Beyond bodybuilding: Mr. Olympia president talks fitness, wellness and so much more

Welcome back to Fox 2 Detroit Live. I'm your host, Ronya Shimona. I want to get into this conversation about fitness and wellness. Everything from peptides to anti-aging. There's so many conversations happening about the way we approach health and it's changing a lot these days. Now, what's... The hype, and is it just a hype? I want to bring in Dan Sullivan, who is the president of the iconic Mr. Olympia, who is joining me now live, the president of a big organization, head of Muscle and Fitness Magazine as well, and author of WinFuel. Dan, thanks for joining us today. Ronya, it's good to be here. I know you're a big part of that whole fitness movement. I heard that you've been spotted on more than a few occasions in the gym getting after it, so it's good to talk to you. You know, I try to lift these days. At one point, it was a struggle, but I'm doing good now. So, Deanna, break down Mr. Olympia for those who might not be familiar with the organization and some of the biggest names that are part of it. Yeah, so the Olympia, Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness and Performance Weekend sits perched atop this global fitness industry, this movement that brings together all things. Nutrition, strength, physique transformation, bodybuilding, fitness, and that whole thing. And it's an annual gathering. It takes place in Las Vegas in the fall each year. And it brings together all elements of the fitness movement, equipment, apparel, nutrition, wellness, regenerative medicine, all the things that sort of speak towards that passion to being the best version of yourself. Of course, the Olympia became famous when it was started back in the mid-1960s Some of the iconic champions, guys named Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won our event seven times, and others along the way. But since then, it's gone from being a bodybuilding event to something that's more of an expression of all things fitness and a celebration of that whole lifestyle. So that's what the Olympia represents. And there's a lot of great fitness and bodybuilding events around the world, but it's an entire system, a qualifying system with events held. Around the planet, hundreds of them throughout the year that all feed towards the road to the Olympia, which, of course, is the Super Bowl, the World Series, the World Cup. It's the top of the mountain in the world of bodybuilding and fitness. Yeah, certainly some of the biggest names. I know Jake Cutler, a big part of Mr. Olympia. I think I was in Vegas at the time when he was part of it. And it's interesting to see. where a lot of these bodybuilders go in life, even being part of this and beyond. I want to talk about fitness and wellness because I think a lot of people put them together. But are they really together? And is there a separation? Are we becoming more focused on fitness as opposed to wellness and vice versa? It's a great question because a lot of people don't fully grasp that these two worlds for the longest time were very separate. Fitness is sort of that commitment to a More of a physical metric, things like strength and nutrition and weight loss and being stronger and fitter, obviously. On the wellness side, it's more of a holistic, preventative idea, the idea of optimizing your overall performance, trying to live longer. And those two worlds, all the modalities and products and services that live in those spaces, for the longest time, they were very separate. And those two communities didn't really speak to each other. It was kind of a weird dynamic. You would go to these wellness conferences. And you would discover all the various therapies and red light therapies and peptides and all these things that people will do to look younger and live longer and feel better. And then you'd go to these fitness events and you would discover all the various performance proteins and things of that nature that would enable you to tap into the latest innovations and equipment and even apparel and all the things that live in that fitness world. But we're seeing now is those worlds are finding each other. Why? Because they need each other. The wellness community. needs the fitness world because the fitness world are the folks that wake up every morning and live this lifestyle and they need what the wellness world has to offer and then vice versa. So it's been really gratifying to see the way those worlds have found each other. But for the longest time, they lived in two very separate spaces. Now you obviously work with a lot of bodybuilders and you know more about the wellness and fitness industry than a lot of us. Do you think that right now there's a big push on wellness, a big boom to get healthier? Or is it more a trend that you're seeing? And what would what would put all this together where people are like, I got to get on this? Yeah, it's most definitely not a trend. It's a shift in the way people think. And that shift has come from a lot of places. And a lot of it's derived from even the work that Secretary Kennedy's doing with his whole