Six Weeks To Fitness

Dave Sherwin is a certified fitness and nutrition coach, podcaster, entrepreneur, and practitioner of mindfulness and meditation. His company has helped over 100,000 people achieve long-term weight loss and today on my Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, Dave shares his tips on how to achieve long-term weight loss during the holidays and much more.  Did you ever think about eating an apple before heading out to your company’s holiday celebration or before heading out to your family’s Thanksgiving celebration?  What about choosing a smaller plate for your snacks?  These are just a couple of the many tips and suggestions Dave will share on the podcast. 

Dave’s passion is helping grown-ups navigate real-world business and life challenges to achieve their best health and wellness at any age. He is also the creator and host of The Dirobi Health Show which covers everything to do with health and wellness, including the latest in nutrition, exercise, supplements, and clinical studies.  Dave has used hard work, nutrition, supplementation, and science to obtain a high level of fitness in his own life.  He has gained tremendous insight into the challenges and joys of long-term weight loss.

Dave believes that anyone can find time to exercise and lose weight if they really wanted to.  During the interview, Dave will share case studies of his clients, one of whom lost 40 pounds in one month, and to celebrate her achievement, she bought her favorite snack, a reeses peanut butter cup, she took one bite and had to spit out the candy.  Her body was so used to eating real food, the processed sweets did not appeal to her anymore.  This is just one of many case studies Dave shared in this truly informative and inspiring interview.

Direct download: Episode_180_Interview_with_Dave_Sherwin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:46am EDT

In this week’s episode of Six Weeks to Fitness, I discuss the power of detoxing and gut health with Tim James, the founder, and CEO of Chemical Free Body.  Tim is also known as the Health Hero.  During the interview, Tim discusses the agonizing pain and suffering he had to endure for years such as acute eczema, acid reflux and rectal bleeding.  Tim was also overweight and going through some serious child custody issues.  In other words, he was a physical and emotional wreck.

It wasn’t until a friend of his, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer asked Tim to accompany him to the Hippocrates Health Institute, that Tim’s life changed for the better.  In Tim’s mind, he was only going to the institute to support his good friend, but unbeknownst to Tim, his world was about to change.

The Hippocrates Health Institute is named after the Greek physician, who lived over 2500 years ago.  It was this physician who said, “let food be your medicine and medicine your food.”  He also said, “all diseases begin in the gut.”  Tim learned this lesson firsthand while being treated at the Hippocrates health Institute.  After detoxing his body and changing his diet, in 4 days he felt like a new man.  In a short amount of time, his eczema disappeared, no more rectal bleeding or acid reflux.  His friend, who he accompanied to the health institute is now “cancer free,” all due to detoxification and cleaning out his body from toxins. 

To really get the full impact of Tim’s amazing story, listen to the interview.  You won’t believe the pain and suffering Tim endured before changing his lifestyle and the amount of knowledge and wisdom he is now sharing with others.  His mission is now to educate and help others clear their body of chemicals.

In addition, Tim is offering a very generous discount to my Six Weeks to Fitness listeners, which you will not want to pass up.  I never heard of someone giving you a “double your money back” guarantee on their products, but that’s what Tim is offering.  I will take him up on that.

I thoroughly enjoyed my interview with Tim, although some of what he had to say was “gut-wrenching”, when it comes to what is in our guts, but, hey, it’s the truth and sometimes the truth hurts.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them on my blog at www.6weekstofitness.com or email me at vince@sixweeks.com.

Direct download: Episode_179_Tim_James.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:09pm EDT

Dr. Marvin Singh is the founder of Precision Clinic, and one of only a few integrative gastroenterologists in the United States. After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, he went on to do his internal medicine training at the University of Michigan Hospital. After which he completed a gastroenterology hepatology fellowship at Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines. He then went on to fulfill a fellowship in integrative medicine and was trained by Dr. Andrew Weil at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrated Medicine in Tucson, Arizona.  In addition to being a sought-after speaker and consultant, Dr. Singh had been featured on ABC News, Readers Digest, Sirius XM, radio, and many other platforms. And here today to talk about the keys to a healthy lifestyle and his new book, Rescue Your Health, is Dr. Marvin Singh. Dr. Singh, how are you today?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

I'm all right, how are you? Good morning.

Vincent Ferguson:

Before we talk about the keys to a healthy lifestyle and your new book, Rescue Your Health, tell my listeners and viewers where did Doctor Singh grow up and when did you know you wanted to be a medical doctor?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Well, I'm an east coaster actually. So that's why I actually know what fall feels like. I was born in Virginia and grew up in Northern Virginia and lived there most of my life, all the way through college and medical school even. And then I started moving around a bit after I finished medical school and went on to residency at the University of Michigan. So, that's where I grew and I guess I always knew I wanted to be a doctor from a very young age.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

I always tell the story that our sixth grade elementary graduation had a theme and the theme was hopes and dreams. And I remember we had to draw our own silhouette. I don't even know how I drew that because I'm a terrible drawer, but I guess I did it one way or the other, my parents still have it. And basically you have your shadow and you draw your silhouette and then on the bottom you had to write, "My hopes and dreams are" ... and everybody had to fill that in. And way back then I wrote, "To become a doctor." So I guess from a very early age, I've always known that I wanted to do something that was able to help people and help people feel better.

Vincent Ferguson:

Wow. So do you have role models though, who basically gave you the feeling that you want to be just like them? A lot of us have role models that we want to be like.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Yeah. I mean, throughout my career, I guess I've had different kinds of role models. But from an early age, obviously my parents are role models for me and taught me about work ethic and doing good things for people. I have a few doctors in my family, an uncle and an aunt who were role models to me early on. I guess that helped get me excited about medicine. My aunt and uncle both, I remember, I don't remember how old I was, but I must've been really young. I remember, you have to do these little reports or book reports and things like that on different topics when you're in grade school. I remember they used to send me little medical pamphlets and look at my reports and help me write them and stuff like that. So, from a very young age, I guess I had some influence from medicine, I guess.

Vincent Ferguson:

Oh yeah. But you know, you're not just an average, regular, conventional doctor. You practice integrative medicine. What's the difference between the two?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Well, as Dr Weil says, "Integrative medicine is just good medicine." And that's what I learned along the ways. When I started my career as a gastroenterologist, I realized that something was missing from how we practice medicine and in what we do for people. We were really good at saving lives and doing things like that when somebody is really sick, but what about the majority of people who have ongoing recurrent symptoms or issues? What about them? Why do they keep going from doctor to doctor, to doctor all the time? That was frustrating to me early in my career. I'm just realizing that you don't get that kind of exposure when you're learning or training or anything like that. But once you're out in the real world and you get a taste of what it's really like out there, I felt a little lost, actually.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

I found Dr. Weil and integrative medicine and started learning a little bit and then enrolled myself in the fellowship and learned a lot about a lot of different things that I hadn't known about before or really appreciated before. That really made a big difference on me personally, and on how I take care of patients, in general. Integrative medicine allows you to do whatever you're going to do normally as a regular conventional doctor, but then also have an understanding that the person in front of you, the person you're taking care of is a human. It's a real person with emotions in an environment, with a family, with stressors, with dietary issues.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

I don't think we really ... I mean, I think we know this as doctors, but I don't think we appreciated or paused to think about it. We just usually are more in the go, go, go mode. Patient X is in front of you with X,Y,Z symptoms, so you're going to respond with A,B,C solution and that's the end of the story. "Adios, see you later." But that's the reason why a lot of people continue to have problems is because the actual problem is not addressed. And so integrative medicine allows us to do that.

