Escaping Boring Jobs to Jump Rope and Look Good Naked with Zen Dude Fitness
“Different things are going to work for different people, but eating too much is bad for everyone.”
In this episode of Nat Chat, I’m joined by Dan Witmer and Brandon Epstein, who together, are Zen Dude Fitness. Zen Dude Fitness is essentially a health, fitness, coaching, and lifestyle brand that’s specifically focused on jumping rope for fat loss and health.
They have millions of views on YouTube, have done meetups all over the country, and have a really inspiring story. They both turned their mutual passion and interest of jumping rope, being healthy, and having fun into a really successful business where they’ve helped millions of people live healthier lifestyles.
If you’re someone who wants to improve their health or just wanting tips to grow your business, these guys are excellent teachers and have a lot of great advice.
We cover a wide range of topics, including:
- Becoming fit and healthy by jumping rope
- Debunking common diet and food myths
- Advice for getting the body that you want
- Common errors in the fitness industry
- Growing a business by self-education
- Getting more enjoyment from exercise
And much more. Please enjoy, and check out Zen Dude Fitness on YouTube!
If you enjoyed our discussion on improving your health and the bits on self-education, you should check out my episode with Connor Grooms and my episode with Zak Slayback, where in each of these we discuss more health topics, self-educating yourself, becoming successful, and more.
Links from the Episode
Find Zen Dude Fitness Online:
Mentioned in the show:
- Zen Dude Podcast [16:28]
- Why Clean Eating is a Myth [23:31]
- Dietary Goal Calculator [25:23]
- The Zen Dude Jump Rope [43:05]
- Zen Dude Jump Rope courses [43:45]
People mentioned:
- Armi Legge [23:30]
- Gary Vaynerchuk [38:20]
Show Topics
1:20 – Intro to the Zen Dudes and some information on what Zen Dude Fitness is all about.
3:15 – What running the business looks like for them on a daily basis, what they focus on, and how their popularity progressed over time.
5:41 – Why and how they made the decision to move to Colombia to help the company get off the ground. Also, some information on how they started the company and discussing their mission for the company.
10:31 – How Dan decided to make the move from a very lucrative job to pursuing his passion and working on Zen Dude Fitness with Brandon.
12:36 – What Brandon did before working on Zen Dude Fitness.
15:48 – The time when they both noticed that Zen Dude Fitness was doing really well and when it could be their full-time jobs. Also, how they incorporated jumping rope into the business.
18:36 – Both of them quitting weight training to solely jump rope for health, while still maintaining a very muscular physique.
20:48 – Some very common fitness errors that Dan and Brandon see a lot of people make.
23:06 – Their top recommendations for people wanting to get the body that they want and wanting to be healthy. Also, their thoughts on some very common dietary misconceptions out there and discussing some solid advice for your diet.
30:15 – Some outdated and false diet information that is still being regarded as true today, such as eating saturated fats, high salt intake, skipping breakfast, and eating lots of cholesterol as being bad for you.
34:37 – How they both find quality information and do their research.
36:30 – How they learned how to grow the YouTube channel and the Zen Dude business, without having a background in business development. Self-educating themselves on video editing and other skills.
39:08 – How they both survived at the start of the business when they had little to no income and discussing what some of their largest learning mistakes were.
42:39 – Some of the main sources of income they have from the business. Also, some really valuable advice on affiliates, building relationships with other companies, and prioritizing gaining influence at the start of your business.
47:43 – The future of Zen Dude Fitness, what they may get into, and their goal for the company.
53:05 – Wrap-up and where to find the Zen Dudes online.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://nateliason.com/podcast
“It’s not something that they really actually want. They just think they want it because there’s this image that’s sold on the internet.”