Page 62 - Demo

62 || MOST FITNESS || MAY 2016MFM: You have a very diverse background-Which do you identify with the most and which defines you the most? Irish, Lebanese, American?JC: I%u2019m proud to be an American. I%u2019m proud of the principles this nation was founded on and what this country is capable of achieving. In this age where it%u2019s highly fashionable to America bash, I choose to proudly declare my love for my country, the positive things it represents, and work towards improving its short comings. However, I do also love the Irish and Lebanese cultures. I was raised in Dublin, Ireland and have duel Irish and American citizenship. Irish culture is fantastic; the people are hardworking, family-loving, music-oriented, resilient people. I also love Lebanese culture, where nothing is above family, loyalty, and respect. They are overwhelmingly a hospitality and food culture; to be a guest in a Lebanese household is an experience I highly suggest for everyone. You won%u2019t eat for a week afterwards!MFM: What has been the most challenging aspect of building your brand and standing out in the fitness industry where there are a lot of people trying to get noticed and represent big brands?JC: My success in the fitness world is beyond ironic. My background is highly academic and business oriented. I graduated undergrad with honors, attended (and withdrew after a year) law-school, and went on to business school and received my MBA. I went right into the business world, and that was my major focus for almost a decade. Fitness was just a hobby; I never intended on monetizing it, let alone creating a huge brand in the fitness world. I was managing a team of analysts at one of the world%u2019s largest gaming companies when I started getting approached by various fitness magazines and brands who saw my social media pages. I shot UFC Magazine a few times, picked up a few smaller endorsements, and then shot an extremely high-budget ad campaign with for the world renowned Berube Films. It was after the Berube video that Arvin Lal reached out to me and let me know he had just opened a fledgling supplement company named Shredz and asked if I was interested in becoming one of their athletes. The rest is history. MFM: What was your favorite ad campaign you have ever been a part of, and why?JC: I love what Shredz is doing and what they are about. Arvin, Ankur, and the whole executive team over there all have an insanely forward thinking strategy, and I love that. Coming from a decade of implementing high-level strategic planning, I appreciate the scope and ability they have to execute their vision. We are the leaders in cuttingedge content creation, period. But apart from me %u201cnerding out%u201d on the business end, what makes Shredz special to me is the message we are spreading. That message is no matter who you are, where you come from, what stage in life you are at, and what your goals are, we are here to motivate you to be a better, fitter, happier person. Yes, we sell a product and yes, we have monetized social media at an unprecedented level, but we also give back at an unprecedented level. If you never spend a nickel on a Shredz product in your entire life, we still value you and want to inspire and help you better yourself the same as someone who is a diehard consumer. I love that; giving back to the people who have given you your success, the supporters, is what I am all about.MFM: You are a cross-fit pro-what is your favorite part of it and why?JC: The mental toughness aspect, hands down. I don%u2019t train to look good, which sounds ludicrous coming from someone in the fitness industry I know, but it%u2019s true. I train because it makes me a better person, and before you call BS let me explain why. There is something powerful about pushing your physical limits and overcoming. When you take on extreme workouts that are designed to tax your body, put you in a state of extreme discomfort, and trigger your mind to say %u201cquit%u201d and you mentally say %u201cno%u201d and push through, you are training your mind that you can overcome what it deems impossible. That repetition will build your mental toughness the same way you build your physical muscles. Eventually, that mental toughness will carry into every aspect of your life. Now that seemingly impossible situation at work or personal issue in your life no longer seems impossible. You are regularly starting your day working out and doing something that three weeks ago was physically impossible for you. Soon you learn that there is no %u201cimpossible,%u201d there is only opportunity to overcome!MFM: You have said it was love at first sight when you met Eva-what was your first date like? How did you get her to go out with you?JC: The first time we met I was about as smooth as Jim Carey%u2019s %u201cLloyd%u201d character from the movie Dumb and Dumber, but I rallied at the end, invited her to join me at an organic juice bar, and told her