Overcoming Liver Cancer and the 2020 Shutdown with Wellness CEO Nate Costa

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Speaker 1

00:00

 This episode is sponsored by the Integrity income fund, which is managed by yours, truly and my team at Labrador lending, the Integrity income fund is for accredited investors. It aims to pay 8% preferred return and an 8.5% preferred return for early investors. It aims to pay out monthly distributions. There's a 25 thousand dollar minimum and only a one-year lockup. If you are an accredited investor and you're looking to get away from Wall Street, letting looking to beat inflation and looking for an asset class that is backed by hard physical real estate. Then look no further than the Integrity income fund, check it out at Labrador.

Speaker 2

00:47

 Lending.com on this episode. I got the chance to chat with Nate Kosta of friend of mine. We have gotten to know each other over the last few years. We have a mutual All friends and our families kind of run in the same circles. But Nate runs two pretty large businesses, FX Studios, and FX, well, and he has over 250 employees. In those two companies, he's in the wellness and fitness space and has had the opportunity to train multiple. Professional athletes over the years, we talked on that, talk about that a little bit, but What we really dive into is some of the struggles that Nate has had with regard to business growth and you know, not being able to almost not being able to meet payroll and kind of figuring things out from opening up the initial gym to where they are today, where they have a multi-state operation with many different locations. And we also dive into later in the episode. Nate's recent scare with cancer and it was only five months ago that he went through an operation. Will I will leave it alone for that? You will have to listen to the episode for more details but Nate is an awesome guy. He super humble. He's accomplished way more than you might think if you just chatted with him for a few minutes and it's impressive his positive outlook on life and His willingness to make others better. I have worked out with him a few times, and he definitely pushes you in a positive way and it's he's just an uplifting person to be around and I really appreciate him taking the time to chat with us. We also talked about the impact of covid. Shutting everything down and how that really put his entire business at risk. So we dive a lot into business topics entrepreneurship. And a lot about personal health and family and things like that. So this is a fantastic episode.

Speaker 1

03:06

 Inspiring stories of real people overcoming incredible odds to live life to the fullest. We are all guaranteed to face. Hardships, how will we handle the adversity? Join us to be moved by every day, people who have turned poverty and prosperity, and weakness into wealth Be Inspired as these relatable Heroes. Get Herbal and former counterintelligence investigator. Jamie Bateman puts his interviewing skills to the test, restore your faith in humanity as you experience. True Cinderella stories of average people turning surreal struggle and deep despair into booming, businesses and financial Fortune. Take ownership of the life. You are destined to live and turn your adversity into abundance. Welcome everybody to another episode of.

Speaker 2

03:55

 The form adversity, to abundance podcast. I am your host Jamie Bateman, and I am thrilled today that way I get to, I was going to say, sit down, but I am standing I get to chat with my friend, Nate Kosta of FX Studios and FX. Well, Nate, how are you doing today? Do it? Amazing. How about you buddy doing? Well, the sun is shining. I am standing. This time last year I was in a boot, so I am just happy to be you know, alive and healthy. So yeah, for our listeners out there, obviously I know you fairly well I have gotten to know you a little bit better over the last I guess few years which is awesome. And but some of our listeners out there, may not know who you are. So if you would, who is Nate Kosta and what are you up to today? Wow. Who is Nate custom? Well president founder of the, these two great companies FX Studios in FX. Well, father to three amazing boys and the lucky husband of Gina nice. All those are several important hats, you're wearing, I would say so. So, you know, I know you have got the tell us briefly a little bit more about your to businesses, and then we will go back in time a little bit. So FX Studios originally started not by me, but by a guy who dreamed up a very unique Salon and Spa, and he was one of my personal training clients and somehow convinced him to let me my brother. And my one other good friend to add on a small personal training studio. So FX Studios started as a salon but then the kind of evolved into a Fitness component to it and then FX. Well, few years later was our kind of corporate wellness company that mainly does fitness center management and design, we do what we call human engagement, which whether that's virtually or on-site events, and then we have a digital fitness app, also that we go So what is you were mentioning some employee numbers to me before we hit record? What is what are the all the businesses look like from a kind of human standpoint or Personnel standpoint? Yeah, we I think we're just over 250 teammates now. That's mainly it's a lot of across the country, but mainly Maryland in Texas. Gotcha. Okay. And I know you have had the we may hit on this, but you Had the opportunity to also personally trained some Chi and Chi athletes the NFL players. You mind mentioning a couple of those before we go back in there, your history? Yeah, you know, the kind of two big names are Cam