The Burn Podcast by Ben Newman
Join Ben Newman, highly regarded Performance Coach, International Keynote Speaker and 2x WSJ Best-Seller, as he takes you into the minds of some of the highest performers in sports and business to tell their full story. The "Burn" is something we all have, but rarely do people uncover and connect to it. Ben helps people from all walks of life reach their true maximum potential.
Ben has worked with coaches and players from the last 6 Super Bowl Champion teams and currently serves as the Performance Coach for the Big 12 Champion Kansas State football team in his 9th season (3 National Championships at North Dakota State) with Head Coach Chris Klieman. Ben served 5 years as the Mental Conditioning Coach for the 18x National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Lastly, Ben also has served at his alma mater as a Performance Coach for Michigan State University’s football and basketball programs.
For the last two decades, Ben has been serving as the Peak Performance Coach for the top 1% of financial advisors globally and for Fortune 500 business executives.
Ben’s clients have included: Microsoft, United States Army, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Quicken Loans, MARS Snackfoods, AstraZeneca, Northwestern Mutual, AFA Singapore, Mass Financial Group, Frontier Companies, Wells Fargo Advisors, Great West Life Canada, Boston Medical Center, Boys & Girls Club of America, New York Life as well as thousands of executives, entrepreneurs, athletes and sales teams from around the globe.
Millions of people and some of the top performers in the world have been empowered by Ben through his books, educational content, coaching programs, podcast, and live events.
The Burn Podcast by Ben Newman
Finding Balance with Aaron Opalewski
What does it take to succeed in business while staying true to your beliefs? Join us in this captivating episode as we explore the inspiring journey of Aaron Opalewski, who has built nine companies with a cumulative revenue of over $250 million. Discover the power of teamwork and the mantra "JWU" and its impact on teams.
Learn from Aaron's courageous story of founding his first company and gain valuable insights on maintaining balance in faith, family, and fitness. Are you ready to unlock your true potential and live a life of purpose? Check out this powerful episode with Aaron Opalewski.
Connect with Aaron:
https://www.instagram.com/aaronopalewski/?hl=en
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-opalewski-3596891a/
https://www.bennewmancoaching.com
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It's not about me, it's about us, it's about the team, and so we've incorporated that. Just watch us mindset Like you don't think we can do this. You want to laugh at? You know our vision, or anything like that. I'm going to show you. You know you don't believe in what we're doing, that's okay. I'm going to show you. We're going to build a track record and it's going to be undeniable.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the burn. I am Ben Newman and you know how we do this. Every single week we're bringing you a story of an athlete, a celebrity, an entertainer, somebody who's performing at the highest level, who's recognized that why and purpose is not enough. It takes an underlying burn that ignites your why and your purpose. That then causes you to be disciplined in your daily action on the days that you don't want to do it and especially after you win.
Speaker 2:And today we have a very special guest who's become a great friend. We're going to talk about something that unites us at the deepest possible level that we really haven't discussed in depth together. We're going to do it for the first time together with all of you, but it really highlights why he and I are so close because of our beliefs and the great connection we had all the way from first time in person at Ed Mylet's event, probably seven, eight, nine months ago now as fast as damn time flies to then really having the opportunity to get to know each other and to be able to do so many different things for me to be able to visit his companies earlier on this year in January and to stay connected, and so many great things. So, Aaron Opaluski, I am so fired up to have you on the burn. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:Thanks, ben. I'm glad to be here, I'm honored to be here and I'm looking forward to this as well.
Speaker 2:Well, I promised him before we hit record. I said we're going to do something that you, that you are unaware of what I'm going to do. It's going to be unexpected, but I know you'll be happy and willing to to roll with it. Before we get there, though, I want to share a couple of things about Aaron, one of the things I love about Aaron and Anna. You know they're really an amazing team doing huge things together, and I joked with him before we got started when I went in January.
