LOS ANGELES — FOCUSAID, a product of LIFEAID Beverage Co. is joining forces with Loot Crate, collectible subscription box behemoth, for the charity Gamers Outreach for an 8-hour fundraising stream on July 28th, 12pm PST through 8pm PST, accessible at twitch.tv/lootcrate.
Founded in 2007, Gamer’s Outreach provides equipment, technology and software to help children cope with treatment inside hospitals. Proceeds raised through the live stream will pay for “GO Karts” (Gamers Outreach Karts) – portable, medical-grade gaming kiosks nurses use to transport video games and entertainment to children who are unable to leave their rooms within the hospital. Gamer’s Outreach will equip hospitals and care centers with these specially designed gaming stations to minimize trauma and increase joy for these young patients.
Presented and powered by FOCUSAID, the clean and natural nootropic blend by LIFEAID Beverage Co., the Loot Crate gaming community will participate in a day-long stream full of fun gaming challenges and contests all while helping to raise funds and awareness for Gamer’s Outreach.
The stream will be filled with donation perks, incredible stream goals and challenges, fantastic giveaways from FOCUSAID, LIFEAID, and Loot Crate, with mega prize packs unlocked throughout the day.
On stream, hosts will include…
• Loot Crate’s own Mikey Petralia and Josh Ball (lootcrate.com)
• Actress Naomi Kyle (insta @thenaomikyle)
• Hyper RPG (twitch.tv/hyperrpg) studio head, Zac Eubank
• Streamer DI3SEL (twitch.tv/di3sel)
• Gamer & Model Mandie Roman (insta @GeekyGlamorous)
• ABC’s Once Upon a Time actor, Jared Gilmore (insta @therealjaredgilmore)
• Many more surprise guests!
“Loot Crate is happy to support such a worthy cause as we believe that the heroes of our fandoms can inspire heroic moments in our own lives. Hopefully we can inspire the audience of this live stream to be the heroes these patients need to get better,” said Matthew Arevalo, co-founder of Loot Crate. From retro games to the latest squad gatherings, the stream will surely provide entertainment while raising donations. LIFEAID CMO, Emily Sommariva explains, “We all need play to thrive. When the idea formed with Loot Crate to support Gamer’s Outreach’s efforts to bring joy to this special group of kids across the country, we said ‘Game On’!”
About LIFEAID Beverage Co.
LIFEAID is The Functional Beverage Company, and creator of of premium, healthy and convenient nutritional products for different active lifestyles. Products are currently sold in over 12,000 domestic outlets and over 22 countries, having twice now placed on Inc. 500’s Fastest Growing Companies. Learn more at LIFEAIDbevco.com.
About Loot Crate
Founded in 2012, Loot Crate™ is a leading subscription commerce platform targeting super fans of entertainment franchises. Loot Crate partners with major studios, game companies, comics publishers, professional sports leagues and personalities in the shared curation of premium and exclusive consumer products in themed mystery boxes, delivered directly to subscribers’ doorsteps. Loot Crate was ranked #1 fastest-growing private company by Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000 as well as #1 on Deloitte’s Fast 500 list for 2016. For more information and to sign up for a Loot Crate subscription, please visit www.lootcrate.com.
About Gamer’s Outreach
Gamers Outreach is a 501(c)(3) charity organization that provides recreation to children in hospitals through the power of video games and the gaming community. Hospitalization can often be a lonely, isolating, and scary experience for young people. Gamers Outreach eases those burdens by providing equipment, technology, and software that help kids cope with long-term treatment. More information can be found at www.GamersOutreach.org.
Press Release Jul. 23, 2018 at 2:30 pm LOS ANGELES — FOCUSAID, a product of LIFEAID Beverage Co. is joining forces with Loot Crate, collectible subscription box behemoth, for the charity Gamers Outreach for an 8-hour fundraising stream on July 28th, 12pm PST through 8pm PST, accessible at twitch.tv/lootcrate. Founded in 2007, Gamer’s Outreach provides […]
Article by Emily Abbate of MEN'S HEALTH on July 9, 2018
You don’t need to have both arms to live an outstanding life, and Logan Aldridge almost prefers it this way now.
“I love being different,” says the 27-year-old. “I love being the guy with one arm.”
Life changed forever for Aldridge at age 13 after a day wakeboarding on Lake Gaston on the North Carolina-Virginia border. Helping his dad on the family boat, the duo was pushing off from a friend’s dock and heading back home when a rope he was coiling got tangled in the propeller. Within an instant, it severed through the skin and arteries in his left arm, right up to the bone. Blood was everywhere, he recalled. His Dad, springing into action, created a tourniquet of sorts that kept him from bleeding out until the emergency teams arrived. In the ambulance, Aldridge’s mother said something that would shape his perspective for years to come.
“I remember laying there and looking at my arm, looking at everyone around me, and asking my mom what if I lose my arm from this?” he told MensHealth.com. “Without skipping a beat, she said, 'Logan, it’s just an arm.' Some people think that’s a brutal parental response, but that was the most important thing to hear. It instilled the perception in me that at the end of the day, I’d still have my life. Whatever happens, we’re going to make it through this.”
.
Logan’s mom gave him the tough-love advice that inspired him to face his new reality head-on: "without skipping a beat, she said, 'Logan, it’s just an arm.'"
. Standing in the hospital bathroom, tears streamed down his face seeing the shape of his new body in the mirror. But that was the last time that the Raleigh native would grieve his loss, something wise beyond his years at such a young age.
“I knew I had to move forward,” he says. “I immediately went into problem-solving mode, started to learn how to write with my right hand, make the best of a less-than-ideal situation, and embrace my situation.”
Today, Aldridge is an accomplished para-athlete and has fully embraced life with a handicap. As someone who is "in pursuit of more potential and maximizing [my] output," he craves comfort that allows him to push his personal and physical boundaries. To that end, he turns to the reliable ease and durability of cotton in and out of his WODs. "I'm training all the time and like to be comfortable."
Similarly, his go-to sweaty habit, CrossFit, continually pushes him to be better and prepares him for his other active passions, from mountain biking to Spartan Racing. “We learn so much about ourselves when we are challenged,” he says. “When I’m breathless and working hard and in an uncomfortable state, that’s when I grow.” Pressing on with determination and grit has led Aldridge to set some impressive weight-lifting PRs—like deadlifting 500 lbs and doing 245-lb. cleans.
"We learn so much about ourselves when we are challenged."
When he’s not traveling for his full-time job as a sales manager or teaching CrossFit, Aldridge is speaking to large groups about the lessons he’s learned (and also: training to one day compete in the Paralympics).
“My life’s purpose now is to motivate others,” he says. “We hear inspiration a lot, especially in the case of active amputees. Inspiring is cool—and I’m grateful to do that—but motivation is different that inspiring. You can be inspired sitting on the coach, but when you’re motivated—you’re ready to take action and still change. Something has happened that’s made you ready to move. And I say hey, let’s move together.”
EMILY ABBATE is a freelance writer, certified fitness trainer, and host of the podcast Hurdle. You can find her work in GQ, Shape, Runner’s World, and other health and fitness publications.
> > > Live well.
Article by Emily Abbate of MEN’S HEALTH on July 9, 2018 You don’t need to have both arms to live an outstanding life, and Logan Aldridge almost prefers it this way now. “I love being different,” says the 27-year-old. “I love being the guy with one arm.” Life changed forever for Aldridge at age 13 after a […]
Brad Avery | Feb. 22, 2018
There’s nobility—and money—in wanting to achieve mass appeal,
building a brand that appeals to as many types of consumers as possible.
But few brands succeed in truly reaching a universal market. It’s a time-honored tactic, in fact, to thrive by thinking smaller — focusing in on specific demographics, need states, or consumer identities to build loyalty. For a long time, this simply meant “college students” or “moms on the go,” but some brands have started to take things even deeper, selecting niche target audiences that live in their own communities or form their own online tribes.
Brands big and small are now finding emerging subcultures to build their beds in. From startup recovery drinks crafting an identity around cult fitness brands to big soda companies focusing in on the emerging gaming community, we took a look in this two-part series at how companies large and small are searching for wide success with niche, but fast-growing communities.
FitAid Hits with CrossFitters
LIFEAID co-founders Aaron Hinde and Orion Melehan first met in a CrossFit gym in 2009, so it’s appropriate that their workout-based FitAid product would become the Official Recovery Drink of the 2017 CrossFit Games.
FitAid, in fact, was carefully built and cultivated around this particular fitness subculture. Oft parodied for its customers’ cult-like devotion to their all-in style of workout, CrossFit has built a loyal consumer base, so a beverage brand built within the culture targeting not only their nutritional needs, but their whole identity, was in a good position to resonate. Its founders say FitAid, one of the multiple functional beverage sublines released under the LIFEAID master brand, is formulated with vitamins, electrolytes, and other ingredients to fit the needs of CrossFit athletes. The brand’s early business strategy involved getting the product in those gyms.
In creating FitAid, Hinde and Melehan — like a large group of insurgent brands, from competing sports drink Kill Cliff, itself a former CrossFit Games sponsor, to a variety of energy bars and snacks — sought to find a way to access a large and still growing customer base made up of several key age groups. According to a report from Rally Fitness, CrossFit counts roughly 4 million members worldwide, with 42 percent ranging between 25 and 34 years old. 19 percent are between 35 and 44, while 18 percent are minors. The demographics skew evenly between men and women. The $4 billion company has experienced massive growth in the past decade, expanding from 13 locations in 2005 to more than 13,000 worldwide today. The company’s low-tech gym setup and franchise model has also given it the ability to rapidly scale and bring in new customers.
Of the roughly 10,000 gyms LIFEAID products are currently available in nationwide, about 4,000 are CrossFit locations. As LIFEAID expands its distribution in traditional retail channels, its connection with its base gives it an extra edge in grocery and at retailers where CrossFitters shopped, such as Vitamin Shoppe.
“That gym channel has been a great driver because it’s very consistent with that health-conscious consumer who we’re targeting,” Hinde said. “That consumer who happens to shop at Whole Foods, and at Kroger’s, and at Publix. We’re able to get turn from day one in a traditional retail environment, which is extremely crowded, because we already have that core community that we’re bringing to the table that we can mobilize.
