FRLN107: Minimum Viable Workout, Build The Money Machine, Make Being Happy Easy
This week’s newsletter is inspired by my conversation with Tess Waresmith on Fit Rich Life Podcast Episode 98.
Tess is an accredited financial counselor, a former elite athlete who got a full scholarship to college as a springboard diver, and one of the clearest thinkers I know when it comes to money, fitness, and designing a life that actually feels good.
What stood out most in our conversation wasn’t a hot take or clever tactic.
It was something much simpler — and much harder:
Consistency over time beats almost everything.
Let’s break it down across the three pillars of a Fit Rich Life.
FIT — The Power of a Minimum Viable Program
Tess grew up as a serious athlete. She didn’t become great overnight.
She showed up.
She had bad seasons.
She kept going.
And over time, the results compounded.
One of my favorite ideas from our conversation was her current approach to fitness:
“My goal is simple: move four times a week.”
That’s it.
Not perfection.
Not elite training blocks.
Not crushing motivation.
Just a Minimum Viable Program (MVP) that keeps her moving forward.
A few key takeaways:
You don’t need motivation — you need systems
Find people you like or activities you enjoy
Fitness that’s fun (pickleball, ballroom dancing) reinvigorates gym training
Consistency matters more than intensity
She joked that what motivates her most right now isn’t discipline…
…it’s the hilarious friends at the gym who notice when she doesn’t show up.
Whatever gets you moving counts.
RICH — Build the Machine, Then Get Out of the Way
Tess dropped one of the simplest — and most important — money truths I know:
“No one will ever care more about your money than you do.”
Once you truly accept that, everything changes.
Not because you become obsessed…
…but because you step into the driver’s seat.
The goal isn’t to think about money all the time.
The goal is to build a system that works without you.
That means:
Automated savings
Automated investing
Automated debt payoff
Clear rules for guilt-free spending
When you remove willpower and decision fatigue, wealth building becomes boring.
And boring is good.
This is how Tess woke up one day, checked her accounts, and realized:
“Oh… I don’t actually need to work anymore.”
That doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens by building the machine — then letting compounding do its thing.
LIFE — Make Being Happy Easy
This part of the conversation hit me the hardest.
Tess shared that after a difficult season in her life, she had an epiphany:
Chasing constant happiness was making her miserable.
Instead of aiming for a 10/10 every day, she shifted her goal to this:
Live at a 6 or 7 most of the time.
And suddenly… life felt lighter.
Because:
Everything changes
Ebb and flow is normal
Letting go creates space
Trying to force happiness creates suffering
Ironically, when she stopped trying so hard to be happy, she felt better.
I’ve experienced something similar.
These days, a 10/10 day for me is incredibly simple:
Did I move my body or play pickleball?
Did I connect with someone I love?
Did I create something?
If yes to just one of these?
A+ day.
I give myself permission to be way happier with less.
And honestly… that’s been one of the biggest upgrades of my life.
ACTION — Upgrade One Thing + Why This Episode Is Worth It
Pick one thing to upgrade this week:
Set a Minimum Viable Fitness Standard
Stop chasing perfect programs. Choose a baseline you can always hit (e.g. “move 4x/week”). Consistency compounds faster than intensity.Automate One Money Decision
Remove willpower from the equation. Auto-invest, auto-save, or auto-pay one bill so progress happens without motivation.Redefine a “Good Day”
Let go of perfection. Decide what a 7/10 day looks like — then notice how much lighter life feels when you stop forcing happiness.
Then listen to the full conversation with Tess Waresmith so you can:
Learn how she went from graduating into the 2009 financial crisis → saving aggressively as a cruise-ship performer → buying her first rental property at 24 — and why doing things imperfectly still beats doing nothing.
Understand why paying 1% to a financial advisor can quietly cost you hundreds of thousands (or millions) over your lifetime — and how to spot hidden fees, conflicts of interest, and bad advice before they derail your future.
See exactly how she broke up with her financial advisor without panic, opened her own account, and built confidence by starting simple — not by “knowing everything.”
Reframe investing as a learnable skill, not a personality trait — and why saying “I’m not a money person” might be one of the most expensive beliefs you’re carrying.
Hear why options are the real definition of wealth — options to leave a job, walk away from bad situations, invest in your health, and design your life intentionally.
Learn how Tess quietly reached financial independence in her 30s, realized she didn’t need to chase another corporate role, and had the confidence to fire herself and build a life on her own terms.
Connect the dots between fitness, money, and compounding — why progress looks like three steps forward, two steps back — and how consistency unlocks results you can’t even imagine at the start.
Listen here:
🎧 Spotify | 🍎 Apple | ▶️ YouTube | 🌐 Web
To your health, wealth, and happiness,
— Justin David Carl