Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Welcome to Life Rewritten. I'm your host, Vanessa Lagoa. Today's episode is all about grit and determination and transformation.
Today's guest is Bruce Cardenas. Bruce has been in so many different avenues of life, walking as a leader.
Bruce started off early in his career as a Marine. He worked as an LAPD officer and now he is a brand builder and coach. So welcome Bruce. Thank you for being here with us today.
[00:00:40] Speaker B: Thank you very much. I'm very excited. Looking forward to it.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: So first of all, thank you for your service, both as in the Marines and as a police officer. I find both of those to be very important roles. So. So thank you.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you.
[00:00:55] Speaker A: So Bruce, what in the early stages of your life led you to go into the Marines or to and then to transition into being a police officer.
[00:01:06] Speaker B: Wow. You know, honestly, none of it would ever happened. I always had a boyhood dream about being a police officer.
You know, my, my uncle was a police officer, my neighbor was my, my sister, my older sister married a police officer. And I always thought I would end up being a police officer in Highbridge, New Jersey, which was a five man department.
And even through high school they let me do ride alongs.
And when I got out of high school, which I didn't actually I had to go to summer school to get my diploma because they did horrible in school.
I remember asking the chief one day how I become a police officer in our hometown. And in his own kind words, he basically said, you're young, dumb and immature. I don't think he called me dumb, but that was my takeaway. But he said if you go in the Marine Corps, and he said specifically to Marine corps as he did, he would hire me when I got out. And then I still pondered it and thought about and procrastinated. But I ended up grabbing my best friend and went the Marine Corps. Which changed the whole trajectory of my life because I always thought that I would never leave where I grew up. Right. Like a lot of people think where you grow up, that's, that's all you know. So that definitely changed everything about where I was going after that. But then I saw there was a big world out there.
[00:02:15] Speaker A: Well, right. Sometimes leaving home, you know, your world seems to revolve around that hometown and you leave and it's like this whole other experience that you never.
[00:02:24] Speaker B: 100.
[00:02:27] Speaker A: So you, it sounds like you said you're a pretty great student. School wasn't really your thing. So now you go into the military where there's discipline and there's Structure. What was that transition like?
[00:02:42] Speaker B: It, it was from the physical aspect because I'd always done sports and stuff. It was, I mean, and mentally they just listen. I, like, I say it best, I went in a boy and came out a man. I mean, you don't really have a choice. You know, I did a transformation. I lost 30 pounds in boot camp. And learn, learn responsibilities, from making your bed to everything in between that and yeah, there's no, there's no grace. There's no either perform or you don't. And you know, I learned about the core values of the Marine Corps. Honor, courage and commitment. And you know, those words I still live by. So I definitely learned a lot. I mean, but it's, it's not for everybody for sure, but it definitely transformed who I was as, as everything. So.
[00:03:22] Speaker A: Yeah, and then it sounds like it set you up for the entrepreneurial world you sort of took with you. Those foundations, correct?
[00:03:30] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely learned a lot. I mean, there were building blocks. I mean, I tell people, if you don't know what you're going to do in life, the military is not a bad option. You know, college is not for everybody and, or unless you're going to start a trade. But yeah, I think the military is a good start for a lot of, a lot of things in life.
[00:03:45] Speaker A: Right.
So you come back from the military and then you end up working as an officer for the lapd. How did that sort of happen is that you didn't go back to your hometown?
[00:04:01] Speaker B: Yeah, correct. Well, once I real, you know, found the big world out there and I ended up in, in San Diego.
I can't. Pendleton more specifically for a powerlifting meet in the Marine Corps. And while I was on base, there was a career day going on and you know, they had all different companies, you know, recruiting and including law enforcement agencies. And I thought, wow, like beautiful people, beautiful weather and, and, and, and the pay, whatever the pay was, it seemed like a lot of money at the time. And so I just stayed in process. I processed with a lot of different places, but I ended up getting picked up by the LAPD first, which was at the time a pretty prestigious department known, you know, worldwide. So it was, it was, it was way bigger than what I ever imagined.
[00:04:45] Speaker A: So great. Was this a different world from your hometown in New Jersey?
[00:04:51] Speaker B: Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah, yeah. I think our hometown is a thousand person population and it's definitely. LA is definitely a fast track city.
I mean, I could tell you crazy stories, but I mean, my second day on the job, right out of probation, I was standing at the scene of a. Of a gang shooting, a drug deal gone bad with three people dead and two more injured. And I was like, I'm definitely not in Highbridge anymore. I mean, it was definitely a different. It's definitely a different world, right?
[00:05:20] Speaker A: It's. It's a high crime area and not the five officers like your New Jersey hometown.
[00:05:26] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I think, yeah. Each division has two or 300 officers, and there's 20 divisions, so it's a big, big department.
[00:05:33] Speaker A: Do you think that your service in the Marine Corps set you up to be able to handle seeing some of the things that maybe you wouldn't have been able to handle? Gone right in from high school?
