16: Dan Grieb

Chris Suarez: [00:00:00] [00:00:00]Welcome back to the experience growth podcast, focused on the six pillars of living and experiential life, our career, our relationships, our personal growth or health wealth, and our spirituality. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak to some of  real estates, most successful business owners across the country about each one of these pillars.

Now they were hand selected to talk about a pillar that they demonstrate incredibly well. Even building out systems around this pillar in their business and in their personal life today, I want to share my conversation with Dan Grieb around the pillar of health. 

   as I thought about who to have a conversation with around health honestly guys I wanted to have a conversation with someone that wasn't always healthy, because it's easy to bring on just that, that killer VR version and vision of just pure health has always been healthy. They grew up healthy and they always lived a healthy life. And for most of us that isn't the case. Dan grieve again, the business acumen it's on the screen.

We need not talk about that. You run a phenomenal business, a massive business, right? A multi-million dollar business. And yet more importantly today, I w I want to talk about health with you because so you and I have known each other for a while and you weren't always healthy, right? Fair. 

Dan Grieb: [00:01:35] Yeah, of course.

Chris Suarez: [00:01:36] So maybe talk us through where you were and why you decided that you needed to focus on this pillar in your life health then, and then we're going to talk about the journey and interestingly enough, we're going to get to how your personal health. It has truly, in my opinion, begun to change the health for those that you don't even know yet.

And so when we say, gosh can one pillar change our communities and our world. I believe they can, but it starts with you. So bring us back to when you were unhealthy and what happened and why you decided that you needed 

Dan Grieb: [00:02:07] to make a change. Yeah. So to paint the picture a little bit, I grew up like a lot of the folks that are watching today, you know, I was a product of a single mom.

I. Literally had to fight my whole life to literally survive and get out of the world. I was in, I only landed in real estate because I made a promise to my wife that I'd let her be a stay at home mom, if that's what she wanted. And we had kids and I found myself not fulfilling  my promise to her.

And so I left being a police officer. So you'll be in real estate because I just wanted to make more money. And I initially got in that and I got in with a limiting belief, like we all have these limiting beliefs. Like I didn't think I could have it all. And so I got into real estate. I was unhealthy.

 But I had some things that were non-negotiable for me with life. Number one is I want to be a great dad. I want to be everything to my children, that my dad wasn't to me, I was very broken by the relationship I had with my dad. So I wanted to kind of turn that around and make my world whole again.

When I had my chance, I wanted to be a great husband. You don't want to be everything to my wife, that my dad was not to my mom. I wanted her to get the blessings that my mom never received. I watched my mom struggle her whole life to provide for three children and have no help and being abused by my father.

And it was just tough. And then the next thing I did is I said, if God ever gave me the opportunity to run a business, that I'd run a business that rewarded people for being loyal and hardworking and having good hearts and wanting to serve people. And last but not least, I had a religious transformation , when I was 19.

And I said, I was never going to forget where I came from or how I got here. And I knew that happened through God and my transformation. Well, I started having massive success in real estate, and  it started going higher and higher, got into Gary's top 100 is number one real estate agent in Orlando doing all these great things.

And at the same time, I'm maintaining my relationship with my wife. Like our relationship is going great. I'm a great debt. Anybody that asks you would say Dan's a really great dad. I'm not just a great dad to my own kid. I'm a great dad to other kids that don't have a father. I actually have an adopted daughter already.

I just found a young lady and adopted her. And she's my daughter. I, we have that life. And then when it comes to my religious perspective, I would like to say that I have a closeness with God. That is very special to me. I woke up one day and I'm 300 pounds, 320 pounds. And my social circle, I'm seeing men, should I lose some weight?

And they're like, no, man, can't have it all. W what are you can do? Dan, you got all the money. You got a great wife, you got relationship with your kids. You're killing it in business. You can't have it all, man. And that was in my head. I was like, you know what? Which one are you willing to give up, to get healthy right now, Chris, you wish you were willing to give up being a great dad willing to do that.

