Tom Fabbri: Persevering Through Challenging Times

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The Profit Express is back after a COVID-induced hiatus! The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on business, destroying several industries and forced thousands of businesses to close their doors. There have roughly been 100,000 businesses that have closed their doors and most will never return. My guest today is here to discuss how even during challenging and tragic times, there is opportunity to be had in persevering.

Today’s guest is no stranger to The Profit Express. He is Tom Fabbri, a fitness expert, author, pilot, mountain climber, and all-around Life Wrangler. Tom has faced his series of challenges in life, from being in and out of jail to going bankrupt and going through three divorces. After being introduced to fitness and aviation, he turned his life around. Today, he is the mastermind of the functional fitness equipment known as the Total Motion 360 Power Bar .

Tom is here to share how he overcome some of his greatest fears and challenges to transform his life. He has always believed that if he can turn his life around, there is no reason why anyone else cannot.

Tom’s Journey on Aconcagua

One of Tom’s biggest passions is climbing mountains. Despite having a major fear of heights, he has still been able to climb six of the seven summits of the world. These are the highest mountains on each continent, and they pose a challenge to even the most experienced climber.

At 2:31, Tom talks about how even before he began his climb on Mt. Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas at 22,837 feet, people told him about potential dangers and failures. He didn’t need to hear the bad news before he started the climb. Although he was already nervous, he made the trip to Argentina.

Facing Challenges on the Climb

Within a short time, Tom’s team was already breaking down. Two members had to be rescued by helicopter after they began to experience altitude sickness. At 7:49, Tom talks about the warning his team received about an impending storm. Rather than push through, Tom and his team decided to play it safe and wait it out. While they played it safe, they spent three days facing a blizzard at an altitude of 18,000 feet – all with nothing but their tent to protect them.

“I am strong, calm, and confident”

After digging themselves out of the blizzard, the group carried on. They then realized just how smart their decision was, as they were warned of another team from Great Britain that had lost members due to exposure. The severity of the situation made Tom begin to rethink what he was attempting. Still, he thought back to what he repeatedly wrote in his journal while waiting out the blizzard in his tent: “I am strong, calm, and confident.”

Tom faced this moment of real fear with the same mindset that has helped him in other challenges in his life. At 16:28, Tom talks about how no matter what, he was at least going to attempt to reach the peak of Aconcagua. Things become overwhelming if you only look at how far you have to go. By persevering and doing what you can in the moment, you can conquer your doubt and fear.

Putting His Ego Aside

What does climbing Aconcagua have to do with creating a new product? While there may not seem to be similarities between the two, both involve a willingness to persevere.

At 21:53, Tom discusses how he launched the TM360 Power Bar during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a fear in presenting the product prototype to investors that he had to power through. Inventing a product is a personal thing. You have to wipe away the personal connection you have to it and put your ego aside in order to listen to comments or suggestions.

 

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