Newton quarterback for the Panthers. Looks like he's were finally going to retire there. He's never wants to though, and then, Randall Cobb. Is now back at the Packers, one of the most amazing individuals, both of those guys are that I have ever actually from an athlete standpoint, gotten to work with. That's awesome. Some other ones, you know, Flacco when he was here in Baltimore, got to work a little bit. And Torrey Smith who again, is just, you know, off the football field. Just such an upstanding individual, that's awesome. And you forgot to mention Jamie Bateman and Jo Koy, but You know, will especially in our mid 40s. We're looking real strong these days, but anyway, let us back up a little bit and you can pick it up whether it's, you know, 2005-2006, wherever we want to start there but kind of walk through the history of FX and you know some of the business challenges if you would that you faced and how that's how your how you have been able to. Face those from a more personal and human standpoint. And what lessons you have learned from that. I know that's a lot, right? That I just threw at you, but where do you want to start? Is that the 2005 timeframe? Yeah, let us go back to kind of the beginning and you know, obviously interject because I can count those doors and it's all good. So yeah, I mean it kind of all started where I was working for, you know, a big box. Ex gym in Baltimore that, you know, I wanted to do more and fortunately, the owners were like, you know, go and kind of, you know, chase your dreams man. And I am like, okay. So I started looking at, you know, how do I build my own personal training studio and what would that look like? And what are the main things that I really, you know, as an individual want to do the thing that draws me to the like the health and wellness fitness? Industry really is helping other people like my buckets filled, when I get to go, you know, Joe's house on a Saturday morning and the three of us go down in his basement gym, and they're feeling like we sweated, you know, we got some good Combos and it was, you know, it was like you guys who know it? Those are fun workouts. Yeah, there's a level that I get from that of like appreciation and just the joy. The like I just wanted to multiply that. And so the dream was built a place that has 10 Trainers. We each have about 40 clients, change the lives of 400 people. And one of my personal training, clients had opened FX Studios, the salon a year prior to this and 04 and somehow we convinced him Do let us add on, you know, this 2700 square foot personal training Studio which is just comical to me now, just thinking of this massive square footage places that we are in now. But so you were training him, right? You were his trainer is what you're saying, yep. Yeah, I was greater. And so basically it took us a year to negotiate with the landlord to add on this, you know? A space. And then, the guy that previously owned FX Studios was, adding on a larger spa, and we are putting like a mutual locker room in between it. And during that year, that we are building out, we basically took to the organ Ridge Hills here in Baltimore and did what we called outdoor Fitness. And so we have times a day we'd have group show up, and we trained him outside and then It's still driven around the people's homes and enjoying. I have seen some pictures of Cam Newton you and Cam Newton themselves rather than he's absolutely shredded. Not that you weren't that you were but yeah 6250, you know, 3% body fat, you're ugly. Yeah. So okay. So took a year to build out the physical All location, right? Is that? Yeah, right. In a lot of it was just because the details for those that know ethic Studios, like it's all about the experience. And so from a haircut side, you're going into a private room. You know, you at the time, you're staring at a big 20-foot movie screen, you know, everything from the, you know, the shampooing and the Washington happens inside that room and it's not like somebody else, does it? So it was a very different experience and so, There's a few like critical moments in kind of my path and this was one of them. So a local entrepreneur walked in the door to get a haircut and was just blown away by the experience, and he is like I need to talk to the owner of this place. And so he went, and they, you know, he was there, and so he got to sit down with, with the owner and said, you know, hey I have got this company. I am actually about To go public. You know, I am probably going to have a little extra cash. I love this concept. Let us talk about expanding and building them. And The guy that started FX was a very focused individual, let us just say. So he was like that's not in the game plan. First we're going to Miss. We're about to add on a fitness center so that's keep talking. And he was like wait, a fitness center. He's like my company is called Under Armour, and I am in, you know, the number one sports apparel company here and over the world, and he's like, I need a trainer to so can you introduce me to one of those guys? So, you know. I got to meet Kevin Plank and, and train them. And, you know, that was so many years ago now, the think of all the journeys, but that was one of those moments in my life that I look back at and go. If that didn't happen, what if right? Like it's red and from that, you know, experience, we finally did open our doors, you know, kind of late in 2006, and we had already built up. Pretty great training base. So we hired two trainers that were completely booked and then some and two weeks sent from when we opened our door, we brought on another two trainers. We got a pretty unique model that we still use today. I mean, it's evolved but where