Speaker 2:Aaron had this awesome beard and he even had it at Ed Mylet's event, and Aaron really got his start as an entrepreneur at 24 years old, starting his first company, and so, with this beard, I'm like, okay, you know he's got, you know he's got the beard and he's got some age to him, and then he shaved his beard. He took like freaking 10 years off his life. I swear he is still 24 years old, but he's not 24 years old. But Aaron has done some amazing things since. He had the courage to start, and I think in today's episode, what you're going to find is that sometimes it takes that courage to start, and if you start and you believe in yourself, maybe one day, your companies will have done over $250 million of revenue, nine companies that Aaron is a part of. The most significant companies are Spark Talent, spark Packaging, the John Joseph partners, as well as many others, and they are on a track to get to $1 billion of revenue way faster than they got to the $250 million. And that's what happens when you have the courage to start and you put the right people around you.
Speaker 2:And so we don't do a lot of talk about resumes, but because he still looks 24 years old, I had you paint a clear picture of all of the amazing things that Aaron and Anna have done, not only in their belief in themselves and growing their companies, but, most importantly, the belief that they have in everybody around them and the team members and the people that they empower in order to take it to the next level.
Speaker 2:And there's a there's three letters that are up on the wall in their office, which I love, and it's JWU and Aaron. Why don't we start there? Why don't you tell that's not the surprise that I was going to give you, but I'd like to start there because one thing about you and Anna that I just admire is number one your ability as husband and wife to work together and to still be smiling together and to have two beautiful daughters together and be traveling together and still be getting along, but to really embrace everybody around you. And it's not this hey, look at what we're doing. It's look at what we're doing. So what does that JWU mean and what does that mean to you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, for me that's something that's kind of been in me, you know, really since high school. You know, on really before high school, probably junior high, when I started playing competitive sports. But you're the person that helped me kind of put that into words. You know I have four coaches. Ben's one of those four a lot of your audience is familiar with, and my lead, andy for Silla, and then there are my, you know, two of my other coaches and then I have a staffing specific coach. But for Ben, you know, he is my mindset, my leadership, my mental toughness, like that's my coach for that, not only for me but for the teams. But you help me with this by.
Speaker 1:You know it's the name of the podcast, the burn. You know I have two burns, a light side burn and a dark side burn, and the you mindset. You framed that to us and JWF and that's definitely it for me. It's just watch me. You know I was an undersized athlete. I didn't grow up with a lot of money. At one point I had $6 in my bank account and had to, you know, fight, you know, to make it through that and a lot of people have helped me along the way. But I've had that mentality and mindset from a younger age. Now, everything that we do is about it's not about me, it's about us, it's about the team, and so we've incorporated that. Just watch us mindset Like you don't think we can do this.
Speaker 1:You want to laugh at our vision or anything like that? You're on my list, most likely For a while. I probably lived there when I was younger first couple years of entrepreneurship. I've learned from you and from I think Ed's helped me with this too but not to stay there forever. That's my burn, but that's my dark side burn and then my light side burn. Maybe we'll get into as well. But that's what that is for me. It's. I'm going to show you. You know you don't believe in what we're doing. That's okay. I'm going to show you. We're going to build a track record and it's going to be undeniable.
Speaker 2:And it really is undeniable what you're doing. And one of the things I love about how you empower the team is I'm a big believer in consistent messaging, and there's so many people who say things and then they don't do them or they say it because it sounds good at a kickoff event. And you know, when I visited in January, I always pay attention to environment. So JWU is up on the wall, just like that incredible American flag that's on the wall behind you. So JWU is on the wall. There's so many things that are so intentional. Even the board room that we were in, or really the training room that we were in for our time together in January, I mean it has all the core values, but then words that describe what those core values are. It wasn't just the words or it wasn't just pictures, you know, and so I found that to be so unique, and so I appreciate you going to that dark side burn and the light side burn. I think we may go to the place that you may have guessed when I told you we were going to go here. But you know, one thing, erin, that I find so interesting in life is that people, they're scared to talk about their faith. They're scared to talk about God. They're scared to talk about what fuels them and you know I was one of those guys. I always joke. You know, hang around with me because you're duly protected.
