Brett Harmeling: 0:00

What's going on guys, I am about to jump into my cold plunge. This is one of the most powerful tools that I use for aging, longevity and just feeling better. Some of the top things that this therapy does for you is it brings blood flow back into the brain, it brings pushes blood flow to the core, and it forces all inflammation in your body to kind of get processed in a good way. And so what I like about this therapy is that it's really simple. All you have to do is get in and so today, I'm just going to get in. I'm coming on a podcast with my man George McCleary, out of California, and so usually he does this in person, which is such a cool idea. But I'm in Houston, Texas. And so I just wanted to give you a little insight as into the frozen millionaires podcasts that I'm about to do with George McCleary. So here we go. Starting to feel a little bit of soberg effect, which is shiver, one critical thing, if you're doing cold plunging frequently, you want to get your wrist under the water, as well as your vagus name. That's where your operating system, your brain and your spine connect. And that the reason why is this your thermal regulators and they tell your body, what state to put it into. So this is this is once again, a deliberate choice. You're choosing to expose the body to cold temperatures, and therefore you want to get the full benefit of doing that.

George McCleary: 1:29

Welcome to frozen millionaires, the show where we submerge successful people in ice cold water, then sit them down to talk about how they've achieved success. I'm your host, George McCleary. And I have a pension for ambition for entrepreneurship. And for watching my friends suffering cold water. No tech CEOs or Wall Street Titans here. These are the Self Made Millionaires next door and they're fresh out of the cold plunge and telling their stories. What's up friends, and welcome to episode six of frozen millionaires. So if you've been listening to the podcast, especially since the first solo episode, you've probably picked up on the fact that I'm really big on being the best version of myself. And there's a lot of facets to that. But a huge component of this is health. And my guest today has made that his business. You've probably heard of biohacking, which is taking supplements, nutrition, exercise, etc. All in an effort to be a healthier, stronger, smarter version of yourself and generally just feel better. Biohacking is also a burgeoning business and Brett Harmelin, my guest today is at the forefront of this movement. He heads up a company called Happy Life Labs, and biohacking and nutrition is their specialty. Brett has been talking the talk and walking the walk on holistic health for quite a while now. And I learned this when I found out he's been cold plunging now for 10 solid years. So as much as I love it, when guests get into the cold plunge and start losing their minds. You just don't get that with Brett. He's super relaxed and comfortable. And you can just tell he's a veteran. But there's a whole lot more to Brett than just health and biohacking. He's a serial entrepreneur, and overall just obsessed with success and a positive mindset. So really just a perfect fit for the show. So I know you're gonna love this episode. Here's my conversation with Brett Harmeling. Right. You've got a couple of you've got a couple of businesses now. So why don't you introduce yourself and give us a background on what it is that you do?

Brett Harmeling: 3:19

Yeah, thank you, George. So currently, I'm building a private aviation company called Verijet. And so we're really changing the way people travel. It's a really exciting project that I kind of tapped into about a year ago now. And so we're really taking the way that aviation has been done and kind of disrupting, and dismantling the hub and spoke system. I also have a biohacking business called Happy Life Labs. And we are in the process of moving more from a space to a ecommerce space where people can find the world's best biohacking products at the best price. And so that's really exciting because we already have really extensive network of elite athletes and professionals that utilize our products. And so we want to, you know, people that are performing at the top of their game, want to be making sure that they're using the best tools to not only, you know, win World Championships, but also continue operating at that level. And so, as a result of doing all that kind of stuff, you know, people live better longer and that's brings me a lot of joy. Because as I share with the people I get to work with, you know, the best way to change the world is by being the best version of yourself. And so when you're the best version of yourself, then you're able to, you know, contribute in a way that's not been done before.

George McCleary: 4:46

Totally. Yeah, and I don't know if you've caught the first episode of this podcast, but I'm very big on being the best self and being the best version of yourself and being the best that you can be. And sounds like you really live by those tenants.

Brett Harmeling: 5:01

Of course, yeah. And it's, it's, it's about like seeking discomfort, right. So like, even as a husband, and father, you know, I've never been a dad before. And so it's, it's been an interesting journey navigating that space. And also, we're four years into our marriage now. And they say, you know, the first five is the hardest. And so we're, you know, actively pursuing how we can love each other in a way that makes sense to do it forever. You know, eternal love is a is a thing. And, you know, we find that space in between us, and we call it we call him God.

George McCleary: 5:36

Terrific. Yeah. So, I mean, so this podcast, you know, it's a business podcast, and you know, we're talking about business and everything. But I really put a heavy emphasis on being like a, what they call a whole life millionaire. And that's sort of a mindset that sweeps across all facets of your life, because I'm a big believer in the way you do one thing is the way you do everything. And so if you approach your marriage, fatherhood, and your business, all the same way, with, with tenacity with everything that you have inside, you're going to have just a better existence, let's just call it and so it sounds like the Happy Life Labs part of that is getting into the physiological side of things and being your best self physiological, physiologically. So tell us a little bit about the biohacking portion of this because we'll get into Verijets, I'm dead curious about that. I when I want to be on one of your private jets, Brett that's actually I should have told you that's a requirement of being on this podcast. I get one of your jets.

Brett Harmeling: 6:42

Awesome. I didn't see them like contract boom, sure we can make it happen.

George McCleary: 6:48

So talk to me about biohacking.