Having company leaders in Hinde and Melehan who live the lifestyle — and participate in the grueling events — gives LIFEAID another layer of authenticity.
Knowing CrossFit’s unique vernacular and partnering with the culture’s celebrities for social media influence have both been vital to developing an authentic relationship with the consumer base, and not coming off as another invasive brand just looking to exploit a community.
Working within CrossFit has also opened the door for Hinde and Melehan to move into similar fitness-based markets — a transition that reveals another set of growing fitness communities that are being targeted by entrepreneurial brands.
In 2016, Hinde and Melehan began running in the Spartan Race obstacle competition when LIFEAID (FitAid) was signed as the event’s official recovery drink. According to Hinde, Spartan Race and CrossFit had a significant overlap in their consumer base, giving the company “street cred” as it integrated and was introduced to new consumers.
“We followed a very similar approach,” Hinde said. “Got some top influencers and ambassadors on board, ran a few races ourselves, started showing up to events on a smaller scale level, and then when the time was right we wanted to step up and do finish line sampling for all the racers.”
The company has innovated around the partnership, premiering CrossFit-exclusive FitAid RX and the protein-heavy FitAid Fuel snack packets in order to better fit the needs of that consumer. But beyond CrossFit and Spartan Race, much of LIFEAID’s portfolio is built around niche target audiences. Using a uniform can design, the company also markets products such as GolferAid, intended to help golfers improve their performance on the course, and TravelAid(now ImmunityAid), an immunity drink aimed at frequent travelers. The company’s FocusAidis recommended for students, gamers, and office workers and features Nootropics and other allegedly brain-boosting ingredients, while PartyAidfocuses on providing clean energy.
Similar to LIFEAID, in November, Kill Cliff—which has long fostered its own relationship with the sport and its athletes—partnered with another Spartan-like endurance event, Tough Mudder, to be the Official Sports Drink of its 2018-2019 season. The company also lends its name to the Kill Cliff Granite Games, furthering its presence in the competitive fitness world.
Meanwhile, GT’s Living Foods is also running with the Spartans, bringing its kombucha products to races as an official partner.
“We are an inspirational brand and we like to take a position of living life to the fullest and making sure each day is rich with experiences,” GT Dave, founder and CEO of GT’s Living Foods, told BevNET. “That kind of philosophy completely aligned and resonated with the Spartan community.”
Dave said he and Spartan Race founder Joe De Sena have long been personal friends, but only last year did the two brands opt to capitalize on their synergy. GT’s Kombucha is being served at all U.S. Spartan Race events this year, and Dave said he sees big potential for the community’s “Spartans” to find value in kombucha as an alternative to sugar-heavy sports drinks like Gatorade.
“What’s very clear in this Spartan community is that the majority of them aren’t really athletes, meaning they’re not doing this for a living,” Dave said. “A lot of them are doing this because they want to challenge themselves to a point of growth, a point of a breakthrough, and a point of new awareness about how their body is a beautiful instrument. That’s kind of our mantra as a brand, we want to help people be the best version of themselves and participate in that kind of awakening about how perfection is not real, but the pursuit of it is.”
On Thursday, Spartan Race signed one of its biggest beverage partners yet, announcing BodyArmor as its Official Sports Drink through the 2019 season.
The brand, one of the top selling sports drinks in the country seeing $130 million in sales in 2016, may lack the grassroots authenticity of a LIFEAID or the holistic health halo of a GT’s, but it can call on endorsements from some of the top athletes in pro sports.
“Partnering with Spartan is a no-brainer for BodyArmor,” said BodyArmor shareholder and 18-time NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant in a press release. “Spartan athletes are driven, competitive and they are obsessed with better, and that’s exactly what BodyArmor exemplifies as a sports drink. Spartan athletes demand the best in hydration and nutrition so it’s only fitting that BodyArmor will be providing them with the best hydration option out there.”
BodyArmor’s partnership with Spartan Race shows the niche market’s value to big brands. The clean hydration promoted by BodyArmor has potential to resonate deep with Spartan’s base, and with the full endorsement of De Sena, it’s being welcomed in with open arms.
Part II of this article will look at how brands are now targeting the emerging eSports tournament circuit as a way to bring in the millennial gamer demographic.
Brad Avery | Feb. 22, 2018 There’s nobility—and money—in wanting to achieve mass appeal, building a brand that appeals to as many types of consumers as possible. But few brands succeed in truly reaching a universal market. It’s a time-honored tactic, in fact, to thrive by thinking smaller — focusing in on specific demographics, need […]
By Jason Jaksetic
Why did Spartan and FitAid become partners?
Why do you find a “Spartan-approved” logo on a FitAid can?
Spartan Lifestyle Editor Jason Jaksetic sets the record straight.
I keep FitAid in two bags: my gym bag and my rucksack. I also keep it on my desk and in my pickup truck—both staging grounds for gym and mountain training sessions.
Surely, I enjoy FitAid most when I cross the finish line at a Spartan Race.
This is because in daily living, I’m one of those people who keep the throttle pretty close to the floor while simultaneously trying to stay lean and mean. (Let’s face it: most Spartans are. After all, a Spartan lifestyle is active and demanding.) Sometimes, when running this precarious balance of input and output, we start running a little low and need a boost, both in performance and recovery. And FitAid, amazingly, has Spartans covered in both situations.
ENTER FITAID.
There are many reason why you will find a Spartan logo on a can of FitAid. I’ll break down the main ones for you.
45 CALORIES.
Unless you are doing long workouts, extra Calories aren’t your friend. Especially drinkable ones. You are trying to burn Calories, not gain them. The 45 Calories found in FitAidare not excessive like the Calories most sports drinks. Anyone familiar with how hard you work to remove 200 Calories isn’t about to toss them back quickly during a workout. 45 is not zero, but then again, FitAid is not a ‘diet’ sports drink, full of artificial sweeteners.
RAW, ORGANIC BLUE AGAVE.
When nature has provided so many natural sweeteners, modern humans’ reliance on processed sugars and artificial sweeteners is perplexing. Spartans think so, anyway. That’s why they will reach for FitAid over sugary sports drinks. Agave is delicious. Agave is natural. Agave is a no brainer for a great tasting drink.
Skip the processed. Always. FitAid did.
PERFORMANCE AND RECOVERY.
FitAid pulls double duty. I drink a FitAid before and after my workouts, and sometimes during a long endurance session. The one before my workout fuels my endurance and performance. The one after helps me recover from the damage I did.
Incidentally, because most Spartans train early in the morning before work, it’s nice to get the energy boost after a workout with your recovery fuel so you can shower up and roll into the office on a mission to tackle the next challenge.
VITAMIN C, D, E.
Spartans don’t worry about vitamins too much when they have their diets dialed in and are consuming plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. But sometimes, especially when traveling or busy, it’s hard to get the vitamin-rich foods that are essential to a healthy diet and immune system. A day with FitAid is a day you know you have the key vitamins that keep your health covered.
AMINO ACIDS, BCAAS, GLUTAMINE.
Muscle fuel and muscle repair are at the core of performance and recovery. Feed your muscles well when they are most hungry, and they will be therefore you when you need.
TURMERIC.
Spartans love the performance and recovery aspects of this natural ingredient so much that we devoted a whole week of our Food of the Week recipes to exploring how to incorporate it into our Spartan diets.
LIGHT CARBONATION.
I love bubbles. You love bubbles. We all love bubbles. They are, well, just damn refreshing. FitAid delivers bubbles.
Maybe you are a seasoned Spartan, training and living hard. Maybe you are just starting to step on the accelerator and finding yourself lacking some energy as you engage in the Spartan lifestyle. On any gym and on any mountain, FitAid is the performance and recovery support you need. (With bubbles.)
By Jason Jaksetic Why did Spartan and FitAid become partners? Why do you find a “Spartan-approved” logo on a FitAid can? Spartan Lifestyle Editor Jason Jaksetic sets the record straight. I keep FitAid in two bags: my gym bag and my rucksack. I also keep it on my desk and in my pickup truck—both staging […]
SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. – Hot off the heels of the traditional shopping season kick-off, LIFEAID Beverage Co., LLC. achieved an impressive volume of Direct to Consumer business during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend reaching just shy of $500,000 in direct website e-commerce sales.
The company, known for their niche “clean supplement blends” has seen a meteoric rise over the last year. 2018 is proving to be a potential break-through year for the brand.
For a second year, LIFEAID has secured a top spot on the Forbes list of Fastest Growing Companies and 2017’s list recognized the brand as the 2nd fastest growing in its category. FITAID, the Recovery Blend, which is popular within the CrossFit and OCR communities, recorded an impressive 35% share of the weekend’s sales. Notable portfolio performers included FOCUSAID and brand flagship product LIFEAID; while GOLFERAID, PARTYAID, and TRAVELAID rounded out the strong sales figure.
According to their VP of Sales, Dan Leja, “2018 is going to be a breakout year for the Brand.” Leja goes on to report, “We anticipate in excess of 12,000 traditional retail outlets, including some of the most established national retailers.”
This figure is 4 times what their retail penetration was in 2017. Authorizations include GNC, Kroger, Safeway, with significant reviews pending. At time of release, SPINS data is displaying promising results as they are positioned as a top 5 brand in their category over the last 24 weeks. Additional focus in 2018 will include consistent brand awareness efforts and building off their consumer successes to help bolster and sustain their current trajectory in retail.
About LifeAid Beverage
At LIFEAID, we fuel your passion with our clean and refreshing nutritional blends. Our products are tailored for your active lifestyle – without all the junk. LIFEAID products are available throughout the U.S. in more than 5,000 gyms and retail stores such as Whole Foods and The Vitamin Shoppe. Join us as we show the world there is a better way. For more information, please visit www.lifeaidbevco.com or contact press@lifeaidbevco.com
SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. – Hot off the heels of the traditional shopping season kick-off, LIFEAID Beverage Co., LLC. achieved an impressive volume of Direct to Consumer business during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend reaching just shy of $500,000 in direct website e-commerce sales. The company, known for their niche “clean supplement blends” has […]
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of attending a mastermind full of high-powered fitness entrepreneurs, and in attendance … Aaron Hinde.
