Stay Calm and Focused

This simple expression pretty much sums it up regarding the qualities needed to succeed at anything in life. Whether it be the Masters Championship – congrats Jon Rahm on yesterday’s win – or the yearly presentation to your company’s shareholders, or the PTA meeting with your daughter’s Kindergarten teacher, or your daily fitness program for that matter.

Simply put…just do it.

Staying calm and focused helps you “stay in the moment” while remaining free and observant – and absorbent – to perform your very best. Just be prepared and confident to let your talents shine and your fortitude prevail.

As we reach the 100th day of 2023, I hope your goals and aspirations for this year and the future remain alive and well – even when extreme patience is required to reach your final destination. And may your mind, body and spirit, aka your temple, be brimming with strength, power and positivity. Mine is, as well as my plans for a new and improved season of TOLA TALKS bringing back our LIVE broadcast format on YouTube and Spotify – something I’ve been looking forward to since the show first launched on LATalkRadio back in 2017.

Have an awesome Spring everyone…and get your workout in! Peace – R

Nomad Living – The End

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

At least when it comes to those good things that have a positive impact on your life and are meant to be provisional. That is to say, they’re meant to inspire and empower you in the present moment, but definitely not the long haul.

Like nomad living.

Because any individual who roams about for any length of time will certainly desire a more permanent resting place. Trust me, I should know. After 9 months of transversing this great country – from LA to Plano to Las Vegas to San Diego with many many stops and cities in between – I’ve found my way back to Texas (no kidding). Although I loved every minute of the journey as well as my time in San Diego – a place akin to heaven – it was time to return to the land of the free and home of the brave. Thus, I’m back in Lone Star state.

As for cryptocurrencies, well that’s another story. Since my last post they’ve crashed by more than 50% and have no doubt sent seismic shocks to my portfolio, to say the least. But then again when it comes to anything in life and especially stocks and cryptos, nothing goes straight up. So keep the faith and HODL on for dear life everyone, because like I’ve said many times before on Tola Talks Texas, we’re in the first inning of a very long ball game.

Be kind and stay strong everyone, and no matter what, get your workout in!

Peace – R

Nomad Living – Part 1

Four months ago I packed my shiny new Bronco to the gills and departed California on a beautiful sunny morning (of course). On my way to Texas, with no particular city in mind or specific travel map in place except for my one goal: to find a place to live within a month. Just the right amount of time to visit and explore at least a dozen major cities along the way.

You may call it a long road trip, but I call it Nomad Living. Nomad as in “a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place”. And that would be me.

The good news is I love to explore and have since adapted to the inconveniences of not having a fixed residence – trust me, there are many. Plus, nomad living is never boring because you’re always scrambling to familiarize yourself with the plethora of unknowns. Until you eventually land and get the lay of the land, like I did in Plano for a few months and where I also produced my podcast, Tola Talks Texas. Opinionated and oftentimes political for sure, and be sure to check out my two favorite episodes Ep 8 – Suicide Sucks and Ep 20 – Never Live in Fear.

Then it was back on the road, again, this time desiring to spend quality time with my father who’s battling liver cancer as well as revisit some old friends and haunts in Las Vegas and of course, my formerly beloved LA. Not to mention a bunch more cities along the way.

All told I’ve driven 12,000 miles in 120 days while heartily visiting the following 30 cities: Yuma, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Flagstaff, Sedona, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin, Boulder City, Amarillo, El Paso, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Waco, Fort Worth, Dallas, Denton, Frisco, Plano, Needles, Riverside, Pasadena, LA and most recently, San Diego – as I write this I’m curiously exploring the boatloads of amazing neighborhoods and beaches of SD!

Have an awesome weekend and keep moving forward with your goals and dreams everyone…and get your workout in! Peace – R

Top 7 Dumbbell Exercises – Ep 17 – Tola Talks Texas

Today we’re talking about the best exercises anyone can do from head-to-toe using only dumbbells. And since the news is rather depressing this Wednesday when it comes to current events including President Biden’s approval rating and paltry school lunches, not to mention murder rates we haven’t seen since the 1990’s and homelessness and inflation on the rise, let’s focus on an easy and affordable daily fitness program that positively affects your 7 body parts: abs, shoulders, back, chest, triceps, biceps and legs. Plus three more steps to everlasting youth from my book, as well as some encouraging price moves from our beloved – and sometimes unbeloved – cryptocurrencies on Robinhood. Have an awesome day everyone…and get your workout in!