Brett Harmeling: 6:51

Yeah, biohacking is a word that's been thrown around a lot more than it ever has been. And the reason that that is a thing is because biohacking simply using science and technology to optimize your life on a cellular level. And so when you when the reason is becoming more and more popular is because there's a lot of tools and technologies to measure, you know, not only the length of your telomeres and cells, health, but also doing blood work, tissue testing, there's an absorbent amount of ways to test where you're at. And so by measuring where you're at, you're able to manage your circumstances. And by managing your circumstances and able to implement things like different types of weights, like cold therapy, like we just did, saunas, all the above stem cells, whatever is needed to optimize your life. And so it's really, it's really getting, the word is getting overused and the space we're getting kind of full of people that want to, you know, take, make, make, make and make money, I guess. And so what Happy Life Labs was designed to do and is designed to do is to kind of hold the line. And it's a, it acts as like a third, third party verification certification, where we only offer

George McCleary: 8:09

No snake oil. There's no snake oil here.

Brett Harmeling: 8:12

Yeah, we only offer the world's best products, and so people, but our website is actually honored as our new website is under under design now. And so I say we because my wife is intimately involved in the business as well. And so people will be able to go there to get those products and services, knowing that there's decades of r&d, or as much r&d as possible that's done. So that those products are on only the best of the world. And that's fine, if like, those products may be too expensive to incorporate now, but you should really know what the world's best products are. So that from there, you can make make choice, right? And so that leads you to the point of you know, I tell everyone, I'm like what, what you're not changing your choosing. So for instance, like, I'll be very personal right now and get vulnerable. Like, I'm dealing with a gut issue right now, my wife, you know, does God testing and tissue testing and all that kind of stuff. She's a registered dietician. And so I'm going to be going through a pretty intense recalibration to get my body back into peak steak, because, you know, thankfully, we caught this and we can fix it using functional medicine.

George McCleary: 9:20

What hurts what's wrong?

Brett Harmeling: 9:21

Say it again? What's

George McCleary: 9:23

What's the matter with your tummy? Are you having tummy aches, you're having nausea? What's happening?

Brett Harmeling: 9:28

sir, I've had I've had an issue with like digestion. And so I just didn't know where it was about. And it turns out that I had E. Coli. And so I travel. I travel a lot, right? And so it's really actually pretty normal to pick up strands of E. coli. But to measure the amount of E. coli that's in this in the system, you know, requires gut testing, which looks like submitting stool samples and that kind of thing. And so you're getting a really clear picture of what's going on inside. What's cool about that is like, like I just mentioned before, what you measure you can manage and so once you've got that done that I wouldn't know Like, why am I having bloating issues? So eat a really pretty clean diet and even when I travel. And myself, I my supplementation is, you know, on point. And I feel like, you know, why is this happening to someone like me who's kind of leading the charge in this inner self and wellness and longevity space? And the answer is because like, we are huge, you know, we absorb things that we don't know, on a molecular level what we're putting into our body all the time. And so I do my best just like, just like everyone that I work with, we do our best. But sometimes it's the best leads us down a path that we need to discover before we go too far down it and we have to do things that are pretty extreme to fix it.

George McCleary: 10:40

Absolutely. Yeah, man. Especially if you travel then you really just you know, you can't be held you can't be you can't be faulted for having a burger somewhere having it have an E. coli and then picking up a bug from it.

Brett Harmeling: 10:53

Yeah,

George McCleary: 10:53

Shit happens.

Brett Harmeling: 10:54

So yeah, yeah, I could have I could have gone into like a turmoil, sort of like, oh my god, I'm, you know, this is bad. Like, why me like I'm doing all these things. And you know, I am doing all the things like pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, vibroacoustic therapy, sauna therapy, cold light therapy, red light therapy in some daily, right, almost, and so in in some capacity. And so it can happen to the best people. And it's not about like, it's pretty, it's about using failure or fear and really leading into and being like, okay, cool. Now, this is a project that I can have to tackle, because like, this is your body's the most important project that you'll ever work on.

George McCleary: 11:32

Health is everything.

Brett Harmeling: 11:33

Yeah, it's everything. And that's, that's, that's why I'm so excited to be seen as kind of like a pioneer and Renaissance man in the space because I hold the line to the, you know, hold a hold companies to the fire. And it's not just about the products, it's about the people behind the products that really make the product, what they are. And so I really started people and, and, and businesses, as an entrepreneur to understand which products are gonna be the best. Because listen, if I took an average product to the world champion, the Formula One driver, for instance, and I said, we watched you take a listen. And then they found out that there's a better product out there like I'm doing, I'm doing him a disservice. It's almost like a fiduciary responsibility. It would be like if I if you're an investor, and I was like, I don't want any more money in gas, and then you put my money in, in some sort of a gasp thing that's like, You're not listening to what your client needs. And so kind of being an expert in that space, you know, you get to, you get to see the good, the bad and the ugly. And then

George McCleary: 12:37

Yeah, I love it!

Brett Harmeling: 12:38

you get to make a choice. And then I'm just like, so we're talking about all this, George. But what's important is like, when you start diving into the space of biohacking, it's a very complex and really saturated market. And so, like I said, we're just bringing the world's best players under India portfolio, and that will be accessible to everyone. And like I said, No, no hard feelings, if the, if the products that we represent and support aren't in alignment with where you're trying to think you're like.

George McCleary: 13:06

I get it. No, I think it's very cool. So are you selling so you're you're selling these products? These are these are over the counter supplements are these by prescription or what's what type of products are being are being sold?