Vincent Ferguson:

Wow. I know that in conventional medicine, I was always told, 'There's a pill for every I'll." But with what you're doing, it seems like you're looking to address the person holistically and really get down to the root cause of the problem.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Yeah. Even if you need a pill for your I'll, right now, let's find out where that ill is coming from so you don't need the pill anymore, maybe.

Vincent Ferguson:

Yes. Very good. Very good. Now here at Six Weeks of Fitness, we normally talk about the importance of exercise and nutrition if you want to achieve optimal health. But is that really the definition of optimal health, exercise and nutrition, or is it more to it than that?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

There's more to it than that. I think that's also part of the place where we get lost. I mean, as a gastroenterologist, we see people who have issues with their weight or fatty liver. I remember in my notes in the early days, the default is diet, weight loss, exercise, diet, weight loss, exercise. You just write that down and you say, "Hey, you need to get on a better diet, lose some weight and exercise." And that's literally what you tell people. And they're like, "Okay, I already knew I was fat. So, that doesn't really get me anywhere."

Vincent Ferguson:

Very true.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

You know, I'm big on personalization. So personalizing that approach is one part of it. But diet, what kind of diet? How are you going to lose the weight? Diet is important, obviously, exercise and movement is important, but somewhere a lot of other things. Your sleep hygiene, how you're reducing stress, how you're mitigating toxins in your environment and even how much fun you're having in life and what the status of your social relationships are. These all, believe it or not, can influence our gut health, our microbiome and our overall wellbeing. And these are all risk factors for a lot of chronic inflammation that many of us have.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

And so addressing those is also important and if you don't, you're missing the piece. I mean, I tell people, if you say, "Okay, I'm going to change my diet. I'm going to go vegan. I'm going to lose weight and for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I'm just going to eat broccoli."

Dr. Marvin Singh:

And, "Okay you went vegan, you're eating vegetables, good job, good job." But first of all, your diets not diverse so, that's not really good. And there's more to it than that. Because if you talk to the person and you find out that they're only sleeping four hours a night and they have anger management issues and a lot of built up frustration and stress over the years, they're not going to lose weight. It doesn't matter if they're only eating broccoli all day long. This is only part of the puzzle.

Vincent Ferguson:

Wow. So that, to me, you're giving me a list of things that you need to do in order to achieve a healthy lifestyle. So it's more than just diet and exercise. You said, it's sleep, it's social interaction, it's stress relief, all kinds of things.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Because remember, what are we trying to lose weight from? Our body. What is our body? Our body is not just a singular issue. There are so many things happening inside of our body. I tell people what's happening inside of your body, just imagine you get a snow globe, right? And the snow globe has many snowflakes in it. And you say, weight loss, just like, what do they have those magic eight balls, when you say something and you shake it? You say weight-loss, and you shake this snow globe. You see all the snowflakes flying around everywhere. If you want to know how to lose weight, the answers are in all those snowflakes and how those snowflakes are interchanging with each other.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

So how could it just be diet as the only thing. Diet may be one snowflake, but there are other things going on there too. There are mineral, vitamin issues. There may be stress issues. There may be medications that you're taking or not taking. There's a lot of things involved and the relationship and the interchange between all of those snowflakes, that's what creates that new balance you're looking for. If you're not looking at all those things, you're missing part of the puzzle.

Vincent Ferguson:

Right. So you look at a diverse amount of things to come up with a conclusion of what it is, the problem with the patient.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Right.

Vincent Ferguson:

Is that what you do at Precision Clinic?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

That's exactly what we do at Precision Clinic. We look at as many different elements of health and life as we can to try to personalize a program for somebody for optimal health.

Vincent Ferguson:

What is the connection between your gut and chronic disease?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

That's a great question. There's a big connection because our immune system is obviously the big controller of inflammation and a lot of chronic disease comes from chronic, low grade inflammation. And where does a majority of our immune system sit? The majority of our immune system sits in the digestive tract. At least 70% of our immune system is in the digestive tract. When we say digestive tract, we're not necessarily just referring to the organ itself, but what lives inside the organ? That's what the microbiome is called. The gut microbiome is the forest or ecosystem of trillions of bacteria that live inside of our digestive tract. And these little guys are the ones that manage all of these things. And so we take care of them in the proper way, and they'll take care of us back in the proper way.

Vincent Ferguson:

So how do we take care of them, Dr? I want to know, man.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

That's the magic question, right? So understanding what's going on with them and who they are and what their balance is, is part of the process, because it's hard to build a house without a blueprint, unless you're some genius or something. But you still need to know what parts you need and you have to order those parts and put them together in the right way, assemble them the right way. So, investigating your body and some of the different elements is part of the process. And then sometimes it's not really that complicated of a process. The body is very complicated, yet simple at the same time. That's what makes it cool. The microbiome responds to stress reduction, to optimal diet, to sleeping properly, to exercising. All of these things are associated with microbiome balances. So if you do these things, nicely, in accordance with what your body needs, then your microbiome will find a way to more of what we call a homeostasis or an even balance. When that happens, then good things happen to your body.

Vincent Ferguson:

Hmm. What are your feelings about probiotics?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

So probiotics are bacteria that we can take as a pill or a supplement form that could help keep or create a balance or improve the balance in your microbiome. Different probiotics may be appropriate for different people and sometimes probiotics are not necessarily the right answer at the moment for somebody. It really depends on what their symptoms are and what's going on. But I often do use probiotics to help create a balance in patients, in their microbiome, if their microbiome suggests that.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

The other thing is, you don't always necessarily have to take a pill of a probiotic, you can eat probiotic foods. And I like that as an option often, because not only do you get to fill your belly and eat something healthy and get the nutritional value of that food, but then you also give yourself a dose of good bacteria at the same time. So, sometimes that's a really good option as well.

Vincent Ferguson:

I remember reading a quote from Hippocrates that said, "Let food be your medicine and medicine your food." So is that what he was alluding to?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Exactly, he also said all disease begins in the gut and, and I always joke and say he probably didn't know what in the world he was talking about, but he was totally spot on. This guy was way, way ahead of his time.