Right now. You're willing to give up your relationship with your wife and make, let that go down a little bit. So you can get healthy. You're willing to like make the people that work for you suffer because of your bad choices. And you're going to go abandon them now, like [00:05:00] you can do that one or are you going to just say, Hey God, I don't have time for you anymore.

Cause I got to go worry about me. For me it was like, listen, I'm going to do the least. Most selfish thing. And that is I won't take care of myself and I'll take care of everybody else. And that's what we call addition versus subtraction thinking. I was subtracting, what am I to get healthy? Which one of these do I have subtract?

And I found myself one day and said, you know what? I'm going to challenge that thought process. I'm going to say, how do I do it all? And to have it all, who do I have to become? And what do I have to do? 

Chris Suarez: [00:05:31] One of the things that I hear. And if this is a very real, I mean, whether it's that dramatic.

Or some level of what you just said. Somewhere else, along the line, we have convinced ourselves that being healthy checks time and being healthy takes money, right? It's more expensive and healthy and it takes more time  to exercise. We have convinced ourselves and I don't care who we are.

Like I've done that in the past. Everybody has that. That is your selfish choice. If I'm going to be healthy, That, that it's taking away from one of those categories. And when you pose that question there, that's a very real question with you gotta take away from, is it the business that serves your customers and your people?

Is it your family? Is it your spirituality? Is it which one? And then you say, well, gosh, no, like they all deserve that. I just I'll just take the time away from being healthy. Awesome. I love that question. I think that's a real, it's a real win for us to ask ourselves. Have we been asking that, so addition as opposed to subtraction, how did you go about the path of saying, well, gosh, I need to add, help back into my life.

Where did the time come from? Or what, who did you need to be to do that then? 

Dan Grieb: [00:06:39] Yeah, I, well, that's the question, right? So it's either. What am I going to take away from? Or who do I have to become? So I started looking for models of people that were doing that see models in the Keller Williams world are literally like, let me show you this lead generation model.

It's these series of practice of things. Let me show you this economic model. It's these series of practices, things. But when I say model, I say a person, like I, I see model. I say, who is that? I already doing what I want to do. And then I'm going to just go and see how they do it. And then I'm going to try to do it just like that.

So I started surrounding myself with other men that seem to have it all. And I started saying, all right, I need to go do what they're doing. And for me, I just made the conscious decision that I would wake up early and I would test it out. Now, I'm currently writing a book. So in the book I talk about this.

You know how long it takes to become a United States Marine. Literally you go in with long hair, you learn a whole new language. You learn a whole new skillset in 120 days. You literally walk in as one person. You walk out another, you walk in and you say, that's a bed. You come out 120 days later. You say, that's a rack, that's a bathroom.

You walk out 120 days. That's a latrine. Like it's a whole new language. It's a whole new skillset. It's a whole new belief system. I started thinking why don't I just work out for a hundred days straight, just 100 days and I'll work out a hundred days. So that's what I did. I did this thing called orange theory, where they make you do running, rowing and weights.

And these group fitness classes. And I did that a hundred days straight. And then I'm like, what, if I can do that in a hundred days, it started dominating the classes. So I started thinking like, what else am I afraid to do? That is physical. I'm like hot yoga. I'm like, great. I'll do hot yoga a hundred times in a hundred days.

And then I became really good at that. And then I started thinking what's an exercise that I could do. That would be physically demanding of me to do. It would require a lot of training. And then I would have to continue to do it, to maintain it. And it was like iron man read did an iron man. And I remember him talking about it one day because making fun of his watch, it was so big.

It looked like he had an iPad on his wrist. And I was like, I'm gonna do that. And then I asked my friends what does the average person do though? Like the average person trains for a year. And then they do a full Ironman, 140 mile race. And I'm like, great. I'm going to train for a year. And then I'm going to do 10 Ironman in two years.

I'm going to do 10 times what everybody else does so I could get in shape and then maintain it. And by the time the two years is over, I will have become this person. I couldn't accomplish all those goals without you. 

Chris Suarez: [00:09:01] Dan, let me ask you this. Was it when you said, gosh, that's what the average person does.

