Avoiding the Harm of the Mediocre Man with Jon Baker
Download MP3Jon Baker: when I saw Brian
Hirschbrunner's progress a year
and a half ago, I was like, wow.
I've been spinning my wheels.
I'd go to the gym like a lot
of you, I'd go to the gym five,
six days a week, call it good.
The gym was a hobby for me.
You know, nothing more.
There was no progress.
Um, but I, I felt like I had found
the way, like the true way, right?
So, but again, I'm skeptical like
a lot of you, like, if you purchase
products from Instagram, you know,
or, but, but this one felt different.
Kyle Carnohan: Welcome to the Superhuman
Father's Transformation Podcast.
If you're listening to this, you're
about to witness some of the most
incredible transformations that have
ever happened on the planet, and just
by listening to this, you will be
inspired to have your own transformation.
If you're listening to this for the
first time, or you're one of the brothers
in the brotherhood, go leave a review
on the podcast and let the brother or
member know how amazing they did and
how incredible their transformation was.
I'm Kyle Carnahan, founder of
Superhuman Fathers, and not only
am I gonna change your life, I'm
gonna get you ripped as fuck.
Ryan Carnohan: This is gonna be good.
But anyways, I can't wait.
This is gonna be awesome.
I'm on fire this mo er, this afternoon.
And John Baker's already here.
Epic, dude.
I wanna talk to John Baker actually
right now, just don't, you know,
we don't do the interview yet,
but John Baker, where you at dude,
Jon Baker: where's your face?
Ryan Carnohan: Let's see.
Oh yeah, I can see you.
Dude, okay.
So, obviously you can tell
I'm fired up right now.
I was excited for this one.
Um, but you guys, I don't want
to take too much from John's
time, but I, um, so, okay.
18 months ago or so, maybe a little
bit more, I'm fat and I'm sad.
Okay?
I'm depressed.
And I have a few months where I
push, I think I was like, maybe a,
how many months was I ahead of you?
I don't remember.
Was I six months ahead of
you or something, John?
I don't know.
Yeah, but I'm like Yeah, like I'm
shredded like I'm down I'm like 5
percent body fat But I still have this
imposter syndrome a little bit because
we were a smaller group and it's growing
and I'm stepping into these shoes It's
kind
Ryan Carnohan: of like a coach, you know,
not really knowing like can I do this?
I was in that spot like am I worthy kind
of feeling coming up and uh, I just was
I still didn't know yet You know, I kind
of that feeling we all get go through
and I'm sure John will bring this up
But when you get posted you're kind
of like, okay Well now what you know?
Like nothing's really changed.
I haven't achieved.
I mean Achievements don't define me.
I really just like failure
doesn't define me It's what I do.
And so at this point, I think it was
Ryan Christiansen that had been posted Or
was just about to be when you signed up.
I can't remember if it
was after or right before.
Um, it was right around the Goggins
challenge and I'm not a runner.
I didn't even know that this existed.
If you guys don't know what the Goggins
challenge is, it's like you run four
miles every four hours for 48 hours.
It's like four, 48 miles or something.
And I'm not, I don't run and I'm a weirdo.
And I was just like, I hadn't told
anybody it was the night of starting it.
I just heard about it that day.
And I'm on the phone with John Baker, like
our first call, you know, that the high
school, you know, building this stuff
and, and I just hear this energy
on the phone and I just slips out.
It just slips out like, I think
I might do the Goggins challenge.
And he just was like, yeah, you know, like
he's like, and I just right then I knew
he was like my hype man, I had stepped
in, he like confirmed like solidified
my ability to just Not even coach, I
don't even worry about just, but, but
be together with you guys, and to, and
to, and to step into that, like, I can
lead here, I can do this, and so then I
did it, and I, one of the reasons why I
did it, and I did it around my apartment
complex, by myself, just in freaking
circles, was because of you, John Baker,
every single time I told you I was gonna
do that, that night, I said, I'm doing
it, after it came out of my mouth, I was
like, Why did I just say that, you know?
And I crushed it!
I crushed it, man!
Because of John Baker.
And I bring that up because
John inspired me just starting.
He was still fat.
Do you see what we do for each other?
It wasn't so much that I was the coach.
It was that he saw something special
in me, and so in our group, this
is what we do for each other.
Don't hesitate to throw
out those compliments.
Also, don't hesitate to take
them and live up to them.
If one of the guys says you're a savage,
remember that early in the morning.
John Baker said I was a savage.
I'm a savage, right?
Remember that when you're gonna
have an argument with your wife.
John Baker told me I'm a savage.
What would he think?
I know it sounds silly, but now,
we have this moment, we have this
moment to tell John Baker that.
And it means everything.
You're a savage, John Baker.
Thanks, bro.
Love you, man.
So, um, hell yeah.
Welcome.
And let's just,
Matt Warner: let's just get into this.
Ryan Carnohan: Um, so, oh, also
John Baker is a savage because
he shares the gym with the ox.
Just so you know.
So, but, uh, all right, John Baker,
let's just, we're just going to go, bro.
Let's, uh, background.
Let's just get the story where you
were, how you found superhuman fathers,
maybe why you pulled the trigger.
Just, just kind of where
Jon Baker: you were.
Yeah.
So, so I was, I was, uh, an
overweight, Um, guy that thought
I was successful, you know?
Um, uh, family man that would
occasionally lose his temper,
would turn into a little bitch.
You know, um, just, just very
mediocre, middle grounded guy.
And I just, with all due respect to
maybe some of the guys that aren't
religious, but I was saying my prayers,
um, in this particular prayer, I was very
specific and said, you know, I need help.
I need help to get out of this rut.
I'm not inspiring anybody.
I'm not inspiring myself.