Vincent Ferguson:

Way ahead of his time. That's amazing. Now, and speaking of health nutrition, all that good stuff, can you determine what nutrition needs a patient has by their genetic makeup?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

We can start to do that now, yeah. We can do a genetic test that can help us understand what potential deficiencies you might be prone to, compared to the average person or somebody who doesn't have a particular genetic mutation. And if we have an understanding of that, then we can try to eat accordingly so that we can avoid those nutritional deficiencies. That's really one of the main things to underscore with regards to precision medicine. That it's really designed to help you prevent getting a problem or developing an issue later on. If you know that, "Hey, I have a gene that that's going to give me a higher risk for vitamin D and calcium deficiency," and, you know you may be at higher risk for osteoporosis or osteopenia later in life, then you're going to want to eat accordingly. You may want to make sure you really stay on top of your vitamin levels. You want to make sure you do weight bearing exercises. You can do all those things and then you can try to prevent and avoid developing osteoporosis later on in life.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

But if you never knew about it, then you're just going to go about doing whatever you were going to do. And then it's rolling the dice in whether something happens or not.

Vincent Ferguson:

Exactly, and speaking of vitamin D, I understand that's very important to immune health. What other supplements do you recommend?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Vitamin D is very important. A lot of us actually do have vitamin D deficiency. Doing a lot of genetics, a lot of people actually have a genetic mutation for vitamin D deficiency too. So perhaps there's a common thread in a lot of people there.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

What supplements somebody takes really depends on who they are, what their purposes are, what their goals are, what they need, what medicines they're on, what diagnosis they have. Because you have to take a lot of that into consideration because you want to make sure that you give proper treatment. I tell people, "Supplements, yes, they're natural therapies. Yes, they're available over the counter. Yes, you don't need a prescription for them, but you should treat them like medicines too." That's, I think, one of the things that sometimes, maybe people don't appreciate as much.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

You may just go to the aisle in Whole Foods where all the supplements are and be like, "Oh yeah, look, this says vitality. Let me grab one of those. Oh yeah. This says digestion. Let me grab one of that. Let me grab one of this." And then you walk out with five, six different things. And I see people all the time, it's not any wrongdoing on their side, it's just that maybe we don't appreciate it as well, and some of these things can actually cause problems to your body. Some of these things, when you combine them together, can actually cause problems. You may not have known that.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

For example, you may say, "Oh, I have anxiety, so I'm going to drink this kava tea. But I'm going to go out for some drinks later on this evening and I had my kava tea earlier this morning and I feel great." But you know what? Kava and alcohol don't mix together. You can really hurt your liver that way. So really, it's important to make sure you are taking something for the right reason. Just like you wouldn't go to the store and say, "Oh, let me grab some Lipitor while I'm there because I think my cholesterol is high." You want to make sure that you need it, right?

Vincent Ferguson:

Yeah, most definitely, most definitely. So how does one determine what supplements are good for them?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Well, a lot of times it's good to do an evaluation with a doctor and see. Do you need particular kinds of vitamins? Do you have inflammation? Do you have joint aches or pains? It all depends on what's going on there. For general health, taking a multivitamin or a B complex vitamin, sometimes is helpful. A lot of people take vitamin C and vitamin D and things like that for their immune system. So those are some of the basics. A lot of times people may take turmeric supplements if they have arthritis or they're concerned about inflammation. So there are different kinds of things that people may use based on what their issues are, or priorities are.

Vincent Ferguson:

Excellent. Excellent. Now, if someone has, let's say cancer or heart disease in their family, does that mean that they are going to be predisposed to having heart disease and cancer themselves down the road?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Well, it's a risk factor and life's all about risk and understanding the risks. Sometimes there's a genetic basis to things and sometimes there's not. Sometimes people can sporadically develop a malignancy and maybe there is no genetic basis. Or maybe they're the first person in the family who's going to have the problem, we don't know. But family history is important to look at because it helps us understand what your potential risks might be. If your dad had a heart attack at 40 and your dad's dad had a heart attack at 40, and his dad had a heart attack at 40, then it's probable that you have a family history or some genetic mutation in this family history that is contributing to this risk coming down the male line in your family for heart disease. And so if you understand that gene, if you do a test and you understand that gene, what the problem is with that gene, and then try to do some research or understanding, has anybody done any investigations into what things could be done in people who have that gene defect, then maybe you can try to mitigate that problem.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

And you can also understand what you can do to prevent that problem from happening. Because I tell people, "Just because your dad and your granddad had a heart attack at 40 does not mean that you have to have a heart attack at 40. It's not a life sentence." Our genes are basically our blueprint, but they're not our destiny. They don't dictate what must happen to us. There's more to it than that, interestingly enough.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

On top of our DNA is what we call the epigenome. And the epigenome is you can think of it as light switches on the genes. And just because the gene is there, just because you have the light switch on your wall, doesn't mean the lights on. Doesn't mean the light has to be off either. There are things that can turn these genes on and off and understanding the gene and understanding what you can do to switch the gene off or not, contributes to the development of a certain problem. That's the important part.

Vincent Ferguson:

Now let's talk about your book, Rescue Your Health, because even talking about now, I'm sure your book probably goes into more detail about it. What can my listeners and viewers learn from reading your book?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Well, I wrote Rescue Your Health because I wanted everybody to know that precision medicine, number one, doesn't have to be a scary topic. I think people think, "Oh, DNA and imaging tests and microbiome. This is too much for me. It's hard enough for me to navigate regular doctor visits, but I can't do this one."

Dr. Marvin Singh:

So I really try to make it simple and help people understand that it doesn't have to be a scary topic. It can be very useful. It can be more useful than a lot of other types of things that we may do in medicine. And a lot of the tests that you can do to understand your body a little bit better, they're not necessarily these multi thousand dollar tests and some of these are quite affordable.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

One of the chapters in the book is My Top Five Tests and the reason why I have My Top Five Tests, I made a chapter on that, is because I wanted to show people that all these tests that are there are within a couple or $200-$300 range. And so you can do a lot of things for a pretty affordable price. We often go out and go to dinner and spend $200-300 on maybe a good meal, but may leave you bloated in with heartburn, but it might've been good when you ate it. But you could spend that $200 and learn about your genes and learn how to eat for your life and that could make a huge impact on how you live your life for the whole time moving forward.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

And so, you know, it's really about bringing realization to that process. I wanted to really simplify it and not make it scary. This book is for everybody. This is what I say in the opening chapters. If you're a human and you're able to hold this book, then this book is for you. There is something in it for everyone. I really help try to explain what are some of the different tests and then give some real life examples about different kinds of people who've come to see me over the years. What their issues were and how we're able to apply some of the principles that we're talking about here and earlier in the book and what happened with them as a result. So, that was really the main point in the book, is really to help people understand that there are ways that we can understand our bodies on a more meaningful level. The science is there, that we can now start understanding our health from a little bit of a different viewpoint and make some big impacts.