[00:05:45] Speaker B: Yeah, no. 100. 100% only because, hey, the physical and mental conditioning, and you just have a different mindset of survival. Excuse me. So when I. And it also helped me through the police academy, too, because I, you know, I worried about the. The intensity of it, but the Marine Corps was way harder. So I. I didn't really struggle through the lapd. I actually graduated top honors. I think my biggest struggle was in my mind, of academics, because I remember the first day in the academy, our drill instructor said, listen, all of you will not be here on graduation day, and some of you are going to fail out academically. And I thought for sure they were talking to me, but I. But I buckled down and I had a. I had a carpool partner that was a classmate. We studied, and I did quite well academically. It was actually the first time I aced some tests, which was shocking because I never. Never aced a test in my life. So I think what I concluded was I never just. I just had no desire to be in school. And then this was something I really wanted to learn, and it part of my life, so.
[00:06:47] Speaker A: Well, I find sometimes, you know, when we're in school learning to be, you know, we're being told to learn to pass a test. We don't see the value in that. But being in the exact academy, learning, you can see the value. You want to learn, you want to be the top, you want to be the best. When you get out there and you're ready to perform.
[00:07:05] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:07:06] Speaker A: Yeah. What do you think you took? Which value do you think you brought with you from the Marine Corps to the LAPD that's maybe even stuck with you today? Was there one core value?
[00:07:21] Speaker B: Well, there's. There's three that. That Marine Corps, you know, honor, courage, and commitment. I mean, I was. It's an honorable career. I mean, it was an honor to be a police officer. And. And, you know, it's a. It's a big commitment. It's not for everybody, for sure. Military or the law enforcement is not for everybody. So you got to really be committed to, you know, and I. Somewhere along that journey, I didn't put a title on it till later on, but I definitely am a servant leader. I've always been about serving other people, whether it's our country or community.
So, yeah, that was one of the big takeaways, just serving other people and being committed to. Being committed to what the community needed or the country needed, whatever it was, you know? Yeah.
[00:08:00] Speaker A: I think that that's something that has drawn me to you, is that you definitely show up as somebody who serves others, and it's very clear that you come.
I feel like you stand out because you're very authentic, and the way that you present and the people that you put yourself around, you're very.
You seem to have a very humble approach at life.
Do you see that in yourself?
[00:08:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
Thank you. Yeah. I mean, it's kind of hard. I don't like talking about myself. I like talking about other people.
Yeah, I guess I would sum that up. Yeah, that's pretty much it. I mean, I'm grateful to help other people.
And I think it definitely came from my father because he grew up.
He grew up where his mother used to take in foster kids before there was really any foster care. He grew up with a bunch of kids in the house, Just had no place to go. And then when I was growing up, my dad, People would show up at our house and sometimes stay for a month or two, had nowhere to stay. And he was our Boy Scout leader, and he. And he served as an assistant baseball coach, and he built a community center for free.
So he's always been a giving person. So I think I picked that up from him about helping other people. Giving.
It's just. I don't really think about it. It's just what. What I do, you know?
[00:09:21] Speaker A: Well, I think that's exactly what authenticity means.
So we are going to go to a quick commercial break, but when we come back, I'd like to talk about how you sort of transitioned from, you know, LAPD into brand building. So stay tuned. We'll be right back.
[00:09:36] Speaker B: Yeah. Okay, cool. I love it.
[00:09:39] Speaker A: All right. We'll be right back with more stories of resilience and renewal. This is Life rewritten on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Vanessa Lagoa. And you're watching Life Rewritten on NOW Media Television.
Welcome back to Life Rewritten. If you want more of what you're watching, stay connected to Life Rewritten and every NOW Media TV favorite live or on demand, anytime you like, Download the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS and unlock non stop bilingual programming in both English and Spanish. You can also listen to the podcast version right from our website at www.nowmedia.tv. from business and news to lifestyle, culture and beyond, Now Media TV is streaming around the clock. Ready wherever you are.
We are back with Bruce Cardenas. Bruce is a man of service who has experienced life as a marine, an LAPD officer and now a brand manager and coach. Welcome back, Bruce. Thank you for being here with us.
So Bruce, thank you, thank you. So can you tell us about how you connected with Quest?
[00:10:58] Speaker B: Yeah, that was a very serendipitous meeting. You know, I had, you know, things were going great. I had my bodyguard, business was doing tremendously well.
And I met a woman named Shannon Pennant in the gym. She goes by Quest creator and her husband Ron and you know, became fast gym acquaintances. And then I, over a period of time she, you know, gave me a couple of protein bars and said they, she just started making them in her kitchen and her husband figured out how to commercialize it, which was fascinating. And I remember I took them and tried a Masar a week later and said they were great. You know, at the time, the taste, the texture and ingredients, it was really a very unique bar for its time. Nothing was better.
And we chatted again and she seemed so excited about telling me about it. She, you know, I call her a super foodie and she ended up making the first, first 14 flavors in her kitchen.
