Hi, I'm Natalie Jill, fat loss expert turned high performance coach.

When odds are stacked against us, how do we shift and create everything from nothing?

How do we level up when we aren't feeling it yet or we've had a big setback?

On this podcast, I'll be talking to some of the most inspiring and courageous men and women on this planet who, at their

worst, learned how to achieve success greater than they ever dreamed possible, leveling up and

creating everything from nothing. As a former felon and drug addict, Doug Boebes had a history, and it's now a distant memory. He chose to use his

time locked up to beat his demons and reinvent himself. Working out and learning how to eat

right from his cellmate, he transformed himself while in prison. He is now on a mission to help

others integrate the lessons he learned.

He's been featured nationally on media outlets such as the Today Show, Men's Health, Gold Coast,

Chatter, Dr. Drew and Moore. Now a three-time author of Faith Family Fitness, from felony to fitness to

free, and finally the heart of recovery.

He's helped hundreds of people improve their life and wellness.

Join in today and learn exactly how Doug Pofs levels up and created everything from nothing.

Today on leveling up, I've got Doug Boffs.

Now, he is a personal trainer, but he's also a

three-time offer. And what makes him especially unique is his recovery of addiction and how

he has used that to fuel his passion. And his newest book, Heart of Recovery, is available. And I am so excited at the interview today, Doug. Thank you for being here.

Thanks for having me, Natalie. I mean, I'm really grateful for the opportunity to be able to share my message on your show.

So, Doug, three books now in. This is not always who you were. Take us back. Like, who were you before you became an author when you were in the throes of what you were struggling with? Take us back to who you were and how that happened. You know, I was the guy you didn't want your daughter to date, the guy you didn't want your son to be around. And I never thought in a million years that I'd be here sharing my story. I mean, you know, back in 2008, I was incarcerated on felony drug charges. I was in the depths of despair. I was suicidal. I was hopeless. I had no idea if I'd make it to see my 25th birthday. And during my few months, I spent in jail, my cellmate encouraged me to start working out, which I'd never formally done. I was always like the heavier kid. I wasn't athletic. And I struggled with self-confidence and self-esteem. So drugs were something I cling to to to self-medicate. And when he started to get me to exercise, I couldn't do a push-up, you know, not even from my knees. And it just really struck a nerve with me because I said, Hey man, like, why can't I a push-up? And he looked at me. He's like, you're fat. And I hated that word, that word to me, like, made me cringe. Like, I hated being called fat. And I had nothing else better to do in jail, but to really work on myself. And at first, I was the guy that was blaming other people saying, woe is me and he he said, you know, Doug, you can be a man or you can be a wuss. He's like, you can be a man and accept responsibility for what got you here, which for me was selling drugs and, you know, know, know that it's up to you to change your life. Or you can be a wuss and go cry in the corner, blame everybody else for your problems, and do what everybody normally does. So that was like what really started my transformation was with the help of my

cellmate in jail. Okay, so take me back because I've got a lot of questions even leading up to that.

So, okay, first and foremost, why were you in jail? You said drugs, but how does that happen?

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