Was it the competition or the beating or was it the challenge and doing the hard thing that you needed to put in front of yourself? 

Dan Grieb: [00:09:13] For me, it was, it's always a question of how does this one goal tie into that goal? It ties in this goal, like the pillars, right? People think that the pillars are separate pillars.

They're all connected like this pillar bleeds over that pillar, which bleeds over that pillar, which bleeds over this one. For me, here's what I know the level of discipline that it requires to do 10 Ironman in two years, the amount of training and racist for me to do that, I had to do a hundred races.

Five Ks, 10 Ks marathons, half marathons. Mental training. See that mental training I knew would make me a better father. See, I knew that I would run a marathon before eight o'clock in the morning, so I could get to work on time and that I would take myself voluntarily to places of such difficulty that if [00:10:00] any involuntary difficulty came at me,

it'd be easy because I've already mentally trained myself. So I use the physical to be a better father. I used the physical to be her husband. I used the physical to be a better businessman. I use that physical to, to see God more than I've ever seen God before. And now what happened is these like individual one by one, they all kind of signed up and became connected and they just started bleeding into each other and making me better at every step of the way.

So for me, it was never about the physical. It was about who can I become for my children? And people say like, why are you doing this? Why are you doing this crazy 30 mile run tomorrow? Because I want to be a better dad because life is going to happen and I'm going to get tested. And how am I preparing myself for that test?

The world needs a better version of Dan Grieb because the world has given me so more than I deserve. And when I show up as your friend, you know that you have a guy that's going to show up all the time because he is training himself to be the best friend you can have. I'm going to be the best dad. I can be the best husband.

I can be the best leader I can be because I'm going to wake up in the morning and I'm going to put in the work to get there. 

Chris Suarez: [00:11:10] One of the, one of the things that I think is evidence of that happening, Dan is and where my favorite Things that I see happening is now you're changing the trajectory of your kid's path and in life as well.

I know your, I think it's, you're young. Your, is it drew, your son drew the training with you for his first iron man when he turns 18 and you got a message to him and to us on Facebook out a couple months ago and it said. If it was easy son, everyone would be doing it. And you were waking up with him at 4:00 AM to go train so that he's prepared.

And that phrase, if it was easy son, everyone would be doing it reminded me of novels concept of, making hard decisions today for easier life later. Versus making easy decisions today for a harder life later, like at life, by addition super, super difficult today as an app, but it makes things easier later because you're healthier.

And then each one of those powers got easier for you as well. 

Dan Grieb: [00:12:08] Yeah. I hear that. And I would say choosing, like Abe said short says choosing hard for an easier life later, like that's maybe right. Choosing hard now in case life is hard. Later is the right choice because life is going to be hard later.

You know, I'm 46 years old. There's a lot of young people on this call. Your parents are going to, you're going to get a call one day that says, come quick. We need you. And I believe that leadership is number one. How you manage yourself? How you. Matt financial life, how you know, what you see in here is what you're eventually going to see out there.

How you viewed yourself in this world is more important than what the, how the world views you, because that's the starting point. The second place is how you lead in your family. Comma, where I tell everybody how you lead your family, comma, where it counts. The love level of leadership only really matters in your family.

When you look back at every decision you make, Sarah just talked about this huge business, but she, everything she talked about her business will lead back to family where it counted. And then last is how you lead in your business and community comma, where it's just practice. Well, I'm practicing my in, on my entrepreneurial ways.

And having a business in the things I choose hard at work and the things I choose hard in my physical, so that when life shows up in my family needs me, I'm ready. Yeah, I'm there. And then when I'm challenged spiritually, physically, mentally medical issues come my way. I can lead myself through that.

Chris Suarez: [00:13:35] Yeah. So it isn't that life is going to be easy later, but those decisions get easier because you've made hard decisions consistently day in and day out, making the hard decision to show up decision-making will get easier later. 

Dan Grieb: [00:13:50] And they're saying is God, don't make it life, my life easy. Make me better.