Brett Harmeling: 13:20

Yeah, we have the we have access to everything because of the partners that we have in our network. So for instance, stem cells, we we bring people to RMI with Regenerative Medicine Institute, it's in Costa Rica. So that's, that'd be a perfect example. Anything that's like over the counter, my wife is a licensed Registered Dietitian. And so we can literally get any type of minerals, pills, etc, etc. And then I think like, the more the more and more I study this the sciences and technologies, the more I just still believe getting closer to nature is the answer. And so they've been number one multivitamin that I recommend is like literally doing like, beef organs and things like that. So So

George McCleary: 14:05

Or you could be like me and just eat the beef organs. Right off your dinner plate.

Brett Harmeling: 14:09

You can do that. Yeah, yeah.

George McCleary: 14:11

Very cool.

Brett Harmeling: 14:12

And if you travel though, that's why, you know, that's the point like eating freeze dried organs that are you know, still have amazing levels of bioavailability in the body. That's a good as a good option.

George McCleary: 14:24

I had spleen, spleen the other day. And I have I've tried all variety of meats and exotic things and everything. And I'm unfortunately spleen is not where it's at. For anybody out there who's wondering whether they're missing out. You're not with spleen. Maybe there's a reason that you don't get that everywhere. So I think I found out why. So. So one quick, quick little anecdote, Brett along the lines of what you're saying is so first I want to I want to see if we can if you can bring us back because you mentioned that you've been cold plunging for 10 years, and you've got this health company, so it sounds like you've really just been, you've been at this for a while. And when we were getting set to interview, I said, Hey, what we'd like to do is have you kind of walk us through the journey of when you're a clueless kid to now a successful business owner, you're like, hold up, George. I was never clueless. I was a farm boy, but never, but never clueless. And I was like, Oh, well, alright, so Brett's had this figured out for a while. So it take us back, because it sounds like you've been you've been living this life for for a while. So take us back. Take us back to as far as you want. And regale us with the journey of how you ended up in this space of Holistic Health?

Brett Harmeling: 15:45

Yeah, I mean, it starts a long time ago, where I wanted to take control of my own health and not have to be prescribed to American system of keeping people sick.

George McCleary: 15:56

Are you eight years old? You're 18? When did you first start having these thoughts?

Brett Harmeling: 16:01

Well, so I had a pretty serious brain injury, younger early on in life. And that injury led me down a path of you know, pharmaceutical grade prescription drugs that really made me superhuman, that's just not a bad thing. It just not sustainable and I didn't feel like there was a war it was in alignment with, I'd rather feel I couldn't feel anything, right. I just felt awesome. When I was on them. And it felt terrible. When I wasn't sick, I can actually feel the spirit of being a human. And so that, that that freaks me out a bit anyway, got myself off of those and literally just let the natural path which looked like, you know, using movement as medicine, which look like getting into nature, plant medicine, functional medicine, neutropic, red light.

George McCleary: 16:50

Are you an enlightened teenager at this point? Or are you like,

Brett Harmeling: 16:54

Yeah, I've started that journey when I was 21 years old. So I was buying those drugs for, you know, five years, too long, for too long. And it all kind of it all kind of happened when I was in college, and this sweet girl asked to buy one of the drugs that I was taking, which happened to be Adderall, and I had no idea why because I grew up on a farm, right? I was just, like, I just took it like a multivitamin. Like, yeah, this is what I think, you know,

George McCleary: 17:22

Oh, yeah. No, we traded those in college, like they were candy. It was that's what he did to study.

Brett Harmeling: 17:27

It was quite bizarre to me that she wanted to buy that from me. And that's today and and I stopped taking his SATs, like, oh, so when just like, This is typical Brett I went to I went extreme and I just went cold turkey. And that led to two pretty dark years, someone got pretty depressed and gained a bunch of weight. And I was like this, this was not for me. And so that, you know, sign up through on the Chicago Marathon lost all the weight. But then I was still having a hard time with brain fog. And so then, you know, got got introduced to yoga through my sister Christy and started just getting more connected to myself. You know, like we're, we live in such a hyper connected reality that we sometimes forget, like the most important of you connected to ourselves. And Selena we can distract ourselves from, from the journey that's in front of us, because we don't understand the journey within. And so that's what you have is all about as deepening that journeys. But I know like, what I'm good at that I can help people like you George, anybody else like do, like live their best life? And if and if I can't, like we can, we can still be friends. That doesn't mean that I'm not I'm still not in service, per se. So

George McCleary: 18:41

Terrific! So at the age of 21. It sounds like when everybody else is drinking Milwaukee's best ice, you're and trying Adderall for the first time and having to make them a superhuman, you're getting off of Adderall. And then making this change. It looks like it was a slow one looks like there's a couple of down years into, into into what is growing into your own best self, which is training for for the Chicago Marathon. And it sounds like it sounds like right about that is kind of when you had a mindset shift. Does that sound right? Does that sound about right to you?

Brett Harmeling: 19:16

Yeah, I just I made a decision, right? And so like, whatever, you're not changing, you're choosing and I was realizing that I was choosing a path and a life that wasn't in alignment with helping people heal. I always felt like I always felt like from a young age, I had this unique ability to connect with people and be with people and live in the spirit of just holding space for people to do their work. Like even like very young I've always felt like a wise kid right? And I didn't have all the answers that I thought were wise. And then I can be in any room with any person to facilitate growth. And so I say all that. Not to sound cool, but just because like it's a feeling thing and then when More that you're able to understand yourself, the more you're able to feel and understand how you fit into the fabric of whatever situation you're in.

