I am thrilled to announce the latest episode of The Amberly Lago Show is now live! In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing the incredible Jason Nemes, a true inspiration and proof that miracles happen. Jason shares his powerful story of overcoming addiction, surviving multiple heart attacks, and finding a new lease on life.
What to expect in this episode:
- Happiness is a Choice: Jason shows us that happiness isn’t just something that happens to you; it’s a choice you make every single day. Even when life threw him some of the toughest challenges, Jason decided to focus on positivity and living with purpose. He surrounded himself with uplifting people, stayed busy with meaningful work, and made a conscious effort to keep a positive mindset. This shift helped him transform his life and find true joy and fulfillment.
- The Impact of Coaching and Mentorship: Jason is living proof of how powerful having a mentor can be! He talks about how his coaches and mentors were there to guide him through the rough patches, offering wisdom and support that helped him see the bigger picture. They were instrumental in his success, both in his fitness business and his journey in network marketing. Jason’s story reminds us all that having someone to guide you, challenge you, and believe in you can completely change your life.
- Living Authentically: Jason’s journey from being known as “Tatted Prez” to embracing his true identity as Jason Nemes is all about authenticity. By owning his real name and who he is at his core, Jason is making a powerful statement about the importance of being true to yourself. This authenticity is what sets him apart and helps him connect on a deeper level with his audience. It’s a bold move that’s redefining his personal brand and inspiring others to do the same.
This episode is packed with wisdom and practical advice on overcoming life’s toughest challenges, finding your purpose, and achieving success. Get ready to learn how to turn obstacles into opportunities and live your life to the fullest!
Links mentioned in this episode:
Explore the transformative Unstoppable Life Mastermind and discover how you can become unstoppable in your own life!
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Amberly Lago:
Welcome to the Amberly Lago Show, Stories of True Grit and Grace. Thanks for tuning in to the Amberly Lago Show. Today’s guest is such an inspiration and proof that miracles happen. I have Jason Nemes here with us today. He is an entrepreneur, an author, a TEDx speaker who’s got a new lease on life. I’m going to let him share his story, but you’re going to want to get a notepad and pen and take notes because this conversation is going to be packed with tools, strategies, and a lot of inspiration and motivation. Thank you, Jason. Thank you. Thank you for being here.
Jason Nemes: I am beyond grateful and excited to be here. Thank you for having me.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. Well, we originally met at church. We did. And we got to talking and I was like, oh my goodness, you are a miracle to be sitting here. And I want you to share a little bit of how you got on this journey to where you are now. because you’ve really decided to, you know, death gave you a PhD on life. In fact, that’s the title of his TED talk. And you help others reach their full potential, not just physically, but with their businesses and with your coaching and with your book, The Code of Behavior. But can you take us back to a life that was a lot different than what it looks like now? I mean, sure, you still looked fit. but it was almost like you lived a double life. Can you take us back to that moment where everything changed?
Jason Nemes: Yeah, for sure. So it’s funny because growing up, I mean, my parents like no smoking cigarettes, no drinking, no using drugs. I came from a pretty much sober household from what I saw. And I always say you are who you hang out with, you are who you surround yourself with. And always an athlete, working out, you know, I was big and big into the gym. And then as I got older, I got into the nightlife. And the cool people, quote unquote cool people, right? They were all doing certain things, drugs and what have you. And so it just kind of, I just fell, I fell into the trap, I guess you could say. And I tried it and it was a very, very, it was many years of substance abuse.
Amberly Lago: And it got to a point where- What kind of substance? Did it start with one thing and lead to other things?
Jason Nemes: You know, it’s funny you ask that because I grew up in school, like elementary, middle, and they always say that marijuana was the gateway drug. But to me, it was alcohol because… Alcohol is the gateway. It is, because I would drink and then I would do cocaine.
Amberly Lago: And then it got to… To get that artificial normal.