But with that said, you know, I felt compelled just getting to know them that I offered them help. I, I had a lot of security accounts at the time. I was protecting a lot of people and I, I was doing a security at celebrity golf tournament that following week. I said hey, I, I don't know if I could help you, but I could probably get product to the PR person and maybe you can get it in some celebrities hands. And they were over the moon. They, they delivered products my house and I remember getting, I gave it to my friend who was doing the PR and she got it in a lot of celebrities hands. And that started our relationship a very unorthodox way. But then the next week, you know, I did, I was doing security on a set of extra Mario Lopez. I had that account for a long Time and brought it to that show. And it just. It just compounded. I was on early. Early days of Kardashian shows. We were on the set, on the different sets of the show, and it just evolved into something that was not, you know, it wasn't intended to happen. It just. They were cool people and they're, you know, getting me product, and it just kind of. I was just doing it, like, for fun. I didn't get paid. I was just doing it for fun.
[00:12:54] Speaker A: Yeah, but I mean, that goes to show that just having those connections and having those authentic conversations and, you know, that's what can lead, I think, to the best types of business deals. And the fact that you were doing that, not 100%, but just to do it because, like you said, cool people, you liked the product they had, I think that that sets you apart in the industry.
[00:13:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:21] Speaker A: Do you. What do you think? Set them.
[00:13:24] Speaker B: Yeah, it definitely evolved into something.
[00:13:27] Speaker A: No, go ahead.
[00:13:29] Speaker B: I think. Well, I think their authenticity, I mean, she was just a very nice person who was making these bars and very humble. They didn't have any success at that time. It was just a very small protein bar company.
Yeah. It's interesting, after. After helping them for about nine months, I remember Ron met with me and. And kind of was like, hey, you're bringing us all this value. You know, we feel like we're stealing from you.
And I remember saying to him, well, I get free protein bars. And, you know, he laughed and.
And said, well, you know, we want to put you on the payroll starting next week. And I said I didn't want their money.
And he said, you give it to charity, do whatever you want, but, you know, we feel compelled to pay you. And that kind of just started our relationship, and it became really a calling, a why and purpose for me that I never thought I would be even in that space, let alone working with a company that became the second fastest growing company in the country.
[00:14:23] Speaker A: But I think that the fact that you have the product in hand and you're putting it in the hands of other people, giving it to them, instead of saying, like, hey, let's set up this meeting where we're going to sit down and I'm going to tell you about why this company is so great. Instead you're showing them and you're, you know, you're bringing value to the company by just being. Having these conversations, you know, and I feel like that allows the people whose hand putting the product in to trust you.
[00:14:56] Speaker B: Yeah, that's kind of how it happened. Yeah.
[00:14:58] Speaker A: Yeah. And so then now today you work with Legendary.
[00:15:04] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We sold, we sold quest 5 years ago this month to Atkins and it was, it was our, you know, plan. We brought in someone to help do that and we actually secured the name Legendary Foods a year before we sold Quest and just started it as like a side hustle, making nut butters and seasoned nuts. You know, we had a non compete so we didn't make anything with protein.
And there again that just evolved into something bigger than we thought, you know, and, and now it's, you know, it'll be on, I think, I think we're gonna exceed Quest numbers, you know, one day we're on track to do some cool things in the food space. It's just Legendary is a little different. They're more relatable foods, you know, protein pastries which people refer to as Pop Tarts and sweet rolls. And we have donuts out now and we have macaroni and cheese launching at the end of the year. So. So more relatable foods and we're having better, better feedback, honestly.
[00:15:56] Speaker A: Yeah. And you know, I just have to say that I, I told you I was in one of my local grocery stores and I'm like, wow, look at this. This is like Bruce's, you know, partner company, this whole row of them. So I grabbed a couple and you know, truth be told, I'm not usually a fan. I'm usually like about protein bars, bars.
And I took my first bite and I'm like, wow, that. Is that really that good? And so then naturally I ate the whole thing quickly and was like, wow, that was so. It was really, really a good product. So I like hearing about good people who are running good companies that have good products. So.
[00:16:36] Speaker B: All right, thank you.
[00:16:37] Speaker A: That was just my kind of cheap plug today that the bars really are, I mean they really are fantastic. And, and my kids were really drawn to the packaging and they're like, wow, it's so cool. Like it's like a Pop Tart.
So very cool. And I'm glad to see that in here that the products are, you know, you're going to be launching more products.
So tell us a little bit about your private security business as much as you can.
[00:17:05] Speaker B: So there that again, you know. Yeah, no, I was. So I started doing that in the Marine Corps. I was selected for an assignment and started protecting some government officials as like a temporary assigned duty. So I had once again that knack about serving other people or being a servant leader behind the scenes. And, and while when I was a Police officer. I actually took a police report from a retired Beverly Hills police officer who had started a security company.
And after, you know, taking the report from him and, and he said, you know, I, I really like, like you Bruce. You're really nice guy.
I have the security business. I don't know if you'd be interested, but if you have time like on nights or weekends, you know, when I wasn't working as a police officer and he told me what I, what he did and I was like, yeah, I'd love to try it. And he actually took care of a lot of who's who people, big names. And I started working for him pretty much anytime I had time off for any weekends or nights. And it evolved, this once again evolved to something bigger than I thought it was going to be. And after help helping him for about six months or a year, I, I said I, I think I want to start my own business. I know I could do this. And I, and I did. I started just that and told, told a couple of my friends, one of them owned a transportation business which chauffeured a lot of these people around. And he then connected me to a few people and just it became literally bigger than I could ever imagine. I mean I was taking care of a lot of people, you know, by first name only in the entertainment space for years. I've had some of the Same clients for 20 and 30 years now that and I still to this day I have the security business. It's just not as big because it's hard to. People want me to be available. It's hard to send, I mean I send other people, but it's not the same. So.