George McCleary: 20:08

Yeah, I mean, so it's, it's, I think it's perfectly okay to a feel like a badass. But I think it's even better. When you think to yourself, like, Yes, I am in a position and you know, where I'm not only, I'm really good at something, but I have the ability to help people, and I have the ability to help people improve their lives. That's a that's a very powerful thing. It sounds like you recognize that from a young age.

Brett Harmeling: 20:31

I recognize that just but you know,

George McCleary: 20:34

Well, in your 20s, I'm counting that as I know, you're younger than I am Brett.

Brett Harmeling: 20:38

I'm 35. Yeah. So I recognize that because I felt it now because anybody ever told me. So I did go down the pathway, at first, like trying to prove myself trying to like, kind of almost do force and just pure passion. And I realized that that wasn't like, necessary, but that's who that's why I say like, a lot of a lot of my teachers are definitely older than me, because I believe that we get to learn something from those that came before us. And they've done the work. And so I take full responsibility of learning as much that I can from those types of people, and then integrating into practice with the people that are in my, in my theory in my ethos, and then giving them good clean information on how it's how they can so that it's relatable, right, just like Google, and, um, one thing Google does, they make complex things simple to understand, right? And so that's exactly what we're doing is it's taking a really vast, complex world, simple to understand. And it was the oldest, it's alive. It's, it's, you can never, it's kind of like the Bible, you'll never like, you can never actually learn the whole thing before you die. It's like a great mystery. So it's a lifelong practice. And it shouldn't be exciting to everyone. Because, you know, why would you not want to, you know, take control of your own vitality, why would you rely on someone else to do it.

George McCleary: 21:55

And it is a lifelong pursuit. And so I think, if so, I'm no expert on this, but I've done you know, I take a ton of supplements, I've got a big routine, I would like, I don't consider myself a biohacker, per se. But I recognize it at this point, as one of those things, that the more that you know about it, the more you realize that you don't know. And when especially when you're a younger person, there's a big temptation, or there's a big tendency to get a few things figured out and just feel like you know, everything. And the truth is, the truth of the matter is the people that know the most about certain things, and certain subjects are the most acquainted with just how much there is to know and how much has yet to be discovered. And it sounds like you're continually living in that space. And I think that's awesome. So let me get back to your story real quick. So after you've made those changes, and start living in a much healthier way, eventually, eventually it became a business for you. Walk me through how you went to changing your life to having it become a burgeoning business for you.

Brett Harmeling: 23:02

Yep, sorry about that. So, so how it became a business was because I realized that I had an evolutionary advantage. And like, most of the people that were actually making waves in the space and generating revenue, were people that were like, even way less qualified than I was. And so I was like, wait a sec, there's, there's a way to do this and a healthy way, and a way to capture resources from value that I create, right? And so I had to actually do some work around this because I felt you know, as a yogi, I'm like, somewhat like, you know, money's a God, God's resources online, I don't own my money. He does. And so I'm just a pack pass through. But I realized pretty quickly that when people don't value something, they don't pay for it. And when they don't pay for it, then they don't value it. And so this is independent.

George McCleary: 23:52

It's a thing, yeah.

Brett Harmeling: 23:53

Yeah. It's like anything that you can, like, reflect on in your life that you got for free, you probably don't not appreciate it as much as if he paid for it, including, like an education, like if you got a scholarship, sleep, but if you had to pay through your school for education, like it just hits different, you show up in a way that you know, because you like, you know, the cost of the sacrifices that you had to make the paid for that. And that's why, you know, I say, I tell people and that's one of the reasons I love this tribe, that we're in Gabon, and just like everybody to aid like so there's no discounts, there's no deals everybody's paying. And so you're, you know, you're, it's, it's, it's a it's a way where the barrier of entry creates this level of seriousness. I'm like, you know, the best things I've ever done probably cost the most money. Almost, if I look back and think of the things that I've done and paying for the experiences that are the most expensive usually equate to the things that have given me the most value and drug and life.

George McCleary: 24:49

Oh, yeah, for sure. And it should be noted that Brett was one of the very first go bros. These are the men of abundance is one of the very first guys that I spoke to and I think I can't remember I think I asked him like, Hey, let me speak to some new guys. And they gave me Brett. And I could tell within like the first 60 seconds of talking to the guy was like, Okay, well, this guy's on another level. If the rest of the guys go abundance or anything like this, then yeah, I think this is probably the place for me. And now here we are Brett, like, a year and a half later, something like that I guess I've been at for a year and a half. But you and I were talking before that it's been almost two years since you and I first connected but yeah, Brett was my, we'll just call it go abundance ambassador with with really nothing to gain from the situation other than, you know, bringing in or like the, you know, the urge to bring in quality guys into the tribe. And so I'm not sure if I ever officially thanked you for that, Brett. But let me take this opportunity to do just that. Thank you, buddy.

Brett Harmeling: 25:45

You're welcome.

George McCleary: 25:47

Very cool. So

Brett Harmeling: 25:48

Thank you for the trust!

George McCleary: 25:49

Oh, yeah, no, I trusted you, man, it was a it was a good move. So. So basically, you've come to the realization that you need to, that you want to go to market with some of these things that you are that you're doing to improve and to improve your life is that when Happy Life Lab Labs was born, or where are we in that cycle.