Speaker 2:I'm a Jew for Jesus and you know many people on previous episodes. They've heard my story of being raised Jewish and getting bar mitzvah and I know you growing up where you did in Michigan. There's a lot of you know you have a lot of friends that are Jews and people from all walks of life, an amazing Chaldean community and so many amazing people in Michigan. I mean, it's really just incredible the depth and the breadth of success from so many different walks of life in the state of Michigan and I know this from going to school at Michigan State and there's so many people who they hide behind their faith and I embraced Christ when I accepted Christ in 2008.
Speaker 2:And people have heard my interviews with John Gordon and you do not hide behind your faith. You are a man of God and you know I'm going to share this. John Gordon told me one time he said you know, ben, when you write books and you speak and you get out in public like you're not going to please everybody. And in my last book, uncommon Leadership, there's a chapter about John Gordon and my relationship with Christ, and there's people that bash you in Amazon reviews.
Speaker 2:I didn't know this was a Jesus book and all these kinds of things and it's amazing where people go because you're expressing who you are and one of the things that I really love about how you show up in life is you don't press that upon anybody. I don't feel like I press my faith upon anybody, but I also don't hide my faith and my beliefs and I really respect that about you and Anna and how you carry yourselves in your lives, not only as leaders in your companies, but leaders of your two beautiful girls. So how important is your faith and is that? Is that the light side that you were referring to?
Speaker 1:It ties into it Absolutely. And it's at this point. It's everything really. It's the foundation that everything else is built on. And I say that from a humble place on.
Speaker 1:I mess up every single day on that, still like I'm a sinner saved by the grace of God. But you know, I'm working on stuff every day and God's working on me. But without that component, I know we wouldn't be where we are today. I know I wouldn't have overcome some of the things and I really look at it as like a secret weapon because, like you know, as an entrepreneur, we go through lonely valleys, things that happen to us that are tough, and that faith is in God, or something else. Just having a faith, you know, for me it's in God and having a relationship with him, it's everything to know you're not alone in those moments, because it's very easy to feel alone as an entrepreneur. You know, and then at the same time, he's not going to do it all for you. You still have to go do the work, but it's nice to have that foundation, you know, set up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so how is that part of your daily environment? How does God show up in your life? How do you connect to your faith? What are the things that you do to keep that present in your life?
Speaker 1:So I pray every morning and I like to listen to a lesson every morning and then I will, you know, read snippets of the Bible too. That's the one that God's working on me. Still, like like reading. I read every day, but I don't always read the Bible. But I'll pray every morning, I'll listen to a lesson like a podcast and I listened to your podcast or listened to a couple other ones, but the first one that I try and listen to every morning. It has, you know, some biblical principles to it and they're short 10, 15 minutes but that's just what I do. It's worked into my routine.
Speaker 1:God's really evolved this for me over a period of time. At one point I was scared to talk about my faith. There's been points in my journey, even as I've been an entrepreneur starting at 24, where I'll say I kind of like off the path. I grew up a pastor's kid. I knew the difference between what I think was right and wrong and when I've been on the path and when I was off. But I had a foundation built in me from my parents which I appreciate, that I kind of knew when I was not doing what I should be doing and that kind of stuck with me over a period of time and what's happened is really. I don't think we'd be here today with the Spark family of companies I had another company before that and I don't think I was stepped out into something different almost a decade ago if it wasn't for my faith and God. And then what's happened over a period of time is God's shown me that who I was from like 18 to 22, 18 to 24, those early stages of me figuring out what I want to do in life I was craving a mentor that didn't show up for me exactly how I was craving it in the form of one person. It ended up being multiple people at different points in my life. But what God's showing me this really started to click for me around like 34, 35. So we're talking a decade of like God working with me on this.