But I still do it. And it just became, once again it became. Then I really was an entrepreneur because I had to figure out my own payroll, everything that was responsible for business. And I will say this, I'm really good at the front end of building relationships and getting accounts and having people trust me. But I didn't know anything about the banking, anything to do with any of that. And I almost went out of business because I remember I was doing quite well.
And my bookkeeper and lovely lady, she worked from her house, she was a bookkeeper, she wrote checks for me and she called me and said my payroll was due on Friday and I think it was $75,000 and I had 25 in the bank and I didn't understand how that was possible. She said, well a lot of people owe you money. And I started calling people the studios and you know, when you, when Big companies owe you money. They're 30, 60 days, they don't care. I mean, they're just, you're in the system. And, and it was a real eye opener because I almost went out of business because I couldn't. It was weird. I'm doing literally a couple million dollars a year, but yet I don't have enough money to make payroll. I was like, that's crazy. And I survived it, but it was a big education and, but I was able to accomplish a lot of things. I mean, I was. I bought my mom a brand new car with my first year of success. So that was, you know, that was, that was very rewarding considering, you know, I always feel like you never will do enough for your parents. Like, I feel like, I mean, I might be joking a little bit. I think we're a burden on for the first 18 years of our life, you know, or maybe longer. And so the fact I was able to do something for them was kind of cool.
[00:20:06] Speaker A: So that is very cool. Well, Bruce, we're going to go to a quick commercial break, and when we come back, we'll talk a little bit more about, you know, what you're up to next. Okay, so stay tuned. We'll be right back. Okay, we'll be right back. With more stories of resilience and renewal. The this is Life Rewritten on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Vanessa Lagoa, and you're watching Life Rewritten on NOW Media Television.
Welcome back to Life Rewritten. I'm your host, Vanessa Lagoa. Today we're here with Bruce Cardenas, who is just a man who does it all.
We started talking in the last segment a little bit about Bruce's business where he does private security for some, I would say a list celebrities. Is that correct, Bruce?
[00:20:55] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say so. You know, celebrities and CEOs and founders of companies, entrepreneurs.
[00:21:01] Speaker A: So what does that look like when somebody reaches out to you and they want to hire you to do some security for them? What does that look like?
[00:21:14] Speaker B: I think it looks like, you know, listen, security is, I call it a necessary evil.
I don't think anyone really wants it or desires it. Sometimes it's because of the level of success they've had.
But when they need it, you know, most, most of my clients take it pretty seriously or know that, you know, sadly, we live in a world where people live vicariously through what they see on social media or what they read. And I've had clients that, that, you know, people want to connect with Them or feel there's some connection because how they see them in a TV or music video. So I've always been great. Like I said, the servant leader role and staying behind the scenes, you know, a lot of security is not just the bodyguard type thing. It's more a lot of logistics getting people in and out of situations and in and out of places where we're never seen.
You know, I've done a lot of high profile weddings where, you know, the media is sitting outside and we'll, we'll put the talent in like the flower van as we leave to get to, you know, to get to their honeymoon destination.
A lot of it is, you'll never see, you'll never know.
But there, there's some scary situations, there's some bad people that, you know, try and do harm to others, but you, that goes with the territory. But most of it, I think for the most part, if I think I, I mostly deal with overzealous fans. If you're dealing with like a, a performer. Right.
If you're dealing with a CEO, you might deal with people that are a little more aggressive when it comes to business. Like they got fired because someone bought a company. And those, those are, you know, you have different tiers of like seriousness you have to take.
[00:22:43] Speaker A: Right, right. Well, I, I, it's probably like the most cliche example, but I think of the, of Selena back in the day and how, you know, she had her stalker and, and I like how you say, like it sounds like you, you have to bring a lot of creativity into what you're doing. You know, you're putting people in the back of flower vans. I mean, that's pretty creative.
[00:23:05] Speaker B: Yeah.
100. It's much more like. I've always been known as a logistic logistics guy. I'm not whether biggest or not. I mean, mine is to avoid situations and get in and out. And I, I also learned a lot. I didn't share this with you, but my first training officer at, in the, with the lapd, he was, he taught me a lesson about listening, listening skills. And at first he was a little rough with me, but he said, you know, listening, listening to people with the intent to understand them is going to bring a lot of value to your life, Bruce, and it's going to keep us alive. And I, even when I was doing the bodyguard work, I realized I have to listen to what people are saying, either either the talent or their assistant or even the fans.
And a lot of people don't listen in life, you'd be surprised how many people process what they want to hear? They'll cut you off. So I've become a really good listener, and that's really got me some success in the bot. In this, in the protection business too, because I listen to everything that people need, want and desire and then figure out, okay, how do I navigate these waters? Because a lot of celebrities, more so have expectations are not realistic, but yet you still want to exceed them, you know, so, you know, they wanna, they wanna touch, they wanna connect with their fans, but they also have to be safe. You know, I mean, I've had celebrities get out of the car and just jump right in the crowd and shaking hands and, you know, you always have to worry about those things. But it's a lot of planning and logistics, but it's fun. I, I enjoy it.