Maha movement. And all of those things are creating conversations that we didn't used to have. It's become very acceptable to talk about everything relating to human performance and optimization, whether you're talking about improving your sleep, improving the way you recover from exercise, improving sexual performance, aspects of people are getting hair transplants and people are talking about things that there was a time when it was very taboo and uncomfortable But now people are just open and they're just discussing and they're sharing ideas. And I think that's a big part of why this movement has really kicked in. Now, the important thing is as you navigate the world of wellness and you start to discover, and I'm not a scientist, I'm not a doctor, I don't espouse myself as an expert on peptide therapies, but I understand the business of it and I understand sort of the world that the ecosystem that lives around it. And I will tell you, it's critical that you navigate it safely and you understand it and you seek out guidance. There's some real experts out there that understand and can navigate it. But one of the most important things that anyone can do who wants to stick their toes in those peptide waters and start trying to manipulate. The overall functions of their body is blood work. And I think that's the most important thing. For the longest time, blood work, we weren't even talking about it. But now, fortunately, people are embracing the data that can be found in your blood work. And if you work with somebody who knows their way around wellness therapies and regenerative medicine and peptides and all those things, it all starts with your blood work and really knowing what's going on inside your body. I'm glad you brought that up because, you know, when I mentioned trends, peptides, certainly one of them. Almost every person I talk to about wealth and fitness happen to bring up peptides. And are you on one? And I'm like, I don't even know how they work. But also the weight loss drug industry. I mean, you have Ozempic and, you know, Wegovy. And so there's all these things where people are trying to either look younger, maybe get slimmer. And so I feel like there's always a moment that people are following. But for some odd reason, Mr. Olympia always seems about bodybuilding and it seems to continue that trend. So it's definitely not a trend. It's a lifestyle. Yeah, no, we're definitely positioned in the muscle conversation and it's, it can be a little bit frustrating because the Olympia has earned its cachet as, you know, the, the rarefied air, the top of that mountain in the world of muscle building and bodybuilding. But along the way, it's connected to so many other elements of living that lifestyle. So naturally it all makes its way back. And, you know, back when this whole thing started, sports teams didn't have trainers on staff at all times. Um, we weren't talking about, um, training and fitness the way we do now. And we weren't embracing all the things that are available to us, but for, in fact, there was, there, there are people out there that have been cast aside and have been really heavily criticized because they were doing things 10, 15, 20 years ago that weren't understood. And because they weren't understood, they were vilified for it. Now. You have your kid's third grade teacher, your attorney, your neighbor, who are participating in this lifestyle, just trying to have more energy, have more cognitive function, taking the nootropics, taking all the things that they can do to be sharper, to be more optimized, to be at the top of their game. And these are things that people, if they did them years ago, Um, we're viewed in not the most positive way, but now it seems like it's making its way into the mainstream. I think that's a really good thing. Again, as long as it's handled responsibly. Absolutely. And I want to talk about Mr. Olympia and I don't know if it's a movie or a documentary, but I certainly found this interesting and I want to bring that up for all of us to see a little trailer that I've been able to clip of this. Let's take a listen. It looks like the audio is missing on that, but it's certainly interesting to hear about this because it gives you an idea of how hard some of these people work to be where they're at. The amount of dedication that they put in Mr. Olympia and just being in that level of fitness. Talk to me about what people can expect who watch that and just to get into that lifestyle. Yeah, what you just showed there was a clip from a documentary called Dream Big, which takes you inside the world of the Olympia and not only touches on the sacrifices, the dedication and the devotion of the individuals who make their way to the Olympia stage, because that in and of itself is. An achievement. But it also does a pretty good job on touching upon the way this movement, the way the Olympia, the way the overall lifestyle is impacting the world. And you can go to different Brazil, for example, is the number two participation country in our sport, in our industry, if you will. But we have champions that will get off airplanes in countries