The Secret To Success with CJ, Karl, Jemal & Eric Thomas

Why Everyone’s Talking About the Chicago Bears Right Now — And What It Shows About Turnarounds #524

Jan 15, 2026

They unpack the Bears’ surprising turnaround and how a change in perspective, not personnel, sparked the shift. Conversation explores how coaching reveals hidden value and unlocks performance. Personal stories about real estate and equity show the same principle at work in life and money. The thread: build on what you have by learning to see differently.

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INSIGHT

Perspective Over Personnel

The Bears' turnaround came from a shift in perspective, not a wholesale roster overhaul.
Ben Johnson's coaching helped players see the game differently, unlocking existing talent.

ADVICE

Let It Burn And Improve

If you're hurt by losing an opportunity, 'let it burn' and analyze why you weren't chosen.
Use the setback to improve so you have options rather than replaying the same failure.

ADVICE

Stack Your Wins, Don't Restart

Don't treat January 1 as starting over; build on your existing foundation instead.
Stack what you've already achieved and add new levels rather than discarding past work.

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Everyone’s talking about the Chicago Bears right now (or at least Jemal thinks so), and while a new coach matters, the real shift runs deeper.

This episode breaks down a powerful truth about real turnarounds: the players didn’t change — the perspective did.

Same roster.
Same city.
Same pressure.

What changed was how the game was being seen, understood, and approached. And once that shifted, the results followed.

Using the Bears as a real-world case study, this conversation explores why so many people stay stuck year after year. Not because they lack ability or effort, but because they keep trying to do more instead of learning to see differently.

This isn’t about starting over.
It’s about building on what’s already there.

🎯 In this episode, you’ll hear about:

Why turnarounds don’t require new talent, just clearer perspective
How guidance and coaching change what you notice and how you move
The difference between repeating a year and actually creating a new one
What happens when you stop chasing more and start maximizing what you already have

Whether it’s your life, your career, your finances, or your faith — this message applies far beyond football.

Chapters

00:00:00 Opening: Can You See Me Now? The Chicago Bears Energy
00:01:26 Welcome and Team Introductions: The Helmet Comes Out
00:05:16 Bears Fever: From Last Place to First in the Division
00:08:45 The Ben Johnson Effect: Why Coaching Changes Everything
00:20:17 New Year or Another Year? The Choice Is Yours
00:26:56 Don't Start Over—Keep Building: The Skyscraper Mentality
00:32:00 The Coaching Conversation: Carl's Real Estate Transformation Begins
00:33:45 From Crisis to Clarity: Carl's COVID Real Estate Story
00:36:34 The Equity Revelation: Money in the Bricks
00:43:05 The Six-Figure Check: Carl's First Major Real Estate Win
00:46:00 Why We Talk About Money: ET's Passionate Defense
00:50:04 Stop Listening to Broke People: Reading the Coverage of Wealth
00:51:26 Outro and Call to Action

👉 Register for the ET One Percent Solution Summit (Chicago)
Real perspective. Real tools. Real turnaround conversations.
https://etonepercent.com

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