292. The 5AM Squat Club: Discipline, Mental Health & Purpose

"There is no such thing as neutral. You're either growing or you're dying. I was just lying to myself because I was not neutral—everything was going downhill. And right then and there I decided I needed to start working. I needed to make a change." — Adam Fomen Kristen Olson welcomes Adam Fomen, founder of the 5AM Squat Club and CrossFit Colossus, to discuss fitness, mental health, community building, and the unconventional path from city-dwelling gym owner to regenerative farmer. In this episode: •Adam's journey from kinesiology student to discovering CrossFit in 2009 through a police officer eating eggs and spinach • Opening CrossFit Colossus in 2012 and the evolution of his approach to health and nutrition •How marrying a naturopathic doctor shifted his perspective from aesthetics to whole-body wellness •The 2021 decision to become farmers and take full control of their family's food supply •The mental health struggles during COVID-19 gym closures and the pivotal conversation that sparked change •Why Adam stopped chasing "happiness" and started pursuing "usefulness" instead •The birth of 5AM Squat Club: daily live workouts combining mindset work, breath work, and CrossFit-style programming •Raising daughters on a farm with a deep connection to food and nature •The concept of "red-washing" in the food industry and why regenerative agriculture matters •Adam's four daily mental reps: responsibility, stimulus-response control, having all you need, and choosing gratitude His 10-year goal to appear on Joe Rogan as an indicator of becoming the go-to resource for people ready to get back on track Sponsors mentioned: Colorado Clownfish Swim School, Declan James Watches Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro and sponsor shoutouts (Colorado Clownfish Swim School, Declan James Watches) 1:27 – Welcome to Adam Fomen and discussion of core values 1:44 – Young Adam: growing up playing sports with his dad as coach 2:20 – Studying kinesiology and discovering CrossFit in 2009 3:32 – Opening CrossFit Colossus in March 2012 5:06 – Meeting his wife (naturopathic doctor) and evolving health philosophy 6:35 – The 2021 decision to become farmers 7:00 – Greg Glassman's influence on questioning big food and big pharma 7:50 – When Adam started questioning the "whole human approach" 9:09 – The contrarian awakening: discovering "red-washing" in food systems 10:22 – Regenerative agriculture and caring more about soil than food 10:55 – Indigenous wisdom and spiritual connection to food 11:50 – Mental health insights: sugar's impact and raising kids connected to their food 13:05 – Teaching daughters that food doesn't come from grocery stores 14:18 – Shifting from chasing happiness to pursuing usefulness 15:23 – The COVID-19 struggles and the pivotal conversation with his business partner 17:08 – "There is no such thing as neutral—you're either growing or dying" 18:20 – Starting the 5AM routine as a foundation for change 19:47 – The 5AM Squat Club format: mindset prep, breath work, workout, homework 20:53 – Going live at 5 AM for 229 consecutive days 22:17 – Building a small but growing international community 23:09 – Accountability through live streaming and leading by example for his daughters 24:52 – Kristen on men's mental health and the importance of community 25:58 – The magic of connecting with people worldwide through YouTube 27:15 – Biggest surprise as entrepreneur and farmer: nothing is stable 29:08 – Teamwork makes the dream work; you can't do it alone 30:35 – Encouraging kids to document their journey and build assets 32:45 – The evolution from city dweller to farmer doing 2-3 hours of daily chores 34:20 – Joel Salatin, Greg Glassman, and the unified mission of regenerative living 36:27 – Defining success: soil health, financial freedom, and becoming a better person 38:05 – 10-year goal: appear on Joe Rogan as a measure of reaching people 39:33 – Programming evolution: from 100 daily squat reps to varied CrossFit-style workouts 41:12 – The power of doing one thing consistently over five years 43:18 – How YouTube became the gateway to homesteading and regenerative farming 45:45 – Learning from "YouTube gurus" vs. generational farmers' limiting beliefs 47:09 – Adam's four daily mental reps: responsibility, stimulus-response, having enough, gratitude 48:42 – Where to find Adam: YouTube, Instagram, 5AMSquatClub.com 49:51 – Closing remarks and sponsor thanks Adam Fomen is the founder of CrossFit Colossus (established 2012) and the 5AM Squat Club, a daily live workout community on YouTube. Based in Ontario, Canada, Adam holds a kinesiology degree and has spent over 15 years in the fitness industry. In 2021, he and his wife—a naturopathic doctor—transitioned to regenerative farming, where they raise livestock and grow food for their family while homeschooling their two ...