Jason Nemes: Correct. And then it got to the point where I would go drink on purpose. So what I felt better about doing the cocaine, like I didn’t even want to drink. I just wanted to do the drugs. But in my mind, well, if I drink first, then of course, I’m going to do a cocaine helps you sober up. And, you know, all the different things that I’m telling myself. And then it got to a point where I just started, you know, like, screw the alcohol. I’m not going to waste money on it. I don’t even want to drink anymore. And it got to a point where, I mean, I was doing cocaine pretty much every day at some points, like every day of the week, sleeping minimally and somehow still functioning. But I also had a business where I created a good monthly income. And so I didn’t always have a lot of responsibility. And so I could do it all night through the next day and then just sleep. And that’s pretty much how I lived for a long time. And not many people knew about it. And so what you were talking about, that pivotal moment, which actually it’s like it was the pivotal moment before the pivotal moment, because I had one other instance where I went back to it. So of all days, it was Easter, April 4th, 2021. And um sunday and it was a beautiful day we uh woke up my girlfriend and i a buddy of mine hit me up to go work out at the gym and then play some basketball so we uh we went to the gym hit a leg workout went and played basketball and towards the end of playing well pretty much at the end we got done so would you like get
Amberly Lago: do coke before you would go work out?
Jason Nemes: No, I never did that.
Amberly Lago: No, I’ve never done coke. I’ve always been too scared to do it.
Jason Nemes: Yeah. No, I at least had enough mental capacity not to do that. Okay. Yeah. Pre-workout. Yeah. But, but not, not cocaine before working out. So it would always be at night. Well, and then it got to the day, but never before working out. Um, So I, yeah, so Easter Sunday, so go work out, play basketball. And at the end, I’m starting to feel something’s a little off. Now I was 240 plus pounds at the time. I’m like 217 ish right now, uh, was way bigger, was not really focused on doing much cardio because I was on like a bulk phase and then I was going to start cutting a couple of weeks later. And so I, In my mind, initially, I thought I was just out of shape, right? I’m not doing cardio and I’m a lot heavier than normal. And so then I’m still paying attention to the situation because I’m like, man, something is just… You knew something was off. I did. But then as I’m leaving the gym, I start getting a really bad headache. My arm starts going numb. And now it’s not just I’m having a hard time breathing. it’s I’m having some pains in my chest. Oh wow. And so I’ve heard it feels like an elephant on your chest. Oh yeah, it hurts for sure. Because it was my second, I had a mild one where I had like a very, very 45 to 60 second experience of it happening. I kind of knew, but I didn’t know yet. I still wasn’t because I had a stint put in before, so I still wasn’t thinking that something is happening, but I am mindfully paying attention to it.
Amberly Lago: And you had a heart attack, you had a stint put in, but that still wasn’t enough to make you go, huh, these drugs, this life might not be
Jason Nemes: No, I still would do it occasionally, but for whatever reason, I still wasn’t ready to give it up. In my mind, I’m like, I’ll be fine. I’ll do it a little bit less and I’ll be good. Justification. And how old are you? Now I’m 39. The first heart attack was 34. Again, it was mild. I didn’t even know that I was having a heart attack at the time until further things presented themselves had some tests ran and sure enough, I had the mild heart attack. My heart actually grew from the good side to the block side to reroute blood flow, which stopped me from going into heart failure is what they discovered on all the images and all the imagery. Yeah. Wow. I had a hundred percent blockage of my widow maker.
Amberly Lago: And so tell people what a widow maker is.
Jason Nemes: Yeah. So the widow maker is the LAD artery. Um, and if that is blocked, so that’s the part of the heart that funnels your body of blood flow and oxygen. So if that part is blocked, your body is not getting blood flow and oxygen through it, which of course that’s a problem. Big problem.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. Yeah. So you’re in the car, your head hurts, your arms going numb. Your chest is now starting to hurt.
Jason Nemes: Major pains. I stopped at the gas station to get some Advil or Tylenol or whatever it was because of how excruciating the headache was. And then while I’m in the car, because of bodybuilding from back in the day, I have a little bit of like nerve issues and sometimes my arm will go numb. Like if I’m leaning too much over. So I was in the car trying to adjust.
Amberly Lago: So you were driving while having a heart attack?
Jason Nemes: Yes. Yeah, I was driving. And people, they just can’t believe that story. And then… I remember looking over to the person that was in my car and I said, something is not right. I want to go to a clinic. And she said, let’s go. And by the grace of God, thankfully, it was Easter because there were no cars on the road. And I found a clinic five minutes away and I got there. And cool, fun fact for anybody who ever goes through this, which I pray that you don’t go through this. But if you’re having a heart attack, you have to go to an ER urgent care. If you end up at a regular urgent care, they can’t treat you. They’ll tell you to go to an ER urgent care or the ER hospital or they’ll call the ambulance. Fortunately, I went to an ER urgent care because come to find out later on, they said a 60 second window and I wouldn’t have made it.