Speaker 1:What clicked for me is that deep desire that I had in my life that I was looking for. I believe that's what he was pointing me in the direction to be for other people. But I had to go out and produce to a certain level to be that mentor for other people, and that's how you need to do that for people. But I don't have to be like extremely preachy with my faith. I have a lot of one-on-one conversations and people ask questions about stuff. How do you structure your day? Like well, I just told you some stuff that's faith related, like the conversation just kind of naturally goes there. So I hope I answered your question.
Speaker 2:You definitely did, and one of the things and I hope people can hear it from the answer it wasn't this over the top answer that you stop people on the street and you profess your favorite verses to Omen you. And I think that's what people think sometimes when they hear conversations like this, and what I appreciate is is that you can show up and know that you're faithful without saying that you're faithful. There are those conversations that you show up with Similar for me. Sometimes I'll speak and I have a Jewish last name and so you know when I speak, people know that. So a lot of times, people come up to me and they'll be like you believe in Christ, and I'm like, yeah, but how did you know that? Like I didn't say a Bible verse when I spoke and they said we can tell from how you speak, and it's always a really powerful thing.
Speaker 2:And so I believe that that's the same for you, which probably is part of how you've been able to lean into and grow so fast. And so maybe take us there, because that's what I see in you as a great leader great intentionality, great discipline, the courage to start, the courage to believe in yourself, the courage to take risks, and now you've been able to invest in other companies that way. So it started at 24. Take us there. You know where did that courage come from and how hard was that decision? Cause I think there's a lot of people listening who maybe they have a great idea, they want to do something, but they're missing that courage piece. To just start.
Speaker 1:Yeah, part of me starting in entrepreneurship was through failure, which I think it is for a lot of people, or a life change, if you don't want to call it failure. So I was initially a personal trainer. I was going to school for finance and I, you know, was doing some decent things with training. I say that, like, at the time I thought I was this great trainer. Now you and I both know just people that blew me out of the water and that was when I got to meet a lot of people doing that job. It was a great experience for me to do that and I met someone in the staffing industry. I did some training with them. We got to know each other and ultimately, little did I know they were recruiting me to come, you know, join that company, and what a blessing. It was the largest Lee held private staffing company in the world. They still are, to my knowledge and I had the opportunity to spend, you know, to get an interview. They offered me a job while I was still going to college, which was part of that chip on my shoulder, like you know. At the time you know, just watch me like, okay, I don't, everyone has a degree, I don't yet, like I'm going to show people what I can do, like I appreciate this opportunity, I'm going to give it everything I got. And so I did that and I stayed with the company for 18 months. I moved up relatively quickly. I got promoted in August of 2008, and they did a big transition and consolidated four offices in January of 2009,. And then, less than eight weeks later, they brought everyone in and it's a day I remember, but I watched in front of me 90 people laid off, like in a two-hour period, and I stayed. I wasn't laid off, but they did demote me back to a different role, which at the time, I was not very happy about. Different perspective. Now I think that leader was in a tough spot. He had to go with who he knew. He was coming over from another office. There was a reason why, you know, we had 80 people in our office and 75 got laid off and he just went with who he knew. Like that was a tough spot. So I hung out for a couple more months there and ultimately, you know, we decided it was time for me to move on and in May of 2009, you know, we started an industrial staffing company. So that was kind of where I got started.
Speaker 1:Fast forward four and a half years when you have a 50-50 partnership and you have different visions for stuff. You don't talk about any of this stuff upfront. There's a way to do partnerships and there's a way not to do it, and it was a great experience for me. I learned a lot from that and I learned a lot about how to structure that and how to communicate with each other. As you know, a marriage or a partnership or any kind of like relationship, the deeper you go on it, the more you have to communicate well, and there was just some things we didn't do well upfront with that. We had different visions for how to grow the company. That can be fine in the business world and that's where you know we went off and started SparkTalent. You know there's a short version of that and we're coming up on 10 years. I'll go on that in November.