And I kind of said my prayer, left it
there and The next day I texted, uh, my
buddy Ryan Christiansen, who's a long time
member of Superhuman Fathers, and just
checked in with him and another buddy that
we went to high school together with, and
said, hey, let's, let's go grab lunch.
And so some of you have heard this
story, but we went to this Chinese
restaurant and you know, my fatness, I
was just really excited to have Chinese
food and get the meat sweats later.
Um, so I'm looking at the menu all
excited and my buddy Rob's excited, you
know, like, what are we going to have?
And I look across the table and
Ryan Christiansen has this concerned
slash studying look on his face.
Like he's just trying to dissect.
This menu and I'm like,
Ryan, what's going on?
What's the problem?
And he says, well, I just, I got to
check and see how this food's cooked.
And I got to check the nutrition facts.
And I'm like, what?
So that leads to him showing me his before
and after picture, his steady progress.
And, uh, one thing led to another.
Basically, when I saw his progress, when
I saw Brian Hirschbrunner's progress a
year and a half ago, I was like, wow.
I've been spinning my wheels.
I'd go to the gym like a lot
of you, I'd go to the gym five,
six days a week, call it good.
The gym was a hobby for me.
You know, nothing more.
There was no progress.
Um, but I, I felt like I had found
the way, like the true way, right?
So, but again, I'm skeptical like
a lot of you, like, if you purchase
products from Instagram, you know,
or, but, but this one felt different.
So, I was still trying to prove it
out and see if it was, was legit.
And so, um, I, uh, I told Ryan,
I'm like, Ryan, I'm all in,
get me Kyle's contact info.
And anyways, like, Hey, I let
Kyle know that you're interested.
And like not even an hour later, Kyle
calls me and we have this inspiring
discussion, like, you know, I shared
with him, dude, I'm struggling.
And it was funny because you can
tell like he cared, but he also,
he wasn't going to dwell on that.
It was.
It was incredible.
Like he, he showed love, but
he was also like, okay, let's
go, let's just get going.
And so we started and I
paid, I jumped all in.
And, uh, anyway, he's like, Hey, my,
my brother, Ryan's going to call you.
Get your nutrition dialed.
So that was the second call
that I thought, well, let's
see when Ryan calls me.
Like not even an hour later, Ryan texts
me, calls me, gets my nutrition dialed,
and that's when he shares that he's
going to run the Goggins Challenge.
And I was like, holy freaking
crap, this group is legit.
Like it just, right then and there,
I just decided I'm going all in.
I'm not going to let
these guys see me fail.
I don't care how long this takes.
I'm gonna go all in and when I
first started guys, it was a secret.
I didn't share it with my wife, my kids, I
just wanted to, I thought, you know, like,
I'll start and like some of these guys,
I'll get just shredded in 60, 70 days.
And, uh, first of all, I couldn't keep
that secret because they saw that I
was eating like a weirdo, you know,
but, um, anyway, I shared it with my
wife and, um, that's, that's how I got
started and it's been just a huge, huge
blessing, answer to prayer, um, it doesn't
matter where you're at on the religious
scale, I believe that if you reach out
to that higher power, Anybody on this
call can get an answer to a prayer.
Anybody.
Um, if I got my answer, I truly
believe that anybody else can get an
answer, or answers for themselves.
Um, but, that, that's how I got started,
and my life's just taken off since then.
It's just been great.
So.
Hell yeah.
Ryan Carnohan: Okay, let's dig in.
We're gonna define taken off.
So obviously, we got shredded, and
we're gonna talk about that process a
little bit further into this interview.
Thank you.
Because there's, there's some fun, uh,
things we can learn about your process.
What are some of the things that when
you, when you say take it off, dig in
there a little bit, what, what have
you seen that's different and why?
Jon Baker: So I've, I've, I've
looked at failure differently, right?
Like, um, when I think of just first and
foremost, my mindset, um, you know, one
of the non negotiables when I started
was, You know, Ryan Christiansen told
me, he said, look, every lift you have
to go till failure, and I thought,
oh my gosh, that's really just gonna,
that's gonna just be a huge mind game
for me, you know, just, just rough.
But failure, guys, like we may slip, we
may fall, but we won't fail as long as
we don't give up, you know, and that's
where I'm where my mindset has changed.
Like, I've looked at all these
aspects of my life being a father.
I'm a father of four ages 11 to 15 months.
You know, um, two boys, two older
boys, two younger daughters and, or in
my marriage, like in work, everything
where there's a struggle, I've, I've
likened it to the squat rack and back
when I was overweight, I remember I'd
do squats maybe once every two weeks.
You know, and, but I was a big guy.
I love doing chest.
Chest was like, you know, that's,
that's where my ego was like,
heck yeah, I just did two plates.
Heck yeah, I just, I just bench
pressed two plates three times.
What?
You know, like, just stupid.
Um, but anyway, I hated squats and
to me, the squat rack represented so
much of when there's, when Chris has
on your workout, six sets, And you
want to stop at four or you want to
stop at three, you're leaving so much
on the table and we do that in life.
We want to stop at three sets.
When a discussion with our wife
starts to really get under our skin,
you know, really cutting to our
core or at work when you're just.
When you're stressed out of your mind
or you're not getting where you want
to be, you just want to avoid the
conflict, you know, whatever that squat
or squat rack might represent your life.
Um, I've learned since being in Supreme
and Fathers, one of the biggest mindset
shifts for me is to stay in the squat
rack to keep going because that's
where there's power that's found.
That's where you find your
true self in a lot of ways.
And one of the times that I was struggling
in this program, I remember, um, you know,
when Ryan reaches out on Sunday and says,
you know, give me your weekly report.
And I remember I, I wrote back to
him and said, dude, I'm, I'm really
in the mud, really struggling,
um, just mindset, super low.