we bring somebody in on salary, and we kind of show them the ropes plug them in and but just fast-forward a couple of years that the guy that originally started FX, I wanted to exit. It and I had you know to Partners my brother who was in the Navy Seals for 12 years and got out to do this Venture with me and then you know, one of my best friends at the time. Neil. And so my brother was like I am going to go get my MBA not sure I really want to buy a salon or run a salon and spa like good luck. You two and so him and I you know took it over.  and we also relatively, you know, same time, we opened up a gym down in downtown Baltimore, condo high-rise where came to us and said, you know, hey will you build as a gym then manage it for us so that when we're trying to sell these condos, there's some energy and some action, some amenities, right hasha and now that was a totally separate Venture the the condo Jim? Yes, I low point is the development and, you know, time, it was one of those pretty high-end unique buildings, and we built a Cool Jim in the bottom of it and Ice shortly after that. And it was, you know, it's probably a quarter mile away Under Armour. Came to us and said, hey, you know, we just bought all the property that our headquarters is on. Got this really, you know, crappy gym. That's 20 years old has been updated key card access. Let us turn it into an awesome gym and that was 11,000 square feet. And we Were you know, super pumped and excited. And so we built this gym down at under armour's headquarters and that you know you think about opportunity and a lot of times when you look at and you try to you know assess like risks benefits just like I do in a workout like this exercise, what's the risk? And what's the benefit here? We are given this opportunity. But with Under Armour. But I am like there's no parking. There's not that many people around besides, their employees it pretties. It's pretty remote, you know? And so there was a lot of reasons not to do it to say please and there's definitely some to do it. So we just worked out a great partnership where we created. What I love to refer to as a win-win and what it really means to me. Me is, you got to motivated partnership like partners and partnership and it's not a contract. It's like a true partner. And when you can create that in business, yeah, we have never failed with one of those. So I will just jump in because I know your You know, a humble quiet guy and it would be easy for The Listener to listen to what you just said and think well, Nate did some work, but really was just in the right place at the right time. And, you know, and now he has 250 plus employees, and he's just sipping coffee talking to Jamie all day, but obviously that's far from the truth. So, you know, not to spend the whole episode talking about Specific challenges. But what were some of the hardest parts of what you just talked about? From 2005, for the next, say, 10 years? You know, what were the biggest challenges with regard to the growth that you were, you know, starting the business and then the ensuing growth Well yeah, there's definitely a few, you know, there's always the financial ones that, you know, are hard to forget where you, you know, there's a good one. When we first took over FX Studios, the timing of payroll and the bank account, meaning, the bank account had zero dollars. Yeah, we days to make a payroll that was I am laughing because I can relate but it will. Of that for another episode. But yeah, that's not fun. I mean and it's not I don't we're not laughing it, not paying people, it's just you know it's a very real issue. So go ahead struggles to meet payroll. Yeah, I mean, so we had, you know, three days to come up with a significant amount of money and again, you know, we sat there look At each other. Like how are you gonna get like 25 Grand? You know, this point it was like 48 hours because we looked at, and we're like wait no, there's got to be a way. They're like no, like the no magical money is coming into our bank account at this point. Yeah. So we went to a mutual friend of ours and in order for it to clear it had people cash. We went to somebody basically got a large, you know, brown bag of cash. Went to the bank and deposit. It was like, okay, we made it like there's no disruption and nice. Imagine if you know you're like taking over this part of a company that people know who you are but you're still a like the fitness guys. And they're like, oh yeah, sorry we're not gonna make our first payroll just yeah, forget these guys see that just come up to, you can train me, but I am not gonna, you're not a business. Business person, right? So, you rode that out and I imagine you probably had some other similar episodes with yeah, a role and financial challenges as we grew. And, you know, it's crazy to think how small that seems now from a payroll perspective. Yeah. But the other big ones for me were, you know, I call a capacity, right? And so, you have heard me kind of preach this but, you know, you kind of look at your life and a form a I am perspective and a pie. And one of my biggest challenges to people, I work with is going like, how do you know where you're like your true? North is. So what, what does your pie look like? So, this much time spent with family, this friends is as me time, this is my health Etc, and life is going to make you shift that. But if you know where you should shift it back to that's typically the biggest challenge. A lot of us. It adds and, you know, some of these listeners, you go like yeah, I lifted my head up and it was a year later, three years later and you're still somewhat in the same place. And yeah, that has to do like well where do you want to