Brett Harmeling: 26:09

So the first wave of that was me doing Studio, you know, teaching studio classes, doing yoga retreats, like educating other instructors, getting them into the 200 hour certification programs. And then just being a student. And so like I that's where I started capturing wealth. And then I became an affiliate by a bunch of different groups became sponsored by blue bike Lululemon as an ambassador, you know, just some different brands and products just because, you know, a white, heterosexual Catholic male teaching yoga is like a unicorn. So, you know, it was a bit of going against the grain for a long time, but I knew that by me being myself that other people who could, you know, open up and feel feel like, the batteries are themselves coming alive. And so it started it started in yoga, and as yoga started, you know, all these products started kind of building on top of that, in that space, and I just got really passionately curious, started going to all the biohacking conferences, that I'm gonna like, seven, seven years now. And then I just added a product, I'm like, you know, I want to make a portfolio company, which is an act like a marketplace. You know, anybody that wants by I can practice products, I want them to think about me, but I have a thing about like, I don't want it to be me, I want it to just be a company so that I don't want to take the credit out, because it's not, I'm not the person whose credit, you know, I want the people to just go to a space for like, because I wish that I created this because I wish it was from I wish this was available to me when I entered this journey, because like, I bought a lot of products that I've never used when they sell or a giveaway, because, you know, I didn't know better. And, and I thought they're related, but that there's something better. I'm like, Oh my God, you know. And so aligning yourself with the right players, the right products is the number one thing that you can do when you start entering this space at all costs spinning, right? Get the expensive product, it should last you for the rest of your life for a very long time, until the next one comes out or whatnot. And so same thing with the plugins, you know, get the one that's going to actually make you do it, even if it is a little bit more expensive. And so

George McCleary: 28:15

Or you could just put it together with spare parts like I did.

Brett Harmeling: 28:18

Yeah, it doesn't, yeah, there's a lot of ways to do it. And so you got to do what works for you. And everyone's in different socio economic situations, and everyone has different spaces. But the number one thing you can do is like, create a healing home where you bring in products for a year home is the place where you go to heal. It's so funny how people will leave their home to heal just blows my mind I'm like, at any cost of my home is gonna be the one place that I go to for healing, or mostly bloody, I go to a gym, I need to go to the center, I need to go to that bike, no, you should have at least a space if not your entire home as a space for your healing, sleeping, rejuvenating, you know, connecting with your with the person or the people that you love. And so that's, that's a that's an important thing that's kind of missing from at least America, you know, I think you can relate to some of America's biggest problems with two things. And that's the, the American family is pretty decimated at this point. There's not a lot of families that are like, I don't know, if you've like look around, or just ask around, there's like a lot of families that are. And this is not to say that if you're in that situation in that boat, that you're a bad person, it's just, you know, the American family has kind of just gone away, it used to be like, that's what a part of being American is, is adding a family and you know, and like and then down and then access to quality education, which I think is actually gonna get fixed sooner than later with, you know, technology AI obviously, the way that kids learn is going to have to change but I think like, why would it not like everything else in life is changing, like going to a room and sitting in a desk is not an optimal way of getting getting kids the information that they need to advance you know, like if I if I would have had a different hybrid kind of Learning Environment, as a kid out of thrived, education has always been hard free, which is why I like it. And challenge it has extremely down to the athletes and the three times that there's something out there write it down, just to learn. And that's part of my brain stuff. But that's also just part of the way that I am. And so I like experiential, immersive based learning. So for instance, getting my pilot's license, it took a little bit of a pause. Now, when I go back at it, I'm like, 1/3 of the way through, I'm gonna go all in on it, right, I'm gonna just keep knock it out. It could take only like, one to two months, just to knock it out, and get all that information. And then from there, you build, you build on top of it.

George McCleary: 30:35

Right? Oh, that's great. So you're getting your pilot's license? That's good. Those Verijet jets aren't gonna fly themselves. Brett. So I'm glad you're finally taking an initiative on that. Very cool. So do you have a brick and mortar? Is there a happy LifeLabs shop? Or is it all online?

Brett Harmeling: 30:51

Yep, we have to we have a an event space and our apiary so we're partnering with hives for heroes, which is the world's largest network of beekeepers, we have roughly 4000 veterans in America alone all across the country. And so we build, we build API's, and we pair veterans with them better at least papers to help them build their AP series. And from that, you get to learn a lot about life and agriculture, and processes and systems and cool things events. So yes we have a center in the north heights, and then we have a private space in our in our home, where we take on private clients, I usually work with two people at a time, I have worked with three, but I think two just works better. The focus and whatnot is much more calibrated. We know we do. And we have access. By the way, it's a lot of different tools to help people transcend their limitations, and enter into journeyers phase where like they're leaving our house, our home, like a new healing. And so I say that, because there's a lot of things that you can pair with doing saunas and breath work that can activate the mind in a way that no, not other things can.

George McCleary: 32:05

I see very cool. So um, there's a section of the podcast that I refer to as the gut punches, which is, you know, we'll just call them the setbacks, the things that happens that, you know, you weren't expecting, that, you know, set you or your business back and how you responded to them. Because a big part of this podcast, like I said, is mindset and getting knocked down and then getting back up again, it's not the getting knocked down, it's the getting back up. And any successful business owner has had this happen to them. Can you think of some examples, or one example of times when that happened to you, your the Brett Harmeling gut punches of your

Brett Harmeling: 32:46

Yeah, so as a serial entrepreneur, I've taken business journey? risks in a lot of small to medium sized enterprises, right. And so whether I'm building them, like being the CEO, or the founder, or I am, like, a partner, or whatever, my relationship to those businesses were theirs, then, you know, I would say, I'd say five out of the 17 that I built, then, you know, didn't go as planned. So, you know, like, it's just like, it's

George McCleary: 33:15

Not a bad batting average, though, Brett, that's pretty good.