And I remember getting a video text
back from Kyle and he just, again,
he didn't excuse me for feeling that
way, but he said, you have to sit.
In your pain, sit in your pain.
And how often do we sit when we do squats?
Do we sit and just feel
the pain in our quads?
You know, do we slow
our breathing in anyway?
It was just, it was just perfect for me.
And, uh, anyway, so I would say the
biggest has been just the mindset shift.
to sit in there and just really
appreciate the discomfort, the pain.
Um, before I started Superhuman Fathers,
I would do, uh, five minute cold showers.
You know, I really got into that,
and I remember a buddy of mine
that's a therapist, um, works
with a lot of, uh, ex military.
Helping them with PTSD and just a lot
of struggles after war and he says, you
know, one of the one of the approaches
is we we teach them to to lean in to
the pain that they're experiencing
lean into the discomfort and, uh, he's
like, honestly, cold showers is one of
the things that we teach them that has
an option for them to to look into and
so I started to lean into this cold.
I mean, you guys know that
have been doing these plunges.
But, um, before, it was January before I
started Superhuman Fathers in March, but
for the entire month of January, where
it's, it's just, it just looks cold, feels
cold outside here in Utah, where I'm from.
And I just thought of that, I'm like,
just lean into the pain, embrace it.
And it's almost like I was being
prepared for something greater, which
was Superhuman Fathers in March.
My mindset was changing, you know, but
sorry, I'm kind of rambling and forgive
me guys, if I'm preaching, I just part
of a part of my story, I wanted to,
I wanted to help you guys in any way
that I can, and even post this call,
like shoot me a message on Instagram
through the app, or even text me, if I
can be of any help to any of you guys.
Any, any of your struggles like happy to
do it because there's been heat just crazy
power in this community for me I I love
the weekly calls on Monday mornings just
straight fire every single week So anyway,
Ryan Carnohan: I'm a thing.
Okay, let's So this, what
has allowed you to do that?
I want more of the lean in.
So, cause everyone wants you
to, yeah, that sounds good.
But why can't, why are
you so good at it now?
Why do you see it quicker now?
Or why can't you do it longer?
I don't, and I don't know if you
even know the answer to this, but.
Jon Baker: Yeah, I mean, it's,
you know, and it's still,
that answer is still evolving.
But when I first started the program, you
know, it was, it was for selfish reasons.
It was, uh, you know, look good on
the swimming pool, like not hesitate
to take my shirt off when I go
swimming with my kids, like impress,
impress, look at me kind of a thing.
But then it started selfish,
but I hit this roadblock of that
motivation, that selfish motivation
was only going to get me so far.
And then I realized that I, and Ryan, we
talked about this, I don't know if you
remember, but I told you that one, that
one point that I hit this point guys,
where It felt like everybody around me
didn't give a shit anymore, that I was
losing, that I was getting into the shit.
I remember this conversation.
Nobody cared.
And so at that point, I had to dig
deep and find a better, stronger why.
And, and I kind of, my mind kind of went
back to when I ran my second marathon.
And I ran past, it was like mile 21.
I'm just in so much pain.
And I ran past the parking
lot where I'd parked my truck.
It was a Salt Lake City marathon.
And I had the keys in my pocket and
I could have just, you know, ran to
my truck, but I kept going cause I
thought I can't let my loved ones
be at the finish line and then get
a phone call from me saying that
I couldn't finish, that I quit.
And so I thought of my family, my boys.
What this would mean to them.
If I can help them, I thought
of the people in my neighborhood
that have been watching me.
And I, the, the approach, the motivation
had to go from a selfish, all about
me to it's serving others around me
as weird as that sounds, I know we've
gone through this, but how lifting
weights and consistency, you guys
doing your bonus burns, even on this
call, like you have no idea the ripple
effect that that's going to cause.
I mean, Brian Hirschbrunner, his
ripple effect, he was clear out
in Colorado, I hadn't seen him for
20 years, and then I saw his post,
and I'm like, holy crap, and his
Matt Warner: post changed my
Jon Baker: life, and it's been 18
months or so since he posted his, and
now look at how many people have joined
Superhuman Fathers, so like, you guys on
the treadmill that I can see right now,
you guys that are preparing your meals
for tonight, or whatever, that have just
had a killer day, You have to realize
that this is for other people, some of
which you have no idea who they are.
They might even be clear
across the country, the world,
but that has to be your why.
It has to be an unselfish why if you
want to finish this thing strong.
So, that was the motivation, Ryan,
that has caused me to lean in and
continue to lean into the discomfort.
Because, even if, if, if, when you
get posted, Man, other things start to
surface that you need to work on, that
you can use the same methodology that
kept you dialed into Supreme Fathers.
You can use that same methodology into
your finances, your marriage, those
business ideas that you have, everything.
It's incredible.
Beautiful.
Ryan Carnohan: Um, now through
this whole process, you
mentioned people not noticing.
I don't know why I feel, I
always ask questions, I never
prepare you with this, but.
What was your wife's perspective all
through this and how did you navigate it?
Was it positive the whole time?
Was it, you know, what?
Yeah, I'm gonna shut up.
Jon Baker: I'm just gonna
throw that out there.
Yeah, you know, it's been up and down.
I think a lot of, um, her
reaction has been silent.
You know, just observing.
And I think like a lot of maybe
you guys on the call, like, she had
seen me give up on other programs
that I had started in the past.
And when I told her how much I spent for
the program, she was like, wait, what,
you know, because I think deep down
she thought he's not going to finish
this, you know, um, but to answer your
question directly, Ryan, like, At first,
you know, when I lost 10 pounds, you
know, it was, oh yeah, you look great.
You know,
there's
Jon Baker: still a lot left to lose.