Amberly Lago: Yeah, it’s unbelievable, right?
Jason Nemes: So found find a place five minutes away. I get there in five minutes. Because again, there’s no traffic and I live in Austin and Austin has tons of traffic. So I pull up run in there. Mind you, I’m having a massive heart attack run in there. They say, Sir, how can we help you? I said, I’m pretty sure I’m having a heart attack. And they asked me for my ID and I always make a joke like I just told you I’m having a massive heart attack and you’re asking me for my ID like get me to the back. And let’s get this figured out.
Amberly Lago: But the thing is, they’re probably looking at you, you look like this picture of health, you’re young.
Jason Nemes: Yeah, thank you.
Amberly Lago: They’re probably thinking, he’s not having a heart attack. Oh, come on. Maybe he’s having a little panic attack or something.
Jason Nemes: Nobody’s ever said that. That’s an interesting take. Like, sure you are. Yeah. Let’s get your ID.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. Give me your ID.
Jason Nemes: So I left my wallet in the car. So I had to run back outside to get my wallet to them. Give them my ID. Every second counts. So I give them my ID and then they do. They give me to the back. They hook me up to the EKG. And I’ll never forget the look on the doctor’s face when he read the EKG. And the EKG lets the doctors know what’s going on with the heart. And he was just like, man, I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re suffering a severe heart attack. And in my mind, doctors exaggerate. They make it seem worse than it is. So I’m like, I’ll be out of here in no time. That’s what I was thinking. As a matter of fact, I actually texted my mom. So they rushed me to the back. They lay me down. And I would say probably every person in that clinic is in that room. They’re all doing their different things. And somebody has given me this to take and that to take. And I text my mom. And I said, Mom, I’m having a severe heart attack. And I put my phone down. And I could only imagine what was going through my mom’s, my poor mom. And I lost my little brother to addiction. And that was on my mom, you know, that was my mom’s son. That’s because he’s a half brother. So I’m her only other son. And so I, looking back, and it’s like, well, why on earth would you send a text message like that? And it’s because in my mind, I knew that I was going to be getting out of that clinic. I knew that this was not the end. Now, I did get out of that clinic, just not how I envisioned getting out of that clinic. So they lay me down and they’re giving me all the medicine to take and doing all the things that they’re doing. And I’m communicating with them how I’m feeling. Okay, the pain’s coming back. Okay, I’m feeling a little bit better. And then I will never forget how I felt myself running out of breath. I felt myself starting to fade out. And I just remember being like, y’all got to do something. Please help me. God, please help me. And I was out. And everybody’s like, did you see something? And I probably could have made up some amazing, crazy story and bet on Oprah or whatever, you know, but I’m authentic to the story and everything that happened. So it’s like I went to sleep.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. Do you know when they put me in a coma and, you know, my femoral artery was severed and I I didn’t see a light. I didn’t hear voices. I would just felt like, I just felt like I had gone for a nap and I woke up and I had no idea that over, I had been in a coma for over a week.
Jason Nemes: Clueless. Insane. Your story is like mind blowing. I’m here and I just want to ask you about yours. I’m going to have to start my own podcast so I can bring you on. I was afraid to go to sleep. So fast forwarding and we can continue the story, but when I was in ICU, when they finished the surgery and everything, I was fighting to stay awake because the last time I flatlined it. I was out. By the grace of God, they defibbed me, did CPR and brought me back. But I just remember the lady in the back was like, Sir, you can go to sleep. No matter what happens, it’s going to happen. And we’re here monitoring you. So whether you sleep or stay awake, it’s all going to be the same result. I was like, done. And I passed out.
Amberly Lago: Well, I think everything was just lined up perfectly. And I think God was definitely looking out for you because there happened to be a nurse there that really saved you.
Jason Nemes: Oh yeah, good old Debbie.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. Do you still keep in touch with
Jason Nemes: It’s funny you say that because I always tell myself, so I found her and two weeks after leaving ICU, I went and brought her a cookie cake and I said, thank you for saving my life and took pictures with her. And I mean, it was a very emotional moment. My mom was there and yeah, it was a very emotional moment. She was crying, my mom, me, I mean, it was, It was beautiful at the end of the day. But I don’t, she doesn’t know like what, I mean, I talk about her. I talk about, I think I talked about it on my TEDx, Debbie. Yeah. Yeah. And then she’s, she’s in my book. But what’s crazy about Debbie is she normally didn’t work at that clinic. She normally would be in the ER specializing in heart attacks. And she was there that day and I come in with a heart attack and yeah, she defend me and save me. Boom.
