side as you said, like the dark side is more like the ego side than the one that is. All about celebrities. Like what are you mentioning in the beginning. All the fast-paced, you have to have all the materialistic superficial stand also the exploitation work 99%. 

But for me, it was more of a choice. You can either choose the American. You can either choose to be on the spiritual side and then basically do what transformation you want. What you were before you had that transformational moment, which is why it’s so interesting about all of that because I feel. Like, that’s what America is going through. 

On a national level, over a larger span of a lifetime, because you know like in the 1980s, they had this system of superficiality. Greed is good, like the stock market and all of that. And then the fast car. And then you have to have the best house ever and everything. 

And then what America needs right now is Alex’s transformational movement. The same way that you had  8–9 years ago, but at some point, this is what Extraordinary America is trying to do on a certain deep level where they’re like, “No, this system is not good. This is going to lead us down a dark path. We need to be more spiritual. We need to be more. We can provide value by giving, which is why I was struck by its profundity, Alex. 

I mean, I’m being genuine. I’m not. I’m not talking just for this podcast, but I’m recording even though we’re on a video that’s being recorded. I was like, “Wow, this is crazy. That’s what I was thinking about.

Well, thanks to me and, look, I think it’s our, it’s all of our jobs to be a part of this. If one person shifts because of anything I’ve said today after listening to you, that’s amazing, right? Doesn’t need to be like shifting. And I think that it’s all our fault because everyone doesn’t have the opportunity that I had, like when we were just talking about problems before. 

If you’re a single parent, you don’t have any resources, and you have no community helping you. I got about three jobs, and you’re trying to, like, raise your three kids with them, you know. You don’t have a lot of time to get spiritual. 

And I believe that’s where your point is about wanting to help people want things they like. That’s where those of us who have more opportunities have more possibilities. That’s the transformation. I think that’s how I see it transforming: we can’t expect the people who are in survival mode to do that. You know it’s great if they can, amazing, right? Because it’s like, who am I to tell them they can’t? 

But I think that there are a lot of us who have the opportunity to make that path easier for others. And I think that’s our Job. That’s what it’s like. You know, we have to go from the light side and look at the dark side and go, “Hey, how do I do that?” How do I like to create more light in this space? That’s not easy to do. It’s not easy. Look, we joke that I call myself a recovering *******, but it’s not easy to look at. At yourself and go. I have a dark side to me like I’m a jerk, or I’m evil, or I’m selfish, or I’m greedy  

That’s really it. It takes a lot of courage, Alex, to admit something like that. Like, because most people would not do it. They’ll be like, “No, I’m. Perfect. Oh, I don’t have any dark side at all”, but like you’re like, openly. saying, “Yeah, it’s. I have a light side. I have a dark side”, but that’s on a deeper level on a national plane. I feel like you’re like that. Seeing you as America is like seeing what you represent as America. Then there are the bright and dark sides. And then what America needs, as I was mentioning, is that transformational moment of being grateful on a mass scale.

Well, America is just a representation of its citizens. Every country has rights. Every country is… What is the saying it’s like “you get what you tolerate” And America gets Let’s just put it frankly: they’re really terrible politicians on both sides because that’s what we tolerate. 

And there are amazing people out there who would have no interest in running for office because they’re like, I don’t want to be in this nonsense. And we’ve created them like Americans. I’m not saying Americans don’t have to do anything crazy, but we can literally stop tolerating the things our politicians do. We can no longer tolerate it. 

People in power, we can stop tolerating the things like the heads of big companies do. We can, in fact. You know, there are more people. Collectively, then, there are people with power. And right and. If the people say collectively, “Hey, this isn’t the America we want, this isn’t the company we want, this isn’t the family we want,” they can change it. 

I’m not saying it is easy, where it’s going to happen overnight. But the America that we have currently is because the citizens of America It’s a representation of us. It’s like you know what it is. It is a magnifying glass for the people that live here, and that doesn’t mean that there are people listening who are like, “No, that’s not me”. And I don’t mean that as like each individual, like the collective right. If everyone in America was one way, the leadership wouldn’t be a different way, right? It is a representation.

Yeah, I mean to be honest, Alex, there’s so much to talk about, but it’s only like a one-hour podcast. So, I’ve got to continue. Because what we’re talking about is so deep and profound. But yeah, like, we’re on limited time.

But on a different note, Alex, I wanted to ask you about your podcast playing with problems. Can you tell me and the audience a little bit more about that? And the premise of how that got started.

Yeah, playing with problems is fun, and I think it’s really different. You know, I got tired of looking at everything online and everything on social media and just seeing, like, the highlights of everyone’s amazing lives, and everyone I looked up to seemed to have the best lives ever. And I began to think about how no one has no one is free of whatever they have thinking is a problem. Right. Everyone has something that they’re saying. Is there a problem? 