Um, when I got down to my lowest
at 150, she was kind of pissed
because I weighed less than her.
Um, but now that I've got to this
point where I've built credibility
that I'm in it, no matter what, that
this is who I am now, she's like,
hey, Can you do my macros for me?
Can you help me?
She trusts me, you know, that's,
that's a huge win for me because I,
it takes a lot as weird as it sounds
guys, but it takes a lot for you to
earn and keep the trust of your wife
and your kids takes a huge consistent
effort and in a weird way, like,
thankfully, they're our biggest critics.
Because if we see it for what
it is, it keeps us dialed and
focused and we won't let up.
And I think that's why, uh, what, what
Kyle, a lot of his videos of like the
one, even when he, he and his wife, I
think his wife Whitney posted it, but
how they had gotten into a fight and she
apologized quickly, you know, they, they
just, they're so dialed consistently and
it's such a solid example for each of us.
You know, but my wife trusts me, my in
laws trust me now, like these are huge
wins guys, for me personally, so, um.
Ryan Carnohan: So in that process, cause
there's probably a lot of guys in here,
where they're not there yet, and maybe
they, it's taking longer, maybe they had
more debt, maybe they're in further debt.
Or maybe they just have a disagreeable
life, which happens, you know, what,
how did you handle those moments
when you knew, you know, I'm right.
I know I got this.
I can't believe you don't believe me yet.
I'm here.
Don't you see this?
How did you handle those moments?
How would you suggest a man handle that?
in his transition into this
dependable man, or so we like to say.
Jon Baker: Just a quiet,
consistent example, you know?
Like, even when I would set my alarm
in the morning at 4, and she's like,
uh, are you really gonna wake up at 4?
And it's like, yeah, I'm gonna wake up
at 4, that's just what I do, you know?
Or, do you really have to go to the gym
before we go to the airport for a trip?
Yes, I do, because that's,
that's what I do, you know?
And I think when, when our loved ones
see that this is who we are now, that
they understand truly what the non
negotiable means to you, then maybe,
at least in my case, the frustration,
and in some cases, the resentment,
respect replaced each of those, you
know, and so, um, and this, this also
goes with like, You know, you mentioned
finances and other things like that.
Like, we're all in a place
today where we'd rather not be.
We want to be in a better place, whatever
that might be, guys, and I'm, I'm hopeful
that what you're doing today will have
the similar impact that it's having
on me currently today, which is to not
be fearful to look at things that you
haven't wanted to look at for forever,
to You know, lift up the rug and see what
you've been hiding under there for years,
you know, but to have the courage to
really dig deep and, and turn yourselves
inside out, you know, clean that garage.
It's just been nasty for years.
I had a hoarder dad growing up and
the, the anguish that he would show
by just holding onto the stuff and
just the messes that would pile up.
I've seen physical representations
of just a sad man inside.
You know, I love my dad, but I, I, in
a weird way, I was blessed with a dad
that showed me what not to be, you know,
and that's, that's kind of been my, um,
kind of my personal, like struggle, but
just constant reminder, you know, of
how much damage a mediocre man can do.
Ryan Carnohan: Okay, there's
some nuggets right there.
Jon Baker: That's a good,
that's a good quote, right?
That's a good quote right there.
How much damage?
Yeah,
Ryan Carnohan: a mediocre man can do.
What do you mean by that, John Baker?
That's good.
Let's dig into that.
That was money.
So that the garage, first of all,
the garage symbolism is so insanely
cool because we all have that.
That's so money.
But when you say a mediocre
man, what did you say?
I already forgot it.
What was a mediocre man is what?
How much damage a mediocre
Jon Baker: man can do?
Ryan Carnohan: Yeah,
what do you mean by that?
Why would you say that?
Jon Baker: Well, the mediocre man
is, is stuck in comfort, you know?
Like, think of, go back to the time when,
when we were at our most mediocre or
less than that, you know, point in our
lives and some of the damaging things
that we can say to our kids or that we've
said to our kids, uh, or the mediocre
man avoids confrontation with his wife.
You know, because he, he just wants
to keep the peace in the house, right?
The mediocre man is, is fine
making X amount per year.
Uh, the mediocre man is totally fine
going to the gym three days a week, but
on his way home, he's going to stop at
Burger King, you know, like, I mean,
there's so many examples, you guys, we
all have that mediocre voice in our head.
That's like.
That's constantly there.
And even for those of us that, um, that
have been posted, you know, I think the
idea is for a lot of guys starting, I just
have to get posted and that'll be good.
You got to dig deeper than that
because that mediocre voice, that
fake self is always, always in your
ear constantly, so we can do a ton of
damage, but if we're focused, if we're
dialed, if we're goal oriented, service
oriented, we can do so much good.
Ryan Carnohan: Okay.
It's so beautiful, and that's
why it's so sneaky, right?
Because you're kind of
like, I'm a good guy.
I mean, well, I'm not a bad guy.
Well, that's the thing.
He doesn't have to make you bad.
That is so money.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna sit on that one.
Jon Baker: And it's kind of, you know,
even going back to, like, we joke about,
not joke, but just the actual phrase,
shitting the bed with our kids, right?
Like, or wives, like, just, just.
Losing our crap on him, saying
disrespectful stuff, the mediocre
man's not going to apologize, but
he's going to say, you know what?
I'm not going to apologize for it.
She owes me an apology.
That's damaging, right?
That creates a wedge.
And so I actually, this is
kind of a funny story, but,
um, and Ox can probably relate.
Here in Utah, we play, we play
a lot of church ball, right?
And the joke is, is that it's the,
it's a war that starts with a prayer.
So both teams, you know, gather center
court, we pray, it's church ball.
And then after the
prayer ends, it's battle.