Amberly Lago: Well, after that, you you’re like, OK, not once, but now twice I’ve had a heart attack. Yeah. Did something click? Did you make a promise to God? What how did you start to?
Jason Nemes: I did. I was like, never again. But apparently I I didn’t mean it because I did do it again.
Amberly Lago: Thank you for being honest.
Jason Nemes: Yeah. Well, there’s so many people out there and I guess they’re probably afraid to talk about it now. It’s been over three years and I’ll never touch it again. Do I think about it from time to time? Absolutely. But I also, on the flip side, think about I love to, I’m very authentic. If I were to ever do it again, now I can’t say I’m over three years clean and then four and five and six years, right? I got to start back at day one, not doing that. I care about where I’m going and what I’m doing in life and the value that I can provide for others and the things that I can, speak on to give other people hope to get past whatever they’re going through. My mom can’t lose another son. I have so much life. I love life. And so why would I jeopardize? I’m so clear that any single time that I do it, I’m running the risk of death. It’s life or death. Addiction does not discriminate. I’m not willing to negotiate that. It’s non-negotiable.
Amberly Lago: And I don’t think people who have not been addicted to something or any kind of substance, whether it’s alcohol or drugs or porn or whatever it may be. might have a hard time understanding the power, the baffling, how baffling it is and how addiction… I remember when I became addicted to alcohol and I thought, I was sponsored by Nike? Isn’t that crazy? I was like this, and I thought, how did a good girl like me end up here?
Jason Nemes: I really thought that. Something else I just found out about her, I swear, this woman’s resume is unbelievable. You were sponsored by Nike? I had no idea.
Amberly Lago: Yeah.
Jason Nemes: I mean, I was an alcoholic, like who would have guessed?
Amberly Lago: And then after my motorcycle accident, I became an alcoholic and just like literally was killing myself. And, um, I wondered how, if somebody is out there struggling right now and they’re, they’re ready to change their life and they might be addicted to something that’s not good for them. Um, How is it that you stay sober? What helps you and what could help someone listening?
Jason Nemes: Yeah, that’s a great question. Well, first of all, main thing is who you’re surrounding yourself with. So anybody who, whatever your addiction is, anybody who has that same addiction, you cut them off and you love them from a distance. You do not surround yourself with them. You do not put yourself in that environment. No ifs, ands, or buts. All my friends that I associate with, Nobody is doing drugs, period. Now, do we drink a little bit? Yeah, we have a couple of drinks, but nobody’s an alcoholic. It doesn’t play an issue in our lives, and it doesn’t lead to anything else. And so that’s the number one thing, is cutting all of those people out of your life. I would also say you need to wake up with purpose, because idle time is the devil time. If your calendar is not full, your mind can start thinking about it. And I actually made a post today about, about like stop eating so much. And of course there are medical exceptions, right? Of course. But when you’re bored, you tend to just eat. And when you’re extremely busy, you’re not focused on eating, like overeating, right? And so it’s just… If you’re bored and you’re sitting around, you’re not doing anything, you don’t have purpose, then you can be hard on yourself and then you fall into the trap because you want to feel good and you will associate whatever your addiction is with feeling good. And it leads to feeling like crap every single time, not just how you actually feel, but how you feel about yourself. Because I remember every single time doing it, which got to be daily, I would always think, what are you doing? Like, you’re so much better than this. And any cocaine I didn’t finish, I would throw away. And then I would order more the next day. You know, it’s just like, it was this ongoing process of fighting that demon and that devil that was present. And it kept winning and winning and winning. And that I just, I’m like, you’re not winning anymore. So you’re never going to win again. Period.
Amberly Lago: Well, how do you tell others? Like, I’m sure there’s a lot of people that are like, well, I don’t know what my purpose is. How can you teach someone to discover what their purpose is?