I tell people that there's two kinds of doctors. There's the kind of doctor that if you're in a burning building, this doctor is a firefighter. He'll run into that building, he's the first responder. Doctors were first responders too, on the healthcare front. And he'll go into that burning building and he will save you, he or she, will go and save you, pull you out of that building. And we need those doctors. We will always need those doctors because life happens. I practice that kind of medicine too.

But then there's the other kind of doctor that'll say, "Hey, look buddy, why in the world were you anywhere near that building in the first place, man? You shouldn't be there. And this is how I'm going to help you understand how not to be there. And this is how we're going to help you avoid being in this situation, in the future."

Now, which way do you think is probably better for your longevity? I think it's better to understand how you can avoid those burning buildings because the more burning buildings you're in, eventually over time, it puts a little extra wear and tear on your body too, right?

Vincent Ferguson:

Exactly. Yes, yes, yes. So, that is the key. How does your family feel about you practicing integrative medicine as opposed to conventional medicine?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Well, first of all, I do both actually. I still practice as a general gastroenterologist. Go to a hospital and take care of sick patients there. People need that kind of help too. But the part that I am most passionate about, obviously, is the preventive medicine and the integrative part. They're very supportive, actually. Without my wife, I probably wouldn't have ever made it to this part because she's the one who helped me realize that the something that I was missing in the way that we practiced medicine was this. She was a little bit more forward-thinking earlier than I was.

Vincent Ferguson:

Ah, nice. That's how you know you married right. How can we order the book?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Yeah. So the book is out. It's called Rescue Your Health and it's on Amazon. It's also on Barnes and Noble and a couple other places as well. But Amazon is one of the main places that the book is available on and it's out now. You can get on Kindle also.

Vincent Ferguson:

Okay, excellent, excellent. It just seems like a book that the timing couldn't be better. It couldn't be better than right now.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Exactly. Yeah. I mean, I think COVID-19 has been real terrible on everybody in the whole planet. I think moving forward in the years to come, it's very important for people to understand that there are certain things in our body, risk factors that can potentially make us sick or be more prone to be sick. Not just for COVID, but for other things. But I think if you try to look at, was there anything that maybe came out of COVID that we can learn from, this is one of those lessons. One of those lessons is that, what's going on inside our body is a risk factor for who gets sick or how sick they could get.

Vincent Ferguson:

Yes, yes. We've taken it for granted, it seems for many years.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Yeah. In many of us, integrative and preventative medicine doctors have been talking about this for a long time, but I think that this was just a rough lesson that helped bring the understanding to the whole world, all at the same time. I think everybody knows now that vitamin D deficiency and antioxidants and these kinds of things, being overweight and diabetes and heart disease and your diet and exercise levels and all those things, I think we all know, universally essentially, that these things are risk factors for getting sick at the most basic level. Because we're seeing it in real life, in front of us.

Vincent Ferguson:

Yes and it's time to do something about it.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Have to do something about it.

Vincent Ferguson:

Yes. I also understand, Doc, that you do some charity work for an organization in New York, my hometown. Talk about that.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Yeah. So this is really fun. There's a wonderful organization called Bottomless Closet in the city. They help women who are coming out of tough, difficult situations. Women who are in need of assistance in getting a job and getting back on their feet. I became the health advisor for Bottomless Closet, and I do free webinars for groups of these wonderful women and teach them about health and wellness and what they can do to get back on their feet as far as being healthy. Because it's hard to get a job, be successful at a job and try to turn your life around if you're not feeling well and you're sick. So health is very important part of that process too.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

And then also, if there's somebody who needs help from a doctor, I also donate my time to help that person as their doctor, free of charge and I help them get these precision medicine testing done through various different companies. I give a shout out to Microbiome Labs and Nutrogenomix, helping donate free testing kits to these patients. Several different companies have also helped me get free supplements for these wonderful women, as well. Enzymedica I have to give a shout out to as well, because all I have to do is just type out a list. This person needs this, this, this, this, and this, and they mail it to them.

Vincent Ferguson:

Wow. So that's amazing. Now you do this virtually?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Yeah.

Vincent Ferguson:

That's amazing, but that's also wonderful that you do that. That you give back like that, I know you're very busy with your schedule, with so many people in need. Just showing how much humanity matters.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

Yeah. Everybody deserves to have access to this level of care, to understanding their body this way. And if certain people really need it and they can't afford it because of their personal situation, I mean, if they can barely afford to eat, you know, we want them to not spend all their money on that. They need to focus on their life and getting back on track because all that other stuff will follow. But to help them be healthy, I can at least do that part. That's the part that I can play. If they get on track and start feeling better, then they will do better.  So you feel better, you're more motivated, you have more energy, you're less stressed, you're sleeping better, than you're going to perform better at your job. You'll be able to excel in your position and you can climb the ranks that way. So if I can help somebody do that, that makes me feel good because that's what being a doctor and a healer is all about.

Vincent Ferguson:

Yes, it is, amazing. How can my listeners, find out more about you and Precision Clinic?

Dr. Marvin Singh:

I'm pretty accessible online. So a website for Precision Clinic is precisionclinic.com. Our contact information, email, phone number is all on that website. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, my handle is @Dr. Marvin Singh, so I'm pretty accessible that way, as well.

Vincent Ferguson:

Well, we need to access you, that's for sure. Dr. Marvin Singh, on behalf of Body Sculpt of New York, my nonprofit and Six Weeks of Fitness, I truly want to thank you for coming on this show today.

Dr. Marvin Singh:

No problem. Thank you for having me.

Vincent Ferguson:

And to my listeners and followers and viewers, I truly hope this program was informative, encouraging, and inspiring. And you will continue watching and listening in to our Six Weeks of Fitness program. And if you have any questions or suggestions for the show, please leave them in the comment section below. And don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. And remember “you don't stop exercising because you grow old, you grow old because you stop exercising.”

You can reach Vince Ferguson at vince@sixweeks.com. You can also visit his website at www.6weekstofitness.com.

Direct download: Episode_178_-_Dr._Marvin_Singh.mp3
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Vince Ferguson:

Welcome to Six Weeks To Fitness, episode 177. I'm your host Vince Ferguson and joining me today on my Six Weeks To Fitness program is actor, comedian, composer, singer, impressionist, voiceover artist, Stephen Sorrentino. He has appeared on the Las Vegas strip, and has toured well over 25 countries and 43 states. Stephen's long resume has included television, film, and Broadway shows. He has worked with numerous celebrities, such as Patti LaBelle, Dennis Miller, Dana Carvey, and the legendary Debbie Reynolds. And here today to discuss the keys to longevity in the entertainment business and his career is Stephen Sorrentino. Stephen, how are you, bro?

Stephen Sorrentino:

I'm doing well, Vince. How are you?

Vince Ferguson:

You look great, man. I'm doing well. Thank you for coming on the show.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Well, thank you, brother.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah, baby. And look at that. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

Vince Ferguson:

Now, here at Six Weeks To Fitness, I usually interview fitness and nutrition experts, athletes, some doctors and celebrities, and we talk about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. That has got to be very important to you.