And so last Thursday, um, I had a
moment that I'm not fully proud of.
And, uh, this, this guy on the
other team, the biggest guy on
their team, biggest body, was, he
was the biggest bitch, you know?
And I just, I, I wanted to just give
him something to, I don't know, I just.
And it bothered me because he was picking
on our two youngest guys, and I just, I
don't, I mean, you guys, we see a ton of
potential in each other, and we also have
those guys in our circle of influence
where we see a lot of potential, but
they give in to their fake selves, their
mediocre selves, right, way too much,
and this guy, here he was like, he had
a ton of potential to be an example, to
not run his mouth, you know, like, And
he was, it's just, it's crazy to me that
he was the biggest guy with, that was
just being the biggest baby, you know,
so I, yeah, so I stepped in there and
I gave him some actual fouls, you know,
to really just ruffle his feathers and,
uh, but I, I stepped in to defend my,
the two guys on my team and these two
guys, they're the youngest kids, they're
19, you know, and they were trying their
hardest, but I just, I wanted to defend
them and show, like, even if I'm smaller
than this guy, I'm not going to back
down, you know, and I have a real struggle
with guys that are just, they're just
pussies, you know, like, man up, I don't
know about you guys, but it reminds me
of what I used to be, and that's why it
gets under my skin when I see this, it's
like, when I talk to guys about joining
super, superhuman fathers, And the, the
excuses that I hear, I just want to shake
them like, do you have any idea, you know,
and so my frustrations came out of this
church ball game and I just, I pushed
this dude, you know, and I said, that's
an actual foul, you know, and so I don't
know I brought that up other than like, it
just, like, it gets, it gets, it gets to
me when I, when I see guys that are just,
Just always complaining, you know about
external stuff that I don't know anyway
take that for what you want guys I just so
Ryan Carnohan: good.
I loved it.
That's awesome I think it's cool because
I I've had a similar experience and they
can't see yeah, and then I dunked on them
That's too good, um, but it is a
strategy It is a strategy because
you guys lose me for a second.
Sorry.
Yeah.
Sorry about that.
I don't know what's going on.
Wow.
It's raining But when they're in it, they
can't they can't like look from above,
you know You know, you can see the answer
but they have to learn it for themselves.
You just have to so I Yeah,
that's that is awesome.
So you said something earlier to John
About service and so I kind of want
to dig in there And it might be all
related, but how is it, how is, how do
you spin on every negative situation
this ability to make it about service?
That's what I hear when you're saying
these things, how are you able to do that?
What does that look like in your mind?
And I didn't prep you
for that question either.
So, you know.
Jon Baker: Yeah.
Um, maybe, maybe rephrase it just a
little bit for me so I understand.
Ryan Carnohan: So I, I don't know.
So something bad happens.
How are, how do you make it not about you?
How are you, because you, you said it's
about being able to serve everybody else.
How are you putting yourself in a
position to, and maybe my question
doesn't make sense, but No, no, I'm
thinking I'm, how do you, how do
you make it not about you, you know?
Yeah.
Because.
Because it ain't shitty, it is
something bad that happened to you,
what is your strategy to be able
to make it about others so that you
can stay in that selfless mindset?
You said, it's about everybody else,
that's why you're able to keep going.
So I'm kind of looking for that,
like, how do you catch yourself from
being selfish in those bad situations
when you have an excuse to, I guess.
Jon Baker: Yeah, yeah,
you know, I think...
We, we talk about leading from the front,
leading by example, you know, um, and,
and not, not leading from the back.
I mean, you, you look at other programs
that, you know, so called competitors
of Superhuman Fathers and a lot of
these guys are like, oh, I've already
done all that, you know, the waking
up at four, I don't need to do that.
They hear you, Ryan, Chris, Mike and
team, and Ox are leading from the front,
like, if you guys could see Ox work
out, and then when Ox gets on and talks
about Superhuman Fathers, like, that's,
that's as genuine as you're gonna find,
because this guy is, I've never seen
anybody work out like the Ox does.
And, and that's the mindset that I'm
trying to have is to put myself in
a position to lead and the moment
that I give into my fake self or
if I lose my cool and I'm not quick
to apologize and make things right.
I'm putting myself out of position to
be the leader I'm supposed to be, you
know, and frankly, the moment that I lose
my shit, like I did in the church ball
game, I felt like I let you guys down.
And so it goes back to
that community of leaders.
That it's like, oh my gosh, you know,
I got to make things right and, uh,
anyway, so it's just constantly Ryan
being aware of what we stand for in this
group and what it means and what we're
trying to achieve, but always being and
putting in ourselves in a position to
truly lead, not by title, but by example,
Ryan Carnohan: you know, yeah, that's
pretty, that was very powerful.
He answered it perfectly.
I think it looks like Ryan
might have a question for you.
Another Ryan.
Team Ryan.
Yeah.
Yeah.
John here.
Jon Baker: Hey, Brian,
you looking dreaded, man.
I saw that pig, dude.
I'm
getting there, man.
I'm getting there.
The closer you get, the
farther away you feel, I feel
Jon Baker: like.
Oh, yeah.
I know that for sure.
Ryan Carnohan: You can go an extra week.
Go an extra week, but, um...
Yeah, man.
Um, so appreciate, appreciate all you
bring to the group, first of all, and
thanks for, thanks for doing this tonight.
Um, one of the first times you stood
out, um, and, uh, as a contributor in the
group, for me, you were talking about,
um, walking around the neighborhood,
so this was months ago, um, and
how, like, some of the guys in your
neighborhood were, like, just noticing
that you were dropping fat basically.
Um, and I have not been great
about like being an evangelist
for superhuman fathers.
And I was just curious as to
how you talk about what this is.
Because I feel like when I do it,
I, I come across a little bit.