Jason Nemes: Yeah. I mean, it’s not an easy thing to do. And sometimes you’re not going to know what your purpose is initially. But like I was saying before, you cannot be bored. You have to be doing something, whether you like it or not. do something, get out there, whether it be volunteer, whether it be helping other people get through whatever they’re going through, even if you’re still battling, when you talk to people about it, it’ll actually empower you, right? And then you kind of figure things out as you go. You don’t have to have the answer right away. What truly matters is that you are making strides to become better every single day. And I mean, we’ll talk about Mr. Miletus, it’s that one more, that one more day. But be sober one more day. I mean, it’s really powerful. That’s something that I resonated with. Just one more. One more day without.
Amberly Lago: Exactly. And I feel like when you can be of service to others and their success, that is what is so fulfilling to me. What is success to you? What’s the definition of success for you?
Jason Nemes: Well, I want to touch on what you just said, because my main mentor with the business that I was mainly affiliated with, that was the one thing that he would say. Whenever I was going through something or something was bothering me or I was I was having stinking thinking or dealing with whatever issue it was at that time, he would just say, man, go help somebody. Because if you go help somebody, you’re not focusing on your issues at that time. And the more and more people you’re helping and you’re contributing to society in a positive way, that is the most fulfilling thing.
Amberly Lago: It really is. And you know what? I don’t give to get, but I’m telling you, I’m always blown away of the kindness of people that step forward and they come help you. I don’t help somebody because I’m like, OK, now you help me.
Jason Nemes: Right.
Amberly Lago: Without expectation. Without expectation. Exactly. But it always comes back. It does. It really does.
Jason Nemes: It does. And so how do I define success? It might sound cliche, but I’ve made a good amount of money. I’ve lost all of the money. I’ve been there, right? To me, and I do love nice things. Let’s put that out there. It’s obvious. Yeah. I like to have nice things, right? But I’m very clear that if you struggle with addiction and you have you’re not fulfilled and you don’t have peace of mind. Like you don’t wake up happy about yourself and what you’re up to on a day-to-day basis, there’s no success to me. Like I don’t care how much money you have. If you don’t wake up and you have peace of mind, like in fulfillment, there’s no success. So that is the ultimate definition of success is that you wake up, you have peace of mind, you love what you do and you’re contributing whatever that looks like for you. Whether you’re a teacher, whether you’re an entrepreneur, whether you’re a barber because you have barber conversations and maybe you talk to somebody in the chair and that changes the trajectory of wherever they’re going or how they’re feeling that day. But to me, that is the ultimate definition of success. And that’s where I put the definition of success, just based on the things that But my experience is through life. Yeah. And with that, of course, I want to have the monetary success. But I mean, again, I’ve lost it all. So and then what, if you base success 100% on stuff, if you lose it, Now, I mean, now what? Like, you’re just extremely depressed. No, like, yeah, it sucks, but you stay positive. You stay focused on your mission and you keep getting after it.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. I mean, I had a friend who was very, very wealthy and it was all about the money.
Jason Nemes: Yeah, that sucks.
Amberly Lago: And he lost his business and he didn’t, he committed, this is kind of heavy, but he committed suicide because he got so depressed because everything with success was just monetary. It just was about the money.
Jason Nemes: Now I know that- And the shame and guilt and all of the stuff that comes with it because he put such an emphasis on money and items. Yeah. And I’ve learned not to do that. I used to, but after that day of dying and going back to my house and seeing all this stuff that I had, I was like, you know, it really, it really doesn’t matter. You can’t take it with you. It doesn’t define who you are. And if people hang out you or don’t hang out with you because of stuff and items and cars, those aren’t the people that you want in your circle because if you lose it, then you lose them too. Exactly. And that’s not, I don’t want friends like that.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. I I’m right there with you. Now you, you have had people, I think, get a little upset with you sometimes on social media because you say happiness is a choice and there are some negative Nelly’s out there and they’re like, what do you mean it’s a choice? So you don’t understand. Yeah. Yeah. And it’s, I think so much about mentality, whether you choose to have be the victor of your life or have that victim mentality. If there’s someone that is just, they’re negative, they’re always looking at that glass that’s half empty. How do you think there’s a way to start to shift their mindset and show them that, yes, you can choose to be happy, you can have joy and happiness?