[00:24:28] Speaker A: Yeah, I would imagine that it's, it's pretty intense at times. And, you know, you're, I'm picturing this person jumping out of the car and you're like, oh, my gosh.
Yeah, this is not what we talked about. But I think, I would imagine that a lot of these celebrities who come to you are sort of used to people making decisions for them in their lives. And like you said, they just want to be listened to and they want, you know, they want to be able to interact, but they want to be safe. And for you to listen to them and take into account it's meaningful to them is probably very important.
[00:25:01] Speaker B: Yeah. Especially if they're established. They already know, like, the routine and that, what, what the protocols are, per se. But I get it. Like, listen, especially people that are in public image and they maybe have a movie just released. You want to be perceived as that approachable person. You want, you don't want to be like, oh, my security wouldn't let me come shake your hand or sign an autograph. So it's, it's a balancing act. It really is.
And then I have to also manage, you know, expectations. Like, I, I've been with the same, I have one client I've been with for 10 years, and she'll go to dinner, and I always sit at the bar. They always invite me to join them, and I always politely don't because I, I, I shouldn't be at their table. But I always have to monitor the entire restaurant.
And I will literally watch someone, a couple, talking about the talent, saying, oh, hey, okay, listen, let's go say you read their lips almost.
And then I'll watch them get up to go approach them. I'll, hey, can you wait till we're leaving the restaurant. Because not everyone, I always say this, not everyone has a social intelligence to know when to approach people. There's some people who just, they'll approach a celebrity while they're in the middle of eating, you know, spaghetti. Hey, can I get an autograph and a picture instead of waiting till maybe we're leaving. So that's also. It's almost like you have to really have some social skills and intelligence to read a room too to know, okay, how do I approach this without being, you know, perceived as a not a nice person, you know.
[00:26:17] Speaker A: Right. You're almost teaching the fans social emotional intelligence.
[00:26:22] Speaker B: Yeah. Like I'll say hey, we'll grab you on the way out. But right now, you know, could let her can her, can she enjoy. Enjoy her dinner with her kids or whatever, you know, or he or whatever.
[00:26:30] Speaker A: Right. Do you have any like wild unhinged stories or anything that's ever happened that you can think?
[00:26:40] Speaker B: Yeah, I've had a couple people, like I said, people live vicariously through others. And I had someone, one of the, one of the, one of the most famous families that everyone looks up to in our, in our country that has a reality show.
They've had fans show up at the, at the gates of their house. Like I had a kid, you know, took a one way bus ticket with his, with his luggage showing up at one of the, one of the to girls houses thinking that they were destined to get married. And that's kind of scary because we had to get police involved in restraining orders because you know, like what's going on in their brain that they believe that's right. Even a reality. So. And that's when it's a little more like okay, like I could laugh behind the scenes, like that's crazy. But like that's very serious too. Like holy cow, you, you really believe that this person's your future. Whatever. So those are a little scary.
You know the. For the most part I've dealt with a lot of good people. It's just that that one, it's not even 1%, it's less than that are they're unhinged. And whether it's mental illness or what you know, sadly that does happen.
[00:27:44] Speaker A: Well and I think that.
[00:27:44] Speaker B: But it's also, it's crazy.
[00:27:47] Speaker A: Go ahead, continue.
[00:27:49] Speaker B: No, but I've also expanded my business over the last now 20 years to just female, primarily females, but females that are just regular people that have stalkers and you know, you know, everyone knows this. Like they're. There are guys that get unhinged. And I had to intervene with this. Regular working women that had problem or executive women that, you know, people, you know, people, there's, there's a different caliber of people that don't, don't either don't handle rejection well or don't understand, like what the world really means. So I've had to deal with not only celebrities, but regular people too.
[00:28:23] Speaker A: Right. And I think that, you know, social media can be such an amazing, powerful place of connection. But, but, you know, sometimes when you take somebody who is struggling with some mental illness and, you know, reality hasn't quite sunk in, it can become dangerous because you're seeing where people are hanging out. You're seeing where people are, what their children look like, what their names are. It's almost like so much extra access to these people.
[00:28:51] Speaker B: Yeah. And that's something I tell not only even my clients, even my female friend or guy, for anyone, just, hey, don't post in real time. Don't, don't, hey, by the way, I'm just walking into this restaurant, you know, post after you leave. That pertains to everyone, I mean, because you never know who's following you and there's a lot of strange things in the world. So, you know, it's just a precautionary thing.
[00:29:12] Speaker A: Right. I bet you have the habit, like many police officers, of always sitting facing the door.
[00:29:20] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm not, you know, but it's funny, I'm not paranoid Pete, as I say, but I tell my friends if I'm not watching door, I said, you guys better tell me if someone's going to come in here and shoot me. So, like, yeah, but no, yeah, I, like I, I, you know, I'm, I'm really a visual person. I observe. I'm not paranoid at all. But I always look around like there's been situations where I've been with a group of friends at a Denny's at one o' clock in the morning and there's, you know, some, I say, guys, we should get going because those guys over there are drunk and they're gonna, it's gonna be a problem. I just, I avoid situations. I don't try and seek them out, you know, exactly.