Chris Suarez: [00:13:54] I love that. Now you've brought people along with you and that's by definition, what two meters do everyone on this call because nearly everyone in the country has heard your story with with really great being the guide for Chris Walt while you're, I believe he's the first athlete with down syndrome to have completed a full Ironman.

Is that right? Yeah. There you go, boy. 

Dan Grieb: [00:14:17] I love those with down syndrome, the clean iron man. 

Chris Suarez: [00:14:21] And one, just tell us, I don't want to go the whole story. Tell us how did that begin? How did you get connected? What motivated you to bring people along with you and be that guide? I know you're heavily involved in special Olympics, right?

You were training for a special Olympics race, even just this weekend, just two days ago in inclement, rather to say the least, how did that begin 

Dan Grieb: [00:14:44] for you?  I lost a hundred plus pounds in my forties and I completed all the races that I said I would complete all around the world.

Did over a hundred races, got my health back and my marriage is better relationship. My kids are better, made more money I've ever made before. Like everything [00:15:00] else compounded as well. And it's really kind of time for me to start sunsetting this and doing something else. And I thought to myself, how do I show, how do I express my gratitude to God for this chance?

This is not by accident. Like God's hand is with me. And I know that and I want, wanna, I just want to pay it back a little bit to God. And I did some reflecting and that the best way that you can serve God is by serving his people. So I said, I'm going to go help someone else become an iron man.

And back in the day before I did it, no one. Had ever done it with down syndrome with an athlete that was learning disabled or had an intellectual disability. So the only people you could really do it for was a blind person or a person who is completely incapacitated. So I started looking for a blind person to help lead through an Ironman.

And I jokingly say this, Chris, what's the hardest part about leading a person, a blind person through an Ironman?

Chris Suarez: [00:15:51] Yes.

I mean it's alive road, right? So it's an unfamiliar path for that blind person. 

Dan Grieb: [00:15:57] Yeah. A lot of people think it's like the swim or the run or whatever, the hardest part for me about leaving a blind person to be an Ironman was finding a blind person who wanted to do an iron man. I think it was the, it was impossible.

I was offering people like, come live with me, I'll pay for all your training. Just do this. I just want to do this thing for God. And this is the funny thing about when you like put things out towards God or the universe, and you just say I'm doing this for humanity, the universe, God, whatever you believe in, like they hear you, they hear your prayers, but very rarely does God answer things.

Number one on our time or number two in the scope of which we believe or understand, because God's thinking is not our thinking. His thinking is always bigger than our thinking. So God said, I hear your honest prayer, Dan, and I hear your honest desire. And he saw me putting in the work to do it. And he sent me Chris  and Chris was a person that lived most of his life being told that he wouldn't amount to much from the day he was born.

His pain from the Bay was before he was born. He was in utero. And the doctor said, you have a down syndrome child. Let me tell you what your options are. You can have an abortion right now. It's perfectly legal. You could do that. His parents said, no, we're going to have this child. And then the doctor said, okay, but listen, he's not going to amount to much.

All his life. Chris has been told, you're not gonna amount to much as parents mentor. That is the way that people with down syndrome experience life. You're not going to amount to much and talking about it too much amount to much. And for Chris, when I was introduced to him, I was the person who was told my whole life.

I wouldn't amount to much. And so I immediate related to what he was being told. And when they asked me if I'd be willing to help Chris, which there's a longer story to this. I said absolutely. And every time we said, Hey, let's try a sprint. Let's try an Olympic distance, which like 10 miles, 30 miles, half Ironman, full Ironman.

I'm like, yes, let's try it. Let's give Chris a try. Let's give him a try. Let's try it. Let's try it. And every time he did, and here's the crazy thing about Chris? Chris is my mentor with down syndrome. Everything I've taught him. He's taught me equally as much everything I've given him. He's given me back.

I've given him my mental capacity and he's given me joy. I've taught him how to live like a independent person that he wants and how to accomplish things. And he's taught me to live in the moment. He's taught me how to love people and start every conversation with a hug. He's taught me to not judge people.