Brett Harmeling: 33:17

So repetition equals mastery, right? And so like, and so is practicing, and so knowing what you're good at, and then just being able to outsource and use different resources to take those businesses at different levels is what I what I recommend doing, which is delegation, which is kind of a superpower because, you know, most most leaders like to lead because they're good at it. And they have the hand this sense of control and power that nobody can do better than them. And that's all kind of a myth. And it's once you establish this and and processes that work, you can let other people run those systems and processes that will help your business scale. So God parches others share like a woman I had kind of recently or to show to. So one was I was working with this client just had secured $10 million of cap from them to go into a pretty significant fun. And anyway, this is my relationship, my family office sort of thing. And the group had somehow gotten recommended to another person within the organization. He happened to be the president at the time. And that President unleashed on me, unleashed on me for for, something that I didn't even know no reason why but it was a public. It was a poet. He was like I said, as he did in front of everyone, and he yelled at me and he and he said things to me in a professional environment that I've never been. I've never been said to me and my entire life. So I was embarrassed, but thankfully, I just didn't do anything. It was awkward. It could it became physical. It was like in your face kind of screaming match. And so that screaming match it was him screaming I mean, I was just taking it. And I'd say that because like, I oftentimes talk about, you know, like little boy or little girls deepest needs. So those things that we need as kids, and we likely didn't, we're unable to ask for because of being a kid. And so and so it really hurt me. And it got me out of a situation that I think put put me into a different trajectory, right, I always say God, God removes to replace. And so he removed me from that situation, through that experience, and rip and replace it with something so much better. Now, quite recently, I had and that I was part of another tech company, scaling, building a platform that would connect people in a in a in the best way ever. And everything was great with the project. However, we lost funding due to some legal situations that you may have heard about, actually. And so it had nothing to do with me or my partner, but the people that we were backed by, were not stewards of financial scrutiny, and integrity. And so therefore, we basically overnight lost our company. And we're out out hundreds of 1000s of dollars in the venture, even despite by the way of that project being incredible. And so as kind of a really bittersweet project, because it was near and dear to my heart, I was dealing with someone that I love and care about. And so just a lesson that, you know, like, always understand, like, if money comes into your business, or your life, like where's that money coming from? And what's the energy behind it, because no amount of money, like all the money that we got from them, it ended up not even mattering right, because the person behind the money was not a good person, and now they're gonna pay for it. And we're paying the price for them not being a person because of the trust. And so do your due diligence when you're taking money from people, because it's important to know like, what this what the people are all about. I was tell people, if you're gonna invest in anything, whether it's a business or a person, like, fundamentally understand that person before you even look at their deal, like the deal does not matter if it's a bad person that might be like, no kidding. But that's the same thing with biohacking products, right? Like, if you're gonna buy an expensive product, like understand the company, and that's part of our due diligence process. And happy athletes.

George McCleary: 37:16

Yeah, yeah, no, not all money is the same. I mean, if somebody wants to wants to invest, and they say, just call me out of the blue and says, Hey, Georgia, got a million bucks for you and everything. I'm not saying like, sounds great. And then getting their info and counting the check. You need to, like, know, and trust the people that you're getting money from giving money to, for that matter. There needs to be a relationship, and it needs to be built on. Let's just call it trust, but verify. And so yeah, it sounds it sounds like you guys got bit by that. And that's a bummer, man. I hear little stories about that every so every so often. And every single time I think to myself, like, that's a very, that's a very expensive lesson for them, and a very cheap lesson for me, that we can all learn from. So, yeah, so but it sounds like you were able to overcome those. And, and, and continue and continue building your business. And that's, that's awesome, man. So, so from gut punches to so the opposite of that, like the big, you know, the watershed moments of like, okay, wow, okay, that just happened. We're at the next level. Now. Can you give me some examples of those that happened along your journey?

Brett Harmeling: 38:26

Yeah. So being a part of a company that, you know, went public, it was a pretty large capital infusion for the for my family, which is which, you know, little wins like that. And it wasn't little, but it would be, you know, wins like that. Like,

George McCleary: 38:40

What was this that happened? Because it was that Happy Life Labs is not a publicly traded company, I'm guessing.

Brett Harmeling: 38:45

No, no, no, no not not happy with labs, another venture that was a part of so if you like, for instance, go to my LinkedIn and look at all the things and projects that I've worked on, you quickly understand that I've been a part of a lot of really cool and unique businesses, expanding across several different industry sectors, mostly primarily being in technology, in selling dancing and building, market share, and helping companies scale and grow and go big, essentially. And so I built a wealth advisory practice that was pretty substantial in size, and ended up transitioning mine over to a very trusted CFP, and firm that now manages not only my family's money, but also people. I feel very confident, comfortable bringing people into that poll because of the work that they've been able to do for us and continue the legacy wealth building journey from a legacy perspective that we've kind of created. And so there's been all these little blips and you know, honestly now as a dad and husband, I'm leaning more towards stability than I am towards big influxes of capital infusions. But yeah, there's there's been some exciting citing wins that have, you know, kept To be on this entrepreneurial journey, right, for instance, like, very jet, which we're building right now. So I'd see the income drivers right now that are my active or vertical income, as you call him in good mountains, I will be happy LifeLabs as well as very jet. So those are the two things that the money directly coming in my life represent. And then I have seven forms of passive income, that, you know, kind of support the family no matter what happens, that passive income or horizontal income, as we call it, and gobundance once again, is that thing that allows you to take those bigger risks?