Stephen Sorrentino:

It absolutely is. I mean, if you want to... Your brain wants to do a lot of stuff, creativity-wise. So you want to do it as long as possible. And if you don't take care of yourself, you get a short run. I don't want to burn bright and short. I want to burn bright for a very long time.

Vince Ferguson:

Oh, very well said.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

Now, I interviewed Denise Boutte, Jasper Cole, Kim Coles, and they all talk about the importance of health, because they've been in the business a long time like you.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

So how long have you been in the entertainment business?

Stephen Sorrentino:

I started when I was five years old, when I was a little boy. But I've been making a living at it, like full-time for 46 years now. So I'm lucky.

Vince Ferguson:

That's a blessing. That's huge.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

But now, you've also celebrated a birthday this week.

Stephen Sorrentino:

All right, let's not get crazy now.

Vince Ferguson:

Did my research, baby.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah, I turned 61. Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

What?! What?! That's beautiful.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

But isn't that wonderful? When you don't have to feel that way, but you feel great. You look great.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

Because age, they tell me, is just a number.

Stephen Sorrentino:

It's just a number. And especially if you're creative and you want to keep well, you have to always think young. My brain always thinks nine years old, so I could be free, and create, and be funny, and be interesting, at least on stage. So if you think old, you're done, man. So you have to continue to just stay vibrant, eat the right foods, exercise as much as you can, and stay engaged with people. You know? Don't just know what you know, learn every day. That's the most important thing.

Vince Ferguson:

Learn every day. There's something to learn every day.

Stephen Sorrentino:

I hope so. And you know what? The people that stop learning, I usually find that they kind of just go down the pike and you don't see them anymore. And the older I get, I don't know if you're the same way, the more I don't know. Because I used to know everything when I was 18, and now at 61, I don't know nothing.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah. Exactly. The more you know, the more you don't know.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Uh-huh (affirmative).

Vince Ferguson:

It's amazing. But now where did it all begin for you, Stephen? Where did you grow up, and what was your childhood like?

Stephen Sorrentino:

I had a weird childhood, because I was in a third generation show biz family. My grandfather was kind of like a Ricky Ricardo type. He had his own club, and then he would perform after dinner with my mother and my father playing saxophone, my mother was a singer. So I kind of grew up in a box backstage type of a thing. It was a good family life in Long Island, New York. And the weekends, my parents were performing all the time. Sometimes, they'd take me. And then by the time I was like five or six years old, my grandfather would give me the big finger, which meant I needed to come up, and I'd sit on his knee and I'd sing a song with him. Which was frightening for me, but who knew I would make a living at it?

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

And then at 15, the bug hit me, man. You know? I had the PA system set up, and I played guitar, sax, flute, piano, and I just wanted a band. And you know? I got a record deal by the time I was 26, and I was hitting it and I love it. Every day, every part of it, I love it. So that's me. And then I toured around the world. I got to meet all these beautiful people, eat all these great foods, learn about nutrition…. learn about exercise from Chinese people, meditation. You know? It's a beautiful life if you go out there and you look for it, you know?

Vince Ferguson:

Yes. The more I speak to people like yourself who've been in the business a long time, they talk about meditation. You know?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

And believing yourself, and that's so important.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah. You have to listen to yourself. You have to listen to your heart, and what your body's telling you, listen to what your creativity is telling you. That's the only way to channel yourself. You know? So mind and body and spirit is all we have, and we put it all together when we make a living at it, and we touch other people.

Stephen Sorrentino:

And we educate them sometimes, and they say, "Gee, you're 61, and you're running around like you're 20." I'm like, "I know." Because I keep at it. You know? I'm a vegetarian.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah, there you go, nutrition.

Stephen Sorrentino:

I don't drink booze anymore. I did for a long time. I don't touch any drugs or anything like that. So I'm a natural guy, you know?

Vince Ferguson:

Wow, that's amazing.

Vince Ferguson:

Now, you wear so many hats, you know? And again, you're vibrant, you're a comedian, you're a singer-composer, actor, everything. But if you could only choose one hat to wear, what would it be?

Stephen Sorrentino:

You're going to give me that question?

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

I think the spice of life is all the different things.  I don't think I have been asked that question before.

Vince Ferguson:

Good!

Stephen Sorrentino:

I was going to say, I'm going to say actor.

Vince Ferguson:

Really?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah, because I think you get to be in as many people as you want to be, and you get to channel all the other personalities that are in you and then bring them out. It's almost like Halloween every day. So you get to wear any mask you want. You pull it out, you play the character, and you put it away.

Stephen Sorrentino:

But I'm like that with all my stuff, with my comedy, with my composition. Even when I put it to show, the way I design lights and stuff, I just I'll take different ideas, the way I do with nutrition and the way I eat, take everybody else's ideas, and bring them, and make my own. You know?

Vince Ferguson:

Yes, yes.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Is that a long answer or what?

Vince Ferguson:

No, but it makes a lot of sense. It makes a lot of sense.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

Now, to be the person you are today, obviously you had to go through, you learned a lot, you met a lot of people. Who were the most impactful in your life? Who made you who you are today, Stephen?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Oh, gee, you know what? I'm going to bring it all the way down to my sixth grade teacher. I know it sounds unexceptional. I could say Debbie Reynolds or something like that, or Patti LaBelle.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

But there was a person when I was in sixth grade that was a hippie back in the day. He had long hair and a beard, and that was very unlike the school district. And this guy just said, the first day, he goes, "You guys want to do a class, or you want to go outside because it's beautiful and just talk?" And he cared, and he listened to us. And from that moment, it was like a class of... It was like a camp. It almost like a hippie thing.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

It felt so good that somebody cared, and we all got to know each other. It wasn't a lesson. It was a lesson in life. It wasn't a book lesson. And I'll never forget him, so he touched my life.

Stephen Sorrentino:

And I'm going to say Patti. Not to be stupid, but Debbie Reynolds also. I learned so much from being positive about everything. Even when negative stuff was happening, say it in a positive way. "I don't want to do that." You know? With a smile. So you know? So I think being positive, and gleaning something from the people that you meet, especially on stage. Like George Carlin, hanging out with George Carlin and talking to him.

Vince Ferguson:

George Carlin?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Jerry Lewis. I mean, these are people that affected me as a kid, and then seeing what they're like in real life. So another person, Leslie Jordan. I don't know if you know the actor, he was on Will and Grace, he's little gay dude.

Vince Ferguson:

Oh.

Stephen Sorrentino:

I read his book, and I stopped drinking. Because I read his book, and it touched me somehow. And I called him, we had a mutual friend. I said, "How's that non-drinking thing?" Because I used to like my wine and it was affecting me at one point. And I said, "How's the non-drinking thing happen?" He goes, "Well, I won an Emmy." I said, "Well, I want an Emmy." He goes, "Then quit." And he made it so simple. And I went, "Yeah." And so I called him every day for 30 days just to say how I was doing, and I never had another drink. That was like 13 years ago. I never touched the booze again.