And to remember that beauty is not in. You know what we do in 10 minutes from now, it's what we're doing right now. , Chris has intellectual disability, prevents him from thinking about five years from now, or from thinking back to five years, Chris doesn't even want to be an Ironman.

That's not even his goal. His dream is to live independently, to own his own car, own his own house, and to marry a wife and love her unconditionally, just like his mom loves him. Things that are told to be impossible. His goal of being an Ironman is irrelevant. The only reason why he did an iron man is because his dad wanted him to learn a lifelong habit of health.

But more importantly than that, it's because he has Dan. He just wants to be around that crazy Ironman. Dan, that loves him. So if it means he has to run 26 miles or do 140 mile run, he's going to say I'm going to do it because I get to be with Dan. And now my title has changed. People ask me this a lot.

And I know my time's running up, so I'll wrap it up. They say Dan, the race is over with Chris. You did the Ironman you're you guys are now in the Guinness book of world records. You've had worldwide fame. You're on every news station magazines. Crazy. You all this stuff, are you kind of sad because aren't you going to miss that?

Like training Chris every day, him and I swim, tethered attached to each other. We run attached to each other. We work out where we're literally sweating on each other during all our workouts. Like we're right there. We're one person. We're a team. We can't do it without each other. Are you going to miss that?

I said, no well, why not? Well, because when I started this, I was coach Dan and I'm leaving this uncle Dan I've punched my ticket for that boy for the rest of my life. He is my nephew, his parents. And I've already talked. They're older, not much older, but they're older. They're 15 years older than me.

And they've said, listen, if anything happens to us and would you take Chris? Absolutely draw [00:20:00] the paperwork up. I got them. I got it. So that's what life's about. That's the reason why we build these businesses. That's the reason why we stay at Keller Williams because of who we become. If I didn't have this example of living a big life, provided me by Gary Keller leadership at Keller Williams, the other amazing agents, I wouldn't have this opportunity to have changed the world for people with down syndrome.

See, I did pray the prayer. God, let me change the world for you. And I thought it would be by changing my family tree by being this man to my children and being this man to my wife. God said, I hear you Dan, be that end. You're going to change the world for people, you know, nothing about a year ago. I didn't even know a person with down syndrome.

Now I understand intellectual disabilities. I speak the down syndrome language. I can relate with these people and it's been the greatest journey I've been on and I'm never getting off the train. I brought them into my world and I'm never leaving their world. 

Chris Suarez: [00:20:53] Yeah, my thank you so much. My, my biggest takeaway and it's a powerful one.

Dan is as that, that you connected on, on, on past life experiences and truly changed. How you experience life, but how Chris experiences life as well, which is what our mission is. And where did it begin getting healthy, right?  It began on this health pillar, connecting all those pillars changing your experience in life and honestly many people on this call, his experience in life is as they refocus on their health, but also.

Why they're doing it. Your story is one that's powerful. I know the world has begun to hear it. We showed up on a super bowl commercial as well with Chris, right? Not on your own. So thank you for being here. I appreciate you greatly and look forward to your future success and in telling the story as well.

Dan Grieb: [00:21:41] It's my honor, could I please just end with saying the question you asked Sarah at the end, which is like, what is experiencing. Life look like you. And I would just say that experience your life with others and experience yourself with others that are not like you. For me to, for me, I'm a very strong, loud, high presence person.

If you didn't notice that already. Well, do you know how difficult it was for me to walk into a room with someone with an intellectual disability who I understand nothing about them? And I want to go in there and it's like, game time, we're going to train harder. We've ever trained before. We're going to go hard.

And this guy's like, can you give me a hug? Hug, we can't hug. We need to throw weights around. We didn't take you to iron man. Oh, I was so nervous at the beginning of this relationship that I didn't talk. I literally just sat back and watched. I was so fearful that Chris wouldn't like me, or I would offend his parents.

I would do something. The decision to hang in there and learn about him. That's so different than me. So world so completely opposite of mine. That is the part that completely changed my life. If you want to experience life, do it with other people. That's my answer on that. 

Chris Suarez: [00:22:50] I love that. Thank you, Dan.

Appreciate you so much.