George McCleary: 40:33

And what are those sources of so just for

Brett Harmeling: 41:13

Yeah. So five of those are active partnerships, I equity partnerships and companies that I've invested time, sweat and equity into. And so I have ownership in in, in those somebody, and then a few real estate assets that produce horizontal income. And then yeah, I have my options. And stocks accounts. I guess that's eight. But you know, I say to seven, because I consider like, those that are not acquainted, vertical income is like your investing one thing, even though like the homeless accounts are like, your day job, your W2, what you do, you kind of exchange your time for and so then the horizontal income is, doing very different things, by options, strategy is the thing what I like to say is the money that you make when you're that has yielded me, as has given me the most confidence horizontal. So without doing anything, this money is coming because of the team of people that are doing it for me, and in. These are like rental properties or like stock it's, you know, produced well over 22%. Year over year. So I'm dividends, things like that. And so on my one sheet, that's where we keep track of all this stuff. When we talk about it as a super excited about that. Yeah, incredible. And so I'm very group, on my one sheet, who sources of horizontal income, I grateful for for that for those guys. And the work that they do. basically just have to just stocks and real estate but It's a really unique kind of thing. They study businesses, sounds like you've got seven, Would you be okay? Would you be like like the I guess, if they're gonna buy them, and then they invest in quarterly, using like it options trigger shot at okay with acquaintance acquainting us with some of it's pretty advanced. I don't not explained really well, which those? is why I let him do it for me, but you know, we haven't, we wait on the downside. And on the upside, which is exciting, because as many of you know, the market is in a state of instability at almost all times, given the economics in America right now.

George McCleary: 42:28

Right, right. Totally. That's great. So what a cool thing to have those multiple streams of income. So if you know, one goes well, or one doesn't go well, you've got a lot of hands and a lot of pots. And I love that. So moving on to, I guess a Verijet just because I'm dead curious. What are you? What are you selling it Verijet?

Brett Harmeling: 42:52

Yeah, so Well, what we're selling is, I don't like that word. That's why I left. What we are. What we are creating a solution for is we are we have NASA actually recognized 25 years ago, that the hub and spoke system of America in terms of flying it is not going to work because of population density, travel demands, cities, etc. And so therefore, very jet took a proprietary artificial intelligence tool called coastal marketplace, along with the world's most advanced, safest and efficient jet ever made at the Cirrus I said 50 vision jet, put them together to create a new airline. So we're not a charter, we're an actual airline. And we operate under the same standards that you know, united, Delta, Southwest, you name it operate. So we're a small company. But we were we're going to become a big player over the years to right now. For instance, we have like roughly 21 jets in our fleet. Basically what we're doing is just like what FedEx did to USPS, which is basically taking all their premium packages away overnight. We're doing the same thing, to United and Delta, because of the cost of our private jets, these are smaller regional jets, they go, you know, 1200 miles, their max figure 900 miles. But the costs for these jets is only$4,000 per hour. That flies for adults to kids. So if you're flying first class, it's like literally cheaper if you have three adults to fly in, in a Verijet than it is to fly first class depending on where you're going. And so here that stays one of our business models. Phase two is to incorporate the bouteilles which are electric quad copters that will take people from you know your driveway to the private airports. You don't have to deal with traffic.

George McCleary: 44:40

Oh, I like the sounds of that a private electric quadcopter.

Brett Harmeling: 44:44

Yeah, so they're called EVO talls. And so really doesn't matter what aircrafts come out in what matters and why we're gonna wait and as the team that we have in place right now, and you know, he's kind of one of the first in the market with this concept, and therefore we're able to really are I'm capitalize on this opportunity because because there's a lot of moving pieces, this is just new to aviation, meaning I'm in my first year and, you know, being a first time in your line executive is allowed me to appreciate the complexity of this industry, there's no light coming in and just doing it and you're gonna win. It's like, every decision makes a big difference. Because there's a lot of moving pieces, and it's a very expensive and time to run, right? It's high overhead, we're talking private jets. So even though our jets are the most efficient in the world, you know, just to be safe to maintain them. You know, there's a lot of things that we have to do in terms of maintenance, and just making sure that safety is our number one priority, which is why some of the most powerful people in the world fire fire your lawn.

George McCleary: 45:49

That's great. Yeah, no safety. Actually, it turns out that air travel is the safest way to get anywhere, including, like walking somewhere. It's a it's kind of it's a remarkable statistic. Yeah, that any pilot would be happy to tell you. That sounds. That sounds awesome, man. So what are you you've got you got a ton of things going on, man. It's very cool to hear about, about what are you most excited about right now, when you when you open your eyes in the morning, and you're excited about about the day? Did business wise because we love our families, we love our all our pursuits and everything. But business wise, what are you most excited about? Right? Right? Right, this at this moment,

Brett Harmeling: 46:28

I feel this wave. And I say I feel because I get asked, I'm being asked to be on some pretty significant podcasts I'm getting asked to speak on stage. And the reason I bring that up is because I've caught I've caught enough attention to have generated enough awareness around this space of, you know, traveling better, you know, quality of life time value of money, and also living better longer, where people are getting really interested in curious to know what that looks like. And so even like, I what I am most excited about is the fact that the last decades worth of work, is going to finally start to yielding financial resources that will allow me to spend more time with my family wherever I go. What that looks like is, you know, with our new website, you know, I know because I'm getting messages and notifications every single day, like, Hey, someone brought this product. And you know, we get paid a commission on the back end from all these companies. And so those Commission's aren't massive, but you know, with quantity, they actually equal a lot of money. And so I'm excited to capture more of those resources, because we've paved the way for people to, you know, have a much more clear insight into what products would they can people get and use to optimize their life. And so I think like, that's what I'm most excited about. I'm also really excited enthusiastic about the future of Verijet. I think we are artists, something massive here. And we're not going to stop until we win. And so that's exciting because I get to be in rooms and circles with people like Peter Diamandis, and, you know, Richard Cain, our founder, and Craig, you know, just a lot of different unique people that have, you know, really done remarkable things, their lives. And so I guess I'm just most excited to because a lot of my work is kind of manifesting into abundance right now.