Vince Ferguson:

Really?

Stephen Sorrentino:

So that those are the people that touch you.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Stephen Sorrentino:

And you never forget them.

Vince Ferguson:

Most definitely. Oh, that's amazing. And you mentioned Patti LaBelle. What was that experience like?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Oh, my God. I mean, that's the queen. I got called because she was having some problems. As a comedian, she was having some vocal problems. So they said, "Would you come in and do an audition for Patti LaBelle" I'm like, "For who?" And they said, "Patti LaBelle. And I'm like, "Wait, I'm going to sing in front of Patti LaBelle?" You know?

Stephen Sorrentino:

So I went there. And I got the job, because my comedy is a lot of singing impressions. I do like Sammy Davis and all that stuff, so I sing a lot.

Vince Ferguson:

Nice!

Stephen Sorrentino:

And so I'm looking. She walks in, and there's Miss Patti with the entourage. And I'm like, "Oh, my..." And I started getting weird. You know? Because it's Patti LaBelle. And I'm looking at the microphone and I said, "Okay, I can't do this. Because that's Patti LaBelle, I'm going to flip out. I'm going to pass out. I'm going to throw up. Whatever's going to happen." And then I just went through this little process that we all do when we try to take care of ourself. I said, I looked at the stage, and I looked at Patti, Miss Patti. And I took the microphone. I know a microphone. There's a stage. There's a monitor. That's an audience. I'm familiar with all of that. I'm just going to do it. And I went out and I killed.

Stephen Sorrentino:

And on the way out, I introduced her. She grabbed my shoulder with her beautiful nails, and she goes, "You're with me forever."

Vince Ferguson:

Really?

Stephen Sorrentino:

And she said that. Yeah. And that, just got the chills talking about it because I just believed in myself at that moment. I put all the crap aside, and all the negativity that what could happen, and just said, "Yeah, I'm doing this." And I did 69 dates over the years with Miss Patti, so it was just wonderful.

Vince Ferguson:

How many dates? 69?

Stephen Sorrentino:

69 dates, I think. Yeah, probably all together in Las Vegas for many, many times, and then a couple of road dates. I was there for her 60th birthday. Yeah. Yeah, I've been around, man.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah. No, yeah, you've been around. But also, you really mixed it up with these people, too, which is great, you know?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah. Yes. Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

And I'm sure they speak highly of you, as well, so that's amazing.

Stephen Sorrentino:

You know what? If you're smart, you get a lot from people. You don't just try to tell them who you are, but you listen. That's the biggest thing I ever could tell young people, because I mentor young people in the arts and I teach in China, as well. I mean, I'm a little nuts with that. I just tell them to listen. Because if you listen, you're going to hear everybody's story. You put it into your own little mix master, you make it, and then it becomes your story. You know? But listen, if we listen, we hear a lot. You know?

Vince Ferguson:

I think the problem to a lot of us today is that we don't listen. Right? We want to talk about what we know, who we are instead of listening-

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

... to what someone else knows-

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

... that might help us to become better than what we are today.

Stephen Sorrentino:

You know what? I don't know you very long, but I bet you I got months of stuff to learn from you. You know what I mean? And people don't take the time to listen. Especially when it comes to age, too. People, "Oh, he's old." When people, some young people say, "What song is that? Oh, I wasn't even born when that was written." Well, the world didn't start when you were born. I don't know if you got the memo.

Vince Ferguson:

Thank you. Thank you. It's so true, man.

Vince Ferguson:

I want to talk to you briefly about a movie. I just saw this movie, and you're in it, and it's called A Tale of Redemption and Regret. It was hilarious, but tell my viewers about it.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Well, it's you know? I got this script. I was in Las Vegas, and then COVID happened, so I moved back. I have a farm in the east coast of Virginia, and I just went to the farm just to be safe, and there's not going to be any work. And this young guy sent me script and said, "Look, I saw you perform a long time ago. I want you to do this character." So I'm like, "All right."

Stephen Sorrentino:

I read the script, and I loved it. It was a mafia guy that was down on his luck. It was like he wasn't going to win it at the end. He's actually kind of a loser. And I had a lot of empathy for him, because he's past his prime. Yeah, the '80s are over, and he's still trying to do the same thing, which is the mistake we all make. You have to roll, and change and evolve. Well, he can't, and I loved it.

Stephen Sorrentino:

So I called him up and I said, "If I give this guy a real personality ... I'll play the thing." And he did. So I produced the movie, I starred in it, and I also wrote the music for it. And it's just a really great romp of this... It's comedy, but it's dark comedy. Because he's kind of a murderer, but he's funny.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah. Yeah. You mix it all.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah. You can see it on YouTube. It's also just won today... Or last night, I should say we won the London Short Film festival, the London Film Festival, and we won three other ones last week. So this movie is touching on something. I think all of us, as we get older, want to stay relevant.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

And some of us that can't, we fall through the cracks ... and this is touching on it. It's called A Tale of Redemption and Regret with Sunny the Heat.

Vince Ferguson:

Sunny the Heat?

Stephen Sorrentino:

It's a fun movie.

Vince Ferguson:

It really is.

Stephen Sorrentino:

I'm Sunny the Heat.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes. It really, it really, truly is, man.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Thanks.

Vince Ferguson:

And you say co-produced it. Now, also in the theme was about, as you said, getting older.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

And does Stephen Sorrentino worry about getting older?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Of course. You know? You want to stay relevant. And like last night, I'm on stage, and I'm playing the piano, and the recorder's rocking. You know? We're doing shows here in Las Vegas. And I said to myself, "Do I want to stand on the piano bench and jump off?" Well, at 30, that was easy. But at 61, I'll blow a hip. You know?

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah

Stephen Sorrentino:

I did it, because I did my running yesterday and I feel good. But what happens if? So you stuck getting that self-doubt thing, and you try to talk yourself out of it if you stay in shape.

Vince Ferguson:

Wow, exactly.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

Exactly. That's why being healthy is so important, right? So-

Stephen Sorrentino:

It's all you got, man.

Vince Ferguson:

I know. But do you think acting today is more of a young man's game, or does it make a difference?

Stephen Sorrentino:

No, I think acting, I think it... Well, the thing is, here's the way I look at it. At 22, there's 9,000 other guys that want the job and that could do it, because they're good looking and they want it badly. At 45 there's 500 guys because they want it pretty much. But at 60, there's only four guys. I'm going to get the part. You know?

Vince Ferguson:

Great way of looking at it. Less competition, you're saying, huh?

Stephen Sorrentino:

That's right. Yeah. Well, the thing is I'm a character actor, so I'm not going to be the leading man anymore. That ship sailed in the '70s, so... Or the '80s. So for me, I love to play older. I mean, to get into an old character, to play someone maybe from Ireland, then you really can get yourself all crazy. You know? It's great.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

You know? As long as I can pop out of it and run around the room a little bit, you know?