More arrogant than I want to, and
I don't know if that's okay or not.
Um, so I, I wanted to get like
your thoughts as, as to how you,
Jon Baker: um, just
kind of share about it.
Yeah, for sure.
And this is something that I'm
trying to improve, you know, because.
I, uh, I actually just spoke to a
buddy of mine that I'm trying to, to
get to jump into this right and just
hearing the hesitancy of, oh, let me
talk to my wife and yeah, if you can
send over some meal plans, I mean,
you guys have probably all heard it.
Ryan Carnohan: Well, and you guys,
he's in an interesting position
because Ryan Christiansen and John
have also started men's group.
So they have their own coaching team.
So he's in this position a lot where
he's got to be like, yeah, step up.
Anyways, go on
Jon Baker: John.
Yeah, being more direct, right?
But, um, for the guys that have noticed,
um, you know, one of the ways was, uh,
just being active in, in the community.
So, like, I coached my
boys flag football teams.
And that was right at the time when I
was just dropping a ton of weight and
people, people will ask, you know, you
automatically see the ones that are truly
interested versus the ones that kind of
want to know what corners you cut, you
know, or what pill you've been taking.
You know what I mean?
Um, so you, you kind of, you see
the ones that are a little bit
more genuine and those are the
ones that you really want to spend.
Dissecting all this.
It's kind of that, you know, don't cast
your pearls before swine kind of a thing.
Um, but, but yeah, just, just being
out there, you know, um, and being
being active, like, um, but yeah,
a lot of people saw just, uh, you
know, whether it's from church.
Um, me having an extra long belt, you
know, but being approachable to like,
um, the tough part though, Ryan is like
the one guy that I want to ask me is so
freaking stubborn and he's, he was one
of my big whys of why I dug my heels
into this and that's my older brother.
He's the guy that says.
No, I'm just born with a big chest.
Not much I can do with it, you know,
just the excuses and I'm like, Dave, you
know, and so, um, I'm really sorry that
I don't have like the direct answer for
you, but just, just to be confident and
be ready to, to answer any questions.
There are guys at the gym that are
watching you, you know, um, and
I think a lot of what the guys in
this group have shared recently of.
Not hesitating to share your progress
on social media, on Instagram, but, um,
and you know, you'll, you'll kind of
get a feel for what's too aggressive,
but what feels more genuine to what,
to what you do and who you are.
So you'll find that, um, but go
out and do stuff that stretches you
like, you know, go out so that here's
another thing that I did is I, I
did, uh, a couple sprint triathlons.
And initially that scared me to death.
I've shared with Josh, like, I, I fight
the water, you know, but I was like, look,
I can do this and I'm going to show that.
This is a goal that I've had and I'm going
to commit to it, you know, Ryan, you even
shared to like, put yourself out there,
what you've committed to, put that on
Instagram and show that with the world
and show them that you'll commit to it and
you'll deliver, you know, so I showed that
I signed up for a sprint try, and then
I showed having completed it, you know,
Ryan Carnohan: There are people,
John, that you don't even know about
that have lost weight and improved
their lives just because of you.
There's guys who follow my
Instagram that will let me know,
randomly, like, Hey, I don't know
you, but, um, I'm down 30 pounds.
Thank you.
Like, many men never
joined Superhuman Powers.
It doesn't matter.
That doesn't matter.
It's when you walk into a
room, are you memorable?
Do you inspire?
Do you make people feel when
they're in your presence?
Do you make them feel
like they can do anything?
Jon Baker: Yeah.
And there are probably guys too at the
gym that have wanted to ask you and
you probably see it too, but they just
haven't had the guts to approach you yet.
You know, I feel like there's a
few guys at the gym today that,
that are just waiting to ask,
like, dude, you used to be fat.
What happened?
You know, it's
Ryan Carnohan: so good.
Well, I'm okay.
Let's dig in a little bit there
too, because this was not.
You know, and he touched on it at
the beginning of this interview.
I'm going to do this in a hundred days.
Is that what happened, John Baker?
I always say his full
name, I can't help it.
But,
no, it's not what happened.
How did you deal with that?
What does that look like?
Some guys that might, you know,
how much weight did you lose?
How long
Jon Baker: did it take?
Yeah, so, so guys, I got to
my lowest, uh, 55 pounds.
And it took...
Exactly a year and I thought I was
in better shape than that, you know,
and I've heard other people say, I
didn't know you had 55 pounds to lose.
You know, but, um, I thought I would
be one of the guys that was, uh, 100
days or less, you know, because my, my
macros were dialed, but looking back and
Ryan's answer one of your questions too,
if, if I could do this all over again.
Start from day one, I would have the
three non negotiables, one being your
diet, your nutrition, two, your workouts
go until failure, and then three, you
have to do bonus burns and stay active,
you know, plan your day out, go, go
for a walk with your family, but see,
I, my, my cardio used to be when I was
preparing for a marathon, I would go run
10 miles, but that was, counterintuitive
because I would lose muscle, you know,
and so I needed to really tone down the,
uh, the volume of my cardio and just
be consistent, but I didn't do that.
And I think part of why my process
took as long as it did, um, one of
the reasons was because I wasn't
as dedicated to the bonus burns.
That was kind of like a, the cherry on top
when in reality it should have been for
me specifically a must, so, um, but yeah,
when Ryan to kind of answer your question
too and, um, I, when I, when I passed 100
days, yeah, maybe I felt bad for myself
like a little bit, but again, like, um,
I think it's Kais, but he kept saying in
the chats, this is the way, and that would
just ring in my head, you know, And I
told myself time and time again, no matter
how long this takes, I'm not giving up.
Because what am I going to go back to?
Keto?
Intermittent fasting?
No.
You know?