Aaron Hinde is the Co-Founder & President of LIFEAID Beverage Company and he has a pretty incredible story.
He has been grinding since 2011 to make LIFEAID a leader in the industry. So much so that FITAID is the official recovery drink of the 2017 CrossFit Games and LIFEAID remains an independent brand run by its founders – not a subsidiary of a large beverage conglomerate.
But what I learned from Aaron during the mastermind about business and life is invaluable, and I wanted to take my best shot at bringing that same knowledge to the listeners of the podcast.
Speaker 2: I ran until my muscles burned and my veins pumped battery acid.
Speaker 1: More powerful than a locomotive.
Speaker 3: An idea is like a virus presumed highly contagious.
Speaker 1: ... with a single bound.
Jerred Moon: What's up everyone, Jerred Moon here from End of Three Fitness and welcome to the Betterhumanology Podcast. And more importantly, welcome to Season Three. I'm super pumped everyone is joining us for our third season. Now, every season, we like to change things up just a little bit. So, season one we were just getting the grasp and the feel for podcasting, what we were going to do, how we were going to do it. And then Season Two, we got a little more structured in our interviews and then started bringing a little more conceptual stuff and getting better. Now in Season Three, the biggest feedback we got was kind of keeping the interviews the same because everyone likes the challenges from our guests and everyone likes finding out what these high level human beings have to say about their advice on becoming better. So, those things are going to stay the same, don't worry about it. But what you can expect is more awesomeness in becoming a better human being.
Jerred Moon: So, we're going to do two episodes per week. You're going to get another episode later this week. I'm not going to give any teasers or reveal what it's about, but every one will be about making you better, whether that's physically, mentally, emotionally, whatever we need to tackle, we're going to do it. And I'm super pumped to release Episode Two this week. So, be ready for that. And also something we're kind of doing in conjunction, sometimes the audio from our YouTube videos that we just recently started making are going to make their way into that second episode of the week. And if you're interested in following us on YouTube and what we're doing there, you can go to garagegym.tv. One more time, that's garagegym.tv, and that'll take you straight to our YouTube channel where you can subscribe and be a part of what we're doing there because every single video we make is not going to be 100% suitable for audio because there are the things that you need to see since it is video, but the ones that will work we'll throw in here periodically. But that's enough of me rambling on.
Jerred Moon: The very first interview of Season Three is Aaron Hinde. He is the co-founder and president of LIFEAID Beverage Company. Now, you may know FITAID. FITAID is probably their most popular beverage that they have. I am a huge fan of FITAID personally, and so we're having him on the show. But we're not having him on the show because FITAID is an awesome beverage. While it is an awesome beverage, the reason I really wanted to have Aaron on the podcast was because a few months ago I was down in Vegas for a mastermind, a business mastermind with AJ Roberts, and he had Aaron Hinde come speak to this small group of fitness entrepreneurs and I never really interacted with Aaron before. I knew who he was, but I'd never really spoken to him in any capacity. And he just did this talk.
Jerred Moon: He was there pretty much the whole time, but one of the talks he gave was kind of like these 10 lessons learned for being an entrepreneur and things that he thought we could kind of take to the bank in all the years of him being an entrepreneur. And some of them, some of those rules are not going to be applicable to everything we discuss, but I bring up a few of the rules with Aaron today in our discussion because some of them really, really hit home with me and I have them all written down and I review them quite often. And I really wanted to get him on the show specifically to discuss some of these and discuss his story because it's very interesting. But man, some of the things that he was saying knocked me right on my ass, and so I want to see if I can bring some of that to you and kick of Season Three the right way. So, without any further ado, here's Aaron Hinde.
Jerred Moon: All right Aaron, welcome to the Betterhumanology Podcast, man. Super pumped to have you on today.
Aaron Hinde: Appreciate it. Stoked to be here, Jerred.
Jerred Moon: All right. So, every guest knows that we start the podcast off with challenging them, giving them some challenges for your week, and I'm going to give that to you today. So, could you hook us up with a fitness challenge this week?
Aaron Hinde: I've got a dirty one for you.
Jerred Moon: All right.
Aaron Hinde: Just put 65 pounds, so just two 10s on a barbell. We're going to do five burpee buy-in every single minute and until we hit 100 thrusters.
Jerred Moon: Man, that does sound dirty.
Aaron Hinde: So, every minute that goes by, you've got to re-buy-in with five burpees.
Jerred Moon: Awesome. All right dude, and how about a mental toughness challenge?
Aaron Hinde: If you haven't done Wim Hof breathing yet, check it out. Anyone can message me afterwards. I've taken two classes on it to get the correct technique because there's a lot of bad technique out there, but Wim Hof breathing every morning followed by a cold plunge in the shower. It'll rethink the way you start your day. It's better than coffee.
Jerred Moon: Awesome. Have you been doing that lately?
Aaron Hinde: For the last two years.
Jerred Moon: Okay, awesome. And now, just out of curiosity, where were the correct courses? Was it from his site?
Aaron Hinde: Yeah, I mean, that's a great resource or you can pay for his course. I actually learned from Mackenzie who had taken class direct one on one with him. And then another one of his friends, I'm trying to think of the guy's name that I met at a mastermind who's good friends with him who's actually hiked Everest with him. And both of them when I went through it with them, I got the exact same training from both of them. So, I know that that's the right way to do it. When I YouTubed it, it was like, "Man, so many people are doing it wrong." So, yeah.
Jerred Moon: That's awesome. And how about a book recommendation for everyone listening?
Aaron Hinde: Just finished yesterday The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Really good stuff in breaking down our habits, other people's habits, changing habits, kind of why we do what we do. Really good stuff. And if you have anybody that is trying to improve on bad habits, this would be a must read.
Jerred Moon: All right, perfect, man. Well, I really appreciate you giving us the challenges for this week. Now, if we could just do a minute, maybe give us your background, kind of introduce who you are. A lot of people, I'm sure, already know, but you have a pretty interesting story and I'd love to share it with everyone listening today.
Aaron Hinde: Yeah, I'm Aaron Hinde. I am co-founder and president here at LIFEAID Beverage Company. A lot of people in the fitness space know us for our recovery drink, FITAID. And been hammering away at that since 2011 when we started the company. And before that, I was a sports chiropractor, and that's kind of how I got introduced to the CrossFit and functional fitness space. I was always a personal trainer since my youngest, youngest days. And that led me to chiropractic, and I started working on some of the HQ people and some of the athletes when they were coming into town, my office was in Scotts Valley where CrossFit HQ's located. And that got me my first foot in the CrossFit gym. And the rest is history.
Jerred Moon: That's awesome, man. And then you took on the challenge of opening a beverage company. Can you tell me ... the reason I want to talk about is because when we were in that mastermind together, you brought up ... I forget the percentage, but something crazy high like 80 or 90% of them fail within five years. Is that the correct metric?
Aaron Hinde: Yeah. Yeah, it's actually within 12 months, it's 95% failure don't make it to 12 months. And then in five years, it's 99% failure rate.
Jerred Moon: Goodness. And so, how did you take that plunge right there? Because I'm not a huge risk taker, it's something I'm working on in all honesty to be able to tolerate more risk. And I think entrepreneurship is forcing me to do that, which is awesome. But I would like to know, man, did you know those stats going in? Or is it something you learned later?
Aaron Hinde: Hell no. Hell no.
Jerred Moon: All right.
Aaron Hinde: No, ignorance is bliss, brother.
Jerred Moon: All right, perfect.
Aaron Hinde: Yeah, no. It was total ignorance. I mean, the risks taken at probably way too early of a stage was just like, thank god it worked out. I mean, that's how I have complete confidence and really faith, you know? Just looking at all the challenges over the last six years and knowing how many times we almost completely went out of business and knowing the risks that I put my family through and walking away from a very successful practice. It just led me to believe in that grand plan that certain things just are meant to be.
Jerred Moon: Yeah, man. Certainly and that's incredible. Obviously it's all working out now. And if you were to run into someone how is maybe a little more risk averse, someone like me, you know? I said it's something that I'm working on, or maybe someone listening, what advice would you give to them if they're staring at a mountain?
Aaron Hinde: Yeah, good question, you know? If something seems overwhelming for you, or you're having difficulty taking the plunge, start with small risks. So, for somebody like myself, I was always, for whatever reason, just scared of heights. Like, they scare the heck out of me. So, as soon as I realized like, "Hey, this is an actual issue for me. It's affecting my life at certain points in time." I went and signed up for a bungee jumping class and did bungee jumping. And then after that, I jumped out of an airplane just to be like, okay, not that that's something I want to do all the time, but I know that I'm going to overcome that fear and do it. So, I would say look at small challenges, start with those, and those will lead to you taking bigger ... and risk is a broad word. I think sometimes it's overused. I mean, you shouldn't be taking stupid risks. I'm not jumping out of an airplane with no parachute on. So, make sure you're taking very calculated risks, but start small and work your way up.
Jerred Moon: Okay, great, man. I love that. And in FITAID, what was kind of the ... and we all have our fears as an entrepreneur, right? But what point did you get to where you're like, "Okay. I think we're going to be okay." How long did that take? Because I'm sure it was a lot of scariness in the beginning.
Aaron Hinde: Oh man, we've had scary moments up to like 12 months ago, quite transparently. But I would say where I could actually sleep at night again, it took a good two years, two and a half years.
Jerred Moon: Wow, man. And I really just like to paint that picture. And to be honest, when I talked with you when we were in Vegas, I think just hearing you talk about kind of the mindset of all that craziness, the demons on your shoulder or in your head, that are that negative self-talk, all of those things. And you have a company that much larger than mine in size, and I was like, "Man, this guy is struggling with the same stuff that I'm still struggling with," you know? It might be to different degrees, but I think that made me chill out almost a little bit.
Aaron Hinde: Yeah, good.