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah, yeah. Exactly, exactly. Very, very funny, man.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

But now, what advice would you give a young actor? Because you said you mentor actors, right? Young actors.

Stephen Sorrentino:

I do, yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

What advice do you give them if they want to get into the business?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Well, this movie is playing at all the film festivals worldwide, so I'm getting a multitude of people reaching out to me saying, "Help me." So I can't help everybody. But the first thing I said is, "Do you want to be an actor, or do you want to famous?" And if the answer is, "I want to be a star, I want to be famous," then I can't help you. But if you want to learn the craft and get famous because you're awesome, I can help you with that. You know what I mean?

Stephen Sorrentino:

So learn the craft. Don't just want to be... Anybody can be famous taking a picture of their hinny on Instagram and putting it out, and everybody looks at it.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

But to have a career like me for 46 years of getting paid, having homes around America, touring the world, that's really seeing the world on other people's dime because of the business, that's a real gift, man. So you have to put your work in. You know? As a musician, as an artist, as a comedian, as whatever it is that you do, put it all in. And this may sound weird to you. I don't have it B plan, I never did. I don't have a backup plan. Because if I have a backup plan, then I'm telling the universe or whatever I believe in that it may not work out. So my thing has always been A plan, and it always worked out.

Vince Ferguson:

And do you recommend that for most people?

Stephen Sorrentino:

I do. I have to. when you say I have a B, I'm going to have something to fall back on, you already fell back. Because you just said that you don't believe that it's going to work out for you. So I don't have a plumber thing, or a... You know? I did jobs when I was a kid. But I'm going to be an actor, comedian, composer until the minute I die.

Vince Ferguson:

Wow.

Stephen Sorrentino:

And that's the way it's going to be. Because I said so. You know what I mean? It sounds arrogant, but it's like the world, the universe is a restaurant. You got to tell the waiter what you want. Tell them exactly what you want. But you also have, you have the patience to wait for it and do the work. You know? Tell them what you want, like working on your body, working on your nutrition, be prepared, and then it will come to you. It's guaranteed. But if you say, "Eh, it's not coming. I'm going somewhere else," then you're not there for the food. And they show up with the hamburger for you, and you're not there to eat it. So stick with it, know your stuff, take care of yourself, and it'll come to you. That's what I tell my young people.

Vince Ferguson:

That sounds great, man. That's great advice. But now, what are the keys, in your opinion, to longevity in the entertainment business. I say entertainment business, because you're more than just an actor. Okay?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

So what's the keys to longevity?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Evolve. Learn that-

Vince Ferguson:

Evolve.

Stephen Sorrentino:

You know? Your body, when you're 21, you could do certain weights. You could do certain fitness.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

But when you're 55, you're not going to do the same exercises. It's the same with the arts. You have to evolve. At 21, I looked young and handsome ... I had tight jeans on, long hair. You can't play that guy when you're 40. So you have to change, and evolve, and roll with the punches, and roll with what life brings you. I embrace the fact that I'm not 21. I'm glad, because now I'm playing this guy, the older mafia died. I'll be doing a play this summer in New York City. I forget the name of it right now because it's early here. It Could Be Worse, it's called. And I'm playing an Italian guy, and his daughter comes, and she's got a girlfriend and this whole... But it's two hours of non-stop, like manic energy. And I'll be able to do it because that guy, I took care of myself. So maybe he didn't take care of himself for the story. But for me to play him, I have to have taken care of myself. No drinking, no meat for me, no booze. You know? No anything. Just rest, exercise.

Vince Ferguson:

So those are the keys. Evolving, not drinking, not abusing your body, proper nutrition. Okay. When did you become a vegetarian?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Oh, my God, about 10 years ago. I'm an animal rights activist, and I didn't like meat as it was, the concept of it. And when I stopped eating red meat and pork, I felt better. And then I just said, "You know what? One day a week, I'm going to eat no meat at all." And eventually, it just went away. I just felt better and better. So I take protein shakes sometimes, and I have a lot of nuts. And I know that nutrition-wise, a lot of fruits. Yeah, you know? I try to eat right, man.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah, man.

Stephen Sorrentino:

You're the vehicle? You know? You have to...

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

We want our car to go somewhere. So our brain is the map, and our body is the car, and if you don't put new tires on and take care of the oil and gas, it won't go anywhere.

Vince Ferguson:

It just doesn't work right. Exactly. Exactly.

Stephen Sorrentino:

You know?

Vince Ferguson:

That's good wisdom. What about exercise now? What exercises do you do on a regular basis that keep you going?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Well, jumping around on stage every night helps because you're sweating it out all the time.

Vince Ferguson:

Sure.

Stephen Sorrentino:

But I run three miles a day, three to six miles a day. A slow run, because I'm older, so my hips are not what it used to be. I do pushups every day, and if I can get to the gym twice a week and just do a whole, like a universal circuit, I'm good.

Vince Ferguson:

Nice.

Stephen Sorrentino:

I sweat it out. Got to sweat every day.

Vince Ferguson:

Nice. That's good to hear that.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Definitely

Vince Ferguson:

And also, good advice for other people to know that you have to move your body, right?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Have to. Yeah, as you get older, too-

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Stephen Sorrentino:

... if you stop using it, you will lose it.

Vince Ferguson:

Exactly. I agree.

Vince Ferguson:

I don't lift as much now. I just want to be healthy. To me, it's about being fit.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah, but you look... Exactly. And you look good, so hello.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

That's the game.

Vince Ferguson:

And you want to be around long time, right?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah. I want to play an 80-year old in a play someday, and I'll be 80. That's cool.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah. But you won't look 80.

Stephen Sorrentino:

No, I will look 70.

Vince Ferguson:

It's all good, it's all good.

Vince Ferguson:

I read a personal quote of yours, and it said-

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

It said, "I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid of living with no purpose." That was awesome.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

Explain that to my listeners and viewers.

Stephen Sorrentino:

You know? I said that as a mentor thing to a Chinese medical student, that he posted that somewhere. It became like this thing. I'm not afraid of dying. I mean, for me, living is the whole thing. Dying, I don't believe anything negative about it ... I think it's a positive thing. You just move into the next thing. I just don't want to be on this planet and not touch another person, not change another person's life, or leave a legacy. Even if it's just a song, or a performance that somebody said, "Gee, you really touched my heart." Or a song that somebody used for their wedding because it meant something. So we have a short time here relatively in this world, and I think our job is not to make money, and to buy stuff, and boast. But it's to touch as many people positively as possible and change their lives. That's it. I don't want to live without purpose. That's my purpose.

Vince Ferguson:

That is so well put, you know?

Stephen Sorrentino:

I didn't mean to be so profound. But it came out good, and when he posted it everywhere, I'm like, "Oh."

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah, man, it's like, "This guy's got a lot of wisdom to share. You know? He's really deep."