So, I just told myself that I'm going
to stay in this, no matter what.
And I promised myself that I would not
quit on Kyle and Ryan from day one.
So, I stuck to that.
Even though they probably thought
I quit because I went a little
dark for a little bit, but...
I just, I had to go to my dark place,
because I really had to dig deep, guys.
I didn't expect to go below 160,
and then when I hit 150, that's
like junior high weight for me.
So, anyway.
Ryan Carnohan: Amazing.
So, I got one more question, and then we
can take a few questions from the group.
This has been amazing.
Um, was there ever just one
obstacle or a moment in the
process that was just really hard?
And how did you overcome it?
Jon Baker: Yeah, I think,
Ryan Carnohan: um, it was 205, Jon Wright.
What's that?
Your start weight was 205, right?
Jon Baker: 205, yeah.
Yep.
205 and a half.
Ryan Carnohan: Okay, 5.
I was off by half pound.
Jon Baker: Um, but, but again,
that, that 5, when I got down to
my lowest, the 5 meant everything.
And, and that sure did.
That was.
That was probably the biggest struggle
is how tight my nutrition had to be.
And, um, you know, I, I think what was
hard was when I got to my lowest and
people around me didn't understand.
They're like, when are you
going to be done with this?
And I would say, well, I think
I just have two more weeks.
And then six weeks later, no, I'm
pretty sure it's just two more weeks.
And so Ryan, I totally ignore
your app, man, because.
It was always going to be one more week.
And then I'd send a picture to Ryan
when like I thought my abs were popping.
I thought everything was good.
And Ryan told me, almost
there, almost there.
And so it was like running this
ultra marathon where this...
finish line just kept moving.
And, you know, I, there were times to be
honest that I started to, and I'm, I'm
embarrassed to say in a way, but I started
to like the fake me, especially started
to resent a little bit Ryan and Kyle.
Like they didn't, they weren't paying
attention to my progress and Ryan,
I haven't shared this with you, but,
but then I, but then I would get these
messages from Ryan and Kyle, these
personal messages, voice messages.
And then it was a reminder that
like, there's true brotherly
love in this group, guys.
And, and I would say I was
embarrassed because I was so wrong.
Like, they do care.
And it's not, they're not in
this to make money, even though
they're being successful with this.
They're in it to help.
Help us be better.
And I truly felt that.
And, um, anyway, so that was probably
my biggest hurdle was towards the end,
just getting to that last little bit.
And, but I also appreciated, and I've
said this a few times on here, but
having someone in your life that will
tell you that you're not quite there.
Um, I value that in Ryan and Kyle, um,
to say, no, dude, you can do better than
that because I, I've always had like.
Very passive aggressive, uh, people in
my family, like never really tell it to
me straight to my face, you know, and,
um, granted until I married my wife,
she's good at that, but to have another
man like Ryan and Kyle tell me, meant
the world, even as painful as it is.
Like you got to sit in the pain and
take it, take it for what it is.
So
Ryan Carnohan: beautiful.
That's amazing.
Well, I'm so proud of you,
John, and you inspire me, man.
Like, together, let's go.
Like I, I got, I got no more words.
I'm gonna let these guys ask
you some questions, but you
know, you know how much we care.
And Kyle, I texted him, he couldn't
make it tonight because he, he's at, you
know, do, he's got Warrior or something.
He just, he just text me,
let him know I love him.
So, you know, he, he'll, he
will watch this recording.
And I'm sure he'll, he'll hit you up.
Jon Baker: Love it.
Thanks, dude.
I guess, do you want me to call John?
Ryan Carnohan: Yeah, John, go for it.
Jon Baker: John,
Matt Warner: how are ya?
Hey, uh, My question is, now that you've,
Jon Baker: you've done it, how
do you stay dialed in every day?
Like, how do you remind
yourself, and how do you, um,
Matt Warner: just try to stay aligned now
that you've, you've made so much progress?
Jon Baker: Yeah.
Good question.
That's a really good question.
And that's, uh, you know, I used to track
my macros and get to the gram with the
goal of losing weight and building muscle.
And now that's shifted to I want
to gain weight, but gain, gain it
in a lean way, build muscle, right?
So that's been a mindset shift.
But then that's also been the reason why
Ryan Christensen and I have started this.
Small group here locally to help
guys because now I'm accountable to
eight guys as well that are looking
for looking to me just like I look
to Ryan and Kyle initially, you
know, and so I'm now accountable to
those guys that are just starting.
And so a lot of this, um, um, motivation
for them to dig deep when they get into
the mud, I've got to help show them,
not tell them, but really show them
through my example, you know, and so
it's kind of cool, like, when I, when
I did that triathlon, um, and to share
just when I finished with them, you know,
just that alone kind of helped spark.
Motivation in the group, you know,
and so it's kind of cool to see
that and just the little prog your
Ryan Carnohan: Goggins challenge.
Jon Baker: Yeah.
Yeah.
I gotta do the Goggins challenge now.
Ryan Carnohan: Um, yeah,
and that's cut you guys.
I love that John and Ryan have
done this and we don't we don't
know what it looks like in this
in this group if there will be.
I mean, we, we know there will
be where you'll have there can be
other men's groups that will be
umbrella under superhuman fathers.
We don't know exactly what that looks
like, but there's also going to be
accountability groups where as you
progress, then you can build your
own little team amongst our men.
And so we won't be able to do
that in trainer eyes, obviously,
but it's coming very soon.
And so it's, it's going to help you
so much when you get to that point
when you're like, okay, now what?
It'd be like, Oh, well I
gotta take care of the men.
You know, it's beautiful.
Great question.
Evan, hit it.
Hey, I got these new headphones.
Matt Warner: Can you
guys hear me while I get
Jon Baker: these
Ryan Carnohan: on?