Top 10 Phobias – Ep 13 – Tola Talks Texas

Today we’re having some fun with the Top 10 Phobias that have millions of Americans shaking in their boots. Because fear of anything including the number 13 is usually a bad thing that controls your mind, body and spirit. Especially in these fear-mongering Coronavirus times, everyone should – and must – face their fears head-on. Regardless of their origins, whether Biblical or pre-Christian or Babylonian times, phobias are real so we’re counting them down. Including two rather innocuous ones I just made up: Gymophobia and Yogaphobia. Fear of working out and fear of doing yoga…both of which you should never fear if you want to Drink from the Fountain of Youth. Like I do.

Suicide Sucks – Ep 8 – Tola Talks Texas

Today we’re talking about the 10th leading cause of death in the United States: suicide. To put it bluntly – and I say this numerous times on the show – suicide sucks so don’t f**king do it! Because not only does it eliminate nearly 50,000 lives every year, that’s 1 death every 11 minutes, it has far-reaching impacts including serious emotional, physical and economic costs to society. With depression and anxiety among teens and young adults at an all time high, especially with the fear mongering from COVID and Omicron, suicide has to be thwarted and stopped. Not to mention that anxiety affects 1/3 of adults and adolescents in the United States today, further complicating matters. And kudos to all schools K-12 for their prevention efforts against bullying and other forms of abuse that adversely affect students of all ages. So what should you do if you’re anxious and distraught: save yourself with fitness and yoga, and more specifically, come take my Tola Yoga class at Plano Athletic Club starting this Saturday at 12:30p. That’s right, Tola Yoga is back, and I’d love to see you there front and center. Because who doesn’t want to empower their mind, body and soul while drinking from the Fountain of Youth? Plus kudos to the David Bowie estate as well as Bruce Springsteen, aka The Boss, for such massive sales of their music publishing rights. PS – good luck to my father with his cancer surgery at Sloan Kettering today…you’re gonna rock it! Peace – R

Social Media Censorship – Ep 7 – Tola Talks Texas

Today we’re talking about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and mRNA vaccine technology contributor Dr. Robert Malone getting banned from Twitter plus the children’s book publisher, Heroes of Liberty, getting banned from Facebook; the new independent social media app GETTR embracing free speech with hosts like Joe Rogan and myself @richtola opening new accounts; more confusion plus more of the public’s money needed for more COVID testing; New Year resolutions for healthy living plus fitness tips that’ll keep you posture perfect and laser focused in your workouts; plus financial tips about investing and saving wisely for the future, with a special RIP shout-out to the legendary Betty White.

Top Stories of 2021 – Ep 6 – Tola Talks Texas

Today we’re talking about finishing the year strong as well as assessing your goals, successes and failures in 2021. Because it’s always best to acknowledge your small victories in the war when it comes to your personal, family, business and “Universe” lives. We also countdown the Top 10 Stories of the Year, plus my own Top 5 Highlights as well as my entertainment goals for 2022 including making the short film, All Mixed Up, plus a more lofty one…working with Noomi Rapace. She’s the six time award winning lead actress in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy (I highly recommend watching all three films on Crackle). Not to mention more talk about working out and drinking from the Fountain of Youth and of course, my predictions for where Robinhood’s seven cryptocurrencies are headed in the New Year. Stay safe and sound and perhaps even sober tonight everyone (like me)…and get your workout in! Peace – R

Homeless in America – Ep 4 – Tola Talks Texas

Today we’re talking about the 580,000+ homeless people in America, most of those individual males and the rest single moms with children. That’s way too many, and with the help of those of us who are not homeless – including my bodybuilding idol from 1979 and seven time Mr. Olympia champion, Arnold Schwarzenegger, we need to end this epidemic now. Plus a special RIP shout-out to Man’s World Gym owner and mentor from my childhood, Joe Dodd, as well as the legendary football coach turned world-class TV broadcaster, John Madden. Not to mention more weightlifting tips from my workout today, and of course, some inspiring talk about holding the line when it comes to your cryptocurrencies…like I’m doing, even as they plunge even further.

Omicron and Retailer Woes – Ep 2 – Tola Talks Texas

In our second episode of Tola Talks Texas, we’re talking cool Texas trivia about Dr. Pepper, frozen margaritas and that famous Bugs Bunny catchphrase, “What’s Up Doc”. As for current events it’s all about the Omicron variant and the difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic cases of the virus – with a family from New Jersey experiencing both. There’s also talk about 1400 more airline flights cancelled today and major retailers like CVS, Macy’s, Walgreens, Target, Home Depot and Best Buy closing more stores with some declaring bankruptcy (JC Penny & Neiman Marcus), plus cryptocurrencies and how wash sales – and the anticipated changes in 2022 tax laws to prohibit them – will affect volatility going forward. Not to mention some stock picks including Tesla, Plug Power, Apple and Alibaba, with a special shout-out to Matthew McConaughey and his new book, Greenlights.