be and spending the time and energy to do that? So yeah, I kept sacrificing sleep basically was my, you know, the biggest thing where I am like I need more hours in the day and easiest place to take him from, you know. So I was average. Like four hours a night. Probably for about 14 years wow and wow what just approximately what ages are we talking about? So I am turning 40 5 here in a month less than a month. So we're talking up until I was let us see. 40's covid Factor two years now. Yeah so like 43. So we're talking like fairly recent Yeah, four hours a night. So and are you I know Herschel Walker's controversial now in the news, but he could always work off of like four to six hours sleep and that's, you know, that's all he needed, apparently. So I am guessing you weren't quite like that. I mean, in my brain, I mean, I am pretty so to say driven. So, I was like absolutely fine. I am totally fine, I am totally fine. Right? I did sleep. Is it did all kinds of stuff to be that you know fraction of a percent that truly only need but fast-forward, whether it's you know life and you know more so to say adversity that happens but it is. Yeah it is going I actually really like six hours of sleep you are wearing order ring that tracks all kinds of great data but yeah literally every day I wake up and it gives me a score I look at you know how I slept what my deed my rim. And I know what I can do to make it better and so that awareness of like yeah if I don't you know stay up watching some mindless TV show just to kind of relax. I would actually be better going to bed. Sure yeah I just got my Loop band. I am wearing this now. It's pretty cool. Just started to get into it a little bit. So that's cool. But so was that did you sound like you have since Kind of made sleep, more of a priority, was there a reason for that? Or how did the lack of sleep end up catching up with you? Honestly, it was more of a, the awareness around. I just need to do. I preach it. I talk about it in my head. Well, I am that exception right? And I don't need that much sleep. Damn it, you know, there's, you know, some of those life challenges where I started too internally. Look at my body from a, you know what, nutrients, and I deficient in. What's my gut biome? Whatever my food, sensitivity markers. So that I can tweak these things. So that internally I am operating that you know, I call like Optimal Human Performance, right? So I started going down this road of let us start with myself and then I can offer it you know through this network of FX well and FX Studios got it. Okay, makes sense. It kind of leads in probably two, you know there's two of the biggest challenges Left to share and I won't go in order because I share, it will feel like the most recent one for me is relevant to kind of starting to look internally from my health. Because just a quick little about me. Like, I have never done a drug in my life. I have never smoked, I have had three alcoholic drinks in my life, never take an aspirin and Tylenol or anything. Like I am an extreme side of like, Clean and pure. This is my body will figure it out and then supplements. I would like protein powder was like the most extreme thing either, you know had ever done tap until a few years ago where I started to like oh well my B complex. You know if I add in that supplement and vitamin D. Yeah and some zinc and magnesium like these are markers that I measure on a gap, really basis. And now, I see what the difference is. And from a feel perspective is But also from actual like data, like, how am I sleep? How am I performing? What's my resting heart rate when I am asleep, right? But those are informed, you know, just intentional strategic decisions you're making about that. Then that's not its extreme for maybe. For some people who aren't aware of what's going on with the world. You run in, but you weren't a Jew said, you weren't taking steroids, you weren't? I mean, that's if you get into stuff, Moments, you know, it sounds like you're you were pretty, it's pretty benign. You weren't taking a lot of crazy stuff Ernesto. Yes, exactly. So, and then so in general other than the Sleep lack of sleep, you know it seems like you're basically like you should be considered the healthiest in the healthiest of healthy categories, right? Yeah. And I am definitely so to say viewed that way, right? Where you're like Okay, this guy's pretty fit. He can pretty much, you know, I can go out and do anything like I can go hike Iceland for five days. I can go on a 350, mile bike ride with my brother and you can do the David Goggins for Miles every four hours. Yeah. Did that a couple times like yeah? No big deal. It's not that it's not hard. Yeah. It's very like, you know, it's very possible. So the this journey kind of expanded into To, you know, I met a friend of mines started talking to him more about, you know, he's a concierge Primary Care, doc doctor queal. And, you know, we started talking about what we're, what I am trying to do, and he's talking about what he's trying to do, which is change Healthcare and the model of it. And so we really hit it off. And then I was fortunate enough to start working with him recently and, you know, he took what I was doing for. The internal perspective, you know, to a whole different level. And so he started asking me like well what's your family history? And I was like when my father had a heart attack and his father had a heart attack and my mom's side. This. And so he goes, you know, we should probably get a, you know, picture of your heart. Not that you're having any issues or complications, but it will give us a baseline, you know, at the time was like, you know, you're 42 and let us get a look at it. I