Yeah, they look great too.
Probably while you're
swatting, they look amazing.
Jon Baker: Oh yeah, thanks Ryan.
Matt Warner: Um, one thing that, uh, I
don't believe we've touched on yet, well
first I want to say congratulations.
And I was hoping that you could kind
of elaborate on the ways that your
relationship with your wife and your
kids has improved since you've started
Jon Baker: this process.
Yeah, for sure.
Um, and I'm glad you talked about that
because that's been really my number one
focus and my deepest why for all of this.
Thank you.
Um, but, with my boys, uh, specifically,
you know, they got in a little bit of
a rut after COVID, and my oldest gained
some weight, and so that was one of
my whys to stay in this, to help him,
um, and, uh, to, to really motivate
him by example, right, but, um, it,
it's a work in progress with, with my,
my two boys, I think, in particular,
because, I can be really hard on them.
And so now that I'm accountable to
this group and I've been accountable
now for over a year, I really
tried to be quick to apologize.
And, uh, now that I've, I've actually
changed, uh, you know, because I
think when I first started this.
It was, I was, it was a little bit
like, it's all about me kind of a thing.
And, um, when I first started, right.
But now that I've kind of expanded
my focus, I've really started
to focus on their development.
And I get so much fulfillment
watching them play.
Like I just got them into this, uh,
competitive seven on seven football and
where they, where they get coached by
some college athletes and I love it,
you know, and so we have those bonding
moments, but one of the biggest things,
Evan, is when I do lose my cool with
them, that I'm quick to apologize.
Because I grew up with a dad
that didn't really apologize.
And I think that one thing
is a big name changer.
If, if we own up to our mistakes and
show our kids that we're not perfect,
but that we're really trying, you know,
and then with my wife, that's another,
that, uh, we've, we've had some.
Tough discussions, you know, about our
future plans and we're just, we're really
trying to find that right alignment for
us, you know, and I talked about the
squat rack, the squat rack for me is this.
Staying in those, those discussions,
it can be really rough, you know,
really raw and, uh, just, just hanging
in there, you know, so, but there,
there's more to come with that.
Like, it's, it's certainly a challenge,
you know, but these are really,
really good questions that I continue
to dissect and figure out for sure.
Ryan Carnohan: Thanks for your answers,
and I'll take all your advice to heart.
I appreciate it.
Thanks, Evan.
It's beautiful.
There's nothing better than walking into
the argument with your wife, like, oh!
It's squats.
Luckily, I like squats.
It's growth time.
You know, Evan, you're great at squats.
So, you know, that'll, that'll help you.
Anyways, okay, Matt.
What's going on, Matt?
Training for his marathon.
Look at him go.
You're on mute, Matt.
You're muted.
Sorry, guys.
Matt Warner: I appreciate that.
Um,
Ryan Carnohan: Jon,
Matt Warner: do you want
to say the guy next door?
Jon Baker: Sorry, you're
breaking up, Matt.
I'll leave that to you
Ryan Carnohan: and your brother.
Matt Warner: All right?
I'm going to be running this damn race.
I wouldn't be signed up for this group.
So, congratulations.
Thanks for your example, buddy.
You are.
Your brother was always an example.
Ryan Carnohan: Talk to you soon.
Yes.
What a great way to end it.
I love that.
You don't know where the impact lies, man.
Man, I go way back.
Jon Baker: We were, we were
kids in the same neighborhood.
We were buddies.
Played Little League Baseball,
so I didn't, I didn't know he was
a member of Superhuman Fathers.
So, look at that.
That's awesome.
Ryan Carnohan: Ha ha ha!
Surprise!
I was
Matt Warner: waiting
until I got posted, bro.
I was waiting until I
Jon Baker: got posted.
Oh man, you're gonna be there in no time.
Matt Warner: What the group needs
to know is we called you Johnny.
You're not Johnny anymore.
You're John dude.
You're a man.
You're by example.
So, I look forward to talking
to you more about the program.
I'm
Ryan Carnohan: only a
Jon Baker: few weeks in.
Oh man, superhuman father right there.
That's fantastic.
Love you Matt.
Thanks dude.
Ryan Carnohan: Um, well at that,
I couldn't say better words.
I agree.
And so we'll conclude our interview.
But John, it's, it's been a pleasure.
And uh, we'll, I mean, I can
tell you, it'll be fun to.
Continue to watch as you grow and
as we grow together, because that's,
like, the impact is all around.
It's all around.
He impacted me his first day in the group.
So, I don't know.
These calls could be two hours off, Seth.
He wants more.
Jon Baker: For everybody on this call,
though, just let me leave you with this.
Do not give up.
Don't stop.
No matter how long it takes, don't stop.
Just promise yourselves that.
That's one thing that I hope you leave.
Today with your day will come
doesn't matter if it's 100
days, 200, 300 year, right?
Like even longer.
Don't stop.
You deserve this.
Love you guys.
Ryan Carnohan: Fire.
Thanks, John.
Amazing.
Amazing job.
Well done.
I'm gonna go back.
I'm gonna go back and find that quote.
It was so good.
All right.
Peace.
Thanks, guys.
You guys.
Congrats, John.
Love you.
Kyle Carnohan: I hope you enjoyed
this transformation from Superhuman
Fathers, and one thing I want you
to know is that anyone can do this.
Yes, even you.
Go to superhuman fathers.com and
apply for the Brotherhood right now.
Chad Henkel: how you do one thing
is how you do everything, but
how you do everything is how you
get anything, anything you want.
And once you get anything that
you want, then you have to be
willing to give it all away.
Let's go!
And then if you give it away,
you have nothing, right?
Like, this is all coming to me
line by line by line by line.
And when you have nothing,
now you have everything.