Episode # 75: 25 World Records to Business Success: Stefi Cohen's Momentum Secrets

✍️ Episode Overview:

In this inspiring episode of the Five Core Life podcast, host Will Moore sits down with Stefi Cohen, a powerhouse in the world of strength sports and entrepreneurship. Stefi, a 25-time world record holder in powerlifting, shares her incredible journey from Venezuelan soccer player to becoming the first woman to deadlift 4.4 times her bodyweight.

But Stefi's story isn't just about physical strength. It's a testament to mental resilience, adaptability, and the power of turning passion into profit. She delves into how she transformed her love for strength training into Hybrid Performance Method, a thriving business that has grown from a simple idea to a company with 60 employees in just five years.

Throughout the conversation, Stefi offers invaluable insights on overcoming challenges, the importance of systems in business growth, and how to maintain momentum in both personal and professional life. Her unique perspective on habits, including a refreshing take on procrastination, challenges conventional wisdom and offers listeners a new way to approach personal evolution.

Whether you're an aspiring athlete, entrepreneur, or someone looking to gain momentum in life, this episode is packed with actionable advice and inspiring stories that will help you level up in life.

📖 Chapter Summaries:

1. From Soccer to Strength: Stefi's Journey (0:00 - 5:54) Stefi shares her background growing up in Venezuela, moving to the US for soccer, and transitioning to strength training. She discusses the challenges of being an immigrant, exploring various sports, and eventually discovering her aptitude for weightlifting through CrossFit, leading to her powerlifting career.

2. Balancing Education and Athletics (5:55 - 12:30) Stefi details her experience juggling graduate school with competitive weightlifting. She talks about the difficult decision to prioritize academics over Olympic aspirations, which led to the creation of Hybrid Performance Method. This section highlights the importance of athlete mindset and the birth of her business from personal challenges.

3. Writing 'Back in Motion': Turning Pain into Purpose (12:31 - 17:52) Stefi discusses her motivation for writing her book, stemming from personal experiences with back pain. She shares her frustration with inconsistent diagnoses and treatments, which drove her to conduct extensive research. This journey from pain to authorship exemplifies turning challenges into opportunities.

4. Education to Entrepreneurship: Pivoting Career Paths (17:53 - 20:46) The conversation shifts to Stefi's PhD in Physical Therapy and her decision not to pursue clinical practice. She explains how she leveraged her education to create educational content for her business, demonstrating the value of adapting career paths to align with personal strengths and interests.

5. Reframing Habits: From Procrastination to Productivity (20:47 - 24:54) Stefi shares insights on habits, discussing her perspective on procrastination and the importance of organization. She reframes procrastination as a productive trait and emphasizes the impact of basic organizational habits on overall success, offering a fresh take on personal development.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

1. Embrace Change and Exploration: Stefi's journey from soccer to powerlifting shows the importance of being open to new opportunities. Don't be afraid to explore different paths to find your true passion.

2. Turn Challenges into Opportunities: Stefi's experience with back pain led her to write a book and create educational content. Look for ways to transform your struggles into valuable experiences that can help others.

3. Adapt Your Environment to Your Goals: Stefi emphasizes the importance of organization in daily life. Creating an organized environment can help clear your mind and allow you to focus on your primary goals.

4. Reframe Your Perceived Weaknesses: Stefi's perspective on procrastination demonstrates how traits often seen as negative can be reframed and utilized positively. Understand your working style and leverage it to your advantage.

5. Balance Multiple Pursuits: Stefi's experience balancing graduate school and competitive weightlifting highlights the importance of finding ways to pursue multiple passions, even when it seems challenging.

6. Create Systems for Growth: As your business or personal projects grow, implement systems to support expansion. This can help avoid obstacles and streamline progress.

7. Leverage Your Knowledge Creatively: Stefi's pivot from clinical practice to creating educational content shows how you can apply your expertise in innovative ways that align with your preferences and strengths.

8. Pursue Continuous Learning: Stefi's journey from athlete to author to entrepreneur emphasizes the value of ongoing education and skill development.

9. Focus on Holistic Development: Stefi's success across multiple domains (athletics, academics, business) underscores the importance of developing various aspects of your life for overall success.

10. Build a Strong Foundation: Stefi's emphasis on basic organizational habits like making your bed and keeping your space clean highlights how small, consistent actions can create a solid base for larger achievements.

11. Embrace Interdisciplinary Approaches: Stefi's combination of physical therapy knowledge with strength training demonstrates the power of merging different fields of expertise.

12. Adapt to Market Needs: The rapid growth of Hybrid Performance Method shows the importance of identifying and fulfilling a gap in the market.

13. Maintain Authenticity: Throughout her various pursuits, Stefi has stayed true to her passions and strengths, a key factor in her success and ability to connect with her audience.

🥇 Golden Habit:

Definition of Golden Habit:

"A 'Golden Habit' is the optimal habit to relieve a pain point/replace a bad habit because it's personalized to your DNA, goals, and lifestyle in order to maximally reduce the friction to form it.

The Golden Habit should be: - DESIRABLE: Should be enjoyable and rewarding. - PRACTICAL: Must easily integrate into one's existing routines. - IMPACTFUL: Expected to significantly enhance well-being."

This Episode's Golden Habit: Daily Organization In this episode, Stefi Cohen emphasizes the importance of basic organizational habits. She states, "How you do one thing is how you do everything," highlighting that maintaining order in basic aspects of life creates a solid foundation for success in more complex areas.

Stefi's Golden Habit of daily organization includes: - Making the bed immediately upon waking - Properly storing clothes after use - Keeping her living and working spaces clean and tidy

This habit is golden because: - DESIRABLE: Creates a sense of accomplishment and clarity at the start of each day - PRACTICAL: Can be easily integrated into daily routines - IMPACTFUL: Permeates into other areas of life, fostering discipline and attention to detail

Related Core Area:

This golden habit primarily aligns with the Mindset Core, as it cultivates discipline and sets a positive tone for the day. However, it also positively impacts the other cores by creating an environment conducive to productivity and well-being.

🚀 READY PLAYER ONE?

Are you ready to transform your life and achieve big through disciplined habits? It's time to take the valuable insights from today’s episode and put put them into action. Discipline isn't just about adhering to a schedule—it's about building a foundation that will catapult you toward success in all areas of your life.

OUR MISSION: Accelerate your growth in the 5 Key areas of life by making your habit transformation journey so simple, fun, and rewarding that your happiness becomes inevitable.

PRESS START NOW: Click HERE to dive deeper into the Moore Momentum System. Begin by taking our short quiz to quickly identify which of the areas of life you're struggling in most and discover the success habit to improve it. Don’t just dream about success—make it a reality.

Whether you're dealing with procrastination, lack of focus, or simply seeking a positive way to enhance your productivity, our system is designed to give you the tools you need to succeed. Start your journey today and see how small changes can lead to major transformations.

Are you ready to level up? The time is now—let’s build momentum together!

🫅 Bio - Stefi Cohen:

Stefi Cohen is a Venezuelan-American powerlifter, doctor of physical therapy, and entrepreneur. She holds 25 world records in powerlifting and is renowned for being the first woman to deadlift 4.4 times her body weight. Stefi is the co-founder of Hybrid Performance Method, a successful online coaching business that has grown to over 60 employees in just five years. She's also an author, having written "Back in Motion," a book aimed at helping people understand and overcome back pain. Stefi's unique blend of athletic achievement, academic prowess, and business acumen has made her a respected figure in the fitness and entrepreneurial worlds. Her approach to training, education, and business emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, adaptability, and turning passion into profitable ventures.