am like Sounds like a good idea. Like I love have many sayings but one of them is data equals awareness. And awareness was action. So you got to have some data to create an awareness, but if you don't do anything with that, then it's pretty much worthless, right? Like you got your, your Loop band. All right, that doesn't influence. You to make different decisions and then you're wasting a few bucks a month on that. Exactly. Yeah, absolutely. I am like, give me more data, buddy. And so fast-forward, I, you know, I go through and get with a cardiologist Dr. Pitar, another amazing individual, and he takes me through the like, okay, that's let us do just an EKG, and I am like, hey, can I do a stress test? And he's like, yeah, I guess so. And then I am like music. I never had anyone really must wear those. Okay. But that's very true and then basically year, Later, we got to like a CT scan with contrast in my heart and I go and I sit down with them, and he's like, yep, everything looks great man. You have an athlete's heart. So it's kind of big but it's a little firmer because you use it a lot. It's a muscle. And I am like awesome. He's like, I will see you in a year for our normal checkups now that we just spent this year of seeing each other every couple of months, doing all these different tests, and he goes, oh, but I saw a shadow on your liver. We weren't Taking a picture of your liver but it just so the angle is coming down. We happen to see this. He goes, I am going to send it back to your doc. You know get it checked out. And I was like, oh didn't think anything of it again, you know, extremely healthy inside and out all my mark, all my numbers Etc. And Well needless to say that wasn't the case. So I went and got some more pictures of my liver specifically then that made me actually go and get the next step was a biopsy because there was a mass that was like an inch like a little ball and then that came back, so to say positive for these cancer cells. So now I am sitting your faced with Wait a second, I have done everything in my life, you know. Yeah. So cute and now everything right faced with these things and it was one of those reminders of like, you know, you can't control these things. You can do, you can make strong efforts to make your potential outcome but you're not going to fight genetics. You're not going to fight. You know, in my case, the most randomness of random things have happened inside of your body. Sure? Now that it really does. You know, get to one of the things we talked about on this show which is you can't control what happens to you in life? You just you can't, you can put yourself set yourself up for Success. Be in the right room, be in the right environment. Be healthy doing all the right things but you can't control everything that happens to you. What you can have influence over. At least is how you respond, and I am sure, we will touch on that. I know. You know, I am far from a doctor but I know with, especially, with liver, because my wife's mom, had some serious liver issues. And yeah, I think she was a drinker, frankly, so it's probably tied to that. But just through that research, we did is just, you know, you get into transplants and all this stuff and then delivers can be real dicey. I mean, as far as you can take out a kidney and be, okay. And I am not pretending that It's no big deal, trust me but I think that's a little more well-researched and well-established versus taking off of a lobe of the liver right? And again I am not pretending to be the world's leading expert on this, but serious stuff is the point. So what was going through your mind through all of this I will preface it with for those that, you know, know me like I am a very grateful for this but kind of overly optimistic minded, and so I just assumed that it was going to be whatever the best case scenario is, but doesn't mean that it wasn't scary. It just was something that I look at it, you know? Just like a guy against 4x4 or you know by 48. You look at it like this is gonna suck, but I can control my mindset going into this and I don't want any negativity around me, and we're going to do everything. We can, you know, we got amazing Health Systems around us, you know how it ends for things that are unique and rare and sound like. And, you know, again, I am just very lucky to have some relationships that, you know, get you in front of the right people sometimes. So sure, no. So you sound like, you realize it was so, Yes, but you start pretty quickly looking at the strengths, you have around you and the assets and relying on, I am guessing the it sounds like the positive mindset that you'd already. Built up, you have that kind of muscle memory from a mindset standpoint. Is that fair to say very, I think if you look at it in a world of Fitness, right? Like okay, you know, I have put in a lot of reps, right? Training to go. Okay, this is really hard, but I beat it or I did it, or I overcame it from the individual workouts to finding payrolls to, you know, hardcore Stations with, you know, teammates to you know signing up for things that you're like how the heck are we actually going to do that? I don't know, but we said we're going to do it turn around to my you know kind of amazing team and go like that's figure it out, and we did. So something like this you get thrown at you can't control it, right? And right. And you go These are thoughts, I am having myself. I am going, like, what is it going to do for me if to go down the? What if this, you know, leaves me with months to live? What if this you know, and I am like I am not having it like I am I am going to go into this with what can I do to get me? The what can I control, right? And I can