Jerred Moon: I'm like, "Okay, dude, we all deal with this." And I know a lot of people listening, they ... because if you follow everyone's Instagram and social media, you think everyone's life is perfect, right? You don't ever think about what we're really challenging. What have you found or practices have you put in place to kind of get you out of a negative spot?
Aaron Hinde: Yeah, I mean, first of all, you can't believe everything you see on social media. So, nobody wants to post, "I'm having such a shitty day and the sky is falling, woe is me," because nobody gives a shit, you know? Number one. But I think you made a keen observation. I mean, look, the demons are there and they never really go away. And I think I look at entrepreneurs that I look up to and that I've spent time with. I know that they have them too and they have different demons than I have, but they've still got demons that are jacked up and the question is, what do you do with those thoughts?
Aaron Hinde: Do you dwell on them? Do you let them paralyze you? Do you let them overwhelm you? Or do you understand that you as a human being actually are in control of your thoughts and you are in control of ... so, I'm not saying you can all of a sudden will the negativity out of your consciousness. I don't think that that's quite possible. I mean, maybe it is with a lot, a lot of practice, but what you do after those thoughts enter your head? What do you do and how do you react to that? Do you dwell on it or do you go, "Oh, I see you. Screw you. I'm not going to let you take over me. I'm not going to let you paralyze me. I'm not going to let you ruin my day or my week or my month or my year. I am going to take control of the situation." And in how we react in those moments, I think is what separates people that will eventually see success and those that just are content with a life of misery.
Jerred Moon: And do you think the smaller things like your morning routine, and I don't know if you have an evening routine, do you think that those things help you in that process?
Aaron Hinde: 100%. 100%. My morning routine has been a game changer for me, and it's something that's consistent for me that I can count on, that I know sets my day up a certain way for success. There is someone I met at, I think it was a barbell shrug mastermind, his name's Jesse Elder, you can check him out online, jesseelder.com. But he said something profound to me last year, he said, "We all are going to experience pain, but we have a choice whether we're going to suffer," okay? So, there's no avoiding pain in life. I mean, we fall down, we scrape our knee, you know, shit doesn't go our way. Who knows? I mean, the bigger you get in business, the more pain there really is, you know? You're on their radar, you get a lawsuit, you get an employee issue. You get all this stuff, you know?
Aaron Hinde: Like, most recently, we have a private Facebook page for all of our gym owners, and someone saw someone violating mat pricing on Amazon, which I have no control over. And they can put it sold by whatever name they want. And they put life space aid. So it looks like it's coming from us. Of course, we take steps immediately to shut those people down when they're violating that, but people were attacking me personally, multiple people. And then it starts snowballing and it's like, "God," you know? I just started suffering. I started suffering, and I was like, "All I want is for what's in the best interests here of our gym owners and I'm getting personally attacked by these people." And then I had to take a breath and realize, hey, I'm choosing to suffer here. That's on me.
Aaron Hinde: So, instead of moping and being really upset about it and firing back defensive negativity, I just instant messaged each person and explained, "Hey, here's what's going on. If you've met me or not, I'm a transparent guy. I am all about legacy and treating people well. And our whole community, our whole ethos here is around doing the right thing in every aspect of our lives. So, I'm not perfect, but this is where we're at, and this is the situation what happened, and here's what we're doing to correct it." And every single one of them like, "Hey, I really appreciate it." And it just flipped the whole scenario. But I had a choice to make there and I started going down one direction and was able to catch myself and turn it around into a positive thing. So, these kind of, I guess, are really opportunities happen all the time in our lives and how we choose to seize those opportunities is the differentiator. And things like morning routines and mentors and a great support network and a great team and good communication with your spouse or significant other, they all play a big part in it.
Jerred Moon: And what role would you say mentors have played in your career over the last decade?
Aaron Hinde: I mean, changed the whole playing field, you know?
Jerred Moon: So you-
Aaron Hinde: I just talked with one of them two minutes ago.
Jerred Moon: Awesome.
Aaron Hinde: Like, these guys, whether I've met them or not, I've been fortunate enough that everyone I consider a mentor I've actually got to spend some personal time with. And the most recent that I have been following and kind of viewing as a mentor was Gary Vaynerchuk and finally got to meet him in New York at his office a few weeks back. So, it's all about ... mentors allow you to leapfrog. I think mentors provide exactly what you need at that stage of your life.
Aaron Hinde: So, what happens is, you may outgrow mentors over time. You'll find new mentors. It's a consistently evolving process, but there's no quicker way to leapfrog in any aspect of your life than hooking up with a mentor. And that doesn't mean like, "Hey," emailing them, "Will you be my mentor?" That's the worst way to do it, right? That means first subscribing to their email list or their podcast and figuring out how can I provide value? Most of these mentors that I'm with now, I ended up just writing a check to them, you know? I wrote them a check and bought their dog food, whatever they were selling and engage with them that way and created reciprocity. I know the power of reciprocity. So, I gave you money, you're going to have to give me something in return and then develop a personal relationship with them beyond just a business transaction. But if someone took everything from me today and said, "You need to go and be successful," and they picked any field, I don't care what it was. I would immediately find out who's the biggest player there who's making things happen, who's doing things in alignment with how I see things. And I would find a way to engage them and provide value to them and then have them take me under their wing.
Jerred Moon: That's awesome, man. All right. Now, I wanted to hit on one thing because when we were at that ... one thing that you said just really knocked me on my ass, and that doesn't happen very often to be honest, because I'm in a lot of self development circles. I have a lot of mentors, still have a mentor, you know, things like that. But one thing you said is you are exactly where you need to be right now. And I think that one hit me on such a deep level because we all want to be somewhere else typically. We're all trying to push forward, you know? It's not a matter of like, "Are you present?" I'm not talking about just having goals and whatnot. But that one resonated with me so much because just this podcast in general is we're all trying to become better, working on ourselves one day at a time. But you are exactly where you need to be. I was wondering if you could just elaborate your thoughts on that statement a little bit more?
Aaron Hinde: Yeah. I think the biggest point of confusion that I'll clear up and differentiate and you said them both is people being where they want to be versus where they need to be. And where we need to be and where we want to be are definitely two different things. And that gap, that delta can create stress in our lives, can create motivation, can create all kinds of stuff. But there's a delta there, right? And hopefully over time as we get more mature and are moving the ship forward, that delta shrinks and becomes one with where we need to be and where we want to be become one and the same, but I think the thought process behind that is kind of coming back to what we were just talking about with how are we reacting to life? Like, shit happens. We have pain points in life. And so often we get myopic when we're stuck in the moment that we're feeling overwhelmed or we just don't understand. We don't have an understanding of why is this happening to me? You know, we get very victimized, we become the victim.
Aaron Hinde: And the easiest example I have for this is like if you think of a high school sweetheart or something that you might have been head over heels for and it didn't work out and was so devastating during the breakup period. But then you fast forward 10 or 20 years and you look back and that and you're like, "Oh my god, thank god that didn't work out. That would have been a disaster," right? But it wasn't until time passed and you were able to have some perspective that that actually made sense, you know? All these things that are happening, like Tony Robbins said, "Life isn't happening to us. Life is happening for us." And I think that this thinking is very congruent with Tony's statement there that these are all little pieces of a mosaic that come together and once we step back and we look at that, it's a beautiful thing, but all these little glass shards and such may not make much sense when we're stuck in that moment.
Jerred Moon: Yeah, and that's probably the most difficult part is trying to piece them together, you know? Trying to see each thing that happens as maybe a stepping stone or something to drive you forward as opposed to looking at it in a negative way.
Aaron Hinde: Yeah.
Jerred Moon: All right, man. So, let's hop back in your career a little bit. So, you were a chiropractor, correct?
Aaron Hinde: Correct.
Jerred Moon: And so, tell me about your practice. How long you were doing that? I kind of want to dive into that a little bit more to really paint the picture of you coming full circle to LIFEAID.
Aaron Hinde: Yeah, I mean, I was in the chiropractic business as a solopreneur at least for 10 years. I had a great practice. I averaged every month for 10 years 31.5 new patients a month by referral, 95% by referral. So, when you're doing good work and you're treating people how they should be treated, that is always reflected in probably the most important stat that there is in business, which is referrals. So, it was a healthy business, you know, I brought in a lot of money, but I was young and stupid. I spent a lot of money. I had a lot of unnecessary expenses every month. I had a big challenge in 2009. So, here's a practice I don't think I know that in 10 years it never grossed under $350,000, which is a good chunk of money. I had all this money going out the door. I was spending it on $6,000 a month on ridiculous insurances and this and that.
Aaron Hinde: And then come 2008, being late to the game, I saw everybody that was making so much money in real estate that I hopped into that game right before the big crash. And in 2009, I basically lost everything. I had to go bankrupt and that was a big challenge for me. But fortunately, I had my practice, so that didn't skip a beat. I was able to, the very next day, come in and nothing changed from that perspective, but it really gave me like a smack across the face when I had months I was bringing in $50,000 in revenue, but I had 70 going out the door because I was inaccurate in my thinking that, "Oh, I'm a good chiropractor, therefore I'm going to be a good real estate investor." No, that's not the way it goes.
Jerred Moon: I see that a lot in just people in general who get good at almost anything is that they start thinking that there's some sort of superhero principle or something, you know? Like, "I'm good at this, so I'll be good at that." Is that something that you take caution to these days? Like, are you very aware of that fact when you're hopping into new opportunities and whatnot and being like, "Look, I'm not an expert here, but I'll learn as much as I can," or-
Aaron Hinde: 100% yes. So, thank god for that little life lesson because it has taught me that very thing, you know? I know what I'm good at. What is it? It's like landmark forum stuff. It's, I know what I know. I know what I don't know, but what I don't know that I don't know, that's the big scary area, right? So, I'm very aware of what I don't know, I don't know. And don't even pretend to try to become an expert or position myself as an expert on something I don't know anything about. So, fortunately like here at LIFEAID, we've got a great team. I've got a great business partner and we have a very different and complimentary skillset. And our team's been able to pick up the slack for areas that I'm extremely deficient in.