on several continents and they will be received with a hero's welcome because in their part of the world. Bodybuilding ranks in the top two or three of the most popular sports in their regions. And a lot of people will say things like, oh, well, I don't want to look like Mr. Olympia. I don't want to take it that far. But I always say that's okay if you don't want to look like Mr. Olympia. You can learn from Mr. Olympia. You can be inspired by Mr. Olympia. You can be lifted up, motivated by Mr. Olympia. There's so much to learn. These champions are capable of the kind of conversation that most people can't even fathom, the capacity to deliver valuable information. And when it all comes together for Olympia weekend, and you have that cacophony of just inspiration and passion and people who live this lifestyle, people who wake up every morning, and eat, breathe, live, and bleed this lifestyle. It's a powerful experience. That's why people attend events like the Olympia and others around the world, because they want to be surrounded by like-minded people. And when you come to the Olympia, you will leave there with enough inspiration to fuel an entire year worth of workouts and training and all of those things. And it's a very visceral, very powerful, a lot of sensory overload. It's an incredible experience. And I'm grateful the way people like yourself have started to pay attention, because there was a time when it was a very niche community. And people didn't really look at the bodybuilding world the way they do today with a level of respect and allow themselves to receive from it what they should and what they can. And more and more, we're seeing Hollywood connect with us. We're seeing all the major sports leagues connect with us. You come to the Olympia, you look at the front row, you'll see some of the most famous people on the planet. They'll show up. They'll be a part of it. And it's been very gratifying because there was a time when this world was very taboo. And now it seems like it's very much on the radar. Yeah. You know, the Las Vegas events, I got to say some of the biggest. And of course, there are other events. How could people learn more about Mr. Olympia as well as the events and how to be part of it all? There's a few ways. Well, first of all, of course, social media, you can go to Mr. Olympia on Instagram and all those other, MrOlympia.com and that stuff. And you can even follow me on Instagram, DanSolomon, underscore official. But more than that, follow the champions. Follow Nick Walker, who just became the 20th man to become Mr. Olympia. Follow the female divisions, the bikini, the wellness, the women's physique divisions, the fitness divisions. Follow those champions. Allow yourself to learn from the top coaches in the world Allow yourself to understand. Um, what's out there because the best trend that's going on right now in social media is everybody's trying to deliver value in terms of knowledge, education, inspiration, motivation. So right now you don't even have to spend the money, scroll through Instagram, follow some of these great champions, follow some of the creators that are out there that are creating content that are inspiring people to join this lifestyle. And it's all out there and, um, take advantage of it because it's a great time in the world to Access, what's being made available. And of course, the Olympia is a big part of it. It sits atop that community. But man, there's just so much to consume. And if you allow yourself to receive it, it can have really positive impacts on your life. Absolutely. And a final advice for anyone watching right now who might be thinking, I don't know if I'm capable of doing this. Don't allow fear to derail you. You walk into that gym. You pick up the lightest dumbbell in the place. Take your first rep, your first set. You'll find yourself when you walk into your local gym. You'll be received by a level of respect and welcoming that you might not expect. And allow yourself to immerse yourself around people who just want to be better today than they were yesterday. And don't be afraid of it. Don't be intimidated. Just take it one day at a time. And one day you'll look back and you'll tell the story about how you started and you'll inspire somebody else to walk into their gym for the first time. I love it. Great advice, Dan. And before we go, congratulations on the book, Wind Fuel, focusing on a lot of things, leadership, success, and so much more. How can people pick it up and find out more on how to get it? I appreciate that. You can grab that on Amazon or at windfuel.com. And yeah, it's been a great, it's been a very well-received book. It's enabled me to share some stories about how I've been able to grow certain aspects of my life professionally and personally. And it's been really fun to see the way people respond to it. And yeah, Windfuel is out there and I got a couple other books coming up pretty soon. So it's been a real fun time and there's just so many ways out there to connect with people. And this of course is one of them and it's been a great privilege to talk to you today. Appreciate it.