control the speed at which I get things looked at. I can control dada, and so I And, you know, did that and again, lucky to have the support that I do around mean, you know, Gina, my wife is just proof. I mean a rock like, and, you know, my biggest concern were my parents and her like my kids are, you know, they're old enough, but they look at me like, you know, your Superman dad like and then yeah, you're you will be fine, and I am like, I just got to have a surgery. They're going to take this thing out and then I might have to do some chemo and like I will be good. They're like cool. What a good. Yeah. And that literally was the conversation with our, you know, that's probably good for you too. Though. It's refreshing to have some normalcy. Still, you know, something to talk about, besides the Big Challenge. Yeah. So. And then so you had surgery or had it all that go from a medical standpoint. Yeah, so basically came back like okay. Here's your, you know, here's the game plan. Based on the type of cancer, that we believe that you have where it is. We're going to do this massive surgery where they cut me from like right below the middle of my chest, you know, all the way down to my side. Basically, I have seen at the pool. I have seen this car and it's impressive. Thank you, not a small one. No, we're going to cut you open, and we're going to take your liver out, and we're going to chop off a third of it and then you know, the liver Is the only organ that grows back, so they're like it will grow back. Just take some time. And then we're probably going to recommend that you go on a chemo pill for six months every day and huge side effects with that, thankfully, right? Like, Okay sounds, you know, they're like it's a very high success rate and it definitely gave us a lot of reassurance nice. Then we went into surgery with this thought of like oh you know, You're going to be in there for a couple of hours, maybe three max, you know, it was like seven eight-hour surgery, which in didn't, you know, at the time was I had no clue, right? I am out. But right, everyone else was like what's going on? And they reassure, you know, everybody Gene and the crew that it was like, it's okay. We know, they're he's stable, he's good. And what happened was the doc got in there, and he's like, look, I don't want to chop off. You know, basically a third of this guy's liver if I don't have to. So he used this analogy of a football, he's like imagine me just cutting off. A third would be really easy just to do that faster but I cut a hole through the football and just took out, you know, about 10% of your liver. Okay. And I was like, cool. I appreciate that. He's like that. You could handle it being under, for that long, and all that stuff. And so, My recovery, you know, was a handful of days and you know the hospital which was kind of nice just to sit around the worst pain that I had was like, you know, hadn't eaten anything in a couple of days and I couldn't go to the bathroom because of all the anesthesia and stuff that I was on. So, once that kind of changed, you know, I actually my workout yesterday, I was doing box jumps, and I am Um this is the first time that I am feeling my incision because of that like explosive Throw your arms up jump real high and it was a painful it was just like it was really like tight. And I had again lucky like I hadn't had any pain discomfort from the actual incision. It was all my insides getting all torn apart and put back together and write the effects of that. And so, how long ago was the surgery? Add months, gotcha. I mean, yeah, I wouldn't be able to tell it's just besides incision the scarring. I mean, yeah, it's amazing how well you have overcome this and I don't want to act like it's fully behind us or, you know, but it just from an outside perspective. It's super impressive. Well, I am happy to share that. I had my first follow-up. CT scan. And came back. Crystal clear. Everything positive. So nice. That's awesome. That was Friday. Last Friday call for me. Nice, cool. So obviously there's so much to this. We could, you know, many rabbit holes. We could go down but and I know you wanted to we talking beforehand? Slightly about the effects of covid on the business before. But before we get to that, I just curious How did you miss? How much time did you have to miss due to the cancer? I truly took off two weeks. Okay, did that have enough? Because I have talked to, we have had guests on the show, who have overcome some, some also very serious health challenges. And sometimes if it's months weeks or months, they realized that they really didn't have a business. It was a one-man show in a sense or at least a business, you know. Significantly suffered because of their absence granted a week and a half two weeks is not super long, but what were the effects on the business with your absence? I mean, thankfully, I have in the reason why we can do all these things that we do is not. It is not me by any means, like I have got, you know, a core team that is unlike any, like, anyone else out there, we have some mantras that we also to say Carrie and represent really well. And I think, if you think about, you know, Of them is GSD like get stuff. Done. Some mindset of like yeah, Nate's out, and I had to do a bunch of tests and all that stuff before. So, I mean, it was all right, it wasn't just a week and a half, right? Yeah. It was like a week and a half ride I was like, hey guys, I am not checking in. You know, it was all just you know sending you love and hugs and prayers, and I am like, I am good but then I was like, I am just gonna relax for you. Yeah. And that, you know, having that Team like everything kept going and growing and big