Jerred Moon: And I'd like to now ... like, I mentioned at the beginning, but that was more on the risk side of things. But what was the deciding factor? Because 50 grand a month in revenue is pretty comfortable. I know you had a lot going out the door, you said, but that could have been a comfortable lifestyle. So, why go all in on LIFEAID? What was the big motivation there?
Aaron Hinde: You know, ever since I was a kid, I always felt like I'm going to do something big, you know? And in my mind the playing field that I was at, even though it was great and I was almost a local celebrity here in Santa Cruz. I was twice elected the County Wide office during that time, and kind of like friends where everybody knows your name type of thing. You just ... I had kind of tapped out that playing field and then I always had a drive for something bigger and I wasn't quite sure what that was. And I always had a foot in the kind of entrepreneurial world with a few other projects that didn't quite pan out as well as I would have liked. And I don't know, I guess for lack of a better term, it was kind of that fire in the belly. And when this opportunity presented and we started to see a little bit of traction, and we always had faith in the overall vision, we just decided to push the chips all in and go for it.
Jerred Moon: You do have an awesome product. I'm sitting next to a fridge fully loaded with FITAID right now.
Aaron Hinde: Appreciate that.
Jerred Moon: So, I am a user. And so, over the last ... how many years have you guys been open?
Aaron Hinde: Since 2011.
Jerred Moon: 2011. So, what would you say your biggest ... I mean, you can go with either one, mistake or challenge. So, challenge overcome or mistake you've made, and I'll let you pick, in the last six years running LIFEAID?
Aaron Hinde: Man, there's been a lot of them.
Jerred Moon: Yeah, I know. It's a tough question.
Aaron Hinde: Probably I think one thing that especially entrepreneurs that are scaling and are in a growth phase need to be very conscious of is who they bring onto their team and who they allow as part of their culture and a representative of their brand. So often when things are going a million miles a minute, and for a long time I was the head of marketing and sales and had a food in accounting and fundraising and trash picker upper. We were so desperate to hire people, it was like, "I'm going to put out a Craigslist ad and the first qualified looking person on paper gets hired. And bringing on the wrong people can cost multiples on their actual salary when it doesn't work out. So, I think that's one thing that we're very conscious of now. We have a lot of hoops set up. We're very guarded about who we're bringing on our team, and not from a skillset perspective. We can teach anyone any type of skillset, but from a human being perspective. And that's been probably the biggest lesson that I would always caution young entrepreneurs, just be careful who you bring on as part of that team because you want to maintain that team and grow it in perpetuity. You don't want a revolving door that just creates a lot of stress and headache.
Jerred Moon: All right, man. I'm going to shift gears on you here for a second. This is what we call The Book Question. So, say there's a nationwide curriculum implemented, the President calls you up, and he's like, "Aaron, you're going to be responsible for a chapter in this book. It's going out nation wide, every single child in America is going to have to read your chapter and be tested on it and pass it before they're allowed to graduate high school and go any further." What would your chapter be about?
Aaron Hinde: Man. I need a couple of chapters at least. But I'd say the first chapter needs to be on, in the school system we're always asking what do you want to be when you "grow up?" And the question we should be asking is, "Who do you want to be when you grow up? What type of person? What type of human being do you want to be?" Not what do you want to be? You can be anything you want. So, I think the whole framework needs to change around that and we need to be teaching people to be good citizens, to be moral citizens, to have a set of ethics to treat people ethically, treat the environment ethically as they would want to be treated. So, I think that's the framework. And then, number two, people need to learn sales marketing psychology. Like, that would be my chapter of kind of my expertise as why do we do the things that we do? Why do other people act the way that they're acting? The more we're able to understand that and break that down, I think we can be more and more effective communicators, business leaders, etc.
Jerred Moon: And where do you think you picked up most of that sales marketing background? Is it from having owned your own businesses for so long? Or is it pushing forward on educating yourself through different resources? Or what's been the biggest impact for you learning that stuff?
Aaron Hinde: Both. Both. Being a chiropractor, it's interesting than a lot of other professions kind of in the medical community because if I was an MD, say I could graduate and typically I would plug in to a group practice or a hospital setting or something like that, where I'm very kind of protected. I don't need to create patient flow. I don't need to worry about billing and all that kind of stuff. So, having my own practice and it's dependent upon me and the systems I set up really taught me a lot about systems and internal marketing, referral marketing, so on and so forth. But also, there's just great resources out there. I mean, there's never been more of an abundance of information available through podcasts, through YouTube, through all kinds of free resources. And if you want to actually spend a little money, spend $12 on Amazon and you can get someone's whole life's worth of wealth of knowledge in a book.
Aaron Hinde: And so, I was never a big reader in high school or college, but afterwards, I really took it on and I don't know how many books I've read now, but I go from one to the other to the other non stop either physical or audible, and that's been the biggest education source. And I think the key there when you're educating yourself with podcasts or with books or whatever it is, make sure, from what I've been reading recently, make sure you're consuming content that's relevant to your evolution. Like, what are you looking to do next, right? Don't read something that's abstract or something that you can't apply today or something that's not relevant to you or may be relevant two years from now. You won't retain anything. So, always be consuming information that is relevant to your next step in your journey.
Jerred Moon: Where do you think that drive comes from, wanting to ... you say you go from book to book to book learning information. Where does that come from?
Aaron Hinde: Probably my dad, you know? He's a hard worker. He works, he's almost 70, he's still out. He'll outwork anybody out in the yard and on the tractor and digging ditches. Like, he just works. And I never like to ... who likes to really work that hard growing up as a kid, you know? "Get out in the yard, come help me out, do this and that." And I was like ... but, it just stuck on me. And so, I've been working and since I was a little kid, you know? Anybody I could make a buck and bagging groceries, whatever it was, mowing lawns and just working and I'm not afraid to work. You can't be afraid to work. I know Gary V is big on that right now, like put in the freaking work and it's just never been an issue for me. I love the volume of work. I realize I get very restless if I don't have something challenging me, some drive to keep me going. And yeah, so I'd give most of that drive to my old man.
Jerred Moon: That's awesome, man. All right. I wanted to bring up one more of the 10 lessons learned that you gave. Another one that kind of stuck with me was how you do anything is how you do everything, because that one can be applied in a lot of different ways, but I want to just start with getting your thoughts on that one.
Aaron Hinde: Yeah, you know, it's something that I drill home to my kids, and especially my son when I take him to school every morning. If you take on that attitude with life. Let me back up a little bit. I used to come from more of a scarcity mindset, I think, that in order to excel in one area of life, you really needed to suffer in others. And that was my reality for a long, long time, unfortunately. And it really took its toll, especially on my relationships and even with my kids not being there. I mean, I flew 52 flights last year, you know? I mean, I was gone so, so much and I'm constantly gone. And I'm just like, "Oh, well that's what it takes to succeed. That's what it takes to grow in business." And that may be true, maybe that is what it takes, but the fallacy, the issue with my mindset was that to excel over here, this other place has to suffer. I may have still had to put in the work and the time to make this successful, but that doesn't mean I couldn't still put in the same work and time ... work, and not time necessarily, but work and effort and presence in all aspects of my life.
Aaron Hinde: So, when I'm looking at things, it's like, how's my physical shape? Am I putting in the work there? How's my spiritual shape? Am I putting in the work there? How are my relationships? How's my car? I don't want to have a nasty looking dirty filthy car because I know that reflects poorly on me. How do I look? How do I dress? I dress comfortably, but I don't want to look like a complete bum. So, how you do anything is how you do everything. How you approach life is reflective on how you're going to be successful in all aspects of your life. Take this from a spiritual perspective for instance. Like, right now I'm a convert to Greek Orthodoxy, which is kind of an Eastern Christian very traditional Christian tradition. If you look at ... and they do a lot of fasts, not that I do all the fasts. I probably should do more. But they do a lot of fasting. And all traditions in religion utilize fasting quite a bit. And you think about and you go, "Well, why is that?" Well, not all monks and nuns and so on and so forth are obese and therefore they have to fast. Why do they fast? Because they know if they can ... if you have the ability to tame the demon of gluttony, the demon of the stomach, then you can tame any aspect of your life, right?
Aaron Hinde: So, if you're a gambler or you're an alcoholic, you have a sexual addiction, whatever it is, if you can tame that most basic instinct of, "No, stomach. I'm not going to give you whatever you want just because you're hungry." If you can get control of that very basic primal human instinct, then you can control ... it has a domino effect. You can control all kinds of aspects of your life. So, I'm probably on a total tangent. I don't even remember what the original question is, but-
Jerred Moon: We were talking about how you do anything is how you do everything.
Aaron Hinde: Yeah. Yes, so that's kind of, I think, where a lot of that comes from and that attitude comes from as I realize that these small wins lead to bigger wins and small defeats can lead to really big defeats if you let them. So, just being conscious and controlling my thoughts, controlling my actions as much as I can and keeping all aspects of my life in abundance and keeping them tight. Yeah.
Jerred Moon: Yeah, and you're talking about to excel in one area of your life, others have to suffer, you just had that mindset, having had that for a long time. That's why, in all honesty, my favorite type of guest to have on the show is an entrepreneur because ... especially an entrepreneur at your level because they've had to figure a lot of shit out in all areas of their life, you know? And you're working in so many different areas trying to become better and well-rounded in every single aspect of your life. But I like to then transition that because I know you have kids. I have young boys, you're learning a ton right now, and I would say more than most people focus on. And I don't know if that's just a trait that is forced through entrepreneurship or if it's just a different gene in people who are more entrepreneurial, but how do you plan, or how are you kind of taking what you're learning and giving that to your kids? Because assuming you want them to leapfrog you in their generation, their time. So, how are you getting this information to them?
Aaron Hinde: Yeah. I've thought a lot about this, and we have open discussions around things. I think the biggest transfer of information comes in just observation and them seeing how I operate and the good, the bad, and the ugly too. I mean, they went through early times when I was not present. I got very frustrated easily. I was just not ... I was in scarcity mode. I was letting the demons really control my thought process and hopefully they've seen that kind of change and evolve. And we have open discussions about sales, marketing, politics, psychology. Like, they're very, very ... kids are ... you know, they're so smart. And they can really operate on a much deeper level, I think, than we give them credit for. And ultimately, do I want them to be some successful entrepreneur? Well, yeah. I mean, that would be awesome. Of course that would be great. Like, yeah, they surpassed dad. But at the same time, if they were first world class musicians, they may be providing as much or more value to the world.