George McCleary: 48:26

Yeah, very cool. Very cool. So if you had to pick something, so I guess my my question is this, what is it that motivates you, that keeps you moving forward? That gets you out of bed early, that that puts you in a flow state? What is it like deep down inside you that drives you, because all these different ventures, all these different things? None of them are going none of them are going to happen? Unless you've got a fire inside a fire in the belly, as I like to call it. Where does that drive come from? For you?

Brett Harmeling: 48:59

It's twofold. One, I just, I'm really seriously obsessed. George with, like living life fully. Like I and people know that about me. And sometimes that's a bit extreme, but like my, I have such a passion for understanding people and groups and being a part of communities. And the second half of that answer is a little bit more situationally related. And that's because I lost my, one of my closest siblings, my older sister. And so as a result of that tragic death four years ago, in a boat fire with 33 other people, you know, having her kind of lead my life and the way that she did kind of activated my like, it inspired me to just live every single day as it's my last and so, unfortunately, I mean, hopefully most people don't have to go through anything like that to like live a life that's filled with passion and purpose. But things like that dude, remind you how Like, we don't know when our time is up. And so, if you're curious about doing something like going somewhere or buying something, or having an experience, like do it now, or put it on, put it out in the universe, do a vision board, get it on a Wednesday, you know, get it, get it in front of people tell people what those goals and dreams aren't. Because if you're in the right circles, your dreams will manifest way faster than then you can even imagine.

George McCleary: 50:24

Yeah, you really got to get after it. Because time, like you're saying is our most valuable resource by a country mile. And, and just talking to you nine years in the future, Brett as a 44 year old man, it becomes time moves faster, it becomes more precious, and you've got time, money and energy. And as you go through life, eventually, your energy, you're not gonna have the same energy at 75, as you do at 25. And your time runs, runs short, and your body's different. I couldn't agree more take advantage of those opportunities. Now, when you've got when you have the opportunity. And that is how to live a full life. And I'm really sorry to hear about the loss of your sibling, buddy, that's terrible. But if any good can come come of this, it's that for you, for me, for for the listeners, that it could end, it could all end just like that. And hopefully that it doesn't. But if today was your last day, you know, what, how would you? How would you live it? Would you? Would you lay on the couch scrolling on social media? Or would you get after it and secure a future for yourself, for your family, and really live life to the fullest? And so, Brett, it seems to me that you are embodying these traits. And number one and number two, you really embody in the traits of a Gobro I can't think of a better ambassador to have brought me into the tribe than Brett. So, so do. So I love it. I love it. I love what you built. I love your mindset. I think we can all learn a great deal from it. So thank you so much for coming on, man. It's been a real pleasure speaking with you anything else? Oh, actually, how do people? How do people contact you how they find you?

Brett Harmeling: 52:15

Yeah, so the easiest way is just to hit me on Instagram Brett Harmeling, blank or on LinkedIn. I'm very active on those platforms. And, you know, just mentioned how you know me, and I'll make sure to get get with you.

George McCleary: 52:28

Good stuff. And don't hesitate to get bio hacked by Brett. If you have the means because it sounds like he's just been in the space and living the life for a lot of time. And that's really special. So, Brett, thanks again, my man, this has been great speaking with you. Brett Harmelin, our latest frozen millionaire. So that's the story of Brett Harmeling. What a true Renaissance man and what an inspiring entrepreneurial journey he's been on all the way from Holistic Health to heading up a private jet service. Brett, if you don't mind me saying so you are a one of a kind, Texas hippie. And I mean, that is compliment, of course. So one big takeaway from this conversation. And a lot of other conversations I've had on this show is a lot of times what spurs these entrepreneurs into action is something that's happened to them at a young age that changed their outlook and spurred on a change or a passion. And with Brett, this happened by way of taking a lot of pharmaceuticals as a younger man to combat his head injury and brain fog. And as a result of this not really feeling like himself. The pharmaceuticals and modern medicine are a Marvel and they're all well and good. But at the end of the day, especially in America, you are responsible for your own health and your own body. And in Brett's case, the pills eventually just became too much and he opted for a change. And this change led him to leading a healthier lifestyle and to this mindset of taking control of his health. And this led him to starting a successful business in this space. So in your life, whenever there's a momentous event or a change you've made and it's giving you energy, recognize this and harnesses harness this energy to cultivate something to build something, it doesn't even necessarily need to be a business. But if you've got an entrepreneurial mindset, along with a fire inside that's been stoked by a passion like this, then there's just a much higher likelihood that you're going to succeed because as Brett demonstrated passion gets results. Thanks so much for listening to the Frozen Millionaires podcast. You can find us at frozenmillionaires.com, Spotify, Apple and YouTube. And hopefully these conversations inspire you to live your best life and to keep going in the face of adversity. And of course along the way to embrace the cold to ignite the dream. We'll see you next time.