decisions kept being made. And I mean it's all of these things are factored into why I could go into this you know moment in my life which is hands-down. Personally the hardest thing that I have ever you know, sure through where I am like it really wasn't that hard but it was right. Right. Sure. And I think it probably would have been much harder. I mean, just, you know, projecting here. But if you're, if you had a lot of stress with your business, how much harder would that have been, you know, mentally to get through this personal Health Challenge? I mean, that it all works together. So yeah, that's, that's awesome. So, so regarding the effect of covid, just we're running out of time, but, but as far as, you know, your business is set up for people to physically come to these locations. So how, how did 20/20 treat you from a business standpoint 2020 and Beyond? Yeah. So you know I definitely the hardest business kind of challenge that we have ever had. And I mean just imagine this. So we had spent two years getting to a place where we are finalized the contract and a launch date with one of the largest Health Systems in the country. That's in Dallas-Fort Worth, and we were going to take over. 49 fitness centers management of them March 29th 2020. Wow, I am in, you know, this outdoor, great, barbecue plays, you know, with kind of the two senior, you know, level Executives of this health system. You know, we're sitting there is the 13th of March, and we're going this probably isn't going to happen there. It's not going to happen and the part that makes me just feel so proud, is that we sat there? Something that we had worked two years to get to and something like this, suddenly comes into play, and we basically just left there with like, hey, you guys have a bunch of stuff to figure out as a health system to manage what's coming. Don't worry about, like, we can do a simple, pause contract, and we will just figure it out when the time is, right, as Used to, you know, a typical five billion dollar organization, you know, as they are, would not do that, right? It was all these things, but we had the relationship and the trust where we like, yeah, you're not going to come back to us with contractual this and you should do this thing and Obviously, you know, the covid happened. So all the benefits enters their got shut down, March 16th and Maryland, we got a awesome. You know, for our notice that practice today, you know, I never forget that moment. We're all sitting around the TV. Like, we're fighting this thing. We're going to ride it out to like, all right, we don't have an option anymore where we closed. I mean, everything. And again fortunate to have some great advisors around me where they're like hey planned for this to be at least a year so get everybody you know on unemployment get them like so to say first in line. Yeah hooting yourself right? Like you got to set up to where this is long-term. Worst-case scenario, it's not. Then you can write two weeks to flatten the curve though. I thought. Yeah. Anyway, all the yeah, but this was a, you know, kind of hindsight, or now looking back, right, right? Okay. So at that moment, I was the most defeated I have ever been scared out of my mind. I am like, okay, everything I have worked on and I mean, Works perhaps for Lent, lessly hard. And yeah, so many other people is just and There is no timeline, there is no control. They like, all these things that are scared and hard, you know, we basically took, you know, a few weeks of going, okay? This is real, it's going to take, you know, a longer than a few weeks to flatten the curve down and what can we do, right? You know, so we kind of like PPP money a lot of familiar with that, so sure. Got some of that, but I am going, we can't even open our doors, though. Like, there's no way for us to really generate Revenue. So how about we bring back kind of the management team and start working on the things that we want to do? Once we do reopen but also making a shift of like what can we do? Now we have a digital project product. We have, you know, these events that we do some virtual but mainly, they're all like on site and in person So we put this strategy together of like, okay, we're still getting a few requests for these events that are virtual. So we just, you know, our 445 virtual events that we probably had to, you know, 40 pages that we have now. And so, you know, we ramped up that side of our business pretty quickly and then how do we deliver, and then we, you know, we were like bringing people back to deliver those kind of services and You know, our kind of Partners in Texas called first and then our partners at Under Armour called Next about. Alright, let us get the gym back open. And then we have two other gyms in Baltimore. And so, we opened up our Light Street location and then our Hunt Valley location again. Another thing of like a month after covid. So, to say shut down, we had a massive flood that, you know, so you need it. I mean I have never felt so kicked while yeah. Whenever I remember seeing you at Joe's house and I said how's it going? It was probably I don't know what you know it was I don't know what when that was it was either 2020 Summer or 2021 but your you said not. Not well not very well at all. I was like, oh I was just it's but yeah. So do you would you say your Business is better off because you went through all that at this point? I am positive. I know I kind of preached to our team here that this is going to make us stronger and whether it was, you know, liver cancer or covid. There's something about going through these extreme challenges seen, who's going to stick with you? Right? And who's going to pull others along, right? Like