Aaron Hinde: I think we as parents are wanting to drive to become successful so our kids can have it better than us, it's kind of just human nature, right? It's happened since the beginning of time, and definitely in this country that's the attitude. Why are we all, sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters of immigrants? Because those people, our great grandparents had it in their mindset that we are going to go to this land of opportunity and create something better for our kids. So, it's ingrained in our DNA. But ultimately, what is that interpretation of something better? For them, it was freedom, maybe freedom from persecution. It was financial. Most of them were driven by financial wellbeing. But I think at a certain point in time, would I be disappointed if my kids never took on any debt load, didn't buy into this whole consumerism bullshit and became a world class guitar player or pianist or something? No. That would be awesome.
Aaron Hinde: So, I'm not trying to push them one way or another. I'm just trying to make sure that they understand that they have the ability to make choices and decisions. And those decisions will have impact on themselves and other people. And really focus on who they want to be as a human being, not what they want to be.
Jerred Moon: I love that, man. Who you want to be as opposed to what you want to be. I think that's really great. I think I'm going to start posing that question to my own kids as I move forward in fathering. But I want to move onto the quickfire questions of the show. So, I'll give you a quick question and quick answer. Are you ready for that?
Aaron Hinde: Sure.
Jerred Moon: All right, man. What's the hardest workout you've ever done?
Aaron Hinde: I don't even remember what it was, but it was my very first CrossFit workout. I visited the bushes like three times. Everyone was laughing at me.
Jerred Moon: You know, I get a lot of that. It's like, "I don't remember what it was, but it was my first CrossFit workout."
Aaron Hinde: Yeah, absolutely. I came so strong to the whole round. It was a three rounder, I remember that. And a couple of my patients, I was working out with them. And I physically looked like I was in better shape than them. And so, round one, I'm like, "All right, I'll pace myself with these guys and then I'll pass them at the end." And I was going right with them, and then we got about halfway into round two and I was like, "Oh, something's not right." I'm like, "Oh." I went to the bush and just sucked air for about five minutes until everyone passed me up.
Jerred Moon: That's awesome. All right, man. In your opinion, what's the best activity for building mental toughness?
Aaron Hinde: Best activity for mental toughness? Put yourself in mentally difficult situations, you know? Constantly challenge yourself. Whatever's in that uncomfortable zone, force yourself into it.
Jerred Moon: All right. If you could have one piece of equipment to train with for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Aaron Hinde: I've thought about this before. I mean, as much as I hate the prowler, I mean, that thing could just keep your in shape no matter what, pushing that around.
Jerred Moon: Yeah, strap it to your body, walk around. All sorts of things.
Aaron Hinde: Exactly, yeah.
Jerred Moon: All right, man. Now, here is the question of the show. Every guest gets it. And it is, what is your best advice for becoming a better human? And it's 100% open ended. And you can take your time here.
Aaron Hinde: You know, we are all either making emotional deposits or withdraws to other individual's bank accounts around us. And if we're conscious of that and we go throughout our day always wanting to make deposits and not withdrawals, then when we do have a slip up, when we aren't on our A-game and we have that little withdraw, it's okay because you have such a fun balance of emotional deposits that it's not that big of a deal. I think when we are negative in our emotional balance of when we kind of float around zero too often, it really is destructive to relationships and to progressing as a human being. So, I would say be very conscious of all your interactions. It goes one way or the other. There are no neutral exchanges. And be conscious to make emotional deposits on a daily basis to the people that you care about.
Jerred Moon: I love that. All right, man. So where can people learn more about you? Where do you want them to head and check out to learn more about LIFEAID and all that good stuff?
Aaron Hinde: Yeah. For me personally, all my handles are just my name, Aaron Hinde, H-I-N-D-E. And lifeaidbevco.com is our website, if you haven't checked it out there's some cool kind of marketing stuff on there as far as lead gen and funnels and that kind of thing. And then all of our individual skews have their own social handles. We're biggest on Instagram. FITAID's our biggest account there. Just add FITAID on IG.
Jerred Moon: All right. Perfect, man. Well I really appreciate your time today, Aaron. Thank you so much for being on the show.
Aaron Hinde: Appreciate it. It was fun.
Speaker 6: Your best. Losers always whine about their best.
> > > Live well!
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of attending a mastermind full of high-powered fitness entrepreneurs, and in attendance … Aaron Hinde. Aaron Hinde is the Co-Founder & President of LIFEAID Beverage Company and he has a pretty incredible story. He has been grinding since 2011 to make LIFEAID a leader in the industry. So much […]
I am on a Paleo diet and thus not a fan of sugar-loaded beverages, such as sports drinks. But I also exercise regularly, and during intense exercise, the body needs more than just water. That leads to the following questions: How healthy are sports drinks and how do they work? In this article, I will take a closer look at what happens in your body during exercise and the chemistry of sports drinks. I will also introduce you to Paleo-friendly alternatives from LIFEAID, a beverage company that’s popular in the CrossFit community.
THE CHEMISTRY DURING EXERCISE:
Before we answer the question of how healthy sports drinks are, let’s take a look at what happens in your body during exercise.
Generally speaking, there are two categories of exercise: Aerobic and anaerobic, which indicate if oxygen is part of the chemical process or not. In non-scientific terms, aerobic means “with oxygen” and anaerobic means “without oxygen.”
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise includes jogging, swimming, biking, etc. During such exercise, the human body uses glucose and oxygen to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), water and carbon dioxide. The chemical formula for that is:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 = ATP + 6H2O + 6CO2 or
Glucose + oxygen = ATP + water + carbon dioxide
ATP is an energy carrier, and it is a crucial component to getting the energy to where your body needs it. Glucose is nothing more than sugar, and your liver produces it by processing the sugar and carbohydrates you eat and drink. Your body stores glucose as glycogen in your muscles and liver.
Anaerobic exercise
An anaerobic exercise is usually a form of high-intensity exercise that leads to the production of lactic acid. That happens when your body cannot get oxygen to your cells fast enough to trigger the process mentioned above. In such cases, your body just uses glucose and breaks it up into ATP and lactic acid. The chemical formula for that is:
C6H12O6 = 2 C3H6O3 + 2 ATP or
Glucose = lactic acid + ATP
GLUCOSE IS YOU BODY'S FUEL
As you can see, for both aerobic and anaerobic exercise your body needs glucose (sugar) to produce energy. So it makes sense for sports drinks to contain sugar, doesn’t it?
Sweat and electrolytes
When your body heats up during exercise, it produces sweat to cool it back down. As part of that process, it excretes electrolytes (salts) in the form of sodium and potassium. That’s why your sweat tastes salty, and sports drinks contain those salts.
THE INGREDIENTS OF TRADITIONAL SPORTS DRINKS
Many sports drinks, such as Gatorade or Powerade contain the following key ingredients:
Sugar (carbohydrates) in the form of glucose and sucrose
Electrolytes in the form of sodium and potassium
B-Vitamins that aid in energy metabolism
So the simple goal of sports drinks is to help your body, during intense exercise, maintain sufficient glucose and electrolyte levels. Now you understand why sugar-free sports drinks don’t make any sense.
DO YOU NEED A SPORTS DRINK?
As I have mentioned above, your liver produces glucose from the carbohydrates you eat. That’s a continuous process. As a result, and during light exercise, your body has access to enough glucose through its filled glycogen reserves.
However, high-intensity exercise can easily deplete those glycogen reserves, and you need to replenish them to maintain your performance.
Whether or not you need a sports drink during exercise depends on the type and intensity of the exercise. If you go for a low-intensity, 20-minute jog, you won’t deplete your glycogen and electrolyte reserves. So you don’t need the 21 grams of added sugar a traditional sports drink has. In such as case, water with a pinch of salt, if you prefer, does the trick.
Ketogenesis is the biochemical process by which organisms produce a group of substances collectively known as ketone bodies by the breakdown of fatty acids and ketogenic amino acids.
By the way, if your liver doesn’t have access to carbohydrates, it can produce energy from fat in the form of ketones. That process is called ketogenesis, and it is the base of the Keto diet.
HOW HEALTHLY ARE SPORTS DRINKS?
Beyond the artificial colors and flavors of traditional sports drinks, their Achilles heel is their main ingredient: added sugar. There is nothing wrong with giving your body the glucose it requires to function during intense exercise. In other words, in cases when your body would deplete its glycogen reserves if you didn’t replenish them. But giving sugar to a body that doesn’t need it, due to full glycogen reserves, is like ingesting poison. The same is true with excess electrolytes, especially sodium.
In that regard, sports drinks are not much healthier than fruit juices or sodas. I say “not much,” because sports drinks often have a little less sugar than sodas and fruit juices.
PALEO-FRIENDLY BEVERAGES FROM LIFEAID
Sports drinks and Paleo usually don’t go together because the Paleo diet doesn’t include sugar-loaded drinks. Unless, they are made using Paleo-compatible sweeteners, such as stevia extract or blue agave nectar.
At LIFEAID, we fuel your passion with our clean & refreshing nutritional blends. Can you say the same about those other one-dimensional products whose “blend” is a bunch of additives, sugar, & added caffeine? Our products are tailored for your active lifestyle – without all the junk. Join us as we show the world there is a better way.
Stevia, for example, has zero calories and a Glycemic Index (GI) of 0. That means it does not raise your blood sugar level. Agave nectar has a GI of 30 and thus increases your blood sugar level slower than glucose (GI 100) and sucrose (GI 65).
LIFEAID to the rescue
My friend and workout buddy Felipe recently introduced me to the LIFEAID Beverage Company during an intensive rowing session, which ended with me lying exhausted on the floor in his basement. When he saw the misery I was in, he gave me a choice between a spoon of honey or a can of FITAID, LIFEAID’s recovery drink. I tried the latter and quickly felt better – thanks to the 9 grams of sugar and other ingredients that helped raise my evidently low blood sugar levels.