Jason Nemes: Absolutely. I was one of those people. I was always walking around with the RBF face, a chip on my shoulder, an attitude, ready for whatever came my way kind of thing. And I’ve I’ve seen it happen with other people. At the end of the day, who are you listening to? What are you listening to? What are you putting in your body as far as music, content, food, drinks, substances? what comes in must come out. And so if you’re listening to nothing but negativity, it’s only natural that you’re going to be negative. Negativity is natural and positivity is on purpose. And so if you want a purposeful life, be purposefully positive. So again, what do you listen to? Like every single day I read, I listen to motivational or business style podcasts where I’m constantly learning from people who have whatever it is that I want or doing, you know, they’re up to certain things in life that I would like to be doing that too. So I’m constantly listening to those people because they’re where I want to be in life. And I haven’t really done it yet, but I hear that like yoga and meditation and more of like a calming state is a very good thing to do for those things as well.
Amberly Lago: I’ve just started doing meditation, finally.
Jason Nemes: And you know what helps me is I use an app. I was going to ask you what’s your take.
Amberly Lago: What is it? Well, because a lot of times at night, especially, I got a lot behind the scenes going on that I’m as most… So your mind is constantly going?
Jason Nemes: It’s just going and going. I know how that goes.
Amberly Lago: And so I’m not great at meditation, but what I am good at is listening to
Jason Nemes: It’s a directed.
Amberly Lago: A directed. Right. And I am telling you, I will get like, I won’t even finish the meditation. I’m asleep, which I don’t know. I think you’re supposed to meditate and really stay awake and stay awake. But it, it helps me just calm my body, be in touch and in tune. Right. And go to sleep.
Jason Nemes: Yeah. And I’ll tell you, I’ve worked with, and I’m currently working with people that they hate their lives. It’s nothing but negativity and their environment is negative. And so it’s like, well, what are you doing to get yourself out? And what are you focused on? Because if you’re always focused on the problem, you’re just going to keep getting more of the problem. So where do you want to go? And I like to reverse engineer. What is it that you want in life? What is that they’re going to take from you? Is what you are currently doing going to get you there? Because if it’s not, we got to flip the script. And I just think that people overcomplicate it or they’re just not willing to be positive. It’s like they like being in that state of mind and misery loves company. And they’ll just get with all of their friends that all have issues and problems and they all talk about it together. And it’s like, stop doing that. It’s a choice. You get to choose the conversations that you have to others and to yourself.
Amberly Lago: Well, speaking of choices, you’re doing so much. You’ve got your… Passive income. I know that. And I want to ask you a question about network marketing too, but you also have got this thriving online fitness business and you post all these videos. Do you feel like your fitness stuff took off even more after your heart attack? Because people are like, Oh wow. If he can like rehab himself, get his life back, you know, not be addicted to drugs anymore. I can do it too. Do you think it, made a difference in your business?
Jason Nemes: Well, I recently started pushing that more. So. I don’t know if I would say that, because I don’t think I really can compare the two, if that makes sense. So I was more focused on the network marketing beforehand. And more so recently, probably the last four or five months, I’ve been pushing the online fitness coaching. And then I incorporate the products from the network marketing company with it. But I have had a good amount of people reach out to me. So probably yes, I guess to your answer. I’m kind of answering it as we talk through it. I’ve had a good amount of people that have reached out to me that have cholesterol issues, triglycerides, they have things happen with their heart. And I always do say, Hey, I am not a medical professional. So always consult your doctor. But here are things that I have done especially with studying, because when something like that happens to you, you become a nut job of reading about what’s not good with foods and what’s good. And then I started doing tests and allergy tests. And it’s a bunch of different things to know, like what’s the best for my body and what will support my heart as much as possible. So, yeah, I mean, given that people are reaching out to me more saying, hey, I’ve got these things going. This is a part of my family history and getting advice.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. Well, why do you think network marketing gets such a bad rap? It’s like, I remember I had a speakers agent and I’m with Plexus. I use Plexus products and my girlfriend that got me doing Plexus I didn’t start, I didn’t even know what, I didn’t know that was, I thought she just gave me a gift in the mail. I didn’t know that was her business. And I liked it so much. I was like, Hey, I want to order some of that. How do I order more of that?
Jason Nemes: Right.
Amberly Lago: And I liked it so much that I started taking it, but I waited almost a year before I even like told anybody, yeah, you can order through me.
Jason Nemes: You know, I don’t, a year that’s fast. I wasn’t going for four and a half years.
Amberly Lago: Yeah, I mean, I really liked it.
Jason Nemes: Yeah, I wouldn’t even try it. I was like, no, get that away from me.