it's in, it's not just me. It's like okay, there're other leaders in the organization that are like, are you? Who's coming with me, right? Yeah, let us and pulling people together and then, you know, literally inspiring them through this time when you're going to. Like, I actually don't know what's going to happen next month, but we're gonna figure it out. We're going to figure it out together, and we're going to positive mindset, and, you know, and we're going to stay aligned on what our mission is as organization, which is to make an impact in people's lives. And I am like, we're going to find a way. Way to do that and so awesome, you know. Yeah, regardless, we're definitely, you know, I think all of us individually and as an organization are better off because it but I don't know if we want to do it again. Yeah, that's a similar theme. I have gotten from other guests, I am not seeking out adversity, but I am better off because of it. So do you have a? Do you have two more minutes? Yes sir. I will fire off some. Real quick, rapid-fire questions, and then we will wrap up if you could have coffee with any historical figure. Who would you choose? Oh man. Alive or dead? Yeah. And neither will be alive when you're having coffee with them. But yeah man. See, I am I love the kind of so to say Like early times when you're going? Just tell me what it was, like George Washington, right? Yeah, like, Martin Luther King. Like, I would love to understand. How did he do? What he did from a Inspire change? The literally change the world. Yeah, it's awesome. Well, those guys. Perfect. If you go ahead what that and many more, there's no yeah. If you were given 10 million dollars tomorrow, just somewhere where you check? You personally, what would you do with it? Ten million dollar check. I am not saying you don't have 10 million, but if someone gave you a 10 million dollar check tomorrow, what would you do with it? Honestly, the level of passion, right? Is obviously a help other people because the industry that were in but it's more about kids and so for me that like pulls on my strings the most so how do I take We do as an organization and you know deliver it to the youth that don't have access to it. It really makes, you know, a big down being in, you know in Baltimore there's so much need here. So sure. Absolutely, so I will say just quick one of our cool Partnerships as with Volo Sports and bolo has this really awesome nonprofit where they bring kids, and they play sports for free, and we're working with them to figure out how do we also bring in kind of that health and fitness component? So they already have the audience in Baltimore City here and that's awesome country. So super cool. Nice. All right, what's a book or two? That you'd recommend for the audience, some Classics? Good to great. As one, I am re listening to right now. Jim Collins. Yep. And then, you know, as Talked a little bit about before this, but we're implementing EOS into. So the books called traction which is as a business owner, something that I felt we did a lot of the components of it but having an actual structure to take it all the way to make sure you're having quarterly off sites and what your main priorities, what your rocks are and yeah evaluating your you know team where You're like gets it, you know, once it has a capacity to do it right here, right seat, would you say there's an is there a specific level of business? That is eos to too heavy and too expensive for, you know, very small business. What level would you say that is where it makes sense? Yeah, I actually feel that it's designed more for this small, you know, you're doing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Is in Navy, you know, up to a few hundred million from a revenue perspective, but, yeah, advised once you get bigger, there's a lot of, you know, more things. I think it's really designed for those companies that are in that, in that sweet spot there. Gotcha makes sense. Awesome. So we're going to wrap up here. What is there anything you want to plug or talk about that? You have going on anything other than what you have mentioned already? Honestly, I just probably take more of this. Last little bits of thank you for having me on this show man and look forward to our next Saturday morning workout. And you know that for my recent kind of challenged, the kind of the biggest takeaway for me was the number of people in my life that love and support, you know, me and yeah, so it's Pretty much just like you know thanks to my family thanks to my FX team literally wouldn't be here with the without y'all. Yeah puts things in perspective and helps you appreciate what you do have. That's awesome. So if any of our listeners do want to reach out to you? Is there a way they can reach out online or just your company website or where should people check you out? Yeah, so two main websites FX. Well Elle.com and FX studios.com and then, you know, my anybody wants to reach out to me personally, it's Nate at FX well.com, love talking to, you know, other folks about what we do and what they do and it's kind of how I have learned the you know some of those lessons over time when you go at I didn't know that you went through that. How about what did you do? You know, its verses. So it's awesome. Well Nate Kosta thank you so much for spending your time with us. Do appreciate it very much and yeah, maybe I will see you Saturday morning. Let us see if good. Yeah, absolutely. We will see if Joe's over his covid yet. But anyway, to our listeners out there. Thank you so much for spending your most valuable resource with us. And that's your time. Thanks everyone. Take care.

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