After I had recovered, I took a closer look at the ingredients of LIFEAID, which included:
Nine grams of sugar from stevia extract and blue agave nectar.
A proprietary blend of BCAAs, Glutamine, CoQ10, Glucosamine, Quercetin, Turmeric, B Complex, Green Tea and Vitamins (C, D, E), Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium.
No artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners.
LIFEAID is not a traditional sports drink
As we have learned above, your body needs glucose during intense exercise. LIFEAID doesn’t offer any drinks that contain more than 9 grams of sugar. That’s less than half the amount of sugar in traditional sports drinks. As a result, LIFEAID doesn’t market its products like sports drinks. Instead, LIFEAID offers drinks to supplement your lifestyle in a natural, and Paleo-friendly way through the following products:
LIFEAID beverages FITAID: Recovery blend after intense activity or exercise FOCUSAID: To help you focus LIFEAID: A healthy soda alternative PARTYAID: Helps you recover after a long night out TRAVELAID: Natural blend to help boost your immune system GOLFERAID: Performance blend for low- to medium-intensity exercise
I recently reached out to LIFEAID and asked them to send me some of their products for review. Thankfully, they did! During a recent 5k run, I tried their FITAID fuel protein blend and GOLFERAID before the race and FITAID right after, to recover. My goal was to finish the race in 27 minutes or less, and I came in at 24:31. So I have no complaints.
Me enjoying GOLFERAID before a 5K race
WHY I PREFER LIFEAID OVER TRTADITIONAL SPORTS DRINKS
Sugar is poison, and I try to stay as far away from it as possible. Sugar in liquid form is even worse because it raises your blood sugar level even quicker than other carbohydrates in solid form. However, during intensive exercise or activity, your body needs quick access to glucose (sugar). So sports drinks certainly have their place. But I am not a professional athlete, and I don’t earn a living based on my performance when I push the jogging stroller around the neighborhood. There are times when I empty the glycogen reserves of my body, but that doesn’t happen every time I exercise.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends not to have more than 36 grams of added sugar per day for men and 25 grams for women. In reality, you don’t need and shouldn’t eat any added sugar. But I guess the AHA had to come up with a limit that was realistic for the poor diet of the average American.
Gatorade has 21 grams of added sugar, which is 58% of the maximum the AHA recommends for men and a whopping 84% for women. If I had a bottle of Gatorade every time I exercised, I would most likely ingest more added sugar than necessary. That, in turn, would have severe consequences on my health in the long run.
That is why I prefer to err on the side of caution and stick with LIFEAID products for exercise. Each drink has only 9 grams of sugar and no artificial ingredients. Beyond exercising, my liquid diet consists of water, coffee, and a glass of wine for dinner. Recently, I started experimenting with Kombucha and Kefir, and I enjoy the occasional Mojito or Margarita. But I am extremely careful not to introduce liquid sugar into my daily routine, and I recommend you do the same.
I am on a Paleo diet and thus not a fan of sugar-loaded beverages, such as sports drinks. But I also exercise regularly, and during intense exercise, the body needs more than just water. That leads to the following questions: How healthy are sports drinks and how do they work? In this article, I will […]
LifeAID Beverage Company makes a variety of supplements that provide targeted health benefits. The company recently launched a “2 Free Cans” offer online. Find out what the catch is today in our review.
What is LifeAID Beverage Company?
LifeAID Beverage Company can be found online at LifeAIDBevCo.com. The company currently offers 7 different beverages, each of which targets specific health benefits.
LifeAID offers a FitAID fuel pouch supplement, for example, that comes packed with protein and BCAAs. There’s also a TravelAID supplement to boost your immune system or a FocusAID supplement to boost your focus at work.
The company describes itself as “the leading manufacturer of premium, healthy, and convenient nutritional products for active lifestyles.”
LifeAID recently made the list of Inc. 500’s fastest growing companies. They’re based in Santa Cruz, California and launched in 2011.
What is the 2 Free Cans Offer?
You’re probably hearing about LifeAID today because you’ve seen the “2 Free Cans” offer advertised online.
When you visit the official LifeAID website today, you’ll see a pop-up directing you to buy 2 Free Cans today. All you need to do is pay shipping, and the cans will be delivered to your address.
Shipping prices vary depending on your offer. When you first click the offer, you’ll be asked to pay $5.70 in shipping for two cans. However, if you wait for the timer on the sales page to count down to 0, that shipping cost gets reduced all the way to $0.99.
You can choose any two LifeAID products for the free offer (except for LifeAID, which isn’t listed). You pick your cans, go to the sales page, enter your credit card information, and wait for the two cans to show up at your door.
Obviously, if you’ve been on the internet for more than a week, then you’re probably wondering: what’s the catch?
Here’s the weird thing: as far as we can tell, there is no catch. We went through the entire ordering form. The secure ordering form accepts payment with credit card, PayPal, or Amazon. Your payment method is charged $0.99 (or $5.70, depending your offer), and the cans are on their way to your address.
We even read through the terms and conditions to see if there was some hidden charges or fees. There weren’t.
Unlike other “free” offers you see online, LifeAID doesn’t force you to sign up to an autoship program. It doesn’t charge your credit card hidden fees, or start shipping you 24 packs of LifeAID products just because you ordered 2 free cans.
It ships you two free cans of LifeAID in the hopes that you’ll become a long-term customer. That’s it.
LifeAID Beverages
LifeAID currently offers seven different beverages, including all of the following:
-FitAID Fuel:
This fuel pouch is designed to be used at the gym or for on-the-go nutrition. The flavor is described as “tangy apple sweet potato”. All ingredients are paleo-friendly. Each serving contains 12g of grass-fed whey, 2,000mg of BCAAs, and 16g of organic carbs.
-FitAID:
FitAID describes itself as “the premier recovery supplement for your active lifestyle”. To help you recover, it contains ingredients like glutamine, glucosamine, turmeric, quercetin, potassium, magnesium, and B vitamins. Most of these ingredients are delivered at a dose that’s equal to, or above, 100% of your recommended daily value. In other words, taking one can delivers most of the ingredients your body needs on a daily basis.
-FocusAID:
FocusAID claims to boost your focus and mental clarity using ingredients like alpha GPC, Rhodiola rosea, acetyl-l-carnitine, ginseng, yerba matte, green tea, vitamins C, and D, and B vitamins. As you can see, FocusAID contains a variety of trendy nootropics. Just like with other LifeAID supplements, these ingredients are delivered at a surprisingly strong dose. All of the vitamins and nutrients (except for magnesium and vitamin C) are delivered at 100% of your recommended daily value (the vitamin C dose is 421% of your DV, while the magnesium dose is 63% DV).
-LifeAID:
LifeAID is the company’s signature drink. It’s designed to be taken daily to support your health and fill in the gaps in your poor diet. Key ingredients include healthy herbs like rosemary, turmeric, ginger, oregano, and cayenne, all of which help balance your body’s natural inflammation response. There’s also B vitamins, vitamin C, and magnesium to support your overall health and nutrient balance.
-PartyAID:
PartyAID is designed to get your weekend going – and keep it going. The formula incudes ingredients that “help you feel good when you are out having a great time”, then help you recover the next day. Key ingredients include 5-HTP to replenish your serotonin levels and milk thistle to support your liver health. Again, there’s a strong dose of most ingredients, including more than 100% of your daily value of most vitamins and nutrients.
-TravelAID:
TravelAID is an immune-boosting supplement you can take while traveling – or just if you need to boost your body’s defenses during cold season. TravelAID helps you boost your immune system and calm your nerves using ingredients like zinc, vitamins A, C, and D, chamomile, ginger root, and Echinacea.
-GolferAID:
GolferAID is a supplement aimed at improving your golf game. The supplement includes BCAAs, glucosamine, turmeric, and MSM to keep your joints feeling good throughout the game. There’s also Siberian Ginseng and CoQ10 to improve your focus, while the B vitamins help keep your energy levels up. LifeAID describes it as “the educated golfers [sic] supplement product of choice”. They recommend drinking it 15 minutes before you tee off.
One thing we really appreciate with LifeAID is their transparency with their ingredients and research. The company has published its full list of ingredients online. They also list the accompanying research that supports their various health claims. This may seem straightforward, but it’s a step that a lot of supplement manufacturers ignore.
The company also makes a big deal out of the fact that it uses no artificial sweeteners. Like many other companies that make this promise, LifeAID uses stevia as a sweetener (along with some sugar; a typical can contains 45 calories in total)
LifeAID Pricing
LifeAID supplements are available online through the official website at LifeAID.com, where you can only buy them in packs of 24 (unless you sign up for the 2 free cans offer listed above). You can also purchase a 12 pack through Amazon. Here’s how pricing breaks down:
FitAID Fuel 24 Pack: $69.99 ($2.91 per pouch)
FitAID 24 Pack: $59.76 ($2.49 per can)
FocusAID 24 Pack: $59.76 ($2.49 per can)
LifeAID 24 Pack: $59.90 ($2.50 per can)
PartyAID 24 Pack: $59.76 ($2.49 per can)
TravelAID 24 Pack: $59.76 ($2.49 per can)
GolferAID 24 Pack: $59.76 ($2.49 per can)
LifeAID is not currently listed for sale online through the official website. However, it is available for sale through Amazon. It’s the company’s original beverage.
When you purchase 2 x 24 packs at a time, you get free shipping when ordered through the official website. Amazon also has a variety of bundle offers and deals you can enjoy.
Some reviewers online also indicate that their gym sells LifeAID beverages.
What Do Customers Have to Say About LifeAID?
LifeAID beverages are generally well-reviewed. On Amazon, the beverages have a current rating of 4.5 stars out of 5, with a total of 136 reviews posted at the time of writing. The vast majority of those reviews (81%) were 5 stars. Here are some of the pros and cons reviewers mentioned:
Pros
Great for pre and post-workouts
Gives me the right amount of energy without being overwhelming
Shipping is free when ordering two cases at a time
Excellent focus
Crisp, clean, and refreshing taste
Natural ingredients with no artificial sweeteners (stevia is used for sweetening)
Cons
Not all reviewers like the taste. One reviewer said he has to “chug it just to be able to finish a can”
Overall, LifeAID supplements are very well-reviewed online, with most customers reporting that they enjoyed the taste, appreciated the natural ingredients, and enjoyed the targeted effects – whether they were focus-boosting, energy-boosting, or recovery-boosting effects.