Amberly Lago: I probably wouldn’t have tried it had my girlfriend who I just love her and she gave it to me. Gotcha. If I would have known it was like, network marketing and MLM. I didn’t know what MLM was, but I probably would have been like, it does. And I had an agent at one time that said, do not ever post anything about Plexus. Interesting. She goes, because then you will never be asked to speak at other companies. There are MLMs. And I’m like, huh. Well, I just take it because I like it.
Jason Nemes: Well, that’s false because we know, uh, I mean, Bosley, you know, RIP, one of the most amazing souls, one of the most amazing souls of all time. Yeah. She was a decently close friend. Uh, I mean, she spoke for every company almost. She was the queen of sales. Yes.
Amberly Lago: Queen of sales.
Jason Nemes: Phenomenal individual. Yeah. So why do I think it gets a bad rap? I just think people aren’t educated. I think that there’s just this stigma around it where people They just don’t get it. And that was me for four and a half years. I was like, no, I’m not doing that.
Amberly Lago: But you’ve made a lot of money.
Jason Nemes: I’ve done very well with the network marketing business. Yes. I mean, you find a product or a service, whatever that looks like, and something that you truly believe in that has a good, true comp plan. And I mean, as long as it’s a legit company that’s set up correctly, then you’re good to go.
Amberly Lago: What is the thing that has helped you the most as far as making a sale for that, for network?
Jason Nemes: Being a product of the product. I mean, I dropped 17 pounds in my first 18 days, which isn’t typical, but it’s possible. And I didn’t have to nap anymore. And I was a hard no for four and a half years. And because I was such a no, I was such a hard no. And because I was in the quote unquote body world, bodybuilder world back then, I wanted to truly put the products to the test. So I didn’t change anything as far as like adding a bunch of cardio, changing out my diet. I didn’t change any of that. I just, instead of taking these products, I started taking these products and I dropped 17 pounds of fat in my first 18 days. Didn’t have to nap anymore. And I made $1,100 in my first 18 days, $1,900 in my first full month. Wow. And I was making $2,000 a month at my full-time corporate job, working 60 hours a week, that I had to have a degree and I have a business economically from the University of North Texas. And it’s just, I made that $1,900 all from my phone.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. I will never forget. I was sitting at a, I was speaking at this conference and I got, you know, I’m kind of in the back and I’m looking through and I’m like, I just earned $1,200. And it’s like, what did I do?
Jason Nemes: What? What did I do?
Amberly Lago: What? Like, yeah, yeah.
Jason Nemes: And it’s so true. People, they just don’t get it.
Amberly Lago: But those that I feel like- But I believe in the- I really, I think for me, because I don’t promote a bunch of stuff ever. So when I did finally do a post about people like, wow, you must really, you must really like this because you never, cause to me, like you are so authentic and I am too. I want to, I keep it real. In fact, I had a friend of mine voice memo me today to ask me about something. She goes, I’m asking you cause I know you’ll tell me the truth. That’s important. It is important. Yeah.
Jason Nemes: Yeah, you’ll shoot me straight, you won’t BS me, you’ll tell me what’s up, even if I don’t like the answer. And people know that’s me. I’m not gonna tell you what you wanna hear. I’m gonna tell you what you need to hear and what I truly feel about it. And if you think that you’re gonna call me and ask me a question and I’m just gonna agree with you, like, well, what do you think? That’s another thing that I’ll do. Because one of my mentors, he will lead me to my own answer versus answering his opinion.
Amberly Lago: Makes sense? That’s good, that’s good. Real quick, I know we’re running out of time.
Jason Nemes: Usually we know what we want to do. Yeah. Usually we know, but we want validation from other people.
Amberly Lago: It helps to talk things true. It does. And speaking of mentor, how important to you is it to have a coach mentor be a part of it?
Jason Nemes: It’s everything. Everything.
Amberly Lago: I couldn’t agree more.
Jason Nemes: It’s everything. And I have people that I go to for relationship coaching. that have been married for many, many, many years. And I know it’s a successful marriage, not just a social media successful marriage, because I know that people have a social media life and a real life. And I was a prime example of that. And I have people that I go to for business coaching.
Amberly Lago: Oh, me too. I’m a part of a mastermind and I have my own mastermind. I have a coach and I coach plenty of people.
Jason Nemes: The best of the best have coaches. The greatest of the great. Like Michael Jordan had Tim Grover. And Michael Jordan, in my opinion, is the best basketball player of all time. One of the best athletes of all time. And he had a coach.