[00:29:54] Speaker A: Oh, and you're, you're on high alert.
Whether you, it's probably just become second nature. My husband is a, is a police sergeant and I'm very used to having that.
He's also not nervous or paranoid, but he doesn't miss a beat. He sees everything that's going on. He hears, you know, he's very, he's hyper. Vigilant.
[00:30:15] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I'm vigilant and, but you know, there's a balance in life. Like I, I have a good time. I'm not about, you know, I, I, I, I trust everyone probably too much, but I'm also very keen on who people are and what's going on around me. And you know, like I said, I'm not, I'm not trying to save the world. I do want to make sure I protect my friends and family for sure, you know.
[00:30:36] Speaker A: Right.
No, absolutely. Do you think that people that you're working with, one on one can see your sense of like bit of a calm? You're not, you're not super anxious like that, that brings them a sense of peace, like, okay, I don't have to worry. Bruce is here.
[00:30:53] Speaker B: Y.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, yes, the anti oppression course. I think that's why I've had a long career and reputation doing this because people come back, whether they pay me accolades or it's the assistant or the manager, because I've had clients that I very, I don't engage much with the client themselves. It's usually an assistant or a manager or someone in their, in their team. Right.
But many of them said, hey, you know, they, they want you back. And, and I never asked for accolades, but they want you back because you were like, you like, were no nonsense, you paid attention, you did what you needed to do. A lot of people in those positions, like security, become too comfortable, become too friendly.
I'm a friendly person, but I'm not, I'm not friends with these people. And I always tell my guys or girls that work, men that women that work for me, they're not looking for friends. Do not think because you spent a day on the movie set with them that your friend, you don't need to say, oh yeah, that was amazing or your, your video was cool. They don't care. Like, don't I just assume, say nothing other than good morning when you see them, but people sometimes get caught up and I've never done that. I've been around people for 10 years and there's no happy birthday. There's, I just they're there service.
And I know we have mutual respect, but I'm never going to go to dinner with them. Does that make sense?
[00:32:11] Speaker A: Yeah, you're not, you're not blurring the lines. And I think that that's part of.
[00:32:15] Speaker B: Never and I never.
[00:32:17] Speaker A: Right. And that gives them that, that's why.
[00:32:19] Speaker B: People, that's why people keep following me. Yeah.
[00:32:21] Speaker A: Right.
Well, that's business.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: Yeah, it's good for business. But not every, believe me, I've seen people lose, lose customers. And it's in all aspects just because they think, they think there's more to it than just business, right?
[00:32:34] Speaker A: Correct. Well, we're going to go to our last commercial break and come back. We will talk a little bit about what you have coming up next.
We'll be right back.
[00:32:44] Speaker B: All right.
[00:32:45] Speaker A: We'll be right back with more stories of resilience and renewal. This is Life Rewritten on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Vanessa Lagoa and you're watching Life Rewritten on NOW Media Television.
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So welcome back, Bruce, and thank you for being here.
We are going to wrap up today talking about what you have going on next. So I know that you are working on finalizing your first book, correct?
[00:33:49] Speaker B: Yeah, my first book.
[00:33:50] Speaker A: Okay, so tell us a little bit about that. What, what is it going to be titled and what should we be looking for?
[00:33:57] Speaker B: It's titled Lead with Value, which has been kind of the theme of my life, leading, you know, bringing in value to other people with no expectations in return.
And it dives in. You know, honestly, I never had a book in me or I never thought I did. As a matter of fact, I would never, I, first of all, self doubt would have never allowed me to write a book or would I have never thought, why would anyone read my book? I always had the saying, unless you're Tom Brady who's reading your book or, you know, maybe your mom. Right?
But I, I spent a day with a guy named Bedros Coolian who's a personal coach and we worked out together and we spent the day together and know, do you know Bedros, right?
[00:34:33] Speaker A: Yes or no?
[00:34:34] Speaker B: Yeah.
And we spent the day together and he said, you know, Bruce, he goes, everyone on earth has a book in them.
It's their own story. He goes, you might have seven or eight books. And I'm like, no. And he goes, no, seriously, like Just spending a day with you. Like, I'm overwhelmed with all the stuff you've done, so that caused me to write it. And it's really about.
Yeah, there's a little bit of my, there's my story along the way, the dumb kid from New Jersey, per se, but all my learnings, how my dad taught me, work ethic and, and, and then I just tied a course into it, which I think I'm going to be very selective on because I don't want to be that guy that's just like, hey, I'm trying to sell a course. I'm trying to sell a book. I really want to bring value to people and I am a big believer. If I sell a book, great. If I don't, cool. But if I can change a couple of people's lives or maybe help them avoid all the pitfalls I have or the landmines or whatever you want to call them, and maybe fast track some things in life, both personal, business, fitness, all. All the above. You know, why not? So I don't, I don't say I have all the answers, but I might have some answers.