Speaker 2:And it's just been incredible, I know, just even for me to read and to look and to study more, without asking questions about everything that you've done and everything that you're doing. And one of the things I've noticed about you which I really, really appreciate is discipline, and it takes a tremendous amount of discipline over that period of time to continue to grow, to remain courageous, to continue to take risks. But there's also discipline in all areas of your life discipline in your faith, discipline in your balance to family life. Now you and I have had this conversation.
Speaker 2:A lot of people talk about balance doesn't exist, and I think that's for the people who just don't have the wherewithal or the intentional focus to have balance. And balance doesn't mean you spend the exact same amount of time. I think people use that as an excuse to not allow their family or their lives to be a priority. Right. Balance doesn't mean the exact same amount of time. We're not balancing four ounces of food. But I think balance is prioritizing different areas of your life, which you've done, and one of those areas is to remain physically fit, and I remember being there in January and we go to dinner and both of us were very disciplined and neither of us were on 75 heart at the time, but we're not drinking, we're eating good foods and we kind of both looked at each other like this is why we get along, and I think there's something that you've found that discipline in all areas of your life actually enables you to perform at a high level in all areas of your life. How important is that disciplined approach? Because I see how much family time you take. I see how much you pour into your businesses. I see how much you pour into your fitness.
Speaker 2:You guys think I'm in good shape. This dude is an absolute freak. Like he was telling me stuff when we were dinner that night. He's like, yeah, I really haven't been that disciplined. I'm like what are you talking about? You're shredded right now. And he's like, no, I could be better. And I'm like you could be better and you're like the best shape I would have ever been in my life. So how important is it, aaron, to maintain attacking all of these different areas of your life? Because that's another thing I think a lot of listeners struggle with is well, I can only focus on this right. I can only focus on my business right now. So how important has it been for you to really attack all these different areas of life at one time.
Speaker 1:I think over the years I've realized that it just got into compounds. That's one of the first things that was taught to me when I worked back at that staffing company. I had some really good mentors that gave me a blueprint, for this is how you become elite in this, and I looked at that blueprint and said, ok, they're telling me to do X, y and Z. I'm going to double up X, y and Z Because that's all I know how to do as an athlete. I'm 5'6" and when I play basketball, everyone else on our starting five is 6'5", like it was like 6'10", 6'10", 6'9", 6'5", 6'5" and 5'6". I might be 5'5", I don't know. But the point is, when I learned from sports and I never played at that high, but high school was as high as I went I had some opportunities to play D3 with no scholarship and I just didn't go that route, which is another story. But what I learned from that is in order to do anything in sports, I just had to work harder than other people. I had to come in first every sprint. You didn't want me to defend you in sports because I was going to be all over you.
Speaker 1:When I found an industry in staffing that they gave me a blueprint and they said do this. And I look at it and I'm like, ok, I'm going to ratchet that up because that's what I know how to do. Like I'm like, ok, I like this. Then, when it started working, I was like this is it for me, this is what I'm supposed to do. Now you fast forward 15 years and just the consistency of following a blueprint like that, day after day, week after week, month after month, quarter after quarter, year after year, and watching that stack, it's just become more and more real to me that through that discipline, it creates an ultimate amount of options for you to be able to go after, expand your capacity on what you can do and, along the way, as a single guy, compared to having a wife and two kids, I've had to hone that a little bit in order to be like OK, what does that look like for me now?
Speaker 1:Well, now I might have to work out later or work out earlier. This has got to change and evolve and I look to you as an example for that and you've really pushed me on that last almost two years. There's no reason not to be able to set that all up. You don't have to avoid this time with your family or not have it. You don't have to sacrifice on your fitness. You don't have to not be elite. You need to get your stuff done during the day and you need to go at it and be intentional wherever you're at. You say, be where your feet are, and that's something that's really resonated with our team. It's resonated with me. I say that to myself a lot.