About LifeAID
LifeAID Beverage Company is a health supplement manufacturer listed on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing companies. The company’s products, according to their LinkedIn page, “represent a far superior alternative to sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, and even traditional health drinks.”
The company is based in Santa Cruz, California and was founded in 2011. The two co-founders, Aaron Hinde and Orion Melehan, first met each other at a CrossFit studio in Santa Cruz. Orion was a Certified Financial Planner while Aaron was a chiropractor who worked with local athletes. The friendship turned into a business partnership, and the rest is history.
LifeAID Review Summary
LifeAID is a well-reviewed beverage company that offers a wide range of supplements for athletes, golfers, office workers, students, and partiers. Each can of LifeAID contains 45 calories and has no artificial sweeteners. The beverages also contain surprisingly strong dosages of their active ingredients – which is something we don’t always see with other beverage companies.
Overall, LifeAID is one beverage company that can help you enjoy targeted health benefits in many different ways.
LifeAID Beverage Company makes a variety of supplements that provide targeted health benefits. The company recently launched a “2 Free Cans” offer online. Find out what the catch is today in our review. What is LifeAID Beverage Company? LifeAID Beverage Company can be found online at LifeAIDBevCo.com. The company currently offers 7 different beverages, each […]
Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp: Verve Coffee in Tokyo, LifeAid on Inc 500
By Jondi Gumz, Santa Cruz Sentinel
Colby Barr slept on partner Ryan O’Donovan’s couch for a year when the bootstrapping duo set out to create one of the best coffee companies in the world.
The enterprise they founded, Verve Coffee Roasters, will be 10 years old in the fall.
How it has grown: Nearly 200 employees, four cafes in Santa Cruz, three in Los Angeles, one in San Francisco and another in Tokyo; wholesaling and supplying Silicon Valley giants such as Facebook, eBay, PayPal, Yahoo and Pinterest; partnering with Manresa Bread of Los Gatos for baked goods; online sales where buyers can pick beans from a country, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Kenya, or a grower such as Juan Benitez of Honduras.
”On our bags, we say ‘made in Santa Cruz’ — we want to remain independent,” said Barr, who spoke Wednesday night to 240 people at Hotel Paradox at the Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp showcasing lifestyle companies.
He recalled building Verve’s first cafe on 41st Avenue in Pleasure Point without a contractor, spending $160,000 and opening with less than $3,000 cash on hand.
Now that newly remodeled cafe has added Manresa biscuits and avocado toast to the menu.
“We hope we can improve the quality of life for the farmers and for the customers,” Barr said.
Aaron Hinde, 41, who started LifeAID Beverage Co. with fellow father and golfing buddy Orion Melehan, reported the 6-year-old startup made Inc’s fast-growing 500 last year and will be in the top 100 this year.
“We took on the conglomerates selling sugar water,” he said, explaining each LifeAID drink has a different set of ingredients from green tea and yerba mate to vitamin C, echinacea and zinc.
With eight new hires, LifeAID has 54 full-time employees in Santa Cruz and 50 part-time brand ambassadors in locations across the U.S.
At the start, the future was far from assured.
The food scientist hired to work on the formula had to be persuaded that sugar was not needed to create palatable drinks.
“How did you make them taste good?” came the question from the audience.
“Trial and a lot of error,” said Hinde, whose staff handed out free beverages.
Taylor West, 28, co-founder of Humble Sea Brewery in 2014 with two 20-something buddies, worked out of a carport in Ben Lomond.
They raised more than $1 million, including a $500,000 Small Business Administration loan from Heritage Bank of Commerce to fund their brewhouse and tap room seating 25, which opened on Swift Street on March 17.
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They invested $130,000 in brewing experiments, testing 60 recipes in 2016, and putting on 30 events to find out what people like to drink.
It costs $3,000 to brew 300 gallons of beer that can be sold for $18,000, West said.
Now Humble Sea Brewery has 14 employees and an expensive piece of stainless steel brewing equipment not yet operational.
“Our equipment can’t run without power,” said West. “We’re waiting for a PG&E upgrade.”
John Felts, 31, co-founder of Cruz Foam, got a big round of applause talking about a new biodegradable material made from shrimp shells to shape a surfboard.
The next step is to raise $250,000 and make a full-scale prototype in Santa Cruz.
Caitlin Davies, 36, a UC Santa Cruz alum, is launching her startup, Mountain Sea Adventures, taking groups on moonlight hikes and stand-up paddling after working seven years as a guide. Trips range in cost from $55 to $250.
She plans to give back by taking young women out on adventures, with the first group from Digital Nest in Watsonville.
UC Santa Cruz student Vernon Cole gave a polished demonstration of a new app called Real Time to help college students meet students who share their interests.
Afterward, tech veteran David Dennis complimented him, adding, “We should talk.”
Verve’s story made an impression on Cameron Lowe, 20. He has a startup called Stickify Brand, which turns logos into decals.
TECH OPPORTUNITIES
Here are some tech opportunities from Wednesday’s Santa Cruz New Tech Meetup:
Conscious Living: Santa Cruz-based company offers a taste of conscious living 1 p.m. June 8 at Scotts Valley Hilton, 6001 La Madrona Drive, Scotts VAlley.
OutSite: Inspired by a visit to Santa Cruz, founder offers eight properties for co-living and co-working and plans to expand to 100 locations by 2020.
Small Business Week Food Slam: 4-6 p.m. May 6 at Food Lounge, Center Street, Santa Cruz.
Fields and drones: Demonstration 2-4:30 p.m. May 7 with Drone HIV, Transition Robotics, Aero Vironment and InspecTools
at Monterey Bay Academy, Watsonville, mixer at 5 p.m. at Elkhorn Slough Brewery, 65 Hangar Way, Watsonville
Startup Challenge: 24 finalists pitch at 4 p.m. May 12 at Cal State Monterey Bay.
Abbott Square: Six new restaurants, two bars, performances and a secret garden opens June 2.
Get hired: Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp 6 p.m. June 7 with Amazon, ProductOps and three big companies whose names will be announced later are looking to fill 500 local jobs.
Accelerators: Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp Aug. 2 with first companies to participate in the new Santa Cruz Accelerator.
Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp: Verve Coffee in Tokyo, LifeAid on Inc 500 By Jondi Gumz, Santa Cruz Sentinel Colby Barr slept on partner Ryan O’Donovan’s couch for a year when the bootstrapping duo set out to create one of the best coffee companies in the world. The enterprise they founded, Verve Coffee Roasters, will […]
CROSSFIT® / FEBRUARY 2017 / RYAN GWALTNEY, GLOBAL NEWSROOM
“If you need a hand, I’m here to help,” says CrossFit athlete and coach Logan Aldridge with a laugh. “The irony is perfect for me, but it also does a great job of describing my mentality every day.”
Aldridge’s life changed when a fluke wakeboarding accident resulted in the amputation of his left arm as a teenager. Despite the obvious challenges, Aldridge has committed to his personal fitness and, more importantly, how he improves the lives of others.
“Although I may only have one left, at the drop of a hat and without a second thought, I’m always willing to lend a hand to someone else,” says Aldridge. “The story of this hand and the hard work I put in with it – failures and accomplishments included – is by making it available to other people.”
Aldridge is part of Reebok’s 2017 brand campaign, highlighted by the emotional spot, ‘Hands’ – an evolution of the company’s “Be More Human” platform. The campaign highlights how our hands tell the stories of our effort and hard work, successes and failures, and dedication to improvement.
Aldridge attended his first WOD while in college, but it was not love at first lift.
“I sweated a lot, and I almost threw up,” Aldridge laughs. “I was like, ‘No, screw that! I’ll just work out with my buddies at school and get huge!’”
It wasn’t until after Aldridge graduated and moved away that he realized he missed the camaraderie of working out with friends. Given CrossFit’s well-known community aspect, he decided to give it another chance.
Aldridge showed up for his second WOD at CrossFit Exchange in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has remained there ever since.
“How I rediscovered CrossFit was really fueled by wanting to be more competitive and be involved in a community of people doing fitness,” Aldridge explains. “The camaraderie of the people at Exchange was awesome. I knew after one good day that I would always be coming back.”
Despite the inauspicious start in the sport, Aldridge has become fully immersed in the CrossFit world as both an athlete and coach.
“What keeps CrossFit so exciting is working from the coach’s perspective,” says Aldridge. “I don’t think there’s another career where you can get so much fulfillment from watching people realize their potential or the opportunities that are placed in front of them.”
“It’s amazing to see how enlightened they are after each class. It keeps me coming back because each athlete leaves there feeling more human and more fulfilled.”
While Aldridge developed into an elite CrossFit athlete (and recently a world record holder), it has been his impact on others that has been the most rewarding throughout his fitness journey.
“The following that I’ve gotten both on and off social media has been amazing,” he says.
“Some adaptive athletes and amputees have even reached out to me to say that until then they had always kept their shirt on or had never wanted to reveal their body, and that I had been able to show them how to not care, be comfortable in their own skin, and embrace who they are.”
“I’ve been able to motivate them to be more accepting and proud of how they look, and to me that’s the biggest accomplishment I’ve had to date.”
How do your hands tell your story? Let us know by tweeting @Reebok and tagging #BeMoreHuman.
> > > Live well.
CROSSFIT® / FEBRUARY 2017 / RYAN GWALTNEY, GLOBAL NEWSROOM “If you need a hand, I’m here to help,” says CrossFit athlete and coach Logan Aldridge with a laugh. “The irony is perfect for me, but it also does a great job of describing my mentality every day.” Aldridge’s life changed when a fluke wakeboarding accident resulted in the […]
“How I rediscovered CrossFit was really fueled by wanting to be more competitive and be involved in a community of people doing fitness,” Aldridge explains. “The camaraderie of the people at Exchange was awesome. I knew after one good day that I would always be coming back.”