And I was like, “Man, I want to. Like, I want to experience that. I want to see it. I want to hear about what people that are successful and doing really well consider their problems, what’s stopping them, and what’s getting in their way. 

So, playing with problems, I bring on anybody from a former Super Bowl champion. I have a Navy friend who is a high-level entrepreneur. I’m not sure what level she is in the Navy, but she seems to be a high-ranking Navy officer who is also an entrepreneur with a large family. And, just as we discuss what they believe has made them successful, we also discuss what they believe is the major problem in their life right now. 

And then we actually play with it. We like to try to unpack it. We try to change our perspective on it. We look at it. The thing I love about it is almost everything that everybody brings. One is really relatable, right? 

So, the woman in the Navy who is also an entrepreneur is like, I don’t have enough. I have a Book deal. But I don’t have enough time to write my book because of all the things. Well, how many people are like, “I want to do something, but I don’t have enough time?” Right? 

The Super Bowl champion came on because he has this mission. He’s trying to spread it around the world. And he can’t get enough people to hear his mission, so we like it played with that, how many of them? We have this idea that we want more people to hear. Right. 

We had a guy come, his marriage ended after 30 years, and he’s not sure how to move on. How many people can relate to having trouble moving on after a relationship ends? So, what I love about it is that these people put themselves in a really vulnerable spot and talk about what they’re challenged by. We get to experiment with it, and my hope is that the audience can actually hear something for themselves and use that other person’s experience to take on whatever they’re challenged by.

That is awesome. I would definitely recommend my audience take a look at that because, yeah, a lot of times people have these issues like day-to-day issues where it’s just about a mindset shift, you know, and but it’s about the Right way of thinking. And they could do with knowledge such as that. 

So, Alex, is there any other project that you’re doing right now that you want me and the audience to get a glimpse into? Anything you’re working on now or in the future?

Yeah, I am, like, fired up and really excited right now about the alchemy of men’s retreat. So, I hosted a men’s retreat with my partner and my men’s work partner, Bob. And we created the alchemy men retreated. We had our first retreat in October of 2021. 

And it was absolutely incredible. We had 12 men up in the mountains, and the men came together and got clarity on what they wanted in their lives. Like where their passion had gone, where the fire in their belly had gone. 

You know, their fears about money, about being parents, about being fathers. They broke up things like being obsessed with work so they could actually be with their families, basically, these men’s lives completely changed in a week, and we knew we had something special when almost every single man who came on the retreat signed up for the next retreat before they even knew where it was going to be. 

But now we actually know where it’s going to be, so we have another retreat. That is coming this summer Of 2023, Alchemy Amendment 2, and it’s going to be bigger. It’s a bigger space. What I’m really excited about is that we’re going to also get some guest leaders, with whom I’m really impressed. 

If people want more information about that, they can go to my website, thedreammason.com, where there’s an alchemy of men Tab. They can also simply contact me, and I will respond and have a conversation with them. I don’t know when you’re going to release this podcast, but on January 18th at 5:00 PM, I’m hosting a free workshop for men. And the deadline for this free workshop is January 18th at 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

This is actually what yours will be probably sometime in March.

So, all right, well, if you’re thanking me for saying that I like that. So, if you’re hearing this and you’re in March, and you’re a man, or you’re married to a man, or you have a father or a brother, and you’re like, that man in my life or I am a man, and I could use more fulfillment, more happiness, more peace, more ease, more love, more joy, more connection. Maybe you’re stressed out. Maybe you’re burned out. Maybe you’re just not satisfied. Maybe you don’t know where you’re going. Maybe you feel like that fire in your belly is gone. Alchemy and men retreat. It will be after March. So, if you’re listening to this, there will still be time, and you could sign up. 

It’ll be in the middle of summer in 2023, and actually, if you’re going to release this in March, I can just say that it’s going to be in June of 2023. So, if you want to know about that, if you want to sign up, e-mail me at Alex@thedreammason.com or Yeah, just go to the website.

That is awesome, Alex. So, Alex, where can our audience connect with you? In general, learn more about your job and everything else.

You do; I mean, my website is the best place. I think it’s the easiest. The dream Mason.com has everything from my books. Working with me on the retreat You know all of it’s there. I’m on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook; you can get to all those things from the website.

Well, well, Alex, thank you so much. I’m really grateful that you took the time to come on this show; your perspective on everything is just truly extraordinary. And I do hope that you will return to this show at some point because we would love to have you on the show at a later date.

Whatever you want.

I want to conclude this show by telling my fellow strong Americans that, hey, look, there is something extraordinary within each and every one of us. And it is our duty to unleash it and awaken it. So until next time, we’ll talk to you later, okay, bye.