[00:35:36] Speaker A: Well, you might have all the answers that somebody needs to, to hear when they pick up that book.
[00:35:43] Speaker B: Yeah, so, so that's, that's my goal. And. Yeah. And, and tied in with that, I, I started a website. It's my name, brucecardenas.com and I don't want to use the word coach. I want to help people achieve their life dreams and maybe find their why and purpose. And if that means one on one, I don't really want to become a coach of coaches and have all these zoom calls. I'd rather just be able to help individuals one on one. And maybe that's not scalable, but I think it's more rewarding for me anyway.
[00:36:11] Speaker A: You know, I totally understand and respect that. Yeah. And I think that because you already have this experience working one on one with people in a very personal setting, you'll excel in that.
Now, I know that we talked about prior to the call, we talked about, you know, pieces of your book. So you have recently had your own personal physical transformation. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
[00:36:40] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I've always worked out, I've always been a bodybuilder lifting weights, and I competed in powerlifting. But I've also always struggled with weight. And I, and I think I mentioned earlier my first transformation, I lost 30 plus pounds in Marine Corps boot camp.
But over the course of time, I've, you know, I, I, I remember in my peak, when I was in my fittest in my late 20s and 30s, I weighed like 250 and had a 34 inch waist. And fast forward 15 years after that I was 250 and had a 41 inch waist. So I've gone the gamut. And, and I think, I don't know, 120 days ago, actually it was, I, I saw a picture of myself on stage talk and I was like, God, that guy's fat.
Like I said, you know, I didn't want to post any pictures on social media and my friend at the time owned a meal prep company, said, why don't you just give my food a try? And all I ask you is three things, Bruce.
Eat what's in the cooler, nothing else. Drink a gallon of water a day, and I need you to weigh yourself every morning and send me a picture of the scale, which I thought was weird, but I did it.
And in, in 80 days I lost 55 pounds. Actually in 90 days I lost like 58 pounds. So I'm, you know, I'm, I'm maintaining my high school wrestling weight right now, which is crazy.
Wow. But it was all because of food, drinking water and, and not cheating.
[00:38:00] Speaker A: Well, and having the discipline to stick with.
[00:38:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:38:04] Speaker A: What was presented to you that would work.
[00:38:08] Speaker B: You know. Yeah. Discipline is a funny thing. I've always been disciplined. But it's very easy to become undisciplined in certain aspects of your life.
[00:38:14] Speaker A: Yes. So I would certainly.
[00:38:16] Speaker B: And we live in a world of food and pleasure.
[00:38:20] Speaker A: We do. And food is one of those tricky things that, you know. So I've been sober almost seven years, so I can avoid alcohol. I don't have to drink alcohol. I don't drink alcohol.
[00:38:30] Speaker B: Right.
[00:38:30] Speaker A: I cannot avoid eating food. I have to eat. And, and I know it comes down to making good choices. I understand that. But we live in this society where it's like, okay, you can just go through a drive through and grab something and you know, it's exactly a lot harder to be disciplined with your diet, I think even than any other drug really, because it's so easily accessible.
[00:38:55] Speaker B: It really is now. You're absolutely right. And that's kind of one of the things I'm like, I'm not pitching legendary, but I'm saying that like it's a healthier option. So sometimes I get cravings and I'll warm up a pastry in the, in the microwave for 15 seconds, something. Oh, that was pretty good. Like I felt like instead of having like whatever Oreos or Haagen Daz ice cream. Okay, that, that curved my cravings.
So, yeah, I mean, listen, we live in a society where everything's, everything's based around food anyway. Hey, let's get together for a snack. Let's get there.
So I just had to just change my mindset a little more. Like, hey, I'm in it for the long game.
I really need to live longer. And, and you know, being a healthy weight and being fit is, is, is important. You know, especially.
[00:39:36] Speaker A: You want to lead by example. And so you're, you, you're showing up in all these other areas of your life as a leader and of service. And then like you said, you see a photograph of yourself and you're disappointed and you think, like, how am I going to lead people to have transformation if I haven't done it myself?
[00:39:54] Speaker B: Exactly. And you know, I made it the last chapter of my book because, you know, a lot of people have some great success, but yet I see people, whether I know them personally or not, in their 40s just dying of heart attacks and they're like, oh, they were £40.
And not saying we're all going to die, but I think if you lead a healthier life, you could probably, you know, live to see your kids have grandkids or whatever. So it makes no sense. I see a lot of my successful friends do not live a healthy life, but they're, but they're multimillionaires. I'm thinking, God, that's going to be sad because they put money before everything.
So I think it's important to find a balance in your life.
[00:40:34] Speaker A: No, I couldn't agree any more. I mean, I also think that sometimes with success comes more money, and with more money comes more options and more fine dining and more opportunities to just have in excess. And, and it's.
[00:40:48] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And one of the. One. My key to this is, by the way, because I've had it like in, in the last. I went, I went out to eat twice and, and I went to a Mexican restaurant and I, and I had some chips. But I also was in my brain. Okay, don't, don't be the normal Bruce. Where I would eat two bat two baskets of chips, right? And my coach said it's all good to do that. But the next day, get right back on your plan. Don't make it where you went out for Mexican rest, food.
