FRLN96: Full Body Battery, Hidden Money Traps, Reaching The Next Level

Hey friend,

This week was an absolutely incredible one — both on and off the pickleball court. I hit my first in-game “Around the Post” shot, something that’s been on my pickleball bucket list since I started playing back on April 12th. It took six and a half months of consistent practice to get there, and it felt next level.

It’s also Halloween week here in Santa Cruz — I’m about to head out to celebrate with friends, get dressed up, and get a little wild — but before I do, I want to drop my best tips, tools, and strategies for Fitness, Money, and Life from this week’s reflections.

Let’s dive in.

FIT — Manage Your Body Battery

In one of my 1-on-1 coaching sessions this week, I found myself explaining a lesson I wish I’d learned years ago: the goal of every workout isn’t to destroy yourself — it’s to leave 20–30% in the tank.

That extra energy isn’t wasted. It’s what allows you to show up with power and presence in all the other areas of your life — work, relationships, recovery.

When I was younger, I used to go all-out in the gym. Every set. Every rep. 110% effort. And sure, it felt epic in the moment… but by the end of the workout, I was wrecked. I’d have no energy left for the rest of the day. And when you train like that day after day, your “battery” never fully recharges.

You wake up at 80% the next day. Then 60% the next. Before long, you’re running on fumes, getting sick, injured, or burning out.

These days, I think of training — and life — like managing a body battery. When you conserve a bit of charge each day, you recover faster, stay consistent, and build unstoppable momentum.

You’ll always get further going 80% every day for six months than going 110% for four weeks and then crashing for two.

Consistency beats intensity when it comes to long-term success.

RICH — Money Is a Tool (But Don’t Let It Use You)

Let’s talk about money — and how even a seasoned pro like me almost fell into an old trap again this week.

Money isn’t inherently good or bad. It’s neutral energy — a tool we created to exchange value and build the lives we want. But like any form of energy, it can either empower you or consume you.

Over the last three years, I’ve gone all in on Black Friday promotions for my business. They’ve always been my biggest months of sales — record-breaking, even. But they also came at a cost: I wasn’t fully present for Thanksgiving. My mind was split between family and funnels, gratitude and growth hacks.

And this year, I almost repeated the cycle. I had already started planning another massive Black Friday push — working out deals, email sequences, deadlines. Then I caught myself mid-sprint and thought: What the hell am I doing?

I’m a multimillionaire. I don’t need to chase money anymore. I’m in a season of life where what matters most is maximizing my net life, not my net worth.

I realized I was about to trade one of my favorite weeks of the year — full of family, friends, and gratitude — for a few extra sales that I didn’t even need. The old “maximize revenue at all costs” operating system was trying to take control again.

So I hit pause. I’ll still do a small Black Friday promo, but the focus this year is on presence, peace, and quality time — not another hustle.

Because money is a powerful tool… but only if you’re the one wielding it. When you let money run your life, even abundance becomes a form of burnout.

Your wealth should fund your freedom — not rob you of it.

LIFE — You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

This week, I spent an incredible four hours training with my pickleball coach — and it was a perfect reminder of why coaching is one of the most powerful forces for transformation.

In that one session, he taught me a few key tweaks — adjustments to my positioning, swing, and mindset — that instantly made me twice the player I was before. These weren’t big, flashy secrets. They were subtle things I never would have noticed on my own, but when stacked together, they changed everything.

That’s the magic of working with a coach: they reveal what you don’t know you don’t know — the blind spots that are holding you back from massive growth.

It’s happened to me in every domain of life. My fitness coach showed me what I was missing to finally build the body I’d been chasing for 15 years. My money mentors taught me the systems and mindsets that turned me into a millionaire. My business coaches helped me scale while staying aligned with my values.

Every major leap forward came from someone who had already walked the path I wanted to walk — and showed me a faster, more effective way through it.

So whether it’s fitness, finances, or fulfillment — find a coach or mentor who’s already achieved what you want. They’ll help you collapse years of trial and error into a few focused months of growth.

It doesn’t have to be me — just invest in yourself. Because you deserve it.

ACTION — Upgrade Time

Pick one and implement it this week:

• FIT — During your next three workouts, stop at 80%. Leave 20–30% energy in the tank and track how your recovery, energy, and performance improve.

• RICH — Before diving into any new hustle or launch, pause and ask: Is this building my net worth or my net life? Choose presence over pressure.

• LIFE — Identify one area where you’ve plateaued. Hire a coach, join a mastermind, or commit to learning from someone already playing the game at a higher level.

Your Fit Rich Life isn’t built in a single breakthrough. It’s built by the small, smart decisions you make today — the ones that align your energy, money, and purpose for the long game.

Here’s to living your Fit Rich Life — full battery, full heart, and full presence.

— Justin David Carl

P.S. If you missed last week’s issue, it was all about shifting from high net worth to high net life. Read it here: fitrichlife.com/newsletter/95