129: How to Improve Your “Health-Esteem” & Fitness Consistency with Carl Daikeler (Co-Founder of BODi fka Beach Body)

Jun 19, 2025

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Everyone knows that working out consistently is one of the most important things you can do for your longevity, your health, and your mood.

But knowing this doesn’t make working out any easier. If that was the case, nobody would be overweight, have back or joint pain, or have low self-esteem.

Turns out, there are certain emotional saboteurs—in the form of limiting beliefs and insidious, subconscious mindsets—that wreck your “fitness quotient,” or FQ - before you even begin!

But perhaps nobody else on the planet understands the deeper, emotional causes of self-sabotage in fitness better than today’s guest: Carl Daikeler, co-founder of BODi (fka Beach Body).

Carl helped create some of the most popular workout programs of all time (P90X, Insanity, 21 Day Fix) by understanding the deeper reasons behind self-sabotage and inconsistency.

In today’s show, Carl shares some of the most powerful strategies to improve your “health-esteem,” your FQ, and become more consistent with exercise.

Here’s what Carl and I share in this episode:

How to “trick” your brain into looking forward to and enjoying exercise
Why nothing will motivate you more than visiting an assisted living facility
How to become aware of (and eventually conquer) the deeper, emotional barriers that keep you from being consistent

And so much more.

Other highlights include:

This story about an assisted living facility might just scare you enough to make fitness a top priority (even if you’ve been inconsistent in the past) (9:22)
The “explore life” secret for actually looking forward to working out (10:28)
Why your “FQ” may be more important for your longevity and wellness than IQ or EQ (14:00)
How to find ways to trick yourself into enjoying exercise (especially if it’s always the last thing you want to do) (15:02)
Why believing your fitness routine is selfish is an excuse to be lazy (17:19)
Why taking Ozempic or other GLP-1’s without combining it with strength-building exercise and protein consumption is a grave mistake (19:23)
A few dirt-simple tweaks to your lifestyle that make a significant impact to your “health-esteem” (20:14)
A deep, unconscious mindset that actively works against you to sabotage your fitness (and how to become aware of it… and conquer it) (25:22)
This Jedi mindset trick turns your negative limiting beliefs into empowering absolute truths (28:38)

Listen now!

Guest Bio:

Carl Daikeler is a visionary entrepreneur, and the CEO and co-founder of The Beachbody Company, leading innovator in the fitness and nutrition space. With a career spanning over four decades, Daikeler has been a trailblazer, pioneering unconventional and highly effective methods to help individuals reach their health and fitness goals. Daikeler co-founded Beachbody in 1998, now known as BODi, which has expanded into a powerhouse of fitness and nutrition tools under his leadership over the last 26 years. The brand is celebrated for its iconic programs such as P90X, Insanity, and 21 Day Fix, and its profound impact on millions worldwide.

Over the years, Daikeler has overseen the development of continued innovation resulting in massive growth, including the creation of Shakeology, the world’s first superfood nutrition shake that has sold over a billion servings. He also hosts "The BODi Experience" podcast, is a successful Broadway theater producer winning three Tony awards, and a tech investor. You can connect with Carl Daikeler more through his Instagram at @carldaikeler and LinkedIn.