Amberly Lago: I’ll never forget when I first met Tim. We were speaking at this event together and so I had gone to dinner with some of the other speakers and stuff. It was the night before the event started and I’m walking out of this really nice steakhouse and I’m like,
Jason Nemes: And you don’t do that with a lot of people, I’m sure.
Amberly Lago: No, I was like, cause I’d never met him before. And he looks at me and he goes, Hey, Amberly, how, how’d it go? You know, I saw you went to the gym this morning and I was like, he was watching my social media. Oh my God. He knows my name.
Jason Nemes: You know? Right. I would think the exact same thing. I was like, that’s how I felt when you asked me to be on your podcast. Oh my God.
Amberly Lago: Oh, yeah, right.
Jason Nemes: I just paid him to say that.
Amberly Lago: Well, you have a huge social media following and I love that you keep it real. It’s inspirational.
Jason Nemes: Thank you.
Amberly Lago: Your TED talk was amazing. I watched that. And where can people find your book, find you, whether they want to get involved with your fitness or you’re coaching for entrepreneurship or hire you to speak or grab your book, what’s the best place for people to reach you?
Jason Nemes: Yeah, so my website is JasonLNemes.com www.JasonLNemes.com. This is my book. You can find it. Amazon is where most people order it, but it’s on walmart.com, barnesandnoble.com, all of the all of those good old sites. And yeah, and then my Instagram is tattedprez, which I might be changing soon. T-A-T-T-E-D P-R-E-Z-Z-Z.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. Yes.
Jason Nemes: I might change it to, to at Jason Nemes. Cause I can get that.
Amberly Lago: Why aren’t, I think you need to do that today. That’s what I tell all the ladies in my mastermind. Because I was actually trying to find you and I couldn’t remember.
Jason Nemes: Yeah, man, that’s crazy.
Amberly Lago: And I was putting in your couldn’t find. I was like, I know it’s something tatted. I know. And you brand your name. And that way, when people search you, they can find you.
Jason Nemes: Yeah, it’s funny you say that there was somebody asked you about earlier that goes to the same church. And he hit me up about this. He’s like, dude, that is not you, you’re Jason Nemes. And you need to change that. But I was, so in the network marketing company, I’m known worldwide as Tatted Prez. Like a lot of people don’t even know my name, but he’s like, man, you’re Jason Nemes. Like you’re not Tatted Prez.
Amberly Lago: Especially since you have your book.
Jason Nemes: I might have to go get it today.
Amberly Lago: You’ve got your, you’ve got your TED talk. You’ve got your book. You’re doing more speaking. I tell all the women in my mastermind that you need your name. You own your name.
Jason Nemes: Today I’m going to do it. It’s a done deal.
Amberly Lago: I’m doing it today.
Jason Nemes: You inspired me.
Amberly Lago: Yes. And you know what? All the links for your book, Dad, well, we’ll put, I’ll put, I’ll make sure that this is coming out this week.
Jason Nemes: This is coming out this week? Yeah. Yeah. Ooh, I might have to hit it. Yeah.
Amberly Lago: Yeah. You better get on that. So we’ll put that Instagram handle, put your website in and just want to say thank you so much for tuning into the show. And if you got some value out of this episode, make sure you take a screenshot and tag me at Amberly Lago Motivation. Amberly Lago wasn’t available by the way. So that’s why it’s Amberly Lago Motivation. Um, and Tag you? Are we going to be Tatted Prez?
Jason Nemes: So check both Tatted Prez and Jason Nemitz. So I’m working on it today. OK. And I might be able to get you your name, by the way. I’ve got some connections.
Amberly Lago: Oh, OK. You can’t change it when you’re verified.
Jason Nemes: Yeah, you have to undo it and then change it. Yeah.
Amberly Lago: And I got verified back when verified was actually a thing.
Jason Nemes: Yeah. Because you are. Because you’re the real deal.
Amberly Lago: Like you don’t have to pay. You know what I mean?
Jason Nemes: Yeah.
Amberly Lago: So anyway, thank y’all for tuning in. Thank y’all so much. Thank you for being here. Thanks so much.
Jason Nemes: Again, beyond grateful, beyond grateful. And hopefully I touched some lives today.
Amberly Lago: Yes, you are a miracle.
Jason Nemes: And we’ll see you next week.