Speaker 2:Aaron, I appreciate how you show up. I appreciate the connection we've had since I did the COVID RTA event. I think it was the first time we really got connected virtually and then from there then being able to meet in person at EDDS and now you being part of our uncommon live community is well as giving me the opportunity to come and spend time with the incredible growth of great things you're doing with the company, and then we get to be back together in person for Vegas boot camp in October. So I look forward to the continued opportunity to sharpen iron together, because it's guys like you even though you could say you lean on me for things it's examples of individuals like you who show us all that you can have balance. You can't attack other areas, you don't have to make excuses. That really empowers people to show up and believe more and to hopefully take that courage that you took at 24 years old.
Speaker 2:Aaron, what's one final lesson maybe you would share with that person who's sitting on that sideline. They were you at 24 years old. They have that great idea or they're at that company where it was a great opportunity. They've learned, but they know there's something bigger for them. What's that piece of advice that you would give to them to attack their life.
Speaker 1:I think if it would be a whole other conversation. A lot of people look how we're set up and you say that there's not. You know I'm invested in nine companies and there's six that I'm managing, partner in, like oh like. Is there some shiny object syndrome? But I'd have to take you through the whole design of how that works and like. A key factor in that is I'm the CEO of one one company and I only manage the day to day on one of those.
Speaker 1:If you are getting this itch for entrepreneurship, I think you got to start to evaluate that. That doesn't mean quit your job tomorrow. A lot more people are going to be great entrepreneurs or some version of an entrepreneur, whether that's like a franchise or a small equity piece, or maybe a bigger equity piece with other equity partners for guidance, right. Or maybe you're a full out. You know, right. You got to figure out where that is, but by no means do I think people should just jump and quit their job. I'm proud of this day. One of the things I'm most proud of is that, even though it wasn't from February to April of 2009,. I knew it probably wasn't no longer on the vision to try and be CEO at that company. That was my goal for a period of time. But I showed up every day, I made my calls, I made my placements, I worked hard and I saw that through. I didn't quit on that before and so I would tell people.
Speaker 1:If you're considering that and you continue to have that itch, I think that's probably God telling you something long term. But in the process of that, be excellent in what you're doing day after day. And you know, hey, hopefully you find a company that designs that out for you. That's how we are designed. Personally is we understand that people get that itch. I had that itch right. I want to design that in and help people grow into an entrepreneurial role, if that's something they want to build out. So hopefully you're at a company that embodies that or at least supports you on that. But doing it in the right way is communicating with your leader on that, setting up a plan, not just bailing on someone or doing that while you're supposed to be at work doing a job. I think that's what I would say. You know, do it the right way, do it intentionally. You'll be proud of that a decade later.
Speaker 2:Yeah, integrity and doing things the right way is something that leaves people with an impression that they never forget. Doing things the wrong way also leaves an impression that people never forget and they never forget, so it's always better to do things the right way, do what you say you're going to do and continue to be an example, which you do, aaron. So thank you so much for joining us on the Burn.
Speaker 1:Thanks for having me, man. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2:And I appreciate you, brother, and for each and every single one of you listening. We appreciate you. We appreciate the opportunity to bring you a story every single week, just like Aaron's, and an opportunity to really challenge you, to connect to your burn, to be consistent in what drives you and, just as you've heard in Aaron's story and every single individual that's been on the Burn and for me, everybody's burn is different. You know you need to hear. Aaron's has the light side and the dark side. Maybe yours has two sides, but keep joining us every single week, continue to stay connected to your burn. We are in your corner. We're in the fight with you. Let us know what more we can do to help you continue to drive that continual peak performance. Do me a favor and share this episode with somebody that needs to act and be more courageous to build the life that they were destined to live. This has been the Burn and we look forward to seeing you next week.