And then the next day, well, it's a brunch with your girlfriends. Oh, and then it's a birthday and then it's Five days later, you're still like justifying the extra thousand calories a day. So to me, it's like, I cheat. I'm right back on the plan.
[00:41:27] Speaker A: And that's exactly when I coach people with their sobriety recovery journeys. And you know, sometimes people are like, oh, I slipped up and I had a couple beers and I'm like, okay, well, you know, you don't, you don't need to keep going with that. Like, you stop now, you're aware of it and you, you make, you know, the right changes going forward. You don't have to self sabotage indefinitely because you made a poor choice.
[00:41:50] Speaker B: So yeah, I think that's the biggest thing is recovering or regrouping, whatever you call it, and be okay. I'm back on track. And, and because it's, I think it's all aspects of life, honestly, people mess up every day. But okay, let me get back on track.
[00:42:03] Speaker A: Right? Right, Absolutely. So when you're looking to, or if somebody's looking to work with you, what does that kind of look like for them? And, and how do they go about setting up time to, you know, see if you two are a match?
[00:42:21] Speaker B: That's interesting. It's funny. If we're match, it's like dating, right? You have to. So I always offer people a free.
Dave Meltzer taught me this.
He speaks to events, he puts his phone or phone number, phone number up on the, on the screen and I do the same thing and I tell people, hey, I'll give you, I'll give you five or ten minutes free. Like, just call me. I don't believe in you. Don't email and filling out a form and just call me or text me and let's talk and see if it's a good fit, you know, and then if it is, I'm not. And I'm not, you know, Interesting. I sometimes tell people the answers are right in front of you. You may not even need me, you know, maybe you're just not looking in the right places. I'm not looking to just make a money grab. If someone really needs help, and I hope I can help them, I'll help them for free. Unless it becomes a business where they make sense. Okay, I could afford this and, or they can afford me and I'm going to help scale it. I think there's nothing worse than someone taking someone's money and then there's no, I use this term.
I, I, I don't want to meet your expectations, I want to exceed them. So I don't want to take Your money. And then you're saying, oh Bruce, that was like I didn't really learn anything. Oh well, here's your money back. I want you to, I want, if you did pay me, oh my God, like that was worth a lot. Like I think I owe you more money. Like that's how I deal with people. So I'm not saying, I'm definitely not, I'm definitely not this person for everybody for sure. Because I'm not just looking to take your money. I'm not looking to sell you a course. And if we get along great, I, I hope I can help. And, and maybe we could do some cool things together.
Right.
[00:43:51] Speaker A: So it's a more hope that makes sense personal approach to working with somebody and if they want to work with you or they can reach out to you on your website.
[00:44:02] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, my website. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Or I think my, I think my cell phone's on the website. So I love that.
[00:44:10] Speaker A: I do think that's important to have those conversations with people.
[00:44:14] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's personal, right? I mean, and it's funny because I equate it to everything in life. I mean we don't all, we don't do business with everyone, we don't date everyone. We. It's got to be, it's got to be a good fit for both of us, correct?
[00:44:27] Speaker A: Absolutely. So I ask all my guests this question I'm going to ask you and I never give anybody time to think about it. It's sort of just unprompted here.
If you were to name the next chapter of your life, what would you name it?
[00:44:44] Speaker B: Not leading with value, but so here what's going to be called? It would be called Finding answers in Metabolic Disease. That's the next chapter of my life. I didn't tell you this but at Legendary we've hung out with the same group of guys, mostly guys, but some girls, but I say most a bunch of guys for the last 16 years.
And when people hang out, you talk about all kinds of crazy things. And what we've, what we've concluded is our group, we are all going to be affected by cancer or heart disease, whether it's us directly or indirectly. And we've all been affected. So we have started a non profit foundation called Bioshift Research foundation and we spend an on God, I would tell you, I think last year we spent $7 million of our own money just on cancer research in house. We have our own labs, we have our own tech. So to answer your question, it's going to be about curing metabolic disease and helping our friends and family live longer. So that's my next chapter. I say this tongue in cheek. I sell donuts to cure cancer.
Ultimately we will start be much more talking about it. But right. We just, we, we didn't just start it. We were doing this for 10 years but now we're becoming more vocal about it because we're really finding answers and we're flying people in, we're paying a lot of money and that's it. So I don't know if I, I answered directly, but it is going to be a different chapter in bringing more value but where people are going to live longer.
[00:46:07] Speaker A: I hope that is so incredible. I mean, everybody knows somebody who is unfortunately struggling with cancer or heart disease or both. And that is, that's just what a phenomenal way to end this conversation and to just sort of sum up how you are a man who just really gives and is of service and genuinely is out there to help people in their life. And I think what a great next chapter.
I really look forward to seeing all that you guys do with that and for sure following that.
So I really want to thank you for being here with us today and taking the time to speak with us and share all the different facets of your life and your energy with us. So thank you.
[00:46:58] Speaker B: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
[00:47:00] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you for joining us on Life Rewritten. Stay tuned and we will have more stories for you in the days to come. Thank you.
