Todd Richman, National Sales Director for Overproof, Miami (USA)

Years in Industry
It will be 14 years in July. I've worked as a brand ambassador, portfolio educator, sales representative for a wholesaler, and now I work for a technology company that creates platforms to help the beverage and hospitality industry.

My Top Three Challenges to Wellness

1. Time management is one that I'm still constantly working on. It's something I can always improve and do better with. Work keeps me pretty busy, so I need to maintain vigilance on how I use my time.

2. Navigating my social relationships and dealing with FOMO. Our industry is a social one and I definitely miss out on events during the work week, but it's a choice that I accept. I'm rigid with my schedule from Sunday Night until Friday afternoon as I'm up anywhere between 4:15-4:30am and aim for at least 6.5-8 hours of sleep a night. This schedule can put a real damper in my plans during the week, but as I just turned 45, I find sleep to be incredibly necessary.

3. That inner voice that tells you to take the day off, to rest, or to hit the snooze button one more time. I know it sounds incredibly cliche and we've heard that before from so many people, but it's true. That voice is a pain in the ass and a morning doesn't go by when I have that argument with it. Injuries, illness are one thing, but other than that, I have to tell that voice to take a hike constantly. It's not always easy. if I can do something to better myself, I will as it makes my day better for it.

How I Keep It Together to Stay Well.

1. Hands down the best thing to happen to me in recent years is Brazilian Jiujitsu. It has been a part of my life since April of 2019 and to say it's changed my life for the better is an understatement. I was around 238 pounds when I started and have lost as much as 40lbs from the training. It's physical chess at its finest and a really challenging workout. The mental benefits come from learning to solve problems under duress, and by duress, I mean someone is trying to choke or submit me with a joint lock. Jiujitsu forces me to focus on the immediate actions right in front of me, while preparing for the next moves my opponent may make. My class is at 6:30am and starts my day off right.

2. Running is one of those activities that has really helped. A lot of my colleagues and friends are runners and it was a great way to connect with people during the lockdown and it kind of grew into a habit. While I don't always love running, it's fun to run at sunrise, with no one around but me and my headphones. I'm lucky to be in Miami, where the weather is pretty ideal for a run most of the year.

3. Learning new activities that challenge me, be it new forms of meditation, speed reading training, cooking and more. It doesn't matter what they are. Learning a new subject or skill has been great for keeping me sharp. Myamoto Mushashi wasn't just a samurai and master swordsman. He was a gardener, a craftsman, poet and a calligrapher. He preached the importance of diversification in activities and this stuck with me.

4. Supplements and clean eating. I'm far from perfect, but the 80/20 rule on eating clean versus the occasional, albeit intentional cheat meal is a good one. If our stomach and gut biome acts as our second brain, then I'm making every effort to take better care of it based on what I put in my body. During the week I try to be as disciplined as possible. The weekends as well. Unless there's a cheese and charcuterie board in front of me. Or tacos. Or Grower Champagne. A little flexibility isn't a bad thing.

What Inspires Me:
I have been on a quest this past year to do more in terms of physical and mental growth. Be in through books, podcasts or jiujitsu. Through an industry lens, I'm inspired by my friends and colleagues who push themselves on a harder path to self-improvement and love to see it happening across our industry. Our industry is full of temptation and speaking from experience, it's easy to get caught up in the moment.

I'm seeing a lot more people choose those moments mindfully and in moderation. For books, it's Brene Brown, Jocko Willink and Ryan Holiday that have been inspiring me lately.

A Quote I Love:
"Discipline Equals Freedom" - Jocko Willink

You can connect with Todd on Instagram @trichman305