Stephen Sorrentino:

I'm the Dalai Lama.

Vince Ferguson:

Right. Exactly, exactly. Which is cool. Because someone needs to hear that, man.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah, that's cool. That's my life. I mean, when people reach out to me, I do the best I can. There a lot of people that... I was in a film festival in India recently, and all these Indian actors, young dude actors wanted to talk to me, and I'm getting like 13, 14 requests every day, "Hey, can I speak to you?" And I do the best I can. But at one point, I'm like, "I can't." You know? "Take a number," so to speak. So I want to give positive energy to anybody I can. You know? Someday, on a world platform, if I can. You know?

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

But we'll see.

Vince Ferguson:

That’s awesome.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah, man. I mean, isn't that our job?

Vince Ferguson:

I think so. To give back and to help those who are around us. I believe that.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Isn't that what you're doing? Yeah, but look what you're doing. You are.

Vince Ferguson:

I believe, yes. And it feels good to do it, to share information. You bring on people like yourself who can also share uplifting and positive information, man.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

You know? It's a beautiful thing.

Vince Ferguson:

But now, I also know that you are in a film that's coming out the end of the year. It was directed by Victoria Rowell?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yes!

Vince Ferguson:

... of Young and Restless?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yes! Young and Restless. Victoria's a like rockstar, you know?

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

First of all, I was excited because I'm the only white dude in the movie, which is freaking awesome.

Vince Ferguson:

Really? Oh, wow. A token.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah, I'm the token white dude, which is fine with me. Equal time, finally. And she's a great director. Actually, Denise Bute is in it, also as well.

Vince Ferguson:

Denise is in it?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah. Blair Underwood, Bill Bellamy, and it's called-

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

... A Rich Christmas. And I play a small part, but I play an English butler. Very, very different, you know? I've got my glasses like this. You know? One of those guys. And I had played Annie, I played Drake in Annie, which is a butler, with Sally Struthers-

Vince Ferguson:

Yes!

Stephen Sorrentino:

... the year before. And Victoria saw a video of mine, and she goes, "You're hired." And it was so cool. So it's called A Rich Christmas. You know? It's a Christmastime movie on BET-

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Stephen Sorrentino:

... and look for me. Yeah. And Victoria's again, you walk in the room, her positive energy fills the room-

Stephen Sorrentino:

... and you just get taken over by her. Yes, strong, strong woman director, so unique. And great that we're starting to see more women, more people of color directing. It's wonderful.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes. Wonderful.

Stephen Sorrentino:

I'm inspired.

Vince Ferguson:

Where do you see yourself, Stephen Sorrentino? You've done so much, but where do you see yourself in next five years?

Stephen Sorrentino:

I'd like to have a regular show, like on a Netflix type of platform. Maybe the Sunny the Heat thing. I don't know. On whatever platform.

Vince Ferguson:

That’s awesome!

Stephen Sorrentino:

And just have a steady job on television. And then on my off months, I'd love to tour a little bit to do my comedy, and then have enough time to mentor and teach young people. That's it.

Vince Ferguson:

That's it?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

That's a lot, man. That's a lot.

Stephen Sorrentino:

That's okay. I got a lot. You know? Like I said, I got a lot of energy, so...

Vince Ferguson:

So how do you rest though? How do you take it down?

Stephen Sorrentino:

I shut off. So it's no people. Because anytime I'm around people, I kind of somewhat perform. I don't know. I can't really shut down. So what I do is I close everybody off, I go away, and I just rest. I just I do nothing. I try that. A little meditation.

Vince Ferguson:

Yeah.

Stephen Sorrentino:

And can I be honest with you? When I'm back in Virginia on my ranch, I mow the lawn.

Vince Ferguson:

You mow the lawn?

Stephen Sorrentino:

For eight hours. It's 13 acres of mowing-

Vince Ferguson:

Oh!

Stephen Sorrentino:

Because it's a 50 acre estate.

Vince Ferguson:

Whoa!

Stephen Sorrentino:

So I mow

Vince Ferguson:

Whoa, really? Really?

Stephen Sorrentino:

It's I can't. It sounds stupid, but it's very zen, man.

Vince Ferguson:

Very zen, unbelievable.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Zen mowing. I don't know what to tell you, but that helps to slow me down.

Vince Ferguson:

Because you're such an outgoing person, and I would imagine that you're always around people. But for you, get away from people.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah, I have to shut completely off. And I think, and somebody pointed this out, a psychologist friend of mine said, "You're not an extrovert. You're an extrovert for a living, but you're actually an introvert." And I think he's right. So I do this Mr. Personality thing.

Vince Ferguson:

Yes.

Stephen Sorrentino:

But my real person is a very quiet, inside thing. So it's kind of strange.

Vince Ferguson:

It is kind of strange, man. But how can my listeners and viewers find out more about Stephen Sorrentino?

Stephen Sorrentino:

You can go to Stephensorrentino.com. It's Stephen with a P-H. You can go to my Instagram, follow. There's a lot of awards being posted on that, which is New York actor or Stephen.Sorrentino. Or on Twitter, I'm Sorrentino. Easy.

Vince Ferguson:

Amazing. Definitely easy.

Vince Ferguson:

But one more thing about Tales of Redemption, right?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

It was only 14 minutes. It was a very short movie.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah. Yeah, it's a short movie. We wanted to make an impact and show everybody what we could do. And now we're developing it as a series. Like I said, I want that series. So we've got 13 episodes written, and then we're going to start pitching it all over the world to whoever will look at it, and whoever will give us the most platforms that we can see it. And you people can watch Sunny, because he's a very interesting character.

Vince Ferguson:

Most definitely. I wanted more, man. I wanted more. How it ended, I wanted more Sunny the Heat.

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah. A lot of people say, at the festivals that I went to in New York, they came up to me and said, "We want more of Sunny." And I'm like, "That's great."

Vince Ferguson:

Thank you. Thank you, man.

Stephen Sorrentino:

You know? No, thank you.

Vince Ferguson:

You can identify with Sunny, man. You know?

Stephen Sorrentino:

Yeah.

Vince Ferguson:

You really could.

Vince Ferguson:

Well, look, Stephen Sorrentino, on behalf of Body Sculpt of New York, that's my non-profit fitness program for kids, and Six Weeks to Fitness, I truly want to thank you for coming on my show today.

Stephen Sorrentino:

It's my pleasure. This has been a blessing. Thank you so much.

Vince Ferguson:

And to my listeners and viewers, I truly hope this program was informative, encouraging, and inspiring, and that you will continue listening in and watching our Six Weeks to Fitness program. If you have any questions or comments for the show, please leave them below. And don't forget to subscribe, so you don't miss any future episodes. And remember, you don't stop exercising because you are getting old. You're getting old because you stopped exercising.  www.6weekstofitness.com

 

Direct download: Episode_177_Stephen_Sorrentino.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:49pm EDT

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